#after having confusedly circled through all the locations 7 times i came back and they suddenly fit like that thin rubber SL-9 glove

[stacks-of-stags]

respectfully will lana skye please stop ruining my entire life by trying to ruin hers at every fucking turn thanks

[crackheadgeminibby]

heaven

pairing: chris evans x black!reader

warnings: language, severe angst, age gap, potentially triggering subject (please do not read if you get triggered by stories)

word count: 2.2k

i do not consent to my work being copied in any way, shape or form or reposted on any other platform

not my picture

Today was the day. You were finally going to tell Chris that you were pregnant. You had learned about it three weeks ago when you kept vomiting in the morning and consequently did a test. After the test came back positive, you had scheduled an appointment with your doctor and according to her, you were supposed to be 9 weeks along and you were also supposed to get your first ultrasound picture.

You had forgotten your pill at home during a weeklong trip, but you hadn’t thought that it would matter since it was not the first time that you had forgotten it. It was an accident but that didn’t mean that you were any less excited about it and you knew that Chris would think the same thing.

You leave work as your 5pm doctor’s appointment approaches. You smile and wave at the receptionist as you exit the building. You’re backing out of your parking space as your phone starts ringing. Your car’s Bluetooth announces, “Incoming call from my love💗”. You smile softly and answer the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey baby. Are you still at work?”

“No. I have that… dentist’s appointment, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot. Are you still gonna be able to make it to dinner?”

“I don’t see why not, but if anything changes, I’ll text you. Can you still make it?”

“Yeah, I’m leaving for the house right now and then I’m taking Dodger for a walk.”

“Okay, great. I’ll see you later then?”

“Yeah. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You hang up the call and continue your drive to the doctor’s office.

You feel your throat closing as the doctor gently rubs your shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Evans…”

You cover your mouth as tears start streaming down your face.

“Would you like to keep the picture?”

You numbly nod your head as the doctor types away on the computer.

“Y/N? Baby? Where are you?”

You faintly hear Chris calling for you from the front door.

“Come on, bubba. Let’s find Mommy.” Dodger starts padding his way through the house as Chris follows.

The door creaks open and you immediately feel Dodger jump on the bed.

“Hey. You didn’t hear me calling you?”

You hear Dodger whine and feel him nosing into the top of the blanket that covers your head while Chris kneels next to the bed.

“Y/N?”, Chris asks as he carefully pulls the blanket from your head. He frowns as soon as he sees your tear-stained face.

“Oh, baby… What’s wrong?”, Chris asks as he strokes your cheek.

“I lost it.”

Chris frowns and shakes his head confusedly.

“Lost what?”

Tears start falling down your face again as you think about it, “The baby.”

Chris’ hand stops rubbing your cheek abruptly, “What? What baby?”

You reach for the picture that you had put on the nightstand. You shakily hand it to Chris and his hand trembles as he takes it from you.

He looks at it for what seems like the longest time until he asks, “Why didn’t you tell me?” He breathes in and looks at you with hurt in his teary eyes before asking, “Were you even going to tell me?”

A sob shakes your body as his questions register into your mind.

“I was going to tell you. Tonight, at dinner. I just wanted the picture before telling you.”

You look at Chris as tears fall from his face, seemingly in slow motion.

He silently gets up and lays down next to you, intertwining his fingers with yours. Your body shakes as another sob makes its way out of you. Chris gently takes you into his arms and whispers, “Shhh, baby. It’s okay. It’s okay…”

Dodger kneels at the foot of the bed and tilts his head quizzically. Chris waves him over and he lays down next to you as you continue to cry in Chris’ arms.

It had now been three and a half weeks since you had learned that you had miscarried. Chris had insisted that you stay home and rest and, as a result, you had been sleeping, reading, watching TV, or walking Dodger since then.

Chris had told his mom the day after you had learned about the miscarriage, and she had insisted on coming to visit you. She had stayed for about a day before she finally helped you scramble enough courage to tell your own parents. They had also come to visit you and had left a week later.

Chris was currently at the grocery store while you were watching a movie with Dodger in your lap.

Dodger gets up and runs towards the door before you hear it opening. Chris walks in and drops the groceries in the kitchen before coming over to the living room. He puts his arms around you and softly kisses your temple before asking,

“Hey, princess. How are you doing?”

You shrug and answer, “I’m okay… Could use some cuddles, though.” Chris chuckles next to your ear and kisses your cheek before hopping over the couch. He opens his arms for you, and you hug him before dropping your head into his lap. He starts softly running his fingers up and down your back and soon enough, you’re asleep.

You wake up a couple of hours later as the sun is setting. This was the first time that you had slept more or less normally since the miscarriage had happened.

As you stretch, you hear Chris’ heavy breathing. You look up at him and see that he also fell asleep. You smile and get up as silently as you can to not wake him up. Dodger had also come back from playing around the house and was sleeping on the other side of Chris.

As you walk to the kitchen, you realize that Chris hadn’t had time to put away the groceries before sitting with you, so you decide to start dinner after putting away the food.

You’re lost in your thoughts, humming some song from the movie you were watching as you stir the Bolognese sauce you were making for dinner, so when you feel arms wrapping around your waist, you jump and almost scream,

“Holy shit, Chris! You scared the fuck out of me.”

