#and meet the crawley sisters

[braveclementine]

Gonna Give All My Secrets Aw-a-ay

Warnings: 18+readersonly, smut, fingering, breast worship, pet names

Copyright: I do not own any Twilight characters or locations. I do own Davina Mikelson and Marcel. I also own the backstory for my OC. I do not condone any copying of this.

Davina P.O.V.

Birds are annoying. I mean, seriously. When you're trying to sleep and they're just going "Cheerp cheerp! CHEERP CHEERP!" Honestly, it sounds like they're screaming.

The pain had been immense, the way I imagined being a vampire and being set on fire must feel. You know, if you're set on fire alive. They weren't kidding when they said becoming a vampire was painful.

I much preferred the vampire diary way. Drink some vampire blood. Snap your neck. Ba bam- you're a vampire.

I wondered how long it was exactly that I was out. I knew it ranged anywhere between two to five days, depending on where the venom was injected and lots of other lovely factors. The stronger the heart, the shorter the time. And if the venom was injected into the heart or near it, then it was more on the two to three day side.

Of course, the ending brought tears that couldn't spill to my eyes. Watching memories. I could see everything that had ever happened in my life play backwards. From the pain, to the wedding, the Marcel's changing, to the newborn fight, to spying on Seattle, to being in Kentucky with some of my family, finding out I was a werewolf, Sam's sister, and then there was Laurent trying to kill me, Edward telling me about them leaving, being in the hospital because of James, coming to Forks, the last few years of working to get a plane ticket, the bombs going off, Azim and I kissing, Azim and I laughing, meeting Azim's parents, going to gymnastics meets and Tae Kwon Do competitions, learning military strategy, moving to the base, being back in Forks, running around with Paul and Sam, swimming in the ocean, Kol's birth, Josh arguing with Sam's mother, a four year old playdate with Tyler Crawley, and then being born in a hospital.

My eyes snapped open. The pain was gone. Good. It felt like I had been burning for years.

The first thing I heard were birds and I almost groaned in annoyance. But I could also hear squirrels crunching on nuts, rabbits sprinting through the forest, a mountain lion- or maybe a bear but it definitely had hunting feet- walking over stone and rock, the violent flapping of hummingbird wings.

Feeling wise, I could feel the soft fabric of the sheets beneath me. Soft, fluffy, and warm. I could also feel that I was wearing something made of silk, but I didn't move my head to look down quite yet.

As for the smells. . . I could smell so many different smells. There was cinnamon, hyacinth, pear, sourdough bread, pine, vanilla, leather, apple, moss, lavender, chocolate, lemon and lime, tomato sauce, almonds-ew-, roses, jasmine, lilies, plastic, and so many other different smells. The strongest smell was seawater.

I took in a shuddering breath, feeling the air move through my lungs, but not really. I looked around the room. The ceiling was white, dust motes flying in the air. I could read the titles of all the books on the shelf across the room.

I sat up slowly, moving my legs over to the side of the bed, getting to my feet. I caught sight of myself in the mirror and stared in horror at the red eyes. My dark hair and pale complexion gave me a Snow White complexion. I was just missing the blue eyes.

I had been lucky with my complexion though. I had been captured in a mid-tan state, my dark skin coming out only after being in the sun for long periods of hours. I now looked Half-Cullen like, Half- Quileute like and I loved it.

I pursed my lips at the choice of dress Alice had clearly dressed me in. It was a green colour that balanced out the skin and eyes nicely. Except for the fact that I was not wanting to be in it. I much rather wanted to wake up in jeans and a T-shirt.

I could hear voice downstairs and I could distinguish Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, Alice, and Bree's voices.

I darted down the stairs, stopping in front of Alice, my arms crossed angrily.

"Davina!" Carlisle said in surprise, "You're up early."

"Early?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It's only been two days." Emmett said, looking me over, "Looking good Mama bear."

"Really Alice?" I questioned, gesturing to the dress. "Really?"

"What? It's a wonderful dress to go on your first hunting trip in." Alice said, putting an elbow on Jasper's arm.

I looked at her incredulously, "You want me to go hunting in. . . this?"

Jasper shifted uncomfortably, "That's what you care about?"

I looked up at my favorite son, "What do you mean?"

Jasper looked confused, "I don't understand this."

I stared at him blankly and then looked around for an explanation. Bree was the one who answered, "He means. . . you care more about the idea of your hunting attire than thirst."

"Oh." I said, thinking. I concentrated on my throat but I didn't feel anything. "Where should I feel. . . hungry?"

They all stared at me in surprise, "In your throat." Emmett explained.

I concentrated and then shook my head, "Maybe I'm just not thirsty yet."

"Maybe we should go hunting anyways." Carlisle suggested, reaching out to take my hand. I slid my hand into his, feeling the smoothness of his palm, the creases where the lines were, and finding that he was no longer cold nor hot, but that we were the same temperature now.

I looked up at him, staring into his honey coloured eyes and then reached up to kiss him on his lips. He tased wonderful, like things I couldn't even put into words. His lips were hesitant against mine and full. I pulled away, smiling, "Let me go change."

"No." Alice pretty much growled at me.

I sighed, "Yes, let me try tackling a grizzly bear in this dress. It'll get ripped and I actually kind've like it."

"You could go nude." Emmett said, grinning and winking at Carlisle who rolled his eyes.

I actually kind've liked the idea.

Jasper shook his head, drifting away from the room. I looked after him, my smile fading, "What's wrong?"

"He has never seen a newborn with this kind of self control." Alice said and then drifted after him.

"Oh. Great. I'm still weird even after my death." I muttered.

"I don't know." Emmett said in a serious voice, smirking. "You haven't quoted Harry Potter once since you've awoken. You might be going sane."

I stuck my tongue out at him and then tugged on Carlisle's hands. "Come on then."

Carlisle and I exited the house. It was a sunny day and I stared, my hand outstretched as the sun bounced off my skin, sending sparkles out, glittering across the pavement. I stared at Carlisle whose face was glittering.

"You look so handsome." I murmured, wanting to take him to bed at that moment.

Carlisle smiled and I felt my heart do flips. Well. . . not my heart, but ya know.

"And you look absolutely breathtaking." He breathed.

"Except the eyes." I said with a sigh, preening as he swept a strand of my long black hair back from my face.

He gazed at me, sliding his thumb across my cheek and I relished the feeling of his hand. "Even with the eyes you are stunning."

"Well," I said, taking his hand, squeezing it lightly. "Let's go hunt some animals and make them gold."

Carlisle nodded, "Ready?"

I nodded, preparing myself, and then started to run.

It was amazing. It was better than my motorcycle. I flew across the forest, laughing a little, and when we reached the creek, I leaped without thinking, feeling myself almost fly as I crossed the water.

I landed lightly on the balls of my feet, continuing to run, thinking of nothing but the wind caressing my skin and then- Carlisle stopped me.

"We don't want to go to far." He purred. His eyes were raging between black and yellow and I smirked.

"Well hello, Lord. I see you're trying to make an appearance."

"Well," the eyes became completely black, "You look completely ravishing like this."

"You've completely taken over Carlisle." I complained lightly, walking my finger sup his tight sweater.

"He's trying to figure out your self control so he's to distracted to try and take over." Lord smirked before smashing his lips to mine.

Oh yes. I liked where this was going.

My back hit a tree, making the plant shake underneath my body. I barely felt the bark scraping against my impenetrable skin, pushing back fiercely against Lord's lips. So rough and smooth and delicious.

His hands ripped the dress from behind and I tore his sweater off of him. I growled, seeing the light blue buttoned up shirt underneath. "You wear to many clothes Lord."

"Blame Carlisle." Lord growled, biting at the skin on my neck. He pulled back and murmured, "I can leave a bruise. Good."

I chuckled before using strength and speed, sending the both of us crashing into an opposite tree as I pressed against him tightly.

And then I paused, lips hovering above his, "The kids?"

Lord's black eyes melted, becoming tawny again and Carlisle actually shook his head like he was trying to clear his mind. HIs eyes lingered over where he'd ripped part of my dress, revealing the top of my cleavage. He cleared his throat and said, "I do apologize for that. And they're at our house. We can go see them after we hunt."

I nodded, my mind focused solely on the hunt. "Let's find a few rabbits then."

He raised an eyebrow, "Rabbits?"

"Or squirrels." I muttered, thinking back to Vampire Diaries. "That's what they eat in Vampire Diaries."

Carlisle chuckled, reaching out his hand. I took it without hesitation. "Let's find you a mountain lion, shall we?"

I laughed lightly, running again. This time, I led, following my heightened senses to a cave.

"Can I just walk in there and eat it?" I questioned.

Carlisle seemed a little anxious and muttered, "Maybe we should find deer instead."

I raised an eyebrow. "It's not like the mountain lion is going to hurt me."

The mountain lion suddenly paced out of the cave, growling at me.

I could smell it, and while it was appealing, it didn't send me wild like I thought it might've. I stalked forward, avoiding its claws, and bit down into the neck.

I tasted the blood, gushing into my mouth. It was. . . sweet? I don't know how else to describe it. It was satisfying, but it tasted different and I realized that was because I was dissecting the different tastes of the blood. I could taste the water, the salt, and even the plasma. I wrinkled my nose a little bit, trying to ignore the taste that way.

I pulled back once I was done. I had done pretty well, I thought. I'd barely spilled any blood on my dress. I turned to look at Carlisle who had a strange expression on his face.

"What?" I asked, racking my brain. "Did you want some?"

"It's not that." He said softly, coming over and pulling me into his arms. "It's just. . . well first it's very hard watching you drain something that would normally kill you. And for another, you're thirst didn't take you over. You were very calm in your feeding. And. . . you also didn't seem to enjoy it."

"Well." I said, frowning slightly. "I've always liked big cats. Maybe I should go after a bear instead. Those scare me. I might not feel as bad about killing a bear than a cat. And well, for another, it was the taste."

"What do you mean?"

"I could taste the individual components of the blood." I explained, wiping my bottom lip. "The water, the salt, the plasma, it wasn't the best taste in the world."

"Oh." Carlisle whispered, frowning deeper.

"Now can we go see our kids?" I asked.

Carlisle was still staring at me and I recognized this face from my months of interning under him. He was analyzing me like a data project. "Carlisle?"

He snapped out of it. "Our kids? Yes, we can go see them now."

"It's only been two days. . ." I murmured, "What are they like?"

"They're wonderful." Carlisle said with a small smile, "Come on, I want you to meet them."

"Are they. . . have you noticed any signs of danger from them at all?" I asked in worry as we ran back, not to the main Cullen house, but our small cottage.

"Nothing." Carlisle said and then frowned slightly. "They bite a lot. Esme- she's the one whose been helping me take care of them but she hasn't told anyone else about them- she said that when our little girl bites, she doesn't feel anything. But the boys are venomous."

"Two boys and a girl?" I breathed out.

Carlisle nodded, "The boys are identical. The girl looks more like me."

I smiled. "What did you name them?"

We stopped running once were in front of the front door to the house. Carlisle stopped me, picking me up into his arms, carrying me across the threshold before kissing me on the lips.

I giggled as he set me back down on my feet.

"I'm letting you name them." Carlisle murmured.

I shivered, nervous. I already had boy names in my head, but nothing for the little girl.

"Carlisle?" Esme's voice floated out the door. She appeared, holding a very small baby with long golden locks in her arms. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of my daughter.

"Oh." I gasped.

Esme's hold tightened around the baby. "They're still part human Davina."

Carlisle wrapped his arms around me tightly. "Breathe deeply."

I was nervous, not wanting the scent of my daughter to attract me. I let out a stuttering breath and then breathed in.

I could smell honey, cinnamon, and parchment, like the way Carlisle smelled. And I could smell her blood which smelled sweeter than the mountain lion, but it was nothing. I felt nothing. I was still relaxed in Carlisle's arms and then asked, "Can I hold her now?"

Esme was shocked, looking from me to Carlisle.

"Maybe you have a self control gift." Carlisle said, but he didn't relax his arms. I sighed, staring a the blond girl.

"She doesn't look like she's two days old. . ." I whispered.

"She's around three and a half months." Carlisle whispered behind me.

Fear spiked through me, "So. . . she's aging much faster than normal?"

"Yes." Esme said. "All three of them are."

"But- but then- then they might not live very long." I panicked. Venom stung at my eyes and I quickly blinked.

"No, they might not." Carlisle said, kissing my cheek.

"Oh." I whimpered.

"Esme, I think she's alright." Carlisle said, letting go of me.

I stepped forward cautiously, extending my arms for the little girl. Esme handed her over and I shivered. Her skin was warm, her heartbeat faster than I thought it should be. Her eyes were ice blue and I looked at Carlisle, trying to imagine him with blue eyes.

He smiled a little, "I could put contacts in if that helps your imagination."

I giggled a little, the sound lighter and less horse-goat-sheep sounding than it used to be. More like an angel now I guess. "Sorry. Personally, I was thinking your eyes might've been green."

"Sorry to disappoint."

I was suddenly by his side, pressing my lips to his, our daughter between us, "You don't disappoint me. Ever."

Then I pulled away and was in the babies room in a heartbeat. The two boys truly were identical, around the same size as their sister.

"Do you have names?" Esme asked me quietly.

I nodded, "For the boys anyways."

The only difference between the boys was that one of them had short black hair while the other one had curls and they were a tad degree lighter.

