#claire's place foundation

[twicedailyquotes]

You can suffer and be okay. You can suffer and still make something.

Claire Wineland

[kaixcastiel27]

Next month will be Claire wineland’s birthday Should I do a livestream, reaction or a short to celebrate it? I believe as someone else who has cystic fibrosis, should. Because I believe that she was incredibly in what she had done through her life (started a YouTube channel, became a spokesperson, an influencer etc) changing a lot of people’s lives no matter if they have cystic fibrosis or otherwise. Hell she even served as a consultant on five feet apart movie before her passing, How many YouTubers do you know that can say that? So I will be doing something to remind people that their life matters and that their pain is their beauty. Claire wineland was beautiful inside and outside. A lot of people judge me for liking her, even though she is gone from this world. But I stopped caring what they think, I’m aware that Claire wineland passed away but she isn’t “some dead girl” to me, to me she is my hero and guardian angel. I mean elvis and Michael Jackson died right? But people still listen to their stuff right? But yet they like to judge me for watching and talking about Claire wineland? Yep screw that, Claire wineland was a real hero and angel. Don’t judge till you try her amazing videos and see for yourself on how amazing she really was and is. Despite her death her channel is still growing strong and has more subscribers than most people!

Here's some links to her channel and Claire Wineland content on Youtube.

Channel link

this is the last video Claire uploaded before her passing.

now for some pics

[mortal-song]

the problem with tua's ending is that it was IMPOSSIBLE to do without retconning and defacing the themes and characterizations that have been central to the story since the very first episode. if you had to end it that way, if it really was "the plan all along," then fine. there ARE good ways to do that -- so the execution should have been much different here if that was the case. take a look at "the good place," for example. everyone ceased to exist at the end of that story as well, but it was beautifully done because it ADDED to the show's core themes rather than take away from them. tua's ending was hollow and unavailing. at some point i have to commend the precision with which someone can desecrate an entire series and certain characters (looking at five, diego and lila especially) like this.

it made no sense. diego and lila formed a beautiful (albeit chaotic) relationship built upon mutual trust and authentic love that neither of them had ever experienced before. it was something they were teaching each other and learning together. that was a new beginning to them, and it was painted as such by the narrative. at no point were there hints that things would go sideways, no build up. every time they stumbled in the past it was still right back into each other's arms. at no point did their chaos look like an ending until it was shoved in our faces for... shock value? to shake things up? i fail to understand where it came from. they were relentlessly devoted to each other and the only two people who could stand each other for long. and so what became of them was very jarring. very messy.

five's ENTIRE character has been focused on and motivated by one thing: saving the people he loves. to the point that he was willing to let his own humanity become a forgone ideal, a renounced concept, as many times as it took. to the point that he essentially INVENTED TIME TRAVEL and INVENTED THE COMMISSION TO REGULATE IT. five's stoic exterior only barely concealed the claw-grip he had on every single family member, so why forget it now? why choose to go back on that? and in what world would five hargreeves willingly wait MONTHS to return to his family? because he was SUDDENLY in love with lila, no less? forgetting the very apparent fact that his age and body are not in alignment, five had never shown any interest in romance. especially not towards lila. but they do have very similar backgrounds, and so this was a chance to enrich the mutual understanding five and lila have with each other, expand the familial connections they have, especially seeing as how both of them -- in their own ways -- spent most of their life without that sort of connection.

ben's entire arc felt so, so out of place. completely and very ironically isolated from the entire rest of the series. nothing about it was fulfilling, nothing about it offered any sense of closure or even development. jennifer made no sense even as a plot device, much less as her own character. these two brought out nothing in each other.

klaus had the foundations of a good arc, but too much was introduced in too small an amount of time and none of it really went anywhere. i can say roughly the same for allison and viktor. THAT being said, of most of the scenes i did find myself genuinely enjoying this season, THOSE three were usually at the center! in fact, i really did love the scenes with klaus, allison, and claire. so that's cool. i guess. luther? he was just kind of... there?

and ray just fucked off with no explanation? okay. and reginald? until this point he had all the qualities of a potentially VERY GOOD and nuanced villain. his arc fell flat. and let's not forget all the other loose ends, but, you know, we've been here long enough. so. onto the next point.

none of these characters got to heal. none of them ever got to revel in anything meaningful, or, rather, the things that WERE meaningful across the whole series were rendered worthless because... none of it exists anymore! none of it ever existed! this is like an "it was all a dream" ending but much worse. and these characters are so, so incredible. i can only name a few other stories that have had characters i've connected to this deeply. and despite everything i could never really stop loving them. that makes it hurt more though tbh

anyways. i know i'm about to sound incredibly dramatic but the ending made me sob my lungs out. this show was really important to me. it led me to incredible people, other incredible stories, helped me live, etc. but i honestly found myself wishing i'd just never watched this series at all. the ending was eviscerating and Just Fucking Pointless. i don't think i'm ever going to be able to rewatch it. it's still hard for me to conceptualize that it was even real, that this is all we get. there's a lot more i could say about everything, but again, i've said a lot already and i'm not trying to write a fucking novel. i'll say more of what i want to in sporadic bursts i guess.

[ana-bananya]

Hi! My last donation post reached the 100 link limit so this is my new one. I'm going to work on getting individual lists for each cause and linking them here, so it's a bit more organized than the last one.

I have added a few new links, but for the time being, I am focusing on the campaigns I have listed. While I do not have the capacity to take on anymore campaigns, I will still reblog ones I see others post about to help share them.

I will do my best to keep the links updated with their progress.

DISCLAIMER: I do not vet fundraisers. I do not know enough of the vetting process to do so properly. The few posts I've made where I've spoken with people were just me trying to help show proof they are credible and help them share information. I did this for Wafaa and her family, but I am refraining from doing it for others as it's led to some people thinking I'm a vetter when I'm not and I'm uncomfortable with that. My intention in sharing that post was to help others be able to draw their own conclusions about whether or not to trust the fundraiser. The only other accounts you will see me share information about are ones sent to me by Wafaa or her brother Mohyi because they can vouch for those people.

As for the fundraisers linked on this post, they are all either vetted by others or credible enough to be shared. Majority of the links will take you to the original posts I made when I first shared the fundraiser, where I share how they are vetted or where I got it from. The links for organizations will take you directly to their website or socials.

Palestine

Sudan

Congo

Tigray

Links to more causes:

Hurricane Beryl Relief resources

Arab.org - Daily clicks

World Food Programme trivia game - play to generate donations

‼️ indicates that a fundraiser has experienced a decrease in donations or has been without donations for some time

Stand with Jordan: Transgender Refugee's Battle ($135/$700 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help the LGBTQ Refugees of the Kakuma Camp ($194/$1,000) ‼️

The Levin House Child Foundation (gfm: £5,429/£35,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Uyghurs

Support an Uyghur orphan's education (79.10% raised) ‼️

Uyghur Human Rights Project

Static & Noise - Film and Advocacy

Haiti

P4H Global Education Development

P4H Canal Support

Hope for Haiti

Action Against Hunger

List of resources for Haiti made by @/hobiebrownies on twitter (places to donate, accounts to follow, news sources, and educational links)

Thread of gfms for Haiti

Progression Society Art School Fund - A New Start ($3,312 CAD/$5,500 CAD) ‼️

Rohingya Refugees

Donate to help provide education to K-12 students living in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. ($5,725/$15,000) ‼️

Stand with Rohingya Families Escaping Genocide in Aceh: The Rohingya Women's Network ($6,130 AUD/$10,000 AUD) ‼️

Qurbani Emergency Aid for Rohingya Refugees ($11,470/$12,000)

Advocating for Peace and Building Hope: RCP Appeal (£12,030/£50,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Nigeria

Donate to the Humanitarian crisis in northwest Nigeria ($2,505 CAD/$15,000 CAD - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Medical and sanitary supplies to support women & children in Congo, Nigeria, and Sudan ($420 CAD/$3,000 CAD - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Claire Aid Foundation

Action Against Hunger

[outmakingmoonshine]

I wrote this reply a few weeks ago about the 773 tattoo on Carmy's arm that really looks like 223. You'll have to read that first because I'm not gonna explain it all again here and you'll need context to understand this post.

SPOILERS below if you haven't watched to the end of S3 yet

Right before this in Marcus's mum's funeral scene he's talking about having someone who really listen to you and pays attention to you and the camera does a not so subtle zoom in on SydCarmy's faces. Then the next scene is this one where Syd says she made the margins wider on the menus because Carmy always writes in them. We already know Carmy pays close attention to Syd and he does really listen to her even though it's like he gets amnesia right after and does the opposite of what she wanted, he does really try to listen and understand her in his own way. This an example of Syd really paying attention to Carmy immediately after being told how significant it is and how good it makes you feel. Carmy looked shocked that she paid attention to him and went out of her way to do something thoughtful for him and said "That's really nice. Thank you." Then Carmy goes on to do a checklist of the things they both need which also showed he knows her too.

Keeping the number meta above in mind, I'm not sure who first mentioned this (pls link the post if anyone knows so I can credit them) but sydcarmy both represent the number 2. In the post above I spoke about when the two 2's (sydcarmy) face each other and finally turn to take notice of each other. I'm pretty certain this scene was a small glipse of what their future together would be like if sydcarmy did face each other without anything or anyone coming between them. They become a cohesive unit, working together as one just like they were in this scene. Sydcarmy are mirrors of each other in many ways, just like the twos are mirroring each other on the clock behind them. I know one is technically a 5 but visually it's a 2 backwards and how else would they symbolize two 2's facing each other on a digital clock? Imo these numbers in this scene represent this moment being a good thing and a glimpse of what they could be, plus the whole scene gave me strong married couple vibes.

In numerology 9 represents completion/the end. The next number, 10, begins the cycle from 1 again or you could say it evolves, moves forward and keeps growing. 9 has other asociations but the core foundational meaning of it is completion. It's telling us in the end they will face each other and balance each other out, mirror each other. "Mirroring is an act of love." If that number sequence in the background of this specific scene isn't positive SydCarmy foreshadowing idk what is. This scene, the context, subtext and symbolism in it alone lets me know the sydcarmy love story and endgame is still very much on track. We're just taking a detour for now, like 99% of will-they-wont-they ships do right before the end of the story.

This shot showed directly after a Carmy/Claire opening scene in 3x05 and Carmy was laying in bed staring at it in some of the darkest blue lighting I think we've seen in the show.

I think this may even be a few shades darker than the sex scene with Claire. Imo it's because Carmy's in his darkest place now, he knows how he feels and who he wants but he can't have it. Carmy metaphorically turned to face Syd in the panic attack scene then fully turned, paid attention and listened to her in the table scene. Now he's somewhat aware of his feelings for her, tbh I think he does know but he's avoiding it because he's in a really dificult situation with Claire and he already let Syd down again after promising to be there for her. He doesn't love Claire romantically but he doesn't wanna hurt her either He's just stuck which is what I think this season was about, Carmy's still mentally and emotionally stuck in the freezer. Carmy said saying sorry to Claire was too hard and I think that's because he knows he has to tell her he doesn't feel the same way and it's gonna hurt her. We keep seeing cute flashbacks with Claire but I don't think it's because he misses her, I think it's because he feels really guilty that he lead her on so much because that's what the scenes were showing. He was acting all loved up with her and it's interesting that we the audience/Carmy never saw that last season and we're only seeing now it in hindsight. Remember the show is telling us the story through Carmy's eyes.

I said in the post above I initially thought the number 3 represented Claire and/or Marcus, but in 2x08 Carmy (2) asked Richie (3) to be the "go-between" and give Syd (2) an I love you note, literally putting the three in the middle of the two 2's so it made sense it probably represented him at the time.

And maybe it does, idk, he's been getting between them since S1 in one way or another, directly or indirectly. But it more likely represents anyone that comes between them. The third wheel so to speak.

Notice how the 2's aren't facing each other here in 2x08 because this was before Carmy faced what Syd means to him in 2x09.

And you may be wondering if the mirroring numbers represent how sydcarmy end up why isn't Carmy's tattoo 753? Well 753 isn't the chicago area code so it would raise questions why Carmy had a random tattoo of 753 so I think it was a choice to keep the symbolism but keep it subtle.

I didn't expect s3 to feel this bad (I should've tbh, this show always makes you feel the most) but I didn't expect it to go well for sydcarmy. That's why I posted this post the day before the episodes aired reminding everyone what the show told us to expect. They did warn us this wasn't gonna be a mushy gooey love story. It's not gonna be cute and sweet, it's gonna be ballbreaker and that's what Carmy's doing to Syd. He's doing to her what the NY Chef did to him. He's already making her sick, making her have panic attacks and he knows he's a "bad boss". He glanced her way when they were talking about it at the table in 3x10. When I saw Carmy confront NY Chef, for a moment I thought they were gonna have Carmy say the same to Syd one day in the future (this is how bad the whole situation felt while watching the show, it was truly horrible to watch) but I really don't think so. Carmy doesn't want to be anything like that arrogant guy so I can only imagine he'd be the complete opposite with Syd (someone he genuinely cares about) when he finally pulls his head out of his ass, metaphorically gets out of the freezer and faces the situation he's in like Cicero told him you have to run straight into it, you can't avoid it.

