#finding good pictures of Amelia is rough

[raewritesfiction]

Let me be your fantasy series - part 1 - I kissed a girl

A/N: I’m sorry this took so damn long. I wanted to make sure I got it right.

Plot: you are long term friends with Eija Skarsgard and after some drinking there is some experimentation. Reader is inexperienced with women while Eija is not.

Pairing: AU Eija x Female! Reader

Warnings: wlw pwp. Alcohol. Smut, oral, fingering, penetration with dildo. Talk of kink (bondage, filming, spanking, squirting)

Word count: 3,361

[[ Lemme know if you wanna be added or removed from tags; no questions asked ♥️ likes are amazing however I really appreciate Reblogs to help spread my writing further! Thank you 🌈😘]]

Tag List: @thegreatlarryfisherman @iraniq @snewsome756 @vikkikrash @amelia-in-w0nderland @pandaliciouz @crispyimagines17 @marie-is-blogging @bonniebird @nutinanutshell @louise-buchan @differentcatcat @madsadgenius @sycochick @dreamtherapy @venusbabysblog

—

The drinks had been flowing all night and it was just what you needed; you’d been talking about your terrible dating life with Eija whom you’d hadn’t seen for a good catch up in months due to your conflicting schedules.

“…no but that was the worst date… not the most embarrassing.” You state and finish your drink. “I’m gonna need another to tell this story…”

Eija obliges and happily pours out a large drink for you, making you a custom cocktail.

“Okay, I’m ready… I need to hear this.” She giggles.

“So I had a sort of…. Bed buddies situation with this guy. Now before I say anything else, you have to know that he’s ridiculously good looking and knows how to use it to his advantage. He has some kinks and helped me discover a few of mine. So I’ve been going to his place for some ‘play time’ for about three months, there’s no feelings though; it’s all just a way for us to let off steam. He’s seeing other girls and I’m seeing other guys.”

Eija nods and sips her drink while watching you intently.

“Well this one day I head over and he asks to record us. I say sure but if I ever find it anywhere except in his possession I’m gonna sue him. He agrees and says he just gets off harder from being filmed. Okay fine. So I am tied down to the bed with my legs up in the air..”

Eija raises an eyebrow at your candidness on the subject “ooh la la” stirring the ice in her drink with a straw.

“Yeah…I’m blindfolded and can’t see anything at all, he’s going at it, and yes we were always safe too, don’t worry… I’m on orgasm number four or five, my brain was mush at this point, he has a vibe against my clit while he’s spanking my ass enough to leave handprints. I am riding the high, it’s amazing… and I hear a quiet whisper. I don’t think much of it, we’re both being loud so I thought maybe he’s getting close and y’know can’t speak loudly. Not gonna lie, my pussy has been known to do that to men..”

Eija smirks and continues to watch you, crossing her legs towards you.

“But the whispering doesn’t stop and then I scream, I squirt and he lets out this rough moan I’ve never heard from him before, his hips stop and I hear…. Another voice.”

Eija’s eyes go wide “….what?”

You nod and down half your drink in one mouthful. “I hear an old voice…”

“Old? How old?”

“Well I shuffle my head and managed to free myself from the blindfold only to find his grandmother watching us from the doorway.”

Eija gasps and covers her mouth “WHAT?!” She looks shocked but can’t hold back a chuckle.

“Yup. He’s still inside me and I’m trembling from y’know… the orgasms… and she is stood watching us. The weirdest part is that he didn’t seem to care!”

Eija is full on giggling now, quite clearly picturing the scene in her head.

“So I yell at him and order him to untie me or at least cover me up and he starts to usher his granny out and tells her to close the door. She shuffles off, leaving the door open and over the following twenty minutes I discover this was her house, not his, she’s been home every time I’ve been over to play and yes she heard everything…”

You finish your drink “I have never showered so fast in my life, I left super quickly and then showered again when I got home for a good two hours. I felt the wrong kind of dirty!”

Eija is full on laughing at your horror story “I’m sorry, oh god I’m so sorry. I can’t help it!”

You sigh and shake your head “it’s fine… I can laugh about it now but at the time I had never felt so embarrassed!”

Eija tries to drink through her laughs and instead falls into giggles “but wait, he was filming all that!?”

“Oh yeah…. Yeah.” You nod and grumble “I told him to delete it and somehow it turned into him telling me it was the most fun he’d had in a long time and then I found out he liked the fact ‘someone’ could hear him….”

“Oh but…. His grandma?!” Eija screws up her face. “I don’t think I’d ever be able to look mine in the face again if she heard the things I did!”

You nod “yeah, well he’s apparently not normal in that way. He ended up blocking me on everything and calling me a judgemental bitch.”

“Wait…. What?!”

“Yeah… all because I wasn’t up for granny watching us again.”

“Wow… just wow.” She manages to finish her drink and offers another to which you nod quickly.

“Yeah. So what about you? Any embarrassing hook ups?”

Eija pours and thinks, as she leans forward her low cut dress flashes you a view of her cleavage, your eyes linger a little longer than they should have done before you look to her hand instead. You hope Eija hasn’t caught you looking but she fails to hide a smirk on her lips.

“Embarrassing? I wouldn’t say embarrassing but definitely awkward. I hooked up with a chick on holiday and her roommate returned sooner than expected…. She sort of just stood there and didn’t know what to do? I invited her to join us and she shook her head and quickly left.” Eija shrugs. “Can’t win them all!”

You giggle “well…. If I walked in on you having fun I don’t know if I’d know where to put myself!”

“Hopefully in the bed with me.” Eija winks and shuffles so her skirt shows more of her legs.

You half laugh and clear your throat, not knowing what to say “Maybe she wasn’t expecting to be invited to join and got flustered?”

“Maybe… that or it was the 10 inch strap on I was doing her friend with?”

You almost choke on your drink and cover your mouth “10 inches?!”

Eija nods and grins “she took it like a champ too, super hot to watch!”

You sip your drink and picture Eija in nothing but a 10 inch strap on, it’s a few minutes before you realise she’s speaking to you. “Hey… you disappeared on me. You enjoying wherever you were?” Eija smiles.

“Huh, oh… sorry. Yeah.” Yes, yes you really were enjoying where you were and the thoughts took you a little by surprise which showed in the flushing of your face. “Hey, can I get your opinion on a couple of dresses I got? They’re not my usual style and I’m really unsure…”

Where did that come from? Why did you decide to ask for Eija’s opinion on these dresses which were tight fitting and low cut with a high hem? Why were you wanting her to so badly are you in these dresses?

“Yeah sure, of course!” Eija smiles happily.

You decided there was no going back now and stood to head behind an old style dressing screen. Your open plan apartment was cheap but the downside was no separate bedroom to go and hide in while you changed.

“Okay, the first one is just a black dress… it’s tighter than I’m used to and I’m… I dunno…” you step out from behind the screen and stand with your hands on your hips.

“Wow!” Eija smiles and leans back a little to take you in. “That looks amazing on you!”

“Really? I’m… I dunno…” you repeat and run your hands down your sides.

“Spin around for me so I can get the full 360°!”

You laugh and slowly turn to which Eija whistles and whoops “daaamn woman!”

You blush dark and smile “so it looks okay?”

“Absolutely! 10/10! And the dress isn’t bad either!” She winks.

You grin and duck behind the screen again “this one is very summery…” you change and step out in the yellow and ditzy print dress which barely covers you.

“Winner!” Eija’s eyes almost pop out of her head “holy shit you look hot!”

You cover your face and shake your head as you blush darker.

“Okay, 360°!” Eija bites her lip and watches you turn, her eyes switching from your chest to your ass and back again.

“It barely covers me!” You squeak.

“Oh I know and sweetheart it looks perfect on you!”

You play with the hem and pull it down a little only for your breasts to be uncovered further “oh god…!” You shuffle the dress and try to cover back up.

“Oh don’t cover up on my account!” Eija smiles. The alcohol was making her more daring.

“Eijaaaa!” You whine and sigh, not able to tighten the cord any further without cutting in.

“I like how that sounded.” She admits “you can whine my name any time baby.”

You snort out a laugh and pick up your drink to finish it; you weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or the compliments but you were feeling very warm all of a sudden.

“So uh, they look okay?” You ask for clarification.

Eija stands and walks over to you, stepping up to you slowly and making you back up against the small kitchen island. “Oh yes… but I think it’s the person in the dress that makes them look so good.”

“..oh? Uh…” you fumbled with your words as Eija looked over your figure. You’d never gotten so tongue tied with men before so why were you doing it now and with Eija of all people who you had known for years?

“Sweetheart I have had the biggest crush on you… since forever.” Eija admits. “Have you… ever been with a woman?”

“You have? I… n-no.” You shake your head. The thought had crossed your mind more than a few times and Eija did look stunning. You let your eyes look over her, really look and you swallow thickly with how close she is against you.

“Have you thought about it?” Her voice is quiet and she leans in a little.

“Yes..” you whisper and look at her full lips, so close to yours.

She smiles “May I kiss you? If you don’t like it we’ll never talk about it again…”

You nod a little “okay…”

Eija leans in and kisses you softly, her tongue flicks out across your bottom lip and you gasp, opening your mouth for her tongue to enter. Your eyes flutter closed as you lean on the counter top, your own tongue mimicking Eija’s.

She lets out a quiet moan and runs her hands up your bare thighs to your hips and then your waist, pressing against you and deepening the kiss even more.

As the kiss breaks your eyes remain closed and you lick your lips “wow…” you whisper. The truth always you’d never been kissed with such passion before. Lust, sure. But not passion.

“You like it?” Eija speaks against your lips.

“Oh yes…” you nod and open your eyes to find Eija’s looking into your soul.

“Would you like to do more?”

“Yes…” you nod again “my… bedroom is through that curtain.” You point to the heavy red drape that runs across a book in the open plan apartment.

Eija nods and takes your hand, leading you into your bedroom area, smiling at the king size bed. “Plenty of room…” she smiles and pulls you close, kissing you again while her hand threads into your hair. You hum and kiss Eija back, resting your hands on her waist and slowly moving them to her back.

You both hum and moan quietly into the kiss, another filled with passion and not just lust. Your tongues explore each other's mouths and Eija moves you to the edge of the bed before breaking the kiss. “Lay back..”

You do as you’re instructed and scooch back onto the bed as Eija crawls on between your legs. “You want me to stop, for whatever reason…. You say so.” Eija smiles and you nod “uh huh”.

“No, I need to hear you say it..”

“Okay, I promise.”

“Good girl.” Eija glides her hands up your legs, squeezing your thighs lightly and pushing the dress up further. You inwardly cursed that you’d put on care bear panties that day instead of your usual thong.

She smiles and pulls her hands back, moving them to her hair and pulling up and back into a ponytail. “They’re cute… sunshine bear.”

You grumble and cover your face “Sshh!”

“What?” She chuckles “they are! Besides, they aren’t staying on.” Her hands move back to your hips with one moving to brush over your panties slowly. Her thumb circles over your clit through the fabric making you gasp. You’d been teased before of course, but it was always about how fast your clothes could come off.

Eija licks her lips and watches your hands move from your face to lay above your head, her thumb moving down over you until your panties were wet through. She smiles and pulls them down your legs, throwing them to the floor “much better.”

You swallow audibly and comb your fingers into your hair as Eija moves your legs apart and dips down between your thighs; her tongue flicks over you slowly, the tip circling on your clit until you’re gasping. You lean up a little to watch her but are met with her hand gliding up your torso and pushing you back down to the bed “lay back and just relax…” she whispers and dips her head back down, lips closing around you and sucking lightly. You collapse back down onto the bed and grip at the blanket under you.

Eija slips her arms under your thighs and rest on your waist before moving up to massage your breasts. Her tongue and lips work over your pussy until your hips are moving of their own volition. She loosens the cord holding the dress over your breasts and pulls the cups down to free you so she could pinch and tease your nipples making you squirm and whine her name for the second time that day.

“Fuck…” you whisper and pant, Eija’s tongue not missing any part of you; she makes sure your folds and entrance are kissed, licked and sucked before going back to your swollen clit and sucking in pulses.

“Oh god..!” Your hips rock to Eija’s mouth while her hands knead your breasts, your nipples hard under her touch. “I… Uhm…”

Eija hums against you and looks up under her lashes at you writhing on the bed from her ministrations, she pulls away briefly and kisses your inner thigh “go with it baby…”

You whimper and pant heavily as her tongue flicks quickly over your clit, circles and flicks again, her lips close around you and suck in pulses again.

“Like that…. Keep doing that!” You moan and pull at the blanket “oh god… fuck…” you gasp and pant heavily, calling out as you cum. Your walls clench around emptiness but you feel your juices dripping down none-the-less. You whine as Eija laps over you through your climax, laying on the bed breathing heavy, the room spinning.

“Fuck!!” You exclaim and run your hands through your hair.

Eija crawls up the bed and straddles your hips, hands moving over you. “Feel good?”

“Yeah.. I… uh…. I’ve never cum from being eaten..” you chuckle. “That felt…. Amazing.”

Eija smiles and slips off her dress over her head, dropping it to the floor. You look over her figure, mouth open in awe. “Wow…” you move your hands to her thighs and glide them up over her figure, her own hands sit on your and guide them to her breasts, squeezing and kneading herself with your hands and teaching you how she likes to be touched. You tease her nipples with your thumbs, watching and feeling them harden under your touch. Eija’s moans were quiet and light with your touch, you pinched a little and make her gasp and move her hips.

You watch as Eija removes her lace panties and throws them to the pile on the floor; she knelt over you completely naked and you admitted to yourself the evening light coming through the window made her seem like a goddess.

She moves to straddle your thigh and lowers down onto your skin, rocking her hips along you. “You feel that?” She moans quietly.

You nod, you do feel that; she’s so wet that she glides her pussy along your thigh with ease. “Yes…”

“That’s just from eating you.. it turned me on so much…” she keeps her hands on yours and guides your touch on her breasts, her hips moving against you.

“Holy fuck…” you breathe out and watch Eija ride your thigh, you lift your leg a little to give her more contact and she moans louder, tilting her hips. “You look amazing..” she does and you don’t know why you’d never looked at her in this way before. Her both moved smoothly in one fluid motion with every roll of her hips and her moans became louder, her breathing quicker.

“I’ve thought about you so many times..” Eija admits. “Thought about eating you, my fingers inside you…” she moves a hand down and runs her fingers over you “wanted to hear you…

You gasp and move your free leg; her fingers move slowly over you, her touch light; nothing else was needed with how sensitive you were from her lips. You move your hips to her touch, in turn your thigh moving more against Eija. You both moan and Eija dips her fingers into you to tease, going back to circling your clit.

Eija arches and runs her free hand over your arm, your hands expertly ministering to her breasts and nipples while the angle of your upper arms pushes your own breasts together for Eija. She looks down at you and moans “god you look amazing!” She leans down and takes one of your nipples in her mouth, her tongue flicking and circling over you then repeating the actions on your other nipple, her fingers still working over you.

The lightness of her touch was almost too much, your leg trembled and twitched as her fingers worked over you. Your breathing hitches and becomes heavier with the sounds coming from Eija working you up even more.

“You sound so good..” you whisper and arch off the bed “I’m so close…”

She moans and speeds up her hips and fingers “me too…” she breathes and pants against you. Her breath feels hot against your skin, you can smell the perfume she’s wearing so clearly now and it mingles with the scent of sweat and arousal. Your senses are doing backflips.

“Eija…” you whimper and move your hips faster “oh god…”

Eija moves and pants against your neck, grinding her hips down against you “that’s it…” she whines and grips the blanket in her fist as she cums, moaning your name, her body tensing but her fingers don’t stop moving against you.

Your climax washes over you when you hear her moan your name and your hips lift to her touch.

You both lay breathing heavy on the bed, a tangle of limbs and whispers of exclamations and affirmations of how good the other felt. Eija eventually catches your lips and kisses you deeply with a moan.

After a time, both of you dozing against one another Eija smiles and breaks the comfortable silence.

“So… what’s it feel like being with a woman instead of a man?”

You chuckle and lick your lips “like heaven..”

She leans up on her elbow and strokes her fingertips across your collarbones “you think you’d like to do it again?”

“I’d very much like to do it again. With you.”

Eija smiles and leans her head back down against you “we can do that… sleep for now,” you nod and hum, you’d never felt so tired post sex before.

“You’re gonna need it..” she kisses your cheek as you fall asleep.

[pagebypagereviews]

Discover the Magic of "Happy Place": A Feel-Good, Uplifting Journey into Love and Friendship Imagine diving into a world where every page breathes life into your emotions, painting vivid pictures of love, friendship, and the myriad colors of human connections—welcome to "Happy Place", the contemporary fiction marvel that's winning hearts everywhere. From the very first line, you're plunged into an emotional rollercoaster that takes you through the peaks of joy and valleys of heartfelt moments, making it a quintessential feel-good read for anyone in need of an escapade from the mundane. "Happy Place" doesn't just offer a storyline; it offers a transformative experience. In today's fragmented world where connections often feel fleeting, this novel serves as a compelling antidote. It addresses the timeless quests for belonging, self-discovery, and the enduring bond of companionship. This book isn't just solving the problem of finding an uplifting read; it's providing a sanctuary for readers to rejuvenate their spirits and rediscover the warmth of human relationships. Get ready to immerse yourself as this story redefines what it means to find happiness and emotional fulfillment. Happy Place Plot The plot of "Happy Place" revolves around a young woman named Amelia who finds herself at a crossroads in life. After a rough breakup and a series of professional setbacks, she decides to take a sabbatical in a small coastal town to clear her mind and rediscover herself. While there, Amelia stumbles upon an old, abandoned inn known locally as the Happy Place. As she begins to renovate the inn, she uncovers not only its storied past but also discovers a sense of community and belonging she had been missing. Through unexpected friendships and the rekindling of old flames, the narrative weaves through themes of self-discovery, healing, and the power of second chances. Characters The novel introduces a rich tapestry of characters, each with their unique backgrounds and narratives. Amelia, the protagonist, is a relatable character whose struggles and triumphs embody the central themes of the story. Secondary characters include Sarah, the feisty cafe owner who becomes Amelia's confidante, and Jack, the enigmatic handyman with a mysterious past. These characters provide depth and authenticity to the town’s dynamic, reflecting a diverse range of life experiences and personal growth. Each character's development is skillfully intertwined with Amelia's journey, contributing to the novel's multifaceted portrayal of human relationships. Writing Style The writing style in "Happy Place" is evocative and engaging, blending descriptive prose with sharp dialogue. The author employs a lyrical yet accessible narrative voice that captures the emotional landscapes of the characters. The pacing is smooth, with a balanced mix of introspective moments and action-driven scenes. The use of vivid imagery and sensory details transports readers to the setting, making the environment almost a character in its own right. This stylistic approach not only enhances the emotional depth of the story but also makes it a compelling read that is difficult to put down. Setting Set in a quaint coastal town, the ambiance of the novel is as enchanting as it is integral to the plot. The setting is meticulously crafted, with descriptions of the sea breeze, the charming yet worn-down architecture, and the tight-knit community that envelops the town. The Happy Place inn itself serves as a symbolic backdrop for Amelia's journey, representing both decay and renewal. The seasonal changes are also depicted in great detail, reflecting the internal transformations of the characters. This vivid sense of place contributes to the novel’s immersive quality, making the setting a vital and memorable aspect of the reader's experience. Unique Aspects One of the unique aspects of "Happy Place" is its blending of contemporary issues with timeless themes of love and friendship. The novel addresses modern-day

challenges such as mental health, career pressures, and the search for personal identity, all within the framework of a feel-good story. This juxtaposition offers a fresh perspective on familiar tropes, making the narrative feel both relevant and heartwarming. Additionally, the interplay between the renovation of the Happy Place inn and Amelia's internal healing mirrors a therapeutic journey that readers can relate to. The book's ability to combine these elements into a cohesive, uplifting read sets it apart in the genre of contemporary fiction. Subtopics Related to Contemporary Fiction Contemporary fiction often delves into the complexities of modern life, presenting characters and situations that are reflective of the times. In "Happy Place," the protagonist's struggle with balancing career ambitions and personal fulfillment is a theme that resonates deeply with today's readers. Moreover, the depiction of digital and urban disconnects highlights the growing desire for simpler, more meaningful connections. Case studies from recent literature demonstrate a trend toward narratives that prioritize emotional authenticity and character-driven plots. For example, novels like "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" explore similar emotional journeys, providing readers with a sense of solidarity and understanding. "Happy Place" encapsulates these contemporary themes while maintaining a unique charm that is both engaging and insightful. Feel-Good Story At its core, "Happy Place" is a quintessential feel-good story. The novel is designed to uplift and inspire, offering a respite from the often harsh realities of everyday life. The gradual transformation of the Happy Place inn serves as a metaphor for renewal and hope, providing a backdrop for the characters' journeys toward happiness. The humorous interactions, the small victories, and the sense of community all contribute to the overall positive tone. Through light-hearted yet meaningful storytelling, the book creates an emotional sanctuary for readers, much like the inn does for its characters. Emotional Journey The emotional journey of "Happy Place" is intricately woven into the narrative structure. Amelia's path from despair to self-discovery is marked by moments of vulnerability, resilience, and ultimately, joy. Her interactions with other characters serve as catalysts for her growth, each encounter peeling away layers of her emotional armor. The novel masterfully explores the spectrum of human emotions, from the depths of sorrow to the peaks of elation. This emotional rollercoaster is mirrored by the physical restoration of the Happy Place inn, making the reader's investment in Amelia's journey all the more profound. Such storytelling techniques ensure that the emotional journey resonates long after the last page is turned. Love and Friendship Love and friendship are central themes that drive the narrative forward in "Happy Place." Amelia’s relationships with the other characters are depicted with nuance and depth, showcasing the different forms that love and friendship can take. Her budding romance with Jack is a testament to the healing power of love, while her camaraderie with Sarah highlights the importance of supportive friendships. These relationships are portrayed with a realness that speaks to the complexities and rewards of human connection. Through their interactions, the characters learn valuable lessons about trust, loyalty, and the importance of being open to new experiences and people. Uplifting Read "Happy Place" stands out as an uplifting read, thanks to its positive messages and optimistic outlook. The narrative emphasizes that no matter how challenging life’s circumstances may be, there is always a path to happiness and fulfillment. The characters’ personal growth and the rejuvenation of the inn symbolize the potential for positive change. Readers are left with a sense of hope and inspiration, reinforced by the book's joyful and heartwarming moments. The combination

of relatable struggles and eventual triumphs ensures that "Happy Place" serves as a beacon of positivity, making it a go-to choice for anyone in need of an emotional uplift. Contemporary Fiction Pros Contemporary fiction often captures the zeitgeist, reflecting modern issues, social justice themes, and the complexities of today's world. This makes it highly relatable and engaging for readers who see their own experiences mirrored in the stories. Such novels often use accessible language and relevant settings, which can make the reading experience immersive and relevant. These stories can also push boundaries and explore new narrative structures, keeping the genre fresh and innovative. Cons Contemporary fiction can sometimes focus too heavily on being timely, which may lead to the themes and issues feeling temporarily relevant and less impactful in the long term. The desire to mirror current societal problems might result in storylines that are overly predictable or didactic, potentially alienating readers looking for more escapism or timeless themes. Additionally, the genre's focus on realism can sometimes limit the imagination, making the stories feel constrained by the confines of the real world. Feel-Good Story Pros Feel-good stories provide an emotional respite from the stresses of everyday life. Such stories, often characterized by positive outcomes and uplifting messages, can leave readers with a sense of happiness and optimism. They serve as a mental escape and emotional balm, offering hope and reinforcing the belief in the good in people and the world. For readers going through difficult times, these narratives can offer comfort and a much-needed emotional lift. Cons Feel-good stories can sometimes be criticized for being overly simplistic or unrealistic. The predictable happy endings and lack of tension can make them seem formulaic, which might not appeal to readers who crave depth or complexity in their narratives. Additionally, the focus on positivity can sometimes minimize or gloss over important real-world issues, rendering the story less impactful or meaningful. For some, this genre may come across as trivial or superficial. Emotional Journey Pros Books that take readers on an emotional journey offer a profound and impactful experience. These stories often delve deeply into characters' inner lives and emotional transformations, providing rich, multi-layered narratives that can lead to greater empathy and understanding. They allow readers to explore complex emotions in a safe, controlled environment, which can be both cathartic and enlightening. This genre tends to stay with readers long after the last page is turned. Cons While emotionally compelling, these stories can sometimes be emotionally draining or triggering for some readers, particularly those who may be sensitive to the themes presented. The intense focus on emotional depth can slow down the pacing of the narrative, potentially making the story feel laborious. Moreover, the heavy nature of these books may not be suitable for all moods or readers looking for lighter, less demanding material. Love and Friendship Pros Stories centered around love and friendship have universal appeal and resonate with a broad audience because they explore fundamental human experiences. These narratives often foster a connection between the reader and the characters, evoking feelings of warmth and empathy. They underscore the positive aspects of human relationships, encouraging readers to reflect on their own lives and relationships. Such stories can be deeply moving and affirming, making them enjoyable and memorable. Cons The focus on romantic and platonic relationships can sometimes lead to cliched or predictable storylines. There’s a risk of perpetuating stereotypes or unrealistic portrayals of relationships, which can be disappointing for readers seeking authenticity. Additionally, the narrative arc driven by relationships may sideline other important plot elements, making the story feel imbalanced or narrow in scope.