I handed the baby girl back to Esme with reluctance, picking up the one with straight black hair. I held him out to Carlisle and said, "This is Samuel Carlisle Cullen."

Carlisle smiled, kissing the top of my head, before taking his son into his arms. I turned back, picking up the last baby, looking into his eyes and said softly. "This is Niklaus Kol Cullen."

Niklaus after the hybrid. Kol was after my brother.

I turned to the girl, having no idea what to name her. Nothing seemed to fit her right. Kijana? Jasiri? Temperance? Kisa? Naomi? Camille? Luna? Kiara?

"Caroline. . . Elizabeth Cullen." I finally decided.

"Those are all wonderful names." Esme decided.

I hesitated and then asked, "I feel so normal. Why?"

Carlisle shook his head, "This could be your gift. Self-control."

"Do the children show any signs of gifts?" I asked.

"Not yet." Esme said. "But of course, they might not be able to have gifts. Or maybe they'll develop later."

I nodded and then looked at Carlisle, "I need to make a call."

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

I paced by the treaty line. I was terrified, unsure. Carlisle stood nearby. He had promised to be there so that I wouldn't hurt them.

"They're coming." Carlisle said and then laughed quietly. "I didn't have to tell you that."

I smiled a little. "It'll take some getting used to, I'm sure."

Sam appeared first and I was surprised he wasn't in wolf form.

I felt a smile break out over my face at the sight of him. "Hey Sammy."

"Hey shorty." He said, grinning. "You look. . . yourself. 'Cept the eyes."

I shuddered, "I hate the eyes. But. . . Carlisle thinks I have the gift of self-control. Yay I guess. I was kind've hoping to be able to shoot lightning from the sky but I'll take what I can get."

Sam raised an eyebrow, looking between Carlisle and I. "She really hasn't changed at all."

Carlisle chuckled, "No. No she hasn't."

"How is everyone?" I asked. "Have you heard from Jacob at all?"

Sam paused and then said, "How about you come down on the Rez."

I blinked. "What?"

Sam sighed, "Billy, Sue, Old Quil, and I. . . well we might've come up with a late wedding gift for you. We decided, as you're basically the wolves mother, you could come down on the Rez. You're the only one, mind you, although Carlisle, you're not that bad."

"Thanks." Carlisle muttered, but he looked worried, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

I paused, glancing over at Sam and then sniffed tentatively. I cocked my head to the side, "You don't smell."

Sam looked surprised and then said, "You don't smell either. Well, not bad anyways."

Carlisle looked stunned. "I don't understand this at all."

I tilted my head, "Could it be because I'm- or was- half werewolf? So maybe I don't have an aversion to them?"

Carlisle hesitated, "I need to research this."

He was in front of me in a flash, taking my face in his hands, kissing me hard. I kissed back fiercely, wrapping my fingers into his hair. We kissed until Sam cleared his throat. "I'm as romantic as either of you, but I don't like watching my little sister kiss anyone."

I giggled, pulling back from Carlisle. "I'll see you back at our house, okay?"

Carlisle kissed the side of my head, pulling away slowly, and then he was gone.

I hesitated on the brink of the treaty line before carefully stepping over it. I looked around nervously and then said, "No booby traps?"

He chuckled. "None."

I reached my arms out hesitantly and then he pulled me into a hug. I inhaled his warm, comforting smell. Like jasmine and spices, sweat and leather rolled into one. I sighed. "I'm glad you smell the same."

"What do I smell like?" Sam questioned.

"Jasmine, spices, sweat, and leather." I mumbled, feeling embarrassed. "It's a good combination."

"Hmm." Sam said, pulling away, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, pulling me through the forest. "And you smell like honey, almonds, peaches, and lime."

I growled. "I know I smell like fruit. I've been told several times."

Sam chuckled.

Very soon, we were at Emily's house.

"Umm, Sam." I said in a small voice as Emily came out to greet us. I grabbed his shirt, hiding halfway behind him.

"Davina!" Emily cried happily, stopping short of me. I hesitated, almost trembling behind Sam. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Emily. I noticed Jared and Paul emerge, looks of excitement on their faces too.

"Hey Vampire mom!" Jared called, jogging over.

I shivered.

"It's alright Davina." Sam said. "You're not going to hurt them."

I inhaled deeply, smelling for Emily's scent directly. And though I smelled her, though her blood smelled divine, there was no unnecessary craving for it.

I let go of Sam's shirt a little, taking a few steps till I was closer to Emily, but still hesitating. "Hi." I said softly.

Emily threw her arms around me, taking me by shock, making me freeze. Sam was there in a second, worry in his eyes until I very slowly put my arms around her.

"That wasn't so bad." I mumbled as she pulled away.

Sam seemed rather relieved. "So. . ."

"I mean. . .you smell good." I said half-heartedly, still really nervous. Though I couldn't smell the werewolves as awful, my nerves were tingling like I knew I was being surrounded by enemies, "But I'm not craving after your blood. Or any blood for that matter." I frowned a little. "I hunted a mountain lion today. It didn't taste as good as I thought it might."

"You hunted a mountain lion?" Jared asked with a grin. "What was it like?"

"Boring." I said slowly. "It kind've just stood there while I killed it. Maybe it was in shock?"

"But you said it didn't taste good?" Sam asked, frowning slightly.

I shifted uncomfortably. They were okay with this conversation? "Well. . . I could taste everything individually. The water, the salt, the plasma. It wasn't very good. The water was most potent in taste, but it didn't taste. . . it didn't taste like blood really."

"Interesting." Jared said.

"Mom!" Seth's voice called from behind me and a brilliant smile lit up my face. I turned, dashing towards him and wrapping my arms around him. I was very careful not to squeeze him to tightly though.

"Hi Seth." I said with a grin.

I could hear Jared and Paul complaining behind me about how I hadn't hugged them.

I darted till I was in front of Jared and Paul and hugged both of them too.

"Paul imprinted." Seth offered.

My eyes lit up, "Really!"

Paul rolled his eyes but he was trying not to smile either. "Yeah. Jacob's sister. Rachel."

"Quil imprinted too." Jared said.

"Really?" I asked, astonished. "Did everyone imprint while I was dead?"

"No." Seth said glumly. "I haven't. Neither has Leah or Embry or Jacob or Collin or Brady."

I ruffled Seth's hair. "Well good. You're to young for love."

Embry and Quil showed up sometime later. I found out that Quil had imprinted on a two year old named Claire, who happened to be related to Leah and Emily.

Privately, I was thinking that it made sense they were imprinting on each other's family members. Jacob was a powerful member of the wolf family. Which meant his sisters' technically had the gene too. So it made sense for Paul to imprint on one of the sisters. And anyone related to Leah, Seth, and Emily would have strong genes too from Harry's side of things. Same with Quil's blood line.

I didn't stay long, not wanting to overstay my welcome for one thing, but also wanting to get back home to Carlisle.

Unfortunately, Paul still wasn't good at keeping his nose out of other people's business. "So what are you going to do tonight?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea."

"So you and doctor aren't going to. . . get it on?" Paul smirked.

I wish I could've blushed. I scowled at him instead, putting my hands over Seth's ears. "Not in front of the kids dumbass."

Paul snickered.

I got to my feet, swooping down and kissing Sam on the cheek. "I'll come back soon, I promise."

"Stay safe." Sam said and I smirked, rolling my eyes.

And then I was gone, running back for the treaty line, back into the forest, and back to my house.

Our house.

Carlisle and mine house.

I stepped inside.

"Carlisle?"

Carlisle was in front of me in an instant. "Shh, they're asleep."

"They sleep!" I said, delighted.

He nodded, smiling slightly. "Did you have a good time at the reservation?"

I nodded, "I was very happy."

"Good." Carlisle whispered, moving his lips to the skin underneath my ear. "Mm, do I get you all to myself tonight?"

I giggled, "Yes you do."

"Good." Carlisle growled.

Before I knew it, we were in our bedroom, on the bed. I was under him, his dark gold eyes practically glowing.

I yanked him down to me, my hands wrapped in his reddish-yellow locks, pulling his lips to crash down on mine. He growled against my lips, his tongue fighting for dominance against my open lips. Except this time, I could hold my own fight.

Our tongues mixed together, creating new sensations while his hands traveled down to my shirt. He didn't even bother unbuttoning it, ripping it in half instead and I was grateful that it was a new top I hadn't gotten attached to yet.

I rolled over, pressing him down to the bed, gripping his hips with my legs, squeezing tightly as I tore his shirt apart, blue buttons flying and scattering across the floor.

I pressed my lips right above his pants line, licking a stripe all the way up his chest, his neck, all the way to his earlobe before nipping at it. He growled again, his fingers pulling at the stretchy leggings I was wearing, pulling them downwards and they were discarded as well.

My fingers worked fast, undoing his belt, yanking it out of the belt loops, tossing it away. It fell to the ground with a dull clink. I unzipped the black dress pants, pulling them down quickly. His arms were behind my head in an instant, his body pressed against mine and I could feel his member pressing against my mound.

Our mouths moved furiously in sync with each other, our hands tangled in each others' hair. I moaned against his lips as one of his hands traveled down to my heat, rubbing my clit with lightning fast speed between his fingers.

The sensations were even more erotic as a vampire. They hadn't been lying when they said your emotions were heightened. This was at least ten times better than when I had been human.

"C-C-Carlisle." I moaned out. "Please."

He plunged three fingers into me, thrusting them in and out at a furious pace, rubbing my clit even faster.

My eyes rolled back in my head as I clutched his shoulders before I bit down on his bottom lip, his fingers bringing me over the edge, and I released all over them.

I could smell the arousal now, bitter and exotic and sharp. Carlisle slowly pulled his fingers from my warmth, sticking them in his mouth, licking them clean.

I wanted to ask if that actually tasted good, but didn't want to ruin the moment either.

Carlisle smashed his lips to mine again, flipping me back over on my back into the pillows. I could taste myself on him, something that seemed highly erotic and actually somewhat pleasant. My tastes and his tastes all mixed together.

"Carlisle." I growled, missing the fullness between my legs. I rolled over so that he was pressed into the sheets, angling myself to go down on him.

His hands shot to my hips, thrusting me back into the pillows, before pounding into me. He bottomed out and I gasped in pleasure, eyes rolling backwards before I recovered, bucking my hips to get him to move.

He moved in and our, faster than I thought possible, even with the speeds we could run.

I was a whimpering mess under him, surrendering to him completely. "Carlisle , please!"

"What baby? What do you need?" Carlisle purred lowly in my ear, his dick a blur as he thrusted in and out of me.

I whimpered, wanting more, "More, Carlisle, more."

"More what baby?"

My eyes rolled back into my head, my hands gripping his shoulders.

I had no idea what I wanted more of, I just knew I wanted more. "Faster."

The fuck? Could he go faster? Something was wrong with my br-

He thrusted even faster and I was practically screaming underneath him. His mouth, lowered to my breasts, flicking out at my nipple. The overstimulation was overwhelming. I barely got his name out as I clenched around his cock and milked it for all it was worth. He didn't stop, pounding me through my orgasm, drawing it out, chasing his own release.

The sensation was more than white static. It was a burning white fire that made my toes curl and now I saw how it had taken Emmett and Rose weeks to leave their house. I never wanted to leave this. I wanted Carlisle and I to continue going forever.

We were blessed with such short refractory periods it wasn't even funny.

This was probably going to be my favorite extra curricular activity outside everything else.

"CARLISLE!" I screamed as he twisted my nipple tightly between his smooth dexterous fingers, pulling it, sending the jolt straight to my clit at the same time I came.

My entire body was shaking and her wrapped one arm around me. My legs, wobbly, I jerked forward, the both of us landing off the bed and onto the floor. We didn't even break rhythm, barely noticing the stone floor beneath the both of us. Carlisle simply rolled over onto the carpet, pulling me on top of him, thrusting upwards into me.

We couldn't even get sore.

Carlisle moved his lips to my throat, biting, licking, sucking at my skin, purring with delight as large purple bruises popped up on my skin.

I growled, trying to mark him the same way, and failing. That caused enough confused for the both of us to slow down and observe things.

When we finally came to a complete stop, I was breathing shallowly and so was he. Carlisle ran his hand over my neck, observing the bruises.

He pulled out slowly, causing our combined juices to pool out onto his stomach and he chuckled lightly, kissing me.

"Let's take this to the bathroom, shall we?"

I wasn't as ecstatic, touching the bruises.

"Carlisle, what's wrong with me?" I asked in a whisper. "My skin marks, I don't thirst after blood, blood doesn't even taste that good to me, and I feel completely normal!"

Carlisle pulled me into his arms, carrying me to the bathroom, "There's nothing wrong with you darling. Maybe. . . maybe your gift delves farther than self control."

"So what is it?" I asked.

"Maybe it's more of a. . . normality gift. A gift that keeps you human in a vampire body. I wonder. . . " he drifted off, thinking deeply.

"What?" I questioned.

He looked at me, pulling out the handle on the bathtub- which by the way was huge- and let it fill with warm water. "I was wondering if you could eat human food was all."

I frowned slightly. "But vampires-"

"Vampires also can't bruise." Carlisle said, smiling almost sadly, running his fingers over my hickeys.

"Am I not a vampire?" I questioned. It was overwhelming and venom welled up in my eyes. "Did something go wrong during the transformation?"

"No." Carlisle said. "The only thing that could go wrong is you died. But you didn't. You are a vampire Davina. That much is obvious by the eye colour, the speed, the strength. You have all the physical attributes of a vampire. But when it comes to feeding, that's where you're different. I think it must relate to some sort of gift."