Even though this season was very hard to watch I think the same amount of subtext, symbolism and metaphors that pointed to sydcarmy in the last seasons is still all there. It's just more difficult to see, especially after 1 watch because there were barely any scenes that seem good for them on a surface level, they all went to Carmy/Claire. But underneath the surface a lot of the scenes imply good things are still to come for sydcarmy imo.

[dreamcast641]

SCP OC: Claire Ekaterina Makarova

I decided to make an actual detailed post about Claire, finally. I created her in august 2018 and I got a lot of time to develop here and I'm really, really satisfied of how she turned out to be.

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

GENERAL INFORMATIONS:

Full Name: Claire Ekaterina Makarova

Aliases/nicknames: Stoat (callsign), shortie, shortstack

Age: 26-30 years old

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Sexual orientation: Demiromantic/demisexual and pansexual

Date of birth:November 2nd

Place of birth: Unknown but it's somewhere in the USA

Current residence: site 5c

Nationality: American with slavic origins

Spoken Languages: American English (main), Russian ( ONLY with her dad) and American sign language (ASL)

Affiliations/organizations: SCP foundation

Occupation: Mobile Task force Beta-7 ''Maz hatters'' operator, virologist/biologist when not on field, ISD (internal security department) agent.

Rank: unknown

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

APPEARANCE

BUILD: A bit chubby

— Claire is a buxom woman who has curves all over her body, wide hips and a slight bit of fat in her tummy.

— She particularly cares about her image, especially when it comes to taking care of her body.She trains regularly in the small gym made available by the site 5c, focusing on arms and legs, parts of the body that are fundamental to her for work. It takes muscle to hold a rifle that weighs almost half her weight on her so as not to wobble on the recoil.

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SCARS: All over her body

— Claire has many, if not too many, wounds all over her body. From cuts to bruises to burns and even gunshot wounds.

— Her little patient behavior and her indifference has led her over the years to participate in many fights, whether they are initiated by her or are part of her job, when it comes to fighting she has always been in the front row. Not caring about the size and danger of whoever is in front of her. This has led Claire to have countless wounds on her body, many of them being stab wounds, a gunshot on her right shoulder, a large burn on her left shoulder and as many bruises..

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VOICE: silvery/soft spoken

— slow spoken and not too high voice but at times decisive when needed.

— It's almost as if her voice doesn't match her body. With her character like hers, those around her expect an annoying redundant high-pitched voice to split the eardrums. Hers is an almost calm voice, not too high and maternal.

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EYES: Grey/blue

— blue eyes so undersaturated they look gray.

— she inherited light eyes from both parents, but the mother's gene seemed to dominate between the two. Both have blue eyes but Claire's are less saturated, almost gray as opposed to her mother's, blue as ice

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FASHION: casual

— casual, doesn't really care for fashion.

— When she's not working, claire usually wears the first thing she finds in her closet, preferring loose-fitting clothes that don't show too much of her body shapes.

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More about her aspect:

-Claire has mixed vitiligo all over her body. It started when she was just 5 to 6 years old and it spreaded everywhere;

-Her vitiligo not only affected her skin but also her hair, eyelashes and eyebrow;

-She is only 5'1 ft or 154 cm in height.

FAVORITES

-Color: Black

-Food: Raw Salmon

-Drink: Chamomille with honey

-Song: Ecoute Cherie (vendredi sur Mer)

-Flower: Nightsky petunia

-Hairstyle: messy bun

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

PHOBIAS

-Autophobia: also called monophobia, isolophobia, or eremophobia, is the specific phobia or a morbid fear or dread of oneself or of being alone, isolated, abandoned, and ignored;

-athazagoraphobia: When a person has this condition, there is an extreme fear of being forgotten, or of not remembering someone or something. It may also include a fear of being ignored or replaced;

-Atychiphobia:is an intense fear of failure

-Arachnophobia: fear of spiders

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

PERSONALITY:

-Moral alignment: Chaotic Neutral

-Myers-Briggs: ENTJ-T

POSITIVE TRAITS

- Serious and efficient but also considerate in the role she covers inside the foundation walls: She makes everyone feel included in her squad no matter what. She is always willing to help them, no one is left behind.

-Observant...a bit too much. If there is something that her training with the ISD thought her is to be aware constantly of her sorroundings. No details is going unnoticed in her presence.

-Gentle and caring with close ones. She pours her heart with who she loves.

-Practical smart. Let's say that she is good at improvise when needed.

-Respected without using fear

NEGATIVE TRAITS

-Claire's past and experiences have led her to be inconsiderate of herself, and those closest to her tend to see it for how expressive she is, without needing her to be alone to show how she really feels. she is a woman with a thousand complexes, her self-esteem has been destroyed and under her feet. She can't be really sure about anything she does especially if it affects those around her too. She refuses any leadership position, unwilling to take responsibility for any deaths that may occur under her leadership.

-So low is her self-esteem that she can't even see the value of her life, risking it every day to protect others at the expense of her own. She has seen death right in her eyes so many times that she no longer fears it. She is not afraid to die but at the same time the idea of being forgotten and replaced, as she has already seen happen to her other deceased colleagues, puts a shiver down her spine.

-Claire gets heated pretty easily, leading her to not think straight when she is outraged.

-She tends to distance people from herself due to her trust issues. It really takes time for her to open up to someone.

-Absolute stubborn. Claire does not listen when she is convinced of something.

TRIVIA:

-She absolutely love when her friends makes hand-made stuff for her. She keep them like it's the most precious thing in the world;

-It happens that Claire goes for some days to negaseattle to visit her adopted brother Ira and helping him with the clone kids (check more on Raddagher's author page on the wiki);

-She has a yellow ringneck parrot named banana. He is her emotional support animal;

-BPD (bordeline personality disorder) that she is getting treated for and is under enough control for her to be operative;

-She loves reading almost everything especially if it's related to her job;

-One hell of a cook. She is very, very good in the kitchen;

-She smells like peaches and chocolate;

-Aggressive and very skilled in combat. Knife is her specialization;

-Uses stealth, skills and the enviroment over the strenght;

-Good swimmer, loves using water to her advantage in fights by drowning or exhausting people;

-Survivor's guilt.

SUMMARY OF HER STORY (STILL NOT SO DONE)

It is not known for certain where Claire and her twin brother Dmitry were born, it is only known that they came to light somewhere hidden in the United States of America.

Raised in the hostile environment of the foundation but with the loving care of their mother Mandy Ross, a former nurse in the US Navy. Their father? Locked in the same site where they were born, metal walls separating this potentially dangerous man due to the toxic, potentially lethal nature of his body.

In the early years of their lives, the twins immediately reveal themselves as curious troublemakers, always looking for other children like them to socialize with and will end up bonding closely with one of them in particular: Ira Watts, whom they will consider for life as a brother.

Mandy, for reasons still unknown to them, decides to leave them and the foundation to join the GOC. it was this event that unleashed in her an immense fear of abandonment. Left to their own devices, Claire was the one she had to mature early to take care of her two brothers.

At just 14, the three were separated by the foundation to be introduced to their respective careers.

While Dmitry continued his medical and psychiatric studies, Claire had to stay on that site with Ira to begin her training to join one of the mobile task forces.

''Mobile Task Forces (MTFs) are elite units comprised of personnel drawn from across the Foundation and are mobilized to deal with specific threats or situations that sometimes exceed the operational capacity or expertise of regular field personnel and — as their name suggests — may be relocated between facilities or locations as they are needed. Mobile Task Force personnel represent the "best of the best" of the Foundation.''

And with this clarification, let's say that the training Claire had to undergo was hard and exhausting. She pushed to her limits so many times by her serious and rigid mentor that she was assigned to reach high, real high expectations.

To be ''the best of the best'' she had to shed all of her blood and her will. She failed many times but thanks to this she also managed to learn from her mistakes and correct herself, perhaps becoming probably one of the best students on the site...if not for her rebelious behavior.

Training wasn't Claire's only focus in those years: she was studying biology and virology because of the task force she decided to join, the beta-7. Her knowledge will prove to be fundamental in the future.

Her training and studies ended as soon as they began. At just 22, claire was already serving as a member of mobile task force beta-7 at a different site.

During her years at the site, now with her brother Dmitry, the two were approached by a man from the Internal Security Department (ISD) who was determined to recruit them as they were loyal members of the foundation. The two naively accepted and it was that meeting and that assignment that led them to site 5c where they still reside nowdays.

SITE 5C STORY LINE

(coming soon)

[always-outlander]

Outlander 7x02 Thoughts & Easter Eggs

Spoilers below the cut for “The Happiest Place on Earth”

Wow, what an episode! There’s so much to unpack here but I will start by saying that I deeply enjoyed this one. A lot of direct from the book dialogue, some plot that was reworked and-in my opinion-for the better. Brilliant acting by many but especially Sam and Cait. It had a lot squeezed into it but let’s get into it.

Alan Christie

To start, we finally had the resolution for Malva and learned that Alan not only assaulted and abused her for her entire life, but was also the one who killed her. This was such a sensitive storyline and to have those flash backs with Malva made me emotional. Jessica Reynolds is a wonderful actress and her Malva was perfect. This scene was the first one I could feel the pain point of having to end season 6 prematurely. The gap between Malva’s death, followed by the hiatus, to now reach the culmination here almost made the impact of Malva’s death take a back seat to the beginning of these new storylines. You can feel that 7x01 and 02 were meant to be a part of that ending, but what can you do 🤷🏻‍♀️ that’s me being nit picky.

But back to Alan. This was almost exactly what happened in the books and I was happy that Young Ian made such a brief appearance. That spacing between episodes likely made people forget that he had a little romance happening with Malva, but his honor once again rang true with his actions here.

Major continuity error with Claire’s wig though– only when she is burying Alan does her hair grow 3 inches, then magically is cut again for the remainder of the episode.

Mrs Bug

Book readers know the upcoming storyline with Mrs. Bug, and we set the foundations this episode when Wendigo and his men come to the Big House in search of gem stones. There they uncover Arch Bug’s hidden gold (which is very significant later on). I loved seeing this preview of what is to come.

Mandy’s Birth

Amanda Fraser is born and we get a very quick moment of happiness for this little family, when the hammer drops that she has a serious heart condition that Claire cannot fix. This is the impetuous behind the MacKenzie’s and the Frasers separating for what I assume will be majority of the season. The scene with them all at the stone circle was very touching and I felt like Cait and Sam’s acting shined brightly here. The best part for me was the quote from Jamie taken directly from the books where he tells Claire

“For your sake, I will continue–though for mine alone…I would not.”

I also deeply enjoyed the Disney tie ins from the book, the humorous moment where Jamie tries to understand how a giant rodent is meant to be fun for children, and his wishes to Jemmy to give a mouse named Michael his regards. All direct from the books, and delivered perfectly.

Bree meets William

The moment we’ve (I’ve) been waiting for, WILLIAM has graced our screens. Though it was short, I squealed when I saw him and Lord John together, especially him in his red coat. You can certainly see the resemblance and while we have yet to see his acting chops on full display, Charles appears to be a perfect casting. He has the cocky confidence of a young Jamie Fraser down pat, I’m curious to see what other nuisances he brings to the role.

Lord John and Jamie

This scene was touching and so well done, Sam and David have always had such great scenes together and really made this relationship between these two men such a beautifully complicated thing. John has long been trying to convince Jamie to do the right thing and fight for the British, but you can see his true intentions here more than ever. If Jamie fights for the British, he can protect him. When Jamie chooses to fight opposite John and William, he knows he cannot.

In a last act of love and friendship, John returns the gem to Jamie from his escape at Ardsmiur. Something we know meant so much to John. His love for Jamie will always win out in the end, and I loved that the scene had room to breathe at the end. John crying alone in his room, and Jamie’s pause outside the door and his watery eyes was perfectly done.

Claire’s Breakdown

In the last scene of episode 1, Claire and Jamie have a discussion about Tom Christie and his confession. In the show, they chose to end that scene with Claire going to sleep while Jamie takes revenge on Richard Brown (and what a badass scene that was). In the books, the moment ends with Claire and Jamie trying to be intimate again, and Claire having a breakdown.

