#had to remember eliza and jacks

[vault81]

there we go, I've done my other oc's onto the fallout oc sheet now as well!

[cheapshrimpysheep]

You Will Stop the Wedding! - Malleus Draconia

SUMMARY: YOU were the one being kidnapped by Princess Eliza to marry her. How would he react and how would he save you? With the aggravation of he already having a crush on you.

CHARACTERS: Malleus Draconia x Reader

TAGS: Fluff; GN Reader; Declaration

WORD COUNT: 1.540 words

Riddle Rosehearts / Leona Kingscholar / Azul Ashengrotto / Jamil Viper / Vil Schoenheit / Idia Shroud / Malleus Draconia

Rescuing You - Deuce Spade; Jack Howl; Floyd Leech; Kalim Al-Asim

COMMENTS: What have I done? Why did I commit to writing this? And why did I write so much? Why was I so inspired? There were seven of them! Why do I do this to myself? So yeah, this took me a long time. But I hope it was worth it, for me and for you.

CONTEXT: Someone was kidnapped to marry some ghost princess and might end up turning into a ghost too. And they just found out that someone was you.

Malleus wasn't at the Housewardens meeting, but Lilia was. On the outside, he was surprised and worried. On the inside, he was thinking of a plan to ensure that Malleus wouldn't know about this by any chance!

He tasked Silver and Sebek with ensuring that Malleus remained uninterested in what happened. And if they had to tell him what was going on at school, they could tell him the truth with the exception of the identity of the kidnapped student. They should say it was a random student they didn't know.

But Lilia's plan didn't just include Silver and Sebek, he charged all Diasomnia students to follow the same plan. According to Lilia's orders, there was only one event that would force the students to reveal the identity of the kidnapped student to Malleus: all others failing and he being your only hope.

In this scenario, Lilia would be part of the last group. And while some students tried to rescue you, Malleus was completely indifferent to the situation. After all, it wasn't anything that concerned him much, right?

Knowing that Lilia was part of the volunteers who were trying to save the kidnapped student, he would occasionally ask if anyone knew how things were going. The students told the truth, that it wasn't going very well and they were being petrified one by one. They just couldn't reveal your identity. And Malleus replied that it was a shame, but that he hoped everything would end well, and went back to his tasks and hobbies.

Meanwhile, all the Diasomnia students began to worry more and more, knowing that all the volunteers were failing in your rescue. Sebek complained about how incompetent all the volunteers were, except Lilia. And it would have to be him, in the last group, to solve everything.

But unfortunately, he was wrong. Even Lilia failed and ended up being petrified. Sebek still tried to convince the others to let him try to save you, but there was no time for that. There was only one option, your last hope, and the fear of Dioasmonia at that moment.

Of course, it was Sebek and Silver who were in charge of telling Malleus the truth. Sebek tried to beat around the bushes, even if unconsciously, but Silver knew that would only make things worse, so he simply said:

“I deeply apologize for keeping this information from you from the beginning, but it was father's orders.” The three of them were the only ones in the room, the other students were too scared of Malleus' reaction. “The kidnapped student is not a person we don't know. The truth is that (Y/N) is the kidnapped student. All the volunteers including father failed and you are the only one who can save them now.”

“WE WILL ACCEPT ANY TYPE OF PUNISHMENT IF YOU WISH, MY LIEGE!” Sebek said and the two knelt in forgiveness in front of Malleus.

A very loud thunder was heard outside and everyone inside the castle felt it. “How dare...” Malleus started to say, but remembered that Silver had said that it was Lilia's plan, so that would have to be resolved later. “Very well. Where are they?”

The moment you feared was getting closer and closer. The wedding had already begun when a storm began to approach. At first the princess didn't pay any attention to it, until the rumble of thunder was so loud that people's voices could barely be heard and she began to get really scared.

The entrance doors didn't simply open, they were slam into the wall, and Malleus slowly entered the ceremony hall. Everyone without exception could feel his terrifying aura.

“I apologize for entering this way into a ceremony to which I was not invited.” He was just being polite, he clearly wasn't sorry in the slightest. He stops. “Well, quite a glittering assemblage, Princess Eliza. Royalty, nobility, the gentry. It's a pity there won't be anything to celebrate.”

The princess says, "Of course there will be! Our wedding." pointing at herself and you.

“Truly?” He walks towards you again only to be stopped by the guards who stand in front of him. He looks at you “Tell me, Child of Man, do you wish to marry Princess Eliza?” he was fully confident that he knew your answer.

You frantically shake your head and say no. What increases Malleus's smirk towards the princess and the guards.

“From my understanding, marriage must be unanimously accepted by both people in the couple. So if (Y/N) doesn't want to marry you, there will be no marriage. Correct?”

The princess starts defending herself, saying that you still don't know what you want, but that after you get married you will see that you love her... But her speech is quickly interrupted by the rumble of thunder outside. And by the shudder that the building felt with them.

“With all due respect, princess, but your desires and illusions don't matter to me. You will release (Y/N) and give up on the marriage.” The guards prepare and attack Malleus to defend the princess. “Fools. All of you.”

In an instant, Malleus takes out all the guards with practically no effort. And when the last guard turns into a giant ghost, the same happens to him, defeated by Malleus without much effort.

“Oh no! Noooo!” The princess screams. “No, no, no...”

“You lost all your guards, princess.” Malleus continues. “It pains me to make such a cruel request, but the choice is yours. Either you release (Y/N) peacefully now or...”

“PUFFY!” The princess "runs" towards the ghost that Malleus has just defeated.