He laughs at your reaction as you put your hand over your chest.

“Sorry, baby”, he kisses from your cheek down to your neck while stroking your hips and asks, “What are you making? It smells fucking delicious.”

You tilt your head to the side to give him better access and softly moan as you subconsciously let go of the wooden spoon in your hand and put your hands above his. He starts sucking on your sweet spot, located behind your ear, and you start breathing heavily as he now rubs the inside of your thighs.

“Chris, you better stop before this sauce burns and nobody eats dinner at all.”

He softly chuckles and whispers in your ear, “I’m going to be eating a very tasty dinner either way.”

You turn around and softly hit his chest, “Chris!”

He kisses your forehead and smiles as he puts his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, you win. What can I do to help, baby?”

You smile and shake your head as you turn back to your sauce, shrugging, “I’m pretty much done so I guess just setting the table would be fine.” He nods and leaves to do so.

You finish cooking the sauce and put it, as well as the pasta you had already made, in serving plates and bring them to the table just as Chris is finishing setting up the table. He starts plating the food for himself along with you as you head to the far end of the kitchen to put out Dodger’s food.

After you finish with Dodger’s food, you sit down in front of Chris at the table as he hands you your plate.

“Thank you.”

He smiles at you and you both start eating before you hear a whine under the table. You look next to you and see Dodger looking at you with his big brown eyes, begging for some of your food. You shake your head and smile while saying,

“I literally just gave you food, Dodger.”

He continues to whine and as Chris looks over to the window, you snatch some spaghetti from the serving plate and give it to him.

As Chris sees you seemingly smiling at the floor and moving your arm, he tilts his head before looking under the table and seeing you feed Dodger.

“Really, Y/N?”, he asks while trying to keep his laugh in.

You burst into laughter and Dodger finishes eating before running away towards the living room.

You finish eating and start clearing the table. You open the faucet and start to do the dishes before Chris comes behind you and says, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of them. Go relax and I’ll join you after.”

You smile up at him and chastely kiss his lips.

You head to the living room and sit on the couch before calling Dodger over. He hastily walks over to you and lies down next to you with his head in your lap. You gently smile at him and softly pet his head as you turn on the TV and select The Lion King, Chris and your favorite movie to watch together.

As you wait for Chris to finish and join you, you take your phone from the coffee table and see you have some new messages.

lisa evans, 7:32pm:

Hi Y/N, I hope you are resting and are starting to feel better. Call me or send me a text if there’s anything I can do. Xx

momma, 8:26pm:

Hi baby, hope you’re feeling better. Call me or your dad when you get the chance so we can talk a bit, okay?

We love you xo

daddy, 8:33pm:

Good evening sweetie. Call us tomorrow if you can

Love, Dad

You softly smile as your heart warms from their concern. You answer all of them similarly by saying that you feel a bit better and that you’ll call them tomorrow. Just as you’re sending the last text, Chris walks into the living room. You smile at your phone again and put it back on the coffee table as Chris sits down next to you and puts his arm around your shoulders.

“Who was that?”

“Your mom and my parents just wanted to know how I was doing. I told them we would call tomorrow.”

Chris smiles and nods before adding, “Okay.”

He reaches for the TV remote on your other side and pets Dodger a bit before playing the movie. Chris moves around a bit to get more comfortable and ends up lying down on the couch. He motions you over and you lay in front of him. He softly puts his hands on your hips and starts drawing circles.

You don’t realize until about halfway through the movie that Chris’ hands have moved from your hips to your stomach and that he is caressing it. Your breath hitches and you reach for the remote control that Chris had left on the floor in front of you. You pause the movie and sit down on the couch with a hand on your belly.

Chris readjusts himself so he can see your face and confusedly frowns at your thoughtful face: it certainly wasn’t watching The Lion King that had changed your mood that quickly. He puts his hand on top of yours that rests on your thigh and asks,

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

You tearfully look towards him and shakily exhale before saying,

“I think we should start trying. But for real, this time.”

He seems confused for a few seconds before the realization hits him. His eyes widen and he sits up next to you before taking your face in his large hands.

“Princess, are you sure? Rushing back into this really isn’t the best of plans.”

You shake your head and try to explain your thought process,

“No… I’ve thought about it for a while. Even before the…” You feel yourself choking up a bit before clearing your throat and continuing, “Before it all happened, I was already thinking about really having this discussion with you, it just snuck up on me before I could mention it. I- I think I’m ready now.”

You look over at Chris and immediately see the excitement in his eyes. He had waited for this exact moment for so long that he could barely contain the smile that was etching its way onto his face.

He enthusiastically nods and says, “Okay.”

5 MONTHS LATER

Chris nervously squeezes your hand and lovingly looks at you.

“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Evans. It’s a girl”, the doctor says while smiling at both of you.

You look up at Chris and playfully smirk, “A daddy’s girl in the making.”

[thegremlinofransei]

Welcome to the Family | Ch. 1

Resident Evil 7 AU

Fandom: Split, Glass

Rating: M for strong language as well as gory and disturbing violence (it gets worse)

Word Count: ~3K

Summary: It's been three years since Kevin disappeared. However, when he sends Casey a cryptic email detailing his location, she's thrown into a long night of pure, grim horror.