The show has now taken that scene and moved it into episode 2, which actually felt a lot better to me having watched it this way. I was sad that this moment was removed from episode 1 but beyond happy to see it here because it was another wonderful showcase of Sam and Cait’s acting and Claire and Jamie’s love. In the books, Claire cries because she is sad for Tom, for Malva, for Frank. Jamie tells Claire to weep for them because you “canna keep a ghost at bay. He tells her to let them in and grieve for them so she can heal.

In the show, Claire cries for the loss of her family –Fergus and Marsali, the MacKenzies, and Jamie mentions Faith, Murtagh, his mother and brother. They have both lost so many, and he encourages her to cry for them. To me this was so much more poignant and relevant to the events of the episode. I really loved this change.

The Throwing of the Gem

Another iconic scene the we finally got to see brought to life was when Jamie gives Claire the gem stone and tells her that she can go with Bree, or go back if he should die. The acting in this was so perfect and in the books, Claire throws the stone far into the woods to prove to Jamie once again that she is never leaving him. I enjoyed his little jab that she should probably go and recover it.

Wendigo Donner

The return of Wendigo Donner finally closed the loop on the big house fire, and I’m so excited to see how the beginning of episode 3 starts. The highlight of this scene for me was the callback to season 3, when Claire is pretending to be abducted so that Jamie can get what he needs from Lord John Grey. In this scene (and in the books) Jamie is lying to Donner about not having gemstones in the house, but then changes his tune once Claire’s life is in danger. He leans into the ‘disgruntled husband upset with his wife’ tune and tells Donner that Claire hid all the stones while he was away, so she is the only one who knows there location (thus making it impossible to kill her). The humor in Claire’s eyes made me laugh in an otherwise tense scene.

We get much of the same dialogue and story beats as the books here but the one subtle change happens when Jamie finds out that the man in their house is in fact Donner and not some random group of men looking for money. As soon as he hears his name, he lunges for Donner to seek revenge on what he had done to Claire.

In the books, Claire slips out of Donners arms and lunges after him, with Jamie holding her back at the waist. They try to plot an escape but one thing leads to another and Jamie actually kills Donner with a knife before the ether explodes. In the books, it is because Young Ian lit a match to help illuminate the dark room everyone was sitting in. Big change, subtle change, but one I’m interested in seeing them explain next episode.

All in all I loved this one, I’m enjoying the changes made and the pacing of this felt better than the first episode. Would love to hear your thoughts!

[awlimagines]

The Chime Hours of Forgotten Valley

Surrounded by nature, Forgotten Valley enjoyed peaceful tranquility without interference from the Caldwell Foundation or the Fae and their wars. However, the valley's residents have faced hardship as the lands produced less and the wilderness grew unchecked in the past ten years. After an incident in the mountains, the town’s mayor called for help from the Caldwell Foundation, while local fae reached out to their leader for assistance. Choose to play as newly appointed hunter Pony Hopkins or Claire Lyndall, a chime child loved by the fae as you care for crops and livestock and explore the mysteries of Forgotten Valley and its residents.

MAIN CHARACTER PATHS

Pony Hopkins decides to follow as a talented Hunter in her father’s footsteps. As a fresh graduate of the Caldwell Foundation, Pony is charged with an uncover assignment to blend into the community and search for fae poisoning the land and endangering the lives of citizens. Pony never expects her path to lead to her father’s hometown. She finds a place to call home with an old friend of her father. Pony juggles trying to restore the farm and completing her mission. 

Claire Lyndall left her hometown in search of freedom and a fresh start. She didn’t realize how much money such a thing cost. Luckily, the decline of the land over the years opened some farmland in Forgotten Valley. The Mayor was willing to give her the land for the meager change in her pocket, thrilled to have a new townsmember. Claire is barely settled when Harvest Sprites approach her for help reviving the land’s Harvest Goddess and restoring the safety of the local fae.

ROUTES

Once an excellent Hunter at the top of his game, Matthew was poisoned by a catoblepas in his prime. His breathing has been sorely affected, regulating the man into a supervisory role. Matthew’s harsh exterior hides the worry and care for his subordinates and citizens. He becomes conflicted in the Apprentice Path over sending you to increasingly dangerous situations without feeling he can adequately protect you. While in the Chime Child Path, Matthew faces a conflict of faith in realizing everything he was led to believe is not as it seems.

The senior hunter assigned to the area, Gordy Scherer, works directly beneath the area’s supervisor. Due to his silent nature, Gordy’s accomplishments have mostly flown under the radar. No one is sure how he accomplishes his work, but no area he has been stationed has any fae remaining when he leaves. As he opens up, one discovers his passion for art. You learn his secret to complete his missions in the Apprentice Path. While in the Chime Child Path, Gordy can be persuaded to work against the Caldwell Foundation.

While Daryl Bowditch works for the Caldwell Foundation, he only does so for the funding to pursue his studies of the fae. The scientist is vocal about his displeasure with the state of fae delivered to his lab. His independent attempts to capture live specimens have all failed. The Apprentice Path focuses on Daryl persuading you to capture live fae for study rather than extermination. In contrast, the Chime Child Path follows Daryl’s experiments, interest in your abilities, and encouragement to introduce him to new subjects.

Gray Corwin completed the primary classes offered at the Caldwell Academy before apprenticing as a blacksmith with his grandfather. Due to the increased number of hunters in Forgotten Valley, the forge has accepted a temporary partnership with the Cadlwell Foundation to provide them with new tools and weapons in addition to maintenance. While Gray is grateful for the increase in work, he wishes to pursue making his projects rather than the same things every day. In the Apprentice Path, you encourage Gray to explore his interests and help test his accessories and tools. Meanwhile, in the Chime Child Path, Gray is eager to learn how the fae makes accessories and how they can be adapted for human use.

Rick de Lancre is a new graduate of the Caldwell Foundation, where he was at the top of the class each year. He won’t let you or anyone else forget his position. His time in Forgotten Valley is a stepping stone before moving to greater things. As you work together in the field, you see his mask slip as he questions his capabilities and the pressures on him to be the best. In the Apprentice Path, Rick bonds with you over the burdens of being raised in a hunter family. The Chime Child Path finds Rick struggling between his duty and heart in accepting someone he has been taught to hate.

Living on your own without your parent’s guidance and help is tougher than you thought. Thankfully, the talented musician Gustafa Anderson is willing to help you. The older man is experienced in living independently and being the new person in a town. Though not a fae, as a chime child, Gustafa is intrinsically linked to them and enjoys their company. In the Chime Child Path, Gustafa is on your side from day one when he finds you conversing with the sprites. He helps you learn to use your abilities without revealing yourself and introduces you to the local fae. Conversely, in the Apprentice Path, once Gustafa trusts you, he shares about Chime Children, humans who are friends with the fae and share ties with them, gently encouraging you to expand your beliefs of right and wrong.

Rock Lei, son of the Lei-Over Inn’s keepers, is an open book. He is often found shooting his shot with anyone willing to give him the time of day. Rock claims you’re the real prize he’d like to win, and everyone else is a Plan B. As you grow closer, you learn that while he’s willing to share and be honest about his past. The fae replaced Tei and Lou’s child with Rock at the age of four. He views the couple as his parents, and they never treat him as less, so Rock doesn’t believe in acknowledging the specifics. Rock overcomes his dislike of the fae enough to help revive the Harvest Queen in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, he assists you in protecting his parents from accusations of being fae.

Doctor is cold and clinical in his dealings with everyone in town. His strict professionalism leaves you questioning if his nurse even knows his name. It isn’t until you grow closer that you realize Doctor Trent Petrarch cares very deeply for the safety and health of the town’s residents. While he is immensely talented and trained as a doctor, Trent has the assistance of his abilities as a unicorn to heal terminal illnesses or injuries for more complex cases. Trent helps you purify the spring to revive the Harvest Goddess in the Chime Child Path, while in the Apprentice Path, he finds himself in danger with the Caldwell Foundation.

Throughout the Spring, you wondered what the abandoned shack at the beach could be. The mystery is solved when Kai Gessner suddenly appears in the Summer, serving food from the building. His dashing smile and confidence cause your heart to skip a beat, but then he has that effect on all his targets. You arrive late one evening to deliver fresh produce, catching Kai swimming in the ocean. Nothing would be odd about that except for the glittering scaled tail replacing his legs. Kai encounters trouble being lured and caught by hunters who wish to display him in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, Kai is framed as having sunk ships trying to reach Forgotten Valley.

You’re shocked to recognize a familiar face in town. Cliff Fee was a friend you never thought to see again. The two of you played together daily until he disappeared from town around the age of twelve. Your friendship can pick up where it left off with you confiding your troubles to him. He initially offers you his support unconditionally but begins to pull back, becoming withdrawn. You soon learn Cliff is the heir to the Fae Throne when he confesses the secret after feeling terrible keeping it from you. Cliff has to choose between assuming responsibility for the local fae or fleeing town once more to protect himself in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, Cliff faces conflicts over his love for you and the dangers being close to you poses him.

SECRET ROUTES

Your Enemy, Your Friend (Pony/Claire Route)

You find that you keep bumping into the town’s other newcomer constantly. Considering how close your accommodations are, it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it’s happening everywhere, including outside of town. You begin growing closer, discovering that you share similar histories and recent losses. Then, your companionship is shattered as you learn they’re everything you’re fighting against. Can you find common ground with them, or will your duty win out?

A Grim Affair

The work is more challenging than expected, and everyone wants something from you. You find refuge in the church and the kindly priest who tends to it. As you spend more time at the church, Pastor Carter asks you to assist in helping residents. A mishap leads you to discover the pastor keeps a sinister secret.

NOTES

I'm sorry it's so much, but I was consumed by the thought once I made it. I imagine (with my zero experience in making games) it would play mainly like a regular HM/SoS, with the heart events being replaced by plot-relevant interactions/encounters based on whether you play Pony or Claire. I have ideas for bad/good endings for each route, and some details about how a couple different routes would work. If anyone is interested in the idea, I might create a poll and start work on writing out interactions/encounters and the endings.

[the1975attheirverybest]

A Strange Encounter

A/N: requested Matty X writer OC is finally here. Sorry about the delay. Idk if this is a longer fic soft launch or not. Just a thing I wrote

Warnings: none

———-

Matty swore he could feel the sweat running down his back. He glanced around the room, his anxiety rising as he failed to spot any of the faces that he’d expected to see here tonight. He’d spent the better part of the year wearing ties onstage, but, for some reason, in this moment, his tie felt suffocating. He loosened it slightly but quickly fixed it back up, feeling like a fish out of water at this charity event.

Scanning the room for a quiet place to take refuge in, he spotted the open bar and rushed towards it.

“Thank fuck,” he mumbled to himself rushing in the direction of the free alcohol. As he approached the bar, he became aware of a solitary person, a woman, sitting atop one of the barstools, her back towards him, drinking alone. She turned around as she felt him get closer, giving him a polite nod.

He nodded in return, flashing her a quick smile.

“What can I get you, sir?” the bartender offered.

Matty almost ordered a glass of wine, but, on a whim, he turned towards the woman instead, “what’re you having?” he gestured towards her glass.

“A Cherry lime tequila.”

“is it any good?”

She nodded.

Matty turned back to the bartender. “I’ll have what she’s having, please.” He sat at the other end of the bar, losing his battle against the tie.

Moments later, the bartender returned with Matty’s drink in hand. The woman watched, out of the corner of her eye, as Matty whispered a polite ‘thank you,’ and took a sip of his drink. She noticed his face scrunching as the drink pour down his throat.

“How is it?” She asked, pressing her lips together to hide her amused smile.

“G- uhh- good.” Matty lied. “I’m Matty, by the way.” He moved one bar stool closer.

“Claire.”

He smiled softly, thinking of the next thing to say.

“So…Claire, what’s your vibe?”

“My- vibe?”

Matty swore he could see her skin physically crawl. He giggled, embarrassed. “That- is the dumbest thing that I’ve ever said in my entire life.”

Something about the way that he could instantly poke fun at himself without looking self-conscious softened her towards him.

“Let me try this again. Like an adult: you hear for the writers’ charity thing?”

“I am.”

“Me too!” His tone was a bit more enthusiastic than he’d hoped. “I’m a songwriter.” He offered up, calmer now, adjusting his demeanor. “Never been to one of these things before. To be honest, I kind of hate them. Fuckin rich people trying to make themselves feel better about the dystopian world that they’re partly to blame for by hosting fuckin fundraisers and chairing charitable foundations.”

Claire took a sip of her half empty glass, nodding as Matty spoke.

“So, what about you. You a writer too?”

She smiled, “yeah, I am. Fiction, though.”

She could see a light flash across his face. He leaned in closer, “that’s fuckin cool. Anything I might have read?”

“No.”

Matty frowned at her immediate, emphatic answer. “Why- not? Are you not any good?”

“Oh, I am. I just…” she adjusted her feet underneath her, sitting up straight.

“Just what?”

