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pathologicalreid · 26 days ago

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the anniversary effect | s.r.

in which the anniversary of reader's assault nears and Spencer would move heaven and earth to make sure she's okay

margovember

who? spencer reid x fem!reader category: angst (hurt/comfort) content warnings: past sa, rohypnol, chemist!reader, technically a continuation of don't get dark, but you don't have to read it first, not proofread because im a freak, panic attack, hydroxyzine, ptsd, read with care word count: 1.96k a/n: @lilacsandlavenderhaze you asked me to tag you when i publish this <3 so here it is <3 also hey guys do we like our summaries in the second or third person?

Spencer looked down at the keypad that would unlock the door to your lab. A custodian had let him in the chemistry building after a slight misuse of his bureau credentials, but he hadn’t realized that he wouldn’t be able to get into the laboratory. Every time he’d been here before, it had been either during working hours or you’d known to expect him. This time, you had no idea he was here.

He'd been looking everywhere for you, and he wasn’t sure why the lab wasn’t the first place he checked. Garcia had checked your phone’s location for him.

He eyed the keypad as if it were an enemy, looking for patterns in which keys were more worn than others, but your lab wasn’t the only one behind these doors. There was no way for him to be sure.

Ten keys mean ten thousand possible permutations, and that didn’t include the possibility that he might need to hit the pound sign or asterisk before or after the code. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he called your cell first—it went straight to voicemail. When he called your lab phone, it rang six times before he was asked to leave a message. He put his phone back in his pocket and tried a number—your birth year—and tried the same number with the pound sign and asterisk.

Spencer ran a frantic hand through his hair. He never should’ve gone on the case. He never should’ve been in Arizona while he knew you were stuck in your own mind. He tried another combination—the year you got your PhD—to no avail.

The two of you had talked about it last week. You started pulling away from him, and he finally commented on your behavior when his hand on your shoulder frightened you so badly that you dropped your favorite mug on the kitchen floor. Thankfully you hadn’t been burnt by any of the hot coffee, but upon discovering the mug was ruined, you were inconsolable. It was as if the broken mug had been your final straw, and Spencer had left for Flagstaff that day.

He tried a new combination—your birth month and date—and the keypad still flashed red. He released a huff of frustration and wondered if it would be fair form to shoot out the lock. Spencer shook his head, dismissing the extreme option from his list of choices before he resorted to wiggling the door handle, hoping the mechanism would fail and he could open the door.

A noise behind him caught his attention. Briefly, he made eye contact with the custodian, a young guy with spiked blonde hair, “Did you forget your ID?” He asked, pulling a wired earbud from his ear and jutting his chin in the direction of the door.

The lie formed in Spencer’s mind, already building a story to run by the custodian in order to get through the doors, “I left it in my office, would you mind?” Spencer gestured to the keypad, hoping he could get the custodian to swipe him through.

“Yeah, sure,” the blonde guy said, stalking over and pulling on his badge reel, swiping his university ID, and opening the door when it finally flashed green. “Have a good night, man,” the employee said, replacing his earbud before returning to his cart.

It was almost too easy to get him to open the door, which Spencer didn’t particularly appreciate. In this instance, it turned out to be beneficial, but he didn’t like that anyone could be let into the labs if they simply looked like they might belong. Instead of griping about it, he thanked him and slipped through the door, shoving his hands in his pockets and making his way to your private lab.

You’d taken a new job recently, jumping to a different university in the district where they offered you a private lab for your research, and you seemed happy here. You had all of the freedom you needed to do things like stay at work even as the clock approached midnight. Maybe it was too much freedom, at least for right now.

He opened the door that had your name written across it, slowly stepping into the dark lab as he looked around for you. Spencer didn’t see you, and there weren’t many places for you to be out of view, in the dark, his other senses accommodated the loss of his sight, and his ears pricked when he heard a small shuffle.

Taking another step forward, he peeked around a lab table and found you.

You backed yourself into a corner, leaving nothing but a pile of limbs flush with the cabinet as you sat in silence, either ignoring or unaware of Spencer’s presence. He approached you with the same delicacy that one would approach a doe, he didn’t want to scare you. Hundreds of possibilities flurried through his mind as he crouched in front of you and took notice of the small bottle in your hand.

When you and Spencer had just started dating, before you’d ever been intimate, you’d told him about a time you went out with a group of college friends that ended with one of them attacking you. He drugged you and assaulted you, leaving you with a physical scar on your side and an emotional one on your heart.

Spencer didn’t make a habit of hating people he never met, but he made an exception in this case. He allowed himself to despise this man on your behalf, justifying his emotions every time he remembered how badly the memories made you cry.

It’d been three years, almost to the date since you’d been attacked, and all it took was a good look at the bottle in your hand and he knew exactly what was going on. He read the label over again. Flunitrazepam.

Rohypnol.

“Hey, baby,” Spencer whispered, morphing his tone into something that would suit the atmosphere. He watched your body language, the way your breathing hitched at the sound of your voice.

The despondent look in your eyes snapped into fear before you settled, your shoulders calming down slightly at the recognition that there wasn’t an enemy in front of you. It was Spencer.

Swallowing thickly, he reached out a hand and took the bottle. You tightened your grip on it, not wanting him to take it from you, “It’s okay. You’re okay,” he assured you, “I’m just gonna set this on the counter for you.”

Your grip slackened and he followed through on his promise, keeping a wary eye on you as you looked around the lab, staring at the floor as if it was entirely foreign to you, “I don’t remember sitting,” you muttered aimlessly, looking up at Spencer through your safety goggles. Spencer noticed the way your breathing quickened, “I didn’t— What time is it?”

He shook his head, trying to grab your hands before you pulled them into your lap, he settled for one hand on your knee, something to ground you, “It’s late,” he told you.

“I… I had a meeting with a professor in pharmacology. We were… he wanted to work with me on a project,” you placed your head in your hands, shaking your head like you had lost time. “He’d read my research on the dye they use in Rohypnol to make light-colored drinks turn blue, and wondered if we could find something to color dark liquids like cola.”

It was terrible, atrocious timing on the part of the pharmacist, but he didn’t know any better. Instead of telling you that, Spencer sat down on the floor in front of you, “Baby, do you remember what we talked about last week? Did you call your therapist?”

Nodding absently into your palms, you lifted your head and haphazardly pulled off your goggles, “I saw her today, she talked to me about the same thing you did.”

You and Spencer had an in-depth discussion about the anniversary effect. “It’s okay that you were triggered by a conversation that normally wouldn’t have had such a big impact on your day,” he told you gently, squeezing your knee comfortingly.

“Stop,” you responded, dropping your hand and looking back at him, you set your goggles on the floor and took a deep, trembling breath. “Spence, I can’t—” your voice broke off in a mess of gasps, and Spencer instinctively moved closer to you.

Gingerly, Spencer lifted your chin in hopes that it would open your airway and help your breathing, “I know, baby. I’ve got you,” he reassured you, taking your hands in his when you started anxiously scratching at your forearm. “I’m right here,” he murmured, “it’s me, I’m not going anywhere.”

He pressed a soft kiss to your temple, rubbing the pads of his thumbs over your hands as he comforted you, whispering sweet nothings to you as he waited patiently for your breathing to even out before speaking again.

“Do you need anything?” Spencer was silently offering you the same three options he always did: space, water, and medication. You had a prescription for hydroxyzine that you were supposed to take as needed, and when you very softly answered ‘pill’, Spencer let go of your hands to go get it from your backpack.

He pulled the bottle from the front pouch and grabbed your water bottle from where it sat in front of your computer, he dosed out one pill and handed it to you, watching you wash it down, closing your eyes, and leaning your head back. “How was work?” You asked.

Crouching in front of you, Spencer smoothed your hair back, “It was fine, we can talk about it later if you want. Right now, I’m focused on you,” he answered, avoiding your redirection.

You nodded in understanding, allowing Spencer to maneuver you when he helped you to your feet.

Spencer cupped your face in both of his hands, “Let’s get you home, huh? Have you eaten?” His brown eyes studied you now that they’d adjusted more to the dark, your under-eye circles looked more pronounced in the moonlight, and he wondered if you’d been sleeping. “I think there’s a bowl of soup with your name on it at home,” he whispered, taking your keys and locking the Rohypnol up in a cabinet.

A soft smile tugged at your lips, and Spencer couldn’t help but feel like that was a victory. “I’m okay,” you told him, some strength returning to your voice.

Spencer nodded, sweeping a lock of hair behind your ear, “Let’s get some food in you,” he reemphasizes. He kept your keys in his hand, you took the metro to work, so Spencer could just drive the both of you home. He looked back at the door, watching you as you slowly shut down the lab and gathered your things, “Hey, what’s your code to get into the labs?”

You frowned at him and shrugged, “1-0-2-8,” you told him, powering off your computer monitor and letting him help you pull your jacket on.

His movements faltered, and without a second thought, he carefully wrapped his arms around you. You hummed in response, reciprocating the hug after taking a deep breath. “I love you,” he whispered, tenderly rubbing your back.

“I love you too,” you responded, finally relaxing into him. “I’m sorry for worrying you,” you apologized, loosening your embrace so you could look at him.

He shook his head once, “it’s okay,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. “Just, next time—well, hopefully there isn’t a next time—answer your phone,” he said, watching you. He’d continue to keep an eye on you, but you were strong. Spencer knew, just like the others, that this storm would eventually pass.