Malleus himself is confused, but he lets whatever was going on happen. The rest, you already know, they have a conversation in which they realize that they actually love each other and the princess ends up marrying the guard.

Malleus undid the paralyzing effect of the princess's slap and let the others deal with the rest of the problem, while he took you away from there without anyone noticing. He picked you up bridal style and disappeared with you. You appear in front of the entrance to Ramshackle Dorm and he sets you down on the ground.

“Are you well, (Y/N)?” Malleus asks you. “Did the princess mistreat you?”

You tell him that, other than the kidnapping, she didn't hurt you, and that you're okay, just still a little scared about everything that happened.

“Forgive me for not showing up sooner.” His voice became softer, more apologetically. “I was unaware that the student who had been kidnapped was you. The truth is that Lilia ordered everyone to keep that information from me.” He was a little upset when he said this last part.

You try to reassure him by saying that Lilia certainly had a good reason for doing that and that the others were not to blame, they were just following his orders, believing it would be the best for everyone.

He smiled. “Even after everything that happened to you today, you still want everything to be resolved peacefully. How wonderful.” He looks at you fondly. “You should be more careful. If you continue to show how charming you are, there may be more people who want to kidnap you for marriage. The kidnapping is undoubtedly outrageous, but I cannot blame them for wanting someone like you by their side for the rest of their lives. Or their afterlife.” He sees that you were flattered, maybe you even blushed.

“You look beautiful in those clothes.” He continues. “Would you like to get married in them or would you like something different?” You ask, surprised, why he was asking that. “I like to know more about you. And, who knows..." He smirks "maybe it will be relevant information for the future.”

He returns to a neutral and slightly more serious face. “I should reveal this to you (Y/N). When I found out that the kidnapped student was you, I felt a tightness in my chest. I felt such wrath that I wanted to hit everyone responsible with lightning and blow them off the face of Twisted Wonderland. At first I thought I only felt this way because someone who was very dear to me was kidnapped. But when I saw you at the altar I realized that it wasn't just that. It was also because... I... was jealous. Of the princess, I mean. The voice of whatever was pressing on my heart told me that I was the one who should be there with you! So, I need to know...” He approaches you and looks at you with bright eyes undecided whether they should reflect hope or apprehension. “Could it be that you might feel the same for me?”

You tell him yes and tell him how you feel about him. And once again he shows you that charming smile of his, the kind of smile of absolute joy that he can't hide. He grabs you by the waist and spins you in the air before hugging you with your feet still unable to touch the ground. He wanted to have your face close to his so he could kiss your lips.

If you would like to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Jack saying to Tru (who are enemies with some UST... and maybe some feelings despite themselves, because they were kind of friends once, but not really [it's complicated]) after he comes back from the summer to resume their fight, "I missed this, Tru (our battles). I really did," while laughing gleefully (but you can also kind of tell he's somewhat lying and maybe a bit tired?, but it's mostly the former), would so very much have been Angelus to Buffy if those two had ever gotten to cross paths again.

[emmcfrxst]

How experienced do you think Arthur’s is in bed and where would he get it from because I don’t see him as someone to sleep with harlots as much but he probably has when he’s desperate

i honestly think arthur’s too much of a romantic to have been with working girls as often as other men in camp have because imo he needs to have a connection with the person he has sex with but i do think it could be possible that he’d gotten to know a specific girl he’d visit from time to time so they wouldn’t be complete strangers and also there has been abigail because i remember it being mentioned that she did sleep with arthur at least once before she got pregnant with jack but apart from that i think he’s still pretty fresh to the sex scene, i mean he definitely had experience with eliza because isaac was born but i don’t think he had sex with mary simply because she doesn’t seem like the type to have sex before marriage and given the way she views herself as higher on the social hierarchy than him i don’t think she would’ve lost her virtue to him

okay so i got carried away by the backstory but to answer your question: i don’t think arthur is particularly experienced but he’s a natural and he’s also a fast learner so it’s not a problem!

[howlett-n-morgan]

I bring to you a snippet of the next chapter, rightfully labled John Fucking Marston:

-

“Arthur?” 

“Yeah?” He turned his head again.

“The day he was born… that argument between you and John,” you wanted to make sure you phrased this correctly, unsure if it was a sensitive topic. “He’d apologized for sayin’ something… Sayin’ that you didn’t do any better? What was he talkin’ about?” 

Arthur took a deep inhale and shifted around in his seat, the ground beneath him feeling like it could cave in just at your words. John had struck deep with what he’d said, but having to rehash it, and with you… it wasn’t a thing he’d ever do for fun, to put it nicely. 

“I mean, him talkin’ about leaving Abigail, and you givin’ her your offer… You’re already better than he is.”

“I wasn’t always,” he shook his head. “Holdin’ him like this, it makes me remember just how terrible I am.”

You sank down from the log and scooted closer to him. No one in camp was around to see, so you didn’t bother looking. His eyes got foggy without even going into detail, so you didn’t push… but he seemed to open up on his own. 

“I had a boy when I was John’s age. Same situation n’ all,” he shook his head, trying to keep his sights on the ground in front of him. The longer he held Jack, the worse this feeling got, but he knew it wouldn’t ever go away, not really. Not with a new and constant reminder of his past. “His momma and I, we didn’t get on too well, so I kept with the gang. Didn’t ever come around except when we passed through that town. Could count on two hands the times I saw my own son…”

You didn’t know what to make of this. He has a son? Does he keep contact with him? You’re unsure if you want to know all the details, because hearing it as is, sounds messy. 

“Where does he live?” 