“Just don’t think it’s the kind of fiction that you would read.”

Matty’s lips parted, ready for a retort, but none came. After a moment of silence, he finally thought of something. “You’ve only just met me. You don’t know what kind of fiction I read.” His tone has an edge to it, but he remained composed.

“Oh, but I do- guys like you- the hair gel, the

loose tie, the general aversion to formal settings…you probably read Jack Kerouac and Kurt Vonnegut, and, like, David Foster Wallace.”

“Ha! Jokes on you. I’ve never read Vonnegut.”

His response caught her off guard, making her laugh.

“But, yeah I’ve read On The Road….and yeah I like David Foster Wallace.”

She had a triumphant look on her face. “Pale

King?”

“No, Infinite Jest, actually.” Matty watched her expression shift again. His turn to feel triumphant.

“You’ve read all of Infinite Jest?” She whispered, as if the revelation were some kind of secret.

“Twice.”

She studied him closely, pleased with the unexpected turn of their conversation.

“And…” Matty took a sip of his drink. “For your information, I also like Joan Didion, and Virginia Woolf, and Flannery O’Connor.”

She giggled, taking Matty aback by the effect that the sound of her laughter had on him. He looked away from his drink instantly, eyes focused on her.

“So you’re saying you’re not a complete cliche?”

He nodded. “Well, what about you, then? What kind of fiction do you like?”

Her lips curved into a smile as she heard his question, she leaned in to meet him halfway, but before she could speak, a well-dressed member of the venue staff approached her and whispered into her ear, pointing to the watch on his wrist.

She nodded, turning back to Matty with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, if you’ll excuse me, I- I’m afraid I have to go. It was a pleasure meeting you, Matty.”

For the second time tonight, Matty found himself speechless. He wanted to say something, anything at all, but when his lips parted, no sound came out. Instead, he watched her walk away, getting smaller and smaller the further she got away from him.

***

The rest of the night droned on as Matty attempted to make polite conversation with screenwriters, journalists, and authors of various kinds around his table. He couldn’t help pulling out his phone to check the time, every time there was a lull in conversation.

In front of him, the event organizer stepped onstage announcing that the last speaker of the night was up next. It would be the host of the fundraiser and chair of the organization, Claire Jones.

Matty’s head whipped around, looking up from his phone and watching as Claire took the stairs from the side of the stage, walking towards the lectern.

He recalled the snide comments that he’d made to her about his disdain for these kinds of events and the people who organize them. He felt embarrassed. She must think he’s a complete asshole. Unsure if he should be looking at her, or how to control his facial expressions appropriately, he decided he’d be better off staring at his shoes until her speech.

Matty thought that, realistically, her speech couldn’t have been more than a few minutes long, but it felt like ages. He struggled to even register her words as his own echoed in his head. He sat there, wondering if he should apologize, wondering if it mattered, if she cared one way or the other, and wondering why he cared so much.

The sound of applause filled the room, Claire Jones stepped off the stage, esteemed guests began to move around tables and mingle, shaking hands with each other, hugging, catching up, and exchanging numbers.

By the time that Matty had made his way to the other end of the room, Claire was nowhere to be found. He walked the perimeter of the room a couple of times, hoping to spot her, but when he failed to find her, he defeatedly meandered towards the exit, sticking his hand into his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

The nighttime breeze was merciful on his face. He hadn’t realized that he’d felt suffocated until he’d made it outside. He stood on the sidewalk, leaning against the building, smoking his cigarette. He was surprised to find himself disappointed that he’d never see Claire again.

[gravemations]

It is now My turn with the writing stick

Red lights flicker as distressed disjointed music played throughout the halls, Claire was a doctor at the Lankman foundation for around a year now but she never was comfortable at the place. She was told to ignore these sounds but she couldn't fully tune them out. 

She was always unnerved by how things were done, Patients being ignored while in visible distress, So many rules for every little thing and of course The Caretakers.  

She had tried to bring up these complaints but no one would ever listen to her, so she stopped asking, Claire would try her best to just tune it all out. 

She had almost become numb to it at least that was the case till someone else decided to bring up the same concerns, An intern one Alex Williams.    

They had started a month ago and they weren't afraid to let there opinion known even thought she knew that it was a frivolous effort to get anything to change around here but yet that never discourage them, Claire was at least happy that her concerns were at least not being fully brushed off even if she was not brave enough to say it.    

At Least that was till one day Alex asked her if she liked to come over to their play after work, was they asking her on a date? 

 This surprised Claire due to them not really talking to each other, she didn't know that they had feelings for her. 

Claire said that they would come due to being free and who knows it might go well. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Alex returned home after a long day for work, Shoes scraping the ground as they unlocked his door to see Clyde on his couch, It had been a few weeks since The Eastriage Demon had decided to bunker down with them. 

It had been eventful but it was a good way to learn more about The Demon and The Foundation motives, Even if it did mean they had to deal with the unending fear of them just killing them when they is no longer useful but to be fair The Foundation would do the same and he rather be killed by Clyde then any corrupted organization.   

“Hello Human, How was your work?“ Clyde got up from the couch saying in an almost snarl. 

 Alex knew Clyde didn't like his work but knew that they had to work there to be able to help him. They sat down with their bag next to Clyde on the couch. 

Alex made eye contact with Clyde in his uneven yellow eyes as he stood in front of him. 

“Clyde, can you go out for the night?“ Alex spoke tiredly. 

Clyde turned his head in confusion “What do you mean Human, Are you in trouble?“ 

Alex clarified “No I just have a coworker coming tonight, I'm going to interview them tonight to see if I can get any information I can.“ 

Clyde rolled his eyes as he hopped off the couch as he opened the window. 

“Fine, I can leave but you better make me a sandwich when I get back for this.“

Clyde spat out what sounded like more than 6 people speaking all at once that he spoke with, which was still hard for Alex to get used to as he left through the window. 

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

An hour had passed and Alex had changed out of their work clothes and into their green flannel jacket and Critters t-shirt and jeans,they had set out all of his note taking equipment and was ready for Claire to show up. 

When they heard a car pulling up into his driveway, Alex went outside to greet Claire as she excited her car in a stylish red dress and well done makeup. 

Alex began to panic because they realized that there had been a misunderstanding on what kind of meeting this would be, Alex had never been on a date before. To be fair Alex has never even found anyone attractive in the traditional sense so had to think fast.     

“Ummmm, Hello Dr Raven. I'm not ready yet. Do you mind if I sort a few things out first?“ Stuttering as they tried to think of words. 

“Why don't be so formal Alex, we're not at work. Please call me Claire.“ She giggled. 

Knowing very little about Alex She at least knew they was on the shy nerdy type so she understood that they would be a bit nervous.  

Alex ran back inside putting all his notes away and putting their theory board away in their room and trying to get rid of most signs of Clyde living with them, Alex retired 5 minutes later and let Claire inside. 

Enter Alex house, it was small everything was very close together and full of small rooms and cabinets. Made sense due to them being an intern so he probably didn't make much money. 

She entered Alex's kitchen to see a small round table and a counter with a badly stretched up couch, Alex interjects before she can think of anything. 

“Yeahhhh sorry that's from my dog, he likes to mess up my couch. He is at myyyy Mothers this week.“ They said trying not to stutter. 

“Oh ok, what kind of dog is he?“ Claira asked. 

“Oh he is a husky! Why don't u take a seat?“ Alex answered as they quickly put two ready- made meals into the oven.    

Claira took a seat and Alex panicky looked at a book of pick up lines their father gave him in his teen years. The night was going to be a long one. 

Several minutes of silence had passed as Alex panicked before finally asking. 

“Are you an angel? Cause I think I'm allergic to feathers.“ As Alex said awkwardly, putting their palm to their head as they know this is not going well. 

Claira laughed, She laughed??? 

“I have never heard that one before, but thank you.“ She said as she still chuckled. 

Maybe this won't be so bad after all.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The night concluded after They both talked about work and their worries about how things were done and just some personal stuff. Everything had gone well and Alex had gotten at least a bit of information about what the Doctors know and turns out not that much more than he actually does. Even a bit less due to their outside research.

“Well this has been an amazing night, Do you want to do this again?“ Claira asked Alex after finishing her meal.  

Alex stuttered “Sure but maybe next time a little less formal.“ 

Claira nodded as she cleaned her dishes, it would be rude not to. 

She packed up and wished Alex well and as she started her car Alex went inside, she was left thinking about the night and how they enjoyed Alex's company but as she was about to exit Their driveway she saw something she dreaded. 

An orange blur that was moving around the trees around Alex's house and to the side of it, All she could think about was what The Lankman Foundation drilled into her head, “Do not trust anyone who is wearing an orange costume.“   

She turned off her car and quietly walked around Alex's house to see that her worries were true, 

“The Eastridge Demon“ the beast that killed 6 children and the reason for her job in the first place climbing through Alex's window, She had to act fast before it killed them. 

She grabbed a bat from outside and jumped through Alex's other window and Then she stood in stunned silence as she could not believe her eyes. 

Alex was giving this monster A SANDWICH!!.  

To be continued?

[fanficshiddles]

Eternally Mine, Chapter 14

‘I think I’m still stuffed from yesterday’s meal, I don’t know how I’ll fit in another one today.’ Claire groaned as she fell flat on the bed, waiting for Loki to button up his shirt.

‘I’m sure you’ll manage once you get a sniff of dad’s Christmas dinner. It’s amazing.’ Loki grinned.

‘Oh I am looking forward to it, you’ve talked it up so much.’ Claire said. 'I'm just not promising that I won't fall into a food coma afterwards.'

‘I’m really honoured that you wanted to spend Christmas with me yesterday, instead of with your parents and Louise.’ Loki said as he finished buttoning up his shirt.

‘Of course I wanted to spend it with you. Our first Christmas together, just the two of us. I’m glad your dad was happy to have us today instead of yesterday.’ Claire said as she rolled onto her side to watch Loki’s devilish fingers folding down his collar.

‘Dad tends to prefer going all out on Boxing Day, says Christmas Day is for relaxing and doing nothing. He will have gotten a Chinese takeaway last night, I know it.’ Loki chuckled.

‘Fair enough. He’s probably had enough from dealing with you as a kid on Christmas day anyway.’ Claire smirked and sat up.

‘Cheeky.’ Loki growled at her.

‘It’s a shame Louise isn’t coming back until New Years. It would’ve been nice if she’d been able to join us too.’

‘I know, but I bet she’s delighted she’s managed to get home for Christmas this year.’ Loki smiled.

‘Yeah, she is.’ Claire nodded.

‘Though Chris is going to be a nightmare today, I can just feel it in my bones.’ Loki huffed.

‘What makes you say that?’ Clarie frowned.

‘Well, Louise won’t be there. So he’s bound to be in a pouty mood in the first place. He’s going to be a pain in the ass, mark my word.’

‘I’m sure he won’t be too bad.’ Claire laughed.

-

Loki was right. Chris was in a bit of a brooding mood, though still not as bad as he used to be before he and Loki reconciled. He was just a bit snippy before dinner now and then, making the others do a lot of eye-rolling. Though he was still much better to be around than he used to be.

Loki managed to escape for a short while to go help Lucius in the kitchen with the last preparations for dinner. Leaving Claire with Chris in the living room with some wine. Though she had hoped for a bit of alone time with him.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a photo album. Chris raised an eyebrow at her when she scooted across the sofa to sit right next to him, with the album on her lap.

‘What’s this?’ Chris asked.

‘Some old photos I wanted to show you. Thought you’d like to see them.’ Claire grinned and passed the album to him.

Chris put his wine down and curiously opened up the album. Claire saw his face light up instantly when he saw Louise in the picture. It was of her and Claire when they were teenagers, at Claire’s birthday party.

He slowly flicked through them and laughed at some of the goofy pictures.

‘Louise had an emo phase, did she?’ He chuckled.

‘Wasn’t really a phase… I think if she hadn’t met a certain someone, she likely would be looking quite different to how she is now.’ Claire said quietly.

In the pictures for a good few years Louise had different colour hair or strips of various colours. She also had earrings and looked to wear a good amount of make-up, that she did really well.

Then there was a picture when they were a bit older, it was a family meal for what looked like Christmas. Though Louise didn’t look quite the same, the sparkle in her eyes was gone and her hair was her natural brunette, she no longer had earrings in either or wore much make-up aside from a bit of foundation.

Chris noted that the guy sitting next to her at the table was blurred out.

‘I love this photo because it was our last proper Christmas meal together, though for obvious reasons I needed to blur him out…’ Claire explained.

Chris flicked over the page and there were just two pictures left, though they both showed Louise not looking her happiest like in previous pictures. An underlying sadness.

‘The light in her eyes disappeared when he came into the picture…’ Chris growled and closed the album.