#criminal minds #spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds fanfic #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid angst #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fic #criminal minds fic #criminal minds angst #spencer reid x fem!reader #written by margot #margovember

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batboyblog · 3 months ago

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Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #35

Sep 20-27 2024

President Biden and Vice-President Harris announced new actions to curb gun violence at the one year anniversary of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The Office is the first ever White House office to deal with the issue of guns and has been overseen by the Vice-President. President Biden signed a new Executive Order aimed at combatting the emerging threat of machinegun conversion devices. These devices allow the conversion of semi-automatic firearms to a rate of fire that can match military machineguns, up to 20 bullets in one second. The EO also targets the threat of 3-D printed guns. The EO also addresses active schooler drills at schools. While almost every school conducts them there is little uniformity in how they are carried out, and no consensus on the most effective version of a drill. President Biden's EO directions the development of a research based active shooter drills, which maximize both student physical and mental safety.

President Biden celebrated the one year anniversary of the American Climate Corps and announced new Climate Corp programs. The Climate Corps has seen 15,000 young people connected to well paid jobs in clean energy and climate resilience jobs across America. The EPA and AmeriCorps announced a new Environmental Justice Climate Corps program which will connect 250 American Climate Corps members with local communities and over the next 3 help them achieve environmental justice projects. In addition HUD announced it will be the 8th federal agency to partner with the Climate Corp, opening the door to its involvement in Housing. Since its launch the American Climate Corp has inspired 14 states to launch their own state level version of the program, most recently just this week the New Jersey Climate Corps.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced that 4.2 million small business owners and self-employed people get their health insurance through the ACA marketplace. Up from 1.4 million ten years ago when President Obama and then Vice-President Biden rolled out the marketplaces. The self-employed are 3 times as likely as other Americans to use the marketplaces for their insurance, one out of every 5 getting coverage there. The ACA passed by President Obama, defended and expanded by President Biden, has freed millions of Americans to start their own businesses without fear of losing health coverage for them and their families.

The Departments of Transportation and Labor pressed freight railroad companies to close the gap and offer paid sick time to all their employees. Since 2022 under President Biden's leadership the number of Class I freight railroad employees who have access to paid sick days increased from 5% to 90%. Now the Biden-Harris Administration is pushing to finish the job and get coverage to the last 10%.

The EPA announced $965 million to help school districts buy clean energy buses. This comes on top of the 3 billion the EPA has already spent to bring clean energy buses to America's schools. So far the EPA has helped replace 8,700 school buses, across 1,300 school districts in all 50 states, DC, tribal nations, and US Territories. 95% of these buses are zero-emission, battery-electric. The clean bus program is responsible for over 2/3rds of the electric school buses on the road today.

The Biden-Harris Administration took another step forward in its historic efforts to protect the Colorado River System by signing 5 water conservation agreements with local water authorities in California and Arizona. The two short term agreements will conserve over 717,000 acre-feet of water by 2026. Collectively adding 10 feet to Lake Mead’s elevation by 2026. The Colorado River Basin provides water for more than 40 million people and fuels hydropower resources in seven U.S. states.

The Department of The Interior announced $254 million to help support local parks, the largest such investment in history. The money will go to 54 projects across 24 states hoping to redevelopment or create new parks.

HHS announced $1.5 billion to help combat opioid addiction and prevent opioid overdose deaths. The money will support state and tribal governments and help pay for mobile clinics, naloxone kits, and treatment centers. This comes as nationwide overdose rates drop for the first time since 2020, thanks to strong investment in harm reduction efforts by the Biden-Harris team.

The Department of Agriculture announced it'll spend $466.5 million in food assistance and development worldwide this year. Through its McGovern-Dole Program, the United States is the largest donor to global school feeding programs. The USDA will help feed 1.2 million children in Angola, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Malawi and Rwanda. Through its Food for Progress the USDA will help support 200,000 farmers in Benin, Cambodia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Tunisia shift to climate-smart agriculture boosting food security in those nations and the wider region.

At a meeting at the UN First Lady Jill Biden announced a partnership between USAID and UNICEF to end childhood exposer to lead worldwide. Lead exposure kills 1.5 million people each year, mostly in the developing world.

The Senate approved the appointment of Byron Conway to a federal judgeship in Wisconsin. This makes the 213th federal judge that President Biden has appointed.

#Thanks Biden #Joe Biden #Kamala Harris #climate change #gun violence #gun control #health insurance #food aid #opiod crisis #electric vehicles #politics #US politics #american politics #good news

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tucsonwindowanddoor · 1 year ago

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Elevate Your Entryway with Pivot Doors: Tucson Window and Door's Guide

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deathworlders-of-e24 · 3 months ago

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Danny, Security Chief

Part 1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You know, the GAIL asked specifically for a Human security officer for this position. Yours was the first name on the list.”

Admiral Townes had said those exact words to him not 48 hours earlier, and here he was, in a rocket ship filled to the brim with races from 25 different species with different needs and different temperaments. Danny knew this was gonna take up a lot of his time.

Daniel Ducane, or Danny if you were a drinking buddy, liked it when things were quiet. He’d only really joined the service because of his family, both his mom and granddad had done it, and Danny genuinely did enjoy the feeling of helping people. God knows why he said yes to this posting though, an ‘experiment’ to push people to their breaking points. People usually either broke before then or they didn’t. Usually the former, and since the mission was a year long this time, Danny expected he’d get busy sooner or later. Apparently ‘keeping the peace’ aboard the Noah was such a high priority they’d even given him a commander rank the second he took the job. Weird.

Right now Danny was on his way to the Captain’s office for a briefing. Making his way down the halls of the ship, he took note of the many different species aboard. Several of them noticed him as well, some going so far as to stand at attention while he walked by. Danny even noticed how some of the crew took note of him. He wasn’t deaf to the rumors circulating about humans, about how we evolved on a deathworld practically designed to eradicate anything that wasn’t the best of the best. Humans had somehow conquered every other creature on their planet without any natural armor or weapons, by being these strange pursuit predators, apparently just too stubborn to give up the ghost.

When asked, Danny conceded that sure, Earth is kinda rough around the edges compared to other planets, but it was pretty quiet there these days. He liked that. His last posting had been on a security detail at the Doun embassy on earth, and he’d been asked a thousand times how he’d survived in the hellish landscape that had been ‘Arizona’. The Doun homeworld had an exceptionally long rotation period so most of it was frozen a majority of the time, a cool -4 on a hot day. He’d told anyone who asked “you just wear some sunscreen and short pants, you’ll be fine.” The idea of short pants was unheard of on Doun. They didn’t ask a lot of questions after that.

The door to the captain’s office hissed open, and Danny stepped in.

“Sir, security chief Ducane reporting for briefing.” Danny stood at attention, the only thing out of place being the black ball cap he always wore. It clashed with his gray uniform but he didn’t care too much about that. The hat wasn’t negotiable.

Captain Nadh, a Mergal man, stood up to meet him. The Mergal were insectoid, with two main limbs at what would be his shoulders if he were human, and a set of sub arms tucked into his abdomen. His left main arm was missing, replaced with a chrome prosthetic. His legs bent backwards like a grasshopper’s, and his body was sectioned into three different parts like an ant’s. The Mergal standard uniform was a two piece wrap, one around the neck with his rank proudly shown, and another like a skirt or kilt around his waist.

“At ease. Good to meet you, Ducane. My name is Captain *sssccchhht* [Proper Noun: Pronounced; Skitch] You came highly recommended from your last CO, so I’m hoping your brought the same level of commitment to the Noah.”

“Aye aye sir.” The Captain’s base language was a bit hard to understand to human ears, what with the lack of lips in favor of a set of short mandibles, so the translation was a beat slower than normal. Danny didn’t mind too much.

“Allow me to be honest, Chief Ducane. I specifically asked for a human security chief on this mission. I know your people have only been part of the GAIL for a few decades, but human exploits are known across almost every system by now.”

The corner of Danny’s mouth twitched up, and he had to stifle a laugh.

“You hired me…because I’m a Deathworlder, sir?” Danny asked. Skitch laughed, a low pitched chittering sound.

“Takes one to know one Ducane. I’m Mergal, everything at home wants to eat me, the plants, the animals, other Mergal.” Skitch laughed again.

“I wanted a human. I hired you because your record, your training, and your personality profile all tell me you’d be the best fit. You’d have full control over your team, train them how you’d like, outfit them with the best gear we have available, I think you’d be very happy here.”

Danny took a beat, then smiled. “Happy to keep things quiet for you sir.”

“Very good. Dismissed.”

Danny turned back to the door.

“Oh, Ducane, before you go. I got your clearance for your…requested gear and personal kit. I’ll trust you, until proven otherwise, but are you certain the equipment you requested is necessary?”

“You were honest with me, boss, so I’ll be honest with you. I like it when things are quiet. But I’d be an idiot if I wasn’t ready for things to go loud.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Danny put his feet up on his new desk and let his head rest back against the chair. He hadn’t brought a lot of stuff on board, so ‘decorating’ his office hadn’t taken that long. Two photos, one of his parents and siblings with himself, the other of him with the other members in his old unit back in his army days.

Two family photos, he thought to himself, and smiled.

He’d already squared away his duffel and his foot locker in his quarters, so all that was left to do was meet his new team. He’d seen the 3 other humans that’d be on the Noah with him, but none of them were on the security force, so that meant the 10 other crew were all going to be non human.

2 teams of 5, he thought. That way one team can get some sleep while there’s still half on duty at all times.

Danny had never really considered himself a leader before, but never really a follower either. He’d always just been part of the pack, watching someone’s six while someone else watched his. It was going to be different leading the pack this time. But hey, Rangers lead the way, right?

