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delightfullyterrible · 2 years ago

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Starting off my birthday month by giving y'all some ✨ pain ✨

This whole fic is based on one angsty movie dialogue and Thule Malec......so you know double pain 😊

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"Do you ever wonder what life would be like if we were ordinary?" Magnus asked, staring at the ceiling.

They were still lazing in bed even though it was already mid-morning. The previous few mornings had been spent like this, wrapped in sheets and talking about the most random things, until one of them got hungry enough to get up and make breakfast (or in Magnus’s case, summon it). No one knew they were back from vacation already and neither Alec nor Magnus was in any hurry to tell them.

"Ordinary? Like if we were mundanes?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, because I do".

This piqued Alec’s curiosity. "And what do we do in our ordinary lives?" he asked.

"You do a regular, boring 9-5 job, I wait for you to come home and give me attention”.

Alec chuckled. “What else?”

Magnus turned towards him and raised himself slightly. “On the weekends we do laundry and taxes. Maybe host a barbecue once in a while".

“And who does the grilling?”

“You of course,” Magnus replied sunnily. “Or maybe Jace or any of our other friends. But not Isabelle”.

“Not Isabelle,” Alec agreed. "Do we still live in New York?"

"We could live wherever,” Magnus said. “New York, London, Florence, Mumbai, Tokyo, anywhere. Any special preferences?"

Alec shook his head. "Any place is fine as long as it’s you I wake up next to. Whichever city, whichever country, whichever universe".