You had no idea that you’d just asked the worst question in response… but how else were you supposed to know? This was the first you’d heard of Arthur’s son. 

“He uh… he died, about three years ago,” Arthur shook his head, swallowing back the lump in his throat, though his teary eyes persisted. “They both did... I came back one day, and found two crosses in the yard. I asked around, townsfolk said a group of robbers came through and raided several homes.”

“Arthur…” you grabbed his arm gently, trying to convey your sympathy, and your sadness. 

“I knew it had been my fault. If I had been there, my son would be alive, his mother, too.” 

A cloud had rolled over the sun, and shrouded in a temporary shade of darkened light, the mood felt heavier than even his words could convey. This man and his layers, being peeled away before you… it was both touching, and terrible. You had no idea a man was capable of feeling so deeply, of being so open about his past and regrets. You’d never seen a man cry before. 

“Issac and Eliza were their names,” he finally looked at you, tears escaping his eyes at a rapid pace. He let them fall, somehow knowing you wouldn’t judge him for it. “And they aren’t here because of me.” 

You gently raised a hand and wiped his cheeks with your thumb, leaving your hand there for as long as he would let you. 

“I’m so sorry, Arthur…” 

Nothing you could say or do would help to heal his wounds, but you wanted to try. Wanted to be there for him, whatever that meant. You and him got on well. You were friends, but there was competition between you, all a part of your banter. You supposed you’d feel inclined to let him win in any circumstance from now on, just because you couldn’t bear to make him upset. Seeing him this way broke your heart, but it also empowered you in some way. To be more empathetic, and kind, and to not let your anger get the better of you. You’ve proven to him in the past that you were a hot head, no pun intended. You would have to be mindful of letting yourself fly off the hinge to him in the future.

-

Let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist 😊

[verdemoun]

Gonna ask about more Jack and John content pls sir. I dont remember if I said this before but I was in shock when you told that Isaac have dark hair, always imagine him a blondie like Arthur, but I fine with that. Also I think that Arthur can see that John is trying to get along with Jack, so when Jack ask if he can go with them to their father-son activits, Arthur have to unhappily say no, because it was suppost to Jack do that with John, and not use that as an escused to avoid John ( sorry about my bad inglesh, but I just relearned my art skills so I wanted to draw something of your AU) ❤

thank you! i thought it would be fun having a different isaac, considering eliza's reconstructed model had black hair very similar to mary it would be fun having a black haired isaac. also i always would've had isaac dye his hair black because he's emo and because physically i imagine he is really similar build to canon era arthur so they needed some obvious differences. just born ready to carry boundies over his shoulder.

Arthur can see John trying but he can also see how a lot of the time that trying backfires. Maybe John just has more daddy issues than Arthur but as much as John tried to change post 1907 for his family, the new John still wasn't quite the person Jack needed.

Because of this, there's a lot of things Jack would actually refuse to do with John but with Arthur he would happily go. Also spite. For example, if Isaac bullies Arthur into letting Jack come camping with them, Jack will just sit by the campfire reading while Isaac, Charles and Arthur go off for their usual father-son symbolic hunting of deer. He might join in campfire stories later or have a few swigs of beer but he actually hates hunting and fishing - which is what John associates with camping.

Maybe it's because Jack is just a gay little bookworm. Surely anyone who's ever spoken to him knows it, because Jack would never willingly admit it, but he's just - soft. He wasn't meant to be a gunslinger in every way. John knows that better than most!! He loves his son. John absolutely loves his son. All those times he sat there and listened to Jack ramble about books, completely overjoyed to see his son happy? But he never knew how to tell Jack it was because he loved seeing his son being himself, and happy! He knows his son is too soft and sensitive for his own good which is why he really believed Jack was safe FROM becoming an outlaw - yet he did.

Jack needs people so much. He's been isolated his whole life. He lost most of his family, the gang, in 1899. He got that diet child of divorce experience in 1907, lost his sister, the only other non-adult in his life, in 1910, his dad and Uncle in 1911, and mother in 1914. No one has ever just been there for Jack. He needs someone to be there for him, to understand how difficult it was for him, little gay bookworm Marston, to become an outlaw, how much he tried to be an outlaw because that's the only way he knew how to 'be a man' thanks to John.

John just. Can't be a boy dad. At least not Jack's dad. He has too many of his own issues, 90% of them are daddy issues. He doesn't know how to bond with a gay little bookworm. The days where he gets it wrong far outweigh the days he gets it right. He's fucked up too many times. Even when he tries to show interest in Jack's writing, Jack will snipe back with 'I thought they were just silly stories' because he remembers something John said in anger not even directed at him but about him in 1907. John knows how to bond with an outlaw, a bastard as rough as him - and it shows because he gets along with Isaac great. He doesn't know how to be friendly with his own son, and especially after timewarp Jack isn't willing to give him any more chances.

It's an everyone sucks. Jack knows he shouldn't have become an outlaw. He's ashamed of himself, deep down, for 'throwing away' the life so many people died to give him a change to. And John's ashamed of him for the exact same reason and it's really hard for John Marston to not wear his emotions. He might not be emotional but he's honest. If he's mad, you know he's mad.

Like god damnit Jack wants someone to be proud of him and say it's okay. That even if he thinks (or knows) it was a mistake, he did his best. He did what he thought was the right, what he was raised to think was right, because he saw John fall into the cycle of revenge and redemption over and over again so what else was he meant to do? But John - even if he said it, knowing how much Jack wants to hear it, it wouldn't be true and Jack would know.