This is gonna be fun, Danny thought as his team came through the doors.

“Everyone fall in! We got work to do.”

#deathworlders of e24 #earth is space australia #humans are space oddities #humans are terrifying #humans are insane #humans are strange #humans are deathworlders #original story #original character #writing

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elitegaragedoorsandgatesusa · 4 months ago

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Fast & Reliable Garage Door Repair Prescott

Elite Garage Doors and Gates offers comprehensive Prescott garage door repair, installation, and replacement services in Prescott, AZ. We're available 24/7 for emergency repairs and can get your garage door back in working order quickly and affordably. Visit our website or call us at +14809411313 for a free quote!

#garagedoorservice #garage door #garage door repair #garage door service #scottsdale #arizona #garage door replacement #Prescott garage door repair #Prescott

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allsouls-emma · 4 months ago

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Hey lovely!!!!! Let me say that I am so thankful that you write for Leon and that I loooooooooove your stories so for! Could I send in a request? Maybe where Y/n (French if possible cause I am also French) joins him in the US and they move in together after sometime doing long distance? And just super fluffy!!! No rush though! Take care of yourself!!!! ♥️♥️♥️

✧Reunis pour Toujours ✧

─ Léon Marchand x OC, Léon Marchand x Reader

@frenchgirlinlondon Bonjour ! I hope this lives up to expectation, merci my darling.

warnings: established couple, not fluent in French, fluff!!, no use of time nor setting.

It had been a year since Léon had left France for the U.S., chasing his dream of swimming glory at Arizona State University. The long-distance had been tough, with late-night FaceTime calls and endless texts, but nothing could replace the warmth of being together.

Today, that was finally going to change.

Y/N looked out the window of the taxi as it pulled up to Léon’s apartment complex in Tempe, Arizona. The sun was shining brightly, and palm trees lined the street—a stark contrast to the familiar Parisian boulevards. The moment the car stopped, Y/N felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. This was it. A new chapter in their relationship.

Y/N stepped out of the taxi, pulling a suitcase along. The door to Léon’s building opened almost instantly, and there he was—tall, broad-shouldered, with that familiar mop of curly hair and a smile that could light up the darkest of days.

“Mon amour!” Léon called out, rushing down the steps. He wrapped Y/N in a tight embrace, lifting them slightly off the ground.

“Léon!” Y/N laughed, burying their face in his neck, taking in the scent they had missed so much. “Je t’ai tellement manqué,” they whispered, their voice muffled against his skin.

“Tu n’imagines même pas,” he replied, pulling back slightly to look at them. His brown eyes were filled with a mixture of love and relief. “Finally, no more time zones, no more screens between us.”

Y/N smiled, their eyes welling up with happy tears. “Je suis tellement heureuse d’être ici, avec toi.”

Léon kissed them gently on the forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment. “Moi aussi. Let’s get you inside, I can’t wait to show you our place.”

Together, they carried Y/N’s suitcase up the stairs. Léon opened the door to his apartment—a cozy space filled with a mix of modern furniture and personal touches. On the wall was a photo collage, mostly of the two of them—memories from France and moments from Léon’s life in the U.S.

“Welcome home,” Léon said softly, watching as Y/N took in the room.

“Our home,” Y/N corrected, smiling at him. They placed their suitcase by the door and walked over to the couch, where Léon had laid out a few of their favorite snacks from France—a thoughtful gesture that made Y/N’s heart swell.

They sat down together, Léon’s arm draped around Y/N’s shoulders, pulling them close. “This feels surreal,” Y/N said, their voice barely above a whisper.

“I know,” Léon agreed, his fingers gently playing with Y/N’s hair. “But it’s real. We’re here. Together.”

Y/N turned to look at him, their faces just inches apart. “What do we do now?”

Léon grinned, leaning in to press a soft kiss to their lips. “Now, we make this place ours. We create new memories, explore this city, and just… be together.”

Y/N nodded, a smile tugging at their lips. “J’aime ça.”

They spent the rest of the day unpacking, Léon showing Y/N around the apartment. The kitchen had a small dining table with two chairs, perfect for cozy breakfasts. The living room had a large window that let in plenty of natural light, and the bedroom was simple yet comfortable, with a queen-sized bed that looked like it had been made with care.

“C’est parfait,” Y/N said as they walked into the bedroom, running their hand over the soft bedspread. Léon came up behind them, wrapping his arms around their waist.

“I’m glad you think so,” he murmured, resting his chin on their shoulder. “Because I want this to be our space, where we can relax after a long day, where we can just be ourselves.”

Y/N turned in his arms to face him, their hands resting on his chest. “I’m so happy to be here with you, Léon. I know it was hard being apart, but it made this moment even more special.”

Léon smiled, leaning down to kiss them softly. “Every second was worth it if it brought us to this moment.”

They stood there for a moment, just holding each other, savoring the feeling of finally being together after so long. The challenges of long-distance seemed like a distant memory now that they were in each other’s arms.

As the day turned into evening, they curled up on the couch together, a soft blanket draped over them. Léon had his arm around Y/N, their head resting on his shoulder as they watched a movie. But more than the movie, Y/N was focused on the steady rhythm of Léon’s breathing, the warmth of his body next to theirs.

“Je t’aime,” Y/N whispered, looking up at him.

Léon smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to their forehead. “Je t’aime aussi, pour toujours.”

For the first time in what felt like forever, everything was perfect. They were together, and nothing else mattered.

As they drifted off to sleep that night, Léon holding Y/N close, they both knew that this was just the beginning of their new life together. No more distance, no more longing—just endless days of love and happiness.

#jeux olympiques #léon marchand fanfiction #fanfiction #smut #french #olympics #léon marchand #léon marchand fanfic #leon marchand #olympic swimming #fluff #arizona #x female reader #anon ask #ask

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bless-my-demons · 1 year ago

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Redamancy: Chapter Ten

Series Summary: What happens when your soulmate is a vampire that struggles to maintain a diet of trying not to kill you? Common sense says run for the hills, nothing is worth your life - but my heart is whispering why not, what’s there to lose?

Warnings: Curse words, if that’s still a thing

Notes: Sorry this one is a little short, but I’ve got big ideas for upcoming chapters. Thank you guys for all the love so far, it means so much to me to hear your thoughts and see the notifications!

Word Count: 1900

Series Masterlist

• March 13th, 2005 • Cullen’s Garage •

Reader

Ever since Jasper and I left my house in a hurry, I felt like I’ve been stuck in a haze. Like none of this is real. And even though I snapped at him on the ride over, he’s respected my decision and kept me either within arm’s reach or a hand touching me in some form. It’s the only thing keeping me here in the moment while controlled chaos continues to explode in his family’s garage.

I feel deft fingers unzipping my, or rather Jasper’s, jacket and sliding it from my shoulders. I grab at the hands to stop them, but it’s Jasper himself.

“I need to give it to Esme, for her to lure him with your scent. I also need your hat, sweetheart.” He explains gently.

I release his hands and nod, allowing him to take the articles from me. I shiver without his jacket to keep me warm and he immediately replaces it with a different hoodie, this time slipping it over my head.

“Another one of mine that I don’t mind letting you borrow.” He winks at me and it draws out a smile from me. I feel at home cocooned in his scent.

On the other side of Carlisle’s car I hear Edward arguing with Rose about carrying Bella’s scent. Emmett squeezes past us to throw some supplies in the backseat of his Jeep and turns to me.

“Be safe, Y/n/n?” I nod and he turns to his brother, “Take care of her and watch your back, alright tough guy?”

“Likewise, big guy.” Jasper replies, pulling him in for a quick hug with a smile before parting and opening the passenger door for me. Bella and Alice already waiting in the rear as I climb in and buckle up.

• March 14th, 2005 • Outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona •

Reader

The entire trip south was a blur, what I assume normally is a two to three day trip, took us one day with minimal time for bathroom breaks and gas stops. Me being the designated one to refuel the car during the day since our protectors couldn’t exit the vehicle and Bella spent the majority of the ride in and out of sleep. I was grateful for the temporary duty, it felt like I was actually being helpful instead of sitting and waiting for something to happen, which I know might very well be my fate once we make it to Phoenix.

“All done, darlin’?” I shake myself from my day-dream, Jasper had cracked his driver’s side window and I meet his eyes in the side-view mirror.

“Oh shit-sorry.” I quickly put away the pump and screw the gas cap back on before hurrying back to the passenger side.

“You alright?” He asks quietly, giving me a sidelong glance as he directs the car back to the interstate.

“Mhmm.” I answer him, looking out of the window at the passing cars.

I feel a small hand slide onto my shoulder and give it a squeeze before it retreats to the back seat, Alice. I’m not really sure how to feel at this point, I mean - I am happy that Jasper is with me, lord knows I’d be a nervous mess worrying about him. But I can’t help it thinking of the others, Esme wearing my scent and Rose wearing Bella’s. Edward is the fastest and with his ability to read minds, he’s formidable. Carlisle is an extremely smart man and I know Emmett is strong for a normal vampire, but is he stronger than vampires that drink human blood? I shiver, human blood. The vampires after Bella and I want our blood. Just as I’m about to spiral down a path of panic for fear of not being able to protect myself, a large hand slides over my left thigh.

Raising his eyebrows in concern, Jasper gently smooths his gift over my panic to calm me down and combined with the distraction of his hand, it works. I don’t know what I would do without him, it’s like fate knew I couldn’t digest his world without his ability to control emotions. So I give him a sad smile and slide my hand on top of his, with him I can do this - we could do this.