--------------------------

Why the hell am I doing this? It's clearly a scam, Casey thought to herself as she chugged along the interstate in her beat-up station wagon. He's probably dead, why would he show up now?

   You're doing this because he was your shoulder to cry on throughout your uncle's trial, her conscience replied. You're doing this because you fell in love with him, he's supported you since that day you met on the senior trip to the zoo, you discussed a long-term future with him, and damned if you won't try to bring him back.

   There's no turning back now, I suppose, Casey conceded, and she flipped the right-turn indicator for her exit. As a precaution, though, she took out her cellphone and hit the second speed dial option. A low, friendly voice asked confusedly, "Hello?"

     "Hey Marcia. It's Casey."

     "Hey girl, you alright? You didn't show up to Claire's party the other night. We were talking about it during Prof Staple's lecture and you seemed really thrilled about going!"

     "Yeah, no, I'm fine...it's Kevin. I don't think he's dead."

     Marcia's voice jumped an octave. "Wait, they actually found him? How? What happened?"

     Casey sighed. "I...I don't know how...but he's back somehow. Maybe it's a prank, he wanted me to come pick him up and bring him back to Philadelphia."

     "Well, where is he?"

     "Dulvey. In Lousiana."

     Marcia was stunned. "Hon, that's really far! Besides, it's been three years!"

     "I know, I know!" Casey exclaimed, her voice shaky with nervousness. "But...what if it is him? I just...I need to find out what happened. The zoo's been covering up the details of his caretaker assignment since he disappeared, and I need some answers. Best if it comes from him."

     Marcia sighed in exasperation. "All right. But you better be back as soon as possible!"

     All Casey could muster as she pulled up to a tree-shrouded driveway was a subtle "mhm," and she hung up. She shifted the car into park just off the road, shut it off, and stepped out into the oppressive bayou humidity. Examining the address written on the e-mail printout crumpled in her sweaty palm, she knew that this had to be the right place.

     She started up the overgrown trail and continued until she came to the front iron gates of a dreary, looming house. A rusted intercom was perched on one of the rails, and she tried the 'call' button, to no avail. She then tried to yank at the gates themselves, but they were tied together with a chain.

     "Well, shit," Casey muttered as she looked back up at the house. She turned to walk back to the car when a side trail, curved around the gates of the estate, caught her eye.

     This is a dumbass idea Cooke, her conscience screamed, trying to go back on its conviction to rescue her boyfriend. However, her curiosity won out, so she strengthened her resolve and began to follow the path.

     As she journeyed on, she found a dilapidated white van parked- or, rather, broken down- by a busted-open side fence. Whose van is this? she wondered as she cautiously approached it. The door, albeit crooked and beaten in, slid open easily to reveal an interior furnished only by a manila folder.

     Casey plucked the folder up and examined it. The words SEWER GATORS were emblazoned across the front, accompanied only by the caption, Sneaking into a Louisiana ghost house. The folder was full of scripts and jotted notes and half-baked ideas, but the red writing on the back of the folder sent a chill down her spine.

     JOIN US.

     Shivering, she took a step back from the van. Nothing was stopping her from turning back. And yet...she couldn't. It may have just been that the van resembled the one that Kevin drove for the zoo, but she remembered her purpose and steeled her nerves. Stepping toward the fence, she made out another cryptic phrase scrawled on a piece of plywood in a substance resembling mud:

     ACCEPT HIS GIFT

     I can't do this, I can't do this, Casey screamed internally. This is way too fucking creepy, why is he at an abandoned house like this? Was someone else looking for him too? Her mind raced in terror, attempting and failing to process all of the blatant red flags.

     And yet, her legs moved her along with a mind of their own, fueled by all of the memories. The initial awkward smiles as you bumped into him at the tiger exhibit. Holding his hand in the courtroom. Him helping you study for your Intro to Zoology final. Curled up in his apartment under the zoo because Marcia kicked you out for her date night, Casey recalled, trying desperately to think about anything other than the van and persuade herself to trek onward.

     The swarms of insects grew thicker, and Casey became increasingly unsettled by the overgrown path and that ever-notorious feeling of being watched. Every time she turned her head to absorb the scenery, she thought she saw something- or someone- just out of the corner of her eye. However, when she whipped back around to look, it always vanished.

     After a few more minutes of paranoia and reminiscence, she was snapped back to reality by a murder of crows darting out of an alcove. She peered in and saw that they had been feeding on a deer carcass. Used to the sight from hunting trips with her father, she shrugged off the initial shock and pivoted back to the path.

     Casey regretted her entire train of thought up to that point, horrified by what she saw next. A wreath of cow legs was strung up from every angle on the tree branches and rocks, and circular saw blades dangled from it like disturbing Christmas ornaments. She brought her left hand up to her mouth and gasped, attempting to hold the vomit at bay.

     Come on, Casey, she told herself as she lowered her quivering hand. Tears were forming in her eyes, and she had to force her trembling jaw to close so as to prevent bugs from entering her throat. You're in redneck country. There's a lot of weird shit like this. Just keep going…

     She gingerly approached the monument of flesh and, careful not to touch the rotting carrion, grabbed an exposed rope to duck underneath. All was calm again, until she happened upon a scattered murder of freshly dead crows in the trail. She gulped down her fright, slightly numbed by the eccentric wreath from earlier, and pushed forth.