Jack is a lot more sensitive than even modern era boys would let themselves be, let alone a 19th century outlaw, and John's judged him or let him down too many times, angsty teenage bullshit or not, for Jack to readily give him another chance. I say sensitive but I really mean Jack Marston is serving petty ass punk bitch.

Arthur would try very hard to help John out, try to give him tips on how to talk to Jack or offer to go on out father-son group things because Jack and Arthur? Great relationship! Arthur might be as emotionally intelligent as a lump of rubber, but he gets being creative and at least will give Jack the space to read and write without judging him. Sometimes it's nice, the strange days there's an activity they'll all enjoy (usually involving fire). Most of the time though, if Jack and John are talking without screaming it's because one or both of them are drunk.

[fionajames]

why (pt.I) // lams

A/N: Hey guys, promise I'll get back to writing Star Wars soon!!!!!! For now, a sad lams one shot! (Pt.II should be out tonight, i think). Enjoy and send requests!!!!!

(divider by @saradika-graphics)

Hamilton had never wept the way he wept the night he heard of Lauren’s demise. He remembered the night his mother had tired, the endless, hollow hours he’d spent covered in his own tears and sickness, laying next to a cold body. He remembered when he’d seen the dead body of his cousin, shot and stabbed and bloody, the blood that coated his fingers as he screamed for his brother. He remembered the day he’d fully left his brother behind, sorrow seeping through his veins like endless song composed for his soul.

But never, had he begged for death so desperately, as the night continued on.

By the time the rising sun had let light into his room, Hamilton had cried every last drop he had in his body, and drunk more than he could remember yet he seemed painfully sober. He was on the floor of his study - not wishing to disturb poor Eliza’s sleep - with a bottle of some rich alcohol in one hand and a broken quill in the other.

He’d never purposefully broken a quill - it felt like an insult to himself, a taunting reminder that once a quill meant a whole lot more in his financial status - but he’d broken a dozen or so that night. 

A year later, and Hamilton was in the same position. 

Broken, bloodied and beat, curled up in his study as the clock neared midnight.

The blood was leaking from a huge cut on his palm, caused by the shards of bottle glass covering the floor.

A year without Laurens.

It had been a year since his Laurens had left.

It was a wonder he’d made it through a year.

Once again, Hamilton was praying for death to take him, praying like a foolish man. Perhaps that was what he was. Perhaps it was God punishing him and his beloved for sodomy by ridding him of his other half. 

“Oh, how could you leave me?” Hamilton choked out as he wrapped his arms around himself and brought his knees to his chest, sobbing relentlessly. 

It was a sudden gust of bone-chillingly cold air that pulled him from his sorrow, violet-blue eyes raising to stare at his surroundings. There was nowhere for wind to be coming from, and so the man stiffened.

That's when he noticed a paper fall from around the corner, clearly tossed into the air. “Hello?” Hamilton called, tears streaming down his face still. “Is someone there?”

He shuffled to his feet, wrapping his arms around himself and stepping forwards. He grabbed a huge shard of the shattered glass from the floor, holding it forward as a weapon. As he stalked forward, he moved to the side, until he could see around the corner.

A gasp fell from his lips as he jerked backwards at the sight in front of him.

There was a man his age, with blonde locks like hay and eyes the colour of the sky. He was wearing the blue coat and clothes customary to a soldier in the Revolution.

He’d recognise that uniform anywhere. 

One of the most startling things about the man was the wound on his chest, seeping thick red liquid that dripped all over his clothes and body, seeping and staining the white shirt. The flesh was red around the wound, and a dark hole stared back at Hamilton from beneath the tattered fabric. Blood was spilling from it, trickling down the man’s body.

A bullet wound, something Hamilton was all too familiar with. 

But the most startling thing about the man was who he was.

Hamilton knew that face. He could recognise it anyway, even in a sea of people. Crowds couldn’t separate him from this man, but it appeared death could. “Jack,” he breathed out, taking in the appearance of the man. John’s body shimmered with a faint violet glow, tiny star-like lights swirling around him. His lover’s face was set with a grim expression.

“Why?” The blonde whispered, his voice cracking with desperation.

A surge of horror, pain and confusion flooded through the ginger’s body, his breathing turning shakier than a boat at sea, his stomach churning with unsettlement.

Then, he heard the six words that ruined him.

The six words, sharper than a blade being plunged into his heart.

Six words stole the breath from Hamilton’s lungs and pulled his heart apart, ripping piece from piece and pouring alcohol all over his wound. It stung and it ached, it hurt worse than being shot. 

“Why did you let me die?”

A/N: hope you enjoyed, send requests!!!!

[sequinsmile-x]

Backfire

Three Thanksgivings in the lives of the Hotchner family.

-x-

Hi friends, this is the third and final (for now) part of my Thanksgiving fic Backfire.

This got a little sadder than I initially intended, but I don't think that will surprise anyone.

This week has been...rough. But as ever I am grateful for this community and the distraction it provides from real life <3

-x-

Words: 3.7k

Warnings: Grief/Loss of a parent

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Somewhere along the way, Thanksgiving had become her least favourite holiday. 

She’d felt the tension it brought the moment she woke up, torn from sleep by her hungry one-month-old, the baby girl demanding her attention almost constantly. Eliza was a clingier baby than Zachary had ever been, something that Emily would have once called impossible, and she was exhausted.

She yawns as she lays Eliza down on the changing table, a smile flitting across her face at the sight of the outfit, that had been bought by Penelope, that she was about to dress her daughter in. The swirling writing and cartoon turkey on the onesie so cute it made her ache. 

Mommy & Daddy’s Little Turkey.