Magnus smiled. “Alexander Gideon Lightwood, you will be the death of me,” he said and kissed him for a long time.

~~~~~

The memory felt like a lifetime ago. Alec wished he could go back to that time when life was so simple and the only thing he had to worry about was how to keep Izzy and Jace away from trouble or how to get the glitter out of literally every surface in the house.

But the world as he had known had changed completely. Sebastian Morgenstern turned it into his playground. Demons roamed freely, mundane numbers were dwindling and Shadowhunters were either Turned or killed or barely managed to escape. There was personal loss too - his mother was missing, his sister was dead and his parabatai was worse than dead.

His sister had died killing Sebastian and his parabatai’s very soul had been corrupted by him.

And then there was Magnus, on his knees in front of him, begging to be killed.

“You have to do this Alexander,” Magnus pleaded. “There is no other way”.

“There has to be another way. Tessa and Ragnor are still searching, they could find something that….they could find something”.

“Even if they do, it will be too late,” Magnus said. “I don’t have any more time left”.

It was true. The blight had started affecting warlocks all over the world. One by one they were all falling ill and no cure had worked. Magnus, being an Eldest curse, was affected the most.

Alec kneeled so he could be at eye level with him. Magnus was beyond exhausted. His bones were jutting out and his usually beautiful face was pale and sunken.

Magnus clasped Alec’s hand. “Alec, my brave archer boy, I know I am asking a lot from you but I can’t see myself turning into a monster,” he said, tears welling up in his eyes. “For centuries I have kept my humanity intact, trying my best to not let my father’s blood taint the good in me, trying to not give in to evil”. He shut his eyes as if in pain and whispered “I can’t fail now”.

A teardrop rolled and fell on Alec’s hand. “Look at me Magnus,” he said and lifted Magnus’s chin. “Look at me and listen to me, you are kindness, strength, humanity, and patience all wrapped up in one person. All your life you have helped people and saved lives. Even if they didn't deserve any of it. You are not evil. You never will be”

“I wish it was true Alexander. I wish that was my reality right now. But when this illness takes over my body, everything you said about me will vanish. I won’t be part human anymore and I would rather die than lose my humanity”.

Alec knew that. Magnus’s humanity had made Magnus what he was today. It was what Alec had fallen in love with first. So how could he see it leave his body? How could he deny him his last wish?

“Is this what you really want?” Alec asked in a small voice.

“Yes I do,” Magnus said. “You know why it has to be you right?”

“I know,” Alec replied. “I just wish we had more time”

“I wish that too. Maybe it's possible in another universe”.

“Maybe in another universe, we have a different life, a happier one”.

“Like the one we talked about a few months ago?”

“Yeah, like that one,” Alec replied softly.

Magnus closed his eyes and touched his forehead to Alec’s. He pulled away after a few minutes and whispered “You have to do it now before anyone else comes”.

Alec nodded and slowly retrieved a knife from inside his jacket. With his other hand, he gently touched Magnus’s face. “Just so you know, in another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you”.

Magnus smiled and kissed him with all the passion and love he could muster. Tears flowed down his face, mingling with their kisses. He gasped as the knife went in but didn’t move away.

They stayed like that in each other's arms until Magnus’s breaths became shallow. Alec pulled away and gently lowered him to the ground. Blood seeped from the wound and darkened the soil around him. Magnus opened his mouth to say something but he started sputtering and reddish-black blood spilled out. Alec made a move to shush him but Magnus stopped him. “Alexander Lightwood…. it has been an honor being loved by you,” he said finally and went still.

Alec closed his eyes in pain and let the tears fall. He wanted to do more than that. He wanted to scream, shout, break something, bring Magnus back but nothing would work. He had lost everything and everyone he once held dear. The only thing he was left with now was grief and pain.

Once upon a time, Alec had dreamed of changing the world so the people he cared about could live and love freely. But what was the point now if they were all gone? What kind of world would he fight for? And for whom?

It was one of the quickest decisions Alec had made in his life. He curled his fingers around the hilt of the knife embedded in Magnus’s body and pulled it free. He thought of his family one last time, of Clary who died trying to save the world, of Tessa, Ragnor, and Catarina who were desperately searching for a cure. He thought of Magnus, the man who made him come alive with one look, who made him feel deserving of love.

A world without Magnus in it was not a world worth living in. With that thought in mind, Alec plunged the knife into his chest. It stung at first but it was okay. This pain was better compared to the pain of living. He laid down next to Magnus, clasped his hand, and closed his eyes. At least in death, they could be together.

The last thing he saw was a vision of two boys standing in front of a door. One was a toddler, barely 2 or 3 years old, with blue skin and tiny white horns jutting out of his head. The other one was slightly older with unruly curly hair and a solemn expression on his face. The boys looked like they were waiting for someone. He heard them call out, then the image faded and darkness took over as if signaling the end.

taglist : @dandeliononthemoon @onetimetwotimesthreetimess @ninacarstairss @vierss-herondale @elettralightwood @gayforcarstairsgirls @rinadragomir @magnus-the-maqnificent @carelessflower @dustandducks @wildesummerchild @potato-jem @the-ethereal-aura @literallytypogod

#malec #malec fic #magnus bane #alec lightwood #thule #qoaad #tda #tsc

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heyyyharry · 5 years ago

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Chapter 12: Tyrant, Martyr, Saviour

(from ‘The Conman and the Maid’ Series)

…in which Harry saves someone, and Y/N is locked up.

Word count: 4.8k

AU: princess!y/n, conman!harry, prisoner!harry.

Series description: Y/N is a princess and Harry is a prisoner in her castle. With his help, she escapes from her arranged marriage in search of a happy ending, if there is one.

Wattpad link (Reyna as Y/N)

Let's see if you recognize the In Another Life and Flatmate references ;)

Note: This AU has a connection with IAL but has nothing to do with the curse because this story took place way before that. You don't have to read IAL to understand the ending, but if you have read IAL, the ending will blow your mind. We have three chapters left.

When Harry had come to talk to Kenny, her mother had been shocked to see that he wasn’t dead. He must admit that it was satisfying to see Patricia Rowley’s round face turn ashen as if she were staring at a ghost. If only the fun had lasted longer. Once Patricia was sure he was a real person, she had looked him up and down and said in a spiteful and condescending tone, “Her husband had come to take her home. It’ll be for the best if you stay away from her, boy.”

Then she’d given a dismissive wave and turned on him to make sure he knew he was still that same dirty poor boy who didn’t deserve her daughter.

That day, he’d gone home feeling quite relieved that he wouldn’t have to break Kenny’s heart for good. Until the things left unsaid overtook him. They became a heavy burden that he would have to carry wherever he went. Would Kenny ever forgive him? He hated her mother, but that woman hadn’t been wrong. He didn’t deserve Kenny. Not even as a friend.

It’d been three weeks since the night at the tavern. He was finally healing. Or so he thought. He’d been keeping his hands and mind busy with hunting trips with Caleb. They sold the animals they’d hunted and earned some low income. It was fine. Not great. Just fine. Fine was enough for someone like him.

Gemma had advised him to reopen their father’s blacksmith shop as it would be a steadier source of income. He was still considering it. He wasn’t good at the job but he could learn. He might. Right now, he had no motivation.

He’d stopped stealing and cheating, but he wouldn’t count it as accomplishment since he now slept with every attractive woman he came across. Hell, by the time he’d figured out what to do with his pathetic life, he might have already fucked this entire city. He didn’t know what else to do in order to not feel so empty, because while he was inside someone or had someone’s mouth or hands all over him, all he could think about was her.