• March 15th, 2005 • Hotel - Phoenix, Arizona •

Jasper

Alice and I picked a hotel for the four of us close to the international airport in Phoenix so that we might have an additional means of escape. That also puts us in the middle of a metropolitan area. Nowhere near a forest.

Nowhere near our food source.

And I’m confined to a room for who knows how long with my singer after having spent 24 hours with her in a car.

Yet another test of my precarious control.

Thankfully I fed myself before the baseball game and under normal circumstances I could go a little over a week until I needed another meal… but I exerted myself trying to mask the energy signatures surrounding the women in our group to the nomads to make them uninteresting. And staying in this room watching over the girls doesn’t help either.

“You won’t hurt them.” Alice tells me from her watchful position at the window, early morning light peaking in the crack in the curtains held open by her slender hand.

“Doesn’t make it any easier.” Taking calming breaths is a human technique, one that would increase the inferno in my throat. Meditation is all that can offer a modicum of peace, a skill I wish came easily.

I can feel her eyes assess me, even though my own are closed in concentration. “I can get us an adjoining room-”

I cut her off and crack an eye open, “And be further away? Absolutely not, I’d much rather suffer through hunger than adding a barrier from protecting you three for my comfort.”

“I’m not incapable of defending myself or the girls.” Her sharp tone makes me wince, so I give her my attention fully.

“I meant no disrespect… I know you are fully capable, but she is mine, Alice.” Surprise colors her emotions.

“She is your singer?” My sister questions in a gasp.

“You didn’t see that coming?” I joke with her, leaning back on the couch to stare at the ceiling.

She smacks my shoulder, “You know I’ve been preoccupied with Edward’s predicament with Isabella. The guy is as paranoid as they come!”

“I only figured it out Saturday, so it’s not like I’ve been sitting on the news for very long.” A sigh deflates my chest, “I haven’t told her.”

“You’ll find the right time when this is all over.” Her smile would be reassuring if I didn’t have the ability to sense the uncertainty in her emotions.

Reader

I spent all day yesterday sleeping while occasionally texting my mom to check in. I passed off another lie that we were just waiting on her mom to get here from Florida and that I’d be staying with Bella for a few days until then. I hope the others catch the nomads soon, I hate lying to my mom and I’m running out of material that’s legitimate enough to keep her placated.

The worry drags me from my shared bed with my friend, Alice got us a suite but with only one bed so our locations wouldn’t be spread thin. Fine by me, I wouldn’t be able to stand a room to myself just waiting.

Exiting the bedroom into the sitting room, I spot only Jasper with no Alice in sight.

“She’s acquiring food for you two, the lobby has free breakfast and the sun has barely risen.” He explains, lowering the newspaper in his hands.

I sit sideways on the couch facing him with my legs tucked in close, far enough away that I’m not touching him. Our confined situation mustn’t be easy on him and I don’t want to add to the difficulty, but I’m like a moth to his flame.

“Did you get enough sleep? I heard you tossing and turning.” A strong hand reaches up to gently run along the indentions my pillow made on my cheek, not the most attractive thing to wake up with in the morning.

“I’m fine, just restless and worried.” I caress the hand on my cheek and lean into it.

His brows furrow slightly, “You’re safe here with Alice and I-”

“No-no, I’m worried about Esme, Rose, your whole family, mom…” I glanced down at my lap and pick at the seam of my shirt, well actually Jasper’s shirt-I did a pretty shit job of packing and he let me borrow one of his to sleep in - I’m trying to not think about that too hard.

“My family can handle themselves, we’ve survived this long for a reason.” Jasper reassures me calmly.

“Yes, but protecting Bella and I has pulled you and Alice away from them-“

“And they’ll be alright. Besides, I have what they want and we’re across the country.”

“If they get angry and-and hurt one of them…” I can’t finish my sentence, anything happening to any one of them for my sake is too much to consider.

Jasper pulls me in for a hug, turning me so that I’m sitting in his lap with my face pressed to his neck and his hands rubbing my back soothingly. “Sweetheart, there’s more of us than them and we have more gifts, the odds are stacked in our favor. Especially with Alice-“

Just then the aforementioned vampire sweeps gracefully into our hotel room with a stack of to-go containers. “My ears were burning, do continue.” She teases us with a sweet smile as she sets the food before us on the coffee table.

“Jasper was just telling me there’s no point in worrying when we have a badass like you on our team.” I wink at her before opening a container with a waffle and bacon, cooked exactly like I prefer.

“You seemed like a soft bacon kinda girl,” I chuckle at her, amazed at her predictive skills. “I’ll go wake Bella.”

As she dances through the bedroom door, I slide out of Jasper’s lap and to the floor next to him, leaning against the couch I dig into my food. “It really is a shame you can’t eat, I’d miss bacon entirely too much if I were a vampire.”

“Something you’ll never have to find out, darlin’.” He chuckles as he goes back to reading the paper, but his words don’t quite sit right in my stomach.

Never have to find out? I suppose I hadn’t really thought of that. One day I’ll be old and wrinkly, meanwhile he will always be this, always be young. My appetite begins to shrink at the thought. Fuck - one day he won’t want me, I’ll be old and-

The newspaper rustles, “What-”

But Alice and Bella walk through the door and cut him off before he could ask what was bothering me.

I don’t even know what I’d say.

That I don’t like the idea that we’re on opposite ends of the mortality spectrum? That I won’t have forever with him? That I might be falling in love with him and I’ll just have to get over it at some point and let him go?

Wait-falling in love with Jasper Hale?

Shit.

#bless-my-demons #redamancy series #jasper hale x reader #twilight #twilight fanfiction #jasper hale #jasper hale fanfiction #jasper whitlock hale #jasper whitlock #female reader insert #jasper hale twilight #jasper hale x female!reader #romance

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hometoursandotherstuff · 1 year ago

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For the Craftsman lovers, this 1905 home in Globe, Arizona is perfectly preserved. No stupid modern black & white remodel, although the owner did make it her own. You'll see what I mean. (Lots of paint & wallpaper stripping.) 4bds, 2ba, $489K.

Okay, a Craftsman is traditionally earth tones, not pink with foo-foo drapes. I hope there's no wainscoting under that wallpaper, and I would like to take the carpet up. But, the pocket doors are there, the stone fireplace, etc. Nothing was removed or remodeled. By the looks of the dark soot, that's a working fireplace.

Look at this heavy original ceiling fixture.

Typical Craftsman book cases and columns divide the living and dining rooms.

Wainscoting is intact and so is the beautiful built-in china cabinet. The carpet does look fairly new, but there must be wood flooring under it.

The kitchen has the original tile walls, floor and even the ceiling. The cabinets are original, except that they painted them blue & white. I wonder if it would be worth it to strip them.

I'm thinking that the sink may have been by the window and they replaced it with that metal unit so they could fit in a dishwasher.

Completely original bath, but there goes the blue paint on all the wood.

Ah, you can see how nice the floor is under the carpet in this room. I love pink, but even I wouldn't have done this.

Off this bedroom is a wonderful stone sunporch. I don't know what's going on with the floor, but it looks like they laid down plywood sheets and painted them. Up they would come.

I like the wallpaper in here, but the pink clashes with the peach. And, that blue on the wood, again.

I think that this is a family room that they were using as a bedroom.

Creepy basement stairs and the stairs to the next level are side-by-side. (That carpet. It's everywhere.)

Looks like the attic was finished at a later date, but it's nice up here.

A typical feature of Craftsman is a built-in dresser.

Nice bedroom with the dormer alcove and built-in shelving.

This original bath looks great- no blue paint!

Looks like a little courtyard.

The lot measures .38 acre.

#craftsman home #craftsman architecture #old house dreams #houses #house tours #home tour

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spaghettificationandpretzels · 1 year ago

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A Gentle End

The last chapter of this was posted almost a year ago, and it's been a few months since I've posted. The truth is, life has been rough and I got a round of feedback that totally ruined my confidence so I'm taking a while to get back on the horse.

The final part of the Give Me Shelter

Contains: Angst, violence, answered questions.

1.9 K words

What is better than happy ever after?

Things had taken a turn for the better since that fateful day at the garage. The space that sometimes seemed to fill the house when he was home from a rough day was gone, replaced by the quiet of acceptance and understanding.

Right on cue, the door swung open, and Happy greeted the dogs before throwing off his shoes and walking over to you for a kiss. "How was you run dear?"

He smiled. "Good," there was a pause and he broke your gaze. "I didn't get any more info on who sent that text, it's starting to feel like we're never going to find out."

You sighed. "We've talked about this, I don't care who sent it."

You had been going back and forth for weeks over it, Happy was convinced that finding out who was behind the mess would fix everything, but you knew that once he opened that can of worms, there was no way to close it. Jax was acting like nothing happened, but given Tig's apology for leaving his phone unattended, you knew something was happening behind the scenes.

Happy flopped down on the couch, clearly ready to debate the matter again. "Well I do. I can't have someone fucking with my old lady, it just ain't right."

You knew you had to let it go, had you really asked, Happy would have dropped it, but the others wouldn't and for all his dysfunction, Jax still had some morals. "Fine, but I'm not going to be upset if you never get to the truth. I want to move on with life."

You sat next to him and leaned your head on his shoulder, and Happy reached up to stroke your cheek. You knew that now that the guns the drugs were done, things were going to calm down but the months between knowing the truth and the present had been rough and you were both tired.

"It's going to be alright little girl, I promise."