     The trail ended at a small ledge, which overlooked a dead clearing adorned by mangled trees, steaming puddles, and a small house. Casey almost turned away from this obvious event horizon until it caught her eye.

     Kevin's Philadelphia Zoo backpack.

     It was the first sign of him she had seen in this seventh circle of Hell, and, acting against her better judgment, she hopped down. She ran to where the backpack was rather haphazardly lying against a boulder and unzipped it. Sure enough, Kevin's driving license was on top, except it was covered in black mud.

    Wait, this isn't mud, Casey thought. What the hell is this? Wait…this was what was on that sign at the fence…

     She dropped it in disgust, jumped back, and looked to the house. Thick ivy had trailed all the way up the chimney, and the forest seemed to have claimed the roof. Seeing as there was nowhere else to go, she made her way to the porch and stepped up. All of the sunlight that lit her unsettling amble prior to this seemed to disappear, as the porch had been draped over by the omnipresent ivy. The only light she had to see by was anything that filtered through and a dim, cone-shaped lamp perched on the wall just to the right of an open door.

     Through the door, Casey could only see an old window shutter leaning up against a worn wall. Everything else was pitch black, so she took a few steps inside to get a better look.

     creeeaaak- WHAM!

     Casey nearly jumped out of her skin as she was plunged into a total abyss of darkness. She fumbled at her belt with her flashlight, clicked the button on the end, and whipped back around to the door, now firmly shut. She ran into it full force, trying to ram it with her left shoulder, but nevertheless, it stayed. Moving the flashlight up to her teeth, she proceeded to shimmy and tug the doorknob with her trembling hands, trying to push the door back open, but it refused to budge, and the doorknob wouldn't turn, indicating that it was locked.

     "FUCK!" Casey spit out as she slammed her right arm against the door one last useless time.

     She turned back to the room. There was only one other door and an empty corner to curl up and panic in. Knowing it could be her only chance to find an escape route, she puffed her chest and strode up to the other door.

     On the other side was a long hallway scattered with lattice and wallpaper, lit by the exposed part of a window covered mostly by a worn-out wardrobe. Every board creaked underfoot as Casey proceeded to the end of the hall. She entered a cluttered kitchen and regained hope for escape when she saw an exposed pair of windows. However, they were only a few inches from a ridge outside upon further inspection, far too tight to squeeze through, and she was back to square one.

     The table behind her held a closed soup pot and a newspaper. She reached out to lift the lid from the pot, and, upon seeing the slimy, rotted contents, nearly added a new ingredient to the disgusting concoction. The experience was only worsened by a cockroach skittering over her hand by the rusted lid. She let out a small shriek in disgust and hastily flicked her wrist at the opposite wall a few times until her unwanted partner came free.

     Casey moved back to the wall housing the tormenting windows and continued to poke around. Reaching the fridge, she pulled on the handle, but the door only opened the slightest bit. She wrapped her other hand around the door itself and, with one hard pull, threw the door open. The inside was coated with a disgusting goo, and she let the hinges do their work to pull the refrigerator shut again, opting to look at the newspaper back on the table.

     Over 20 Missing In Two Years

     Casey's mind began to spiral with hopelessness as she backed away. This was a fucking mistake. Kevin's dead. I'm going to die here. She whipped her head around to look at the next set of windows. Boarded up. I should have brought someone with… wait! She went to pull her phone out of her pocket, but terror dawned on her as she realized that it wasn't there. I put it back in my pocket...didn't I? Oh my God, it must have slipped out when I jumped into that clearing.

     Keep moving, the panic will make things worse, she reprimanded herself as she continued into the next room. A set of stairs was immediately to her right, so she chose to ascend. 

     The room at the top was as dilapidated as everything else in the house. A button with the word Stairs carved on the metal plating above it sat crookedly on a support pole. Casey pressed it, praying for some miraculous stairway to the roof so she could slide down, but it didn't respond. She rounded the corner of the room and found a lonely oak dresser donned with a crooked lamp and a VCR tape. She picked up the latter, frantically turned to look around the room for anything else of use, and dejectedly went back down the stairs.

     To her right as she descended was another hallway, so Casey began to investigate. Her search took her to another door leading into a sitting area. The furniture was pointed every which way, and papers were strewn all over the floor. As she entered, she noticed two things.

     One, there was a fuse box with one fuse missing.

     Two, there was a TV turned on, set to play from the VCR.

     Casey turned the tape over in her hands, crossed her fingers that it had even one iota of useful information for how to get the hell out of there, and pushed it into the player slot.

     A man resembling a rat wearing a suit looked exasperatedly at the camera, then back to his producer, who towered over him. "Where did you find this guy?" he asked.

     "Give me a break, Joseph."

     "Hey! I only work with professionals. Speaking of which, make sure the sound is right this time, I don't want a repeat of Amarillo."

     "That was two fucking years ago!"

     "I don't do ADR."

     The producer waved to the cameraman to follow him and Joseph, and they hustled up to the derelict house. The cameraman could hear Joseph bitching about him to the producer mixed in with spouting ideas for what shot to use for an intro. Their humble band of three journeyed along the veranda to the closed door.