"Carlisle, if my skin can bruise, doesn't that mean I could be killed easier than a normal vampire?" I whispered quietly.

Fear flashed through his eyes for the briefest second. I knew he was thinking about the Volturi and the enemy I had made myself out of Jane.

"I. . . I don't know. There's no way to test it without hurting you either." Carlisle whispered. "I can't test it on you. I can't let anyone else test that on you."

"But evidence suggests it, right?" I questioned softly, throwing my arms around his neck, holding him to me.

"Yes." He said quietly.

I sat there for a long time before he slipped both of us into the bathtub. "It's okay." Carlisle whispered, "We'll figure it out. Everything will be okay."

[ohtobealady]

Drabbles List

9: Righteousness

“Well, I think I’ll go up.”

He nearly startled at her quiet voice. None of them had spoken much in the several minutes that had prefaced her announcement; Mary sitting and staring into the fire while he and her parents sipped their various drinks. But now as she rose, Harold quickly swallowed his most recent sip of whiskey and stood as well. He watched her in the firelit library, tall and slender, as she bent to kiss her parents’ cheeks. Their whispered good nights echoed intimately in the quiet, and Harold felt heat prickle his face. He felt like a stranger.

He looked elsewhere: the spines of old books, the sparkling crystal decanter, the glow of the lamp in the corner of the room. He did this—acted upon his manners that told him not to intrude on a private moment—regardless of the facts: the woman Mary now kissed, their cheeks quickly pressing, was his own sister.

And, Mary, tall and slender, was his niece. By blood.

He tried his best to bury the unease that crept into his features when she looked at him. He tried to feel saddened by his lack of familial affection for her. But he didn’t feel sad. Regret, yes. But sorrow? He hardly knew her. He’d only met her thrice, this daughter of his only sister—his only sibling. He’d only seen her three separate times in his life, his only sister’s daughter who looked so much like his own mother and grandmother…and who he supposed also looked like his sister, too, had he seen his sister at all between the end of adolescence and middle-age.

Harold had to force himself to grin at her as she passed.

“Good night, Uncle Harold,” she said just as politely, “And sleep well.”

He wished her what he thought sounded a very uncle-like good night as she left the library, and then bringing his whiskey to his lips, he sat. And then he peered up at Cora.

He found she also peered at him.

He took another sip of his drink. “I hope I haven’t kept her awake,” he managed after a moment. “I know she has meetings in the morning.”

Cora made a deep sound, a wry laugh, and brought her own small cup to her lips. “Don’t worry about her.”

“Indeed.” Robert laughed, too. “She could lead the tenants’ meeting in her sleep.”

“She’s more than capable,” Cora agreed, and then, just as it was before Mary’s departure, the room settled into silence.

Harold shifted in his seat near the service table. He let his eyes rove to where his sister and her husband shared a red sofa. Cora’s shoulders were slumped, her posture tired, her hands gently holding her cup. She gazed absently into the fireplace beside her. And Robert, his back reclined into the red cushions, gazed upon her.

Harold took another sip of whiskey, and he looked away.

He’d grown to know Robert a little better, ever since the Teapot Dome business—not well, of course, but better. But Cora … he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been alone with her.

He sipped; he watched the firelight, and his memory prodded him. Forty years before and riding in the carriage with Mother and Father to Crawley House—his parents bitterly arguing; dining with Lord and Lady Grantham and every bite of food somehow tasting worse than the one before; watching Father stare at Cora’s fiancé, and then watching Cora stare at Father.

Oh. And Harold had teased her, too, he remembered sharply. “It’s not bad if you’re happy with cold baths for the rest of your life.”

He hadn’t known it would make her cry.

He remembered sitting beside her on the stone step. He remembered that it was dark and cold. He remembered nudging her gently as she wept and offering his flask; he remembered the stab of surprise when she took it. It was one of the few things they’d ever shared.

Yes. He remembered. And he remembered he’d seen it all more clearly than his mother or even Cora herself. He’d seen his sister’s marriage as something tragic–a loss and not a gain; she was not just wooed for her money, but she was set out as bait by her own mother.

Mother. He wondered, briefly, what she thought of it all in the end—was she proud of what she’d done with her only daughter? Of what Robert had done with her only daughter? Harold studied it all over again, their childhood, letting memories trip through his mind as he sat in his sister’s library. He watched Mother in every flicker of memory, and he knew. She’d been two different mothers. His mother had been confident and amusing, and yes a little demanding, but harmless.

Cora’s hadn’t.

“Oh dear.”

He blinked, coming back to present at the sound of Cora’s voice. It took him another moment to realize that he’d been staring at Cora in their silence, and not knowing what else to do, he forced his mouth into a grin.

“I’m afraid I have to go up, too.”

He watched his sister stand, and then as his brother-in-law stood after her. Harold shuffled to his feet.

“No, no,” he heard Cora mutter at Robert. “Stay and finish your drinks.” She said something else that he couldn’t quite hear, but kept grinning nonetheless when she looked over at him. “My bedtime is rather early these days,” she needlessly explained, and Harold nodded at her, and once again, he looked away when she pressed a quick kiss to her husband’s cheek. “Good night.”

“Yes. Good night,” he called when she passed him, and Harold let his eyes move to Robert across the room. Robert sighed. And Harold sat. And for a few moments more, it was silent.

“Please don’t feel—“

Harold anticipated this, and he cut him off. “No. She’s sick. Let her go up.”

Robert, Harold noticed, opened and then closed his mouth.

“We can talk more freely without the women, anyway.” He heard his own words echo back to him and he frowned. This wasn’t some sort of club. And he certainly wouldn’t talk that freely with Robert. He took a larger sip of whiskey. He tried again. “I mean. About them. Well, Cora. And uh, how she’s been.”

He saw Robert lift his chin.

Harold leaned back in his chair. “She looks well enough. I assume the treatments are working? For the anemia?”

His brother-in-law took in a deep breath, and submitting, he finally sat. “Yes,” he admitted. “I hope they are. They’re dreadfully unpleasant, but she’s quite a trooper.”

“Cora? Oh, sure.” Harold added a quick smile. “She was always tougher than she looked.”

Across from him, sitting near the fireplace, Robert nodded and cleared his throat. “Yes.”

Quiet again. And then silence. They’d somehow wandered into uncomfortable territory, though it was clear neither of them was willing to say why. Harold looked into the amber liquid in his glass and tilted it one way and then the other. “You, uh—.” He thought of the days before her wedding. Forty years ago. He thought of Mother. And he sighed, life was short. And his family was few. It was right. To hell with it. “You’ve taken good care of her.”

He didn’t imagine the way Robert’s face flushed. “Ah, well.” He watched the way Robert stared into the fire, nodding quickly. “I’d like to think we’ve taken good care of each other.” His tone seemed light, airy, almost as if he was sharing a joke with Harold instead of discussing the life he’d shared with Cora. Instead of hearing the words Harold was trying to say in sincerity. Since Mother’s death, Harold tried to live sincerely.

“I mean it, y’know.”

At this, Robert met his eye. And Harold exhaled. The room felt warmer.

“Do you mind if I’m honest?”

“No,” his brother-in-law said, though Harold saw the way his shoulders straightened. “Please feel free.”

“I’m sure to you it’ll seem too American, all these feelings, but uh … it’s important to me.”

If Robert had looked uncomfortable before, now he looked as if he sat on hot coals.

“I..uh…I didn’t like you. Not for years.”

“Oh.”

Harold shook his head. “But I want to tell you now, that I was wrong.”

“I see.” Robert dipped his chin, and then lifted it again. “Thank you,” he tried, and Harold felt guilty.

“It wasn’t you, really. It was watching you and Cora back then, the wedding and all that.”

“That was quite some time ago—“

“Yes. But, uh, well it made me realize what we were all about. Money and social standings and all that baloney. It wasn’t right.”

Robert nodded, and then creased his brows. “Baloney meaning—“

“Oh, y’know. Bullshit.”

He was glad this elicited a small, choking chortle from his brother-in-law who nodded again. “Yes. I must admit that the older I become, the more I find myself agreeing. Some of the things I put such stock in was nonsense. And I,” he paused, and after a short moment, he met Harold’s eye. “I’ve always been quite ashamed of myself for my intentions in pursuing Cora. I wasn’t able to express this to your mother, or father, but—“

“—Ah, you didn’t fool anyone. We all knew you didn’t love her.”

The eye contact was broken. “—but I have—“

“But we also knew she loved you.”

“Harold—“

But he didn’t let Robert continue. “And that’s what really, uh, stirred things up in here for me.” Harold touched at his temple. And then, after a moment, he touched his chest. “But I think uh…” Harold shrugged. “I think my sister is braver than I am.”

He heard Robert say quietly, “She's certainly braver than I.”

“And I suppose she knew that whatever she felt was worth more than her money. So …” he trailed off.

And Robert was silent.

They sat with that for a moment, until at last, Harold moved in his chair. “I’m sorry,” he said. He forced a grin to show he meant it. “I am. And if it counts for anything, I think all my self-righteousness has spoiled whatever I’ve got left of life.” He swallowed. “I shouldn’t have avoided you. And now that she’s the only family I’ve got, I regret that I stayed away.”

Robert was quiet. And then, he nodded. “Losing one’s mother does incite rather a lesson in mortality. And looking back at one’s life to make amends.” Harold watched him. He watched the way Robert held his eye, and then as he looked away back into the fire. “I understand.”

Harold pressed his lips and hummed. And then, after quiet had stretched on and on, Robert cleared his throat. “Edith comes in tomorrow afternoon, I believe.” He paused. He took the last sip of his whiskey. “With her children. And Tom with his. Of course, George may want to monopolize your time if you promise him stories of New York skyscrapers. I’m afraid I’ve exhausted him with my stories of Egypt.”

“How’s that?”

“You mentioned family. I wasn’t sure you knew the plans.”

The fire crackled loudly between them as Harold watched Robert lean back into the red sofa and glance over at him. “I warn you, your dear sister spoils the grandchildren.”

Harold blinked, in slow realization, and laughed gratefully. “That seems like something she’d do.”

Robert nodded, smiling.

[townsenddecades]

Recap 1310 – 1319

The second decade of the fourteenth century was one of hunger, uncertainty and death. This was true for all of England and beyond and hasn’t left the population of the town of Praaven and its surroundings untouched.

But, even through all the losses they suffered, the Townsends have persevered, and have grown their family through several marriages and children. The three oldest Townsend siblings have started their own families, and although Edith is gone, her two children live on.

Despite their station, fate hasn’t been kind to the two noble families of the area, the Dudleys and the Pelhams, either, with only Ralph Dudley’s young daughter Maud as heiress to the family line after the loss of her four older siblings, while the Pelham legacy lies on the shoulders of two small boys and one little girl. Not even the Watcher knows how that will end.

But on to the recap.

The Townsend Family

Current Members: 8

In 1310, the family consists of Benedict Townsend and his six children: twin girls Anna and Edith, and after them son Benjamin, Simon, Gregory and finally third daughter Helen. The family is still reeling from losing Anne, Benedict’s wife, shortly after baby Helen’s birth. In the same year, Simon ages up into a child, and Benjamin ages up into a teenager. After those two birthdays, Anna marries her betrothed, George Crawley, and leaves her childhood home to share his family’s house in Praaven. 

In 1311, Benjamin too finds romance with his childhood friend Malika, who tells him plainly that she wishes to escape serfdom. He gains her father’s blessing for their interest in each other on the day of his elder sister Edith’s wedding to William Watmore, also a serf. She, too, moves out to live with her husband; the two have acquired the Earl’s permission to farm a piece of land in the neighbouring village of Mahlsberg.

Birthdays of 1311: Helen ages up into a toddler, while Gregory ages up into a child.

In the beginning of 1312, Benjamin makes his intentions towards Malika official by asking for her hand in marriage. The couple celebrate their betrothal by having their wedding night early, which leads to a very rushed marriage when Malika falls pregnant by it. While she settles into her new home, Benjamin travels to Praaven to talk to the earl about buying the rights to an additional piece of land, which he is granted. The year ends with Malika giving birth to twins, a girl and a boy, whom they name Amye and Malcolm.

In 1313, Gregory and Simon visit Edith, who tells them about how Anna and her once tried to find the witch of Lüghaven, who may know more about Simon’s own gift of magic. While this is happening, Benjamin, who has big plans for his family, travels to the abbey of St. Wright, where his mother once lived, to learn how to read. He also teaches this skill to those in the rest of the family that are interested. Spurred on by their brother’s success, Simon and Gregory travel to the abbey to learn how to paint. Gregory does so, while Simon is held off by a mysterious woman named Elea who he feels inexplicably drawn to. She seems surprised by him but tells him they will meet again.

This season’s harvest also turns out to be meagre due to constant cold. As Benedict had spent some years making a living as a carpenter in addition to farming, this doesn’t affect the Townsends too badly. In fact, they have enough money left over to start building a cottage on their new piece of land.

The weather doesn’t improve in 1314, neither for the Townsends nor for anyone else, and people are already starting to fear food shortages. Despite this, the twins age up into toddlers, while Malika falls pregnant once more, and gives birth to a little boy named Duncan later in the year. After that, the Townsends bring in a small harvest, which they hope will tide them over the coming months.