****

You awoke to knocking on the door, the dogs barking and Happy's arm slung over your naked back, you gave him a push and he groaned before rolling onto his back and rubbing his face. "That better not be one of the guys."

Happy, ever the quiet one, rubbed your leg lovingly then got up and headed towards the door. "Can you put some pants on please?"

He grinned and slid on a pair of black sweats before heading to the front door. You debated getting up to greet the interrupter but Happy made the choice for you when he called through the house that it was Juice. You threw on a robe and met them in the hallway. "You want some breakfast?"

Juice nodded with a smile. "Yes please, you got turkey bacon?" Of course you did, Juice was there enough that you always had some in the fridge.

He made himself at home as you got the food together and Happy went outside for a smoke. By the look on his face, you knew he wasn't there to deliver good news, Jax probably sent him because he knew you and Happy would take bad news better coming from his mouth.

Happy came back in and pecked your cheek before sitting next to Juice at the counter. "What are you doing here Juicy?"

Juice sighed and rubbed his face. "I know Jax promised you the weekend but Arizona will be here by six." Jax was right, there was no way you could say anything to Juice's puppy dog eyes and guilty face.

You sighed. "I'm sure Gemma will want help setting up the party. We'll have breakfast then we'll head off." You were really hoping to have a quiet day with Happy, maybe go to the park and get the dogs some pupcreams from the ice cream truck, but it seemed the ever problematic Arizona had other ideas.

"You sure you're alright with this little girl? That was a new thing too, Happy had been turning down the club a lot and more and more, and you believed that if you asked, he'd leave in a heartbeat.

You nodded. "Yeah, I gotta get out of the house anyway, this all the work at the shelter I haven't had much time to socialise." You sighed. "Breakfast first, then we'll whine about our lost lazy weekend."

****

The party was in full swing now and the conservation was easy as you sat in Happy's lap with a beer in hand. Arizona was milling around but things were strangely calm, until the biggest asshole of Arizona decided to approach the group. Nothing worked on him, the first time he had a go at you was after you brought the piglet to T-M and Happy beating the shit out of him changed nothing, nor did Juice punching him in the mouth after the next comment, when he said something horrible about the little tripod puppy that you had brought with you one day.

"I guess you're still hanging around." He was as smug as ever and a quick look at his chest showed why, despite everything, he was now the road captain.

You gave him a nasty smile and shot back your reply. "Yep, like a bad fucking smell, can I help you?"

Happy was tense at your back but he knew to let you handle it until it really crossed the line. "Nah, I was just curious about where your latest pathetic thing was. Did you get sick of playing Mother Teresa?"

There was no point in arguing, he was just being an asshole so you turned back to Jax and picked up where you left off. He didn't seem to like that because he spoke even louder, enough that everyone close could hear. "You really are bent on staying around, aren't you? I thought after you saw all that shit at the garage, you'd be out of here, maybe I should have given you more credit."

The statement struck you as odd because you didn't remember seeing him there that day, in fact, only one Arizona man was, the other had left ten minutes before to follow up on a lead. When you said as much, he tried to backtrack but the lie that someone told him fell flat, there was no way anyone would mention a witness.

You stood up, leaving room for Happy to jump in. "Did you take Tig's phone and send that text? Don't bother lying, it's pretty obvious that you did."

He crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled coldly. "Yeah I did, but hey, you're still around, so maybe I was wrong about you."

The room had gone silent and there was a chill in the air that could have frozen hell. "Are you saying you put the club at risk of capital charges because you wanted me to break up with my boyfriend?"

It seemed the oh shit moment came hard and fast because his eyes went wide before he collected himself and tried to recover. "I knew you wouldn't tell anyone, I just wanted Hap to know what you were really made of."

Happy was shaking with rage behind you but given the looks on the member's faces, this was more than just a matter between brothers now. Jax stood up, his face hard as stone and looked at you. "Go home y/n, please." You thought about refusing but Jax was mixing a thinly veiled demand with manners, you knew it was serious.

You pecked Happy's cheek and his only reaction was the slight turn of his head towards your lips before his eyes were back glaring daggers at the man. Jax shot a look at the prospect then back at you. "Call Rat if you need anything. I'll have your old man home before bedtime, don't worry." He turned to the group. "Church now."

You gave him a slight smile and walked towards the door, placing your hand on Happy's shoulder as you went. "I love you."

You didn't even meet your eye. "You too."

****

The door swung open but when you looked up, it was Chibs with his hand on the nob. Happy walked through and smiled at you and when you got a look at his hands, it was clear why you heard a car and not a bike pull into the driveway. "Can you fix him up Lass?"

Happy's hands were swollen and bruised and two of his fingers were at a strange angle. "I'll try." Chibs flashed a smile and left, and Happy sat on the couch while you got the first aid kit.

You sat the box on the table and waved at him to remove his bloodied shirt and a wave of rage came over you when you saw the fresh tattoo. "What the fuck is that?"

He grunted. "What do you think? I fucking killed him." You knew that was going to happen by Jax's tone when he called everyone to church.

You huffed. "I ain't talking about that. I'm talking about the fact that you sat for a tattoo with two broken fingers. Do you want to get arthritis?" You rubbed your face and started to clean the open gashes on his knuckles, it would be a lie to say you were gentle, he should have come home right away, the tattoo could have waited.

"I'm sorry." His voice cracked as he spoke and you set the gauze down to look into his eyes, they were rimmed red and his breath stuttered in his chest as he continued. "You didn't deserve any of this." You fought the urge to quip back about what the other guy looked like as you picked a fragment of tooth from his finger and he stopped you to place a black and blue hand over yours. "I love you."

You smiled as the anger faded from your chest, you were relieved that it was finally over. "I love you too." You returned to cleaning his hands with your regular gentleness this time and he looked at you lovingly until you were done. "I'm going to get you some ice and some pain meds, you'll need to rest for a few weeks while those heal."

He wrapped his arms around you as you stood up and pulled you into a hug, his warm embrace making you realise how late it was and how tired you felt. "Can I shower with these?" You nodded. "Alright little girl, I'm gonna clean up, you wanna head to bed?"

You parted ways and went to go to the kitchen for a glass of water but halfway there, Happy walked to your side and brushed your wrist with the back of his bandaged hand before grabbing your fingers gently as you fought the urge to laugh at his limited mobility. "What is it honey?"

"Marry me." He sounded head serious.

"What?" It wasn't that you were going to say no, you were just shocked that he was doing it now. You figured he'd do it with his mum and aunt there, maybe some of the guys.

He placed one hand on your shoulder and rested the other one on your cheek. "Marry me," he took a breath. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, marry me."

You felt your eyes well with tears. "Ok, I'll marry you."

His face broke into a grin and he took your face in his hands as he pulled you into a kiss. You could feel the love and affection in his touch as his lips pressed against yours. He pulled back for a moment to look into your eyes, brushing your nose with his as he spoke. "I love you so much."

You placed your hand on his cheeks and smiled. "I love you too Hap."

He was smiling again and let out a chuckle. "I better call mum."

The end

#give me shelter #happy lowman fanfiction #happy lowman #happy lowman x reader #happy lowman imagine #david labrava #sons of anarchy #sons of anarchy fluff #sons of anarchy fanfiction #sons of anarchy imagine #samcro

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spidercookie18 · 1 year ago

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𝕋𝕃𝔹 𝔹𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕃𝕦𝕔𝕪

Summary: how Lucy wins over the boys

Tags: General mom behavior, implied drug use, fluff, mentions of loss of family

Asked by @ria-coolgirl

Lucy is the mom of moms. After the wildchild life she lived and the hardass dad that Grandpa E used to be, she wanted to be someone who took care of everyone. She wanted to make every young person who crossed her path feel loved, seen, and safe.

She is used to being a boy mom. But now that she's unofficially adopted all TLB as her own sons, she's got more than she can handle. She wants to be very hands-on with them in the beginning. Bringing them gifts, checking their clothes for holes, and sewing them, making sure they're eating and getting enough rest. But the boys have been on their own for quite some time. They're not so familiar with the motherly loving that Lucy tries to offer them.

After a while she realized, if they didn't want something from her, they just wouldn't take it. She took to leaving snacks and new clothes on the back porch of her dad's house as if the boys were wild animals. Sometimes they took jackets, or snacks and sometimes when she checked the next night, the gifts would still be there. She never knew when to expect them.

Lucy knew that Michael hung out with TLB pretty regularly, and that he would spend the night with them somewhere... but she didn't exactly know.

For the first few years she hardly ever saw the boys. She could hear them in the next room over, being loud and knocking stuff over whenever Michael had them over. But when she would try to go into the room to see them in a few moments they would be out the window and back into the night.

Now, this was not because the boys were scared of her. For the first few months, they were SURE she was some informant for Max so that he could spy on them. Then, after that, Marko had got it in his head that Lucy was actually a Martian who replaced Michael's mom when they passed through New Mexico. And Mike had to explain to him how New Mexico was, in fact, to the East of Arizona.

Then boys were just leery of her because she was "an adult," but mostly, they were just scared that she was trying to be their mom. They had their own mothers many many moons ago. They missed their human families, and Lucy offering her motherly love brought back feelings they had long since pushed away.

She didn't know this, and the boys especially didn't express this.

But Lucy, ever persistent, did her best to be kind to them. She made cookies and cakes, she left them scarfs she'd made, or anything she could think of that they might want or use. She left new socks, new gloves, sewing thread, new needles, and she tried her damnest to show them she wasn't there to be a mean stepmother.