“You’re going to hate me when I show you these pictures in about 14 years, sweet girl,” she says as she picks up the outfit, rubbing the soft material between her fingers, “But you’re going to look so damn cute I don’t care.” She feels a rush of love sweep through her as she slips Eliza’s arms into the onesie, her heart aching at how cute her daughter looks. She picks her up and rests her against her chest, “You are the fucking cutest baby on the whole planet.” 

“Don’t curse in front of the baby.” 

She turns to look at her husband and smiles, rolling her eyes at him before she adjusts her hold on Eliza so he can see her outfit, “Am I wrong?” 

He chuckles as he walks over, his hand on Emily’s lower back as he leans in to kiss her. He then stamps a kiss against Eliza’s head before he pulls back to look at them. 

“I stand corrected, she is the fucking cutest.” 

Emily mock gasps, “Don’t curse in front of the baby.” 

Aaron shakes his head at his wife, but his response is cut off as the doorbell rings, quickly followed by Jack’s voice, the 11-year-old’s excitement clear.

“Mom, Dad, Aunt Jessie and Grandpa are here!” 

She hears two sets of feet thundering down the hallway downstairs, Zachary always on the heels of his older brother, the 4-year-old always copying his every move. 

Aaron feels Emily tense in his arms, her shoulders tight as she holds Eliza impossibly closer. He kisses her forehead and cups her cheek to make him look up at her. 

“Remember sweetheart, we don’t have to do this. We can just send him home.” 

She found Thanksgiving challenging when she was at her best, something that she definitely did not currently feel. It was the only holiday when they got together with Roy, who still tried to undermine her or make comments towards Aaron at every opportunity. Emily hated it, the tension the man brought into her home enough to make her skin crawl, but she put up with it. Her love for Jack and her desire for him to be happy and surrounded by family who loved him far outweighing her own dislike for a man who made a point of being actively rude to her husband. 

Aaron had checked more than once if she still wanted to go ahead with Thanksgiving as planned. He’d even asked her that morning, his arm around her shoulder as she fed Eliza whilst it was still dark outside, a serious look in his eyes as he said he’d uninvite Roy at any time, right up to the moment he stepped foot on the porch. She’d insisted she was fine, that she wanted things to be as normal as they possibly could, but as she watches the clock tick closer to the time Jess was supposed to arrive with Roy, she wonders if she had made the right decision. 

Not only was Emily only a month post-partum and still getting used to having a newborn again, the four years since she’d done all of this with Zachary feeling like both a lifetime and a blur all at once, but it was the first holiday since her mother had died. 

Emily was working when it happened. Regulated to the office at almost 8 months pregnant, her bump pressed against her desk as she looked over paperwork she was struggling to focus on. Her phone screen lit up with an unknown number, and dread she still didn’t understand flooded her veins. Her instincts that something was wrong kicking in before she even answered the call and listened as a stranger whose voice she’d never forget told her that Elizabeth was critically ill. 

Aaron had been away on a case at the time, something she knew he still felt guilty about as if him being at home would have changed anything. He’d flown back to her as soon as he could, putting her and their family above his job, a lesson he’d learnt the hard way with spilt blood and tears. He’d held her hand as she made the decision to take her mother off life support, the roll of her baby girl in her stomach feeling displaced against the repetitive beeps of the machines around them, and her mother’s cold hand. 

Emily wondered if things would feel different if her relationship with her mother had been a good one. If they’d had the type of relationship she knew she had with her children whether she’d feel different. Grief was complicated, she knew that, it wasn’t linear or easy. But she sometimes thought her chest wouldn’t feel like it was hollowed out if she had more good memories of her mother to fall back on, if all of her favourite moments with her hadn’t all happened since she’d become a mother herself. Elizabeth may never have been the mother Emily wanted or deserved, but she was an excellent grandmother.

On some level, she was jealous of the relationship the boys had with Elizabeth, an emotion that made her feel so guilty it made her feel sick. She wished that she could miss her like Jack and Zachary did. They had no complication in their grief, no caveats. They just missed her.

Emily was angry. Furious that her mother had been capable of being the person she’d needed all along, and sad that Elizabeth had never chosen to be like that for her. She missed both who her mother was and who she could have been, the old adage that ‘two things can be right at once’ as infuriating as it was correct. 

She sighs as she shakes her head, “No, we can’t send him home, honey. He’s Jack’s grandfather, it’s Thanksgiving,” she turns her head to kiss his palm, “We can’t send him home. Plus, that would mean Jess would have to leave too and I love spending time with her, and so do the boys. And she cooked the turkey this year so we’d have no food.” 

He smiles at her and leans in to kiss her softly. He knew that she was making the decision she thought was right for everyone other than herself, her own comfort was always her last priority. He doesn’t want to argue with her though, and doesn’t want to push her when he knows she’s already more delicate than usual, something she wouldn’t thank him for pointing out. So he steps away. 

“I’ll go let them in,” he says, his smile so loving it warms her from the inside out, “You come down when you’re ready.” 

She nods and smiles gratefully, turning all of her attention back to Eliza the moment they are alone. She smiles at her little girl. 

It may be her first holiday without her mother, but it was also her first with her daughter and she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could. 

“Come on Eliza,” she says, kissing her temple, “Let’s go see the grumpiest man to ever exist,” she pauses, smiling to herself as she kisses her daughter again, “And before you ask,” she says as she starts to walk out of the nursery, “I don’t mean Daddy.” 

___

“That was the best Thanksgiving meal I’ve eaten in years,” Roy says as he sets his knife and fork down on his plate, turning his attention to Jessica, “That was delicious, Jess.”