He’d waited every day for the response from the sisters or news of the upcoming war, but there was none. For the first week, he’d been worried that the sisters had refused to help Y/N, or the letter hadn’t got to them yet, or something bad had happened to them. But when that week had ended and there’d been no news of the letter, he’d decided to give up. He hadn’t sold the ring as it was the only thing of her that he’d got left, but every time he looked at it, he was reminded of her, of what they could have been if they weren’t who they were.

Every night, while lying next to a stranger and the stranger had fallen asleep, he would tell himself that in another life, they’d be together again. They’d have a normal life, had children, a dog called Whisker or a cat called…

He wasn’t sure what he wanted to name their cat. But he wanted it to have white fur, like snow, like the land she’d come from, like the night they’d met, like the moment at the stable when he’d been struck by the way those white flakes danced their way down her clothes and her hair...

Before he’d drifted, he’d decided to call their white cat Treasure. After all, their adventure had begun with the treasure in her satchel, but all along she’d been the gold he’d been looking for. Now he was empty-handed. No gold. No lover.

True lovers always find their way back to each other, she had told him at the river where her parents had met. She’d believed her parents had met again in the afterlife and finally got a normal life, which had been taken from them since the day they’d been born. Just like her.

He’d said nothing that night, but he’d believed everything she’d said. He would maintain that faith, that if they couldn’t find their way back to each other in this lifetime, he’d meet her in another life as different people. They would say hello, and try again.

Three weeks had passed. Everything seemed to have fallen into place. Until today, when trouble finally came to him.

It came knocking on his door at the break of dawn. No, not knocking. Pounding. He was barely awake and he thought it was a dream until he opened the door and Kenny crashed into his arms. She was shaking and pale like a ghost. He asked her what was wrong. And before she could explain, he heard shouting from the front yard. He recognized the voice. It was Gideon.

Harry balled his fists and told Kenny to wait inside while he went out to see what Gideon wanted. If that son of a bitch had threatened to hurt Kenny—if he had hurt Kenny, Harry would kill him with his bare hands.

“Harry, no!” Kenny cried out as she seized his wrist, but her strength was no match for his. He marched toward the door, forcing her to stumble along. Gideon was waiting outside, his face red and twisted with rage.

“You have something that’s mine.” He pinned Kenny with his eyes and she recoiled behind Harry’s back.

“Something?” Harry somehow kept his tone calm though his blood was boiling. “She’s your wife.”

Eyes narrowed, Gideon stabbed a finger at him. “You. You put this crazy idea into her head.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harry scoffed. Kenny clutched his arm tighter and he placed a hand over hers to calm her down. That one simple gesture had triggered Gideon.

“You dirty whore,” he barked. “Have you been letting him fuck you?”

“Do not talk to her that way,” Harry warned, his fingers aching to reach for the dagger at his side. He would not start his day by killing someone. Not even Gideon was worth it.

“Give that whore back to me.”

Harry turned a deaf ear to Gideon and looked over his shoulder, meeting Kenny’s glossy brown eyes. “You’re not going anywhere. Nobody’s taking you anywhere.”

She nodded and looked ahead, then her eyes went wide. “Watch out!”

Harry shoved her aside just in time to dodge Gideon’s knife. The bastard had been carrying it the whole time and Harry had worried too much about Kenny to notice. Gideon shouted and aimed for Harry’s chest. Harry kicked him hard in the stomach, elbowed his jaw, snatched the knife from his hand and tugged his arm backwards over his shoulder. There was a loud crack and Gideon was on the ground, howling like wounded prey.

Kenny had ducked back into the house, hiding her face behind the door and sobbing out loud. Gideon was still wailing in the dirt with a broken arm. If Harry hadn’t been weary from his lack of sleep, he would be laughing at this scene.

“You crazy...you crazy fuck! You broke my arm!”

“Next time it’ll be your neck,” Harry said and yanked Gideon up by his collar. “Don’t fucking come back for her or I’ll cut your throat and dump your body into the river.”

Gideon ran without looking back. He’d seen what Harry was capable of and didn’t want to test his patience.

When Harry turned back to Kenny and asked if she was all right, he noticed the bruises on her arms. She saw him staring and tugged down her sleeves.

“What happened?” he asked. She was still trembling.

“I told you I’d been saving for my own business. He found the money and took it all.” She rubbed the bruises over the fabric of her dress. Her gaze dropped as she continued. “And he...he hit me. I escaped but he found me at my mother’s house and chased me all the way here.” Her voice began to break. “I’m s-sorry I came….I didn’t...didn’t want to get you in trouble. But I have nowhere else to go. My mum...she didn’t allow me to enter the house. She wanted me to stay with Gideon and I...I can’t stay with him...He’d hit me again...”

Harry shushed her softly and looped his arms around her shoulders, drawing her close. She buried her face into his chest, sobbing hysterically. He waited for her to quiet down before he went on, “You can stay here. We’ll figure something out.”

She pulled back to look up as he lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, tears swimming in her big brown eyes.

“No, I’m sorry.” He held her shoulders and squeezed. “I won’t let anyone hurt you again.” He hoped she knew he meant it.

“Princess, you’ve got to eat.”

“I’m. Not. Hungry.”

The maid shrank back in fear and glanced cautiously at the tray of untouched food and then Y/N, who took a deep breath and turned back to the window. She had no idea how long she’d been sitting on this window sill and staring longingly at the boring snow-covered garden. Time passed so slowly when she was in this castle that it felt like Isolde had its own concept of time. Minutes became hours. Hours became weeks. And weeks became years. It felt like three years had passed since she’d last seen him. She couldn’t believe it.

She’d just got back to Isolde last week. Her brother had made sure they hadn’t made too many stops along the way. The sooner we get home, he’d said, the faster I could start planning this war.

Home? This didn’t feel like home anymore. It hadn’t since her mother had died. She’d been locked up and forbidden from any contact with the outside world. She could only speak to Aleia – her new maid. She had no idea where they kept Jo, but she believed Egon wouldn’t harm Jo now that she was carrying his future heir.

After all the shit that Y/N had gone through, finding out about Jo’s pregnancy hadn't shocked her as much as it should have. Despite what had happened between them, she still cared about Jo, and she really hoped the baby was a boy. Egon would make Jo’s life a living hell if it was a girl. Y/N’s hands were tied now; she wouldn’t be able to protect Jo or her nephew. She was no saviour after all.

It’d been easy to imagine herself defeating Egon when Egon wasn’t there. Next to him, she was nothing. She’d been nothing her whole life. The only time she’d been something was when she’d been with Harry. She couldn’t be anything now that she was on her own, without anyone to tell her they believed in her.

She didn’t hear the maid leave, but she felt her absence and turned to find that the tray was gone. The maid had given up on her, too. Good, she thought. She’d rather starve and die than live to see her brother bathe this kingdom with his people’s blood.

A few moments later, the door flew open. She didn’t bother to turn; there could only be one person who would make that dramatic entrance.

“Princess…” Alaia trembled. Y/N heard the clinking of cutlery so she looked over her shoulder to see the maid holding the same food tray. But this time her brother was standing at the door, two guards behind him.

“Put it on the table,” Egon ordered, his voice rough reminding her of the way he’d hit her before. He hadn’t laid a finger on her since they’d got into the carriage outside Calanthe’s castle, but every moment after, she’d expected it. She couldn’t even sleep.

“I’m not hungry,” she told him.

He gestured for Aleia and his guards to dismiss, and they all retreated into the hallway and shut the door.