Pau was unsurprisingly the first to accept her love. He was in Grandpa E's house in the bathroom, trying to get something out of his tangled hair to no avail. The other boys had left without him (unbeknownst to him), and Lucy was there doing Michael's and Sam's laundry, as she didn't like doing it at Max's house. (She says his machine is too complicated for her.) Lucy was carrying a load of laundry upstairs to Mike's room when she heard some grunting and cussing coming from the bathroom. Paul was too focused on getting the tangled mess of twigs and stickers (grass stickers) from the back of his head after he fell through a bush. He only heard someone coming up the stairs and figured it was David or Dwayne and called them into the bathroom for help. To his horror, Lucy came through the bathroom door carrying a load of fresh, clean, laundry.

He stood there, frozen, remembering how he and the boys had been so adamant about avoiding her for the past few years. Lucy didn't think of any of that, none of how they had been scurrying from her view had crossed her mind. All she saw was one of her boy's having trouble with his hair. She immediately put the laundry down and rushed to his side with a, "oh sweetheart, let me help you."

Paul was frozen with fear. Not because he was actually afraid of her, but because he worried what David would say to him when he found out that Paul let Lucy corner him. He couldn't see a way out of the bathroom without pushing her out of the way, and he didn't really wanna hit a woman (much less Mike's mom). She hused his concerns and turned his head to see what he was trying to get at in his hair. "Oh honey, this is not a one man job." She sat on the edge of the tub and called him to sit between her legs so she could try and get the burrs out. Paul eyed her and the door. He REALLY was torn between rushing out of the bathroom and letting her help him. If his head wasn't hurting him so bad he might have taken off, but he, defeated, walked over to Lucy and sat his butt down on the rug by the tub.

He was nervous, to say the least. "Hand me the brush, sweetheart." She called from behind him, and he put his arm over his shoulder with the hairbrush. She was very gentle, and she sat with him for HOURS, gently brushing his hair out and getting all the twigs and stickers out without pulling on his hair. After the first hour, he relaxed immensely. She talked to him about her mom and how she would brush her hair out. She told him how Sam and Michael used to have MUCH longer hair and how she would have to brush theirs out when they fought in bushes. Paul learned soooo many of Michael's secrets and childhood stories. He loosened up and let Lucy brush his hair out, and when he did, he started purring. It caught him and Lucy by surprise.

She stopped brushing and started at the blond boy sitting between her legs, and Paul stated straight ahead and the open door. He was embarrassed; mortified. He wanted to shrink away and pretend he never did that. Lucy could feel that he was ashamed, so she did what any mother would do to calm her child. She patted his head, continued to brush his hair out, and finished her story like nothing happened. This put him at ease a bit, and he let her continue. He tried his best to keep the LOUD purring away, but continued to vibrate softly while she brushed him.

After that night, Paul was around Lucy as much as Sam and Michael. He helped her with any chores she had and happily ate the food she made and kept the gifts she gave him. The other boys were still suspicious of her but soon Marko and Dwayne came around to her. After they ate some of the lasagna she gave Paul, they changed their tunes. Paul and Lucy got pretty close, the mama's boy of the group.

Marko and Dwayne sat with Paul and Lucy on one of their smoke sessions soon thereafter. Lucy and Paul chose one night a month for them to watch romcoms together. They'd watched about 5 at this point, and Marko and Dwayne got curious about what they were up to and decided to watch from a distance. The saw Paul rolling something and hand it to Lucy, and the both of them sat on the couch, smoking and eating popcorn while they watched their "girly movie".

They were watching 'Somethings Gotta Give'. Marko and Dwayne were miming Jack Nicholson putting on his driving gloves, making fun of David and the way he puts on his gloves.

By the end of the movie, they were sitting on the floor by the couch and crying.

David on the other hand does not want anything to do with her. He sees the boys hanging out with her as a betrayal to their mothers. He feels angry at them, and deeply saddened for the loss of his mother. It brings up feelings and memories for him that he has pushed away for centuries.

He stops hanging out with Michael as much and starts to stay in the cave longer. His depression getting the better of him. Lucy notices this immediately, and she understands his pain. She was lost when her mother passed. It was something that still hurts her deeply, and when she thinks of it, she has to stop and breathe deeply. She gives him his space. Lucy knows that she is not trying to erase the memory of their mothers, and that she is certainly not trying to replace them. She understands wholly that the boys loved them, and that they had their own lives before her. She is patient and kind with her vampire stepsons when they need it, but she takes pride in caring for them and guiding them when they need it. And in turn, they guide her as a fledgling.

Most days, she prefers to learn from the boys more than Max. He's a special kind of teacher, where you're thrown to the sharks, rather than taught how to do something.

David actually came around to Lucy when he saw her scolding him for being too harsh on the boys. David is incredibly protective of his clan, and anyone he has claimed as "his". He hates when Max yells or threatens his brothers or Michael, but when Lucy saw Max yelling at Paul, she stepped in and stopped him. David was actually impressed how instinctively stepped in between them-faster than he could. She gently scolded Paul and sent him on his way, and turned around and snapped at Max- very momma bear instincts.

David took to watching her more closely after that. He was intrigued by her and her "mom" tendencies.

He was always peculiar about how she behaved with his brothers. How attentive she was of Mike and Sam. She scolded them and teased them like any mom, and yes, when she needed to, she yelled at all of them. But mostly, she just wanted to keep them safe and happy.

While he wasn't entirely ready to accept her the way they had, he was likely never going to let her brush his hair like Paul did. On the next Romcom night, he sat on the arm of the couch and silently ate popcorn with the group. He didn't make any comments, he didn't get any closer to Lucy, but he sat and smiled with her, his brothers, and Mike and Sam.

Lucy is more than happy with this.

#the lost boys #tlb 1987 #the lost boys 1987 #tlb david #tlb paul #tlb marko #tlb dwayne #lucy the lost boys #lucy emerson #michael emerson #sam emerson

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gvfgal · 2 years ago

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Barbarian. Biker!Jake

Prologue: Once A Barbarian, Always A Barbarian.

STRICTLY 18+, minors beat it

A/n: Welcome! I’m excited about this one, and I hope you guys are too. First chapter will be out in the next few days, this is just to get a good introduction to what you’re getting yourself into. Fair warning, there are a lot of dark themes to this story (we’re talking biker gangs). It’s a little raunchy, a little raw, but overall, I think we’ll all enjoy. As usual, I’ll place content warnings at the beginning of each chapter, and if you’d like to be added to the taglist, let me know <3 Without further ado…

Content Warnings: Death of a family member, explicit language, sexual themes, alcohol consumption, smoking, violence, blood, asshole Jake (gotta love him though). Reader is not included in this part of the story!!!

Word Count: 2.9k

The sweltering Arizona sun caused beads of sweat to roll down Jake’s temple as he inspected beneath the hood of an old Corolla. The woman who brought it in was complaining of an odd noise, and insisted that Jake be the one to inspect it. He wasn’t surprised by this, the same woman had been in several times over the course of the last few months, each time wearing less and less.

It could’ve very well been due to the rapidly approaching summer, but Jake suspected it had to do with something else.

He could feel her watching him intently as he moved his flashlight around, but decided to pay her no mind. Sure, she was a conventially attractive woman, but cougars weren’t exactly his type.

“So what’s the diagnosis, doc?” she asked, tone sultry as she leaned against the side of her slightly rusted car. Jake retreated from under the hood, shoving the small flashlight into his jeans pocket and using his forearm to wip the sweat from his brow.

Her eyes were raking over him shamelessly, a hungry look in her eyes as she admired the way his muscle shirt clung to his torso. Jake’s own eyes fell to her overly exposed chest, on display and practically spilling over the thin spaghetti strapped tank top she was wearing. When he realized the staring could probably continue for a lot longer, he shifted his gaze towards the waiting car, jerking his head in it’s direction.

“Your suspension components are fried. When’s the last time you had those things replaced?”

“God, I don’t know,” she sighed, “my husband was usually the one who kept up with that,” a flirty smirk played on her lips as she took a step closer to Jake, “we’re divorced now.”

He watched with little intrigue as her tongue appeared to swipe across her bottom lip that was coated in fuchsia lipstick.

“Good to know.” He began searching his pockets for a lighter while retrieving the cigarette that was tucked behind his ear.

“What does somethin’ like that cost anyway?” she feigned exasperation. Internally rolling his eyes, Jake brought the cigarette to his mouth and flicked the lighter to life. He knew well where this conversation was going, and out of sheer boredom, he decided to entertain it. He figured the best that could come from it was a quick blowjob in the back office on his lunch break.

Once his cigarette was burning steadily, he tucked his lighter away and dropped the hood of the car shut to lean against it. “Well,” a cloud of smoke appeared over his head as he freed his mouth to speak, “for the parts, we’re looking at about eight fifty. Including labor, about twelve hundred.”

She didn’t appear to be phased by the large total as she moved to step into Jake’s space, trapping him between her arms with a hand on either side of him against the warm hood of the car. “Any special discounts?”

Jake smirked at her as he brought his cigarette to hover in front of his mouth, “I think I can come up with something.”

Before she had a chance to reply, Jake’s boss came barreling out the back door, not angry by any means, just simply by his nature. “Jake,” his voice boomed, “there’s someone out front for you.”

The woman’s eyes stayed fixed on Jake’s face as he turned to look at his boss, sending him a quick nod, “be right there, Hank.”

He took a moment to assess the unique position that Jake was in before shaking his head and dissapearing back inside.

Jake was wearing a smile as he retuned his attention to the overly eager woman, “what did you say your name was again, sweetheart?”