“It was so good Aunt Jessie,” Zachary says, smiling as he sinks back into his chair, making his parents laugh as he rubs his belly, something he’d clearly picked up on someone else doing. 

“Thanks, Zach,” she says, smiling at the young boy she considered her nephew just as much as Jack before she turns to Roy, “And thanks Dad, I’ve never cooked a whole turkey before so it was quite the learning curve.” 

Aaron smiles as he puts his arm around the back of Emily’s chair, taking a quick peak at Eliza who was fast asleep against her mother’s chest, “We really appreciate you cooking, Jess,” he says, “I don’t think we could have managed it.” 

“Oh don’t worry,” she replies, “You have a new baby and have to chase my nephews around, I can handle doing the cooking.” 

Roy mutters something under his breath, but Emily doesn’t quite catch it because Eliza starts to cry, the brief reprieve she’d given them so Emily could eat, all be it one-handed whilst she held her daughter, is already over. 

“Oh sweetheart,” she says, already moving to stand up so she pace, the movement one of the few things that soothed her, “You’re okay.”

Jack stands up too, beating Aaron to it, as he offers help, always keen to be the best big brother he could be, “Do you need me to go get one of her pacifiers, Mom?” 

She sees a flash of something across Roy’s face. It’s an echo of a moment a few years ago when it was Zachary’s first Thanksgiving, his tiny face covered in mashed potato as she tried to wipe him clean, and Jack’s innocent comment aimed at his younger brother, the name Momma slipping past his lips without real meaning. He’d still called her Emily back then, the use of the moniker for his little brother’s benefit more than anything, the then baby on the brink of saying his first word. 

Jack had switched to calling her Mom a year ago. It felt like it had happened overnight, something that felt natural and wonderful all at once. He still called her Emily in front of Roy, something she knew he did to prevent his grandfather from getting upset, all of the comments he’d made over the years always lingering in the back of his mind. The empathy her eldest was capable of never failed to blow her away, his kindness so much a part of him that she sometimes worried one day it would be something that people would take advantage of. It’s a slip-up Jack doesn’t even seem aware of, his smile soft as he looks at her. 

She looks back at Roy, and watches as Jessica stares at her father, a fierce look in her eyes that has almost no effect. 

“That would be lovely, Jack,” Emily says, turning her attention back to her eldest son, wanting him out of the room before anything was said, “The clean ones are in the kitchen,” she says, and Jack nods before he runs out of the room. Emily looks at Zachary. Usually, the frown on his face, the one that made him look identical to Aaron, would make her smile, but it makes her chest get tight, the thought that her son was picking up on the tension in the room enough to make her cry, “Zach-”

Her attempt to get him out of the room, to distract him by suggesting he go to the den and played with his toys, is cut off by Roy. 

“What did he call you?” He asks, his jaw tight as he glares at her, and any usual defiance she has against the man is nowhere to be found, the crying of her baby in her arms, the absence of her mother and the usual jibes she’d throw at the man, setting her on edge. “How many times do I have to remind you that you’re not his mother?” 

It was something that had come up time and time again over the years. Roy’s desire to keep his daughter's memory alive so misguided he didn’t realise he was going against what she’d wanted - for her son to have exactly what he had now. 

“Roy,” Aaron starts, his protective instincts kicking in, but he isn’t given the chance when Emily cuts over him

“You know what, Roy,” Emily says, shaking her head at him, a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob catching in her chest, “I don’t have the energy for this. I need to go feed my baby,” she softens when she smiles at Zachary, “Want to come with me to go feed your sister?” 

Zach nods, slipping out of his chair and walking over to his mother, avoiding eye contact with everyone else as he reaches her side. Emily adjusts her hold on Eliza to make sure she’s secure against her with one arm and she reaches down to hold Zachary’s hand. She leads him out of the room and she doesn’t look back. 

Aaron wants to follow her, but he knows she wouldn’t want him to, instead, he folds his hands together in his lap and looks at his ex-father-in-law, anger he hasn’t let himself feel in years bubbling in his stomach. 

“You couldn’t just leave it alone this year?” Aaron asks, his eyes stern as he stares at Roy, “She lost her mother a couple of months ago.”

“How long has Jack been calling her mom?” Roy asks as if Aaron hasn’t spoken, staring him down. It reminds Aaron of when he was a teenager and accidentally got Haley home after her curfew, the traffic on the way back from the concert they had been to worse than he’d anticipated. Roy was furious, yelling at Aaron for making his daughter late, for making him worry about her, and Aaron had promised it would never happen again, and that he’d always keep Haley safe. 

It was a promise he’d broken without meaning to, the shattered pieces of his already tenuous relationship with his once father-in-law destroyed beyond repair. 

“For a long time, Dad,” Jessica answers, sighing as Roy turns to look at her, “He’s called Emily his Mom for over a year.”

Roy frowns at his daughter, “You knew?” 

She scoffs, “Of course I did,” she says, shaking her head, “I babysit all the kids, I love them all. And unlike you, I can see past my own grief over Haley to see how happy Jack is.”  

Aaron smiles gratefully at Jessica and then he sighs as he turns back to Roy, “I know it’s difficult for you. But Jack came to this decision himself, he also wanted to make sure he did his best not to call Emily ‘Mom’ in front of you so he didn’t upset you.”

Roy all but growls, his frustration clear, “She is not his-”

“She is my mom.” 

They all turn to look at Jack, the pre-teen standing in the doorway with a pacifier in his hand, his grip on it tight. Aaron stands and steps towards his son.