By 1315, nothing at all is growing due to the bad weather, and while the Townsend have food put by, it won’t hold out if the famine that is now starting to develop lasts for a long time. They get a distraction in the form of a visit by the same woman that Simon had met at the abbey two years before, who reveals that she is a witch and wants to train him once his magic grows. At the end of the year, young Helen ages up into a child.

Sadly, baby Duncan doesn’t cope well with the malnourishment, and becomes the family’s first famine victim at barely a year old. This tempers Malika’s joy at finding herself with child again by the end of the year.

In 1316, Malika gives birth to a little girl named Joan. Sadly, the deprivations Malika suffered during her pregnancy cause the baby to be born very frail, so that she dies after only two months. At around the same time, Edith’s husband William dies, and the family takes her, pregnant with her second child, and her little daughter Elsie in. A few months later, her son, Wilfred, is born. The pregnancy leaves Edith very weak.

 The year 1317 begins with Edith’s death; sadly, she hasn’t been able to recuperate from Wilfred’s birth. The Townsends vow to raise Elsie and Wilfred, now orphaned, in their parents’ stead. A few months later, Simon turns 13, and moves out to begin his apprenticeship with Elea, which means living with her and her daughter Mariora. Later in the year, an epidemic sweeps the countryside and carries many off with it, among them Helen, Benedict’s youngest child. She is the final famine victim in the Townsend household.

In 1318, Gregory meets a girl named Agnes at the abbey, where she lives, when he goes there to paint. She’s the illegitimate daughter of a sister that had died during the epidemic of the previous year. A few months later, little Wilfred ages up into a toddler, and at the end of the year, Malcolm, Amye and Elsie all age up into children. Gregory, now a teenager, also makes the acquaintance of a merchant from Praaven who is impressed with his painting skills.

In 1319, Malika becomes pregnant once more. Winter finally ends, which means that not only can the Townsends start to farm again, but they also have to say goodbye to Elsie and Wilfred, who move back to the farm in Mahlsberg, which has been taken over by their father’s brothers, to help them work the land. At the end of the year, Malika gives birth to another set of twins, whom they name Frank and Adeline.

The Witches’ Coven

Current Members: 1

This household is established in 1317, when Simon Townsend moves into the Ellesmeres’ hidden dwelling to be apprenticed by Elea in matters of witchcraft. Elea is a mysterious woman, far too young-looking, and seems to pursue her own ends in taking in Benjamin.

They live with her daughter Mariora, who is only slightly older than Simon. She warns him that he better know what he is doing, throwing in his lot with witchcraft, when he arrives; she herself does not have the gift of magic.

Not much else of note happens in this household; the longer he lives with her, however, the more Simon feels drawn to Mariora. He even tells his father on a visit to the Townsend farm in 1319 that he has thoughts of courting her.

The Crawley Family

Current Members: 4

Established in 1310, the Crawley Household comes to be when Anna Townsend marries George Crawley and moves into his family home on Praaven’s Castle Hill District. This is quite a change in circumstances for a girl who has grown up on a farm, but she does her best to adjust.

She becomes pregnant quickly after the marriage and tells her family of her coming child on a visit in 1311. Sadly, her little girl is born prematurely, and dies only a day the birth.

A year later, in 1312, Anna finds herself with child again. Luckily, this time around, her daughter, who they name Annette, is born strong and healthy.

She is pregnant again in 1313, much to the amusement of George’s younger sister Caroline, whom Anna has become good friends with. Sadly, the family’s hopes that this child will be healthy like Annette are dashed, and her son is stillborn.

In 1314, the Crawleys celebrate Annette’s aging up into a toddler. A few months later, the Countess of Petersmarch brokers a marriage between her widowed brother and Caroline, much to the family’s joy. Only Caroline is heartbroken, because she had been considering marriage with a merchant’s son whom she truly cared for. Cared for so much, in fact, that she had shared his bed; she confesses this and the news that she is pregnant to Anna. To save her from dishonour, Anna proposes a scheme to go away for a while, so they’ll be able to claim Caroline’s child as Anna’s.

Their plan works, and they return to Praaven with Caroline’s little girl, Theodora, in 1315 with no one the wiser. It is hard on Caroline, of course, especially when she leaves Praaven a few months after their return to marry the baron’s son as arranged, but at least her honour is intact.

The Crawleys suffer under the famine like everyone else but there are no deaths in their family.

In 1316, little Theodora ages up into a toddler. Other than the brown hair she inherited from her mother, she takes after her father a lot, and Anna and George (whom she had taken into her confidence as a matter of conscience) hope fervently that no one will question this.

In 1318, Annette ages up into a child, closing out the decade’s events for the Crawleys.

The Watmore Family

Current Members: 2

This household was created in 1311, when Edith Townsend married William Watmore, and moved to Mahlsberg onto a piece of land granted to them by the Earl to make a new life there with him.

Pregnancy follows marriage swiftly, and in 1312, Edith gives birth to a little girl, whom they name Elsie, after William’s mother.

Baby Elsie ages up into a toddler in 1314. By this time, Edith and William, who are only poor serfs and don’t have any provisions stocked, are very worried about the food situation, but vow to themselves that they will make sure their daughter has enough to eat, even if they don’t.

They get a bit of support from Edith’s father as the famine lengthens, but with so many mouths to feed on the Townsend farm, he can’t spare much.

Despite her malnourishment, Edith becomes pregnant again in 1316, much to the worry of her family, who has noticed how thin she has become. The constant deprivation takes a toll on her husband, who falls ill and dies. After his burial, Edith seeks shelter on her father��s farm with her daughter, while her brothers-in-law take over the farm in Mahlsberg. At the end of the year, Edith gives birth to a little boy she names Wilfred in remembrance of his father.

Sadly, in the beginning of 1317, Edith passes away due to the strain of Wilfred’s birth. He and Elsie are raised by the Townsends after that, and age up into a toddler (Wilfred) and a child (Elsie) in 1318. Both of them, but especially Elsie, form close bonds with their aunt/uncles and cousins.

When spring arrives in 1319, the two Watmore children return to Mahlsberg to help their uncles farm the land that had been meant for Edith and William, in hopes of bringing in a proper harvest this time around.

Robert Townsend, the squire

Current Members: 1

As the decade begins, Robert, at age 9, has been serving as a page to Sir Silas Ellesmere, the captain of the Earl’s guard, for two years. In 1311, he attends the marriage of his elder half-brother the Earl in this function. He is noticed by the new Countess in the coming months; they both like art, so she decides to take him on as her own page for the company, somewhat to the dismay of her brother-in-law Clement.

In 1313, Robert turns thirteen years old, and moves on from page to squire, a position he will hold until he can be dubbed a knight at age 21.

In 1315, he meets Katheryn Deane while he practices his archery, whom he is instantly attracted to, especially when she starts flirting with him brazenly. It is only when the Countess arrives that he learns that she is actually Lady Katheryn Deane, a cousin of the Countess and herself daughter of an earl. Robert realizes immediately that their difference in station means that he would never be considered as a match for her.

Despite this, the two of them spend much time together and grow close, enough so that in 1316, they share their first kiss. Robert apologizes profusely, but Katheryn assures him that all she wants is a bit of fun, and that provided they are discreet, no one will be harmed by it.

Their hopes are dashed in 1317, when the Earl announces that he has arranged a betrothal between his younger brother Clement and Katheryn. Robert is heartbroken despite his assertions that he’d always known that their romance couldn’t last, and tries to break their relationship off, but it is the perspective of losing him that makes Katheryn realize that she has come to truly care for him, too. They kiss and don’t part ways, but deep down, they both know it can’t last.

After Clement and Katheryn’s marriage, the Earl sets his matchmaking sight on Robert in 1319. As a low-born bastard, they shouldn’t be good, but the prospect of the Earl’s favour and Robert’s knighthood makes the de Bellefaye family, of French noble stock and residents of the town, amenable to negotiations. Their daughter, Elisaria, is only 14, but Robert finds her very sweet-natured and lovely and decides to agree to the match. When he tells a heavily pregnant Katheryn of this and breaks off what is left of their relationship, she is enraged, but he doesn’t feel he has any other choice.

It is agreed between the Earl and the de Bellefayes that Robert and Elisaria will marry once he has been given his knighthood.

The Dudley Family

Current Members: 7

At the beginning of the decade, the noble house of Dudley consists of Ralph Dudley, the Earl of Petersmarch, his brother Clement, his sisters Lady Elizabeth and Lady Gwendolen and his mother, also Elizabeth, the former Countess. Ralph is also betrothed to Mary Pelham, the youngest child of Baron Elbenhawke.

At the beginning of 1310, Gwendolen ages up into a child, which is followed a few months later by Clement aging up into a teenager.

The Dudley-Pelham wedding takes place in 1311, after which Ralph’s mother departs from Praaven with her daughters, to take up residence in the Dudley’s country estate while the new Lady Petersmarch settles into her role. She soon becomes pregnant, and, because she feels lonely, takes her husband’s bastard half-brother on as her page, which he allows, much to Clement’s dissatisfaction.

In the following year, 1312, Lady Petersmarch gives birth to a healthy son and heir named Arthur, much to everyone’s joy.

A second son, named Nathaniel, follows in 1314. Sadly, when the Dowager Countess and her daughters come to town to visit this newest member of the family, they bring illness with them; little Nathaniel and Lady Elizabeth (his aunt) both succumb to it. In the aftermath of those tragic losses, Clement decides to accompany his mother and remaining sister back to their country seat to get some distance from the castle.

In 1315, Lady Petersmarch gains a companion in the form of a distant cousin, Lady Katheryn Deane.

In 1316, tragedy strikes again when Lady Petersmarch gives birth to a stillborn son.

In 1317, Lady Petermarch gives birth to another child, a daughter this time, whom they name Alicent. Unfortunately, the tragedies that have been hounding the Dudleys for years continue, and the epidemic that sweeps the countryside that year kills both Alicent and five-year old Arthur, which not only leaves the countess shattered, but also the earldom without an heir. To prevent this, Lord Petersmarch arranges a marriage between his brother Clement and his wife’s companion Katheryn, unaware about the romance between her and his bastard half-brother. Lady Gwendolen ages up into a teenager that year.

The marriage takes place in 1318, and Lady Katheryn becomes pregnant soon after. Sadly, her daughter is stillborn the following year. The Countess fares better, and gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Maud, at the end of 1318, leaving her the sole heiress of the earldom as the decade ends.

The Pelham Family

Current Members: 5

As the decade begins, the family consists of Peter Pelham, Baron Elbenhawke, his son and heir Richard, his daughter Mary, and Richard’s betrothed, Lady Elinor Mowbray.

In 1310, Richard and Lady Elinor are married, in hopes that their union will finally provide the heir the barony needs.

In 1311, Mary, too, weds, which makes her the Countess of Petersmarch. Accordingly, she moves out of her family home, Elbenhawke Hall, into the Dudley seat, Praaven Castle.

In 1313, Lady Elinor finally gives birth to her first child, the son and heir they had all been hoping for. They name the child Richard, after his father.

A second pregnancy follows quickly in 1314, with disastrous consequences: due to birth complications, both Lady Elinor and her little girl die, leaving Richard bereft and with only his small son as heir. Even while mourning, the Pelhams start looking for another bride, and (after some help from Mary) approach the prosperous Crawley family, which has an unwed daughter, Caroline. The betrothal is accepted. At the end of the year, Little Richard ages up into a toddler.

The Pelham-Crawley wedding takes place in 1315, after Caroline returns from a long trip she had taken with her brother’s wife, Anna. The new lady of the house bonds well with her stepson, although her marriage remains a bit distant. She and Richard the elder do their duty, however, and she becomes pregnant soon after the marriage.

In 1316, Caroline gives birth to a healthy son named David. A daughter, Josephine, follows in 1317.

Then, tragedy strikes once again. A few months after Josephine’s birth, Richard goes hunting, and is gravely wounded in an ill-fated encounter with a boar. He is rushed back to Elbenhawke Hall, but it is soon clear that there is nothing to be done for him. He dies that night. Afterwards, Lord Elbenhawke asks Caroline to remain the lady of the house, even if she will not be baroness.

In 1319, Josephine ages up into a toddler, and Richard Jr. ages up into a child, ending the decade on an at least somewhat hopeful mood for the Pelhams.

And that is the end of the recap.

The 1310s have certainly been eventful, and at times I felt a bit overwhelmed with the management of it all. I have played the challenge before, but back then I didn't switch households as much, and let the Story Progression Mod do much of the management for me. It’s been fun to be more involved, in a way, but also stressful. That wasn’t helped by the extra management of the famine years.

But the famine is in the past now (although in real history, its effects lasted into the 1320s), and at least as far as event rules are concerned, there won’t be anything happening in the following decade. Historically, there was much turmoil, of course, due to the strife between King Edward II, his lords and Queen Isabella, which eventually led to Edward being dethroned and his subsequent death. I may mention that in regard to the nobles, but don’t plan on inventing any new rules to see if they are affected by it.

Either way, the future will be interesting.

Prev: 1319, Day 4 | Recap 1300 - 1309 <--> Next: 1320, Day 1, Part 1/2 | Recap 1320 - 1329

[princesssarisa]

"Faerie Tale Theatre" Role Association: Seasons 1 through 3

To honor Shelley Duvall in a silly yet fun way, I decided to finally do what I've been meaning to for some time: play a complete game of Role Association for the characters of Faerie Tale Theatre.