‘Certainly did… Though look at this.’ Claire pulled her phone out and flicked through her photos, she showed Chris a picture she took of him with Louise at the Christmas ball. They were dancing and the picture clearly showed that sparkle back in her eyes.

Chris didn’t realise that Claire had taken sneaky pictures of them dancing, but he adored the picture. The way Louise was looking up at him with her arms around his neck while they danced made his heart flutter.

Claire flicked to the next picture, one that he knew she took as she had them both pose together.

‘You can see her eyes are full of life again and the light is back when she’s with you.’ Claire smiled.

Chris swallowed a lump in his throat and the biggest smile spread over his face.

‘Wow, you managed to get him smiling, at last.’ Loki teased as he walked into the room.

Chris glared at him and picked up his wine glass. ‘Seeing pictures of Louise, of course I’m smiling.’ He huffed at his brother.

‘Come on through, dinner is ready to be served up.’ Loki chuckled.

Everyone went through to the dining room and the smell was making Claire’s mouth water. More so when Lucius gave her her plate, it looked incredible.

‘Sorry Loki, you did a brilliant dinner yesterday but this looks to be even better.’ Claire said as she picked up her cutlery to begin once Lucius sat down.

‘I’ll take second place as a win, because dad’s Christmas dinners are always fantastic. Like I said.’ Loki said as he reached over to squeeze her knee.

During dinner they all chatted about what they got for Christmas and other various things. Though after they finished eating, the conversation turned a little heated.

‘At least there won’t be a hunt this time.’ Loki said, when they’d just been speaking about rogue vampires.

‘What do you mean there won’t be a hunt?’ Chris raised an eyebrow at him across the table.

‘You can’t possibly be holding a hunt?’

‘Why wouldn’t I? It’s tradition.’

‘You already had one at Halloween, don’t you think that’s more than enough?’ Loki argued.

‘That wasn’t the proper hunt. Of course I’m planning one.’ Chris argued back.

‘Have you told Louise this? What would she think?’ Loki hissed at him.

‘Do not bring my soulmate into this. She knows what I am and what I do.’ Chris growled.

‘So, you have told her? That you’re going to be kidnapping innocent humans and tossing them into the woods so they have to run for their life, till they’re caught by viscous vampires that will tear into them?’

‘It’s not all going to be innocent humans there.’ Chris snapped, trying to justify it.

‘Boys, that’s enough.’ Lucius said firmly.

‘No, dad. He’s being ridiculous if he thinks that Louise will just turn a blind eye at this. Right, Claire?’ Loki’s voice was getting higher and higher.

‘Don’t bring me into this.’ Claire said as she sunk into her seat and tried to hide behind her glass of wine.

‘If you don’t tell Louise, then I will.’ Loki yelled at Chris.

‘You have no right to. I will tell her. Not that it will effect her, anyway.’

‘Of course it will! It effects all of us vampires, plus our partners. What kind of message are you giving the hunters if they find out you’ve kidnapped a bunch of innocent humans again? There’s always an influx of hunters that come here after the hunt. And it’s your fault, every damn time!’ Loki shouted at him and slammed his fist down on the table.

‘I’m outta here. I thought you were trying to accept me for me, but clearly not.’ Chris snarled and stood up abruptly, the chair screeched across the floor behind him.

‘Thanks, Dad. It was lovely… Thank you, Claire, for showing me the pictures.’ Chris said as softly as he could before he quickly downed the last of his wine and stormed out of the room.

When Loki, Claire and Lucius heard the front door slam shut, Claire and Lucius both groaned and face-palmed.

‘You couldn’t have just avoided that subject for one day?’ Lucius sighed and shook his head as he began gathering the dishes up.

‘It doesn’t matter what day it is, he’s in the wrong.’ Loki huffed and folded his arms over his chest.

‘We all know he is trying lately, but getting the hunt out of him is going to be a tough one.’ Claire sighed, she was trying to be sympathetic to both. She understood where Loki was coming from, of course. Though she also knew that it wouldn’t be easy for Chris to change his ways completely so soon.

-

Chris was furious, he went for a fly around the city, looking for someone to bite. He eventually found one, a rogue hunter that was walking alone from a meal out. Not exactly an innocent human, though he didn’t know for sure if the hunter was one that just went after bad vampires or not… but he couldn’t wait any longer.

He swept down on the hunter and took her out easily and quickly, because she was intoxicated and unsuspecting. Though he still felt on edge and pissed off after the feed, it did help a little bit.

‘It needs to happen. It’s tradition. Louise will understand, I’m sure of it.’ He said to himself as he paced back and fore over the hunter’s body. ‘What if Loki’s right, though? What if she hates me for it?’

He growled in annoyance as he stopped and ran a hand through his hair.

‘I hear you’re in a bit of a dilemma.’ Came a familiar voice from behind him.

Chris turned around and narrowed his eyes at Toshi. ‘Of course you’d appear. If you don’t mind, kindly fuck off. I’ve had enough of a lecture from my brother tonight.’ He snapped.

Toshi folded her arms over her chest and shrugged. ‘If you don’t want to hear my plan to help your hunt go ahead, that’s fine.’

She turned on her heels and started to walk away.

Chris clenched his jaw and ran a hand down his face with a sigh. ‘Toshi. Wait... Let me guess, Loki messaged you to find me and stop me from hunting?'

Toshi stopped and turned around to face him with a little smirk. 'Close. Claire messaged the group chat saying that you two had been bickering over the hunt.'

Chris ran a hand down his face with a groan. 'That damn chat you girls have.'

Toshi laughed and walked closer to him.

'Look, I get you want to keep going with the tradition of the hunt. I won't try and stop you if there's no innocent humans taken.'

'Like you'd be able to stop me anyway.' Chris gloated as he folded his arms over his chest.

'Perhaps I could, perhaps I couldn't. But I think deep down you'd rather do it a better way, a way that wouldn't risk anything with Louise.' Toshi said knowingly.

Chris just glared at her for a minute, then his phone pinged. He pulled it out and took a glance. It was a text from Louise.

L: Hey, heard things were a bit rough at dinner with your brother. Just checking in that you're ok? x

Chris slid his phone back into his pocket and looked at Toshi, who was waiting patiently with a hand on her hip for him to say something.

Chris sighed. 'What did you have in mind?'

[waitmyturtles]

A little bit more on I Feel You Linger In The Air (reincarnation, the novel version, and more)...

I am back home and recovering from a somewhat INSANELY stressful work trip (WHEW! TIRED!), and I've missed writing meta oh so very much, BUT! A couple of things will be happening in my meta life soon: The Old GMMTV Challenge Bad Buddy Meta Month starts next week (FINALLY, EEE!), Last Twilight starts tomorrow, the Den-Panuwat-penned-and-Only-Friends-adjacent series Playboyy starts next week -- we got a lot going on.

AND, AND! AND! I did myself something good while I was away. I HOUSED the novel version of I Feel You Linger in the Air, because, BECAUSE! I still can't help screaming mentally about that finale -- even though reading the novel actually made me realize that episode 12 of IFYLITA was a touch redundant.

Related to the IFYLITA novel and series: I got an ask in my inbox that somehow disappeared (@porjomkwan, if you're still out there -- thank you for the ask!) that asked about my thoughts on the theme of reincarnation in IFYLITA, and cited this fabulous post and reblog by @tipsyjaehyun and @clairedaring about this theme. Tipsy and Claire covered the majority of the ground that the drama series captures regarding reincarnation -- in particular, the GORGEOUS focus on the northern Thai blessing ceremony that calls back to a human host the 32 spirits that a host carries with them throughout their life/lives. Those spirits can be incarnated and/or reincarnated within repeated and/or beloved figures of the host's memories and reincarnated lives. (That explains why people like Ohm and Kaimook, in Jom's present life, are reincarnated as Khamsean and Fong Kaew in Jom's life of 1928 Chiang Mai. And it explains how Jom can continue to be called to different eras involving Yai, from Commander/Warrior/Mustache Yai of ancient Thailand, to 1928 Chiang Mai Khun Yai, to present-day Chiang Mai Yai Kanthorn.)

@clairedaring notes in their reblog that in the novel, the foundational theme of reincarnation AND of Jom and Yai being forever bound to each other is confirmed, directly and heavily, by Commander Yai. Claire quotes from the novel Commander/Warrior Yai speaking to Jom :

"Jom-Jao, listen, though you are fated to be apart from me, my love will never fade, and it will follow you like a holy spirit, protecting you in my place. No matter where fate brings you, no matter the danger you encounter, may those misfortunes fall upon my spirit instead of yours."

I want to confirm that this is my understanding and experience of the centering and grounding of reincarnation in the series as well (@porjomkwan, this answers your question to me!). And, this very much speaks to what I understand was a gentle criticism by Thai audiences towards the show as this season of the show ended -- because the Commander Yai period really sets in stone what Jom can expect for the rest of his live(s) regarding having Yai in his life again in another time period. In which case, I agree HEAVILY with @clairedaring that IFYLITA absolutely needs a season 2, because that Commander Yai period is so definitive of how this first season gets contextualized in the end of the entire piece.

A couple of other quick notes on the novel before I move to a comparative final point:

1) JOM. JOM IS A SASSY B IN THE NOVEL. DAMN! I honestly think Nonkul Chanon could DEF handle being a touch more sassy. "I'm a grown-ass man," Jom says at one point. Yes, you ARE, HONEY! Sassy B Jom courting and standing up to Commander Yai? It was a WONDERFUL story line. (BTW, the quality of the writing of the IFYLITA Y novel was, as expected, wanting, especially by way of a fan translation. But I have to agree with fans of the novel from Thailand and elsewhere, that the story itself was SOLID.)

2) The history behind the Commander Yai period is FABULOUS to learn about. (@tipsyjaehyun has some context about the various eras of Yai here, if you don't mind a few novel spoilers.) In particular, I spent a LOT of minutes reading about the lengthy reign of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in Thailand, and just -- as an Asian and an Asian-American watching Thai shows, getting deep into this reminds me of my own accountability and responsibility for trying to grasp what an average Thai viewer will bring by way of education-based historical awareness into shows like IFYLITA. This long Wikipedia article is a must read if you want to go deeper into IFYLITA context!

3) My third point on the novel leads into what I quickly want to note by way of at least one comparison to another show that did reincarnation themes differently, but also beautifully, by way of an original Y novel.

Until We Meet Again is a permanent FAVE of mine -- and it captures reincarnation, at least a different style of it, within its drama context. In UWMA's context, a red thread tied between the passed bodies of the lovers Korn and Intouch ensures that their spirits will find each other again in the future.

As noted within UWMA, different Asian cultures have different reads on the meaning of the red thread, from China, to Thailand, to elsewhere. This article notes northwestern and Vietnamese beliefs regarding the red thread, and this Wikipedia article notes the Chinese origins of the myths of the red thread. (Remember than in IFYLITA, the blessing ceremony of calling 32 spirits back to a host is cited as being from northern Thailand -- meaning, many of these myths, legends, and practices are utterly regional, and very tied to specific regional cultures that we can learn more about as viewers. Super cool.)

In UMWA, Korn's and Intouch's spirits inhabit other bodies -- namely, Dean's and Pharm's personages. And Dean and Pharm take on some characteristics of the spirits they provide a home to, and, even more interestingly -- Dean's and Pharm's OWN behaviors reflect the regrets and/or resistances that Korn and Intouch bear to each other, with Korn's spirit being far more forward with love than he was when he was alive; and Intouch's spirit being far more fearful of that love, knowing in the end where his love led to -- their deaths.

In IFYLITA, we see Yai's spirit being reborn essentially into different version of Yai, and all of them called Yai. In the novel, Jom treats all of these Yais as Yais that he can fall in love with -- he is in love with all of them, because the spirit of Yai is essentially a singular spirit being reborn into various different versions of the body of Yai (quick spoiler: the modern-day Yai is only half-Thai).

I happen to REALLY love these various interpretations of reincarnation between these shows, and certainly many, many more shows and movies across Asia that touch upon reincarnation as an essential theme of HOPE, of love, of joy. The various ways in which these practices are regarded, from Buddhism, to Hinduism, to Shintoism, and other Asian spiritual practices, are fascinating to learn about, including their regional variances. And they speak very much to me as an Asian, as to how I learn about cultural practices, nuances, and mores. (A comparative cultural example is how food -- like, say, a dish like Hainanese chicken rice -- differs among Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.)

But also, as an Asian watching shows like UWMA and IFYLITA -- I *know* that when I'm watching a show that's based on spirit reincarnation, that I'm not necessarily watching a "sad" show. I remember, of the day dramas of Japan and Korea that I watched when I was younger, that I absorbed better understandings of ancestor worship and elder respect. If a house had an altar with a picture of a passed-on elderly relative -- surely it was understood that that relative had passed away and one could be sad about it. But their spirit is meant to be honored at the altar, and especially in Japanese and Korean family dramas with these kinds of scenes, you can see characters speaking to the pictures of those who have passed on, having conversations, and being the subject of annual ceremonies of honoring the dead.