“I don’t care if you’re hungry,” he said in an unusually calm tone and gracefully dropped down on one of the chairs at the table. He leaned back and rubbed his chin, inspecting her. “You’re too skinny. Your future husband won’t like that. Oh, have I forgotten to tell you that you’re seeing him in three days? He’s travelling all the way here for you. Is that romantic?”

“No.”

Egon stuck out his bottom lip and shrugged. He didn’t care if she agreed. “Well, come on. Eat while it’s still hot. I asked the cook to make you your favourite salmon soup and–”

“I’m not marrying Kavan.” The words slipped out before she could catch them and shove them back down her throat. Her fists clenched as Egon pinned her with his dark eyes, which softened at once, and he smiled. Her fear made him relax.

“Don’t be silly, Y/N. You are.”

“I’m not. I don’t wish to marry him. I don’t wish to ever marry.” This time, she’d said those words purposefully. If he was going to kill her, it was only a matter of time. If Harry’s speculations had been true, that Egon needed her alive, then the worst thing that could happen to her was getting locked up. She’d rather rot with the rats then obey him any longer.

But his next question stabbed her hard in the guts.

“Are you in love with someone else?”

She couldn’t answer. It didn’t matter if she confirmed or denied, Egon already knew.

“Did you let him fuck you?”

“What?”

“Are you still a virgin?” Her ears buzzed as if there were a swarm of bees living inside her head. “You’re not, are you?” His voice got more raucous. “I did all of this to bring you home, and clear your crimes, and find you a husband, and make you the future queen of a kingdom, and this is how you repay me?!”

“I owe you nothing.”

He backhanded her so hard she toppled back and hit the table. The food tray rattled but didn’t fall to the floor, and neither did she. She was still standing though her face burnt and her jaw ached. She cupped her sore cheek and scowled at him, her teeth clenched, her fist tight. He took a step forward. This time, she stood still, second-guessing his next move.

He stabbed a finger at her face. “You are nothing without me,” he said. “I’m your King. I own you.”

“Nobody owns me. I belong to no one.”

He raised his palm and she caught his wrist before he could touch her. Egon was physically much stronger and could easily break her hand, yet he was so shocked by her reaction that he froze for a second. She spat in his face and shoved him off. He violently grabbed her by the hair and pulled so hard she felt as if her scalp was coming off. She gasped, trying to wriggle out of his grip when he pushed her to the floor and called for his guards. Once her vision cleared, she pushed herself up weakly to find two guards in the doorway. Their face was taut with concern when they saw her like this. Then she was reminded that not everyone was heartless like her brother.

“Take the Princess to the dungeon,” Egon said as he wiped her spit with his sleeve. A corner of her mouth turned up. She felt weirdly satisfied. She didn’t try to fight back when the guards twisted her hands behind her back and pulled her up. They were gentle. Probably because she was their princess, and they’d known her since her parents had been alive. As they directed her out of the room, she heard Egon say, “If she tries to escape, you’re allowed to hurt her. As long as you keep her alive. And don’t leave marks.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said the guards.

She didn’t even remember how she got to the dungeon. She didn’t even remember walking there. Her feet had carried her on their own, and by the time she’d snapped back to reality, she was already standing behind bars. The guard locked the door, gave her a sympathetic look and took off without a single word. It was so quiet here. All the other inmates must be asleep. She flopped down on the hard ground and hugged her knees to her chest.

She remembered this place. This was where she and Harry had met for the first time. Well, the secondtime. She smiled at the memory though it seemed so far away. The air was hot and humid. She was sweating under her heavy dress. She rested her cheek on her knee and stared at a crack on the wall. For how long? She didn’t know. She stared and stared until her eyes grew heavy. A voice from the cell opposite from hers pulled her right back.

“Pretty lady!”

She snapped her head up and saw the bearded man whom she recognized. “Hey, Mick,” she said, her voice hoarse. She nearly burst into tears. “I’m so glad to see you again.” Was she, though? Maybe she was just glad she could talk to someone.

“I’m not Mick,” the man said with a nonchalant smile. “I’m Harry Styles!”

“Right…” She giggled despite herself. Although it was always good to hear his name. “I missed you.”

“So his name isn’t Harry Styles?”

A female voice from the cell beside Mick stole her attention. She got up and walked toward the bars to get a better look at whoever was speaking. The woman was sitting in the shadow; Y/N couldn’t see her face.

“He’s been telling everyone that was his name,” the woman said.

“My name’s Harry Styles!” Mick repeated, sounding as cheerful as before.

Y/N ignored him. “Harry Styles was the prisoner who used to be in this cell,” she told the lady. “I knew him.”

“What happened? Where is he and why are you in his place?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time. I’m not going anywhere.”

Y/N suppressed a laugh at the joke. Was it a joke or did this situation make everything funny? She bunched up her dress and flopped down on the floor, crossing her legs and resting her head against the cold metal bars. She drew in a soft breath.

“I helped him escape,” she began, her voice much softer than she thought. “We went on an adventure together. It felt like a dream. Then I woke up, and I’m back here. But he’s home and safe with his family so I think that still counts as a happy ending.”

“Half a happy ending.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I’m Y/N. What’s your name?”

“Maggie,” said the woman. “You’re the runaway princess.”

It wasn’t a question. Everyone in the castle knew.

“Not much of a princess now,” she said despairingly. “Why are you here, Maggie?”

“Your brother would give a better answer,” Maggie replied, sounding surprisingly relaxed. “They took me and my sisters.”

“For what crime?”

“Awful ones.”

“Like murder?”

“I wish.”

Y/N didn’t know what that meant. She looked over to Mick and saw that he’d fallen asleep. She guessed she should save her energy for whatever her brother had in store for her tomorrow. But curiosity got her wide awake.

“Where are your sisters?”

“In a better place, I hope,” Maggie answered. There was no sign of sadness or fear in her voice. It was like they were having a normal conversation about the weather. “Why are you here?”

Y/N hadn’t expected to be asked any question, so it took her a moment to be able to answer. “Because I’m not a virgin anymore.”

“Really?” Maggie let out a faint laugh, from which Y/N imagined Maggie as a young girl, the same age as her. “Stupid men. They think they have rights over our bodies.”

“Maybe I deserved it.” Y/N didn’t know where that’d come from. Those were probably the words she hadn’t been brave enough to say. “I-I made a precarious choice.”

There was a long moment of silence. She guessed Maggie wasn’t interested in her personal stories. But then Maggie said, “That baby is in for big trouble.”

Y/N felt as if a string inside of her was pulled. “What baby?”

“The one you’re thinking about. The one you’re afraid to have.”

Was it so obvious? People just looked at her and knew what she was thinking about? But Maggie wasn’t even looking at her. So how–

“What would you name him?”

Him? Y/N shuddered. “My...my mother didn’t have a baby the first time–”

“But you already have the name,” Maggie asserted as if she’d been living in Y/N’s head. “You’ve thought of it.”

“I don’t know what you’re–”

“Edward.”

Like his father’s father.

Y/N was panting now. She got on her knees and stuck her face between two bars, trying to look into the shadow to see this person she was talking to. Who was this Maggie? Was she a mind-reader? How did she know Y/N had been fantasizing about the life and family she could have had with Harry? When you were locked up in a tower for a week, you started to think of crazy things.

On the night they’d made love, she hadn’t cared if she’d get pregnant, she’d wanted to be as close to him as she could. But now that she knew how cruel her brother could be, she felt like a fool. Even if she got out of here and married Prince Kavan, she wouldn’t ever escape Egon. He would always have something against her. He’d have her baby against her. So she hoped Edward didn’t exist.

“Who are you, Maggie?” she finally asked. “Show your face.”

There was something moving in the shadow of Maggie’s cell. And everything fell back to silence.