“Candice,” floated past her lips as if it felt good to say.

“Well, Candice,” he pointed over to where one of his coworkers was unloading boxes from a delivery truck, “go talk to my man Drew over there. He’ll get you all taken care of.”

He tapped her bare thigh, and she immediately stepped aside, slightly dumbfounded at how quickly he’d changed his mind. Little did she know, he was hardly interested to begin with.

“Wait, but-”

He was entering the shop before she had a chance to continue, nodding his head at some of the men inside as he continued to smoke. The AC was a nice break before he was once again thrusted outside, squinting his eyes to see who his mystery visitor was.

At first, he didn’t recognize the man. But when he glanced over at what he assumed to be his motorcycle , the metal plate plastered on the front was unmistakable. Two heavy axes crossed at the handle, written underneath it in old English font, ‘Barbarians’. As Jake drew closer, the man’s smiling face became more familiar, and his heartbeat grew quicker in excitement and confusion.

“Ace?” he put his cigarette out on the hood of one of the scrap cars and tucked it back behind his ear as he picked up his pace. He didn’t wait for a response, throwing his arms around the man’s large frame. Ace immediately returned the gesture, grabbing Jake up like the son he’d always been to him.

“It’s good to see you kid,” Ace chuckled as he patted him roughly on the back.

It had been almost ten years since the two had last seen each other, Ace’s face being one of the last Jake saw as he drove his Harley out of Nevada, swearing he’d never return.

“What are you doing here? Ho-how’d you find me?” he stepped back to look at Ace again, noting the way his age had begun to show on his face.

“Wasn’t easy. Tried tracking you down myself, but ended up having to call your mom in the end,” he scoffed, “she hasn’t changed much.”

The shared a quick laugh before Ace went serious, looking down at the gravel beneath his feet, “it’s uh, it’s your dad, Jake.”

Jake was silent and unwavering, his facial features not giving away the intense anxiety that began coursing through his veins. When he didn’t answer, Ace looked back at him in disappointment, “he passed away back on Friday.”

Anyone in their right mind would’ve broken down at the news, drowned in a pool of their own tears, but Jake could do no such thing, not after the hell his father put him through for eighteen years. All he could do was blink as the stark reality set in.

“How?” he finally managed to produce as he looked into Ace’s sorrowful eyes. Ace and his father had been friends years before Jake came along, and through the brotherhood of the Barbarians, their relationship only grew stronger. Jake knew he must’ve been taking it hard, but was doing his best not to show it.

“Acute liver failure. By the time the ambulance got there, it was too late.”

“Oh,” Jake nodded. A moment of silence stretched on between them as Ace appeared reminiscent.

“He said something to me, Jake, before he… went.” Jake waited for him to continue, “he asked me to bring you back. Back to Genoa, so you could be a part of the Barbarians again. The right way.”

How he hadn’t seen that coming, he had no idea. And the fact that he hadn’t, only served to make him angrier when it was spoken aloud.

He scoffed bitterly, “not a fucking chance.”

“Jake, wait,” Ace called out as Jake turned to storm back inside, “wait!”

“Wait for fucking what, Ace?” Jake spat as he stopped to face him again. “You know more than anyone else what that motherfucker put me through. He cared more about the Barbarians than he did his own son!” The two were standing chest to chest now, Jake not feeling the least bit uneasy at Ace’s menacing frame. He knew he’d never lay a hand on him and vice versa. This was all a display of male testosterone at it’s finest.

“You know growing up, all I ever heard was how much he wanted me to take over the gang. And I told him that as long as he was alive…” his words trailed off as reality once again struck him. His entire body deflated, backing down from Ace as he casted his eyes away.

Ace gave him a moment to process before he opened his mouth again, “exactly. Things have changed. And you’re right, I do know better than anyone what you’ve been through, but I also know how much the Barbarians used to mean to you, too.”

Jake looked back at him, his face still contorted in anger.

“And when you left, I let you. I knew it was for the best and for ten years I let you be. But regardless of that, you’re still one of us, Jake. You were born to be a Barbarian, it’s in your blood. And now that he’s gone, it’s time for you to take your place.”

Jake’s refusal to respond caused Ace to slap a rough hand on his shoulder, calling his attention back to him.

“I’m not asking you to take things over,” he spoke up again, more empathetically this time, “just to fill an empty space. The guys, they’re… kinda lost. Rex’s hard work is what kept us afloat all these years. And without him…” he trailed off, leaving Jake to fill in the blank on his own.

Jake shook his head. If his dad was half as good of a parent as he was a gang leader, maybe his feelings would be different. But as of right now, he remained sturdy in his rage.

“Just think about it, Jake,” Ace sighed, giving up the battle. “His service is this Friday, we’d like for you to come speak.”

When he as aware that Jake no longer had anything to say, he sent him another pat on the shoulder, something he had been doing since Jake was little.

“It was good seeing you again, kid.” Ace gave him one last look before mounting his bike. He cranked it to life and tugged his helmet on before pulling out of the dirt driveway. Jake watched as he rode off into the distance, the larger Barbarins emblem planted on the back of his leather jacket becoming smaller and smaller the further he traveled. When he was gone, Jake turned to go back to work, his once chipper mood now soured.

The rest of his day dragged on slowly, his mind still processing the fact that his father was really dead. They hadn’t spoken in years, and the fact that they never would again was a concept that was hard to grasp. Something deep down inside of him hoped that they’d be able to make amends, that they’d work through all their differences and become a proper father son duo. That part of him mourned the loss. But another part of him was relived. With the all too real possibility that things could never be fixed, he felt like his death was saving him from disappointment.

But that was only part of the dilemma.

Going back to Nevada, to the shit hole called Genoa, to be a Barbarian again, that was a different story. Ace was right, the Barbarians did mean a lot to Jake, but that was before he left. The longer he stayed away, the more he saw it for what it really was. Growing up, Jake had a first hand look into what being a Barbarian brought. Sure, it brought brotherhood that was stronger than blood, something most men never experienced in their lifetime. But it also brought about the type of turmoil that every man hoped they’d never have to face.

The specter of morality forever loomed, a constant companion shadowing every breath. In it’s chilling embrace, one’s innocence withered, like petals scorched by an unforgiving flame. The relentless grip of fate coerced them down a treacherous path, where the weight of sins they never sought haunted their every step, etching deep scars into their souls that would never fade.

And with how deep in his father was, he was surprised he didn’t meet a worse fate.

Jake couldn’t escape the recollection of the the time when he, rather eagerly, invited the shadowy presence into his life. But now, it’s allure had waned, losing it’s once in enticing grip. He yearned for more— more than the transient pleasure veiled in darkness. He hadn’t seen it yet, nor felt it, but he knew it was out there.

By the time he made it home, it was pitch black outside to match his mood. He could’ve burned the house down form the heat he was emitting. Kira was sitting on his couch when he got inside, and for some reason, that angered him even more. They’d only been seeing each other for about two weeks, and the majority of those days were spent drinking, smoking, and fucking. When people asked, Kira said she was Jake’s girlfriend, when the same question was bestowed upon him, his only response was, “something to do.”

Jake pinched the bridge of his nose, “Kira, get out, please.”

She’d hardly noticed his presence at first, too engulfed in whatever was playing on the Tv. But when she heard his tone, and the words that accompanied it, she turned to him.

“What?”

“Get out. I need to be alone.”

“Jake what—”

“Kira, get the fuck out!”

She scrambled to her feet, quickly gathering her belongings into her bag as she shimmied her feet into her shoes. She eyed Jake as she passed him, but the look on his face dared her to not say a word. He heard the door shut behind him, signaling him to untense his body. He shuffled his way into the kitchen and grabbed up a half empty bottle of Johnny Walker and plopped down on the couch, turning the tv off.

There he sat with his thoughts as he drained the bottle sip by sip. Thoughts of his father, the good and the bad. The joys of riding on the back of his bike before he had one to call his own. Joking and laughing together until the sun came up, sometimes wit the entire gang. The nights of arguing so loudly that his voice was hoarse the next morning. The fists thrown in anger. The reconciliation.

He thought about the Barbarians. The community. The family. The funerals, the violence, the heartache. Surely, he could never go back to that. But even still, he had a duty. A duty that that was sealed by the shedding of his blood some eleven years ago.

Jake’s face was bloodied and bruised, having reached the end of his Barbarians initiation. The gang was in an uproar, drunk out of their minds and shouting like a pack of wild men, thrilled for the acceptance of one of their newest and youngest member. The son of their leader, only eighteen years old, but sure to make an impact on the gang in the way that his father had.

Once the men finished the job, Rex emerged from the crowd, his face turned up into a scowl. It was the face of a ruthless gang leader, not the face of a father.

“It is a Barbarians sworn duty to always serve this family. You have a duty to live and die by the Code of the Barbarians,” he barked as Jake struggled to catch his breath. “It is your duty to lay down your life, if need be, for the good of this family. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Jake choked out as he spit a mouthful of blood onto the dirt.

“I said do you understand, probee?!”

Jake stood taller, summoning his last bit of strength, “yes!”

Rex smirked, “boys, I think he’s ready.”

Two other Barbarians, Steeljaw (a nickname gained after a horrific motorcycle accident that left him with a reconstructed jaw made of steel), and Madcap (an even longer, crazier story), approached Jake from behind, each holding the sleeve of an official Barbarians jacket. Before they could place it on his shoulder, Jake’s dad raised a hand to stop them, looking directly into Jake’s eyes, one swollen almost shut.