“Jack-”

“Mom was my mom too,” he says, cutting off his father as he crosses his arms over his chest, “But so is she,” he adds, pointing towards the stairs, “I don’t remember Mom, Grandad,” Jack says, shrugging his shoulders, “I miss her but the only things I know are what you and Dad and Aunt Jess tell me. Emily…Mom is the one I remember. She’s looked after me and she loves me. And that’s what a mom does,” he frowns, seemingly unable to stop now he’s started, the words he’d wanted to say since he was too young to understand them spilling out, “And you have to be nice to her, and to Dad, and to my brother and sister or I don’t want to see you anymore.” 

His words settle around them and Roy sighs, “Jack, I’m just trying to make sure no one forgets your mother.” 

“But no one has,” he says, furrowing his brow, looking so much like Haley that it makes the three adults in the room ache, “Dad is always telling me about her and you are. And even Mom does even though she only met her a couple of times,” he adds, watching as shock washes over his grandfathers face and he sighs, feeling some of the anger in his chest go away, “She asks Aunt Jess and Dad for stories so she can talk to me about her too.” 

Roy looks at Jessica who nods, her lips pressed together, “It’s true.” 

He sighs as he shakes his head, “I’m sorry,” he says as he looks at his grandson, “I didn’t know.” 

“You never asked,” Aaron says firmly and Roy nods, clearing his throat as he avoids eye contact. Aaron looks at Jack and smiles at him, “Why don’t you go find everyone else? They’re probably in the nursery.” 

Jack hesitates for a moment, but he nods, turning and leaving the room as quickly as he’d entered it. Aaron looks over at Roy and sighs, his hands on his hips as he looks him up and down. He’d always allowed his anger when it was aimed towards him, partially because it felt like a punishment he deserved. A penance for failing Haley and by extension Roy, But he also allowed it because he knew Roy was grieving, that he’d lost his daughter in a horrific way.

It didn’t take an FBI profiler to realise he was overcompensating to make sure he didn’t lose anyone else, his anger and his short temper were side effects of so desperately trying to cling on to what he had left of his daughter. 

Her memory and her son. 

“Look, Roy,” Aaron says carefully, “I can’t imagine how difficult it is, and I know we don’t particularly like each other,” he looks over at Jessica who smothers a chuckle with a fake cough, her eyes on the ceiling as she avoids looking at him, “But we both loved Haley, and we both love Jack. Surely the fact he’s happy, which is what she wanted, should be enough.” 

Roy is quiet for a moment before he stands up, blowing out a steady breath as he nods slowly, “You’re right,” he says, clearing his throat, “It should be. And I’ll try to make sure it is going forward.” 

Aaron smiles and relaxes a little, some of the tension in his shoulders finally easing, “Thank you.” 

Jessica laughs again and shakes her head at herself when both men look at her, their eyebrows furrowed, “I’m so sorry,” she says, clearing her throat, “It’s just…wherever Haley and Elizabeth are right now, I know they would have got such a kick out of Jack telling you off, Dad.” 

___

Aaron sighs as he closes the door behind Roy and Jess, briefly leaning his head against it before he makes sure the locks are in place. 

“Long day, huh?” 

He turns to look at his wife and smiles at her, opening his arms for her to slip into his embrace, “Long day,” he repeats, kissing the top of her head, “Where are the kids?” 

“Eliza is sleeping, and Jack is reading Zach a book,” she says, smiling up at him, “So we might have 5 whole uninterrupted minutes to ourselves,” she says with enthusiasm as if she was talking about a lottery win or a luxury cruise, “Want to snuggle until someone needs us for something?” 

“With you? Always,” he says, cupping her cheek and leaning in to kiss her before he leads her to the living room. They sit on the couch together and she settles into his side, breathing him in and letting his comfort wash over her, “You ok, sweetheart?”

She shrugs, because she’s really not sure how to answer the question, “I guess. I don’t know. She would have loved watching Jack tell Roy off.” 

He chuckles, “Jess said the same thing,” he tilts his head to look at her, “You heard everything?” 

She nods, her smile turning sad, “It was sweet. Zach heard too, and he asked me if it meant Jack was his real brother,” she says, her heart aching when Aaron sighs, his eyes closing as he shakes his head, “But I reminded him about Haley, how she was Jack’s first mom. He understands it all as best as he can.” 

“I wish it was simpler sometimes,” Aaron says as he opens his eyes to look at her.

“I know,” she replies, reaching up and pushing his hair out of his eyes, “But if it was simpler, it wouldn’t be our family.” There’s a cry from upstairs and Emily groans, leaning forward to press her forehead into Aaron’s chest. “That girl is relentless.” 

“Wonder where she got that from,” Aaron mutters and Emily pulls back to look at him, her eyes narrowed.

“What did you say?” 

“I said, you stay here, I’ll go get her,” he says quickly, kissing her forehead and standing up. 

She shakes her head at him as he leaves the room and sinks back onto the couch. She sighs as she looks around the room, her gaze locking on a picture from when Zachary was a baby that is framed and on the coffee table. In it, Elizabeth is sitting down with Jack on her left and Emily on her right, and a tiny little Zachary in her arms. 

Emily picks it up and she traces her finger over the edge of it, smiling sadly at her own reflection that she can partially see in the glass. She looks at her mother, at the joy in her eyes, the happiness she would have once joked the woman was incapable of and she chuckles, her vision going blurry as tears gather in her eyes. When she speaks, it’s quiet, a secret just between herself and someone she isn’t even entirely sure is watching. 

“Happy Thanksgiving, Mom.”