“I can’t eat with you staring at me, Kenny.”

“Sorry.”

"I'm joking." Harry laughed as Kenny dropped her head to hide her flushed cheeks. She hadn’t even touched her soup, and he’d already finished his. “What is it?” he asked when she glanced up again.

Flustered, she smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I just wanted to see if you enjoyed the soup.”

“I did,” he reassured her. “You didn’t have to cook for me, though.”

“That’s the least I could do to thank you for letting me stay.”

The silence returned. Harry kept staring at the bowl in front of Kenny. It seemed like she wasn’t in the mood to eat. He pursed his lips while rearranging his thoughts. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many questions to ask; he didn’t know where to begin.

“What are you gonna do?” he finally spoke.

“I’m...well...I don’t,” she stuttered while picking at her own nails. “My money’s all gone.”

“He can’t just keep your money. You earned it.”

She’d been working in a bakery before she’d married Gideon. Harry knew she’d saved every single coin she’d earned for her dream sewing business. Gideon couldn't take that from her.

“He can.” She trembled. “He’s still my husband...He gets to keep all the money.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“That’s the law.”

“Fuck the law.”

The startled look on her face got his cheeks hot. She didn’t like it when he swore. He averted his eyes and muttered, “Sorry.” He expected her to change the subject, but then she let out a warm laugh. He hadn’t heard her laugh in so long. He lifted his face and their eyes locked again. She was grinning from ear to ear like the little girl he remembered.

“I’ll get the money back for you,” he said.

“You don’t have to.”

“I’ll kill him if I must.”

“Harry.”

He knew that tone. Her warning tone. “Fine,” he sighed. “Maybe scare him until he pisses his pants.”

She rolled her eyes, too familiar with his violent jokes. “Well, I–” She paused. He knew she was holding something back. He laced his fingers together and leaned forward like he was waiting for her to finish a bedtime story. “I know how...to get the money for my business.”

“How?”

She bit her lip. “Do you remember what happened to my father?”

Her father had been found dead on the riverbank many years ago. Nobody knew what had really happened to him. There had been so many rumours, and Kenny had refused to believe in any of them.

“What does that have to do with–”

“Willem killed him.”

“What?” A shiver coursed through Harry. His eyes went round. “King Willem?”

She nodded.

“How do you–”

“My mother had known all along but she’d told nobody,” she confessed, her voice so quiet it felt like she was afraid somebody could sneak into his house and eavesdrop their conversation. “He...he was a mole. He worked in Edgar’s court and collected information for Willem, but...he wasn’t loyal to either of the kings. Willem found out and murdered him in the forest by the river…”

Harry never would have guessed, but he wasn’t surprised. Willem had always wanted to invade the South, and now his son was doing his job.

“How long have you known?”

“My mum told me on the day of my wedding,” Kenny replied heavily. Her eyes looked even sadder, which he hadn’t thought was possible.

Then it hit him. “Did you know Peach was–”

“Not until I saw her face on wanted signs in the city,” she said, her eyes shadowing. “She could be my ticket to get out of here.”

“What...what does that mean?”

His heart started racing as she clenched her jaw, her forehead creased. He feared what was on her mind, and he prayed she wouldn’t say what he expected her to say.

“I could testify against her. I could tell the Queen that she’d snuck out on the night her uncle got murdered and that you’d been with me. Calanthe would come for you, you know? We can strike a deal with her. The Queen gets her revenge, and we get the money.”

“Kenny…” His lips spoke her name, but it wasn’t her that he saw. It was a stranger. This stranger might look like Kenny, but she certainly didn’t sound like her. The little girl Harry had grown up with and fallen in love with would never do this to anyone. He flinched when she reached for his hand and squeezed. His gaze jumped back to her face, which was now twisted, just like those ideas inside her head.

“She lied to you, didn’t she? She might not be who you think she is.”

He quickly withdrew his hand. “You’re tired, Kenny. Get some rest.”

“Why are you defending her? Her father killed mine!”

“She wasn’t brought into this world to pay for her father’s sins,” he retorted and pushed away from the table. “Are you doing this for your father or yourself?”

Kenny stood up and slammed her hands on the table, yet she still managed to keep the softness in her eyes as she leaned forward and said in hushed tones, “Her father is a tyrant and so is her brother. How can she be any different?”

He turned away, unable to look at her. “She’s not anything like them. She’ll be the saviour. She’ll stop the war.”

He assumed Kenny remembered the prophecy he’d told her that night at Edgar’s party. She’d been so worried about this princess, who was just around their age and had to bear such great responsibility for her kingdom. What had happened to that Kenny?

“It’s been three weeks and the war is bound to happen. Where’s your saviour, Harry?” Kenny calmly asked. “Either she’s in this with her brother. Or she’s dead.”

She’s dead.

No. He slowly shook his head. “Don’t even think about going to Calanthe. I mean it.”

“God, Harry, are you even–”

“I’ll get you your money tomorrow. Sleep well, Kennedy.”

And so he left, the same two words following him.

#tctm series

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worryinglyinnocent · 5 years ago

Text

Fic: What Time Can Do

Summary: At the Edge of Realms, Rumpelstiltskin takes a moment to reflect on his lifetime with Belle.

Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling prompt: Shouldn’t I Be Less In Love With You? (song)

Rated: G

What Time Can Do

Rumpel tucks in the blanket around Belle’s shoulders as she dozes on the sofa. She’s been dropping off like this a lot more in recent weeks, and Rumpel can’t help feeling that this is the beginning of the end. He doesn’t want to think about what might happen when that end does come. They’re still no nearer to finding the Guardian, and after living this wonderful lifetime with Belle, he can’t bear the thought of going back to a life without her, a life that, for the moment, seems doomed to be interminable.

It won’t be the same as before. This time he will never be truly alone. He’ll have Gideon, a constant reminder of his and Belle’s love, a piece of her that will always live on in her son. Rumpel doesn’t want to think about how close they came to losing Gideon as well. Since their happy beginning, they’ve managed to put all that behind them, and it is only recently, dwelling on his impending loss, that he’s been thinking about the ones he’s suffered in the past as well.

A small voice in the very back of his mind, a dark, snide voice that has been silent for so long in the face of such overwhelming love, reminds him that everyone always leaves him in the end. No-one ever stays around forever.

Rumpel just shakes his head at the voice. For the last sixty years, he and Belle have always been side by side. She doesn’t want to leave him, not like everyone else who left. It’s just soon going to be her time to go. Too soon, Rumpel thinks, because an entire eternity with Belle will never be enough for him.

Rumpel looks at the photographs that line the mantelpiece, the snapshots of their life together and all their travels. Whilst he always enjoys seeing Gideon grow up from the baby they lost and found to the adult they first met, he doesn’t like seeing Belle age whilst he remains static.

All the same, he does find it wonderous to realise that no matter what happens and no matter how Belle may change physically, her love remains constant.

Rumpel is so used to everyone leaving, to there being a limit on love. Belle herself left more than once, having reached that limit. It didn’t occur to him that there was no time limit. They’ve gone through their lives together and for sixty years, their feelings have never wavered. They’ve never got bored with each other; they’ve never run out of things to talk about. Even when Belle began to lament her wrinkles and grey hairs, Rumpel never stopped thinking of her as the most beautiful woman in this or any other realm. There has never been a moment when Rumpel has felt any regret at their lives together.

It’s a testament really, to what time can do. Time decays and makes things crumble and rot. It has made Belle’s bones brittle and her skin delicate and paper thin, her eyes and ears weak.