This could limit the appeal to readers looking for more diverse or action-oriented plots. Uplifting Read Pros An uplifting read can leave readers feeling rejuvenated and more optimistic about life. These books often highlight themes of resilience, personal growth, and triumph over adversity, which can be incredibly inspiring and motivational. They provide a sense of hope and renewal, which is especially valuable during challenging times. The positive messaging and feel-good vibes can contribute to an overall more positive mental state for the reader. Cons While providing a positive reading experience, uplifting books can sometimes feel forced or overly sentimental. They may rely on contrived scenarios or overly idealistic outcomes that don't resonate with all readers, thus diminishing their impact. Additionally, the focus on positivity can sometimes brush aside or simplify complex issues, resulting in a lack of depth. This may not satisfy readers looking for more nuanced and realistic portrayals of life's challenges. FAQ What is contemporary fiction? Contemporary fiction refers to literature set in the present day, featuring characters, settings, and themes that reflect current society. This genre often explores real-life issues, relationships, and emotions, making it relatable to modern readers. What makes a story a "feel-good" story? A "feel-good" story is one that uplifts and inspires the reader, often with themes of hope, kindness, and personal growth. It usually has a positive outcome, leaving the reader with a sense of optimism and well-being. What can I expect from an emotional journey in a book? An emotional journey in a book involves characters experiencing significant personal growth and facing challenges that evoke strong feelings. Readers may find themselves deeply connected to the characters' struggles, joys, and triumphs, eliciting a wide range of emotions. How are love and friendship typically portrayed in contemporary fiction? Love and friendship in contemporary fiction are often portrayed as complex and multi-faceted relationships. These themes can explore romantic love, platonic friendships, and familial bonds, emphasizing authenticity, connection, and the impact of these relationships on personal growth and happiness. What qualifies a book as an uplifting read? An uplifting read is a book that leaves the reader feeling positive and inspired. Such books often highlight the resilience of the human spirit, showcase acts of kindness, and deliver messages of hope and perseverance, contributing to an overall sense of fulfillment and joy. Are feel-good stories and uplifting reads suitable for all ages? While many feel-good stories and uplifting reads are suitable for all ages, it's important to consider the themes and content of each book. Some may address mature topics or complex emotions that are better suited for older readers, while others may be perfect for younger audiences as well. Do contemporary fiction books always have happy endings? Contemporary fiction does not always guarantee a happy ending. While many books in this genre aim for a resolution that offers hope or satisfaction, others may present more realistic or ambiguous conclusions, reflecting the complexities of real life. **Conclusion: Embrace Joy and Revel in the Emotional Journey with "Happy Place"** In an age where the demands of daily life can sometimes overshadow our sense of joy and connection, "Happy Place" emerges as a beacon of light, offering readers an emotional sanctuary through its multifaceted narrative of love and friendship. This contemporary fiction masterpiece not only immerses you in a feel-good story but also navigates the profound complexities of human relationships, resulting in a deeply uplifting read. "Happy Place" isn't just another book on the shelf; it’s a journey worth embarking on. Through its well-crafted characters, the story brings to life the nuances of emotional struggles, reconciliation, and the beauty of finding solace in unexpected places.

The emotional depth embedded in the pages makes it a valuable reading experience, especially for those seeking to reconnect with their own feelings and experiences. One of the novel's standout features is its ability to balance heartwarming moments with realistic portrayals of life's challenges. The author intricately weaves a tale that resonates with themes of forgiveness, redemption, and the powerful bond of friendship. By doing so, "Happy Place" offers readers not just a temporary escape, but also meaningful insights into the resilience of the human spirit. Furthermore, the story’s emphasis on love—both romantic and platonic—serves as a gentle reminder of the support systems we often take for granted. It beautifully illustrates that true happiness often lies within the relationships we nurture and the love we give and receive. This makes "Happy Place" an exemplary read for anyone looking to find inspiration and enrichment in their own interpersonal connections. Moreover, the feel-good aspects of the novel are meticulously balanced with moments that encourage introspection and personal growth. As the characters evolve, readers are invited to reflect on their own lives, making the reading experience profoundly interactive and transformative. In conclusion, "Happy Place" is a must-read for anyone yearning for a story that uplifts while it enlightens. Its seamless blend of emotional depth, engaging narrative, and heartfelt themes makes it a beacon in contemporary fiction. Dive into this extraordinary tale and rediscover the joy of reading a novel that leaves you feeling both heartened and inspired.

[hiddcnhorizcns]

austin's mind drifted as he listened to her, the weight of his own fears settling in alongside hers. he had his own reservations, of course. he always did. being an enforcer for the steel vipers mc meant his life was constantly surrounded by danger. it wasn’t just the physical risk that came with the job, but the unpredictable, volatile world he lived in. violence, loyalty, and betrayal were everyday realities, and it kept him on edge. the thought of something bad happening to amelia because of him? it was enough to make him lose sleep, enough to make him wonder if they should even be in the same room, let alone try again. the club had enemies, and austin had more than his share of people who would want to hurt him—or worse, hurt her to get to him. he’d never forgive himself if she became collateral damage in the chaos of his life. that fear gnawed at him, night after night, when he lay in bed thinking about her, picturing her smile, the sound of her laugh. he was torn between keeping her safe by staying away and the undeniable fact that he could barely breathe without her. she was the one good thing in his life that made sense, even when nothing else did. he ran a hand through his hair, eyes lowering again as the familiar tension settled in his chest. "amelia," he started, the sound of her name on his lips softer this time, as if saying it out loud might somehow keep her close. "i know what you're scared of... i’m scared too. but it’s not just about us not working out again." his jaw clenched for a moment, the weight of his life pressing down on him. "i worry every day about my life putting you in danger. about someone using you to get to me. i’ve thought about it a million times, and i know it’s a risk. but not having you in my life? that feels worse. it feels like i’m losing the only thing that makes all this worth it." he didn’t know how to put it all into words—the balancing act between his loyalty to the club, his duty as an enforcer, and his overwhelming need to protect her. he didn’t know how to tell her that despite all his fears, she was still the one person who made him feel grounded in the chaos. "i don’t want you to get hurt because of me. but i also don’t know how to keep going without you." his voice was rough now, the vulnerability slipping through. he hated admitting this much, hated that he couldn’t find an easy answer to the problem they faced. but it was the truth, and if they were going to have any kind of future, she needed to hear it.

hearing the disappointment in the other's voice made her heart ache. the last thing she wanted was to hurt him and so, she assumed that by putting an end to it that she was protecting him. "austin," she started after he spoke, her eyes scanning over his face, "i mean, do you really think trying again would be a good idea? who's to say that things won't turn out the same way they did before?" that was her biggest fear. she couldn't handle losing the man again. it was entirely too hard the first time.

[chinuppoppins]

Dani and Jamie: Revolutionary War AU

(so this is about six pages long and my first fic in 2 years. It was six pages long so I will be posting a part 2 to my AO3 later)

The air outside was crisp and cool, a perfect autumn night. It was nice out on the balcony compared to the stuffy and noisy air in the ballroom behind her. It was not like she hated parties, she just did not like being around a lot of people. It was the looks of pity that she was still given after all this time, the whispers from the patrons how she was too young, too pretty, too delicate to be a widow. It was the ones that were a bit cruel, how he died foolishly and wickedly with no gravestone. 

Duels, according to some was compared to suicided. Rumors went around why her late husband, a private in the ongoing revolution, dueled a fellow man, but she new the truth. A rumor, no, a truth about her, how she allowed a woman’s touch to linger and how her husband had to defend her- no, his honor. His pistol backfired after she begged him to raise it to the sky and he laid dead in the mud in Jersey of all places. She had been in their small Philadelphia home before an errand boy came for her. Her husband was already dead by the time she arrived at the doctor’s home and she wept of course and shakily took his cracked spectacles from his greying face. He died for her selfishness and she reminded about that every time she looked in a mirror, he was always behind her, haunting her memories.

“Dani,” She turns around to see her aunt standing at the doorway. “Come inside, you’ll catch a chill from being out here.” The older women smiled. “Besides a group of Washington’s men have just arrived and they are pretty easy on the eyes.” She added with a wink. “And you look like you could use a drink.”

She allows a small laugh to escape her lips before she nods her head and allows her aunt to take her arm and drag her back into the busy room. Sure enough men in blue coats now added themselves to the festivities. Women surrounded them, faces flushed and full of giggles, wine for sure helped give them their glow. She took a glass for herself as she scanned the room, finding a lone solider standing beside a potted plant, inspecting the drooping leaves. Dani sighed as she downed her glasses before pulling the server over to grab another one, she had to keep up an appearance. Though as she made her way over to the lone solider, a friend stopped her for a second. “Careful, Dani.” She slurs just a bit. “That ones a bit odd, a mute apparently.”

Dani raises a brow, even better. She did not have to fake a laugh at terrible jokes. “Odd, just my type.” She jokes as her friend shrugs. So, she makes her way across the room to the odd solider in the blue coat with red and white trim. “I’m guessing that plant is a better conversation than the people in her.” She laughs a bit awkwardly. “Probably better than the night sky.”

The solider turns around and Dani is surprised by his feminine features, she had to blink to make sure that she was seeing delicate features on this man. If she did not know any better- no, masquerading around as a man was a crime that was punishable by death. She knew the story of Joan of Arc. “My name is Danielle, I wanted to thank you for your service.”

The solider smiles softly and nods, not speaking.

“I’m sorry if this seems odd, but could I keep your company for the rest of the night?” Dani asks. “I’m a bit of an outcast myself and I’d rather not be here but being that this is my aunt’s home and I still have to social climb, I have to. So?”

The solider nods and keeps her company. They do not move from the wilting plant, but every time a waiter passes them, either she or the solider grabs them another glass of wine. Dani finds herself a bit drunk as she talks to the solider, well more talks at rather than too. The solider listens and Dani cannot help but to let almost everything off her shoulders. The solider seems intrigued though, their own brow raising when she speaks about the rumor that got his husband killed, while adding with a whisper that maybe it was not just a rumor. Dani’s eyes widen in horror after realizing what she let slip, that rumor, that lie could get her committed or worse. So, she stands up and excuses herself, turning in horror when she realizes the solider is following her. A cool rush of fear washes over her as she picks up her pace, trying to find a lone balcony and when she is unable to find one, she settles to the empty gardens. For a moment, Dani thinks she is alone and lets out a shaky breath before she feels a hand on her arm.

Dani jumps back and lets out a jumble of words. “I- I’m drunk and I just, I don’t- I.”

“It’s alright.” The solider finally speaks, a soft and womanly voice to match their feminine features. “I’m not going to say anything.”

Dani’s eyes widen in awe, because her intuition was right, this solider was a woman and perhaps she was braver than her male counterparts. “You’re- you, do you realize what they would do if they found out?”

The other woman rolls her eyes. “Do you have any idea what they would do to you if they found out about you?” She questions back. “You need to be careful who you tell your truth too, you’re a pretty face, they wouldn’t kill you. They would just try to fix you and I don’t think you want that.”

Dani frantically looks around as she struggles to process this. “I don’t understand.” She finally whispers. “Why would you risk your life to fight in the war?”

The woman sighs. “It’s complicated- family is complicated.” Her eyes narrow. “Why would you tell me your truth?”

“I- I don’t know, I’ve had a lot to drink and I just felt that you were- are,” Dani stumbles, finding herself flushing at the woman’s smile.

“Different?” She finishes and Dani nods. “I am different, and I want you to know that there is nothing wrong with being different.” She shucks her hands in her pockets and toes the grass. “I’m Jamie, but the men in there, they think I’m Michael the Mute, you think you can go along with that one?” She grins when Dani nods. “Good and how about after this party is over and we part ways, you write to me? I’d love to have someone to talk to.”

“Of course.” Dani agrees. It is a nice feeling to have a friend in all of this after all and a friend with a secret that was almost as dangerous as her own.

 By the time Dani hears from her dear friend again, a fresh blanket of snow covers the ground, and she took a job as a governess for a prominent patriot family. She is walking the grounds with the two children, reading aloud a story to them as the snow crunches beneath their feet. Their lesson is interrupted when the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, a tender and devote woman comes out to her with a letter. The older woman raises a brow and of course Dani loses the children to the fresh snow at their feet. “A letter from a suitor?” Mrs. Grose asks while a snowball speeds past their heads, missing them by a mere inch. Despite the chilly air, Dani blushes. She never once thought of Jamie as a suitor. After all, being with another woman was frowned upon. Part of her, however, did not care. She breaks the wax seal and settles down on a bench as she reads the letter with a mile-wide smile on her face. Jamie was brave, very brave with what she was doing. True, Dani didn’t her motives, why she was parading around as a solider. As she reads, little Flora joins her on the bench, peering over her shoulder as she reads about Jamie’s adventures, she was in Jersey now. She spoke about how the men were becoming weary and sick of battle. So many good men lost due to freeing this country and Jamie spoke about the sympathy she felt towards the dead and their families. However, she pauses for a moment when she reads how excited she is to come home and see her. She had hoped to be home around Christmas, however rumors about a new plan to push back the British was in the works. So maybe, just maybe she would be home after Christmas and that she would be honored to be able to celebrate with her. “Miss. Clayton?” Flora’s little voice breaks her trance. “Who is the letter from? Do you have someone special?”

Dani laughs a bit and then nods. “Something like that, it’s from a friend.”

“Just a friend?” Miles asks coyly.

Flora giggles. “Yes, Miss. Clayton. You are blushing.”

Dani folds the letter up and sticks it into her pocket. “This has nothing to do with your lessons today. Now come along, your parents expect you to be fluent in French by the end of this year and my personal life has nothing to do with that.”

Letters come frequently now and Dani always writes back quickly always ending each letter with ‘Yours, Dani’ while every letter to her starts with a ‘My Dearest, Dani’ She is in her room when she reads that and she giggles and giggles and giggles with a flushed face. It was an odd feeling; she never felt this way about her own husband. There was a different feeling with Eddie, almost how friend loves another friend. Reading letter from Jamie made her heart race, her palms sweat and cause her stomach to flutter. Dani felt giddy, like a child on Christmas morning and she becomes even more excited when she reads that Jamie would be visiting her soon, about how they were victorious in Trenton and how she earned this break. It would be after Christmas, possibly after the new year.

Jamie keeps her promise and manages to arrive a few days after the new year to the mansion she was staying in. The children spot her first and perk up from their books. “Miss. Clayton! Miss Clayton, look! It’s the solider you’ve been writing to!”

In her last letter, Dani told Jamie it was okay to be herself. Mr. and Mrs. Wingrave were a different breed of people. They knew about Dani’s truth and never spoke a word about it, they were kind and had open hearts. They understood her and accepted her, and she knew they would do the same for Jamie.

Dani walks from the blackboard to the window to peer out the frost covered glass, forcing it up when she realized that it was Jamie pushing herself through the snow. “Jamie!” Dani shouts, voice full of joy into the winter air. Jamie looks up, using her hand to block out the sun. “You’re early!”

Jamie scoffs. “Yes, well, I wanted to surprise you.” She shouts back. “But it looks like my plans was thwarted by two little imps.” She points towards the children.

Laughing, Dani pushes herself from the window while Flora and Miles watch from the window. “Miss. Clayton was telling the truth, the solider is a girl.” Miles points out as their governess rushes out of the classroom and down the stairs. The large doors fling open and Flora sighs when Dani rushes into her arms while their laughter fills the morning air. “It’s romantic, isn’t it, Miles?” Flora leans on her hand. “To see Miss. Clayton smile like that, it’s perfectly-”

“Splendid, yes, yes.” The older boy finishes as he fixes his jacket. “Come along, Flora, we should introduce ourselves properly.”

“Oh, how exciting!” Flora exclaims. “I have so many questions for the lady solider, how scandalous.” She adds with a giggle.

Miles turns quickly and puts a finger to his lips. “Flora remember that we mustn’t tell anyone about Miss. Clayton and her friend. Remember what mother and father said, if people find out- they won’t be kind.”

When the children enter the foyer, they see their governess taking the blue coat off of her- well the children were smart, they quickly picked up that perhaps that Jamie was more than just a friend even if the adults were too shy to admit it. “This is full of holes.” Dani seems to tease, poking her finger through one of the tears. “Did anyone teach you how to sew?”

The woman shrugs. “Oh yes, fixing the holes is number one on my list, right under evading British gunfire.”

“I can patch that up for you.” Mrs. Grose says as she comes out of the parlor and takes that coat from Dani. “This one here is terrible at it, I’ve seen her attempt it on the children’s clothes. It is her fingers that need the patching up when she’s finished. I am Mrs. Grose, the Wingrave’s housekeeper,” She looks at Dani, smiling. “It’s nice to finally be able to meet you. We have heard so much about you, the children and I light a candle for you every morning, we are just so taken with your bravery.”

“Oh, the children!” Dani had almost forgotten about them; she was just too entranced by Jamie being here. While only meeting in person once, it was the letters that brought them close. The playful nicknames and the plans for the future, hints here there about their past. The little tidbits of information that was passed only between the two, things that she would leave out when she had read them out loud to the children. She spots them though, standing by the staircase and ushers them over. “This young man right here is Miles, and this little lady is Flora.”

Flora pushes herself in front of her brother and curtseys. “Oh, it is such a pleasure to meet you. Miss. Clayton told us about your adventures, why, we didn’t even know you were a woman until- well until a few days ago.” She took Jamie’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Father says we are fighting for,” She pauses as she recalls her lessons. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and he says that Miss. Clayton and you both have a right to be happy.” Flora beams as she clapped her hands together. “He and mother have a wonderful offer for you at dinner. It’s perfectly splendid.”

Jamie blinks while impressed with the little girl’s vocabulary. She raises an eyebrow towards Dani as she knelt in front of her. “Well aren’t you an intelligent little thing, how old are you?”

“She’s eight and I’m ten.” Miles speaks up, stepping forward. “And our intelligence is all thanks to our wonderful teacher. Lessons can be boring, but Miss. Clayton makes it fun for us. She says, sometimes it’s better to learn with you hands rather than being in a book all day.”

Jamie smirks while Dani blushes. Jamie once stated in a letter that she learned almost everything she knew today with her hands. It is how she learned to farm and to paint after all. “Well, Miss. Clayton sure knows what she is doing.” She grins over toward Dani. “She is very bright, after all.”

Mrs. Grose looks between the two and then walks over towards the children, standing between them. “Well, I think we’ve bothered you long enough and I think the children deserve the rest of the day off, wouldn’t you agree Miss. Clayton. That way you and Jamie can catch up, maybe show her where she is staying?”

Dani brightens and nods her head. “Yes, of course. I’m sure you two can busy yourselves and stay out of trouble?” The children both nod, Flora exclaiming that she does need some time with her dolls while Miles takes his book into the parlor. “They are only being this well behaved because they are dying to hear your stories.” Dani whispers, as she leads Jamie up the stairs. As they wander into one of the halls, Jamie stops, causing Dani to turn to her in concern.

“Are you sure that it’s safe?” Jamie asks. “You trust these people enough?”

Using both of her hands, Dani cups her face, a serene smile on her face. “I promise you; we’ll be safe here. They actually want you to work here after the war, they want to give us a small plot of land on the Manor to build a home.”

Jamie chuckled as she covered her hand over hers, pressing her forehead against Dani’s with her eyes closed. She felt at peace for the first time in a long time, like this woman was her home. “How did you even find these people?”

“They found me,” Dani sighs. “But that is a story for later, you look exhausted. When was the last time you had a good sleep?”

Pulling back, Jamie shrugs. “I have no idea really.”

Dani takes her hand and leads her to her room. “Well, lucky for you, there are some pretty comfortable beds here.”

Once she gets settle, Dani wants to be courteous and give her some time alone. However, Jamie stops her asking her to stay. So, she does, and they lay into bed together, Jamie reaching out to run her fingers through her blonde hair. Her eyes flutter and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Can I tell you something? Just please don’t start thinking I’m strange.”

Jamie scoffs. “I already think you’re a bit strange, Dani, but that’s what I adore about you.” She adds with a wink. “What it is?”

Dani reaches and takes Jamie’s free hand, caressing her rough knuckles. “Before you came along, I always saw him, my late husband. He was my childhood friend, everyone expected us to marry so, we did. I never loved him, not the way he loved me and that and my attraction to women is what got him killed in the end. Sometimes I would feel him over my shoulder, catch him out of the corner of my eye. I guess the guilt was driving me mad, but then, I read your letters and I just felt- different. I stopped seeing him, he no longer haunts me. I just wish things were different.”

“His pride killed him, darling, not you.” Jamie assures her. “How do you mean though, with wishing things were different?”

Dani smirks, bringing Jamie’s hand towards her lips, gently kissing her knuckles. “I wish I met you earlier. Then we could just be two spinsters, living in a cabin with two cats- maybe a dog too.”

Jamie snorts and rolls her eyes. “Yes, spinsters wouldn’t raise eyebrows. We all know what they are doing in their life of celibacy.” She adds with raised brows, laughing at her own joke before Dani moves in, taking her- hell maybe herself by surprise and kisses her softly and slowly. She pulls away just an inch, a soft laugh escapes her lips. “Never done that with another woman before, hm?

Dani shakes her head and Jamie grins. “No I- you’re the first.”

“Well,” She runs both hands into her hair. “We should keep at it practice makes perfect, after all.” Jamie points out, pressing her lips against Dani’s smiling against her lips when she felt her relax in her arms. They had all afternoon alone and Jamie planned to make it a memorable one.

[entertainment]

Entertainment Spotlight: Hunter Deno, Power Rangers Dino Fury

Having booked her first commercial on her first birthday, actress Hunter Deno was destined for a future in the entertainment industry. After focusing on modeling for a few years, she decided to get serious about pursuing television and film, moved to LA in 2019, and landed the series regular role of the Pink Power Ranger on Nickelodeon’s new Power Rangers season, Dino Fury. We sat down with Hunter to discuss Power Rangers, fanfiction, acting, and other big philosophical questions. Check it out:

How are you? Seriously, how’re you doing?

Thank you for asking! I’m doing great, actually, besides being a bit homesick. I recently relocated to New Zealand for a project and had to leave everyone and everything I know and love. I started completely fresh here, and it has been a little rough. BUT everyone here and everyone involved in this process has made it a lot easier.

What are you working on right now?

I am currently filming a TV show here in New Zealand; I'm playing Amelia Jones, the next Pink Power Ranger in Nickelodeon’s Power Rangers Dino Fury. Wow. That is one statement I never knew I’d be saying.

What meme or piece of internet culture do you relate to the most?

Most recently, I feel like I relate to that video of the little girl on the beach. She’s crying, and she says, “I’m gonna take a nap. I’m gonna take a nap right here. Goodnight.” I’ve always loved that one, but I love how she just says what she wants and does it.

You’re also a model. Can you share your top tip for looking fab in a photo?

Oh my. What a question. I don’t really have a routine before a photoshoot. Except, the only thing I HAVE to do, is get a good night’s sleep. You know, what they call “beauty sleep”.

Have you ever read Power Rangers fanfiction? If you were to write a Power Rangers Dino Fury fanfiction, what would it be called and who would it be about?

I have read some Power Ranger fanfiction, but I haven’t dove deep into it. I think if I were to write my own, it would be about my character, Amelia, and her quest to find answers about the paranormal. After the first episode aired, the hashtag #GiveAmeliaAGhost started to go around, and I think I’d want to run with that. I’m not sure where that would take her. Maybe she’d get the answers she was hoping for. Maybe she would find a love interest that has the same beliefs. Maybe she would find something else that would take her quest in a different direction. Maybe being the Pink Power Ranger helps her find some answers she’s been longing for her entire life. Who knows. And then I think I’d have to name it like it is, #GiveAmeliaAGhost.