That is, describing the story using the names of the actors' more famous characters. @thealmightyemprex and I once did this together, long ago. I thought I would try doing it myself now, starting with the show's first few seasons.

The Tale of the Frog Prince

The Genie is turned into a frog, and only a kiss from Inga can break the spell. Odo is Inga’s father, while Debbie Dunham and Kramer are Genie’s parents. Brave Sir Robin narrates.

Rumpelstiltskin

Wendy Torrence is ordered to spin straw into gold for Lots-O’-Huggin Bear after her father Sarge lies that she can. Tattoo agrees to spin it for her, but at a price.

Rapunzel

Olive Oyle is hidden away in a tower by her abusive foster mother Gloria Swenson, until she meets and falls in love with Prince Lir. Cornelius narrates.

The Nightingale

Ned Kelly is the Emperor of China, who learns the value of friendship from Hillary Whitney and a bird with the voice of Wendy Torrence. Commander Adama is the Prime Minister, while Harold, Iroh, and Mr. Wing are other members of the court.

Sleeping Beauty

Rita the Cat is cursed to die by Ellen Griswold, but Grandmama Addams softens the curse to a 100-year sleep, from which Superman’s kiss will wake her. Father Mulcahy and “Hot Lips” Houlihan are Rita’s parents.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Dave Stohler lives in poverty with his mother Jessica Tate, until Blinkin gives him magic beans that grow into a beanstalk, which leads him to the castle of gigantic couple Ted and Edith.

Little Red Riding Hood

Emily Hobbs goes into the forest to visit Grandma Gilmore and encounters Alex DeLarge, who sets out to prey on them both. The Mayor of San Francisco and Ida Sessions are Emily’s parents.

Hansel and Gretel

T.J. and Savannah are the children of poor woodcutter Wimpy, who get lost in the woods and are nearly cooked and eaten by Mrs. Potiphar.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Addie Loggins intrudes into the house of papa Mongo, mama Alma Cox, and their son Paco. Dick Solomon and Rosie are Addie’s parents and Randall Peltzer is a forest ranger.

The Princess and the Pea

Stephen Waltham falls in love with Sally Bowles, but to test her worthiness, his mother Dr. Lesh has her sleep on twenty mattresses with a pea beneath them. Dr. Jack Bardofsky is a court jester and Chris Hargensen is a mean-girl princess.

Pinocchio

Pee-Wee Herman is a puppet carved by Saul Bloom and brought to life by Maria Portokalos. Kramer and Rocko are two con artists who lead him astray, and Waternoose turns him into a donkey.

Thumbelina

Two-inch tall Princess Leia is stolen from her mother Berta and nearly forced to marry first Castor Oyle, then the Penguin, before finding true love with Tommy Ross.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Cora Crawley is taken in by seven dwarfs after fleeing from Julia, who wants to kill her because Nicholas Medina claims that Cora is more beautiful than she is. Eventually Julia poisons her, but in the end, she revives and marries Frederic.

Beauty and the Beast

Janet Weiss becomes the prisoner of Count Dracula and eventually learns to love him. Chief Hubbard is her father, while Morticia Addams and Helen Henny are her sisters.

The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers

John Cage isn’t afraid of anything, so he spends three nights in Count Dooku’s haunted castle with the promise of marriage to Dooku’s daughter Max. Bob Cratchit is an innkeeper, Stu Pickles is a clergyman, and Frank Zappa is a hunchbacked servant.

[wouldadepressedpersonmakethis]

Keira Knightley, Emma Corrin, and Lily James as sisters (possibly two other girls as well??? The Bennet sisters meet the Crawley sisters??) live on an old estate where none of them can inherit

Their cousin who is to be the heir is either a Mr Collins meets Mr Rushworth type or Mr Wickham meets Willoughby (if the later he’s been flirting with EMMA CORRIN and convinced her he’s in love with her and wants to marry her but he is really just here to have fun)

DAN STEVENS is in love with KK and has been for years but she’s marrying TOBY STEPHENS instead because he’s $$$$$$ and has a title

CILLIAN MURPHY lives in the village (or in a neighboring one??) and has a thing for LILY JAMES but thinks she’s a housemaid

JESSIE BUCKLEY is in a fanny price situation where her mom married a poor man but came from a wealthy family and JESSIE was sent to live with her rich relations but she’s still very wild and untamed and causes a scene!! Catch her cursing like a sailor and drinking down at the pubs

MICHELLE DOCKERY, JESSICA BROWN FINDLAY, RICHARD ARMITAGE, and MATTHEW GOODE as siblings and cousins to JESSIE

[popcorngirl85]

Downtown abbey 1970

Edith and mary as old people

After 28 years of dodging the Crawley family gatherings. Edith is coming home for Christmas. Maybe she is a glutton for punishment.But it feels like the right thing to do. Even though Bertie her husband and all of her girlfriends back home in Australia think she has gone bananas.

She has always been the black sheep. The chubby girl in a family full of Disney princesses and incredibly charming women. Of which she is neither.

The Last time she went home for Granny's 100th birthday palooza in 1942, it was an absolute disaster. She smeared blueberry pie all over Mary, her dragon lady older sister.The look on the skinny gargoyle's face when Mary realized her white silk dress was ruined was priceless.

Mary wouldn't shut up about what a fat, hopeless cow Edith was as a mother.Edith deserved some of it, for writing that embarrassing story about her sister all those years ago when she was a teenager. And a million other awful things she had said in the heat of the moment. But Mary should have left Bertie out of it.

Luckily,granny and her friends were pretty tipsy and completely deaf. Thank God, nobody heard what Mary said about Bertie's strong feminine side.It would have ruined both of their lives.People were really funny about that sort of thing now.Even with all this talk about free love.It was true he liked to crossdress and sometimes very discreetly meet with men. He had told her before they got engaged and she hadn't cared.As long he never left her and she didn't have to meet or hear about them.Bertie helped cover up her daughter being born out of wedlock. Very few men would have done that back then. He was good to both of them and helped her make the big decisions in the marriage which made her rather panicky. And he bought her flowers just because.

Which no man had ever did before.Edith is not making this trip for herself.Honestly, she would rather stay put surrounded by fans and friends who adore her.The great neices and nephews only knew her as the old lady who writes mystery novels and plays that sent them bizarre gifts from all the places she and Bertie had traveled to.

Marigold, her daughter is hosting the Christmas party at her house in Beverly Hills, California this year. She has had a rough year with that divorce and that jealous crackpot trying to discredit her work.He was proven wrong and settled out of court ,but still. It has been all about Edith for a long time,which isn't right. Rose said that last year,When they were on a trip to India when Edith struggled to make excuses yet again for Christmas.

Rose didn't understand what the fight was about and thought Edith hated her.Even though Rose is in her early sixties, Edith will always think of her as the silly energetic kid who kind of looked like Tinkerbelle and always thought when people where fighting it must have somehow been her fault.Even if things should go bad , she will have fun checking out the Hollywood walk of fame with her daughter and Rose.Also she found a muumuu that makes her look 20 pounds lighter,That is something.

Edith had an extra bullet in her arsonel. She has been reading this new self help book called " I am ok ,your okay". which is really beneficial in healing yourself and dealing with difficult people.She was keeping that and a barrage of snappy comebacks handy , just in case , Mary started on how fake Edith's red hair looks when she waddled through the front door. Edith arrived in L.A. all safe in sound thanks in part to the exceptionally kind bearded gentleman in the fuzzy lavender trousers.

Who aided her in finding a bakery in which to buy a Chocolate yule log and a pumpkin pie that was open Christmas eve. He also aided her in getting unstuck from the backseat of that cab.Marigold was surprised and showered her mother with kisses the moment she came in.Suprisingly, she wasn't too irritated about Edith being a little late.But then,Edith is always late.This time it wasn't her fault.She was chasing the damned luggage all around the airport.

Marigold did roll her eyes when Edith said she wanted to make a dramatic entrance and that is why she didn't call first and ask for a lift from the airport.Maybe later Edith could hint about her making a trip to Melbourne.

The handsome widower down the block from them liked quiet women.They both liked to ride horses.Marigold looked like a younger version of Katherine Hepburn.She even wore the office shirts with the popped up collar,everywhere.Rose is passing out Father Christmas hats and showing off her engagement ring Garesh had given her.They had known each other when Rose was growing up in India and reconnected on that trip to India. And had been writing letters to each other every day every since.Everyone is present except George, Mary's eldest son.Who couldn't face his mother with his latest much younger wife and baby girl.Edith offered to accompany them as acting president of the black sheep club.

But he was afraid of what people would say about his abandonment of his mother and the house. Even though his brother Reggie.The one that came back from the war years later with the most insane story of why he had been away so long. Had major success with the beer garden and'' no shrinkin' violet beer label. And took good care of his mother.

Mary sitting on the neon orange couch next to the aluminum Christmas tree. Thin as a rail and Regal as the queen she was named after.Her older sister still dressed like it was the 40's. complete with white gloves and a blue and white polka dot dress with a stiff lace collar.Their was something decidedly different about Mary.The arrogant smirk has been replaced by a vacant look.Mary is muttering something to the aluminum Christmas tree who she thinks is a copper. Something about the beach and finding henry and her boys. My God she thinks it 1928 , not 1970, Edith shakes her head.

Mary is the only one not in line getting food.They used to play pranks on each other all the time.But she really looks terrified and lost maybe.Reggie needs a break , he looks so worn down.So Edith gets kid -sized portions of everything.(Mary never did eat much: you can't when you wear a corset all the time) And Edith gets her to eat and they talk while watching Charlie Brown.

The whole time Mary thinks Edith is granny.Which is irritating because she didn't think she looked quite THAT old.Even bringing up that dinner and medal of honor she received for saving all those jews during the war (it was way more than the handful ,mary had always said) didn't ring a bell.But watching Charlie Brown and listening to the cartoon kid with the blankie talk about the real meaning of Christmas. Nothing matters but right now ,even if you are thirty years too late

[claudia1829things]

"VANITY FAIR" (2018) Review

“VANITY FAIR” (2018) Review

When I had first heard that the ITV channel and Amazon Studios had plans to adapt William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1848 novel, “Vanity Fair”, I must admit that I felt no interest in watching the miniseries. After all, I had already seen four other adaptations, including the BBC’s 1987 production. And I regard the latter as the best version of Thackeray’s novel I had ever seen.

In the end, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to watch the seven-part miniseries. In a nutshell, "VANITY FAIR" followed the experiences of Rebecca "Becky" Sharp, the social climbing daughter of an English not-so-successful painter and a French dancer in late Georgian England during and after the Napoleonic Wars. The production also told the story of Becky's school friend and daughter of a wealthy merchant, Amelia Sedley. The story begins with both young women leaving Miss Pinkerton’s Academy for Young Ladies. Becky managed to procure a position as governess to Sir Pitt Crawley, a slightly crude yet friendly baronet. Before leaving for her new position, Becky visits Amelia's family. She tries to seduce Jos Sedley, Amelia's wealthy brother and East India Company civil servant. Unfortunately George Osborne, a friend of Jos and son of another wealthy merchant, puts a stop to the budding romance.

While working for the Crawleys, Becky meets and falls in love with Sir Pitt’s younger son, Captain Rawdon Crawley. When Sir Pitt proposes marriage to Becky, she shocks the family with news of her secret marriage to Rawdon. The couple becomes ostracized and ends up living in London on Rawdon’s military pay and gambling winnings. They also become reacquainted with Amelia Sedley, who has her own problems. When her father loses his fortune, George's own father insists that he dump Amelia and marry a Jamaican heiress. George refuses to do so and thanks to his friend William Dobbin's urging, marries Amelia. Mr. Osborne ends up disinheriting George. However, the romantic lives of Becky and Amelia take a backseat when history overtakes them and their husbands with the return of Napoleon Bonaparte.

I wish I could say that the 2018 miniseries was the best adaptation of Thackery's novel I had seen. But it is not. The production had its . . . flaws. One, I disliked its use of the song "All Along the Watchtower" in each episode's opening credits and other rock and pop tunes during the episodes' closing credits. They felt so out of place in the miniseries' production. Yes, I realize that a growing number of period dramas have doing the same. And quite frankly, I detest it. This scenario barely worked in the 2006 movie, "MARIE ANTOINETTE". Now, this use of pop tunes in period dramas strike me as awkward, ham-fisted, unoriginal and lazy.

I also noticed that producer and screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes threw out the younger Pitt Crawley character (Becky's brother-in-law), kept the Bute Crawley character and transformed him from Becky Sharp's weak and unlikable uncle-in-law into her brother-in-law. Hughes did the same with the Lady Jane Crawley and Martha Crawley characters. She tossed aside the Lady Jane character and transformed Martha from Becky's aunt-in-law to sister-in-law. Frankly, I did not care for this. I just could not see characters like Bute and Martha suddenly become sympathetic guardians for Becky and Rawdon's son in the end. It just did not work for me. I have one last problem with "VANITY FAIR", but I will get to it later.

I may not regard "VANITY FAIR" as the best adaptation of Thackery's novel, I cannot deny that it is first-rate. Gwyneth Hughes and director James Strong did an excellent job of bringing the 1848 novel to life on the television screen. Because this adaptation was conveyed in seven episodes, both Hughes and Strong were given the opportunity retell Thackery's saga without taking too many shortcuts. The miniseries replayed Becky Sharp's experiences with the Sedley family, George Osbourne, and the Crawley family in great detail. I was especially impressed by the miniseries' recount of Becky and Amelia's experiences during the Waterloo campaign - which is the story's true high point, as far as I am concerned. Also, this adaptation had conveyed George's experiences during Waterloo with more detail than any other adaptation I have seen.