But time also makes things stronger, like the thousands of years that turn carbon to diamond and render it indestructible. Time has made his and Belle’s love into something that cannot be altered. Its foundations had been shaky to start with, but time and patience and work have hardened them into something so solid, not even death will shake them.

After he thought that he had lost Belle the first time, after she walked out of the Dark Castle dungeons and out of his life, seemingly forever, Rumpel had known even then that there would never be another for him. The seeds of that immutable, ineffable love had already been sown, and over the last sixty years they have grown and blossomed into a tree that cannot be felled.

He glances over at Belle under her blanket. She feels the cold more now, even though here on the edge of realms it has never been anything other than a warm spring evening.

Her eyes flicker open, as if she can feel him watching her, and she gives him a little smile.

“What are you doing over there, Rumpel? Reminiscing again?”

“Is there anything wrong with that?”

“Nothing at all.” There’s a long pause, and even with her eyesight going, Rumpel can tell that she’s reading him like a book. “Tell me what you’re thinking about. You’re wearing your lost in thought expression, and I don’t think that it’s just from thinking about the past.”

“It’s easier to think about the past than the future, sometimes.”

Belle flaps one hand free of her blanket and beckons him over to her. Rumpel takes her hand, settling himself on the floor beside the sofa.

“It’s going to be ok, Rumpel. I promise.”

They haven’t talked much about the inevitability of what is going to happen soon. Rumpel has always hoped that if they don’t mention it, it will go away, as futile as he knows that approach to be. His avoidance tactics have brought him nothing but trouble in the past, and they will not make the future any easier to bear when it comes. Still, Belle humours him, and what is to come remains unspoken between them, except for the little moments like this where she seeks to reassure him.

She squeezes his hand, and the subject is closed again.

“So, tell me what you were thinking about.”

“You.”

Belle rolls her eyes. “You always say that.”

“That’s because it’s always true.”

Her eyes are still so bright and blue, the one part of her face that has never changed as the years have passed.

“Did you ever think that we’d get this far?” he asks. “When you first came with me, back in your father’s castle in the Marchlands.”

“I promised you forever, Rumpel. I keep my promises.”

Except, this is one she can’t keep, because she cannot live forever even if he can. He pushes that thought to the back of his mind.

“There were some stumbling blocks at first,” she says. “But they’re all so long ago now that they feel like another life, something that happened to someone else. Back when we were young and foolish.”

“I was hardly young when we met,” Rumpel points out. “And I don’t think I’ve ever stopped being foolish.”

“Perhaps not. But I think I love you for it nonetheless.”

They fall back into silence for a while, and Rumpel comes back to his previous train of thought.

“Did you ever think that we would get this far?” he asks again. “After we were married, I mean.”

Actually, no, that isn’t the best frame of reference for such a question, as it was just after they were married that everything began to fall apart around them, a quagmire of denial and the desperate hiding of the truth. “After we got Gideon back,” he amends. “When we properly began this life. Did you think we’d get this far?”

Belle smiles. “Why ever wouldn’t we, Rumpel?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we would have got bored.”

“I could never be bored during a life with you. Every day is an adventure, even the ones that we just spend here in this cottage. Do you get bored here with me, Rumpel? I would hate to think that you found me dull.”

There’s a teasing note in her voice, and he knows that her pout, still the same little pout, is just for show.

“Oh Belle, my love, you could never bore me.”

“Then what makes you think that I would feel any other way about you?” She squeezes his hand, her grip still tight and strong even as the arthritis slowly takes her fine motor function. “What we have is true love. It’s seen its ups and downs, especially in the first years, but surviving those is all part of love’s nature. Love doesn’t fade or slip away.”

Rumpel would like to agree with her, but he knows from experience that it does. He had loved Milah, way back when, and she had loved him, and look how that had ended, with hatred and bitterness on both sides.

Belle can tell from his silence that he isn’t convinced by her words, and she continues.

“All right then. Love doesn’t fade or slip away when you love someone enough to want to keep that love alive, to want to work on it. Our love is so strong now because of all the struggles we’ve been through, Rumpel. The life we’ve built together has weathered all manner of storms, but that’s because we put the work in.”

Rumpel untangles his fingers from Belle’s and presses a kiss to her palm.

“Belle, my love, I don’t think that there will ever come a day when I don’t find you utterly remarkable.”

“In that case, I shall make sure I don’t disappoint.”

They both laugh, and Rumpel thinks again of the many things that time can do.

They have both changed irrevocably in the last sixty years; maybe his own changes are not written on his skin as Belle’s are, but visibly or not, he is not the same person who left Storybrooke all those decades ago to take his family to see the worlds.

But there are some things that time cannot change, and the fundamental truth of his love for Belle, and hers for him, is one of those things.

Despite the conclusion to their story that is coming ever closer, it feels right, their love, their life right now. Rumpel has lived for so long, and he has seen so much love in all its forms, sometimes true, sometimes not, sometimes fleeting, sometimes strong and stoic, but it will never compare to the love he and Belle share, and nor should it.

Belle closes her eyes and snuggles back down into her blanket with a happy little squeak of a yawn, and Rumpel leans in to press a kiss to her lips, his sleeping beauty.

They may be running out of time, but he would not change this time for the world.

#rumbelle fic #rumbelle #A Monthly Rumbelling #Belle French #Rumpelstiltskin #season 7 #Beauty #Fic: What Time Can Do

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damon-rutherford · 5 years ago

Text

Damon’s Speech.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate you willing to be a part of this evening and today being my birthday has nothing to do with it.

I thought long and hard what I was going to say on this date. I don’t have a speech prepared, quite frankly, I didn’t want my words tonight to be scripted.

Selected few of amongst you know, I wasn’t born a Rutherford. I became a Rutherford when I was five years old, thanks to the most wonderful woman I’d like to honour tonight. She saw a broken boy and turned him into a real person, nursed him back to real life by her patience, kindness, wisdom, and care.

Carrying a Rutherford name had been the greatest honour of my life and all the wealth and influence has little to do with it. It’s being part of this family, being Cerys Rutherford’s son that is the best thing that could ever happen to me, in any lifetime.

Unfortunately, women like Cerys Rutherford don’t come along very often, and unfortunately, boys like I was – do. Boys who need shelter, place to call home.

There’s something none of you, save for the family know about me. I, too, have been one of them. Abused, beaten, abandoned. I simply can not stand by and enjoy all that life, all that Cerys and Andrew Rutherford gave me, and not give back.

I know of no better way to honour her legacy.

Alongside my parents, I’d like to say thank you to my siblings, Gideon, Lara, Adriana, Yvonne, who have been my rock, always, to Constance, to my dear friend, Silas, to Nora, and everyone in this room.

Silas will take the stage shortly, with a special announcement. “

#closed #you can have your characters react though

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tml9115 · 6 years ago

Note

Would you consider writing the story where Laurel is sent to the future that you mentioned in that ask? i'd love read it. There are not enough Avalance fics with Laurel.

Well Anon, I have lost so much sleep over this because once the thought popped into my head, it would not leave. I may have gotten carried away, this was meant to be a short piece….

Damien takes Laurel back in time in hopes of distracting Sara. Laurel and Ava meet and the trio spend some time together.

You can read it here or on AO3

Bittersweet Distraction

“Captain Lance.” Gideon’s voice came over the intercom in her bedroom.

Both occupants in Sara’s bed groaned.