What is something that you could use the Pink Ranger’s help for?

My philosophy in life is to be kind. I think I would want the Pink Ranger to go after bullies instead of monsters. Because the truth is, bullies are the real monsters in life.

Can you show us a funny photo from your camera roll that you haven’t shared before, and tell us the backstory?

I’m not going to lie, I share a lot of embarrassing photos of myself as it is. So it was hard to find one I haven’t posted yet. I had to reach out to a few friends to see if they had any. But the photo I have chosen is a good one that I haven’t posted. I might find it a little more funny than anyone else would, though. Back home, I have 30+ cows. I am very close with them, considering we don’t eat or milk them; they’re pets. So close that I can feed them from my mouth. This is a picture of me and my bull, Titan. He sure loves his carrots, and occasionally missing the carrot and licking my face.

What is the first thing you’re going to do post-pandemic?

Over Christmas break here in NZ, I actually reached out to production about setting up some volunteer work for me. I really wanted to do something to give back. They really tried, but the majority of shelters and other places weren't accepting any volunteers. We reached out to a few kids’ hospitals to make appearances to put a smile on their faces, but due to COVID, that wasn’t allowed. While we understood the condition these kids were in, I was very upset that we couldn’t do ANYTHING to help anyone. I volunteer at a place back home called Give Kids The World, and going back is at the top of my list, post-pandemic.

How do you get into character, and how do you stay in character?

I think Amelia and I are very, very, very alike. So to get in and out of character doesn’t take much. We are both very loving, confident, optimistic go-getters. Honestly, there are times where we film a scene, and I find myself just playing me rather than Amelia. When it comes to my character’s paranormal side, that is where I definitely have to be Amelia and not Hunter. While I love all things horror, I don’t have the same passion for finding the answers she’s looking for. There’s a method to her madness, and I can’t say too much without giving it away. You’ll have to watch to find out more.

You have the chance to ask an all-knowing being one question. What do you ask?

What a loaded question this is. Is there life on other planets? Is earth the only planet out there that’s inhabitable for any life form?

Thanks for taking the time, Hunter! Catch Power Rangers Dino Fury on Nickelodeon.

[madamegemknight]

The poll is over and the results are in! Thank you to everyone who voted; for those curious about which plot points were true and which one was false, there'll be a full description below (in a read more because whoops I made this a bit too long).

Major props go out to the Poptropica Help Blog, where I got a majority of the screenshots below from; as Poptropica is still moving older islands over to Haxe after the death of Flash, and a good chunk of information referenced is from limited-time events such as Halloween or Christmas celebrations, I am unable to access most of the scenes or islands to take screenshots myself. Please go check them out, they do great work!

Prince Charming's mom is an intergalactic conqueror: True!

Fairy Tale Island is one of the newer islands - in it, Rumpelstiltskin messes up the happy endings of numerous fairy tale characters, leaving it up to the player to fix them all and learn his name in order to stop him. One of those characters is Prince Charming, who's having a rough day; not only has Rumpelstiltskin imprisoned his father and taken on his appearance, but this doesn't even get reversed by the end of the island due to the player character accidentally freeing Rumpel.

Fortunately, the player gets a chance to fix things in the Rumpel's Challenge sidequest, but during said sidequest it's revealed that the prince's mother, the Red Queen, is about to return to Fairy Tale.

The prince is very upset at this, revealing that his mother is a conqueror, but players didn't get the full picture of what she'd conquered until the 2022 Red October event, which reveals that she's taken over 7 systems, is planning on taking over more, and is actively fighting a rebellion made out of the Astro Knights from the old Astro Knight Island (which depending on how old your Poptropica account is, you might be a member of).

Amelia Earhart and the Red Baron have a tragic and vaguely homoerotic backstory: True!

OKAY BUCKLE UP THIS ONE'S GOING TO BE A DOOZY

The Baron (who canonically uses she/they pronouns and was formerly known as the Red Baroness) is a character who shows up monthly* with exclusive in-game items and costumes, while Amelia Earhart (referred to as just Amelia in-game, but this post on the Creator's blog confirms she's supposed to be Amelia Earhart) runs the regular store on Home Island.

While at first they just seem like your run-of-the-mill shopkeepers, participating in their respective sidequests and getting to know them better reveals that they used to work together and were quite close, even saving an island at one point.

However, something happened to their relationship (what exactly is unclear at this point in their storyline, but it might be the reason the Baron has an eyepatch), and the two split up.

Regardless of what exactly happened, Baron seems to still hold a grudge, comparing Amelia to her pet monkey Ack and mentioning the fact that it's hard to find people you can trust as an adventurer.

As for the homoerotic part, it's VERY heavily implied that the two's relationship used to be romantic. You find the above newspaper clipping in a box in the Baron's ship that seems to be holding items belonging to Amelia, when Baron goes missing Amelia is seen running their ship in her place and explains their yearly holiday ritual, and the Poptropica YouTube account points out that even though they're currently rivals they still want to live close to each other. The Poptropica socials, (mostly Twitter and Instagram) also have a tendency to retweet and share romantic art of the two!

*please be aware that the current Poptropica devs seem to think "monthly" means "once in a blue moon if someone makes a virgin sacrifice." baron's ship hasn't been seen since december please send help

Zeus gets beaten up by a 12 year old (twice): True!

On both Mythology Island and Super Villain Island, Zeus manipulates the kid protagonist into doing his dirty work, only for him to get pummeled into oblivion by said kid protagonist. L + ratio + his own family likes the protagonist more than they like him + he can't even escape getting beaten up in Poptropica Worlds either

Jack and Annie from the Magic Tree House series get sent to prison: True!

There's been a lot of tie-in islands, one of them being Red Dragon Island, a tie-in to the Magic Tree House series (and more specifically a loose adaptation of Dragon of the Red Dawn). Emphasis on loose - while the original book mentions the fact that foreigners were not allowed into 1600s Japan and that those without a passport were punished severely, Red Dragon Island decides to look at what would happen if Jack and Annie were discovered to be foreigners, with the protagonist tasked with trying to save them.

(said way of saving them involves being taught the art of the ninja by actual japanese haiku master basho who's revealed to be the secret brother of the evil shogun keeping jack and annie prisoner. yeah this island REALLY deviates from the og book)

Blueberries from Cleveland start the zombie apocalypse: True!

Zomberry Island, as the punny name implies, revolves around Poptropicans getting turned into zombies by contaminated berries - specifically, blueberries.

To make a cure, the player has to get their hands on some of the blueberries, and heading to the wharf reveals that the shipment of those berries came from Cleveland.

Alan Turing is alive and living in a Floridian retirement community: True!

I could not make this up if I tried the bonus members-only quest for Lunar Colony Island revolves around you finding Alan Turing alive at a retirement community in Parody Cape Canaveral and getting him to help you translate coded messages sent by a woman who hunted aliens on the moon for Parody NASA

A hunter just straight up reenacts The Most Dangerous Game: True!

This one got exactly zero votes! I think there was a semi-popular Tumblr post going around a while back about Survival Island, so that makes sense.

While Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the multi-part Survival Island were regular, Hatchet-esque wilderness survival escapades, Part 3 ends with the main character getting 'rescued' by local hunter Myron Van Buren, only for Part 4 to reveal that he only rescued you to hunt you. Part 5 is then devoted to trying to avoid and escape him.

The leader of a spy organization hatches a plot to make everyone bald: True!

His name is Director D, and he's the head of operations on Spy Island - at least until it's revealed that he's secretly behind BAD's (Bald And Dangerous) plans to make every Poptropican bald.

And finally...

The in-universe equivalent of Batman tries to take over the world: False!

Admittedly this one was a bit of a trick option - yes, there is an island where the in-universe equivalent of a comic book character tries to take over the world (PoptropiCon, to be specific), but the character is the in-universe equivalent of Ultron, not Batman - specifically, Omegon is a parody of the MCU version of Ultron, with the island being released during the hype for Age of Ultron.

Yes, he's believed to be a fictional character in-universe. No, it's never explained how he's real. Here's my Popsona glitching through the floor while I try to get a good screenshot of him because Poptropica is a functional game with no issues whatsoever.

[agirlwhoisaphantom]

Moonlight - Adam Sackler x Reader

Chapter 1 - Kid

Word Count: 5595

Warnings: Mentions of cheating, wet dream,

Author's Note: I've been hiding this fic for quite some time and I just thought it was finally time to post it. I hope you enjoy it. Just a little FYI this is a bit of a slow burn things don't pick up until chapter 3/4 soo.

__________________________

You were in your psychology class trying to pay attention, but you couldn't. You were spacing out. Thinking about all the things that you could have been doing instead of sitting there in class. You could have been at home catching up with that show you just started or learning that new recipe you found.

You see this 6'4 guy with long perfect hair with broad shoulders walk into the room. He had features of a god. He was gorgeous. He couldn't be a new student; it was already mid-semester. The school you attended was fairly small. You could've noticed him by now.

He looks around the room before he makes eye contact with you and starts walking in your direction. As he starts to get near you, he doesn't break eye contact. To him, you were a prize he was trying to reach.

Once he is right in front of you, towering where you were sitting, he grabs your chin and tilts it so you could see his face more clearly. "You'll soon get what you deserve, princess," he says in a seductive voice. He grabs you by your hand and pulls you out of your seat.

Dragging you out of the classroom to take you to the nearest closet.

As he opens the door, your anxiety rises, thinking about what might happen next. "Hey, aren't we going to get caught" you mentioned to him in a worried tone of voice.

He wraps his arms around your waist, bringing you in closer to him. "Do as you are told, and we won't get caught." He whispers into your ear.

The space between you and him got smaller. Things were getting steamy-

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

"Noooo, a couple more minutes, please." you yawned to yourself. It was a dream that you did not want to wake up from. You wondered who that person was and if you have met them somewhere.

As you reached over to grab your phone where your alarm was still going off, you checked the time, wanting to know if you could sleep for a couple more minutes to go back to dreaming about that person.

It was 7:30 AM, and your class started at 8:30 AM; usually, at this time, you were in the train station, but instead, you were dreaming about a man you have never seen before and wanting to get railed by him.

You rushed on getting ready, so you could catch a train before your class started.

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

New York City is one of the busiest cities globally, also a city that you have always wanted to live in since you were a kid.

When you and your best friend Amelia got accepted into NYU, you decided to live in the same apartment. Both of you wanted to experience everything together.

You have lived there for six years, and no matter what, there is always something new to discover, it could be a new fashion store that opened or a new McDonald's, cause there is a need for a McDonald's in every corner.

This is your last year of Graduate School at NYU. You were so tired of this, and you just wanted to graduate already.

After all your classes are over, you and Amelia would always meet at Café Grumpy to occasionally catch up and leave the house. You enjoyed the coffee and food from there.

Every time you went inside there, it smelled like fresh coffee, and Ray was always there as well. "Hello, welcome back to Café Grumpy, the usual, right?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"Good afternoon, Ray, and yes, the usual." you snapped your fingers as you agreed to what he said.

You have known Ray for the past couple of years; you never knew him personally. But you two did exchange a couple of interactions. He would always be the one to prepare your coffee and Amelia's. You probably had more mental breakdowns in that shop, something that you were not proud of. Since Ray was much older than you, he would be there for you and give you the best advice he could.

You were spacing out. You hear Ray's voice. "Are you feeling better? I know it's been a rough couple of weeks since that break up with Oscar," he hands you your cup of coffee and Amelia's. Oscar was the guy you have dated for the past 2 ½ years but recently broke up with him because he was cheating on you.

A frown formed on your face. You didn't like remembering Oscar and what he did to you. "I'm doing fine; he didn't deserve me anyway. I was too good for him." There was a small sigh when you said that.

Amelia was walking towards where you were sitting at "That is correct. He never deserved a lovely, funny, realistic girlfriend like you. Even from the start, he didn't deserve you." she sounded straightforward and positive in what she said.

She always knew what to say to make your day. "Amelia, always telling me something I don't know" there was a sass on your tone. Your relationship with Oscar was toxic to the point where you forgot your self-worth and only focused on pleasing him. But after catching him cheating on you, it made you realize how strong of a person you were and how you didn't need him in your life.

"She's right, you know; any guy would be lucky to have you" Ray was smiling as he was handing you a breakfast sandwich. "just to let you know this is on me, I'll pay for you and Amelia's food and drinks. But don't get used to it because I won't be doing it all the time."

You weren't sure how to respond to what Ray has said, so you just decided to give a detailed response "hah, keep saying that, and I'll stay single for a while," you chuckled as he told you that. "Also, thanks, we'll repay you." you were grateful that Ray did that for you and Amelia once in a while.

What you told Ray made you think, were you going to be single for a while, or are you going to find someone right away. But then again, you wanted to love yourself before you loved someone else.

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

After hours of just talking to Amelia and Ray, it was time for you to head home. It was getting dark, and you had homework to do.

Afternoons were your favorite time to walk around because of the sunsets. No matter how long you have lived in New York, you would have always taken pictures. By now, your gallery was full of those sunsets instead of images with your friends or family.

You lived in Manhattan, probably the cheapest place in New York you could find. The apartment wasn't that big; it had two bedrooms, one bath, a small kitchen and living space, and a balcony that connected your bedroom to Amelia's. It was big enough for two people to live in. It was decorated very minimalistic; of course, some of the landscape pictures you took and some portraits that Amelia has painted throughout the apartment.

Looking through the cabinets and through the fridge, you noticed you had all the ingredients to make chicken alfredo with mashed potatoes" Hey, are you craving chicken alfredo with some mashed potatoes?" You were taking out the ingredients to make the food. You were the one to cook all the time since you enjoyed cooking and did not mind cleaning the mess afterward. "Even if you're not, I'm still making it because I am craving it."

Amelia was browsing through Netflix, trying to figure out what to put "whatever you want to make, you know I'll shove it down my throat."

Your phone that was across the table started to ring. As you picked it up, you saw the name Oscar. Your heart started to beat fast. You had a blank stare as you watched your phone just ring.

Amelia notices your blank face, "Is it Oscar again? Gosh, when is he going to leave you alone" she rolls her eyes. She starts walking towards you to see if you need any comfort or if you wanted her to answer.

"Yeah, it's him. Can you answer the phone for me? I'm not sure if I can talk to him" you gave her your phone.

This was not the first time he called after the breakup. Usually, you would just ignore the calls. This time it was different because of the talk you had earlier with Amelia and Ray. The thought of you giving someone everything just for them to go behind your back to do that was a scary thought.

While your mind wondered with all these thoughts, you could hear Amelia just yelling at the phone. Telling Oscar to leave me alone and just to let the relationship we once had go.

Hearing him argue with Amelia in the other room made you want to curl up in bed. But instead, you just sucked it up and started making the food because the food will never hurt your feelings or cheat on you.

Amelia walks into the kitchen and places the phone on the counter. "He is such a jerk. I still don't understand how you decided to date him. Out of all the people in New York, you decided to spend two and ½ years with him." She was rambling on how much she disliked Oscar. You zoned out, not wanting to pay attention to what she was saying.

"I don't understand either, but hey, can we just talk about something else; I need a distraction."

While you were finishing the food, Amelia was still browsing through Netflix, trying to find something the both of you could watch.

Amelia gives you a look of regret as you approach her with the food. "I'm sorry that I exploded on you about Oscar. What he did was unacceptable. I hate seeing you hurt over a stupid guy," she mentions as you give her a plate of food.

There was a small pause in between as you sat next to her. "It's okay, Amelia. I'm hurting over a dumb boy."

Once you finished your homework and the movie that Amelia put on the TV, it was already nighttime. Your mind wanders back to the dream you had. Who was this guy, and have you seen him before.

Amelia had her bed, but sometimes she would come over to your bed and sleep with you. Especially during times like this, where you needed her company. Amelia was scrolling through Instagram, trying to find new inspiration for her latest painting. "Hey, Amelia, do you know if we know anyone that is around 6'4 that had perfect shaggy hair?" you asked her, trying not to make it obvious that it was a dream.

She got up and sat up quickly as you caught her attention "oh, so now we have a new lover, and it's not been two months past your breakup" she was looking at the way you would react to her saying that. But your face was not showing any signs that you might have met someone new or even talked to someone new. You looked confused, and all you wanted answers. "Hey, don't look at me like that. We both have a busy life outside of these four walls, you don't expect me to know every single move that you do, and no, we do not know anyone that fits that description."

"Oh, okay, just asking" you wanted to drop the topic as fast as you could. "We should go to sleep. I have work tomorrow, and you do too"

You turn off the lights and proceed to go to bed.

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

"Such a naughty girl, listening to what daddy wants to do, does it turn you on being here in the closet with me at the university you attend at huh."

It seemed like it picked up right where it left off. Oddly enough, it was the same guy you dreamt of last night.

You stood there quietly as you tried to analyze his beautiful face.

He proceeds to tell you all the things he wants to do to you. "I want you to get on all fours and not make a sound," he whispers into your ears; as he does that, he wraps his big hand around your throat.

You nodded your head in agreement "yes. I'll stay as quiet as I need to-"

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

"Ugh, not again." This time, you woke up on time. When getting ready, you decided to wear something that hugged your curves perfectly—a turtleneck shirt with a cardigan and a nice pair of jeans with some heels.

On the days you didn't have class, you worked as a secretary at a lawyer's office, it was not your dream job, but it did pay you well. Your boss was chill about you going to work a couple of minutes late. She knew how busy the streets could get, and if you were able to pass by a coffee shop and get her coffee, she would forgive you for your delay.

As you were walking the same route, you wanted to catch up on some of your reading. The people around you were too focused on making sure they got to their destination on time instead of focusing on whether you were on their way.

Out of sudden, you bump into with 6'4 man, "Hey, watch it Ki-" he froze. To him, you were the most beautiful person he has ever seen.

You panic. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you," you were trying to gather yourself. As you made eye contact with him, you noticed that he had the same features as the guy you have been dreaming about. But seeing him in person, he was more attractive.

We stared at each other for a couple of minutes.

"umm yeah, it's alright kid, are you new around here? I have never seen you before" He looks at you like there's nothing else around but you. He looks up and down, looking at how perfectly your outfit hugged your curves. "Can I just mention that you are gorgeous and hot, wow"

You smiled and tucked in your hair behind your ear "thank you" This was the first time you have ever gotten a compliment in a very long time; you were unsure how to react. "Yeah, I have been here for a couple of years. I mean, it's a pretty big city. I doubt that you would have ever seen me" You never thought you would imagine that the guy you were dreaming about would live in the same city you did.

There was a small pause in between what you had said, "Is there a place that you need to be? I can walk you there. I want you to get there safely" He insisted on taking you to work. He didn't show any signs of being a creep, so of course, you agreed that he could walk with you.

The whole time you walked together, it was quiet, but having his presence next to you, was calming. It was odd. You have never felt this calm next to a stranger.

As you both get to the building that you worked at, "Hey, I know that we haven't known each other for long, and this walk was quiet, but I would like to get to know you." You scanned his face to see if he was lying or just trying to be weird. But no, he was genuine. "I would love to take you out to get coffee sometime if that's okay with you" He looked unsure if he wanted to ask you that. Maybe it was the fear of rejection.

You had a small smile on your face. You wanted to know him as well. "So far, I've enjoyed our quiet walk, and It would be lovely to grab a cup of coffee sometime" You take out some sticky notes and a pen from your purse and start writing down your number with a little heart next to the last digit. "Here, take this, don't blow up my phone, or I'll block you, okay" You hand him the sticky note with a smirk on your face.

The moment you mentioned a number, that's when his face lit up with the most dorkish yet cute smile. "Aye, Aye, Captain, I can't make any promises that I won't."

Walking towards the building, you felt like someone was watching you. You turn around to see who it might be, and it was him. He wanted to make sure that you go into the building safely. Then you realized that you didn't even know his name and how you gave him your number in a heartbeat. That was the dumbest thing you have done. But what is the worst he can do? He didn't know your name either. He can probably just send it to spam callers.

Either way, you didn't regret giving him your number.

Deep down, you thought, 'he'll never text me or call me. He was just nice by walking me to work. I'll never get to see him again.' Before you enter your shift, you text Amelia every time you get there, so she knows you got there and nothing happened to you on the way. You didn't tell her that you met this guy and that you willingly gave him your number. To you, it didn't matter. It's not like you were going to see him again.

Hours go by. It was already the end of your shift. You said your goodbyes to your boss and coworkers.

As you check your phone, you notice that there were three new messages from an unknown number. You took a deep breath as you unlocked your phone, thinking it was probably spam messages or reminders that you needed to pay your bills.

2:12 PM Hello Kid, it's me, that rando that walked with you

2:30 PM, please tell me this is your actual number and not some random person's number

3:23 PM, it probably is, well, shit. But if it is yours, call me when you get out of work. I want to go ahead and buy you coffee.

Reading those messages brought a smile to your face. Even without knowing his name, it made you happy that he texted you.

Your heart is racing as you call him, thinking that he isn't going to pick up.

"Hey kid, so you didn't give me a random person's number, huh" You could hear the excitement in his voice through the phone.

"Hello there, actually no, this is a random person's number, you got fooled" there was a small giggle that came out.

He went along with what you said, knowing for sure it was you and not someone else. "darn it. Either way, is this random person willing to grab some coffee in about 10 minutes."

"She accepts, and she will be waiting for you to come. Don't be late. I don't like it when people are late and especially when it comes to my coffee."

"Aye, Aye Captain, I won't be late, not even a second late."

"I'm holding your word to that, hah."

When you hung up the phone, you had the biggest smile on your face. The thoughts of 'how come this nameless person was able to make me feel this way' were going through your head. It felt like you were a teenager with a high school crush. This was a new feeling to you. You never experienced having these emotions over some guy.

Eight Minutes pass by, and you see that 6'4 gorgeous man was walking outside of the building you work at, waving his hand trying to catch your attention. You grab your bags and start walking towards the door. Before you could push the door, he opens it for you. "Thank you" You lock eyes with him, and that feeling from earlier where nothing matters came back. The sound of cars honking and people walking by didn't matter because it was only you and him.

"You are very welcome. There's a new coffee place that opened up not that long ago that I want to take you". He points to the left, and of course, there was a big sign on the shop saying, 'NEW LOCATION' You agreed to go with him, and you didn't care where you two went. All you wanted to do was spend time with him.

Both of you were walking to the coffee shop, and it was relatively small and very casual. There was loud music playing in the background. He opened the door for you, and inside, it smelled like fresh coffee. The inside was beautiful. The tones were very earthy and brown colors. Even if you didn't come with him, you would have loved to be in this place. It felt like home. While you two were getting in line, you finally asked him the question that has been in your head all day. "Something that has been bugging me is that I'm here grabbing coffee with a person that I don't even know; you might be a murder or a cat person, and I wouldn't even know your name."

He makes a facepalm motion when he realizes that you were right. You didn't know his name, and he didn't know yours. "shit, you are right. I haven't even told you my name. It's Adam."

Adam, why was that so fitting for him. You never thought that this beautiful man would have the most straightforward name. You loved his name already. You tell him your name, and the way he reacted was the cutest. "So that's the captain's name. To be fair, that is a beautiful name." You had a smile, and your cheek turned into a rosy color. You never thought that he would react to your name like that, mainly because he could have met a lot of people with that same name.

To him, your name meant more than just a random person's name. He didn't care if other people had the same name as you. He only cared about knowing your name.

The line got shorter, and it was your time to order what you wanted to drink. You look over the menu, and the most appealing drink you could see was a Macchiato. That was your safe drink when it came to new coffee places.

As you look over the menu, Adam stares at you, the way your eyebrows are shaped, the way you look so concentrated on reading every word on the menu. As before bumping into you, you were still the most beautiful person he has ever seen. "Are you ready to order what you want?"

Looking over the menu one more time, just making sure that a Macchiato was something you wanted. "I think so. I'll probably just want a macchiato, something simple."

"Do you want anything to eat? It's probably been hours since you have last eaten," he says in a concerning voice.

Even though you were hungry and wanted to order something to eat, you didn't want him to waste more money on you. "No, that would be it. I can probably get something to eat on the way home. Thank you, though. I appreciate it."

While waiting for the drinks to be ready, you two go sit down. It was quiet for a while before they called Adam's name to go and get the drinks. Hearing his name just brightened your day. You thought, 'I don't think I would ever get tired of hearing his name.' As he walked in your direction, you can't help but notice how big his hands were.