In other words, what I utterly LOVED about the IFYLITA novel -- and what I truly hope a season 2 will capture -- is that the Yais of the various eras were not despondent when Jom left them. Those Yais knew that a future Yai would experience Jom again. Korn and Intouch knew their spirits would meet again one day: it was Dean and Pharm that needed to come together to make that happen.

I wrote quite a bit about the Asian cinematic tradition of sad and/or open-ended endings in my review of The Love of Siam, and I think one reason why I absolutely cannot shake IFYLITA from my system -- and even UWMA, too, although UWMA has a confirmed happy ending -- is that IFYLITA is utterly reflective of this practice of the open-ended ending, at least for the show's first season, because we KNOW, through reincarnation, that Jom WILL encounter Yai again. If you read the novel, you know that Commander Yai promises this. But even if you don't read the novel, and we never get a season 2 -- to see Yai Kanthorn strolling right into Jom's arms, without very much other context, is enough, at least for an Asian audience, to know that the spirits did their thing again. Dramatically, I do think the finale could use more finessing (cc @lurkingshan and @neuroticbookworm, to whom I said this when I finished the novel), but now that I have the novel's context, I know HOW the finale could have been improved.

I took this ask as a major excuse to just unwind more and more on a piece that I totally loved in IFYLITA, and I hope to heck that we get a second season. I am thrilled that I made IFYLITA my debut into Y series reading, because the story is just so solid, and as I often say about my really beloved shows -- IFYLITA does not shy away from being rooted in assumed knowledge about cultural practices that an Asian audience can automatically check into. It really felt familiar and homey to watch this incredibly made and well-told story about an enduring romance, and I'm so appreciative that IFYLITA will be a show I'll be holding close as this year closes out -- a year that started off on the strongest Asian note with the fabulous Moonlight Chicken. MLC and IFYLITA encapsulating 2023 for Asian audiences? We were fed really, really well.

[ana-bananya]

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See my pinned post for more places to donate

[hahnspoetrywrites]

princess [claire debella x f!intern!assistant!reader]

you’re an intern for the debella campaign on her road to her becoming a senator, and one of the hardest working on the team. no one notices how hard you work... or so you thought. 

warnings: 18+!!, m0mmy k!nk, legal age gap (reader is around 23-24), f!ngering (r receiving), oral (r receiving), soft!dom!claire, potential sugar mommy situation, pet names galore (i’m a sucker for pet names I’M SORRY), men with power they don’t deserve. please let me know if i missed anything!!! 

words: 3.4k

BIG BIG thanks to @getlostsquidward and @wandakink for letting me ramble in your asks and for helping me write this!!

i hope y’all enjoy this hot mess!

You don’t really know how you ended up in this position. You’d taken this internship as part of your college course. You were in your final year, and needed some more hands-on experience for you to finish. The Debella campaign team had been looking for interns. It was unpaid work, but it was work. You couldn’t turn your nose up at it. That’s how you ended up in the lunchroom, being yelled at by one of your superiors on how you screwed up the campaign trail… all because you printed the handouts and gave them out to be delivered door to door, a day too early. Now here you were, hiding in the bathroom from most of your peers and the higher ups of the team, praying that none of them would fire you. You furiously wiped at your eyes, cursing yourself for getting upset over something menial, but you couldn’t help it. A knock sounded on the door, prompting you to snap out of your spiralling thoughts. 

“Y/N? Are you still here?” Your sniffles gave your location away. The voice sounded like Kacey, another intern on the team. 

“Ms Debella wants to see you in her office, as soon as possible.” 

You sighed, trying to hold back more tears. You were about to be fired. After all the work you’ve done, this was how the universe would repay you. 

“Fuck,” you muttered as you inspected your reflection. Smeared mascara and eyeliner down your cheeks, your foundation was blotchy, but you didn’t really care anymore. If you were about to be fired, how you looked didn’t really matter anymore. As you exited the bathroom, you saw some of your colleagues gathered by the coffee station, whispering and mumbling about something (you assumed most likely it was about your breakdown). When you passed the glass walls of the office, you failed to notice the superior who yelled at you packing up his desk. You also failed to notice, the way the others eyed you as you walked by. They almost looked scared, as if saying or doing the wrong thing would get them killed. 

You arrived by the large mahogany double doors of your boss’s office. Your anxiety kicked it up to 11, hands trembling as you reached up to knock. Three soft knocks resounded in the empty corridor, the silence deafening until you heard the sweet soft voice of your boss.

“Come in,” she said. You entered, the largeness of the office taking you by surprise. A giant bookcase took over one side of the wall, a door hidden at the end closest to the windows. On the opposite sat a few more shelves full of folders, pictures of Ms Debella with other famous figures dotted around with small knick knacks as well. In the middle of the room, situated in front of some large glass windows was a desk, which Ms Debella sat behind, in a large leather swivel chair. She looked concerned seeing your distressed state but you brushed it off as fake, her trying to comfort you when in reality she didn’t care.

“You asked to see me, miss?” You asked, your voice coming out more broken than you initially hoped it would. 

“Please, come in. Take a seat, honey. Oh, and shut the door behind you please.” 

Her soft tone was comforting, but still filled you with anxiety. You did as instructed, closing the door behind you and heading towards one of the two chairs placed in front of the desk. As you sat, you saw her expression changed to something akin to guilt, but you weren’t sure. Her bright blue eyes clouded with worry when they fell upon your dishevelled state. She always looked so smart, her hair always perfectly styled (she’d chosen to have it straight today, you preferred when it was naturally curly), her beige pantsuit accentuated her curves perfectly, and was always perfect, no wrinkles or creases. She was always ready to be seen.

“Y/N, how have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you around a lot,” she asked, that gentle tone never leaving her voice.

“I-uh, I’ve been working a lot outside the office. And Glenn’s been giving me a lot to do,” You answered, your continued broken tone making you curse yourself. Although you don’t know why you’re so desperately trying to hide you’ve been crying when the evidence is on your face already.

Claire nodded, inspecting you closely, her eyes squinting in concentration. 

“That’s good! I hope it’s good, anyways.” Claire didn’t sound too sure of what she was saying but again, you brushed it off. You weren’t going to question your boss.

“Yeah, it’s been… it’s been interesting.”

Claire stood up from her chair, coming around the desk to stand in front of you, her back leaning against the desk.

“So, he hasn’t just spent the last 20 minutes yelling at you for doing something that he asked you to do earlier today? He hasn’t consistently been downplaying your role in this team? Or making you hide in the bathroom numerous times a day to cry?”

Claire didn’t lose the soft edge in her voice but it sounded angry, not at you per se but angry at something or someone. You glanced down at the floor, not wanting to catch Claire’s eyes. A soft hand made its way to your chin, tilting it upwards so you could look Claire in the eyes.

“Tell me the truth, honey.” Claire whispered softly, prompting tears to fall from your eyes. You nodded softly as more tears trailed down your cheeks.

“Oh, honey. Why didn’t you tell me before?”

You hastily wiped at your eyes, trying to avoid looking at her but her grip on your chin didn’t falter.

“I-I didn’t want to bother anyone. I thought I could handle it,”

Claire pouted, a stern look crossing over her face.

“Just because you thought you could, doesn’t mean you should, honey.”

Claire’s hand moved from your chin to your cheek, catching some of your tears with her thumb. 

“Let's just say he won’t be yelling at you anymore. But before we talk about anything else,” Claire leant over to one of the drawers of her desk, opening it and pulling out a packet of something you couldn’t quite see from your position. Once it was opened up and could smell that familiar scent, you realised she had some face wipes. She turned back to face you, one hand holding your jaw softly, the other wiping away your messy makeup.

“Close your eyes for me, sweetheart.” She asked gently, her lips ghosting against your forehead, an imperceptible kiss placed against your skin. You did as she asked, beginning to feel safe and comfortable with her. 

“Good girl,” she praised you softly as she wiped away your eye makeup, your natural skin finally being able to breathe. You didn’t necessarily like wearing makeup, but Glenn said (threatened) that wearing makeup would get you better positions and better jobs within this world. In his words, “pretty women are respected here, the others aren’t welcome,”. Safe to say he wasn’t liked much amongst the team. Claire didn’t like wearing heavy makeup either, and would always make a safe space for her female colleagues no matter where they were. This campaign was a lot bigger than she was used to, so she couldn’t ensure that was happening this time around. She thought you were so much prettier without the makeup. 

“There, that’s much better, isn’t it? Such a beautiful girl,”

Claire eyed you gently, taking in your nervous demeanour.

“I see how hard you work, Y/N. I see all the dedication and time you put into the work you do here. I see it go so underappreciated and so unnoticed. But I see all of it. All those extra hours, all those weekends spent outside the office, spreading the word about our campaign, going door to door. I noticed all of it.”

You were stunned, out of everyone in the office who you thought would pay attention to the work you did you never thought it would be your boss. 

“I never thought anyone would notice… me.”

“Of course I noticed you. I notice everything about you. How you like to work alone, how you like tea over coffee. How you forget to eat meals sometimes. How you forget to take care of yourself.”

You looked away from her, feeling guilt surge through your veins. You felt like a child being scolded by their parents. Claire continued to observe as you began picking at the skin surrounding your fingernails, pulling and scratching. That was another thing she noticed, your tendency to take all your anxieties and worries out on yourself. She still remembers seeing you on your first day. You looked so small and nervous, not looking smug like the others did. You were gentle and kind and that was when she knew she wanted you. She wanted to wrap you up in her arms and look after you the way you should be cared for. 

“The way the others treat you… you don’t deserve treatment like that. You deserve to be treated like a princess, sweetheart.”

Claire’s hand threaded through your hair, gently parting the knots that had formed. You looked at her with hopeful eyes, hearing her speak such nice things made your heart warm (and heat pool between your legs). 

“Would you like that, baby?” Her question made you shiver, she smiled in response. 

“If they can’t treat you right, I’ll have to do it myself. After all, I’m the only one who can treat you right, aren’t I, princess?” She asked you. 

“Y-y-yes ma’am.” You stuttered out the reply almost immediately. 

“You can call me mommy here, sweet girl.”

“Y-yes. Yes mommy.” You smiled sweetly at Claire, who sent a brighter smile back at you. She approached you once more, her towering over you as you shrunk back into the chair. Her hands held onto the arm rests as her nose brushed yours. 

“My good girl,” She whispered against your lips before she gently caressed them with her own. Her lips were soft and warm, the taste of her coffee lingering. You suddenly became conscious of what you last ate and drank. You knew you hadn't had lunch yet (you didn’t have any, since you couldn’t afford it) and you were sure you last drank water before the whole yelling incident. Claire pulled away, noticing how tense and rigid you were. 

“Relax, baby girl. You’re safe here with mommy.” A soft kiss was placed on your forehead before Claire took both your hands in hers, pulling you up so you were face-to-face. She led you round her desk to the opposite side and to her large leather office chair. 

“Sit down, angel. Make yourself comfortable.” She plumped the cushion against the backrest before encouraging you to sit. You did so, noticing the warmth that remained in the chair from where she had sat before. It was soft against your back, a huge improvement from the hard, plastic chair you had at your tiny desk setup.  

“If you don’t want this, now's your chance to say so, sweetheart. I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want this.”

Claire held your face gently in her hands, watching as you thought it over. You nodded profusely, holding onto her wrists as a smile took over her face.

“I want this mommy. I want you to make me feel better, want you to treat me like your princess.” 

Claire claimed your lips once more, this kiss harder than the ones before.

“Good girl,” she murmured against your neck, leaving kisses against your skin. You shifted in your seat, the heat between your legs becoming unbearable. Claire noticed your squirming, moving a hand from your cheek to your thigh, feeling your soft skin before letting it slip underneath your skirt. You were so thankful you chose to wear a skirt instead of your suit pants. You shuddered at her touch, goosebumps trailing along the skin.

“So receptive to my touch, baby,” Her hand stroked the inside of your thigh, before reaching your clothed cunt. 

Claire grinned as she felt the damp spot on your panties, her fingers rubbing your clit. “My, my, you're so wet... Let's get this out of the way, shall we? Wouldn't want my princess to feel all sticky.”

As much as you wanted her to keep touching you there, you parted your legs, giving way to her as she took your panties off. Claire winked as she put them in her pocket, making you look away, flustered. “Eyes on me, honey.”

You did as told, feeling yourself getting lost in her darkening blue eyes as she kissed your thigh. As she reached your inner thigh, you gasped as she bit and sucked on the skin, leaving marks all over.