“Say it.”

“Once a Barbarian, always a Barbarian.”

“Once a Barbarian, always a Barbarian!” his dad shouted, turning to the other men in the gang.

They repeated the phrase back to him in unison, and began cheering as the men helped Jake into the jacket.

The celebration commenced, and Rex grabbed Jake up into a tight hug. He winced at the pressure on his sore rib, believing that it was more than likely broken.

“I’m proud of you, kid.” His dad muttered into his ear.

Jake hugged him back to the best of his ability. Half way happy that he was finally a part of something his father loved so much, and halfway feeling like he signed his own death certificate.

Now beyond drunk, Jake stumbled his way into his bedroom. He flung the door of the closet open, pushing all of his clothes to the side to reveal that very jacket he’d received that night. It had since collected a thin layer of dust, but the large Barbarian logo plastered on the back seemed unscathed. It was as bright and clear as ever, some kind of sign, Jake was sure.

“Fuck,” he cursed as he yanked the jacket from its hanger, pulling it onto his body like he swore he’d never do again. The feeling of it’s aged leather on his body was familiar yet foreign. Comforting yet menacing.

He turned to face the mirror, taking in the way the jacket still fit him like a glove, like he was made to wear it.

Once a Barbarian, always a Barbarian.

1. Homeward Bound

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cariantha · 1 year ago

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Talk is Cheap (1/2)

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Sawyer Brooks) Rating: General Warning: Mentions of pregnancy Category: AU; Angst (with a happy ending) Word count: 1.5K Prompt: What would have been the outcome if Sawyer had discovered that she was pregnant whilst Ethan was in the Amazon? A/N: The theme song for this fic is “Go Get Her” by Restless Road. Part 1 of this AU follows my HC for E&S up until the unexpected event at the end. Part 2 will be posted in a couple days.

After Ethan rescinded his resignation from Edenbrook, he and Sawyer agreed to keep some distance until she was no longer an intern and he was no longer her boss. But that was easier said than done. Having crossed the line, they found it impossible to go back to their respective sides. They were able to keep up appearances at work, but after hours they spent their time together in Ethan’s apartment, hiding from the world.

Ethan was quick to share the exciting news with Sawyer as soon as he received the offer. He told her that he had been invited to join a team organized by the World Health Organization. The carefully selected team would be traveling to an indigenous village in the Amazon. They hoped to prevent the further spread of an unknown virus and provide much-needed medical care.

Sawyer had mixed feelings. She knew this was something he had always wanted to do, and she outwardly supported and encouraged his upcoming adventure. But inwardly, now that they were finally together, she selfishly wanted him to stay.

When Naveen announced Ethan as his replacement and appointed Sawyer to the diagnostics team, Ethan promised her that they would “figure it out.” Sawyer had no reason to believe otherwise. To date, they had successfully kept their secret under wraps. It wasn’t ideal, but if it meant they could continue to be together, why fix what wasn’t broken?

All too soon, the time came for them to say goodbye. Standing in his doorway, Ethan framed Sawyer’s face between his hands. He studied her face, committing her features to memory, before planting a final kiss on her lips. “I’ll see you in a couple months.”

“Will you check in once you’re there and settled?” Sawyer asked hopefully.

Ethan gave a nod, then watched as Sawyer flashed a sad but affectionate smile before walking away.

<><><><><><><><><><>

After a week with no contact, Sawyer tried to call him. No answer. She followed up a few days later with a text message. No reply. Two weeks had passed without a single acknowledgment from Ethan.

She gave him the benefit of doubt. He was in the jungle after all, and maybe communication with the outside world was a challenge. But as more days passed, she started to wonder if something had happened. Something that would make him shut everyone out, again. Like the time he thought he failed his mentor and quit his job.

With just a couple hours left of her shift one afternoon, Sawyer stepped onto the elevator to find Naveen dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief. “Hey there, are you feeling okay?” she asked. Given his recent medical ordeal, she was immediately concerned.

“I’m fine, dear. Not to worry. I just came from outside.”

Acknowledging the unseasonably warm weather, Sawyer commiserated, “Being from Arizona, I can take the heat. But the humidity? Ugh. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”

“It can be downright uncomfortable. Though Ethan would probably welcome it given the climate where he's currently stationed. Poor fellow. His shirt has been completely soaked both times I’ve spoken to him.”

Sawyer felt a sudden stabbing pain in the center of her chest. Her heart slowly bleeding out, she tried to maintain her composure. “You… you’ve spoken with him?”

Naveen, who was once the nation’s leading diagnostician, knew immediately from the change in her tone and body language that something was amiss.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened to the fifth floor. Emotions betraying her, Sawyer swept a finger along her lower lashes to catch the tears that threatened to spill. It didn’t go unnoticed.

Naveen quickly pressed the button to close the elevator doors. “I have some tissues in my office,” he offered, reaching out to give her hand a quick squeeze. When the doors opened again, this time to the seventh floor, the chief led his personal lifesaver to his office. Once they were seated, he pushed a box of tissues toward her and asked, “When was the last time you spoke with him?”

“The night before he left town.” She told him that she had tried to call and text, but Ethan hadn’t responded. “I-I don’t understand. Things were good… we were good.”

Naveen offered consolation, sharing his disappointment in the man who had become like a son to him. “I’m sorry, Sawyer. He’s an idiot. Plain and simple. I can offer no other excuse for his behavior.”

Despite her heartbreak, she couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at his candor, grateful for the validation.

“I have heard the way he speaks about you. Seen the way he acts around you. He lights up! Do you know how rare that is? You are special to him, Sawyer,” he reassured. Then with a sigh, "One thing I've learned about Ethan is that he feels deeply, and when those feelings become overwhelming, he shuts down. If I had to hazard a guess, that's the reason he has ghosted you."

She nodded, processing the information. “I love that you know what ‘ghosting’ is,” she said with an appreciative smile. Not wanting to take up any more of his time, Sawyer stood to leave. “Thank you, Naveen. I should get back to my patients.”

A couple minutes later, as if summoned by the universe, Ethan’s name and picture appeared on Naveen’s vibrating phone. “Were your ears ringing just now?” Naveen answered.

His protégé furrowed his brow. "Why would they be?"

“I just had a chat with the newest member of the diagnostics team. You remember Sawyer, of course?”

Ethan huffed and shook his head in frustration.

With parent-like disappointment in his tone, Naveen asked, “What are you doing, son?”

Like an annoyed teenager, Ethan looked away from the camera. Whatever was or was not happening between him and Sawyer was none of Naveen’s business. Part of him blamed Naveen for putting them into this situation in the first place. As he gazed into the distance, carefully considering his response, Ethan missed when Naveen’s attention was momentarily diverted by a gentle rap on the door.

Sawyer poked her head in and pointed to the desk. “Sorry, I forgot my pager,” she mouthed.

Naveen gestured for her to come in.

“How is she?”

Sawyer froze when she heard the familiar voice, her terrified eyes flicking up to Naveen’s.

Looking back down at his phone screen, Naveen countered, “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

“What?” The view in Ethan’s hand blurred before finally coming into focus on Sawyer’s equally panicked expression.

The lovers-turned-strangers stared at each other for an awkward moment until Ethan finally broke the silence. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she reciprocated, voice steady despite the thundering in her chest.

Naveen handed his phone to Sawyer. “Why don’t you kids catch up? I need to check in with my assistant before she leaves for the day.”

Reluctantly taking the phone, she watched Naveen retreat. Only after the door clicked shut did she turn her attention back to the now guilt-ridden face on the screen.

"How have you been?" he asked with trepidation.

Sawyer shook her head defiantly. She didn’t care about pleasantries. She wanted answers. Fighting back the tears that she had just gotten under control, she cut to the chase.

“I thought you and I… I thought we meant something to each other… I thought we were together,” she fumbled for the right words.

“We were.”

“We were? Past tense?” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Did I do something wrong? Something to upset you?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Sawyer.”

“Is there someone else?”

“No,” he said firmly with a shake of his head. “No.”

“Then why, Ethan?” she pleaded for understanding.

“For the same reasons I stopped things in Miami. I can’t be–if I am–your career is–and you mean too–”

The connection became unstable, with Sawyer only able to catch every few words that he spoke. “You keep cutting out… Ethan, you’re breaking up–” The screen suddenly turned black and the call ended. “You’re breaking up..." she repeated, the double-meaning not lost on her, “with me.”

Falling into a chair, Sawyer covered her mouth, muting the quiet sob that she could no longer contain. “God, I’m so stupid.” After a couple minutes, she sniffed back her tears and composed herself. Cracking the door open, she found Naveen with his hip perched on his assistant’s desk.

He couldn’t help but notice her reddened, blotchy cheeks. His questioning eyes met her bloodshot, swollen ones. Sawyer answered with a shake of her head, handed him his phone, then turned and briskly walked away.

<><><><><><><><><><>

A month later, Sawyer sat on a paper-lined exam table chewing on her thumbnail, waiting for the doctor to enter.

Knock, knock. A slightly older woman dressed in pink scrubs entered the room. “Hi Sawyer, I don’t think we’ve officially met. I’m Dr. Moore.”

“Hi,” Sawyer greeted. Not usually one to shy away from small talk, her anxiety made the task seem impossible.

Dr. Moore sat down on a low stool, wheeling closer to Sawyer with a tablet in hand. “I have your test results. Your pregnancy test is positive.” As the doctor spoke of conception and due dates, and suggested a quick ultrasound to confirm, a single tear fell from the corner of Sawyer’s eye.

Part Two

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