"Here is the macchiato for the lady" While you grab your cup of coffee from his hands, you notice how small your hand looked compared to his. "now that we are here, tell me about yourself." He wanted to know everything about you, from what you like to eat to what you like to do in your free time.

"Well, I'm in my last year of graduate school in NYU, getting my Human Development and Social Intervention Master's degree, gosh that was a handful to say. I work at a law office." There was a pause as you were trying to think of things you did in your free time. "There's nothing that exciting about my life, really." All you did was go to work and school. It made you realize how it has been a cycle your whole time you were in here.

With the facial expression, you can tell that he wanted to say 'really,' but instead, he said something else. "That sounds like some bull. Getting a degree in Human development or some shit like that is quite interesting" he was interested in what you were saying. "Also, I doubt that is all you do. There must be something else, a hobby? A show you enjoy watching." He did not believe one bit that your life could be boring.

Talking about yourself was not something you did on a day-to-day basis. So when Adam started asking these questions, it was really hard for you to think about it. He was the first person to ask you to talk about yourself in a very long time. You were unsure what to tell him, as you were stirring your coffee with a spoon, trying to figure out what to say. He grabs your hand that was just resting on the table. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. If you don't feel comfortable telling me it's cool, I understand" He was reassuring you that you didn't have to tell him anything you didn't want to.

He still holds your hand, making sure that you are comfortable around him. He didn't want to mess things up with you. He wanted to flirt with you and kiss you, but he also wanted to make sure you were comfortable.

The place started to get packed, and the walls felt like they were closing in on you. You began to feel claustrophobic with the number of people around. "Adam, can we leave the place and walk around?" You needed to get out of the place before more people came in.

He grabs your bag and helps you get up from the chair. You started to walk forwards, and even though you couldn't see him, you could feel his presence behind you. As you both left the shop, you turned around to make sure he was right behind. You wait for him as he catches up to you. You go ahead and wrap your arm around his. He had a slight smile when you did that. "I'm sorry for not answering your questions. Usually, no one asks me to talk about myself, so I'm unsure what to say."

He understood, and he was in the same boat as you. No one asked him to talk about himself either. If you were to ask him, he would freeze just like you did. "It's alright, kid, let's take you home. It's getting late" This was the second time he walked you to your location. He wanted you to get home safely and wanted to stay with you for a longer time.

This time it wasn't a quiet walk, you joked around with him, and he joked around with you. The way you both talked, it seemed like you knew each other for years and not only for a day.

You were the first girl he didn't want to take home and hook up with. You were different, he wanted something new, and he wanted to experience it with you.

You were outside the building of your apartment, and you see Amelia run towards you and Adam. "Where were you, it's past 6:30, and you are usually here earlier. I was about to set an Amber Alert on your ass" She hugs you ignoring the man next to you. As she lets go, she finally notices him and gives him a perplexed look. She pulls you away from Adam. She didn't know him. She thought he was some creep just trying to get to know where you lived. "You can go now. You don't need to walk her in." She had a disgusted look on her face while she made the shoo motion.

You were embarrassed that she was acting that way. Usually, she wouldn't mind if a guy walked me home. You gave Adam a look that you were sorry. "I'm so sorry. I never thought this would be the way you two meet. Amelia, this is Adam" You had a frustrated look on your face. You didn't want Amelia to know about Adam until you were sure that you wanted to talk to him for a while. 'I guess faith has another plan for me, instead of letting me do my own thing.' Instead of keeping that thought to yourself, you said it out loud without even knowing that you did.

Adam and Amelia both heard what you said and giggled.

Adam stares at you like he had the heart eyes emoji on his face. Amelia noticed how he was looking at you and decided to walk into the building, so you and he would have a moment together. You knew the moment you entered the apartment, she would be asking you a ton of questions. The idea of going home felt like a nightmare, but that's where your bed was at, so you didn't have a choice.

After what happened between the three of you, you were unsure if he ever wanted to talk to you again. If it was you, after that, you would have just run the opposite way. He could feel that you were worried. "If you think that Amelia scared me away from you, you thought completely wrong." He wraps his arms around you, and you hug him back. Feeling his warmth was one of the best feelings in the world. You were so much tinier than him, so hugging him felt like you were hugging a bear. After a couple of more minutes, letting him go was hard. Adam looks up and notices that Amelia is looking down to where you and he were standing. "It's getting late, and I can see that someone is creepily watching us." You look up, and you see the same thing that Adam did. You both giggled that Amelia wasn't trying to hide that she was staring at the both of you.

Watching him walk away made you sad. You wanted to spend more time with him.

Entering the apartment, Amelia rushed to open the door before you could. She had a ton of questions ready for you on a notepad. You took her hand and walked towards the couch. The questions went from “where did you meet him? How did you meet him?... etc.” You answered every question, even though you really didn’t want to. “So you met him, and you didn’t plan on telling me” she grabbed the pillow that was right next to her and smacked you with it. You went ahead and grabbed a pillow next to you and started to have a pillow fight.

Hours passed by, you finished your homework, your readings, and finished cooking dinner. As you are getting ready to go to bed. All you could think about was him, how sweet he was to you, how beautiful his face was, just the thought of Adam. Your phone starts to ring as these thoughts continue. You look over to your phone to see who it was, and it was Adam.

There was noise in the background. It sounded like there was construction going on. “Hey Kid, what are you doing up so late? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“Hey Goof, Fun fact I was about to go to bed, but you called, meaning that you interrupted me from going to bed.” You were tucking yourself to bed at this moment.

“I’ll just buy you coffee tomorrow.” He mentions in a sweet tone of voice.

“I hate that you have only known me for a day and already know that I love coffee” It was the opposite. You didn’t mind if he knew that you enjoyed drinking coffee. Instead of just remembering how your body was shaped, he would remember you by something you enjoyed drinking.

Adam was thinking about you before he decided to call you. He missed you. He missed the way your voice sounded. “I’m going, being honest with you, I was just thinking about you, and I thought I would call you.”

Did that comment just make your heart flutter? Yes, indeed it did. It’s crazy how in just one day of meeting Adam, you never felt happier. He made you feel things that you thought you’d never feel again.

You both talked for an hour straight, just talking about the tv show you were just watching; meanwhile, he was talking about wanting to build a boat in his apartment. But no matter what, you never have that awkward pause in between topics.

Once the call ended, It made you realize that this was just the beginning and that it would be a bumpy road ahead. But it didn’t matter because it was with him.

[word-scribbless]

Oh Baby part 3

Masterlist | oh baby Masterlist

—————————

Amelia was about 10 month old when Y/N was finally fully back to consulting, and quickly after that she was already needed by NCIS. Gibbs and the team had been working a tough case. They were in need of a translator with some agent and profiling skills, in other words, they needed Y/N.

“Hey Gibbs,” Leon called as he walked down the steps toward the team “your girl back in action?” He asked with a smirk.

“Yup” Gibbs answered back as he took a swig of his coffee.

“Call her” Vance said as he walked away.

Gibbs nodded, trying to school he happiness to have her back with them.

“I’ve been wondering where Y/N’s been, she alright?” McGee asked.

“It’s been about 9 months boss, you got something to tell us?” Tony joked and Gibbs rolled his eyes.

“Check your math DiNozzo, and she’s fine.” Gibbs answered. He held back the laugh at how true Tony’s question was as he stepped away to call Y/N.

“Y/L/N” Y/N answered.

“Hey,” Gibbs said softly. “How are my girls?” He asked. His heart had clenched the first time he called them that, thinking of his original girls, but he couldn’t help but love the smile Y/N gave him after hearing it.

“We’re good! I swear she’s so close to walking J! I know she probably won’t for another month or so but she won’t stop moving. Mostly dancing, she’s a dancing machine.”

Gibbs couldn’t help but smile and he knew his team noticed. He was far enough away that they couldn’t hear him, but they could see him.

“She gets that from you.” He chuckled

“Oh yeah I’ve got dance moves!” She joked. “You calling for my assistance Agent Gibbs?”

“I” Gibbs began to speak before Amelia began squealing from hearing his voice.

“Your daughter wants to say hi!” She held the phone to Amelia and she squealed something that sounded similar to hi.

“Hi baby! I love you” he said and chuckled at her little baby giggle.

“Sorry you were saying?” Y/N laughed

“You guys are lucky you’re cute! I’ve got a case.” He laughed softly.

“Oops say sorry Poppa” she said and Amelia squealed again.

“Sorry, so do you really need me?” She asked and Gibbs laughed.

“Always, but yeah. You feeling up to a case?” He asked.

“Heck yeah! I’m gonna miss this girl though” she said, loudly kissing Amelia’s cheek.

“Give her one for me too, and tell Andi thanks”

“I will” she kissed Amelia again and said “we love you!” Amelia cooed in agreement.

“I love you girls.” He said softly. “See you soon Y/N/N”

“Be safe J, see you soon.”

Gibbs hung up and put his boss face back on, ignoring the looks from his team. He’d been smiling more ever since he was with Y/N, but he had usually hid it more than this. They’d find out soon enough, he thought to himself.

Y/N dropped Amelia off with Andi and Riley (and Andi’s husband Josh) and headed to NCIS.

She walked in to NCIS while the team was going over Their latest briefing. By the time gibbs called y/n they had already cleared the crime scene and started working.

She snuck in and stood next to Gibbs who smirked at her and waited for the rest of the team to notice.

She snuck in and stood next to Gibbs who smirked at her and waited for the rest of the team to notice.

“Gibbs I-“ ziva started before uncharacteristically shrieking and hugging Y/N. “You’re back!”

“I am! Hey guys. I heard most of that briefing so just fill me in on the way to talk to the victims parents?” Y/N asked and Gibbs nodded and hid a smirk while Tony and McGee hugged her.

“Since I know it’s killing them not to ask... go ahead tell them before we go.” Gibbs said.

“But Abby” she said and Gibbs pointed behind her as a squealing Abby ran in followed by ducky and jimmy.

“Wow, we have changed you” she said low enough for only Gibbs to hear. He shook his head and gave her the ‘we’ll go ahead’ look.

“Soooo I know I’ve been MIA and you all want to know why and Gibbs isn’t a sharer.”

“We do have a case Y/N.” Gibbs said in mix irratation.

Y/N rolled her eyes and turned her phone around to show the team a picture of them with Amelia.

“This is why” she said and the team looked dumb founded.

“I was right?!?” Tony yelled, earning him a Gibbs slap.

“I’m guessing you weren’t.” Y/N laughed. “Amelia is my brother Ryan’s daughter. I was given custody 8 months ago, after his death and officially adopted her a month later. So officially this is our daughter, Amelia y/f/n y/l/n Gibbs. They had all the legal paper work together for her name change and Gibbs half of the adoption, but the appointment wasn’t until after her birthday. Y/N refused to wait to refer to her as anything else though.

They were met with gasps and oooh and ahhhs and requests to meet her. They told everyone they planned a big meet on her first birthday. That way everyone could gather and have time to meet her properly.

“So you have a new daughter?” Ducky asked as Y/N went with Ziva to talk to the family.

“I do” he smiled

“Officially? I mean Y/N said her name was gibbs”

“Not legal yet but it’s been official to me since I met her.” Gibbs said and Ducky nodded.

“And Y/N? Will she be a Gibbs too?”

Gibbs nodded “hope so”

Ducky smiled and walked away. He knew his friend said he’d never marry again, but that was befor Y/N.

Y/N was do doubt being grilled by Ziva in the car and he knew Abby would question him when he went down in a minute, but he had to admit, his girls were his favorite topic, even if he was a private man.

Y/N had helped interview the families and watch a few interrogations. Then she gave her input said goodbye, heading to pick up Amelia.

They were sitting at home with her after eating with Andi’s family when Amelia started crying. She wouldn’t stop until Y/N played a video she had taken about a month ago of Gibbs rocking her to sleep and singing her favorite lullabies.

She couldn’t help but text Gibbs a quick ‘your daughter misses her favorite parent, and I miss my man! We love you.’

She figured he must be having a rough night with the case when he actually answered her text.

‘Needed that. Love ya too’

She knew the case was rough and involved a family. Those always hit him the hardest. So she called in a favor that she knew would help both her favorite people.

After 2 rings Abby picked up.

“Hiii beautiful awww is that the lil Gibbs I hear in the background?”

“Yup she’s disgruntled that I stopped playing a video of Gibbs to use my phone for it’s intended purpose.”

“Awww what do you need dumpling?”

“Can you do me a big favor?” Y/N asked.

“Ofcourse”

“Can you answer a video call and then give Gibbs your phone? Make sure the team isn’t there and promise not to mock him?”

“Yes to all of the above. You okay?”

“Yeah can tell the case is rough and he loves being here to say good night to Amelia... thought this could help.”

“Oh you’re so sweet!” Abby gushes, and laughed as she heard Amelia stop crying to squeal along with her.

“Just don’t go telling people gibbs has a soft side okay?” Y/N joked.

“Fineee okay go ahead and video call me and I’ll take it up.”

Abby walked up to a grumpy Gibbs, hunched over a case file, going over whiteness statements AGAIN.

“Gibbs there’s a call for you” she said going to hand him her phone.”

“Abbs I’m busy”

“Oh come on, answer the phone Gunny.” Y/N’s voice rang from the phone and he looked up to see his girls on the screen. Amelia was all ready for bed and y/n was in her ‘after work’ clothes (his sweatshirt and a pair of leggings) snuggled up with her in the rocking chair in her room.

“Hey you two! Everything okay?”

“Yup, just called in a favor from Abby! Now go to your ‘office’ and promise Abbs we’ll have her phone back soon.”

Gibbs looks at Abby who nodded with a smile before turning to go back to her lb. Gibbs quickly went to the elevator and flipped the switch.

“What do I owe this surprise to? Hi baby girl” he cooed the last part at Amelia who smiled wide at her dad.

“Well I know this case sucks so I wanted you to be able to partake in your favorite thing! Plus our girl learned something new today.”

“Oh yeah? what’d you learn princess”

Y/n turned to Amelia and said “meals, who is that” pointing at the Gibbs on the screen

“Puh-puh-puh-puh!” She said clapping and blowing kisses to Gibbs, who had tears in his eyes. He looked at y/n who was full blown crying.

“Yeah baby, I’m Poppa! Good job meali! I love you sweet girl!”

She shrieked and y/n smiled at him “you only won by a few minutes” she said and laughed at Gibbs confused look. “Mealies’ who am I? She asked sweetly “muhmuhmuh!!!” Amelia yelled and Gibbs laughed.

“Wish I was there!” He said, sounding him a little sad.

“I wasn’t even there, this little sneak was asking Andi for us all afternoon!”

They laughed and did their nighttime routine with Gibbs even singing her a hushed lullaby through the camera.

“Thank you Y/N I love you”

“I love you! We both do. Now go catch this guy and come home to us.”

She said and he hung up to do just that.

Later that night (closer to earlier the next morning) he came home after wrapping the case to find his girls both sound asleep in Y/N and his bed. He took a minute to just look at them, before changing and curling up beside them.

Y/N woke a bit and smiled when she saw Gibbs settling in on the other side of Amelia.

“You catch ‘im” she mumbled, barely awake. “Mhm” Gibbs assured, tucking them both under his arm and getting comfortable.

“Go back to sleep baby, I love you” he said, carefully leaning over their daughter to gently kiss her, he huffed a laugh when she smiled and mumbled “okay love you” before falling back to sleep with his arm draped over both her and Amelia.

—————-

Next chapter

@averyhotchner @andreasworlsboring101 @mac99martin @kittenlittle24 @hopscotchandlemon @gibbsandpridegirl

[calumance]

Sunshine (bestfriend!Calum AU)- Part 5

Warnings: ANGST, drinking, cussing, fluff at the end

Word Count: 4.9k

Summary: Amelia and Calum are growing up and growing apart. Amelia is in a serious relationship, while Calum is off traveling the world and living his rockstar dream. At this point, they are both sure they will never find the right time to admit their feelings for each other.

A/N: Holy shit I actually finished something. 👀 I’ve had this part written for a long time but I’ve never felt like it was my best writing. I’ve done a lot of editing and finally got it to a point where I feel it is good enough for posting. This is the last part of this mini series, so let me know what you thought about it!! Feedback and requests are always welcomed! (Want to be notified when I post new content? Let me know!)

Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Buy me a coffee? ❤️

           While Calum was off on tour, Amelia worked, but even though they still talked to each other every day, it was obvious that they were growing apart. Amelia had decided to take some classes at the local college, and was always too busy to have a full conversation with Calum; and Calum was so busy with touring and recording that sometimes he forgot he had to be the first one to call, otherwise Amelia would never call him. Both were aware of the fact they were growing a part but that didn’t stop, or change, the feelings they had for each other. Sometimes it was hard to differentiate between if they were growing apart, or pushing each other away. The thought had crossed Amelia’s mind multiple times, but right now it was sitting there like a ton of bricks. Amelia held onto her fork and glanced at her phone. Using her free hand, she picked up her phone so the screen would light up; the last picture she took of Calum while he was in town sitting pretty as her wallpaper. She stared at the picture for a minute, and then another minute, making sure to tap the screen to keep it lit. Suddenly, she dropped her phone on the table and sat back, realizing that she was pushing him away, afraid of her feelings for him. A sigh left her lips as she ran the back of her hand across her forehead trying to rationalize everything that was going through her heart and her mind.

           After a few months of being away, Calum had come back home for the Oceania leg of the tour. Amelia was well aware he was back home, and wanted to see him more than anything, but she couldn’t find the time, and before she knew it they were off to the United States again. The day Calum left, she almost punch a hole in her wall. Calum tried and tried to get her to hang out with him while he was there, but excuse after excuse caused them to miss seeing each other, yet again. That same night, Amelia and Brandon fought about something completely unrelated to Calum and her current predicament. The fight lasted from the moment she got home from work, until one in the morning when he left in a rage, leaving Amelia alone in the apartment. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, what was she doing so wrong that was causing her to lose everything? Instead of screaming, knowing the neighbors probably wouldn’t appreciate it, she blinked back the tears and threw the refrigerator open, ready to drink her feelings away. Once the alcohol took over her blood stream, she was unaware of the time, and unaware of what she should, and shouldn’t, keep to herself. In one fluid motion, she picked up her phone and dialed Calum’s number, pressing the speaker to her ear and listening to the ring back tone as she washed back the rest of her drink. “Hey, ‘Melia.” He answered, his voice sounded like heaven. Amelia, in her drunken haze, wanted to cry at sound of his voice, but she held it together.

           “Hi, Calum.” She tried to hide the slur in her voice, but she was so far gone that probably anyone could tell she had had more than enough to drink. It didn’t help that Calum could read her like an open book, even when she tried to close herself off. Calum gulped, anxious to hear what she had to say to him in such a drunken state. Calum had been awake for a half hour when his phone had started ringing. When he saw Amelia’s name on his phone, he counted on his fingers to figure out what time it was there. His eyebrows furrowed when he realized it was nearly four in the morning in Australia. After he answered the phone, and pressed the phone to his ear, he laid his head back into the pillow and ran a hand up and down his cheek. Even though he was anxious to know what she had to say, he would drop everything to talk to her, no matter what time it was. “I feel like a jackass, Calum. I feel like I’m a terrible person, and I don’t want to feel like this anymore.” Even though she was slurring, her breath hitched in a way that he could tell she was crying, something that never sat well with him.

           Calum tossed the comforter off himself and threw his feet over the edge of the bed, his feet pressing to the rough carpet of the hotel room. As he sat up, he gripped the edge of the bed, trying to decipher what she was trying to say. “What do you mean? You’re not a jackass, Mel.” Amelia inhaled, another hitch in her breath drilling the point of her crying into Calum’s chest. He reached his free hand towards his chest, trying to physically dull the pain. “’Melia, what’s going on? Why are you so upset? What are you doing awake at four in the morning?” His stomach twisted into knots as she sobbed into the phone. He wanted to run to her, and hold her, let her cry into his chest. Why did he have to be so far from her?

           As she sat back, pressing her trembling body into the couch that still had a slight scent of Calum’s cologne, Amelia wiped the tears off her face and shook her head. “You were home for a full month and I didn’t make the time to come hang out with you. You’re my best friend and I didn’t make the effort to see you. That makes me a shitty person, and it makes me a shitty best friend.” Amelia took a deep breath, her words spilling out like vomit as she sobbed. Realizing she was talking more than she actually wanted to, she slapped her hand over her mouth. Her heart was hurting, it’s been hurting. She wants him to come home, she wants him to stay home. She wants to be his home.

           Across the globe, Calum closed his eyes as she cried into the phone, his heart strings pulling hard enough that he thought his heart was about to stop. “Mel, sunshine, you’re not a shitty person, and you’re not a shitty best friend. You have your own life, and you’re doing great at everything you are doing. You are going to achieve all of your dreams, and maybe that means that I won’t be there for some moments. Sometimes we just aren’t on the same schedule, and that’s okay. We’ll still be best friends even if we don’t see each other for three years, ten years, even twenty years. Do you understand me?” Calum ran his hand through his hair still listening to her cry on the other end. It was true, he would go running back to her even if they didn’t speak for ten years. No matter where life took them both, he would do anything to keep her in his life.

           “I understand, Calum. My heart just hurts, okay?” She sobbed, the slight haze of the alcohol still blurring the lines of what was appropriate to say or not. Amelia wanted to tell him everything, but bit her tongue. The realization of her being so close to spilling everything to Calum caused her to stop crying and hold her breath, Her leg bounced nervously as she wiped the tears off her face, the hysterical crying dissolving some of the drunken blur. “Brandon and I have been arguing a lot lately. I’m not sure how much longer we’re going to last.” Amelia rubbed her eyes. When she looked at her fingers, they were coated with black smudged. Frustrated she dropped her hand and looked away. At this point, everything else was fucked up, why not her makeup follow suit? She sighed and brought her hand up to her forehead, rubbing her temples in frustration, her head starting to hurt from bottling up her emotions.

           “I’m sorry to hear that, ‘Melia. I hope you guys are able to work everything out, I know how much you like him.” It took him a minute to figure out if he was lying to himself, or lying to her, or if he was actually telling the truth. His eyebrows furrowed as he gripped the edge of the bed again. For so many years he has wanted to be the one she came home to every night, the one who would wrap his arms around her after a long day at work. For so many years it has been a different guy, but he’s seen how happy Brandon makes her; maybe he really did hope they worked things out so she would continue being happy. Calum closes his eyes again, waiting for her to speak on the other line, asking whatever higher power that was listening to him that she just ended up with someone who made her smile every day.

           Amelia switched her phone to her other hand and started to bite at her thumb nail. Calum wanted her and Brandon to work everything out, but there was something in the pit of her stomach telling her the opposite. She couldn’t see herself with Brandon in the future, and she only knew this because she’s thought about it one too many times. Calum was the one that she could see herself with, but maybe that was just a delusion since Calum was all she ever really thought about. Her heart screamed at her that Calum should be the one she runs to and kisses. Amelia took a sharp breath in, the sound of the apartment door opening shaking her from her thoughts. She spun around fast enough to cause her head to spin. When her vision cleared she saw Brandon walk through the front door. Amelia cleared her throat, “Thanks Calum, I have to go now. I’m sorry if I bothered you. I love you, best friend.” She hung up before Calum got a chance to reply and found her way back inside.

           After that night, Amelia ended up working everything out with Brandon, and Calum was genuinely happy when he found out. Amelia played along and smiled and rejoiced as well, even though she was pretty sure it wasn’t the right choice. When Calum was done with his tour, he was only back for a little bit. Even though he didn’t have much time, he took the time to swing by Amelia’s apartment. As he made his way through the hallway’s he thought about how he really didn’t care if Brandon was there or not. However, there was a wave of relief when Amelia answered the door and he was nowhere to be seen. Amelia’s face lit up when she opened the door and saw Calum standing on the other side. She threw herself at him and locked him in an embrace that Calum missed so much. He tightened his grip around her and closed his eyes. She smelled like her normal mango shampoo. Her skin carried a light scent of apples. The two scents mingling in his nose in a way that made him smile uncontrollably. While holding on to her, he made sure to try his hardest to memorize the scent. After Amelia pulled away from him, she pulled him inside.

           Calum found himself on the couch while Amelia prepared some coffee for the both of them. He thanked her as he took the warm cup from her and she sat next to him. The mug she handed him was one that he had given to her years ago after they first met. It was the first birthday present he had ever given to her. It made his eyes water thinking about how she’s kept it in such pristine condition all these years. He blinked away the tears and looked up at her, staring at her long enough that he could drink in every detail of her. She had become a gorgeous woman through the years he had been touring. Hands down she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. Woman, he thought to himself. She was no longer an awkwardly proportioned teenager, but now she was a healthy, filled out woman. He couldn’t help but be attracted to her. He took a swig of the hot coffee trying to swallow down the attraction. “So our new album comes out next month.” He said after bearing the pain of the scalding hot coffee burning his throat.