Aside from the Waterloo sequence, there were other scenes that greatly impressed me. I really enjoyed those scenes that featured the famous Duchess of Richmond's ball in the fourth episode, "In Which Becky Joins Her Regiment"; Becky's attempts to woo Jos Sedley in the first episode, "Miss Sharp In The Presence Of The Enemy"; the revelation of Becky's marriage to Rawdon Crawley in "A Quarrel About An Heiress"; and her revelation to Amelia about the truth regarding George in the final episode, "Endings and Beginnings". There were people who were put off that the series did not end exactly how the novel did - namely the death of Jos, with whom Becky had hooked up in the end. I have to be honest . . . that did not bother me. However, I was amused that Becky's last line in the miniseries seemed to hint that Jos' death might be a possibility in the near future.

The production values for "VANITY FAIR" struck me as quite beautiful. I thought Anna Pritchard's production designs did an excellent job in re-creating both London, the English countryside, Belgium, Germany, India and West Africa between the Regency era and the early 1830s. Not only did I find the miniseries' production values beautiful, but also Ed Rutherford's cinematography. His images struck me as not only beautiful, but sharp and colorful. I would not say that Lucinda Wright and Suzie Harman's costume designs blew my mind. But I cannot deny that I found them rather attractive and serviceable for the narrative's setting.

One of the production's real virtues proved to be a very talented cast. "VANITY FAIR" featured some solid performances from it supporting players. Well . . . I would say more than solid. I found the performances of Robert Pugh, Peter Wight, Suranne Jones, Claire Skinner, Mathew Baynton, Sian Clifford, Monica Dolan, and Elizabeth Berrington to be more than solid. In fact, I would say they gave excellent performances. But they were not alone.

Michael Palin, whom I have not seen in a movie or television production in years, gave an amusing narration in each episode as the story's author William Makepeace Thackeray. Ellie Kendrick gave a very poignant performance as Jane Osborne, who seemed to be caught between her loyalty to her bitter father and her long-suffering sister-in-law. Simon Beale Russell gave a superb, yet ambiguous portrayal of the warm and indulgent John Sedley, who also had a habit of infantilizing his family. Frances de la Tour was deliciously hilarious and entertaining as Becky Sharp's aunt-in-law and benefactress Lady Matilda Crawley. I could also say the same about Martin Clunes, who gave a very funny performance as the crude, yet lively Sir Pitt Crawley. One last funny performance came from David Fynn, who gave an excellent portrayal of the vain, yet clumsy civil servant, Jos Sedley. Anthony Head gave a skillful performance as the cynical and debauched Lord Styne. I thought Charlie Rowe was superb as the self-involved and arrogant George Osborne. Rowe, whom I recalled as a child actor, practically oozed charm, arrogance and a false sense of superiority in his performance as the shallow George.

I have only seen Johnny Flynn in two roles - including the role of William Dobbin in this production. After seeing "VANITY FAIR", it seemed that the William Dobbin role seemed tailored fit for him. He gave an excellent performance as the stalwart Army officer who endured years of unrequited love toward Amelia Sedley. Tom Bateman was equally excellent as the charming, yet slightly dense Rawdon Crawley. At first, I thought Bateman would portray Rawdon as this dashing, yet self-confident Army officer. But thanks to his performance, the actor gradually revealed that underneath all that glamour and dash was a man who was not as intelligent as he originally seemed to be. Amelia Sedley has never been a favorite character of mine. Her intense worship of the shallow George has always struck me as irritating. Thanks to Claudia Jessie's excellent performance, I not only saw Amelia as irritating as usual, but also sympathetic for once.

Television critics had lavished a great deal of praise upon Olivia Cooke as the sharp-witted and manipulative Becky Sharp. In fact, many have labeled her performance as one of the best versions of that character. And honestly? I have to agree. Cooke was more than superb . . . she was triumphant as the cynical governess who used her charms and wit in an attempt to climb the social ladder of late Georgian Britain. I would not claim that Cooke was the best on-screen Becky I have seen, but she was certainly one of the better ones. I have only one minor complaint - I found her portrayal of Becky as a poor parent to her only son rather strident. Becky has always struck me as a cold mother to Rawdon Junior. But instead of cold, Cooke's Becky seemed to scream in anger every time she was near the boy. I found this heavy-handed and I suspect the real perpetrator behind this was either screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes or director James Strong.

I have a few complaints about "VANITY FAIR". I will not deny it. But I also cannot deny that despite its few flaws, I thought it was an excellent adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel. Actually, I believe it is one of the better adaptations. "VANITY FAIR" is also one of the best period dramas I have seen from British television in a LONG TIME. And I mean a long time. Most period dramas I have seen in the past decade were either mediocre or somewhere between mediocre and excellent. "VANITY FAIR" is one of the first that has led me to really take notice in years. And I have to credit Gwyneth Hughes' writing, James Strong's direction and especially the superb performances from a first-rate cast led by Olivia Cooke. It would be nice to see more period dramas of this quality in the near future.

[kehlana-wolhamonao3]

Rules: In a new post, post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

What a lovely game! Thank you, @sweetnessofspring for tagging me!

Here's my list (I'm not inclyding the ones I'm actively posting) and I am itching to talk about those new bunnies in my head! I'm afraid my working titles are not the most sophisticated; usually they are just a description of the main idea for the story.

1) Crawley & Crawley

2) Cissy's sister

3) Valancy gets pregnant

4) Tea at Cousin Georgiana

5) Matthew learns of Pamuk in S1E3

6) Barney and Valancy meet earlier

I tag @autumnrose11 @francuskiakcent @mmfan1 @kingedmundsroyalmurder @katherineholmes - have fun with this game if you want to! As for myself, I will gladly answer any asks :)

[monsterintheballroom]

Interview, well it´s more like a questionaire under the cut :-)

Dame Penelope Wilton: ‘My worst holiday was in Scotland’

The actress, 76, on tenacity, boarding schools and collecting art for the sake of it

Penelope Wilton is a multi-award-winning actress across stage and screen, who is best known for her role as Isobel Crawley in ITV’s Downton Abbey. Twice divorced, she has a daughter and two grandchildren, and lives in London. 

Best childhood memory?

I was five and my parents were moving house, so I was sent to stay with a great-aunt in Harrogate, as it was too much for my mother to look after me as well as my two-year-old sister Linda and my older sister Rosemary during the move. When it was time for me to go home, I was put on the train with the guard in his van. I then had to change trains at a station where my father was going to meet me. He ran down the platform and picked me up and I had him to myself for the whole journey on the other train. I was in heaven at the thrill of it all, because I adored him. To me, there was nothing more wonderful, as I was selfish about sharing him with my two sisters. 

Best subject at school?

History, which I still like now. I was never very good at school as I was slightly dyslexic, so my written work was frightful, but I really enjoyed history and still love good period biographies. As a little girl, I had gone to an extremely good convent school. But because my mother became ill, I then went to two terrible boarding schools with not very good teachers; anything I’ve learnt, I’ve taught myself. So I’ve always had a slight inferiority complex about my education. However, being an actor is a fascinating education in itself, as you are researching every­thing you do. So it set me on a path to find out about things. 

Best trait?

Tenacity: you have to stick with things, as a career, and life itself, obviously has its ups and downs. I almost gave up acting in my 20s as one theatre director was such a bully. I was so demoralised, because you’re not confident when you’re young – or I certainly wasn’t. I was also diminished by authority at school, but the experiences taught me that you have to fight that tyranny. Bullies like that don’t exist now in my industry; people nowadays wouldn’t put up with it. 

Best possession?

I can’t say my daughter and grandchildren because I don’t possess them, even though they are the most important things in my life. But I have a number of paintings of which I’m fond, particularly one by Winifred Nicholson. It’s a picture of Brittany with two Breton ladies, and a little white and grey house with a sandy track in front. It’s very charming and restful to look at. I collect art for its own sake: when I’ve made a bit of money, I buy a painting rather than anything else. Although I can’t buy any more as I can’t fit them in my house.

Best decision?

Having my daughter, Alice, who was quite a survivor as a baby. I’ve got a very nice son-in-law and two lovely grandchildren. Daniel is 10 and Ella is six; they show no sign of the acting gene, but she’s a good painter and he’s good at writing stories. 

Best film/play?

The best film when I was a child was Jacques Tati’s Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday. The ones I’ve liked best as an adult are by Scorsese and Spielberg. I’ve just watched The Godfather again, such a marvellous film. And anything with the late Lino Ventura in it, the Italian actor who starred in many French films. He was heaven. As for plays, I’m very fond of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing – I’ve played Beatrice – and also Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea and Christopher Hampton’s The Philanthropist.

Best moment?

When I saw my daughter for the first time; she’s a theatre producer now. My first child, a boy, had been stillborn at 29 weeks. And Alice was only 2lb 9oz when she was born at 30 weeks, but she survived and it was wonderful: the best production of all.  

Worst childhood memory?

Being sent away to school when I was eight and then again when I was 11. I told my parents I hated it, but my mother was very ill and couldn’t cope with the three of us girls. I was too cowed by authority at the time; and I could only go home at half term, which was just a long weekend, anyway. You did get letters from your family, though – and eventually I got used to it. But there was never any chance of me sending my daughter to board, though I think Daniel would be happy to do so now, because he’s very sociable. 

Worst habit?

I’m very anxious about timekeeping, so I’m always very early and make a fuss if I think I’m going to be late. It’s because of what I do: as an actor, if you’re late, missing your cue is the worst thing that can happen to you. The play can’t start until you’re all there – you can’t phone in your performance. It’s a nightmare. I even got lost once on the way to the theatre.

Worst subject at school?

I never got the hang of maths: it was because of the teaching, they weren’t very good. It’s a very logical subject, so you mustn’t miss a brick in the building. I would still like to master it one day.

Worst job?

A television drama called The Song of Songs, in 1973: it was about the demimonde in Vienna at the turn of the last ­century. The director was a terrible bully – another one – and a ­horrible man. My drama school, the Drama Centre London, had taught me to stand up for myself and have a voice, but that wasn’t allowed on this set. And the rest of the cast were mostly much older than me. 

Worst holiday?

I went to Scotland as a young teenager with my family because my father loved fishing, but it rained the entire time. We traipsed round historic houses a lot as there was nothing else to do while it rained so incessantly. It wasn’t completely horrible as we were together as a family – and Dad had a lovely time because the weather was good for catching fish. But if you’re an adolescent, castles get a bit boring. 

Worst thing about modern life?

The extremes: no one seems to listen to anybody else. There’s no compromise, even though life is about compromise. Social media is a wonderful thing in some respects, but not when it’s having a malign influence on young people. I’m on WhatsApp for the family, but generally it wastes time when I could be doing something else. As for mobile phones, people are ­better about turning them off in the theatre now, but it used to happen a lot – and it was incredibly offputting when they went off. I would find my voice rising to try to hide the sound.

The absolute worst?

The loss of my elder sister Rosemary 18 months ago from the effects of Covid was the worst, because your sibling is in your life the longest of all your family members. Her death is still very fresh to me, so these are sad times. She was seven years older than me and had started to fall a lot, so she was not in a good state to catch Covid. Although she actually got over the virus, she had to go into hospital because her breathing was not good – and she caught a chest infection there. She was a brilliant woman and a wonderful television producer for the BBC’s Arena arts programmes, such as The RKO Story.

[free-for-all-fics]

Some Downton/Tom Branson prompts and ideas. These are old but might as well share them anyway. I shared the first one with @welcome-to-writers-haven on anon way back before I made this blog. (Hiiiiii!! It’s me 🙂 it’s been ages) And found these other ones buried in my notes app. Pls tag me if any of these inspire you to write something! 💜

1. Sometimes I think about a Downton Abbey and Bridgerton crossover fic idea (that I don’t have the time nor talent to write) where you’re a paternal descendant from one of the 4 sons, like a great-granddaughter or something, so you still carry the Bridgerton surname. You’re much like Eloise, an independent and free spirit, unafraid to speak your mind or challenge societal norms. You meet and befriend the Crawleys, only to fall in love with Tom Branson. This of course creates gossip and there’s talk wherever you go, especially if/when you agree to marry him, but you don’t care. The Crawleys approve of you not only for the benefits they could reap from Tom’s union with a woman from the Bridgerton bloodline, considering your social standing and wealthy inheritance; but because you make Tom so happy and like himself again after losing Sybil. No, it doesn’t really make sense, but I just think it’d be neat.

2. Imagine being American and meeting Tom while he and Sybbie are living in Boston. He takes you on a few dates and Sybbie soon adores you like family. A year passes, and he asks you to come with him and Sybbie back to Downton to meet the rest of the family, whom are all eager to meet you. You come from a more humble background, so you’re overwhelmed by the grandeur and opulence of it at first, but Cora being American herself puts you a little at ease and everyone else helps make you feel welcome. You fall further in love with Tom during your stay. Maybe the Crawleys and/or staff try to subtlety scheme to encourage the romance by pushing you closer together in the hopes Tom will propose. They just want Tom to be happy and in love again after Sybil.

3. Imagine being the second wife of Tom Branson and stepmother to Sybbie. (Whether you’re a Crawley sister or not is up to you.) What would that be like? What if you got pregnant? Would Tom start having fears and nightmares about your pregnancy being fatal like Sybil’s? So basically “Being Tom Branson’s second wife and/or pregnant with his child years after what happened to Sybil would include?”