“She seriously has the worst timing.” Ava let out a frustrated sigh. “I was so close.” She pouted.

Sara chuckled, leaning down to kiss her disappointed girlfriend. “Can it wait Gideon,” she asked.

“It can Captain, but I believe you’ll want to see this.”

“I promise we can finish later.” She ran her hand up Ava’s bare side. She was just as annoyed at the interruption, but Gideon wouldn’t have bothered them unless it was important. “Alright Gideon give us a minute.”

***...***

“Bout time you got here.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Shut it Mick.” She swore he went out of his way to make Ava uncomfortable when she was around. “What’s going on Gideon,” she asked the AI, ignoring the creepy smirk on Mick’s face that said, ‘I know what you were up to’.

“A level 4 anachronism.”

“You got us out of.” She stopped herself from completing that sentence. She’d been ready to say bed.

“Out of what, Captain.” Nate’s grin told her he knew exactly what Gideon had interrupted.

“What’s so important about this anachronism Gideon.” She both loved and hated her team sometimes. They’d all been forgiving of Ava’s past hunt for them. They accepted her as their Captain’s girlfriend but that didn’t stop them from teasing and making things extremely awkward for her.

“It’s not the level that alerted me Captain, it is the anachronism it self. Since the incident with Dr. Palmer, Professor Stein and Mr. Rory, I have put alerts in place in case any of you or your family members are affected by time travelers.” Gideon displayed a photo on the computer for the team to see.

“Laurel,” Sara whispered, running her fingers across the photo of her sister. “How,” she asked.

“I do not know Captain, I believe this may be the work of the Darhks. A level two anachronism jumped to a level ten moments after I received the alert for Laurel Lance.”

Sara nodded. “He’s trying to distract me.”

“Is it working,” Ava asked. Sara’s guilt for not being able to go back and save her sister always ate at her, so if Damien’s plan was to distract her then he succeeded.

“Not if I can help it. Amaya, you, Nate, Mick and Ray handle the level ten. Zari, Ava and I will get Laurel.” She trusted Amaya to lead the team and was relieved when no one argued.

“Captain.” Gideon interrupted. “Another anachronism has upgraded from a level three to a level eleven.”

Sara sighed, she couldn’t risk the safety of her team. “Okay new plan.” She pinched the bridge of her nose trying to think of a better plan.

“Mick and I will get Laurel. You lead one team, Ava the other to handle the anachronisms.” Ray offered a solution to an almost impossible situation. “We know her, she trusts me.”

Sara debated her options. She couldn’t risk anything happening to her sister, nor could she risk something happening to her team, her family. “Keep her safe Ray.” She was trusting him with her sister.

“Will do Captain.” He placed a hand over his heart, promising to keep Laurel safe.

***...***

“What is going on Ray, and don’t tell me you’ll explain later. I want to know now.” One minute she’d been fighting with Damien Darhk and the next, she’d found herself in late 1600’s Massachusetts being accused of witchcraft.

“Ms. Lance,” Ava greeted. “My name is Ava Sharpe and I work for the Time Bureau.” She extended her hand out to Laurel.

“Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on here,” she asked, refusing to shake the agent’s hand.

“Look Laurel, I promise when Sara gets back she will explain everything.” Ray jumped in. He hoped Laurel’s trust in him would buy them a little bit more time.

“Dr. Palmer is correct. Sara can answer your questions when she gets back from her mission.” They hadn’t had a lot of time to discuss how they’d treat the whole situation once Laurel was rescued. They could’ve taken Laurel back to her time without Sara ever seeing her but that didn’t feel right.

“What mission,” Laurel snapped, losing her patience. “Sara left a week ago to better cope with her blood lust, there is no way she’d go on a mission knowing how dangerous she is.” She turned away from the members in the med bay and started to walk out. “You’re lying, I’m going to find my own way back.” She glared at Mick when he blocked her path. “Move before I move you,” she threatened.

Mick stepped aside when Ava gave a nod telling him to let her go. She wasn’t worried about her getting too far.

“Laurel,” Sara gasped as her sister bumped into her. She needed more time to prepare herself for her reunion with her sister so she’d been on her way to her room to change, she had not expected to literally run into her.

“Sara, thank god you’re here. Ray won’t tell me anything.” She hugged her sister, relieved to have her there. She had so many unanswered questions.

“I promise I’ll answer your questions soon, but I need a minute.” She withdrew herself from her sister and turned into the med bay. “Mick, Ray, thank you for getting my sister.” She smiled at the pair.

“She’s family Sara.” Ray would do anything for any of his makeshift family members.

“Besides,” Mick drawled. “She’s hot.” He winked at Laurel who smiled in return.

“Mick, I swear, if you so much as have another thought along those lines, I will kill you. And you.” She pointed to Laurel. “He’s not your type.”

Mick just shrugged.

“Sara calm down, you know what happens when you get angry.” Laurel’s smile was gone, she was too worried about Sara losing control to think about teasing her.

Sara frowned, she didn’t lose control, not anymore.

“You just left Star City to cope with your blood lust.” Ava supplied.

“Oh.” That felt like a lifetime ago to Sara.

“Sara.” Ava placed a hand around her bicep. Sara looked so conflicted and that broke her heart. She hated herself for what she was about to say. “Guys will you give us a minute.”

Ray nodded and walked out with Mick following. “We’ll take her to your office.”

“I know what you’re about to say.” Sara started. “I know what I need to do, but I don’t want to, not yet.” She wanted more time with her sister. “Ava please.”

“Sara, I’m just worried about you.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind Sara’s ear, leaving her hand to cup her cheek. “Sending her back won’t be easy but the longer she stays, the harder it will become.”

“I know, I just miss her so much.” A tear slipped down her cheek.

Ava wiped the tear with her thumb. “I know you do. So how about this, she stays, for a few hours. When the time comes, I’ll wipe her memory and take her back.” If it wouldn’t disrupt the timeline, she had no issue keeping Laurel on the ship.

“Okay.” Sara nodded. She stood up on her tiptoes, giving Ava a kiss. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now go to your sister before Mick hits on her.” She shuddered at the thought.

“I will kill him.” Sara threatened. “You’re not leaving are you,” she asked.

She wanted to give Sara time alone with Laurel. “I need to submit my report with the bureau and inform Director Bennett of what the Darkhs are up to.”

“Don’t be gone too long. I want you to get to know Laurel.”

“I won’t.” She promised, tilting her head down for a kiss. “I’ll see you soon.” She pulled back and opened a portal to the Time Bureau. “Enjoy your time with your sister.”

Sara smiled at Ava’s retreating back. She couldn’t believe this was the same Ava that not long ago, was hellbent on following the rules. She returned to the bridge to fetch her sister. “Laurel,” Sara called out to her. Her heart skipped a beat every time she saw her. “Come on, I need to change.” She led her sister to her room.

“Change would be great.” She pointed at her leather suit.

Sara laughed, remembering how uncomfortable the suit could get when worn for an extended period of time. “I might have something you can borrow.” She led Laurel to her quarters and dug out a pair of sweats and T-shirt for herself and moved to a separate dresser to grab Laurel a change of clothes.

Laurel eyed the garments for a brief second wanting to question their ownership but decided she’d leave it be for the time being. She had more important questions she wanted answers to.

Once they were changed, Sara led Laurel to the kitchen where Gideon fabricated a bottle of sparking cider for them.

“Now can I ask my questions,” Laurel asked, once they settled down on the couch in what she assumed was a rec room.

Sara finished off her first glass of cider, poured another, before nodding. She wished she’d grabbed something stronger for herself. “One at a time.” She reminded her sister.

“Okay.” Laurel had so many questions, she couldn’t figure out which one she wanted to ask first. “Um, I guess let’s start with, where are we.”

“That’s kind of complicated, we’re on a time ship. We’re currently floating through time.”

“Why did Damien bring me back to the sixteen hundreds.” She didn’t miss Sara’s tensing at the mention of the villain. “You okay,” she asked.