     "Are we rolling?" Joseph asked impatiently. The cameraman gave a thumbs up, and he finished, "Alright. Let's go."

    The door was locked, but with one swift kick, the producer gained the motley crew entry. Joseph pushed his way past and asked, "Why are we in hell this time?"

     His producer rubs his head in exasperation. "Do you ever prep?"

     "What is there to prep? Shitty house, spooky sounds. Ooh, is it haunted?" Joseph grunts in disgust. "I was an anchor, you know."

    "Weekend sub, Joseph. Not anchor."

     Indignantly, Joseph turned back to his producer and asked, "So, what's the story, Jai?"

     "Abandoned farm house. Missing family. Foul play suspected. The usual. Been vacant for three year-"

     "Fletcher, get a shot of this! It'd make a great cutaway. So, Jai, Hillbilly Joe and his family go-"

     Jai scoffs. "Not hillbillies. The Smiths. Dennis and Patricia Smith. And they were quiet, not backward. Lot of bad rumors about their son, Luke." He took off into the next room while Joseph stayed behind to whine to Fletcher about his shoes. However, when he started calling for Jai again and no reply came, Joseph only grew more pissed.

     "I swear to God, this is the last time I work with that guy!" Joseph exclaimed as the pair ventured down the hallway to the sitting room. "I mean, producers come and go, but...a good cameraman like you, Fletcher? Y-you stick with me."

     Joseph reached the door to the sitting room just as a raucous clanging sounded from the other side, sending him into another furious outburst. After he cooled down, he reached gingerly for the doorknob and pushed it open.

     "Jai?" Joseph called. "Where the fuck is he?" They ventured around the helter-skelter furniture and Joseph crouched by the dusty fireplace. "What the hell?" he exclaimed, tugging at a hidden handle. After a few creaks in the walls, a secret door opened across the room.

    "A-alright, new deal. We find Jai and go," Joseph grumbled in a quavering voice. The men crouched and ducked through to the hidden room. Apart from a few crates, the room was notable only for a ragged hole in the floor and a ladder down through it.

   "You first," Joseph whimpered out. "Need a nice hero shot of me c-coming down the ladder." Fletcher let out a quick huff, shoved his camera and flashlight into his sweatshirt, and proceeded to descend.

     Retrieving his items, Fletcher slowly turned around to find Jai standing like a pillar, facing some pipes along the wall. He reached out and grabbed his shoulder, but Jai's body was limp, and turning him around revealed that his face had been smashed against the pipes as he had a considerable gouge through his right eye and blood poured from his broken teeth.

    Fletcher screamed as he fell back, bringing Jai on top of him. The camera began to cut out, and the last shot featured an approaching person in heavy workboots, followed by more shrieks.

    Casey didn't have the willpower to hold in her vomit anymore. Assuming that whoever murdered the men in the video wouldn't mind even more filth in their already decrepit home, she stumbled over to the furniture and emptied the contents of her stomach underneath the coffee table.

     After wiping her mouth with a crumpled sheet of paper, she weighed her options. She could take a chair to the front door, but it was obvious by this point that she was being deliberately trapped. She could also try to pry open a window, but who knew if her captor is watching from every angle. Hell, she could just give up and await certain death…

     But Jai specifically said three years ago. If Kevin is here, I need to know.

     Finally, she begrudgingly turned her head to the fireplace.

     It was the only way.

---------------------------

A/N: This is my first time ever actually writing a fanfic, AU, et thetera so please leave constructive criticism! Please also reblog, like, give me credit, whatever y'all gotta do! I will update this as I have time to do so. If you want to be on the tag list, just drop me an ask specifically asking to be and I'll add you! 😘

Tag List:

@heavens-in-my-mind

[schreibfeather]

Songs Of Yesterday - Chapter 9 (Final)

Characters: Haley Potter (femHarry), Draco Malfoy, Michael Corner, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Cedric Diggory Rating: T Genre: Friendship/Romance Chapter: 9/9 Summary: When Haley Potter loses her godfather in the Department of Mysteries, the present and the future become dark and hopeless. She tries to find comfort in her memories of the past. But will that help her overcome her darkest moment? Basically a selection of events that happen in 4th year with Harry as a girl. Hogwarts-era. 4th Year. fem!harry. one-sidedHPxMC, HPxDM

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

9 - The Innocent Can Never Last

Haley wasn't as nervous before the third task as she had been before the other two. She even managed to eat some of the mashed potatoes with peas and carrots she had for dinner.

"You have an owl, Haley dear," Mrs Weasley said. She and her oldest son Bill had come to watch the final task and support Haley.

"Who is it from? And why didn't it come in with the other owls at breakfast?" Hermione wanted to know.

Haley suspiciously eyed the owl that was perched next to her pumpkin juice. It looked like a school owl. Rita Skeeter had published a terrible article today about the questionable state of Haley's mind.

Was this hate mail? The note that was tied to the owl's leg looked way too tiny for an ordinary letter. Carefully she untied the little note and unfolded it. There were only two words written on the paper:

Don't die

The script looked familiar. Especially the D. Where had she seen it before? When she looked up she was faced with several curious gazes.

Snuffles?, Ron mouthed from the opposite side of the table. Haley shook her head absently.