4. Imagine being best friends with Sybil since birth and growing up together, practically like sisters. After Sybil’s death, Tom asks you to help him look after Sybbie so that you’d be a constant in her life since you were so near and dear to Sybil. He knows neither you nor he can bear to lose what remains of Sybil’s memory. You’re both mourning and Tom struggles with his sense of belonging, feeling lost and confused without Sybil. You’re supportive and give each other a shoulder to cry and lean on, a comforting light in this dark time. You become a dear friend to him and as he grows to think of Downton as his home, he falls in love with you. Once time has numbed the pain for both of you and it doesn’t hurt anymore, you show each other what it means to be in love and happy again.

5. Imagine if you were a guest in the house, in a romantic relationship with Tom during the Downton fire in episode 1 of season 5. Tom gets worried about you, and that worry becomes fear when he can’t find you outside with the others. Would he rush back in the house to find you himself? (You’re maybe unconscious when he or the firemen find you, but you’d be fine)

6. Imagine being a writer/editor who works for Edith and meeting Tom at her wedding. Your friendship begins there, and grows into a romance. You’re not exactly high in status or class, but neither of you care about all that nonsense.

(Or just a fic where it’s like Sybil and Tom’s love story, but kind of reversed. Tom has moved up in status at this point in time, managing the estate and selling cars, and you’re considered “lower” than him. But neither of you care. Maybe reader makes something of herself despite what she was born into, like Gwen did.)

7. You’re the youngest Crawley daughter, 3 years younger than Sybil and yet so much alike you’re practically twins. You’re the only one in the family who wholeheartedly supports Tom and Sybil’s relationship from the beginning. After Sybil dies, you and Tom both feel like you’ve lost half of yourselves. You wake up early to run errands, go horseback riding or take long walks alone to cope. You’re often gone for many hours, deeming it too painful to stay in the house where your beloved sister died. Tom eventually joins you on your walks and takes you for long drives with no destination in mind. You become very good friends as you lean on each other for support during this difficult time. Sometimes you’ll just sit in silence while holding hands and that’s enough. Grief brought you closer, but as Sybbie grows up, you fall in love with Tom.

You can’t pinpoint the exact moment you fell; it’s like it started slowly then came rushing all at once. While your family is happy for you both, you struggle with your newfound romantic love for Tom. You feel a disgusting pit of guilt in your stomach every time you kiss. You think you’re betraying Sybil and stealing her husband. You’re afraid of your confusing feelings, too afraid to even tell Tom about your struggle. You and he correspond through letters for a year while he and Sybbie are in Boston. In one such letter, he proposes. He writes that he’ll ask again properly when next he and you meet, he just couldn’t wait. You go to Sybil’s grave to ask for her forgiveness similar to how Mary did at Matthew’s grave. You confide in someone (Mrs. Hughes? Edith? Cora?) about your conflicted feelings and realize that Sybil would want you and Tom to be happy since she loved you both very, very much. You’re in love with each other, and where’s the shame in that?

8. You’re the youngest Crawley daughter and became very close friends with Tom when he first came to Downton as the Chauffeur. When he married your older sister, Sybil, you were happy to be maid of honor at their wedding, even if it was a small affair. You often visited them in Ireland or corresponded through letters while back home in England. After Sybil’s death, you were beside yourself with grief along with the entire household. But you loved Sybbie with all your heart and would spend as much time as you could with her. She’s the last vestige of your late sister and you care for her deeply. You can’t count the number of times you’ve held her, fed her, played with her, or put her to bed with a lullaby or story. You’d stay with her while Nanny had to run down to the sewing room or grab baby paraphernalia.

Even if the nannies insisted you didn’t have to do something, you didn’t mind. Over the years, Sybbie grows up and is followed by more children such as George and Marigold. Your friendship with Tom becomes so much more and you slowly but surely fall in love. Many years after Sybil’s death, you and Tom marry. Tom and you both want children, but you go to Dr. Clarkson with concerns about potential pregnancy risks before you start trying. You’re worried if what happened to Sybil is more likely to happen to you since you’re sisters. As your pregnancy progresses, both you and Tom get nervous. But everything is fine, you and your baby make it through with no complications.

[townsenddecades]

1312 – Day 3

CRAWLEY RESIDENCE

While for her new sister, childbirth is still a point of anxiety several months in the future, for Anna, it is a very, very painful reality. She goes into labour at the proper time, at least, but that doesn’t make it any less harrowing.

But at the end of it, she gives birth to a healthy little girl. They name her Annette, and Anna doesn’t think she is capable of being more in love with a human being than with her perfect little daughter. She is beaming through her exhaustion when she gets to hold her and can only pray that she will stay as healthy as she is now.

TOWNSEND FARM

In the countryside, the snow is finally melting. It isn’t warm enough to resume farming yet – the plants still need to regrow after being covered for such a long time – but it’s a step in the right direction.

In the Townsend’s home, Malika’s pregnancy is obvious by now. Moving around is getting a little more difficult, but she doesn’t let that hinder her in caring for the house and especially for Helen, whom she has taken quite the liking to. Helen, for her part, is basking in the attention. Benjamin is glad to see both of them so happy and to know that Malika is settling well into their family. It is still a little strange to them that Benjamin suddenly has a wife, but she is so earnestly enthusiastic that there is little tension in the household.

Benedict, meanwhile, is glad that they are starting to bring in a profit from their beehives again, because Benjamin has left to travel to Praaven to see the Earl about a proposal. There is an empty plot of land right beside their small parcel, and Benjamin intends to ask permission for them to farm it in addition to their current holdings. It would be an additional burden – especially when the land tax is due – in some ways, but they would also be able to erect a second small cottage for Benjamin and Malika to live in, and maybe even buy a cow or sheep.

They have the money to pay the earl for the land, thanks to Malika’s dowry, but their other plans will require more capital than that.

PRAAVEN CASTLE

Benjamin is nervous when he enters the castle and is directed upstairs by an attendant. He has never been here before, much less has he met the Earl, but he will need to make his petition in person if he wants it to go through. He is overawed by all the space around him and can hardly believe that a handful of nobles call this their home.

A handful of nobles, and his brother, whom he runs into one flight of stairs up. They haven’t seen each other since Anna’s wedding – he hadn’t been able to travel to Edith’s – and Benjamin had honestly been hoping to run into him. Robert is much taller than he remembers, and far more muscular. Knight-training is obviously doing him good, although he has spent much time in the castle lately, to serve his noble half-brothers and be a companion to the young countess, who misses her family, as Robert tells him.

They spend some time reconnecting before Benjamin is called up the stairs to meet the earl.

His interview with the Earl – who is far younger than the title makes one think – is short, but the man listens to his proposal patiently and, after some discussions, agrees to make the land available to him, in exchange for the usual Lord’s tax. It is no more than Benjamin expected, and he thanks the man profusely before taking his leave, lighter of heart already.

Prev: 1312, Day 2 <--> Next: 1312, Day 3

[qnewsau]

Vale: Dame Maggie Smith's best shade after her death at 89

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/vale-dame-maggie-smiths-best-shade-after-her-death-at-89/

Vale: Dame Maggie Smith's best shade after her death at 89

Fans are revisiting Dame Maggie Smith’s best one-liners and shadiest moments after the legendary British actress’ death at age 89.

The beloved British icon passed away peacefully in a London hospital overnight (AEST), her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens announced.

“It’s with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” they said in a statement.

“An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end.

“She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

Hilarious Dame Maggie Smith clips go viral in tribute

Dame Maggie Smith’s incredible career spanned 70 years. She received her first Oscar nomination in 1965.

Throughout the 2000s, the British actress just kept on giving. To generations of Harry Potter fans she’ll always be Professor Minerva McGonagall.

Dame Maggie also played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in every season of the UK period drama Downton Abbey.

A supercut of Dame Maggie’s best Downton zingers is among the clips circulating online after her death.

rest in peace maggie smith you’ll always be loved pic.twitter.com/PoVwdKV1uo

— s. (@shivlestat) September 27, 2024

Another clip of Dame Maggie Smith sparring with Dame Judi Dench in the 2018 special Tea with the Dames is also going viral.

rip to one of the greatest, maggie smith, may you continue to be cutthroat wherever you may be pic.twitter.com/MVyEUpRd37

— amy elouise (@foxgrove_) September 27, 2024

Every time Dame Maggie Smith appeared on The Graham Norton Show was absolute magic.

Be an icon like Dame Maggie Smith and give zero f***s pic.twitter.com/yrg1SzV95t

— J Λ M Ξ S (@jamesglynn) September 27, 2024

Meanwhile, Sir Ian McKellen was a longtime friend of Dame Maggie Smith. Photos and clips of the pair’s friendship are also resurfacing.

rediscovered these photos of Ian McKellen and Maggie Smith at Wimbledon and they're absolute gold pic.twitter.com/rSlAC4VNbB

— jack (@jackoliver__) July 10, 2019

Sir Ian did a killer Dame Maggie Smith impression.

The actor perfected it over the years.

Sir Ian McKellen's impression of Maggie Smith always makes me laugh pic.twitter.com/zkpn6VlAxK

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) August 11, 2017

And what did Dame Maggie think of Sir Ian’s impression of her? Someone asked.

Maggie Smith & Ian McKellen are friend goals pic.twitter.com/JzCCiBxrXt

— Carl Woodward (@mrCarlWoodward) December 7, 2019

‘Fierce intellect and a gloriously sharp tongue’

Several Harry Potter cast members have also paid tribute to the British icon.

Daniel Radcliffe said he first met Maggie when he was nine years old on BBC drama David Copperfield.

“I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her,” Daniel said.

“The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘don’t be ridiculous!’

“I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films.

“She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny.

“I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”

Actress Whoopi Goldberg also paid tribute to her Sister Act co-star Dame Maggie on Instagram.

“Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the “one-of-a-kind”. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family,” Whoopi wrote.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by WhoopiGoldberg (@whoopigoldberg)

Vale Dame Maggie Smith.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[legends-of-time]

The Journey of Living at Downton

Chapter 16: April 1919 to January 1920

Masterlist

Emma and Tom had made the decision to stay in England for a short while longer so that they could attend Sybil and Billy’s wedding but by the beginning of May, they are on the boat to Ireland. The last time Emma had been in Ireland was in August 2017 so she knows that life will be very different as this is Ireland before its independence and the beginning of Northern Ireland.

Emma feels terrible going, what with what is happening with Mr Bates but Anna had insisted. She doesn’t want Anna to feel like she’s a burden to anyone so she listens and goes. It’s further along in May when Emma and Tom tie the knot in Dublin in the presence of his family on his side and the three Crawley sisters, Gemma and Anna on the other.

Emma survives meeting his family as they, despite her fears, were non-judgmental about her more English upbringing. He has two brothers called Kieran and Owen and two sisters called Bridget and Ellen. Kieran leaves soon after the wedding as he lives and works in Liverpool and needs to return for work. She also meets her new nieces and nephews. Meeting his many, many cousins is more chaotic though Emma knows that she isn’t meeting one as he lives in America. Overall, Emma is thankful for the warm welcome she receives.

She is happy that she has done nursing during the war as it gives her a head start and shows her employers at the Rotunda Lying-in Hopital that she was capable and has practical experience. Tom's own position at The Observer, one of several small republican papers that emerged during the country's upheaval, paid little but expected a lot. But then again, Tom expected a lot of himself, and so found little to complain about, except for the hours that kept him apart from his wife. Due to her and Tom’s wages, they are able to find a small but comfortable flat in Dublin. It’s not much but it has what they need and Emma is happy with that.

Emma is thankful for Mrs Patmore’s lessons as it means that she actually knows her way around an early 20th century kitchen. Her first meal, while not amazing, is a success. 

With both of them working, Emma puts forward the argument that they should share the household chores as she feels it’s unfair for her to work and then do everything at home. This means that Emma doesn’t have to do the cooking every day. She knows that neither of them are amazing cooks but they muddle through.

She tells Tom of the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles and that the next Great War is only 20 years away.

Emma realises that as a married woman and one living amongst the working class, away from the hierarchy and stickler that is Downton, she has this new freedom. Emma gets to go to her first pub, since arriving in the past, along with Tom, Ellen and Owen. She finds herself having a blast and actually becomes drunk for the first time in forever.

Married life is a new but exciting experience, equal parts trial and error. Politics at its most basic level, Tom will often tease when they'd come to loggerheads in a spat. Negotiations often landed them in bed to iron out the details, a part of marriage Emma has come especially to enjoy.

——

In September, she begins to notice changes to her body that had not been there before. She had been feeling increasingly tired, nauseous and her chest is tender and swollen.

She was midway through scrubbing a skillet when the smell of charred bacon landed hit her. Retching over the dirty dishes and the mingled smell of vomit and grease only made things worse. She snatches up a towel, rubs for the washroom where she hugs the toilet and finishes coughing up everything short of her toenails.

“Christ.” She croaks, leaning back against the tub. Sitting up gingerly, she swishes out her mouth at the sink and rests on the toilet seat. The flushing water echoes in the bowl as her mind replayed the previous minutes. “Ugh.” She holds a hand against her stomach as a fresh wave threatens.

Then it hits her. Not the nausea, which has disappeared, but the reason for it. Could she be?