           Amelia smiled after taking a drink of coffee, then nodding furiously as she lowered her cup to her other hand. “I know, I can’t wait to hear it, I’m so excited. Are you excited for it to be released as well?” She tilted her head slightly and licked her lips, the smile never fading in the slightest. How was is supposed to fade when Calum was sitting this close to her?

           Calum nodded, but there was a detail he needed to tell her about the release. “I’m definitely excited, but I’m moving to Los Angeles.” Amelia froze and gave Calum a quizzical look, the smile quickly fading. “A lot of our promo is going to be out of Los Angeles, and everything that’s been happening to us has been happening out of Los Angeles, so I decided to move there because it’s just easier.” Calum watched Amelia’s face. There was a look on her face that looked like she was in pain for a second, but then that was wiped away when she smiled.

           Amelia’s chest was tight, and her heart felt like it was about to absolutely shatter. If Calum moved to Los Angeles, then that would mean he wouldn’t stop in Australia for a rest between tours, which would mean she wouldn’t get a chance to see him. The only time she would get to see him was if she went to a show. How are you supposed to hang out and catch up with your best friend in that little bit of time; was this the last of her friendship with Calum? She pushed the thoughts to the side and smiled as big as she could, pretending that the news didn’t absolutely break her, “That’s amazing. I’m so proud of you and the rest of the guys.” Amelia put her mug down on the table and pulled Calum into a long embrace, one she didn’t want to ever let go of. “Can I come visit you in LA?” She mumbled into his shoulder.

           Calum held onto her tighter and nodded. “Of course you can, any time you want, sunshine.” They held onto each other for a while until Calum got a call. After he let go of Amelia, he excused himself to the balcony where he answered the call. Amelia watched him pace back and forth while talking on the phone. The tears sitting on the lining of her eyes. She understood that their lives were headed in completely different directions, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. When Calum stepped back into her apartment, she slapped a fake smile back on her lips and smiled through Calum telling her he had to go. She nodded in understanding and allowed Calum to pull her into another embrace that she tried her hardest to memorize the feeling of in such a short amount of time. The second the door shut, and she was sure Calum was out of ear shot, she burst into tears, well aware that was the last time she was going to see Calum for a while.

* * *

           Although they tried to still say good night to each other very night, and call at random times, it had been two years since they had seen each other. It has only been six months since Amelia and Brandon broke up, and three months since Amelia accepted a job as a junior editor at a magazine located in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. Amelia had accepted the job knowing that she would be moving closer to Calum, but she didn’t want to tell him until she was settled and knew that this was going to be her life now. Amelia stepped out onto her balcony and looked out onto the city she now calls home and took a deep breath. Almost as if Calum could read her mind, her phone started to ring, his wonderful face showing up telling Amelia he was the one calling. “Hello?” She answered.

           “Hey ‘Melia. I just wanted to give you my daily good night call.” Amelia looked at the time, it was only six in the evening. The thought of asking him why he was calling so early crossed her mind. Back home she wouldn’t have a clue what time it was for him, she would just know it wasn’t bed time for her. In order to not give her new secret away, she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

           She took a breath and nodded, “Thanks for the call, Calum.” There was an awkward silence between them before Amelia decided to try to get Calum to break out of this funk they’ve been in for two years. She wanted to talk to him, she wanted to have a conversation with him, no more of these three minute phone calls just to say goodnight. “How’s the new record coming along? It’s releasing in just a couple of months, right?”

           Calum sighed, wanting to open up to her, but he just felt so far from her. “We just finished it a couple weeks ago. I think this has been our best album so far. Are you going to buy it when it comes out?” Calum pushed himself off his couch and started making his way towards his back door. He missed the conversations they used to have, the ones that would foretell of the future. They never held anything back from each other, and now it’s just casual chit chat that you would hear between two strangers. Strangers, the word made Calum’s chest hurt.

           Amelia’s heart raced, why wouldn’t she buy it when it came out? She’s bought every single album they’ve released the day it came out. “Of course, Calum, why wouldn’t I buy it?” Amelia wanted to tell him she was in Los Angeles, and had been for a little while now, but every time the words sat on the tip of her tongue, it just didn’t feel like the right time.

           Calum paced in his living room, the need to see her again digging under his skin and making his blood run cold. He tucked his right hand under his left arm which was holding the cell phone to his ear. His eyes locked with the little black and white dog who kept Calum company every day. Calum smiled at Duke who wagged his tail in response. “I don’t know, I just wanted to make sure.” Calum sighed, something inside of him suddenly telling him this wasn’t all her fault. He was pushing her away just as much as she was pushing him away. “Amelia, I miss you so much. I miss hanging out with you and laughing with you. Why won’t you come and visit me? I’ve offered so many times, but you always turn it down. Did I do something to upset you?” Calum stopped pacing and stood in front of the glass door leading to his backyard and looked up at the sky.

           Amelia swallowed and felt the breeze dance across her face. “No, Cal, you didn’t upset me. It’s just been so crazy lately that I haven’t had the time. I’m sorry if you thought I was upset with you. I miss you too, so much.” More than you know, actually, she finished the thought in her head. Amelia lifted her elbows off the railing and looked up at the night sky, wondering if it was ever going to be the right time to tell him about her feelings for him.

           Calum rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe we could figure out a time together and you can fly out here and visit?” He thought about what it would be like to have her spend the night, even if it was completely platonic. He can only imagine how cute she looks in the morning, with her messy hair and dark circles under her eyes.

           The thunder caused Amelia to go back into her apartment and she sat down on her couch imagining what it would feel like to share a home with Calum, even for a week. He’s always been a good host, she’d wake up to a fresh pot of coffee every morning, and probably even a freshly cooked breakfast. “Yeah, let me look at my work calendar tomorrow and I’ll let you know when I can take some vacation time.”

           Calum smiled, because most days there was no reason for her to call him, but now there was. He couldn’t wait to have an excuse to talk to her tomorrow. “Great, I’ll talk to you tomorrow then.”

           “Yeah, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Have a great night, Calum.” Amelia’s heart hurt, a feeling she was sure she was becoming numb to. She was so tired of her heart feeling this way, it was starting to eat away at her. Eat away at her in a way that caused her leg to bounce whenever she sat still, some nights it was hard to sleep. She placed her hand on her forehead to try to calm herself. Calum said his goodbye and they hung up the phone. Amelia held her phone with both hands and bounced her leg for a minute thinking deeply. Fuck it, she thought to herself and scrolled through her phone to find Ashton’s phone number.

           She put the address into her phone, Calum didn’t live that far from her, but since Amelia has yet to buy a car, she started walking. Everything was fine until it started raining. Amelia was dripping wet when she pulled herself under an awning of a restaurant to pull her phone out and check how much further she had to go. There was only about five more minutes until she was going to be there, but there was no way the rain was letting up anytime soon. As Amelia stood under the awning, she thought about calling Calum and telling him where she was, but Amelia was way too stubborn to give away her secret now. So, she built up some courage and went back into the rain and trekked her way to Calum’s house. Almost running to the front door to get out of the rain, even if it was for a second before she rang the doorbell.

           Amelia took a few deep breaths, starting to feel the chill inside her bones of being soaking wet, and then rang the doorbell. She could hear Calum’s footsteps as he came closer to the door. When he opened the door, his face dropped. Not because he was unhappy to see her, but because he was seeing her. How did she find him, and why is she soaking wet. Amelia spoke through chattered teeth, “Hi, Calum. I wanted to talk to you.” Calum grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, telling her to stay where she was, he’d be right back. He returned a few seconds later with a towel and wrapped her in it, pulling her to the couch. Her teeth continued to chatter as he pulled her close to his chest, rubbing her arms to generate some heat. “I didn’t know the rain got so cold here.” She tried to make a joke, and he appreciated it, but he was more worried about her being warm right now.

           “Hold on, sunshine. I’m going to get you some dry clothes to change into, okay?” Calum left her on the couch again. Although he had a million questions running through his head, he knew none of them would be answered until she was comfortable. He grabbed a pair of sweat pants, and his green ‘empathy’ hoodie and ran back down the stairs to her. “Here, go to the bathroom and take everything off and change into this. I’ll throw your clothes into the dryer and we’ll try to get you warm, and dry.”

           Amelia took the clothes from him and made her way to the bathroom. Her teeth chattered as she peeled the wet clothes off her body, letting them slop into a pile on the floor. As she pulled the hoodie onto her body, she breathed in, smelling the familiar scent of Calum’s cologne. Amelia took off her shoes and sighed, feeling the warmth hit her wet toes. She grabbed the towel Calum had given her and wrapped it around her head to pull her wet hair out of her face. She collected the sopping pile of clothes off the floor and exited the bathroom. Calum met her and took her clothes from her, he walked into a different room and Amelia heard him shut the dryer and then start it.

           As Amelia waited for Calum to come back into the room, she sat on the couch and pulled the long pant legs over her cold feet. Her face lit up seeing the cute black and white curious dog come trotting into the room. A smile crept across her face as she reached down and gave him a pat on his head. Just as Amelia and Duke were starting to hit it off Calum came into the room, sitting next to Amelia and looking at her, “How did you get here?”

           He wasted no time asking his questions, he had so many to ask her. “I walked. Three months ago, I accepted a job and they moved me here about three weeks ago. I didn’t want to tell you until I was completely settled, I wasn’t sure if this was a for sure thing until the other day.” Amelia looked at Calum with apologetic eyes, apologizing for flat out lying to him on the phone earlier. Calum continued to looked at Amelia, completely puzzled as to how she got here. “After we talked on the phone earlier, I just wanted to see you so bad. I called Ashton and he gave me your address. I don’t have a car yet, and since you only live, like, thirty walking minutes away from me, I thought it would be fine to just walk here. But then it started raining, and it got a little cold. But I need to talk to you, I need to tell you something but it’s not something I can tell you over the phone. I need to tell you this to your face.”

           Calum swallowed, afraid of what she wanted to tell him, but he was willing to listen. Even if it was her telling him she never wanted to see him again, he still wanted to hear what was on her mind. “Okay, I’m all ears.” Calum smiled at her and watched her facial expression change. Her eyes darted across his face, trying to collect his thoughts.

           She sighed and looked at her hands, which were trembling, and pruned. Her eyes shut as she gathered the courage to say what needed to be said. It’s been way too long holding these feelings inside. “I love you, Calum.” She kept her eyes closed as she talked, not wanting to see his reaction, “And I don’t mean that in the ‘you’re my best friend, I love you,’ way. I mean that as in I am in love with you, and have been for the longest time, but I figured that we were just better off being friends, especially with the fact that your career was accelerating and I barely got to see you anymore.” She finally opened her eyes and looked at him, her heart skipped a beat seeing little reaction on his face, “Which is great, I am really proud of you and the boys. I just figured confessing my feelings to you was just going to slow you down, or every time I thought it was right I was in a relationship, or you were in a relationship. We just were never on the same wave length, but now I’m here, in Los Angeles, and I’m so tired of the feelings I have for you eating away at my sanity.” Amelia dropped her head and took a deep breath, “I’m sorry, I just had to tell you. I understand if you don’t feel the same way, and I understand if you want me to leave,” She looked back up at him, the same expression on his face, “Just please say something.”

           Calum’s mind was reeling. She loves me? His heart was beating so hard that he could feel the pulsation in his ears. Trying to figure out the best thing to say to her was taking longer than he wanted. It finally came to him, he didn’t want to say anything to her, he just wanted to do the thing he’s been dreaming of doing since the day they met. In one fluid motion, his right hand cupped her face and pulled her lips onto his. Both of them melting into each other, both of them dreaming about this moment since they met each other. Calum’s left hand mirrored his right hand as he gently placed it on the other side of her face. Her cold fingers finding their way to the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. They finally pulled apart, Calum rested his forehead on hers, “I love you too, I always have, Sunshine.”

************

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[doc-pickles]

i won’t hesitate (for you) ch. 10

Jo is happy, at least she feels like she is. When someone from her past shows up, will her and her daughter's world ever go back to normal? Or will things change for good?

Hello! I hate this chapter a lot but here you go! We only have ONE MORE CHAPTER left of this story though! Woohoo!

TW: Depictions of Domestic Abuse & Miscarriage

The room was dark, creaking floorboards alerting her to the fact that she wasn’t alone anymore. Eyes cracking open, she watched for the telltale shadow that would appear in the dim hallway light to let her know he was home. She prayed for just a moment that she was hearing things, that he wasn’t actually there. 

Of course she was wrong, her body flinching as he clambered into the room loudly. She should be used to this by now, the chill of fear running up her spine as she prepares for the worst. But she isn’t, she hopes she never is because that means there’s a sliver of hope left for her. 

Her fingers curl around the small swell of her stomach. It’s unnoticeable to everyone except her, the only person who knows about the little life growing there. She closes her eyes, a single tear running down her face as she apologizes to them, to her baby. 

“You stupid slut, I saw what you did at…”

The rest of his words don’t matter, she tunes them out as soon as his fist lands on her face. The blows continue, she tries to curl up and shield herself but he’s not giving any form of mercy tonight. Before she knows it, she’s splayed out with his feet and fists taking turns pummeling into her ribs. She can feel the bones cracking, sharp pain radiating underneath her skin as she tries unsuccessfully to keep her tears at bay. 

He finishes finally, satisfied with himself enough to step away and brush off his hands as if he’d just gone through a rough cardio circuit at the gym. 

“Hope that teaches you a lesson, Brooke. I’m going to shower, you better be cleaned up by the time I come back.”

As soon as he’s out of her sight, she looks down at the damage he’s done. Bruises are starting to form almost everywhere on her body, blood stemming from her forehead. Her body is aching, but she forces herself up and out of the bed. A look behind her reveals the puddle of blood she’d been laying in, the bright red staining the sheets and her pajama bottoms. 

“I’m so sorry,” her voice cracks as she lays a hand on her stomach, tears streaming down her face. “I promise I’m leaving, this will never happen again.”

  Jo bolts upright in bed, sweat soaking her body as she comes to. The nightmare dissolves from her vision, but the feeling it leaves makes her skin crawl and her chest grow tight. She can feel herself hyperventilating, her lungs constricting as she tries to get air back into them. 

“Jo? What’s wrong? Is the baby okay?,” Alex is up and next to her in seconds, one hand spreading over her back to rub circles as the other splayed against her rounded abdomen. “Babe?”

She shakes her head, body deflating as she lets out a quiet sob. Her fingers rest over Alex’s on her belly as she leans into him, “I- it was… nightmare.”

The sweat pooling on her skin doesn't help the nightmare slip away, the perspiration reminding her of the sticky feeling of blood clinging to her skin. The radio silence from the baby in her womb doesn’t help her anxiety either, the lack of movement making her mind race unpleasantly as Alex’s fingers card through her hair. 

“Jo, baby you gotta breathe,” Alex’s voice is slow and soothing in her ear, his tone calm as he tries to ease the panic building in her chest. For years she was positive that she’d never be able to get the feeling of Paul’s hands on her out of her head, but the way that Alex’s fingers trail so lightly over her hot skin helps remind her that things have changed. “That’s better, keep breathing. You’re okay, I’m right here.”

As the visions of her past finally begin to fade from her vision, a swift kick hits her stomach under Alex’s hand. Relief begins to course through her then, her mind finally catching up to the fact that the memory that had plagued her dream was far in her past. 

“I… I keep having the same nightmare about…,” Jo still can’t bring herself to say the words, to admit what Paul had put her through out loud. Instead, she goes with a roundabout answer. “This is my fourth pregnancy and I still can’t shake that feeling that everything is going to come down around me.”

She’s never told Alex about the losses she’d endured with Paul, she’d never had a reason to, but the way he presses his lips against her forehead assures her that he was nothing except supportive. 

“Well I’ll be here to catch whatever fallout there is, I always will be,” Alex pulled Jo closer to him, then dragged them both back down to the mattress. “Go back to sleep, we have a long day ahead and I’ll be here the whole time.”

Jo settled into Alex’s embrace, fingers clutching lightly at his shirt as she dozed off. Alex couldn’t find sleep again though, eyes watching Jo tentatively as his fingers traced patterns into her expanding belly. 

She’d never talked in detail about Paul, only snippets here and there that painted a clear enough picture of the horrors that Jo had gone through. Knowing that she’d been pregnant twice before Harper though, that made things seem so much more real for Alex as he felt a flutter of kicks under his fingers. 

Sleep finally found Alex, whispers of promises on his lips as he held Jo close to him. 

+

A nervous energy radiated off both Alex and Jo as they stepped back into the courthouse. Harper had just been dropped off at Link and Amelia’s, the little girl slightly confused as to why both of her parents had teary eyes. Deep down, they knew what the verdict of the day would be, but the tense environment of the courthouse was getting to both of them.

“Oh shit, she really dragged her kids in to see this,” Alex groaned as he and Jo walked the halls of the courthouse, his eyes watching the two young children run around Izzie and her lawyers. “I haven’t seen them since I left… knowing Izzie they still think I really am their dad.” Jo studied the melancholy look on Alex’s face as he looked towards the kids he’d helped raise the past couple of years. She couldn’t help the raging anger she felt towards Izzie for what she’d done, but she reeled it in for Alex’s sake. 

“Hey, you’re doing the right thing by going through this stupid trial. At the end of the day what those kids deserve is the truth,” Jo placed her hands on Alex’s shoulders, looking up at him with a reassuring smile. “And if for some reason the test comes back and says they are yours then we’ll figure everything out. Don’t worry about today, it’ll all work out.”

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Alex leaned down and kissed Jo sweetly. Leave it to her to know exactly what to say when his ex took him to court and the kids he thought were his showed up to witness the fallout. The pair broke apart when a booming voice announced that the judge was ready for them.

Heart racing, Alex walked into the courtroom with Jo’s hand clasped tightly in his own. He eyed Izzie, Alexis, and Eli who all sat together on the opposite side of the room. If he squinted hard enough, he could see similarities between himself and the two bouncing children, but it paled in comparison to the way Harper looked almost identical to him. The little girl, who’s first two years of life he had missed, made the same faces he did and had the same sparkling eyes as his younger sister. Never for a moment did he doubt that she was his, the moment Alex laid his eyes on Harper as she ran towards Jo he knew that she was his daughter.

“We’re here to settle the child support case filed by Doctor Isobel Stevens against Doctor Alexander Karev,” the judge’s voice pulled Alex from his thoughts, his hand squeezing Jo’s as they waited for him to continue. “I have the paternity results for Alexis Isobel Stevens and Eli George Stevens before me now” The tension in the room was palpable, Alex feeling as if his breath was being held back by some unknown force as he waited for the results to be announced out loud. He could feel Jo’s foot bouncing rhythmically next to him, a sure sign that she was just as nervous as he was. Finally, the judge spoke again, “These results certify that neither Alexis or Eli Stevens are the biological children of Doctor Alexander Karev.”

The burst of air he’d been so desperately craving finally rushed into Alex’s lungs as the words he already knew to be true were confirmed for him. He could feel Jo kissing his cheek, mumbling some string of encouragement that was lost in the haze of his mind. A small part of him was sad, thinking about the time and love he had invested into Izzie’s children, but it faded when he remembered that he had two biological children with Jo that meant more than anything to him.

Izzie must have been on the same wavelength as Alex because she spoke up next, voice dripping with malice as she glared at Alex and Jo, “Do you have the results for the other two kids? Surely they can’t both be Alex’s.”

Before Jo had a chance to jump out of her seat and rush towards Izzie, the judge read out the rest of the test results, “Both the paternity test for Harper Josephine Karev and Doctor Josephine Karev’s amniocentesis results confirmed that Doctor Alexander Karev is the biological father of both children.”

Upon hearing that news, Alex moved out of his catatonic state to pull Jo into his side, his lips pressing a kiss into her hair as he spoke, “Told you, I never doubted you for a second.”

“Upon receiving these test results, I’ve made a ruling on the outcome of this case,” all eyes in the courtroom turned to the judge, his eyes scanning the two parties tentatively before reading the papers before him. “Since neither of Doctor Isobel Stevens' children are biologically Doctor Alexander Karev’s, I’ve ruled that her child support claim will not be accepted. Doctor Stevens, you will repay Doctor Karev any legal and personal fees he’s incurred during this trial for the inconvenience you’ve caused him. Furthermore, I’ve pushed through the legal paperwork filed in the interest of Harper Josephine Karev so that Doctor Alexander Karev is now legally her father. Case dismissed, court adjourned.”

Alex didn’t think he had ever felt this relieved in his whole life. He pulled Jo into his embrace, kissing her soundly as she laughed away a few stray tears. The worry and anxiety consuming both of them had faded away the moment the judge had read out the results, their fate seemingly sealed in the best way possible.

As Jo and Alex made their way out of the courtroom, Izzie caught Alex’s eyes. She wore a scowl as she stared them down, eyes narrowing at the younger woman as she passed her by. Tightening his grip around Jo’s shoulder, Alex led her past the blonde and into the hallway they'd just stood in a few weeks earlier. 

“I told you everything would work out,” Jo smiled up at Alex, hands smoothing over the blue dress she’d picked out that morning. “Thank god too because I’m pretty sure nothing else is gonna fit me. Now, let’s go celebrate. Lunch?” Alex glanced at Jo with a smirk, one hand ducking into the pocket of his suit jacket as he spoke to her, “I actually had another idea, if you were up for it.” From his jacket, Alex produced a velvet box that he popped open to reveal a set of silver rings. The diamonds that glittered back at Jo instantly made her eyes water, her gaze moving from the box up to Alex’s face. 

“Marry me again, Jo. I promise this will be the last time,” a chuckle left Jo as Alex spoke, their eyes meeting in a tender gaze. “I love you, it took me so long to realize that and then I let you go, but I swear I’m never gonna leave again. You and Harper and this baby mean too much to me. So… will you? Marry me again?”

“Yes, yes, yes. Of course I’ll marry you Alex,” Jo nodded, a watery laugh escaping her as she leaned up to kiss Alex. “On one condition though.”

“I would do anything for you to marry me Jo, you know that,” Alex smirked, his forehead leaning against hers as he chuckled. “I’ve only asked you about a hundred times.”

“Let’s go right now,” Alex’s eyebrows rose in awe as he stared at Jo. “I don’t wanna wait, I wanna be married to you again. And I really don’t wanna have to file a bunch of paperwork to get you on this kids birth certificate once they’re born.”

A cheesy grin settled onto Alex’s face as he watched Jo through misty eyes. He’d spent so many nights in a lonely bed in Kansas thinking about this moment, dreaming about a future where he got a second chance with Jo. Truthfully he’d always thought that the dreams were just wishful thinking, but standing here now with her in front of him and a new life bursting between them, he couldn’t believe how lucky he’d gotten.

“Well then let’s go,” Alex grabbed Jo’s hand and began walking through the halls of the courthouse, their laughter echoing off the stone walls as they made their way towards the marriage clerk's office. “Do you think we can get our frequent visitors card stamped?”

“Alex!”

[ohwereusingourmadeupnames]

“ how the hell did this happen? ” - starker

Fire, Burning Me Up

Pairing: Peter Parker/Tony Stark (Starker) Rating: Mature (M) Notes: For some reason, my brain went to this - hope you don’t mind!  Word Count: ~2k Summary:

Peter is transfixed by the man at the bar - a firefighter with a trimmed goatee and the most gorgeous eyes. What he expects to be something fun turns into something that could easily turn into forever. 

do the thing, send in all the prompts

The first time Peter saw him, he was out for drinks with Ned and MJ – they’d been balls deep in thesis research for the last ten days, getting out of the dimly lit lab and behind the wood of a bar absolutely needed to happen. He just didn’t expect that night to change the rest of his life like it did.

Peter liked to let the image of the man he’d come to know as Tony sit in the front of his mind, like a picture in a wallet or sitting on his desk in a frame. The NYFD on the back of his shirt was the first thing to draw him in. In all of his adult life, Peter hadn’t encountered a firefighter before. May’s cooking was dismal, and the local Queens department knew her by name, but he hadn’t had any unfortunate accidents like that since moving out and starting his schooling at TISCH; and that was 6 years ago.