“I’m fine, Damien’s been a thorn in my side. He’s been messing with time, making major changes to the timeline, he was trying to distract me.”

“I’m sure he’s gonna be sorry to realize it didn’t work.” Laurel laughed.

Sara smiled but did not join in her joy of winning this one. While she and the team had managed to stop Damien and the three anachronisms, he’d still distracted her. She was sure this visit and the pain it would leave her with would stay with her for a long time.

“Sara,” Laurel said worriedly. “Last time I saw you, you’d just left Star City.” Laurel missed her sister. She’d just come back from the dead and said she’d needed to leave, to figure things out. It had been hard to let her go but seeing how she turned out, she was glad she had.

“It’s been a few years for me. A lot has changed, time travel is a complicated thing.”

“Change like your suit.” She’d wanted to make a comment about the all white leather suit her sister had arrived in.

“That was actually your doing. You had Cisco make it for me, you told me I didn’t need to wear a mask anymore.”

“It’s no wonder I like it.” Laurel smiled. She was happy her sister was doing well.

“Captain Lance, Agent Sharpe has returned.”

“Thanks Gideon, send her our way.”

“Agent Sharpe, she’s the one that was in the med bay right,” Laurel asked. She’d been curious about her and where she stood with her sister.

“That would be her.”

“I hope I’m not intruding,” Ava said walking in, a glass of whisky in hand. She eyed Laurel’s outfit for a brief second before giving Sara a knowing smile.

“Is that whiskey,” Sara asked in envy.

“It is.” Ava nodded, taking a sip, humming.

Laurel laughed, her sister was practically drooling beside her but she wasn’t sure if it was for the whiskey or the woman that was now dressed in jeans and a T-shirt holding the glass. Something told her it was mostly the latter.

“Ava.” Sara pouted.

Ava grinned. She’d been prepared for Sara wanting to steal her drink, especially after Gideon had informed her that she and Laurel had taken a bottle of cider to share. She produced a bottle of Whiskey and a spare glass from behind her back.

“You know me so well.” She grabbed the extra glass and the bottle from her.

Laurel smiled at the pair, Ava seemed not only to know her sister well enough to bring her hard liquor, she knew enough about her not to offer her any. “So, do you work for the Time Bureau too,” she asked Sara who burst out laughing almost spitting out the sip of alcohol she’d just taken.

Ava rolled her eyes.

“So that’s a no.” She directed the question towards Ava since her sister appeared to be incapacitated.

“No, up until a few months ago, I was actually trying to bring your sister and her team of misfits in.” Ava thought about those days, thankful she hadn’t succeeded.

“That somehow does not surprise me.” Laurel smiled, Ava seemed to be the responsible one in the group. “Sara always surrounds herself with questionable people.”

“Hey,” Sara whined. “You two are not allowed to hang up on me. It’s not nice.”

“We’re not ganging up on you Sara. Laurel was just stating a fact, one I happen to agree with.” Ava winked at Laurel which only caused Sara to groan.

The three spent the next few hours with Laurel and Ava getting to know each other and Sara spending some much needed quality time with her sister.

“Captain Lance,” Gideon interrupted the trio. “I believe the Darkhs are at it again.”

“Okay Gideon, have everyone meet on the bridge, I’ll be there in a minute.” Sara sighed, she knew her time with Laurel would have to come to an end. “Sorry sis, duty calls.” She stood up. “Ava’s going to take you back, she’s gonna have to wipe your memories of the future, Time Bureau rules.” She did her best not cry, saying goodbye was just just as hard as she imagined it would be.

Laurel nodded, hugging her sister, holding her extra tight. She wished she could stay longer. “I figured, I love you Sara, so much. I’m proud of you.” She stayed strong for her sister. She knew if she cried, her sister would too. She didn’t want her distracted on her upcoming mission.

“I love you too.” She released Laurel with a sad smile.

“I’ll be here when you get back.” Ava placed a hand on Sara’s shoulder in an attempt comfort her.

Sara nodded. “Bye Laurel.” She took her sister’s hand in hers briefly before leaving to meet with the rest of the team.

Laurel’s shoulders slumped once Sara was out of the room. “I’m not around anymore, am I,” she asked. “It’s okay, I knew it the moment I bumped into her. I could see it in her face.”

“I’m sorry Laurel.” And she really was. She wished things were different. Sara deserves some happiness after everything she’d been through.

Laurel nodded sadly. “I guess we should go. I need to change.” She let Ava lead her to Sara’s quarters, not surprised with how familiar she was with the ship, and Sara’s room. “So, how long have you and my sister been dating,” she asked once she’d finished changing.

Ava was about to deny it when Laurel stopped her.

“Please don’t start lying to me now. I know my sister and I know when she likes someone. I may have just met you but something tells me you’re not the type to go around comforting people with gentle touches and bringing them whiskey because you know how hard it will be for them seeing their dead sister.” She held up the clothes she’d taken off. “And something tells me these are yours.”

She’d tried to be less noticeable but she hadn’t been able to resist comforting Sara, even if it had been a subtle touch of the arm or soft smile when their eyes met. “Not long. She’s special.”

Laurel smiled, tears filling her eyes. “I’m glad to know she’s happy and taken care of.” She wanted to say loved but something told her Ava wasn’t ready for that word yet. “Ava,” Laurel said her name hesitantly.

“What is it,” Ava asked. Leading them out of the room and into the corridor.

“I don’t want you to take my memories of this time away.” Ava was a rule follower that was one thing she’d learned while spending time with her so she knew this was a long shot but she needed to try.

“Laurel it’s against regulation. Your knowledge of the future could alter it. It’s not safe.”

“I won’t say anything to anyone, I swear. I know I’m going to die but I don’t know how or when so I couldn’t change that. Seeing as Sara hasn’t gone back in time to save me, I know that she can’t. I’ve accepted that. I know it’s against the rules but I just want to remember my sister like this. The last time I saw her, she was in so much pain,she’d just come back from the dead and the blood lust ruled her. I want to remember this Sara. I want to know that everything will be okay for her, I want to remember her smiling and looking at you like you’re the most important thing in the world.” Laurel was openly crying now. Her heart was breaking at the thought of losing this precious time she’d been given with her sister.

Ava let out a heavy sigh. “If your teams asks about where you were.”

“I’ll tell them I don’t remember, my memory was wiped to keep the future safe and that’s all I was allowed to remember.” She answered quickly. “Please Ava.”

“Alright.” She conceded, breaking protocol.

Laurel hugged her tightly, thanking her.

“It’s time,” Ava said after a minute. She opened a portal inside the elevator that led to team Arrows hideout.

Laurel stepped towards the open portal. “Take care of my sister.” With that she stepped through to the other side. She turned around and waved at Ava. “I’m glad I got to meet you.”

“Me too.” Ava smiled sadly as the portal closed. She wished that things could be different, that Laurel could be saved, that she could get to know her better. In the little time she’d gotten to know the elder Lance, she’d come to like her.

***...***

“I couldn’t do it,” Ava tells Sara later that night as they laid curled up together in bed.

Sara lifted her head from Ava’s chest. “Couldn’t do what,” she asked.

Ava lifted her head to place a kiss on Sara’s forehead. “Erase her memory.”

“You didn’t,” she asked, tears filling her already red and swollen eyes.

Ava shook her head. “She asked me not to, she wanted to remember you happy after everything you’ve been through.” She cupped Sara’s face with her hand. “And knowing what’s to come, I want her to have peace knowing you’re okay.”

In that moment, Sara forgot all the sadness she’d felt when she’d stepped away from her sister. “You violated protocol for me,” she asked, overwhelmed that Ava would do that for her. This wasn’t disobeying an order that would result in a slap on the wrist if found out, she could get in serious trouble.

“I would do it again.” She had meant it when she’d told Laurel, Sara was special. She would do anything for her.

#anon ask #anon response #Avalance #lot #sara lance #laurel lance #ava sharpe #avalance prompt

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