Once she was satisfied painting your skin with bruises, she paused briefly, looking at you, your pupils dilated, lips slightly parted, and chest heaving with anticipation. Claire did not break eye contact as she inched closer to your core. 

Your whole body shivered as she lapped your folds, your hand immediately finding purchase in her hair. “You taste as sweet as you sound, princess,” Claire says, before sucking your clit in her mouth. You whined softly as her tongue toyed with your clit, your grip on her hair tightening. She moaned at the tight grip, vibrating against your core. She moved from your clit to lick up your folds, small kitten licks that had you panting and whining, trying to hold back any loud moans. Her nails dig into the skin of your thigh harshly, almost like a warning. 

“Don’t hold back, baby. Let mommy hear you… no one else will. I promise,” Claire leaned back in, giving your clit another harsh suck. You moaned unabashedly, unable to hold back. Claire smirks against your clit as she begins to alternate between sucking your clit and lapping up your folds. You could feel that familiar burning pool in your stomach. 

“M-mommy,” you whined, your moans getting higher in pitch the closer you got. 

“So sensitive, you gonna come just from mommy’s tongue?” She asked, her voice vibrating against your cunt. You nodded shakily, watching as she leaned in once more, devouring you like you were her last meal. 

“Cum,” she whispered against your cunt. She lapped up your juices as you finally came, her tongue expertly keeping you on that delicious high. She moved away from where her head was buried, releasing your grip on her hair as she did so, watching as she moved upwards towards your face. Before you could think, you pulled her to you, claiming her lips with your own with desperation. You could taste yourself on her lips and tongue and moaned into her mouth. 

You were so distracted kissing her you didn’t notice her hand sliding up your thighs and dipping below your skirt until she dragged a single digit through your folds. You paused and moaned, your cunt still sensitive from your last orgasm. 

“You can give me one more, can’t you baby?” She asked as she rubbed your clit, watching as you squirmed in her hold. 

“M-maybe. Too much,” You managed to whine out as she slowed her fingers down, gently toying with you. 

“I’ll take it nice and slow, a reward for being such a good girl. Don’t expect it to be like this all the time though, princess.” She warned before kissing your forehead. Her praise spurred you on as you nodded, moving your hips slightly to show you wanted more. 

“My good girl,” she remarked before inserting two fingers into you, her thumb softly rubbing your clit. Your hips undulated against her hand, her other hand holding your head against her neck. You kissed her exposed neck, her blouse being low cut enough to be professional but still show enough exposed skin for you to work with. 

“That’s it baby, let mommy take care of you.” She whispered as she stroked your hair. 

“P-please. I wanna be your good girl.” You moaned against her neck, inhaling her perfume as you continued your kisses. 

“You’re my good girl, baby. Always have been.” She kissed your hair as she softly curled her fingers upwards, feeling you bounce on her fingers. You moaned once again, wondering how this woman was able to make you feel so good whilst doing so little. How no one else you had been with had made you feel as safe and as good as Claire had. Your sensitive cunt was almost gushing and all she had to do was mutter some praises and let you ride her fingers and her tongue for you to be such a writhing mess. Your thoughts were becoming too much, you couldn’t stop yourself. You came without warning, the bubbling in your stomach catching you off-guard. You immediately panicked… you’d ruined her chair, the pillow and her blazer. You tried to pull away from her, muttering panicked sorry’s as you cried, the overstimulation of her fingers becoming too much but she continued to hold you close. 

“Shhh, it’s okay. Don’t worry, princess,” her voice was comforting, not a single ounce of annoyance or anger, yet you couldn’t hear it. The panic had already set in, how overwhelmed you’d been over the last few weeks finally hitting you as you cried into her shoulder. Her neck and blazer were soaked with tears, her fingers still buried in you as she held you. 

“Hey, hey. Baby, it’s okay! It’s okay!” She reassured you as she pulled your head out from where you had tucked it into her neck. Seeing your red, puffy eyes filled with tears, the dark circles underneath them, your flushed cheeks, stained with tears made her heart break. 

“What are you apologising for, sweet angel?” She asked, concern laced within her voice.

“Y-you didn’t say- I didn’t have p-permission… and I ruin-ruined your chair and blazer- I’m so-sorry!” Your broken sobs made it harder to speak, but Claire moved the hand from your hair to your cheek, brushing away your tears as she tried to calm you down. 

“Those things can be cleaned, angel. The chair’s so old and this blazer… I have about 4 more of these at home, so don’t worry, sweet girl,” she pressed one more kiss to your forehead. 

You grimaced as she pulled out of you, whispering sweet nothings against your cheek along with a few kisses. You felt sleepy and tried your hardest to stay awake for the inevitable. She would want you to go, having got what she wanted from you she no longer needed you to stay. Claire had gotten up from in front of you and moved towards the door to the side of the desk, revealing a small bathroom. You attempted to stand up, but your shaky legs made it nearly impossible. 

“Now, where do you think you’re going, princess?” Claire gently questioned, coming back to you so she could gently push you back down onto the chair by your shoulders. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up, then we can cuddle for a little while,” Claire was ever so gentle, almost as if you were fine china, so fragile you could shatter at any moment. She ensured you would stay put whilst she disappeared back into the bathroom, returning a few moments after with a damp cloth. She wiped your thighs down gently before wiping your arousal off the chair (not before dragging her fingers through it and sucking them into her mouth). She removed her blazer, throwing it onto one of the chairs on the other side of the desk, making her toned arms visible. She helped you up before taking a seat on the chair, pulling you down to sit on her lap. You curled into her embrace, hiding your head back into her neck as you wrapped your arms around her. 

“My princess,” she muttered against your forehead, leaving a sweet kiss there before continuing, “We have a lot to talk about, some things to discuss and arrange but for now, you can stay in here with me. As I said, it won’t be like this all the time, but I’ll make sure you feel like a princess every day, I promise you, baby.” 

As you snuggled further into her, she grabbed her laptop, one hand in your hair, the other scrolling through unread emails. 

“Thank you mommy… for this. For choosing me to be your princess, and for taking care of me.”

Your eyes closed, feeling one final kiss being pressed against your temple as you began to dream of what the future would hold for you and Claire.

[dreamcast641]

I wanted to talk about how work would change for her when she gets in the relationship for some time now and after some brainstorming and a tad bit of search I have a clear idea.

No, they'll not work together no more. If it's not the task force doing the job to separate them then it would be herself to ask to work with different people in a different group far away from the one she loves romantically.

It's not cruelty on her part but more preventing possible distractions to happen and, in such dangerous place as the foundation, any error would cause a massive disaster.

Tho I said a lot that Claire shifts behavior as soon as she gets in duty due to herself adapting to the situation she's in, allowing her to become colder to anyone to focus on what she does, I feel like that would not help her as much as expected.

On a positive note: It would make their reunion much more waited and much more happy in the end

[chicaotaku-fanfics]

There's Three of You?! Pt. 10

Ok, I'm soooooo sorry for the delay on this one. I really hoped I could post it when I said, but unlucky for me, life came in the way.

Warnings: foul language, might be some medical inconsistencies.

CHAPTER 10

After all that ordeal with “Her Highness” and helping Reese, I decided to go to the lounge, but decided otherwise last minute and went to the cafeteria instead for a coffee. There, I was in line and got an iced large white mocha, with one more white mocha pump, soy milk, and two more espresso shots, I waited near the bar for it, and while doing so, I saw Connor approach a table where his sister and… oh wow, the one and only Cornelius Rhodes, were seating.

“Dad.” Connor said, I was then given my coffee, and I went to the bar to grab some napkins, all the time having an ear on my friend’s conversation.

“Doctor. How's our patient doing?” asked the older Rhodes.

“Russel's stabilized for now. I have found something that could help us with the surgery. It's an imaging system called Surgical Theatre SNAP.” Connor explained, I thought about that. It was a very good ide and, the tech was amazing, I’ve seen it in action, thanks to a med journal Will shared with me, it was wonderful. My brother must’ve said something to Connor about it.

“Okay.” Claire’s voice made me come back to the present.

“It's FDA approved, so insurance is gonna cover it, but Russel is going to be looking at a lengthy hospital stay afterwards, and I just want to make sure that–” Connor cut himself off.

“That somebody covers the co-pay?” asked Mr. Rhodes.

“We will.” said Claire in an instant.

“Hang on there, Bernie Sanders. Now, I love Russel as much as you do, but we have to be responsible to the company. Are you prepared to do this for every one of our employees?” asked the older Rhodes, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“We are talking about Russel here. God, he's worked for us since he was 14 years old. He's family.” said Connor.

“Us? When did it become "us"?” asked Mr. Rhodes with a smirk on his face. Connor looked annoyed and defeated, he turned to leave the place, walking by Dr. Charles on the way out, I had already started to move to catch him.

“That's your dad?” asked the head of psychiatry.

“Yep.” said Connor unenthusiastically.

“Fathers like that keep me in business, baby.” said the older doctor with a snort, Connor kinda smiled.

By the time we were out of sight of everyone, I chose to make my presence known to the surgeon.

“For what its worth, I already knew who you were. Dind’t influence me in anyway.” I said, he turned to look at me with a confused expression on his face.

“What’s that supposed to mean Dr. Halstead?” he asked, we made our way out and went to the elevator, it arrived and we got inside.

“It means, Dr. Rhodes, that I don’t care if you’re a Rhodes, a Callahan, or whatever other family name. You’re you Connor. You’re Dr. Connor Rhodes, a great trauma surgeon and an excellent doctor who cares deeply about his patients. Your upbringing and family name don’t matter to me.” I said, he looked relieved with what I said.

“You really are something else Lilly Halstead. Thank you.” he said, I smiled at him and offered him a drink of my coffee, he took the drink, gave it a stir with the straw and took a sip. He gave it back and I gave a good sip too.

“Don’t need to thank me Con. That’s what friends are for.” I said with a smile. He smiled too, offering his fist for a fistbump, I did and then we made our way to the lounge. “Oh, and I aslo heard my brother recommended the SNAP for your patient’s CT scans.” I said nonchalantly.

Connor let  out a sigh and then a snort. “Yeah, before mentioning the family business and that he could only buy some socks there.” I let out a sigh too.

“My brother will tell anybody who will listen of his school debts any chance he gets… but there’s a foundation behind that.” I started to explain. “I don’t mean to make my brother, or me for that matter, seem like a charity case because of what I’m about to say” I warn the man beside me.

“He may be a pain in the ass, but he’s earning my respect.” Connor said, I nodded.

“Will always comments on his debts, because our father never supported his drive to go to college.” I said, Connor looked confused. “Yeah, my father is very, VERY, traditional and conservative in some ways… one of them being the belief that a man has to go straight to work… you can guess how that went.” I made a pause, remembering that day very well. “It was an awful argument. Jay made the effort for me not to see it, but in the end, the aftermath was obvious: Will stormed out the house with his things and left to New York, and that also meant that he had to put himself through college and med school… since then, they haven’t seen eye to eye, or more like, us Halstead siblings haven’t seen our father eye to eye in a long time.” I said.

“I’m sorry to hear that Lilly.” he said, the elevator ringed on the ED floor and we both got out.

“Don’t sweat it. Like I said, I’m not trying to make a charity case out of my brother… nor out of us three. I know we had it rough, growing up where and how we did, but we made it: Will and I are doctors and Jay is a detective. We’re good with being each other's support system.” I said with a small smile and gave my coffee another sip.

As we made our way to the “control center”, commonly known to everyone else as the “nurses desk”, Connor took my coffee and gave it another sip, we ended up sharing it, the last sip being mine. Maggie saw us since we came out of the elevator, clearly surprised and even amused by what we were doing.

“Care to share what you two are doing?” asked our beloved head nurse.

“Nothing Mags, just sharing a coffee.” I said nonchalantly.

“I could see that.” she said, smug and teasing at the same time, both Connor and I chuckled, Maggie looked at me in shock.

“I had heard Will comment on it, as well as Jay, but I told them I wouldn’t believe it until I saw it… and now I have, the famous “Halstead Chuckle®”. Girl you really are the spiting image of your brothers when you do that.” Maggie said, I let out another chuckle, giving the head nurse a charming, cheeky smile.

“What can I say Mags? Runs in the family.” I said, she snorted at my comment, and gave me an iPad.

“Your new patient. Treatment 2, little boy with a dislocated shoulder and scrapes on his knees.” said the nurse, pointing both of us in the direction of the treatment room. We turn to her, asking with our eyes why would she need two doctors to cover one simple case. “The mom is almost in hysterics.” I smile and shake my head, Connor snorts beside me.

“It’s showtime Dr. Rhodes.” I said with a small smirk on my face.

“Indeed Dr. Halstead.” said Connor with the same expression on his face. Just as we made our way to the treatment room, my brother came out of the doctors lounge, looking at us with a confused expression.