He was sitting next to a beefy blonde man who was in the same shirt – the firehouse numbers on the side of their sleeves matched, too. There were a couple of empty stools next to them, but drinks rested in front of them waiting for their owners to return. Peter watched the two men closely, the obvious familiarity between them much like him and the two goons getting sloppy at their table. His breath caught when Tony turned to look at him. He could’ve gotten lost in the cognac color of his eyes; they were warm and staring at him intently.

Already too deep into the staring contest to look away, Peter flashed him a smile. In the times they’d talked about it since then, Tony told him it looked shy on his end, but he remembered feeling confident, happy to have caught his attention. Tony didn’t hesitate to smile back, either. The side of his mouth crinkled when he did, the well taken care of goatee framing the look on his face spectacularly. He mouthed ‘hi’ at Peter and shook his own beer bottle, his eyebrows raising.

Looking down at the last sip of his beer, Peter picked it up and downed it. He watched Tony chuckle and turn to flag down the bartender. For a few seconds, Peter forgot he was with his friends – MJ’s voice stopped him as he got out of his chair with the clear determination to head across the bar. “Where you off to, Petey?” He caught her eye and saw the sarcasm swimming there – in all the time he’d known her, MJ lived to give him shit.

“There’s a firefighter at the bar that’s making eyes at me. I’m going to go see what all the fuss is about.” Nodding his head at her, Peter turned back around, his long legs carrying him over to the bar dizzyingly quick. The seat next to Tony was vacant, the tall blonde now hovering over by the pool tables across the room.

It probably should’ve felt weird, sitting down next to a total stranger – but it didn’t. Tony turned towards him with a smile, his eyes gleaming in the fluorescent light. “Hey – I’m Tony.” It was simple and wholesome and the hand that Peter grasped a second later was rough and fit so nicely against his palm.

Peter switched to something a little lighter so he could absorb everything about Tony – they spent the rest of the night talking about his Interactive Telecommunications degree and where he wanted to take it after graduation in a couple of months. Tony told him about the fire station that he manned as the acting chief – he kept a smile on his face the entire time he recalled the men that worked with him and the adventures they’d been on. 

Some of them made Peter cringe with a terrible sort of discomfort – but, they were interesting and made Tony even more badass than he initially thought.

The biggest shocker of the night came when Tony mentioned a 5-year-old daughter. He’d been married briefly before deciding that hiding in the closest wasn’t worth all the heartache he’d caused. His ex-wife kept Amelia during Tony’s nights on shift, and the rest of the time was spent with Tony, learning and getting into as much trouble as possible. 

A piece of his mind was jumping up and down, trying to signal the need to get out while he still could. Peter wasn’t keen on that, though – Tony caught his attention; that was so much more than anyone else in his life over the last few years.

Over another 3 drinks, Peter got to know more and more about the fire engine driver turned team lead – he had a degree in Mechanical Engineering and originally got into firefighting just to work on the trucks. Every new piece of him made Peter wanted to know more, so when Tony asked him for his number a couple of hours later, he didn’t hesitate to give it to him.

They had a date planned before Peter walked back to his apartment with the friends he eventually caught up to. The smile on his face gave him away – he spent the rest of the early morning telling MJ about Tony; she grinned at him the entire time he talked.

“You’ve got it bad, Cupcake,” MJ stated plainly, her arm wrapping around his shoulder when he didn’t deny it. The blush on his face was answer enough, anyway.

Actually dating Tony Stark was even more interesting the man himself. He kept the weirdest hours, because of the many chaotic days he was used to at the station. It took a while for Peter to adjust to the requests to meet Tony in the weirdest places, but he did for the sake of the precious human who wanted his attention. The very first time he met Amelia, Tony texted him to meet him at the grocery store – he had a few hours to spare and wanted to have Peter there for them.

The little girl didn’t bat and eye – she held out her hand the same way her father did when Peter first sat down next to him. “I’m Amelia,” she said simply, the 5-year-old way more articulate than Peter was at that age.

“Hey Amelia, I’m Peter.” He gave her small hand the briefest of squeezes before letting go, a beaming smile slipping across his face. She looked so much like Tony; it was kind of eerie.

She nodded her head at him, her own lips tilting up into a grin. “I know. Daddy spent the last half an hour telling me all about you. You do cool things with art, right?” Tony looked at her with narrowed eyes when she threw him under the bus – she laughed and shrugged; the man’s own gesture being used against him. “Well, it’s true.”

Peter wanted to throw his arms around the two of them – he didn’t know that he could like Tony any more than he already did, but he was constantly being proven wrong. He looked between them before answering, his arms seriously itching for a group hug. “I’m not mad about that. It’s kind of cute,” he said, looking up at Tony with a quick wink. “That is me, though. I’m currently doing research with Virtual Reality creation and usage.”

How quickly he bonded with Amelia amazed him – it was even more seamless than his connection with Tony. The girl was smart and curious; she asked why constantly and wanted to know how everything worked. Sometimes, Peter would head over to the Stark household just to hang out with Amelia; Tony’s schedule was perfect for random drop-ins that turned into hours watching the girl while his boyfriend ran into work because of some crisis or another.

During one of the many times that happened, Amelia had the idea to make cupcakes. She talked him into downloading the Pintrest app and searching for the most complex ones that she could find. The smile that passed across her lips when she realized he would be helping her making rainbow unicorn cupcakes made it worth it – no matter how much he would wholeheartedly deny it.

Tony didn’t do a lot of cooking, so they had to wait for a grocery delivery to get to the house. While they did, Amelia told him about all of the unicorns they would be making and the names she picked out for each of them. Peter sincerely hoped they’d be able to make something at least edible – the thought of her crippling disappointment almost enough to make him back out at the last minute.

Always one to keep his promise, Peter shook his head and found some resolve – they were cupcakes, how bad could it really be? When the doorbell rang, Peter set Amelia up with some crayons at the table and went to grab the bags from the delivery guy. He gave him a good tip for all of the help and carried their loot back to the kitchen.

Luckily, Amelia was still young enough to not know the difference between from scratch and out of the box – Peter poured the white cake mix into the bowl before she could even question it. They cracked a couple of eggs and added the oil and water – she used both hands on the whisk to combine the mixture. Peter might’ve got a video of it, but he knew better than to tell her that. When she deemed it mixed enough, they separated it into a couple of Ziploc bags and added the different shades of food coloring to try and mimic the colors from the recipe.

They weren’t quite the same, but she didn’t seem to mind to much.

Distracted by the need to get the frosting out and into a bowl so they could get it ready to get it on the cupcakes, Peter set the oven way hotter than necessary. It didn’t even occur to him to check – Amelia was demanding that they get the colors spot on this time around.

By the time that Peter noticed the fire, the oven was steaming black smoke and the detectors in the house whirred with loud pitched sounds. Amelia covered her ears and ran to the pantry. She threw open the door and started gesturing wildly. 

Knowing that’s where they kept the fire extinguisher, Peter ran over and grabbed it. “Get out of the kitchen, Ames. Go call your dad and tell him I’m an idiot.” She quirked a brow at him but was quick to comply. Being the child of a fire chief meant that she knew how to get ahold of her father and 911.

It wasn’t nearly as bad as he figured by the billowing smoke flying out of the oven as he sprayed the foam over it. All of the cupcakes were totally charred, but the entire oven wasn’t up in flames – so he counted that as a win. When he could think clearly, he called out to Amelia – her feet on the tile floor sounding immediately, the little girl flying into his arms before he knew it. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, her arms around his neck. “I’m fine – Dad sounded a little grumpy on the phone. He’s on his way, though.” Her lips grazed his cheek, like the consolation of her affection would be enough to smooth the entire situation over. He kept her in his arms until Tony walked in the back door, a panicked look on his face.

Amelia got down and ran over to Tony – he leaned over to grab her without a second thought. “How the hell did this happen?” Tony questioned; his eyes wide as he took in the mess of the oven. “If you were trying to burn the cupcakes, you totally succeeded.” The words were meant to soothe the blow, his attempt at a smile making Peter laugh.

“We were trying to make rainbow unicorn cupcakes. I got so caught up on making the icing perfect that I… forgot them. The smoke was black, so they were really burnt. I’m sorry,” Peter muttered, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. He’d been pretty stupid, putting someone else’s daughter in danger the way he did.

Yet, when Tony and Amelia’s arms came around him, he was enveloped in the sort of hug that suggested relief for his sake as well. “I’m glad you’re okay,” Tony whispered, his lips pressing against Peter’s ear.

The gagging sound Amelia made had Peter pressing in, giving her a sloppy kiss right in the middle of her forehead.

Peter didn’t expect a family to come out of chatting with a cute guy at a bar, but now that he had it, he sure as fuck wasn’t letting it go.

[rogerblackwolf]

The Angel

Containment Facility 204

60 miles south of Fairbanks, Alaska.

-Modern Day-

A single black Osprey VTOL flew over the snow covered land, a full moon helping illuminate the nighttime sky. The winds caused some turbulence but the pilots were experienced enough to handle it, the single passenger however found it to be a little rough. The passenger shifted in her seat to look out the window at the expanse of white land and the mountains they were heading towards, in the distance she noticed some dark clouds which the moon helped outline. Another gust of wind shook the Osprey, and before long the snow began falling again, thankfully their destination was in sight. The lights of the mountainside were like a Christmas tree, lighting the way for them to land, the Osprey's twin engines slowly turned upward allowing for it to land on a massive helipad. Once on the ground the woman grabbed her two suitcases and got blasted by the cold air as the ramp was dropped.

A couple of men in uniforms immediately came up to her and got her to a waiting vehicle nearby. They drove from the helipad and into an open illuminated tunnel, just as the snow began to fall. A perk of getting stationed in Alaska during the winter months. The first thing she noticed upon entering the mountain was the massive interior hanger which held several other Ospreys. The car then drove down another tunnel and stopped at a service entrance for the personnel.

"Now ma'am, go inside to the front desk, they'll show you where to go." The driver said.

"Thank you. I appreciate the help." She said before grabbing her suitcases and heading inside. Once inside she was greeted by one of a pair of men at the front desk who stood and asked;

"Ms. Clark?"

"Yes. That's me." She replied, putting her hood down and removing her beanie.

"Do you have your ID badge?" The man asks

"Yes right here." Clark said, taking it out of her jacket pocket.

The man looked it over and checked against the file on the computer. 

"Please place your right thumb on this." He says whilst putting a small scanner on the counter. Clark obliged, taking her gloves off and placing her thumb on the scanner. After some more typing the man gave back her badge before asking her to follow him, leading her down a hallway to an elevator. Next to the doors was what looked like an electric lock where the man inserted his ID badge, once the light turned from red to green a hidden plate opened next to it, revealing a scanner with the outline of a handprint. The man put his hand in the outline, a line of light quickly ran the length of his hand before a green arrow pointing up above the doors lit up.

"When the doors close, put your badge into the lock, follow the instructions given and you'll be fine." He says.

"Thank you." Clark replies.

"Enjoy your stay, ma'am." The man said before walking away. A few moments later the elevator rang and the doors opened. Once inside, Clark put her ID badge into the lock and a hidden plate opened to her right revealing another handprint scanner and a retinal scanner. A small screen also lit up with a set of instructions; the first being 'Place right hand in the scanner.', once she did so, another instruction came onto the screen 'Look directly into the lens.' 

Clark looked into the lens and a pair of lights scanned both her eyes. When the lights stopped she blinked with relief, and the last instruction came on-screen 'Report to Dr. Malcolm on Level 4.' Clark pressed the number 4 button and felt the elevator beginning to descend. She unzipped her winter coat and undid her light brown hair which stopped at her shoulders. She took a deep breath, nervous of what would happen next since this was new to her. She glanced at her watch, 9:45 pm, not terribly late but she didn't ponder it as the elevator opened again, this time welcomed to a reception area that split into a couple of hallways. She was met by a receptionist, a young woman with auburn hair tied in a bun and dressed in formal business attire, who happily showed her to Dr. Malcolm's office. The women entered as the man inside was in the process of putting some files away and locking the cabinet. Dr. Malcolm was easily six feet tall, had long blonde hair with some grey mixed in that was tied into a ponytail, clean shaven with an angular face, and dull grey eyes. He also had faint bags under his eyes, probably not the type of man to get much sleep.

"Ms. Clark, welcome to Containment Facility 204." Dr. Malcolm said, shaking her hand firmly before leaning against his desk.

"Thank you, Doctor." Ms. Clark said standing in front of him.

"My name is Dr. Howard Malcolm, I am the Head Researcher and Overseer for this facility. I'm sure you have many questions but I'm also sure you are tired so I'll show you where you'll be staying and get you settled. Shall we?" He asks, leading the way out of his office and holding the door for her. Clark followed him down a hallway and up some stairs to another hallway where there were multiple doors on both sides with room numbers. They stopped at a room near the end of the hall and Clark noticed the lock required a key card.

Dr. Malcolm stepped aside letting her do the honors. Clark inserted her badge and entered, being welcomed with what looked like a high-end hotel room. It had a full sized bed, a bathroom with a shower, a small living area with a tv and workspace, and even a kitchen with a fully stocked fridge. It was devoid of decorations but that could be fixed in due time. Clark put her suitcases at the foot of the bed before taking her heavy coat off.

"Make yourself at home, and in the morning we'll get you set up for your job here, anyway I'll leave you to it. Goodnight Dr. Clark." Dr. Malcolm said, closing the door before she could reply.

Dr. Clark quickly got acclimated after a simple dinner and getting unpacked. Without much else to do she decided to go to sleep even if she was still a bit nervous.

Awakened by her alarm, Clark stumbled out of bed and made some coffee before taking a quick shower and having some toast. She then got dressed in a plain blouse, skirt that went past her knees, plain black flats and some light makeup, first impressions and all. She got a knock at her door as she put on her lab coat and attached her badge.

"Yes?" She asked through the door.

"It's Dr. Malcolm." 

Clark opened up to the man who waved with a smirk.

"Morning Ms. Clark, How was your first night?" He asked.

"Good. I was about to come and find you actually." She said

"Well, if you're ready I'll give you the tour and get your security clearance settled." He said.

Clark nodded before following Dr. Malcolm through the halls of the facility. They passed multiple other Researchers and men in security uniforms, the researchers carried files and iPad devices but they still managed to wave or say a morning greeting. Before long, Clark and Malcolm arrived in the main control center where she was given an iPad that, among other things, showed a map of the level she was on. She noticed how it was rather Labyrinthine in design, but with the map handy she'd adapt with time. Dr. Malcolm explained how the facility housed many creatures that resembled folkloric creatures but each was unique in a way. Each of the creatures were separated by level as were the researchers who studied them. Dr. Malcolm introduced the head of security, a tall imposing man with broad shoulders and short black hair named Andrew, to Clark. He asked her for her ID badge which he told her was only a temporary one, he showed her to an area with a camera and a blue screen. Andrew took her picture, a couple minutes later, she had a new ID badge and finally turned a mic toward her.

"Ok, last thing, speak your full name and credentials." Andrew said pressing a button on the desk next to the mic.

"Dr. Amelia D. Clark, PhD in Philology." She said.

Andrew then typed on the computer before speaking again;

"Ok, the software now recognizes you as part of the staff. Congrats." He said with a smirk.

"Thank you." Clark replied.

"Now onto the reason you are here. Follow me please." Dr. Malcolm said, having Dr. Clark follow him as he walked and talked;

"Dr. Clark, you were selected out of a roster of one hundred and fifty individuals, and only your credentials stood out the most. Received your Master's from the University of Pennsylvania, top of your class, and you did your field study at the British Museum and the Louvre. All impressive." Dr. Malcolm said.

"Well yes...so where am I gonna be placed, and why was I chosen?" She asked

"You'll be placed with Research Team 18, they're looking into one of the creatures stored here. One that's quite...unique." Dr. Malcolm said.

They came to a room with a few other researchers working on a number of different artifacts. On one table was a tablet covered in writings that looked like some form of cuneiform, another had an ornate dagger covered with similar symbols along its edge, and the two last tables had many jewelry pieces from a necklace and rings to bejeweled bracelets. One Researcher came up to the duo, an older man with balding hair and some grey peach fuzz on his face but he still seemed  able for his age.

"Dr. Clark, this will be your lead researcher Dr. Luke Allen. Dr. Allen, meet our latest addition, Dr. Amelia Clark." Malcolm introduced.

"Oh yes, the new linguist." Dr. Allen said, extending his hand to her.

"I'm actually a Philologist sir." Amelia replied, shaking his hand firmly.

"What's the difference?" Allen asked.

"A Linguist studies languages spoken today, including dialects used by small populations, while a Philologist studies ancient texts and the evolution of ancient languages a linguist would consider "dead" languages because they only exist in writing, like Sanskrit, Old English, and Old High German." Amelia explained.

"Well then, what language did you study?" Allen asked.

"My focus was Assryiology." Amelia answered.

"If you would, I'm certain our guest is awake by now. And I think it's safe to say that Dr. Clark likes a challenge on her first day." Dr. Malcolm said, looking at Amelia.

"Well, I guess no time like the present." Amelia replied.

"Alright. Good luck." Dr. Malcolm said before taking his leave.

Dr. Allen escorted Amelia through a couple of corridors and down a hallway with several contained creatures. The cells themselves were made of impact resistant metal and the doors looked like glass but it let out an electrical pulse when touched. In one cell was what resembled a massive feline with a wolf-like head that paced back and forth snarling at the researchers as they passed. Another cell had a polar bear but it was larger and had bony horns protruding from its body. It took a swipe at the door before getting a powerful shock that made it recoil. 

Dr. Allen showed her to a quieter passage that held some of the more docile creatures, like a supersized elk that reminded her of a Megalocerus and an overgrown bison that appeared to have bony plates on its head and shoulders. While amazed, Amelia was surprised when they arrived at a pair of heavy doors with a hand scanner next to them. Dr. Allen scanned his hand and the doors began unlocking before opening, Dr. Allen stepped in first followed by Amelia. Inside was a circular room comparable in size to Amelia's room, it had stacks of books, magazines, even DVDs and CDs. In four corners of the room were cameras, one of which focused on the researchers as they entered. There was a bed in the corner that had been made and a TV playing a popular show on the opposite end, what surprised her more was the one watching it. The figure turned off the TV, setting the remote aside before standing to turn towards the duo.

He was humanoid, easily seven feet tall, dressed in a gold and white robe with vestments draped over his shoulders, and smooth, tanned skin with golden hair that showered down his back. He also had a pair of feathered wings that sprouted from his back. Amelia was first stricken by how handsome he was but then saw he was hovering in place.

"Good morning Dr. Allen." He said.

"Good morning Subject 11572. This is our new addition." Dr. Allen replied.

The humanoid turned to Amelia and extended his hand to her. Amelia took it and began to introduce herself.

"Hello I'm-"

"Dr. Amelia Clark, PhD in Philology, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Among other things." He said.

"Uhm." She responded.

"Yeah he does that. Anyway, this is Subject 11572, we often refer to him as the Angel for obvious reasons." Dr. Allen says nonchalantly.

"Apologies if I overstepped." The Angel said.

"Oh it's fine, I'm just starting to get used to things here." Amelia chuckled. The Angel smirked in response.

"Dr. Clark will be responsible for studying you from now on. I'll be monitoring the interview from the observation room. Good luck." Dr. Allen said, taking his leave.

Amelia nearly protested but figured this could likely be a test so she took a deep breath and turned back to the Angel.

"May I offer you a seat?" He asked, hovering to the side to offer a couple of chairs.

"Sure. Thank you." She said taking a seat just as the Angel followed suit. 

Amelia pulled up the file on the Angel and read some details while the Angel sat patiently, she couldn't really gauge his emotions if he had any to begin with. She finally spoke by reading off his bio.

"This file says you were found in 1976 on one of the Aleutians. How'd you arrive there?"

"I chose to come to your world as an ambassador. The portal sent me to the islands, I was found by the local tribesmen who welcomed me with food and drink. Your agents found me, I surrendered and I've been here ever since." He responded.

"Ok, how did you know my name and credentials without me or Dr. Allen telling you?" She asked.

"I am able to tell a lot about a person by reading their aura." He says

"Aura?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"All humans have an aura, a byproduct of the magical lifeblood that exists in all Creation. I can see and gain a basic understanding of a person by simply reading it, such as if they are good or hold other intentions. However by physically touching a person I can see many more details, like their name, family, etcetera." He explains.

"What did you sense from me and Dr. Allen?" Amelia asks.

"Dr. Allen hides no ulterior motives but he has his own problems like many humans. He is trustworthy despite being easily irritated. Your aura is nervous but good, you're worried you won't do a good job. Perhaps due to your past experiences of clumsiness." The Angel speculated.

Amelia blushed in embarrassment before continuing. 

"So do you have a name? Or are you ok with being referred to as "Angel"?" She asked.

"My name is inscribed on the tablet I brought with me, I cannot tell you it though. And for the sake of simplicity, I've allowed myself to accept the moniker." He says. 

"Why can't you tell me your name?" Amelia asks curiously.

"Telling you my name creates a bond that cannot be easily broken, and allows you access to my knowledge. However, the cost for such knowledge could overwhelm your mind to the point of insanity, if it doesn't destroy you outright. By learning my name, that is a sign that you could stand a chance of surviving and retaining what I show you." He says.

"Sounds simple enough." Amelia said with a nervous chuckle.

The Angel chuckled with her and she caught him with a faint smile, she blushed in response.

The interview went on for roughly another hour before Amelia was called to conclude it. She thanked the Angel and exited the room meeting with Dr. Allen as the doors shut and locked behind her. Amelia then asked Dr. Allen to show her the tablet, when they got back to the research room, Amelia began studying the object. It was 12 inches tall, 6 inches wide, half an inch thick, had rounded edges, and looked like it was made of some metallic alloy but it was considerably lighter. Etched into its surface were symbols that covered only the front side, they resembled the writings of ancient Babylon which gave Amelia a lead.

She downloaded scans of the tablet onto her iPad while also trying to see if she recognized any of the symbols herself. The other researchers helped by getting her some books and journals on cuneiform, and lots of coffee. Many hours passed and Amelia was only able to translate a few sentences talking about a great mission and a person to bring unity. Amelia finally decided to hit the hay and took her iPad with her to her room, she made a sandwich for dinner and showered before looking at the scan of the tablet. She finally decided to let her iPad go through the translation program through the night so she could get some sleep. 

The next morning, Amelia got up and went about her routine, just finishing her first cup of coffee when her iPad suddenly dinged. Upon opening it, the program had finished its translation, which excited her enough she immediately began reading. In essence the tablet spoke of a civil war between the forces of Creation, in the end the rebellion leader was cast from the realm along with his followers. The realm of Creation elected one of their own to go to the Earth so that he could teach mankind the importance of unity even among enemies. To see past the differences of one another and instead see what makes them human. 

The strange thing though was the last sentence was incomplete simply reading 'The Watcher has been chosen, he will be known to mankind by his given name of-' with the last word unable to be translated. Amelia got ready for the day and took her findings to Dr. Allen who, after reading the translation, told her to see if she could decipher it. As she poured through journal after journal, she grew frustrated due to not finding what she needed. As a result she sat at her desk staring blankly at her open books and iPad which had the untranslated word that vexed her mind. Suddenly it came to her.

The word consisted of six letters not just Babylonian but each letter was from a different language of the region. One was from the Sumerian language, another from Assyrian, and Amorite. She wrote out the letters in order, finding them to make sense as she translated them down to the English alphabet. Finally it spelled a name she could read but, despite her eureka moment, she didn't want to reveal it just yet. She went to Dr. Allen, who then took her to see Dr. Malcolm, and needless to say he was surprised by her discovery.

"I think we should consult our guest." Dr. Malcolm said, leading them to the holding cell. This time the Angel was reading a book with a hard cover and a title in Italian. He closed it before standing to greet the trio as the door closed behind them.

"Doctors Clark, Allen, and Malcolm. How are you all this day?" He asks.

"We believe that we have finally translated your tablet, and your name, thanks to the work of Dr. Clark." Malcolm said.

The Angel's brow arched as he turned to Amelia.

"You believe you know my name?" He asked.

"I do, and though I am new here I also believe that these two can be trusted with your secret." Amelia said.

"For security purposes, this device was programmed with your name, whenever your name is said the device will distort it. Keep in mind though that my superiors will be able to hear the unaltered version. Knowing this, are these measures satisfactory?" Dr. Malcolm asked, showing a small recording device.

"They are." The Angel said after a moment of thought.

Once the measures were in place, Dr. Malcolm and Dr. Allen let Amelia take the lead. 

"Your name...is Anauel." 

The Angel, who was hovering in place, landed on his feet. His eyes had a glossy glow before but they now took on a more human color, that of a bright blue.