"Who-?" Hermione's question was interrupted by Dumbledore who had stood from his seat and was telling the champions that it was time to go to the maze now. Haley took a deep breath to fight off the nerves. This was it. The final task. Soon this horrible tournament would finally be over.

She stood from her seat and tried to appear determined. A moment later Haley was almost crushed in a fierce hug and all she could see was a mane of bushy hazelnut hair.

"Haley, you have to promise me you won't be reckless. And the spells, we reviewed, don't forget them! You haven't forgotten the incantation of the directional spell, right? It's 'Point me'. Don't forget that! Haley, I-" Hermione's voice broke on the last word. She was hugging her so tightly, it seemed she never wanted to let go and all Haley could do was to pat her back gently.

Mrs Weasley looked as if she wanted nothing more than to join the embrace. There were tears in her eyes. Why was everyone being this dramatic?

"Hermione, let her breathe. You're choking her," Ron's voice sounded weirdly hollow as well.

"Just – be careful, okay? People have-"

"-died in this tournament, I know." Haley completed with a chuckle, removing herself from the embrace. But her voice sounded hoarse as well.

"You'll see, I'll be back in no time at all." Haley took a last look around the people she loved, bracing herself for what was to come. Then it was time to go.

…

Haley's hands were shaking so much, she had to shove them inside her robe pockets. The fingers of her left hand curled desperately around the only thing that was inside the pocket. The note.

Don't die. Haley bit her lips anxiously.

"Hey," someone muttered in a low voice. Then there was a warm hand on top of her shoulder. Haley looked up toward the voice. Cedric Diggory was grinning at her encouragingly.

"I won't let you win so easily," he said, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Me neither," Haley countered, suddenly filled with a thrilling energy that felt similar to what she felt before every quidditch match.

There was another much smaller hand on her other shoulder then. Haley turned around.

"Good luck, 'ailié," whispered Fleur Delacour from her left.

There was movement in front of her and Haley turned her head in the direction of it.

Krum was standing there, completing their little champion circle.

He nodded at her shortly and then looked away. Looking around the circle of people surrounding her, Haley thought for a tiny second that this was what having older siblings felt like. Which of course was a stupid thought because these people were her rivals.

Still, it was a comforting thought. With her left hand she held onto the note and in her right she gripped her wand tightly.

…

This is too easy, Haley couldn't help but think as she was wandering around inside the gigantic maze. In the ten minutes or so she had spent between the hedges, there had been no obstacles so far.

There was only darkness around her and the air was so quiet that all she was able to hear was her own breathing that was getting more unsteady by the minute. What were the other three doing right now? And where was the audience? Were they even able to follow the events happening inside the maze? In her state of isolation it was easy for Haley to trick herself into thinking that she was all alone in here. There was no sound. No sign of life. No-

A scream. A woman was screaming. Fleur? Haley looked from left to right frantically but it was no use. The hedges were too high and too thick. Haley hurried along the path she was currently on, breathing raggedly. Was someone following her? No, she couldn't make out anything. The path was taking a turn left now and somewhere from her right she was able to hear muffled voices.

It sounded like fighting. Haley stopped, to listen. The voices were getting closer now. Was that Cedric?

"-you insane? What are you-?" Haley never heard the end of that sentence. In a mess of wood and leaves the hedge to her right went up in a massive explosion. Before Haley had time to jump out of the way, something heavy crashed into her, causing her to fall and landing on top of her.

Was she being attacked? Quickly she pointed her wand at the face that was hovering over her. It was Cedric, who was blinking owlishly at her. Then Haley saw something – no someone marching toward them slowly. As soon as Haley saw the raised wand and the hateful expression on the person's face, she acted on instinct.

"Stupify!"

After a flash of red light, the person went down like a tree.

Haley wanted to get up but it was unexpectedly hard when someone was lying on top of her.

"Do you mind?" Haley whispered. Talking in a louder voice seemed strangely inappropriate.

Hastily Cedric got up and offered her a hand. Haley took it, slowly getting to her feet as well.

When Haley's gaze fell upon the face of the person she had shocked, she jumped back in surprise.

"Krum?" She asked, her voice full of disbelief.

"Yeah," Cedric huffed out, while brushing the leaves from his robes, "He came out of nowhere. And attacked me from behind."

Haley didn't know what to answer. She was still a little shocked.

"I really thought he was okay," Cedric admitted quietly.

"Me too," Haley muttered.

After sending up some red sparks so someone could come and get Krum they continued walking along the path in silence.

Not before long the path diverged and Haley wondered if that was it then. If they were back to being rivals now. She didn't want to be the one to address it first, but her steps grew slower and slower until they came to a stop right where the path was split in two.

Just as Haley was about to declare, she was going to follow the left path, Cedric beat her to it.

"What do you think? Left or right?" He asked.

"Left," she said at once. For some reason she didn't want to use her directional spell in front of Cedric. But then again, surely he was using some kind of spell to determine his location as well.

She would use it once she was alone again.

Cedric nodded and walked down the left path without hesitating. Haley followed him automatically but then she realized something.

"Wait, I was going to go left. Shouldn't you take the other way?" Haley asked confusedly.

"Why?" Cedric asked instead of answering.