Emma makes a mental calculation. Two weeks? No, it had to be more than that almost a months perhaps? God, she should have noticed. Then again with her duties at the hospital have been ramping up over the past month, when would she have the time? Emma knows that this must mean only one thing and when she notices her period is late.

She and Tom hadn't really talked about children, other than the occasional vague reference to someday, but then again, they aren't doing anything in particular to prevent it.

She immediately goes to Doctor Caffrey during her shift to see if it can be confirmed. It is a risk, to be sure, to see him as a patient, but she is quite fond him and trusts him. She is soon told that yes, she is indeed pregnant, about a month along, and honestly, Emma feels like she’s going to cry with happiness though she does have the afterthought that this child and any she has in the next 7 years will become of age during World War Two.

Emma makes sure she gets home before Tom and proceeds to quickly write two letters, one addressed to Gemma and one to Sybil. She knows that they'll tell everyone at Downton so it saves Emma from having to write multiple letters.

She waits anxiously for Tom to come home from the office. She struggles to stay still and begins darting around cleaning and cooking to keep herself distracted.

"What is it?" Tom asks as he comes through the door of their flat. Honestly, Emma doesn't blame him for asking as she probably looks a bit frazzled.

"What's what?" Emma says innocently.

Tom smirks before giving her a quick kiss. "You're fidgeting."

Emma ignores his attitude. "I have something to tell you." He looks concerned. "It's not something bad!"

Tom lets out a relieved sigh. "What a relief. I thought—"

"I'm pregnant." She blurts out.

Tom's eyes widen. "Truly?"

"Truly."

"This is wonderful." Tom grabs her and spins as he wears a beaming smile.

She laughs. "Put me down!"

He puts her down and places a hand on her stomach. "When are you due?"

"Next May." Emma grins.

Tom smiles. "May 1920."

——

That Christmas, unlike at Downton, where the house tree glittered and towered proportionally in the Great Hall or at home, in the 21st century where the real tree with all the delicate decorations blocked the lounge windows and the fake tree in the Kitchen with the kid decorations threatening to fall every time someone tried to make their way around the table, the Branson's flat in Dublin is modestly decorated. They hadn't the time to go out and find a tree, but had, on the previous weekend, collected trimmings from one of Tom's cousins who worked at the Shelbourne Hotel. Emma had placed the greenery judiciously around the parlor: a little on the street-facing window sill, some along the banister leading to their cozy room upstairs, and the remainder on the small mantel above the fireplace. Her mother would be proud of it.

It is New Year's Eve when Emma finds a letter from Sybil when she comes home from work. She's four months pregnant at this point and they're still letting her work until she gets to the six month mark though they are already dialling down her workload.

She opens the letter to find Sybil announcing her own pregnancy. It is welcome news considering it is getting closer and closer to the date of Mr Bates' murder trial. Emma hopes it goes well but there's no guarantee plus the fact that the statistic of most women being murdered by their current or ex partner is working against him.

It is a couple more weeks before Emma hears, from Lady Mary, the dreadful news that he has been guilty. Thankfully it is not hanging but will be life imprisonment, which means they have time to overturn the verdict. Emma is glad there's at least some positive news out of all this.

——

Soon Emma gets some news that sent her squealing.

"What is it? What's happening?" Tom runs into the kitchen half dressed and looking panicked.

"It's finally happening! Lady Mary and Mr Crawley! They're getting married!" Emma cries, shoving the letter from Lady Mary in his face as if he's able to read it.

"Really? What happened to Sir Richard?" Tom asks smiling.

"Don't know, don't care." Emma dismisses. "There's an invitation as well, inviting us."

His widen. "Us?"

Emma nods. "Yes, but I'm not sure we'll be able to afford it. Shame, I hoped to see the wedding as well as Sybil, Gemma and the others."

"I'm sorry." Tom apologises.

"It's not your fault." She replies.

"I know but still."

She smiles at him affectionately and strokes his cheek before giving him a kiss.

——

A/N: Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

[conkniving]

never did fallon think the 'conniving' part of her unofficial moniker would ever bring with it the negative connotation so often associated. even when the old hag in the seal harbour apartments would spit "little conniving bitch!" as she eavesdropped on the gang member coercing another rent extension ( she was just terrified of the big black doberman and wanted them both gone — honestly, it felt good to be conniving in that regard ). but recently, being 'conniving' made her feel a little guilty. not shameful, because there was nothing to be ashamed of when it came to annaki. but guilty, yes. guilty for the way fallon wielded a poker face new year's night before atticus, after having just rushed out of a dark corner office with his sister and the fresh memory of her lips. guilty for not quite meeting cyrek's eyes, as if he would be able to read everything he needed to know in hers and proceed to beat the shit out of her. and guilty that when she was around the other bastards, if there was a buzz in her pocket she knew to be coming from the redhead, she would try her best in her nonchalance to find a private space to let free the smirk that would never fail to come to her lips while she typed a response. it wasn't as bad as she was probably imagining, considering she had still been able to be around atticus for the reminder that valentine's was also a shared birthday... to which fallon promptly left in her haste to secure something worthy of a gift.

and so, caught between the emotional turmoil and wanting to do right by annaki, fallon instead focused her nervous attentions elsewhere. justified in that it could be productive, she snatched up nadine at the first opportunity. it hadn't escaped the older member's awareness that there had been immediate chemistry between the younger and a certain university employee. and secure in the fact that her little firecracker could handle herself, it still wouldn't hurt if fallon were to trap them for at least a ride in the tunnel of love for a good ol' interrogation in order to have something, anything, on one colson crawley. see? good conniving.

lights out. an expletive escaped in a breath as their ride shuddered to a halt in a momentary lapse of utter darkness before red accented the contours of the environment in sinister tones. the metal bar resisted external force, and the rise in panicked voices from the rest of the attendees did nothing to quell the anxiety bubbling up in her own chest. a hand floundered beside her to assure that nadine was still there, as equally confused and restrained. tucked into the cuff of her boot, the thai retrieved a small switchblade, using her free hand to find nadine's so that she could firmly plant the blade's handle there. whatever happened, at least she knew that nadine had a way to defend herself. this fucking town. despite the stalwartness of the bar, she tested its limits once more before edging her hips toward the gap between that and the cart's shell. sucking in until organs were surely displaced, she was able to slip herself free. and out. except, seeming to have forgotten what current the boats had been guided upon, fallon's foot met no surface until plunged into shockingly cold water. air rushed out in a yelped "fuck!" as ribs hit the edge of the river. real smooth. crawling out, it was a coin toss as to which side of the tunnel was closest — then a voice. the faintest knocks. can anyone hear me?

"'naki?" it sounded pathetic, the winded level of her voice. stumbling along the minimal shoulder of the displays framing the river, she met the door with a gesture intending to open it. to no avail. of course, why would anything work in their favour? and choosing to ignore the disjointed sounds of others — definitely not the trapped attendees — ambling in the background, she tried again, "annaki? what are you doing?" this isn't safe for you, either. it went unsaid. "there are people stuck in here. why isn't there any attendants outside? they should be fucking doin' something about this!" she couldn't tell if the hair raised on the back of her neck was from the cold of her drenched clothing or the fact that the very perpetrators of this could be in there with them. "can you see a control panel? some kind of emergency switch?"

@conkniving​

location ; outside the tunnel of love 

date ; valentine’s day

ANNAKI COULDN’T DENY THE SMILE THAT CROSSED HER FACE with every message she received from Fallon. She was always one who wore her emotions on her sleeve, incapable of hiding her thoughts as they were easily read on her face. It would be a lie if she said that after New Years that the moments they shared alone had frequented her mind on a regular basis, the redhead practically blushing just at the idea of when she would next see her. The last thing she expected to wake up to was a present from the exact person who had made herself at home on her mind, not that Annaki was looking to evict her from the premise any time soon. The flowers were delicately handled, showcased on her kitchen counter after diagonally cutting the stems to make them last as long as possible. Just the sight of them was something she wanted to extend, as the feeling in her chest as she looked at them was more than she could currently describe.

The idea of a Valentine’s celebration fit too perfectly into something Annaki would enjoy, hoping she could totally inconspicuously run into Fallon during the event. She was never one to bite her tongue, but Fallon was different. She was so much cooler than she would ever be, seemed somehow far to reach in the way she wanted. And yet, Annaki didn’t want to give up. Fallon was….well, she wasn’t sure she met someone as special ever. So, she could prove she could be badass, or as badass as Fallon needed, despite her need to constantly wear pink, collect stuffed animals, and watch cartoons.

She was elated that Fallon was texting her that day, walking around with a half-eaten cone of pink cotton candy in her hand when her eye caught a sight of the exact person on her mind. Except, that sight included her walking into the Tunnel of Love with someone else. It was probably stupid to make assumptions, but Annaki was never one who was good at denying her emotions. Besides, what was going on between the two of them was never stated to be something serious, was it? So this wasn’t something she could reasonably be upset by. Dumping the last bit of her cotton candy into a nearby trash can as her appetite had left her, the redhead made her way towards the exit of the carnival when suddenly the lights of the tunnel of love went completely dark. Walking to the exit of the ride, she was alarmed to see the doors shut, unable to be moved with pressure. “Hello?” Her voice was initially soft, before concern took more control of her. Her small fist banged thrice on the exit door, as she said louder, “Hello? I’m trying to open this!” But there was no handle or mechanism to pull, and shoving her shoulder a couple times did nothing, only further increasing her panic. “Can anyone hear me?”

[rose-edith]

Masterlist

Updated: 09/08/2022

Previous Masterlist

Tommy Shelby x Crawley!Reader: Crawley to Shelby Series Masterlist

NCIS

Ducky giving you heart eyes

Tobias cuddles

Leroy Jethro Gibbs

Discussing the possibility of kids

Both of you left at the office on Valnetine’s

Leaving him secret love notes

Helping Gibbs through a panic attack

Little things to make him smile

Being in a relationship with him when NOT working at NCIS

Patching him up after a bad case

Finds out you have bad periods due to a condition (blood mention)

Falling asleep in his car on stakeout

Gibbs having to win over your dog

Meeting on a case enemies to lovers

Things the lift sees between you and Gibbs

Gibbs in ‘Daddy mode’ caring for his goddaughter

Things he would do if his lover was in a coma

Serenading him

NSFW- Angry make-up sex

NSFW- Consensual Somnophilia

Helping him through his PTSD

Running away when you’re pregnant

New to team and him comforting you

NSFW- being needy and he ‘deals’ with you

Your camera roll if you were dating Gibbs

Team realising you have a crush on him          PART TWO

His hands...

Him in mother hen mode

NSFW- birthday treat from him

Notices you’re scared of thunderstorms

He’s arranged a surprise party

Gibbs x Writer!Reader Part One    Part Two    Part Three  Part four

The coffeehouse

Comforts you after an attack 

Comforting you after a break up

Making it up to you after an argument

He delivers your baby

He realises he wants to propose

He’s being all protective and snuggly

He finds out you’re a writer

Takes care of you when you have a bad headache

Sitting on his face (short)

Taking care of you while you’re in a coma

NSFW calling him Daddy

Helping him shave

NSFW him on his knees

His chest hair

Oblivious to his flirting

Falling for him drabble

Husband drabble

NSFW collar

NSFW cooking

Leaving after argument

NSFW bite drabble

Proposing to him

Break up angst drabble

LONELINESS 1, PRT2,  PRT 3,  PRT 4,  PRT 5

NSFW sugar daddy drabble

Saving the computer drabble

Team meets gf for first time

NSFW remembering last night

NSFW finds the smut you’ve written

Punches guy drabble

Not bringing him coffee

NSFW face sitting

Waking beside him drabble

Making up drabble

Being a stripper he likes

NSFW thought

Puppy eyes drabble

Reading drabble

NSFW bulge kink

Fluffy confession drabble

Hormonal

NSFW trouser drabble

NSFW guided drabble

NSFW the belt drabble

Angst drabble- reader is dead

NSFW the look

Confessions on medicine

Sees your swimsuit

NSFW camping discoveries

NSFW he takes your virginity

Helps you train for charity run

Naked and hungover

Finds you in his dog tags

Teasing him

NSFW shower

NSFW breaking the bed

NSFW first time as couple

Doing your dress up

NSFW his back

Rebound sex

Daughter hurt, wants him

Supporting your teaching career move

Getting a puppy

You’re claustrophobic

Breaking stuff so he helps

Cute dinner date

You broke your arm

NSFW a little treat

Activity holiday with nephews

NSFW stare part 1,   part two

Breaking his nose

Break up and makeup

Surprise holiday romance

NSFW marine witness

NSFW first time riding

Teaches you to drive

Winning over your kid

His kid dating Ziva

NSFW he’s hurt

Asks you out as you buy wood

BBC FATHER BROWN

INSPECTOR VALENTINE

Going through pregnancy

Cute dates

SUPERNATURAL

Dean

Looks after you when you’re on your period

Crowley

Crowley being your Valentine

Being Winchester sister and finding him hilarious

Dating a sweet, nice human

Slowly falling in love because of your actions

Stealing his coat for attention

He has a special Easter treat for you

Teaching him to Easter egg hunt

Being human and trying to woo him

Putting his coat round you

BBC MUSKETEERS

Being in a poly relationship with Aramis and D’Artagnan

Me as Madam Treville

Being courted by Captain Treville

Being the Mistress of King Louis

Kissing D’Artagnan

Being Queen Anne’s best friend

Kissing Aramis

Treville’s daughter loves red guard