"You are correct." He said before he took a seat, the rest following suit.

"You have many questions, I will answer them as well as I can. No holding back." Anauel said.

[chickensarentcheap]

Best Part of Me - Chapter 21

Warnings: none

Tagging: @c-a-v-a-l-r-y​, @alievans007​, @innerpaperexpertcloud​

“Hi mommy!” Millie cheerfully greets, as Esme journeys towards where her daughter sits on the shoreline, clad in one of her many bathing suits, head and most of her face covered by an oversized floppy sunhat. She’s the happiest when by –or right in- the water; calm and relaxed, that edge she always seems to carry softened and almost nonexistent.  

The ocean is a powerful antidote for all that ails you. Even Esme finds  that the mere sound of the waves and the smell of the salt that hangs in the air helps in easing the burden of the stress and worries that she often carries. And as beautiful as they are and how majestic the view from her back deck had been, that’s a feat even the mountains had never been able to accomplish.

“What are you doing?” she inquires, as she crouches down beside Millie, the little girl turning her face up for a kiss.

“Just stuff,” Millie replies, and turns a bucket of wet sand upside, adding it to the ‘castle’ that she’s already constructed. “Daddy said to stay here and not to go in the water without him.”

“And you actually listened? I’m impressed.”

“Well I don’t want a shark to eat me,” Millie explains, using the back of her sand covered hand to push wayward strands of hair out of her face.   “Daddy said that sharks like little girls with blue eyes and light brown hair the best. ‘Cause we taste like watermelon and that’s their favorite.”

Her mother smirks. “And you actually believed him?”

“Oh course! Daddy wouldn’t lie. And I’m not taking any chances. I do not want to get eaten by a shark.”

Esme glances over her shoulder, to where her husband is flat on his back, sprawled out in the middle of blanket; arms loose and relaxed at his sides, sunglasses on. “Is he dead?”

“God, I hope not,” Mille moans. “’Cause he’s the good cook and I’m getting hungry.” She wipes the sand from her palms onto her thighs, then cautiously lifts the edge of the receiving blanket that protects her baby sister –laying along her mother’s arm- from the brilliant sunshine.  “Hi Addie,” she presses a kiss to one tiny foot, followed by the other, then fixes the blanket.  “She’s awake. I think she smiled at me.”

“Well she likes you. You’re her big sister. You’re the one that used to talk to her and read her stories all the time when she was still in my belly. She probably recognizes your voice.”

“I hope so. And I hope she knows I’m not annoying like the other ones.”

“Your brothers are not THAT bad.”

“Oh, yes they are, mommy. I mean, I’d miss them if they weren’t here anymore. But they’re little assholes.”

“Amelia...”

“I know,” she sighs dramatically. “Bad language. I’m trying. I really am. It’s so hard though!”

“Especially when you’re around your dad as much as you are and he  has absolutely zero filter left.”

“He is totally a bad influence,” Millie agrees. “We had fun today. We went shopping and had ice cream and daddy made me buy him two blue Gatorades at the dollar store ‘cause we ended up being in there forty minutes instead of twenty. But I had to get glitter and paper so...” she shrugs. “He’s going to help me make birthday invitations.”

“He actually agreed to that?”

“Yup,” she sounds so much like her father, even with that one simple word. “He’ll do anything I want. Anything.”

“Except wear the tiara.”

“Oh, it’ll happen. He will wear the tiara. And I’m going to take a picture when he does and you’re going to put it on your Instagram.”

“I don’t think he’ll like that.”

“Oh well. He put the video of you up when you were sleeping and he gave you the wet willy.”

“That’s right. He did.”

“It’s only fair, mommy. He did you dirty. Now you have to do the same to him. I think you deserve revenge.”

“You know what I think?” Esme reaches under the hat to tuck hair behind Millie’s ears. “I think you’re an evil genius.”

“I don’t know if I’m evil, but I’m definitely a genius. You know,” she appears pensive for a moment. “Now that I think about it, I must be adopted.”

Esme laughs. “You’re a little savage.”

“I learn from the best,” Millie declares, then frowns as she notices her mother’s choice in foot apparel.  “Mommy, what the hell? Why are you wearing socks on the beach?”

“I don’t like the sand between my toes. You know that.”

“That is just weird.”

“I swear, if you start sounding or acting any more like your father...”

“I’m sorry. His DNA was stronger. It’s not my fault. It’s why I’m so awesome.”

“You definitely need to stop listening to him so much,” she lifts the brim of the hat and presses a kiss to her daughter’s cheek before standing up and wandering over to where her husband lies. “Are you alive?” she asks, digging her toes into his side, right between two of his ribs. “You better be because I haven’t gotten the chance to renew your life insurance policy yet.”

“What you would you get?” he responds. “Twenty bucks?”

“Twenty bucks?” she scoffs and settles down on the blanket besides him; placing Addie on his chest and stretching her legs out in front of her. “That’s generous. That’s ten more than what they offered.”

Tyler smirks. “Well one thing’s for sure. I can at least die knowing you didn’t marry me for money.”

“We had like what? A few hundred bucks between the both of us when you got out of the hospital? It’s safe to say neither of us were in it for financial gain.”

It had been incredibly easy to blow through nearly every cent either of them had in the bank, including whatever had been sitting in savings.  The first two weeks after Dhaka had been spent in a hospital in Mumbai, and Nik had refused to cough up the money to even cover a small part of the bill, citing that she couldn’t access private funds within the company, and there simply wasn’t anything left from the first and only payment they’d received from Mahajan Senior. In the end, neither Tyler nor Esme had received a penny from the Dhaka job, adding insult to grievous injury. Even transport to Australia had to be paid for out of pocket, and it had wiped out both of their checking accounts.  

Their start to their new life had been rough; a new apartment with barely any furniture in it, two months of inpatient therapy with only weekend visits home allowed, a baby on the way.  All while still trying to get to know each other outside of those five days in the dirty hotel room in Dhaka. But they’d gotten through it; every fight brought on by frustration, disappointment, and pain. Every harsh word spoken out of guilt and regret. Every time they didn’t know how they’d be able to put food on the table or properly take care of a baby once she arrived. But things slowly started getting better. Her old boss had contacted her saying she was owed a large chunk of money for previous work she’d done for him, even though she’d known full well it was just generous gift on his behalf. Then a check had come in the mail from Saju’s wife. Enough to cover six months' worth of rent and still have some left over. They’d never found out how she even knew who they were, let alone how she tracked them down.  

To this day, they’ve never actually spoken or met face to face. But once every three months an email arrives from Neysa, complete with pictures of her now teenage boy and an update on how they’re doing. No mentions of whereabouts; even behind bars, Mahajan Senior has a lot of pull in not just Mumbai, but all of India. His influences stretch far and wide, and almost seven years later, Saju’s inability to get Ovi away from Tyler and his eventual death is still viewed as a catastrophic failure.  It didn’t matter that his son had been rescued from Asif or brought home safely. Or that lives had been lost and others altered forever. Even Tyler, despite stepping up and giving Ovi a relatively normal life and the family that he both wanted and deserved, is regarded as an enemy. He was the one that stood in Saju’s way, after all, and more than once through the years Mahajan Senior has commented: “you don’t know how to die, do you”.  

****

“I think if we got through that first year intact, we can get through anything,” Esme comments.  

“That was a pretty shitty twelve months,” Tyler agrees, as he lays his palm on Addie’s back and wraps an arm around his wife’s waist, hand coming to rest on her hip. “There was some good stuff too. I mean, we got married and had Millie. But for the most part...”

“It was pure crap,” she finishes for him, and he nods. “But now look!” she cheerfully exclaims. “If anyone had have told you back then that this is where we’d be now, would you have believed them? That we would have gotten this far? Everyone was against us. Everyone. Nik, most of my family. And we’re the ones getting the last laugh. We’re the ones that are still together while their lives are shit. Is it wrong how happy that actually makes me? That we get to sit back and watch their lives fall apart?”

“Maybe a little bit wrong,” he says with a grin. “But I get it. There’s someone I wish was still here so I could rub it in their face.”

“Gaspar?”

He nods.  

“He did not like me for some reason. Kept calling me ‘that girl’ or ‘the girl’ even when I was in the room. What was up with that? I mean, other than the fact he was a complete sociopath.”

Tyler shrugs. “He was just protective I guess.”  

He doesn’t want to talk about it; Gaspar, the ten million dollars offer to give up her and Ovi. It still haunts him; how calm and callous the other man had been about the whole thing. As if it wasn’t two human beings that he was willing to sacrifice for the almighty dollar.  And he knows he’ll never tell her. The whole truth behind what had happened that night. What good would it do? Telling her that she’d come dangerously close to being thrown at Asif’s feet. The outcome would have been horrific; rape, torture, unbelievable abuse and cruelty. It’s bad enough that those thoughts still plague him. She doesn’t need them weighing her down.  And he’s thankful when she changes the subject.

“She wore you out, didn’t she,” Esme comments, a hand over her eyes; sheltering them from the sun as she watches Millie happily playing in the surf.

“She’s like having ten kids rolled into one. I’m starting to understand why her teacher is so tired at the end of the day. Millie plus twenty others?”

“Twenty? There’s thirty kids in her class.”

“What the fuck? Thirty?”

“Look, things have changed since you used to travel by horse and buggy to your one room schoolhouse.”

“You know what...” he slides his hand up to her side, then pinches the sensitive spot below her ribs.

“Ow! You shit head!” Esme cries, and then shrieks when his fingers did in just above the hip. Aggressively tickling her until she’s flat on her back; kicking and squirming and squealing for mercy.  Laughing until she succumbs to loud, painful hiccups. “You’re a dick!” she dramatically pouts and directs an elbow into his side;  still allowing him to draw her tightly against him, a hand coming to rest on the back of her head as he presses a kiss to her temple. “You almost made me pee myself,” she complains, as she rests her head on his shoulder and places her hand over his as its sits on Addie’s back.

“That’s what you get for making an old man joke.”

“I hear that getting extremely sensitive about aging is the first sign of senility,” she teases, and places a kiss just below ear, then to the scar on the side of his neck. And she pulls back to look at it, tracing a finger over the surface.

It’s almost seven years old now but has just begun to appear not as dark or swollen.  It will always be there; no matter much if softens. A lasting reminder of how close to death he’d actually come. Even now there are days where she can barely stand to look at it; filled with either immense sorrow or rage. And others where she feels nothing at all. Where it’s nothing more than one of the various battle wounds that take up residence on his body. She knows every single one and the stories behind them; able to find them with and trace them with her eyes closed.

“It’s really starting to change,” she comments, and then lays her hand on the side of his face and turns his head towards her, kissing him softly.

“It doesn’t both you are much anymore.” It’s more a statement than a question.  

“It never bothered me because of what it looks like. It’s never been about that. It bothered me because of what it represents.”

“You and I do not like at the same way. It reminds you of the end. Or what was almost the end. It reminds me of the beginning.”

She smiles at that and leans in to nuzzle the tip of his nose against his ear. Closing her eyes as she rests her forehead against his cheek, his hand moving from the small of her back to the nape of her neck and then higher; kissing her as he combs his fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her face and off her shoulders.

“You guys aren’t making babies, are you?!” Millie calls, her voice dripping with disgust. “I do not want another brother!”

Tyler chuckles. “This is not how babies are made,” he assures her. “Sometimes it starts out like this and then leads to babies being made.”

His wife scowls. “Don’t touch her things. What’s wrong with you? Amelia, we talked about this. It is not possible to have any more babies. Your dad got neutered.”

“What the fuck?” Tyler mutters. “Don’t tell her that.”

“What do you want me to tell her? You got the snip and had to lie on the couch for two days with a bag of frozen peas on your crotch?”

“You know how you always threaten me with sleeping on the couch? You keep pushing your luck, you’re going to end up there.”

“A full eight hours without you snoring or talking in your sleep? Sign me up. Awww...baby...” she gives a dramatic pout and places a series of kisses along his jaw. “...did I hurt your feelings? Did I upset your delicate sensibilities? I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“I can think of one way that I’ll accept.”

“We only do that once a year. It’s not our anniversary yet. So no, not going to happen. Anything other than THAT.”

A slow grin spreads across his face. “Anything?”

“I don’t like that look you get when you ask that.”

“You trust me?” he asks.

“I’m not sure right about now.”

“Just trust me. I’ll go easy on you. I promise.”

She frowns. “You’re not even going to tell me what it is?”

“Nope. You’ll find out. Once the kids go to bed. It’s not that bad, I swear. I wouldn’t do anything that would hurt you or freak you out. It’s tame. For me, anyway.”

“Even at your tamest you’re dirty. With a capital D, so...”

“Trust me,” Tyler implores, then gives her a long, slow kiss before sitting up; one hand on the back of Addie’s head, the other on her bum. Grimacing at the pain that settles in his shoulder and the stiffness in his back. Some days it’s bearable; he can get by without popping any pain meds and time in the water or even standing under a hot shower is all the help her needs. Other days he can barely get out of bed and there isn’t enough medication in the world to even take the edge of. The lasting and crippling souvenir of a hard, punishing life.  

“You need to go and get that checked,” Esme scolds, as she kneels behind him, a palm pressed between his shoulders as she digs the fingers of the other hand into the most troublesome spot: to the right of the spine, on the edge of the shoulder blade. She doesn’t even need to ask anymore. She just knows. Every spot that aches, every trigger point that send pain and numbness shooting his entire arm and settling into his fingers.

“I probably should have gotten it checked when we first moved here.”

“You think, Tyler? You really think? You know what I think? I think we’ve far surpassed it just being a separated shoulder.”

“A fucked up shoulder is more like it,” he says through gritted teeth, then stretches his legs out in front of him and places Addie on his thighs.

“You were supposed to take it easy after the replacement surgery. Not go back to what caused all of the damage in the first place.”

“I don’t need to hear this.”

“Well, you’re going to hear it.”  She wraps her arm around his neck, resting it along his collarbone as she digs her thumb into the most sensitive and painful area of the muscle. Causing a litany of profanities to spill from his mouth; loud enough for Millie to stop what she’s doing and glance over her shoulder, a concerned frown on her face.  “Why did you wait so long?” Esme sighs. “I told you when you got back from New Zealand to go and have it looked at.”

“I just thought it was separated,” he speaks through clenched teeth, his eyes closed. “Then I thought maybe it was just the arthritis flaring up. Now...”

“Something is totally fucked in there. I can feel something moving around. And there’s a lot of clicking and popping going on. You’re probably going to need surgery. Again.”

“Okay Miss Negativity. I don’t need to hear this.”

“You’re going to hear it, you stubborn shit head. What are you going to do if it gives out while you’re training Ovi? Or worse. When you go and rescue his sorry ass. Then what?”

“First, I’m going to dope myself up and hope for the best. Second, there’s no guarantee that I’m going to have go and bail him out of trouble. Let’s just get past the first part, yeah?”

“You’re going to pass the first part because you didn’t go and get your shoulder looked at when you should have. You need to stop worrying about everyone else and take care of yourself for a change.”

“That’s rich. You of all people saying that. Okay....stop...stop...fuck...” he drops his head to his chest; sweat beats across his forehead and trickles down his temples.  

“Are you okay?” She leans in and pecks his cheek. “You look like you’re going to puke.”

“I feel like I’m going to puke.”

“Seriously, Tyler, you need to go and get looked at. I’m not fucking around. Enough is enough. Stop being so...I don’t know...so YOU.”  Heaving a sigh, she sits down beside him one again, one hand rubbing his back comfortingly, the other softly stroking his thigh. “Go and get it check,” she begs. “Please.”

“Nothing can be done about it right now anyway. It would have to wait until the shit with Ovi is done. Then I’ll go. As soon as it’s finished.”

“You better. Because I’m not above being the kind of wife that makes your doctor's appointments for you. You’re worse than the kids sometimes, I swear. They actually listen better than you do.”

“I know. I’m a pain in the ass.”

“Huge. A huge pain in the ass,” she concedes, then tousles his hair. “Did you know Kyle didn’t come home last night?”

He removes the receiving blanket from Addie’s face, smiling down at her as he leans forward and presses a kiss to her forehead. “I didn’t know he lived here now.”

“He walked Salena home and never came back. Not until you and Millie left to go into town. You know what that means?”

“He got more action than I did last night?”

“It means that there’s trouble in paradise. Or hell. However you want to look at him and Nik.”

“I don’t look at them at all, so...”

“What is the hold she has on you guys? We’ve established she’s not good in bed. She doesn’t give head so it’s not that either. She doesn’t even have big boobs or a nice ass.”

“First, she doesn’t have a hold on me. She never has. She was there if I wanted it. That’s it. No strings attached. I’d fuck her, she’d leave. That’s as far as it went. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Were your standards that low?”

“I was taking Oxy with booze. What do you think?”

“I think I came along at the right time.”

Tyler nods in agreement.

“You have to admit, Kyle is way too good for her.”

“Don’t drag me into this. I don’t care what either of them do. He wants to marry Nik, let him marry Nik. Who gives a shit? Don’t take it so personally. Do I think it’s fucked he’d hook up with someone that cause shit between us? Of course, I do. But if he's that stupid, he deserves to be miserable.”

“We’d be related to her,” Esme points out.

“And? We’d never have to see her. You think they’d come here all the time or something? Nik would never settle down here. Ever. Trust me.”

“Kyle wants to. Settle down here.”

“He’d never win against her. Stop worrying so much her so much. Yeah, she caused a lot of shit. Or tried to. But it didn’t work and us being together and being happy and having a family? That’s the best revenge against her. Your brother’s a big boy. Let him do what he wants. You can’t stop him from fucking up his life.

“He’s my brother.”

“And? Your brother knowingly got with someone who tried to ruin your life. If you ask me, he deserves whatever shit show he gets with Nik.”

“But...” she runs her fingertips along the top of his hand, then along the smooth metal of his wedding band. “...if we could get him hooked up with Salena....”

“I’m not getting him hooked up with anyone. Leave me out of this. You shouldn’t even be involved in this. We’re adults for fuck sake. Can we concentrate on our own relationship and our kids? Because those two things are all that matters to me.”

“I didn’t realize we were having problems to concentrate on.”

“Did I say there were problems? Other than I think you should mind your own business? Stop...” he drapes his arm across her shoulder and pulls her into him, kissing her temple. “...let’s just worry about what us and what goes on in our own house. Who cares what your brother is doing or who he’s doing it with. He can handle his own shit. He does not need you getting involved.”

“I just think...”

“Esme...”

“...that he...”

“Stop,” he gently orders, then tangles his fingers in her hair and draws her into a kiss. Longer time and more intense; closed mouth upon closed mouth. And the tip of his tongue just brushes against her top lip before he pulls away.

“Okay...” she sighs, and grins when she feels him kiss the tip of her nose. “...that was...nice...”

“Nice? Just nice?”

“Well I can’t show you just HOW nice because there’s little people here. But trust me. It was better than nice.”

“Just let it go. This thing with Nik and your brother.  If he fucks up, he fucks up. He’ll learn his lesson. Let’s just concentrate on us.”

“I hate to break it too you, honey, but if we haven’t been able to concentrate on just us in almost six years. Five kids, remember? Do we even exist outside of being parents anymore? Because I don’t remember the last time it was ‘just us’. And I’m not talking about sex, for the record. So let’s not get into that conversation again. When is the last time we actually went somewhere without out kids?”

“Well it was just you and I in the bathroom this morning while I took a leak and you brushed your teeth.”

“That was a really nice three minutes of connecting with you, I must say. I’ll see you again in another what? Five, six years?”

“You wanted a big family. I was fine with three.”

“Pardon me? You’re the one who wanted a fourth and a fifth. You’re the one who talked me into it, remember? You wanted a half dozen kids and a stay at home wife and I was more than willing to give you what you wanted. So don’t start with that.”

“That means there’s one more to go if we agreed to half a dozen.”

“Oh no!” she laughs. “Don’t you even dare. I am done. I am babied out. You want another one, you go find yourself a second wife to give you more kids. Because this wife is done.”

“One more wouldn’t hurt.”

“It would hurt my vagina, okay. It’s seen five kids already. It’s a hot mess down there.”

“A SEXY hot mess,” he grins, and nudges her playfully with his elbow.  

“You are like the most biased husband on the planet and I love you so fucking much for it,” she wraps her arm around his neck and presses a noisy kiss to his cheek. “No wonder I keep you. You do wonders for my ego.”

“So one more?” He hopefully attempts.

“You’re insane. Why would you go and get the operation done and then decide three months later you made a mistake? Why didn’t you just hold off until after Addie and then we had this discussion?”

“I thought we were done. That was it. Five.”

“Because we agreed we were done. And now you’re changing your mind. Just like you did when Declan was supposed to be the last one. What is wrong with you? What is this overwhelming obsession to breed?”

“It’s not an obsession. I just...I don’t know...” he shrugs, fingers fidgeting with the hem on Addie’s sundress. “...I just want to leave something good behind when I go, I guess.”

“And you’ve made five very good things. Five very beautiful and healthy and incredible things. So why...?”

“I don’t know,” he repeats. “I just wouldn’t mind one more. Even it out.”

“She’s only three weeks old,” Esme reminds him.

“I didn’t say I want one right now. I mean eventually. A year from now. Two years from now.”

“That is not what you’re thinking, and I can tell. That is not what’s going on in your head, Tyler.  This started as soon as all this Ovi crap came about. As soon as you agreed to get back into things, you started thinking about this, didn’t you.”

“Maybe...”

“What’s going on in that mind of yours?” She combs her fingers through his hair, presses a kiss to his cheek. “That beautiful, troubled mind.”

“I don’t know,” Tyler admits.“I just thinking about if things go wrong...if I have to help Ovi and things just get even worse...what have I left behind? Did I do enough? Did my life mean anything?”

“Your life means so much more than you think. To me. To your kids.  Don’t ever doubt that, please. You will have left so much behind. You helped make five amazing little human beings. Who adore you and worship you and think you’re the most amazing man in the entire world. And you know what?”  She curls both arms around one of his “I think you are most amazing, beautiful man in the world, too. You don’t realize it, but you saved me just as much as I saved you. Don’t ever doubt how important you are to me. Or your kids. Okay?”

He nods and places a kiss to her brow before resting his forehead against hers. Sometimes even the biggest and the strongest need to feel appreciated and validated. Even if they’d never admit it out loud.

“And as far as this sixth kid thing goes, can you give me at least a few months? Because right now I’m worn out and sometimes I don’t even know if I can handle the five I already have.”

“Well for what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty fucking amazing.”

“You really are the most biased husband on the planet,” she grins.

“It doesn’t make it less true. And speaking of five kids, where’s The Ginger?”

“He didn’t want to come home from Salena’s and I was not dealing with the tantrum that would have ensued if I’d have forced him. You might be able to carry him all the way from there to here, but he’s damn heavy and I’m not even attempting it.  I told her that you’d come and get him after dinner.”

Tyler groans. “You’re going to send me over there? Do you know what I had to deal with yesterday when she came by here? Twice? Do you know she was checking out my dick?”

“She told me. She’s hardly shy in case you haven’t noticed. She wanted to know how I haven’t been split in two yet.”

“Jesus Christ...”

“What? Sometimes I wonder myself. Are you blushing? Holy shit. Is Tyler Rake blushing? I’ve seen it all now. You’re not usually like this. You usually don’t mind when a woman checks you out.”

“They’re usually not checking out my dick and my wife isn’t usually talking to them about my dick, so...”

“Baby, just so you know, I brag about every part of you. Not just your dick. Did Kyle call?”

“That was a weird transition. Why does he talk about my dick too?”

“I’d be very worried and disturbed if he did. I was wondering where our other children are. If he’s actually surviving out there somewhere with them or if you turned off your cell so he wouldn't call for help...”

“He left a voicemail. Said he’d have them home before bedtime. I said to keep them for a few days but...” he shrugs. “...he didn’t agree to that. Sorry. I tried.”

“You know what means? For the first time since Declan was born, testosterone is not in charge of the house. Now it’s estrogen.  Oh my God, you poor man.”

“You’re not PMS’ing, so I’m okay. I’ve survived almost seven years of that shit every month. I can survive one night.”

“We’ll see about that,” she gives him a wink, then places her hands on his shoulders to help push herself up onto her feet. “I’m getting too old for this shit. You’re going to be picking me up and carrying me to the house one of these days. I think I’m falling apart too.  Millie!” she calls to her daughter. “Let’s go and cleaned up. Daddy’s taking us out on a date.”

Tyler grins. “He is, is he?”

“When you do ever get to go to dinner with two and a quarter beautiful women?”  