"Well," the Gryffindor began slowly, "aren't we competing against each other?"

"Oh. That." Cedric offered offhandedly.

Oh. That? To say Haley was confused was an understatement.

"Look… I… you're three years younger than me. You could be my younger sibling..."

What?

"I've always wanted to have a younger sibling, you know…"

Where was he going with this?

"So…?" Haley finally said.

"It's just that-" Suddenly Cedric stopped walking and turned around to face her. Haley stopped as well.

"You know what they say about us Hufflepuffs? That we're not the brightest bunch and everything?"

Haley wanted to argue but Cedric waved her efforts away impatiently.

"It's fine, you get used to it. It does have its merits though. For one… nobody ever suspects us. And we're often… underestimated."

Haley froze. Did that mean-? Was he after her as well? She gripped her wand tighter.

"I-I didn't mean it like that," Cedric backtracked, looking around cautiously, "I meant that… I've heard things… seen things… I don't think all of this is a coincidence. Your name in the goblet of fire, Krum's behaviour just now…"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "You should have seen his face, Haley. He looked like he was… possessed or something. There's something fishy going on."

"So..." Haley said again.

"So, I'm saying, let's stick this out together!" He proposed with a grin. Haley bit her lips.

"How do I know that I can trust you?" She asked sceptically.

Cedric thought about that for a moment. Then he said, "I'm a Hufflepuff."

Haley blinked, before muttering, "Didn't we establish just now that that's exactly the reason why I shouldn't trust you?"

That made Cedric chuckle.

"Come on, we should go." He started walking again. When Haley didn't follow at once, he called back, "You can walk behind me if that makes you feel better."

Haley scoffed. But she followed him nevertheless. How did he know, she wouldn't hex him? Stupid, trusting Hufflepuff.

"Watch out!" He shouted all of a sudden. There was a Blast-Ended Skrewt right in front of them. It was about to attack Haley but before it could reach her Cedric jumped in its path.

In a second the boy was buried underneath the creature. He was trying desperately not to get into contact with the Skrewt's scorpionlike stinger that was wildly moving around in an attempt to sting him.

Haley sighed, why had Hagrid never only once mentioned how to get rid of these blasted creatures?

"Stupify! Impedimenta! Stupify!" She fired wildly at the creature. Luckily one of her spells hit the Skrewt below its shell and rendered it motionless.

For a moment Cedric continued fighting but once he realized the danger was over, he shoved the creature off himself.

"Thanks?" He said, which sounded almost like a question.

Before Haley could think about it, she stretched out her hand and helped him up.

"That was really stupid of you," she stated eyeing him with furrowed brows.

"Huh?"

"Well, just jumping right in front of it like a loon!" Haley explained impatiently.

"Maybe," Cedric blinked, "Anyway, let's continue on. The Cup can't be too far now."

And so the two champions continued walking through the hedges.

Whenever they encountered another obstacle, they found a way to get past it together.

Haley took care of the boggart that had taken the form of a giant goose when Cedric had been frozen in place unable to move.

Another time, Haley had lost her footing and fallen straight into a huge hole that had been disguised as a normal patch of earth. Luckily Cedric had helped her out. It wasn't her fault she was this short!

Finally the two champions arrived in a path that was blocked by a sphinx that told them the Cup was behind her. They could either solve her riddle and pass through or turn around and look for another way. If they answered wrongly they'd have to fight the sphinx.

These were the moments where Haley wished Hermione was there with her. As it turned out though the riddle wasn't too difficult and they were able to solve it, leaving the sphinx behind.

Haley could see it now. The Cup was there no more than ten metres in front of them. Her heart pounded wildly. She could really win this! She could-

But no. There was still… Cedric. It had been sort of nice walking through the maze with him. Almost like one of her adventures with Ron and Hermione. Maybe, when all of this was over… they could be friends or something? Haley glanced over to the boy to her left. His gaze was fixated on the Cup. Did he really want it that much? Did Haley even want it that much?

This was stupid! Were they just gonna run for it now?

Cedric met her gaze with a grin then. Something shifted in his eyes and he seemed to make a decision.

"The Cup," he began, "You should take it."

What? That was not at all what Haley had expected.

"What...Why would you say that?" she whispered.

Cedric shrugged.

"Shouldn't we just… run for it or something?" She asked, shrugging as well.

Cedric looked her up and down, then he chuckled.

"Now that would be fair."

He was right of course. Haley was much shorter than him and also she was a girl…

"I can't just take it though," she argued, "didn't you say you weren't gonna let me win so easily?"

Cedric looked to the ground. "That was before... Anyway, you helped me with the dragon. I would have been out after the First Task, if it weren't for you."

"And you helped me with the Second Task, so we're even."

"But-"

"But what?"

"I can't take it, okay!"

"Why not?" They were almost shouting now. Haley didn't understand why he was being so stubborn. Then something occurred to her.

"Is this… because I'm a girl?"

Cedric's eyes widened. So, she was right? For some reason this made her angry.

"Am I right?" She asked, "Are you trying to be a gentleman right now?"

"I-"

"Would you do the same if it were Fleur?" There was a pause, where they silently watched one another. Then he raised his eyebrows in a challenging way.

"Maybe."

Haley scoffed, her eyes narrowing.