WILL’S P.O.V

“Since when do those two get along so well?” I asked Maggie, as I saw my baby sister and Rhodes go for one of the treatment rooms.

“Since day one, actually. Your sister’s an angel, compared to you.” she said, that last part with fake annoyance.

“Oh come on, I’m a delight!” I said, a cheeky and boyish smile on my face, Maggie looked at me shocked, then shook her head with a smile.

“You two are mirror images.” she said, I made a confused expression, she then pointed towards the treatment room where my sister and Connor had disappeared to. “You and Lilly!” she clarified. I snorted.

“Yeah, we get that a lot. Is as if we were siblings or something” I said to annoy her, it worked a little too well, cause she hit me with a folder containing a patient file. I laughed. “I give! I give!” I said in between laughs.

“You are something else William Halstead.” Maggie said, then Lilly’s and Connor’s voices carry out to us, both Maggie and I look up just in time to see them both coming out of the treatment room, smiles on their faces, they grab some antibacterial gel and walk over to us. Lilly has the iPad under her arm.

“Another successful treatment. Maggie get us the discharge papers for little Tim, please and thank you.” she asked the nurse, handing her the iPad back, then she noticed me. “Wish you behaved that well when we were kids.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I was the role model for both you and Jay.” I said, she just looked at me with her «are you kidding?» face.

“Really? The role model who, when we were 14, 12, and 10 years old respectively, was practicing how to play the guitar, made Jay angry, got his nose broken and proceeded to make the three of us siblings escape dad’s anger by sneaking out the piping line next to his bedroom window which, may I remind you, wasn’t the first time you prompt us to escape that way?” she said. I blushed, Maggie out right laughed, and Connor snorted.

“Never thought you were raking havoc since your early teens Halstead.” he said.

“Oh shush you.” I said to my sister, who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. I lightly pushed her and she laughed.

GOODWIN’S P.O.V

I was in my office checking some papers and patient forms, when the door was knocked. I gave permission for the person on the other side to come in… and in came Cornelius Rhodes. We talked, and went back and forth on an “issue”, Dr. Rhodes’s involvement in a patient’s care.

“I'm not sure you're aware, but Connor knows Russel Rollins, and it just didn't seem appropriate to me that my son be the one treating him.” he said.

“Well, the degree of familiarity doesn't warrant taking Dr. Rhodes off the case, and Mr. Rollins, when he was lucid, did not request another physician.” I explained

“Let me put it another way.” he started. “I would like Russel to receive the very best medical care, and I do not think my son can provide that.” he said.

“Your son is a first-rate surgeon, otherwise I would not have hired him.” I said.

“I want him off the case.” he demanded. This man has to be joking.

“It's not your decision to make, sir.” I said, firm on my stand.

“Excuse me, but I'm the one writing checks here.” he said, trying to intimidate me with his wealth.

“And while we appreciate that, this is my shop, and I will not be pulling Dr. Rhodes from the case.” I said, finality in my voice.

“I want you to remember this conversation, because if anything happens to Russel, you will be repeating it in a courtroom.” he threatened.

“I will remember. And you, sir, have a nice day.” I said,standing up, dismissing him.

“This may not be your shop for long.” he threatened again as he stood up.

I’d like to see you try Mr. Rhodes.

LILLY’S P.O.V

About three hours later, I had discharged Tim, checked on other patients, had helped Connor and Will with other patients and I was now on the lounge with my third cup of coffee of the day. I then got a page from Connor, requesting my presence in the main neuro OR room, I went there and was, again, amazed at the function of the SNAP.

“Incredible.” said Dr. Zanetti.

“Wait till you get the headset on. It's like I'm moving around inside of his body.” said Connor, I let out a low whistle.

“This is definitely amazing… remind me to tell Will that he’s a genius for recommending this.” I said, Dr. Zanetti looked at me with a sour expression on her face.

“Okay, so tell me how this thing works.” requested Ms. Goodwin.

“It combines images from the CT angiogram and creates a three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy. With the HTC Vibe, you get virtual reality. It allows us to better tailor our operation.” Dr. Zanetti explained. “Are you having some concerns?” she asked

“No, no, no, just--just curious. Oh, by the way, Dr. Rhodes, I met your father today.” said Ms. Goodwin.

“Yeah? Did he charm you?” asked Connor.

“Not exactly.” she said with a serius tone.

“If its any consolation Ms. Goodwin, he didn’t charm me either.” I said, she smiled a small smile at me. I nodded.

“Hey, Dr. Zanetti. Take a look at the middle-left subclavian artery.” said Connor.

“The glass is going straight through. It's like a finger in a dike.” she said.

“I can't believe there's still flow past the injury.” added Connor, I was looking at the image with all of my attention.

“Rotate a little to the left.” said Zanetti, but I spotted the problem before she did.

“There. Looks like our dike sprung a leak.” I said, worried about our patient, I could tell Zanetti was mad at me, while Goodwin looked at me with awe and surprise on her face.

“He's bleeding.” Ms. Goodwin said.

“Yeah.” said Connor and I at the same time.

“If I may?” I asked, Connor nodded. “I think you can get away with a collarbone incision.” I gave my opinion.

Zanetti didn’t looked please that I had pretty much “stolen” her idea, but I don’t care, my priority is our patient… even if I can’t assist in the surgery.

“Come on, let's go.” said Zanetti to Connor.

I stayed behind for a little longer, looking at the image in front of me with Ms. Goodwin by my side.

“Good call Dr. Halstead… very good call.” she said, before pating my shoulder and leaving. I turned off everything and headed out. I managed to catch up to Dr. Zanetti and Connor.

“Claire, Dad, this is Dr. Zanetti. Russel is being prepped for surgery right now, and she and I will perform the operation.” Connor explained.

“Okay.” said Claire.

“You must have a lot of faith in him.” said Mr. Rhodes, smirking cynically.

“I do.” said the blonde surgeon.

“And so do I.” I announce my presence.

“Hmm, I never thought I'd see the day; my son saving lives.” said the older Rhodes, clearly ignoring me, making it sound like mockery. I decided it was time to step in.

“Then why does it sound like you’re mocking him, Mr. Rhodes?” I asked the man, he turned to look at me.

“And you are?” he asked, confusion and annoyance clear in his voice.

“Dr. Lillian Halstead. Emergency Medicine physician with a double certification in Forensic Pathology.” I said, extending my hand to him, he seemed shocked, as well as both the younger Rhodes and the blonde surgeon.

“Well, Dr. Halstead, I don’t see where you could get the idea that I’m mocking my son. I’m genuinely impressed with what he does.” he tried to lie to my face, I decided to call him out on his bullcrap.

“We all know that’s a lie Mr. Rhodes.” again, everyone seemed surprised. “If you’re wonderig how I know you lied, it’s pretty easy; you can school your expressions all you want, make an impenetrable mask… a poker face if you will, but your microexpressions…” I pause, letting out my Halstead Chuckle® “those are way harder to control Mr. Rhodes.”

“What do you think gives you the right to…” he started, I interrupted him.

“Talk to you like that?” he seemed surprised. “Remember the part were I said I have a Forensic Pathology certification? I might as well add my Forensic Psychology certification to the mix.” I said, and as an «afterthought», added the icing on the proverbial cake. “As well as my experience as the medical consultant for CPD’s District 21’s Intelligence Unit. I believe you’ve heard of Sergeant Hank Voight?” I said, Mr. Rhodes paled at the mention of the man, nodding. “I’ve worked with him and his unit. Might do you good remembering that Mr. Rhodes.” I said, smirking. I then turned to Dr. Zanetti and Connor. “Well, Dr. Zanetti, Dr. Rhodes, I’ll get out of your hair so you can perform the surgery… I’ll see you later.” and with that, and my charming smile I left them all to go back to the ED.

I arrived back just in time to hear my brother explain something to Natalie, worried about one of his patients, why he became a doctor.

“I became a doctor to save people's lives.” he said, getting a bit mad.  “It's all I've ever wanted to do. I don't have a fallback plan or some hidden passion. This is it for me.” he added, making a pause. “It's just… no one ever told me there'd be this much loss involved.” he asid, storming off in the opposite direction to where Natalie was, directly into my way to the lounge. I followed my brother and enter the room.

“Hey. No one blames you, you know. Sometimes… patients don’t see what we see, and even if we explain it to them, they still need time to process things.” I said, Will turned to look at me. Then, in one swift move, he took me into his arms, hugging me and resting his head in my shoulder, something that should be a feat of wonder, since this redheaded giant is easily 8 inches taller than me.

“Thank you for being here Lilypad… I don’t know what I’d do without you… or Jay.” he said, his voice sounding so small. I ruffled his hair and kissed his head.

“You never have to thank me for that Will. I love you. I’ll always be there for you.” I said, honesty and certainty in my tone, I felt Will’s smile against my neck.

“I love you too Lilly.”

We spent some time there, until Will had to leave to check on his patient. I decided to do the same and went to look for Connor… which was easier than I thought cause he was looking for me.

“Hey, Lilly!” he said.

“Hi Connor.”

“What you did back there with my father…” he started.

“I’ll start by saying that, if he wants an apology, he won’t get one. He doesn’t deserve it.” I said, he right out laughed.

“No, no… don’t worry about that.” he took a moment to catch his breath. “I just wanted to thank you, for having my back, back there. My father has always been an ass, but having your support and seeing the way you talked back to him… I’ll never be able to repay you.” he said, I smiled.

“No need to thank me Connor, that’s what friends are for. And now that I found you… or more like, you found me I wanted to ask, how was the surgery?” I asked him, we made our way down the hall and Ms. Goodwin catched up to us.

“Dr. Rhodes, how's your patient?” asked Ms. Goodwin once we´re approaching Connor’s family.

“The surgery was successful, and he should be okay.” he said, I smile at that, relieved everything turned out alright.

“Oh, thank God.” said Claire, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Isn't that great news, Mr. Rhodes?” asked Ms. Goodwin, I turn to look at him too.

“Yes, I had every faith in my son.” he said, cynical smile on his face. 

Liar. I think, biting my tongue in an effor not to say a thing. 

“That's exactly what I told the Chairman of the Board when he dropped by to see me today.” said Ms. Goodwin, Connor and I looked shocked for a quick second.

“Thank you.” said Claire to Connor, he turned to look at her and grabbed her hand in his.

“Of course.” he said to her.

“Well, looks like we can go. Thank you very much.” said Mr. Rhodes, I can tell my presence was making him uncomfortable.

“Dolan Rhodes. That's a big name in Chicago. Growing up with that can give a person a skewed perspective, like whatever he wants, he ought to get.” said Ms. Goodwin casually.

“My dad give you a hard time?” asked Connor, a bit down in the dumps.

“Nothing I couldn't handle.” she said with a chuckle.

“My grandfather was the one who started the business.” he told us.

“Oh?” I asked, curiosity at its peak.

“Yeah. Salt to the Earth kind of guy. He used to say to me, «You're gonna have to work harder than everybody else,» you know? «Be better than everybody else so that you don't turn out like everybody expects you to.»” he said, and I can’t help but remember my own grandfather.

“Hmm.” was Ms. Goodwin’s way to ask Connor to continue.

“«So that you don't turn out like your father.» Took me a while to get that message.” He said.

“Well, congratulations, Dr. Rhodes.” said Ms. Goodwin, before leaving to go God-knows-where.

I turn to look at Connor, and seeing him still leaning on the nurses’ desk, I bump his side with mine. He turns to look at me, confused. I look at him with a smile.

“Congratulations indeed. You not only didn’t turn out like your father… you’re a better human being than him.” I say sincerely, Connor looks at me shocked, then chuckles and side hugs me.

“Thanks Lilly.” I return the hug as my way of responding.

After our moment, I went back to the ED, only to find Will looking at Natalie with hearts in his eyes as she played the violin with her patient. I stood beside him, putting my hands inside my scrubs’ pants pockets.

“Didn’t know she played the violin.” I said to make my presence known to my brother.

“She’s good at it.” Will said, I wanted to chuckle at the way he sounded.

“I can give her that.” I said, Will turned slightly to look at me.

“Would you try to learn how to play?” he asked, I snorted.

“With our kind of hectic schedules? No thank you. I’ll stick to my base, guitar and singing, thank you very much for asking.” I said, patting his shoulder and heading to the lounge to get my stuff. “Don’t stay here for too long, I actually wanna manage to grab a bite for dinner with you.” I said to him.

Finally, all the chapters I had written are posted! I appreciate that you've given my story a chance, it means a lot to me.

Feel free to leave comments, reblog, and like if you enjoy this crazy ride we're all in. Also, I've posted the AO3 link here, feel free to go there too if you want.

(Note, the next chapter's in the making, I beg for consideration and patience.)

Thanks again, tons of love.

ChicaOtaku out! 💜