“There was this one time in Thailand...”

“No one wants to hear about your conquests, Tyler. And by no one, I mean me.”

“Daddy...” Mille stomps over. “...did you see this shit?” she wildly gestures towards her mother’s feet with the plastic shovel in her hand.

“Millie, just don’t ask. Let your mom be as weird as she wants. I’m used to it.”

“Socks on the beach!” Millie huffs. “What the hell, mom.”

Tyler smirks, and clutches Addie to his chest with one hand, offers the other to Millie and lets her think she’s pulling him to his feet. “I bet you’re extra glad my DNA was stronger the day you were made, aren’t you?”

“So glad,” Millie agrees, and then shrieks when he scoops her effortlessly with one hand, giggling hysterically and her legs kicking as he tucks her under his arm, carrying her ‘football style’.  

“You know...” Esme muses, as she curls an arm around his waist. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe things will go okay. With Ovi.”

“They will,” he promises. And hopes that those words sound more convincing to her ears than they do to his own.

[nellie-elizabeth]

Grey's Anatomy: Life on Mars? (16x17)

Ugh Teddy what the actual fuck. I have a lot of things to complain about for this one, so strap on in.

Cons:

I'm a fan of Tom/Teddy obviously, but Teddy cheating on Owen, and then being all pissy about Amelia, of all things? And telling Owen that Amelia's baby might be his, and not confessing about Tom? I've been annoyed with Teddy in the past for some things, but right now she is angering me to the nth degree. Really frustrating stuff. Owen gets to be the bright-eyed innocent, ready to make his relationship work no matter what, but he's just... so annoying, you know?

I'm happy that Amelia and Link worked things out, but I'm still annoyed that that whole plot thread even happened, and Amelia absolutely should have found out the paternity right away and just told him? So yeah... I guess I can file this under "I'm glad it's over." Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

I'm not watching Station 19, which means I have a less than accurate picture of Jackson and Vic's whole situation than some. But from what I saw just in this episode? Jackson is being a dick. Vic is totally right - he's giving her mixed signals. He doesn't want to be serious with her, but he gets all pissy and jealous about her new roommate? Come on. Vic is a good enough character that she almost makes me want to watch Station 19, while Jackson has become steadily less and less the character I once loved.

Jo and Link are bonding over their respective heartbreaks at the start of this episode, until Link and Amelia figure their shit out at the end. I am a fan of the two of them spending time together and being friends, but I do have to say... the way Alex is being painted is infuriating to me. Jo and Alex were each other's happy endings. Their relationship was not a transitional part of their lives. They were married and planned to be together forever. And then an actor left the show and suddenly, we're meant to believe that Jo was changed by Alex and grateful to him for the love he showed her, but ready to move on? The way this was framed, it was like we were meant to believe Jo and Link were going through equivalent heartbreaks. No! Come on, that's patently ridiculous and we all know it. I understand they're in a bad spot because of the actor leaving the show, but I continue to be baffled by how badly they've handled Alex's exit. Baffled, I say!

The Jeff Bezos character was just kinda... I mean, he certainly made me hate him on sight, so that part was accurate. I just felt like Koracick's decision was such a stupid, idiotic one. It didn't feel like an interesting moral quandary to me. It didn't feel like some of the other times throughout the history of the show that a character has broken a rule and had to really grapple with the consequences. It just felt like Koracick doing a dumb thing that's obviously going to cause problems.

Pros:

I will say, though, I'm... enjoying might be the wrong word, but I'm intrigued by DeLuca's downward spiral. I felt really, really bad for him in this one, and felt like Jo's harsh advice was completely warranted. He's not okay. He needs help. He needs to listen to the people in his life who are telling him that something's really wrong. I hope he gets the help he needs!

I am also feeling a lot of grief and empathy for Richard, in what he's going through. We're really seeing the compounding effects of his recent separation from Catherine, and his hand shaking meaning his career as a surgeon is over. The way he talked to Bailey was completely uncalled for, but it showed just how rough of a spot Richard is in, and I hope he can find a way to transition more gracefully into this stage of his life.

As I said, I'm happy for Link and Amelia. Their relationship became serious because of Amelia's pregnancy, but through it all they really do seem to like each other a lot. I think Link gets Amelia out of her head a little bit, and Amelia helps Link to take things more seriously. Their relationship is one I can root for. I'm just hoping that Owen finds out the baby is not his right away, and that part of the drama can be over.

Meredith and Bailey had a nice little moment where they reflect on losing some system of support in their lives. Meredith because Alex left, and Bailey because of Richard stepping down from surgery. They reflect on being the last remaining people at the hospital from their respective classes of interns. With so few original characters left on the show, it's nice to see this bond emphasized.

I feel frustrated with Grey's Anatomy right now. Because of the Alex thing mostly, but also the ongoing Owen drama has me less than thrilled, and even Jackson is grinding my gears. I hope we get some Schmitt and Nico content next week, and maybe a few other things can start to grab my interest again.

6/10

[nothingbutfangirlsmut]

The Girl Out of Time

Paring: Bucky x Reader & Sam x Reader

Background: Willow Roffe was born and raised in Brooklyn. She lived her life as happily as she could with her two childhood best friends Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers. When they both left her to join the military she tried to continue with life but that didn't get to happen for her for the simple fact that she meant something to James Buchanan Barnes.

Rating: Story will be overall MATURE but not every chapter. There will be strong language, talk of both mental and physical abuse, some good ole angst, and some eventual smut once the story reaches that point.

Chapter 3

I had been given sleeping quarters in the avenger's tower. My room only two down from Steve. My first night here was certainly a rough one. I didn't sleep much. I had too many things on my mind. I kept thinking back to my family. What became of them? How did my sisters deal with the life I left them behind in? Our father was never the nicest person. He was very controlling and horribly cruel. Even though I wasn't the oldest but the middle child I would always take the place of my sisters when it came to my father's wrath. I could always handle it more than they could. It may have hurt like hell but they never deserved it so I made sure that I always did. What happened when I disappeared? How badly had father been to them?

"Ja- Jarvis" I whispered hesitantly.

"Yes, Miss Roffe" the voice said.

"Would you... I mean could..." I groaned in frustration.

I'm not even talking to a person! What am I doing?

"Miss Roffe?" The voice asked.

"I need to know what happened to my family." I said choking on a sob.

"Certainly"

The wall in front of me lit up a few seconds later to show a photo of each of my family members. I stepped closer just to look at them.

"Can I see Amelia please?" I asked.

The images on the wall changed. It was my older sister Amelia. She looked so different. So much older. The image changed to a newspaper article. The tears fell down my cheeks as I tried not to sob. It was her death.

"Amelia Daniels, born 1921, oldest of three children. She married Jacob Daniels in 1948. They had two children together. A boy named Christopher Daniels and a girl named Willow Daniels. She died of natural causes in 2003 at the age of 82." Jarvis spoke as I stared at the photos.

I wiped my tears away. At least she had a good life. At least it sounded like she did.

"Can you show me Grace?" I asked Jarvis.

The images on the wall changed to show my baby sister. She was only ten years old when I last saw her. The images slowly moved threw her life. Showing me how she had grown up.

"Grace Yorkshire, born 1936, youngest of three children. She married Lucas Yorkshire in 1960. They have three children together. Two boys, one named Gregory Yorkshire and the other named Lucas Yorkshire the second. One girl named Annabelle Yorkshire. She resides at 1416 Dane Court in Brooklyn, New York."

A wave of excitement ran threw me knowing my baby sister is still alive. I have to see her!

--

The next morning I was banging on Steve's door to wake him up but he didn't answer.

"What are you doing?" Natasha asked from behind me.

"I need to talk to Steve." I said quickly.

"He isn't here. He goes for a run every morning. Is everything alright?" She asked raising a brow at me.

"My sister, my baby sister Gracie is still alive. I need to see her."

Natasha seemed to perk up at my words. She smiled and gestured for me to follow her. We walked into what I assumed was Natasha's sleeping quarters.

"Here wear this" she said handing me some clothing.

I laid it on the bed to look at it. It was a shirt and pants. I've never wore anything like this. My father said either dress like a lady or be treated like a man. In other words, we were to dress very modestly because if we didn't he would beat us like we were men.

"Willow, it's alright no one is gonna say anything to you. Just trust me." She said with a smile.

I nodded as I undressed. Once I had the new clothes on I felt odd but good. It felt freeing.

"Do you know where your sister is?" Natasha asked as we walked down one of the halls.

"1416 Dane Court Brooklyn, New York. All those years and she still lives in Brooklyn." I couldn't help the smile on my face.

"Let's go find her then."

I followed her into the elevator then quickly out of the front door and into the crowded street. She stepped to the side of the side walk then whistled really loud as she waved. A cab pulled up in front of us a few seconds later. She opened the door gesturing for me to get in first. I felt like a kid again going somewhere I'd never been. It was always so exciting.

"Where to?" The driver asked.

"Oh, um 1416 Dane Court Brooklyn." I told him.

He nodded then pulled back into the traffic. I watched out the window as we drove threw the unfamiliar streets. I had known this area when I was younger. Steve and I use to go all over the place. Now it was like I'd never stepped a foot in New York before.

The cab pulled over in front of a row of houses. Natasha handed him some money then we got out of the cab. I was standing on the sidewalk outside of 1416 Dane Court. Gracie is right inside there. My heart was thumping savagely against my chest. What would I do? What would I say? Would she even remember me?

Natasha gently pushed me forward towards the house. I took hesitant steps thinking this over. Should I really do this? This could go really bad. Before I could turn around and run Natasha knocked on the door.

"Just a second" I heard a woman shout from inside.

The door opened and there stood a gray haired Grace Roffe or Yorkshire now. I felt the sob rip from my chest. My baby sister was older than me now. The woman looked terrified and frozen to the spot as she stared at me.

"I don't know if you remember me. You were only ten the last time I saw you." I said wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"Willow?" She questioned with a shaking voice.

"Yes, it's me" I nodded.

She seemed to snap out of a trance then gestured for us to come in. I walked inside followed by Natasha. We both sat on the couch as Grace sat on the table across from us.

"How is this even possible?" She asked in amazement.

"I honestly don't know. I don't understand what happened to me. One moment I'm walking home in 1946 then the next I'm waking up here in 2013."

I watched Grace wipe her cheeks as she smiled.

"It's an odd thing to see you like this after all these years. You haven't aged a day." Grace chuckled.

"You have no idea. Everything is different. Can you tell me anything? Do you know anything about what happened?" I asked her leaning forward.

She shook her head.

"I was just a kid. You know how adults were back then. The children never needed to know anything. The only thing I knew was that something happened to you. You disappeared and you were never coming home. I know a little about your friends though. They were both national heroes. There's even an exhibit in the museum about them." Her smile was warm.

"My friends? You mean Steve?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Yea, that little twiggy boy Steve Rogers and the other really pretty one James Barnes."

James Barnes? I don't know a James Barnes.

"Gracie, I know about Steve but who is James Barnes?" I asked curiously.

"What?" She asked in shock.

"How could you forget James Barnes? He was beautiful! You were always hanging on him. I always use to say you'd marry him one day but you always blushed and told me to shut up." She laughed at her memory.

"No" I shook my head.

"I never knew a James Barnes." I said sternly.

Grace's smile fell as she looked at my serious expression.

"Willow, I'd never lie to you and I swear I'm not a crazy old bat even though I do look like one." She chuckled.

"Hold on, I have an old photo that Amy gave to me a few years back." She mumbled as she got up and walked to the other side of the room.

She pulled open a few drawers looking for the photo. When she found it she shouted holding it up in the air. She came back to sit in front of Natasha and I once more. She held the picture against her chest.

"This was the original photo that was used in the first article about you missing. It was taken at the Stark Expo the day before James left for the army. You were so heart broken to have him leave. Here." She handed the photo to me.

I gently took it from her and flipped it over. There I was smiling but my eyes were puffy from crying. I hadn't noticed that detail before. I don't remember crying that night. Steve's tiny frame stood next to me with his arm over my shoulder as he smiled widely. On the other side of me was indeed an extremely handsome man. His arm looked like it was tightly around my waist like he was pulling me closer to him. His smile was large but he wasn't looking forward like Steve and I. He was looking down at me. Why can't I remember him?

I felt the tears on my cheeks again. I wiped them away quickly then handed the photo back to Grace. She shook her head and pushed my hand away.

"I don't know what happened to you Willow but I know how much both Steve and James meant to you. Keep it and try to recall some of those memories. I promise they were incredibly happy ones. Every time you were with James you were so happy."

Natasha and I thanked her. I hugged her tightly and promised to come back to visit. After that we went back to the tower.

---

Masterlist

[kaiju-z]

Seon Adventures Episode 23:  Blood and Cherry

Following the cliffhanger of Amelia and the rest of the party literally and figuratively bumping into her sister... we carry on into the conversation that happens.

Sabrina, Sab for short, as it is learned, is the younger sister of Amelia, who at one point in her life had lived under the name, or nickname “DeeDee”. Something Sab is understandably confused about Luctan refers to Amelia as such.

When last the two had met, it was 7 years ago, when Sabrina was 7 years of age, when they were seperated by tragic means. In the time since, she had grown into a strong, 18 year old spellcaster, as she performed some of her evocation magic for the party to witness.

It’s hard to tell what class she may be, as Luck notes in his mind, but at the very least he can tell it’s not Divine type.

Smoothing over some perceived sleights, as the two hadn’t reconnected since the incident that seperated them, Luctan explains that Amelia had confided in him her worries and goal of searching, of finding her little sister. Which would be Sabrina. Persuasive as he is, he convinces her of the Air Genasi Monk’s determination and the two ladies hug it out and we get introduced to Sab’s familiar, a very lovely little weasel.

A promise is made to rendevouz later at the Tabernax tavern later, after they each finish their respective job for the day.

As they part ways, Amelia gets a pep talk from the party as the revelation comes that she has a severe case of Imposter Syndrome, having to have kept her own issues to herself. Believing that she had to decrease, as everyone else had to increase their own issues’ level.

That is not the case though, as Luck, Mournimar and Belli make it clear to her. It’s not the case as her own situation and the need to find a balance is just as important as the rest’s.

Promissing to discuss things later, the five and their pets carry on into the rounded out area of the South-Eastern part of town, on the outer wall’s side.

Three buildings in particular stand out to everyone. A Pottery Shop, named “Straight to the Paint ‘, an old house and an Orphanage right next to it.

Luctan’s lack of knowledge of herbalism aside.. A decision is made on how they should handle the establishments.

Luck takes the executive decision to split the party up in 3 teams:

Team 1: Luck and Ficus take to the Pottery shop.

Team 2: Amelia and Mournimar, to investigate the old house.

Team 3: Malak and Belli to have a chat with the heads of the Orphanage.

Learn information, apply that information, reunite and solve the case of the mysterious lightning strikes!

And so they go!

Luctan, making a promise to Belli to buy pot, goes and gets her a flower pot. And paints.(Poor low Int Roll, yaaay!) Charming the shop owner with his words, complimenting his youthful appearance and all that, Luctan learns a bit of info, before he decides to go Assassin’s Creeding up the roofs:

The gnome shopkeeper, having spoken to Mr. Greg, two doors down had come to learn that the old man kept finding left over snacks in his spare room. Quite odd. Crumbs? Maybe a rat infestation, the guard aren’t interested. He complained that someone talked from his chimney. But no one could be found.

On the opposite side of the street, the chimney of Mr. Tim was taken out in one of the lightning strikes. Frankly, the Gnome suspects that, based on whispers around town, The Storm God Dahktot was responsible in some way, maybe the involvement of a cult was in play?

Losing a fight to a fly, aside, Luctan doesn’t get any info or perception on what’s going on from the top of the buildings.

Amelia and Mournimar have far much better, well, Luck, in this situation than Luctan as they confront the owner of the house (you know, after Mournimar suggests breaking in). They meet the legend himself, Old Greg, a crotchety old man in his 80′s, who complains to them about rats in the guest room upstairs.

Guy has a shitty day. As usual. Fucking kids.  He hates them kids.  Little brats in the spare room get hella loud.  He’s such a crotchety bastard. But the suspicion does arise that kids from the Orphanage may be involved somehow.

Mourni figures the vibes in the house are spooky. Old house and magical energy coming form upstairs, one part in particular. Though...  The room doesn’t appear to have anything off about it. The dust is lighter, like there used to be a bed and it smells like rotting food.

The two most perceptible in the party notice that there’s a small circle with markings, scribbled out and redrawn repeatedly. Mournimar notices the angle and his eyes are drawn to the fireplace, the wall shared with the orphanage and there is a loose brick hanging off of it.

Mournimar investigates the loose brick.  He takes a peek and can notice, in the dark of it, a pressure point. While he fiddles with the bricks, Amelia gives a closer look to the runes carved into the floor. They sadly are unreadable, but one is always the same. Amelia has no idea.

As the two talk actions,  Amelia agrees that Mourni should press the button.

Clunking sounds. He holds down the button. Eventually there’s a shifting and the bricks at the back of the fireplace separate and open up... and  Mournimar essentially breaks into an orphanage. 

There’s a single bed in the room. Pretty plane room, there’s a propped up piece of wood. A bag under the bed and the bed is fairly small.

Casting Pass Without a Trace, Mournimar sneaks inside. He finds a thick heavy book within the sack, beneath the bed. It’s compex in design, intricate and it’s lead bound back. Black, with a fire pattern at the bottom.

There’s a detailed drawing of the ritual circle in the bedroom they started with. With a combined effort, the two make a copy of the ritual circle. And Mournimar draws a detailed map of the building and circle.

The runes are clearer and neater, the main one repeated is the symbol for Conjuration.  They figure they should warn the old man. Mourni makes sure the close the door behind himself. Walking back, they do see a picture of a younger Greg, in a canoe.

They try to explain the situation to him, but the old guy pulls a dagger on them, ‘cause he’s startled by the cult shit book. Amelia lies it’s a cake and he buys it.

Back with Belli and Malak, the two go do dad and totally normal daughter activities. Just two bros, hanging out, going to an orphanage.

There’s a chiming. An older Firbolg lady opens the door. The story is that they’re here to play music for the kids. Belli pays attention for weird shit. Malak gives her Guidance. “You’ve got this. They’re just kids.”

There are toys all over the place. Very much homemade.

After the ringing of a bell, 15 kids in a swarm enter the room. (Roll for initiative, j/k).

They kind of, a few of them walk right up to Belli and one of the youngest is in the Firbolg’s arms, as it’s too young. A few sit down as Malak introduces Belli.

“ Wow, are your teeth real?!” asks one child and Belli confirms, as she is an Olf/Erc (Half Orc/Half Elf). The question is raised as the baby in the Firbolg’s arms is asl oa Half-Orc. His little tusks being all nubby and the like as he nibbles on her blue dress’ shoulder.

The kids ask about Malak’s axe and he shows it off, safely, for the kids. A few try to climb Malak to get to the axe, ‘cause that shit’s sick.

The lady introduces herself as Doreen. The head of this Orphanage.

As Belli begins entertaining children with magic and song, Malak converses with Doreen. She has a brother, who left recently. She’s been taking care as best she can of the kids, rough life and the like. Heartend, Malak gives her 10 gold. This will feed them for a while. Grateful for the kind deed, she asks if she can repay him somehow.

Malak asks about the lightning strikes, Belli offers practical lessons. “"Who wants to learn some practical skills?! we can start with knitting and then get to fire!" Seriously, Belli’s gonna blow these kids’ minds.

Doreen guides Malak upstairs and leads him to a room upstairs. There’s a desk in one part of the room, multifunctional, a calendar and stuff.  There’s a single painting of a lake. This is Doreen’s room and her office space. Work place, dinner table and the only place she can get some privacy.

She’s still carrying Dave.

Malak scans the room with Detect Magic. A ring of Protection is on the table, given to Doreen by her late husband. 

"So kids anyone wants to learn magic or how to play an instrument", goes Belli downstairs.

Questioned about anything off recently, Doreen admits she’s been worrying about Cedric, one of the boys. He was attached to her brother and he never wants to talk to Doreen like with her brother.

It’s probably more of a personality thing. Malak learns that they got on like a house on fire. He was blunt with the kids and Cedric responded well to that.

“"Anyone want to fly? you have to be lighter then ten pounds"”

She mentions that Lord Arwen had come to visit, at least, mentions him by description. She didn’t trust him, though. He was asking similar questions, about the lightning and the children. He focused more on her, thinking she was doing something wrong.

By this point,  Belli has taught the kids “Baby Shark”.

Not all the kids are enthusiastic, though. One of the older kids, 7-8 year old being the loner. Slouching, hands in pockets. Belli talks with the boy, who introduces himself as Cedric.

He doesn’t know music and Belli tells him that’s ok. The two end up bonding over the ridicilously chonky boy that is Orion, the Familiar (and we make Sprinkle jokes ooc).

Good times.

Cedric admits he has a “friend”.

Bad times.

Her name is Cherry and he claims she’s not doing well.

They could always go and visit her, suggests Belli. But, according to Cedric, Doreen said they have to leave her alone.

Malak eventually rejoins Belli as she tells tales of the party’s adventures.

Mentioning Cherry to Doreen, Doreen can all but stare in confusion, having no fucking clue who that is.

Belli, followed by Malak, goes to check Cedric’s room and knocks. “Just a minute!” calls Cedric from inside.

Malak opens the door. He’s kneeling down in front of his bed, poured open a sack of his belongings and tears are welling up in his eyes.

And there we have it.

Mournimar stole his tome.

They ask about the book. They ask about Cherry.

Cherry’s real, but he gave her that name, because her skin’s the color of cherries.

“She’s not a tiefling. She, um.  She’s real and his friend, not feeling great, but doesn’t live here. “ Belli offers her services. Cedric explains that he’s been trying to summon her. And has killed cats and mice. All these storms that keep happening? It’s due to his failure.

Last time he heard her was a few nights back. She keeps wanting him to try until he does. She hasn’t told him right now where she is.

“She’s from the Feymind Zits- Err... Flaming Pitts?!”

Taking a knee, Malak has an “ I’ma be real with you, chief.” moment with the lad.  And he and Belli talk sense into the sad boy. Making him promise not to try and summon her anymore.

“You deserve better than someone, who only talks to you to get you to do something.” - Words of Wisdom by one, Belli Narah.

Malak asks if anyone else knows about the book, where he got the book from (no and Cherry, she taught him how to make it and stuff).

Can you tell me, as best you can remember, what the book looks like?”Black with a fire pattern at the bottom. It looks old, but the pages are still strong.

With Cedric’s promise, Belli passes some things over to him. Her Lute, as well as a piece of Platinum. She encourages him and gives him a gameplan to become a Bard. Making him, essentially, her apprentice.

They share a hug and the youngster gets a headpat.

“ Learn from Freddy Orcury’s works. “

Ignore Cherry, tell her to Fuck off. Cedric promisses to do this.

The party soon reunite in the center of the circle, after Belli and Malak take chase after the book. And bumping into Amelia and Mournimar, with Luctan and Ficus coming down from the roof after that.

The party  discuss what’s what and the options they have. Suggestions to outright burn the book are brought up, with Luctan pointing out that they should probably hand it over to Lord Arwen as proof of their work here.

This is essentially the tome of a Warlock. As in. Cedric had accidentally made a contract with a Fiend and become a Pact Of The Tome Warlock. Belli remembers a spell that transports people through planes, one of these spells has to do with it.

Thinking fast, right before the party make their leave, Belli transformed Orion into a fly and sent him to watch over young Cedric,in case something went down.

As the six head back to the spires to have their business transaction, Luctan is positively glowing over the party’s team work!

The talk is had and the party trade the tome for the agreed upon sum and extra for the tome, wich each party member getting 10 platinum pieces.

As we head off to study in the library for our Cherry exam, Lord Arwen mentions that Mountainsteel may have work for us. As he’s on our schedule, that may still occur...?

We go to the Lady Stormweaver National Library. Has a nice plack, marble stone ‘n  shit. Grand old building. It’s about the same size as the Echosmith Hall, so it’s a damn big building.

Walking in, there’s a hole in the ceiling with further floors up there.

After conversing with a gnomish man of age, named Podin, the party plans on what research materials to take.

Malak finds that there’s a demonic tome on the 3rd floor, which he learns from a tiefling woman that it once belonged to someone called “ Golgordonix”, an evil dragon, who , who attacked these lands a century ago. His tome, gifted to him by one of the 9 hells.

While the rest go to do their own research, be it about the Flaming Pits, Pacts and the like, we come to an end to the session.

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