"Fine. I'll take it," she retorted, feeling like a defiant child.

The Gryffindor made all of two steps in the direction of the Cup. Then the spider attacked her.

It was as big as a bear and there were so many hairy legs. She wanted to scream but her voice was stuck somewhere in her throat. All of a sudden the ground disappeared beneath her and she was lifted several metres into the air. One long leg held her around her waist, the other was wrapped around her throat. Haley panicked. She couldn't breathe and the fangs looked so sharp from up close! Haley looked to the ground. There was something white lying in the grass. A folded.. piece of paper? It must have fallen out of her robe pocket. Don't die.

Haley took a deep breath. This wouldn't be the end. She spotted Cedric below, with his wand raised.

She nodded at him, hoping he wouldn't accidentally hit her.

Then she drew her own wand, pointed it at the spider and shouted,"Stupify! Impedimenta! Stupify!"

The spider was hit by the combined force of her and Cedric's hexes. Haley felt the grip around her waist and throat slacken. Then she fell and unfortunately landed right on her ankle.

"Are you okay?" Cedric asked worriedly.

It must be broken, Haley thought grimacing, it wouldn't hurt that much otherwise.

"Haley?" The boy asked, kneeling beside her.

"No," she gasped, "I don't think I can walk. Just – take this stupid Cup and get it over with."

"No!" He insisted, "How could I take the Cup now?"

"I can't even walk!"

"I'll help you then!"

Haley watched him for a moment, speechlessly. Why was he this stubborn? He's not gonna back down, she realized. Fine. It was time for a compromise.

"Okay, you can help me," she amended, "But… we're taking it together."

"Great, let me just- wait – what?"

"I said we're taking it together."

Cedric wasn't the only one that was stubborn around here. He looked at her in surprise. Then he grinned.

"Okay. Can you stand up?"

"Wait! It has to be somewhere here..." Haley looked around in the grass for the note. Where was it? Where-?

"Are you looking for this?"

Cedric held a little crumpled piece of paper up to her face. Her note. She reached for it, but Cedric snatched it away. He unfolded it. The two words were still there.

"'Don't die'," Cedric read out, "what's that? A lucky charm?"

"Hey, give it back," she demanded, reaching for the note.

"Here," Cedric gave it back, holding up his arms in defence, "It's just a note. And who writes that fancy anyway?"

Haley shook her head, slipping the paper inside her pocket again.

"I don't know," she whispered, wrapping her fingers around the little paper. Well, technically anyway. She did have her suspicions. That D. She could swear it was the same D that she had seen on that other note. DM. But if that was the case why did she feel this protective of it? Why did it feel like a… lucky charm? Why would… he have sent it in the first place?

Haley shook her head. It was definitely not the right moment for these kinds of thoughts.

"So… the Cup?" She looked expectantly up at Cedric.

"Right," Cedric said, "Should I carry you or-?"

"No!"

Cedric raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I mean – it's fine if you lend me your arm."

Cedric chuckled and watched her amusedly.

"What?" Haley snapped. She wouldn't let herself be carried like some… damsel in distress.

The boy shook his head in amusement and after helping her stand, offered her his arm.

They somehow made it to the Cup. The whole situation seemed incredibly surreal. Haley wondered if Cedric felt it, too. Was the audience watching them right now? In a few seconds all of this would finally be over. She looked to Cedric, who was looking at her, too.

"Ready?" He asked smiling at her, his eyes were filled with determination and excitement. He looked so… happy.

"Ready," Haley answered. She couldn't help but return his smile and let herself be infected by the giddy tension of the moment. They started counting.

"One!"

"Two!"

"THREE!"

Simultaneously they reached for the Cup. Then for the second time that day the ground beneath Haley disappeared and she was sucked into a swirl of colours.

…

…

...

After that night, nothing was the same. The whole castle seemed… eerily quiet. Solemn. It was almost as if the castle herself was mourning the death of one of her own.

Haley never got to find out who had sent her the note. She was almost sure she knew who it was from anyway. Whenever she saw Malfoy in the hallways, she pretended not to see him. He didn't make an effort to talk to her again, either. They didn't even fight! It was fine, though. There was enough on Haley's mind anyway. Things that were more important. And after everything that went on during the third task… she didn't know what to think any more. Mostly she was grateful that she had come out of the tournament alive. Unlike... Cedric...

Most of the remaining weeks until the holidays, Haley spent with Ron and Hermione. To her, these pre-summer weeks were precious. For who could say when the storm would finally hit, destroying every little bit of calm that happened to be in its way?

…

...

...

Of course, back then, her life hadn't seemed easy. Her past self had been suffering from terrible nightmares. She had seen her friend die. She had woken up screaming almost every night. Still, there had been moments – no matter how tiny – that balanced out the bad. That lessened the pain.

She could almost remember these feelings. That's what being alive was about, right? Feeling something. Now she didn't remember what it was like to feel happy… carefree… loved…

Pain. Sadness. Anger. She didn't even remember what that felt like. And there had been plenty of that in her short life. Now all she felt was emptiness. There was an all-consuming hole inside her. And she didn't know or care how to fill it.

...

...

A/N:  So this was the final chapter! Stay tuned for the sequel and other sidefics :) Thanks for reading!!!