-x-

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[yuurei20]

Deuce Info Compilation Part 1: Deuce Pre-NRC

Deuce says that he has been a slow learner for as long as he can remember, even when he would study hard.

Since he wanted an excuse for why he did so poorly in school, he stopped trying.

It was after he had given up on himself that he received the letter of acceptance from NRC, and decided the school was his “big chance” to change. Epel asks if he was able to change after enrolling and Deuce says, “Nope. Not a bit. I can play the part of an honors student, but I can’t change who I am deep down. I’m still that same bad boy with grades to match. Nothing ever goes the way I want it to.”

But he says that, after coming to NRC, he has learned that, “all the most ���capable’. Guys struggle hard behind the scenes. Even when it’s embarrassing, even when it’s lame, even when it means playing a little dirty…capable guys never give up.”

We get a look into pre-NRC Deuce in his Halloween vignette where people presumably from his old school or neighborhood arrive and say they hardly recognized him with his “new” hair color (his natural hair color, no longer bleached blonde).

The “bad boy” group calls Deuce a “thug” and presses him to help hit up the school’s “prissy rich kids” for “treats”.

Deuce plays along to take them to a safely deserted area and promptly drops a cauldron on the group, saying, “I’m a new person now” and threatening them with violence should they ever do anything to harm the school.

We see Deuce calmly deescalate a fight in the cafeteria with an unnamed student and express delight in willing a track and field award.

When Jack says, “I figured that with your skills, you’d have made a name for yourself on any sports team”, Deuce vaguely responds that he has “never participated in team sports before.”

During Phantom Bride we learn that Deuce has very little experience talking to girls, getting worried that he would say the wrong thing and hurt Eliza’s feelings and then losing track of what he was saying at all, resulting in her rejection.

Ace says that he is “surprised you weren’t a girl magnet” because “I thought the ladies went wild for bad boys”, and Deuce explains that “They didn’t really talk to me. Any girls other than my mom—any guys too, really—would take off the moment I made eye contact with ‘em.”

[theolddivorcedzukka]

Tell me more facts about John Laurens please. You have to put up with my long ass posts about autistic ghost summoners from Jupiter so you can tell me as much as you like about Your Special Guy

!!!!!! okay sooooo

john laurens was blond. that is so important to remember cause he, like all blond men, dies a hamster death

he didn't like his dad at all omg. henry laurens was one of the biggest plantation and therefore slave owners in south carolina and laurens was a slavery abolitionist so of course he hated his guts. plus his father was always like "omg master jack could have the prettiest girl placed in front of him and he wouldn't even look her way" and john liked men sooooo. also it is said that his father might have known that he was gay and tried to erase all evidence of that by burning his letters between hamiton so that's why we have few to no letters from laurens to hamilton to look at

also nearly everyone called him jack!!!

he was a super cunt and it was such a shock when he let anyone into his inner circle cause he was such a cunttttt omg but he was very loyal and intimate with the people he did allow into his life and that's why the hamilton letters are so huge as well

did u know that he once insulted king louis to his face and he still got a loan from france and military supplies? coolest guy ever

he also drew a lot!! he loved drawing birds and he was actually really good at it

he was actually the most aggressive out of the combo of him and hamilton which is so surprising. when he dueled lee and injured him, he wanted to keep going and hamilton and lee's second had to convince them out of it before they killed each other

he called hamilton "my dear boy".......he never referred to anyone else this way

he had an ex called francis kinloch who sucked so bad cause he was a royalist and he laughed at john's ideas against slavery so john broke it off right then and there in the most passive-aggressive letter I've ever seen (he didn't address him by his name at the beginning of the letter, roasted him to death, and then closed it off with a simple "adieu")

close to this time, he got a woman named martha manning pregnant and married her to preserve her honor. his daughter was named frances which is weird considering his ex was francis so like.....who calls their kid by their ex's name jfc???

alexander allegedly found out about john's wife and daughter after reading a letter addressed to him and this was a year and a half after knowing him. oops?

HE FUCKED THAT GINGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he was also held hostage by the british during alexander's wedding and alexander invited him for a threesome with eliza. btw

if you don't believe my last statement, he said "I wish you were at liberty to transgress the bounds of Pensylvania. I would invite you after the fall to Albany to be witness to the final consummation. My Mistress is a good girl, and already loves you because I have told her you are a clever fellow and my friend; but mind, she loves you a l’americaine not a la françoise" WHAT DO YOU MEAAAAAAN

hmm idk what else i can share but did u know that he was so fucking depressed like he was really depressed

[bnjmin]

halloween parties don't sound as appealing as they usually do - not this year, at least. eliza is happiest so long as she can watch the festivities from afar; as she's knuckle deep in gutting the pumpkin at hand, she smiles at ben, "lina said that we could take the kids trick or treatin' this year." perhaps not the ideal celebration for some, but it means coming home and watching stupid movies with ben, danny and all the rest of the gang. (how perfectly mundane.) "means you gotta dress up in somethin' kid appropriate, though."

"i'm always kid appropriate." sidney had deemed him captain halloween at one point, actually, a knighthood that he wears with pride. (never mind the fact she no longer remembers that and could barely speak at the time. it still counts.) "mm, okay - i know all the good neighborhoods."

eliza always beats him when it comes to pumpkin carving. he's much more comfortable doing the seed cleaning and roasting than he is digging in the mess, but her with her hand in the brain of a jack o lantern is a special kind of angelic.

"so the plug and socket is out of the question?" he sidles behind her, pressing his back to her front and brushing his lips across her cheek. "i'd be the socket. obviously."

@strnza

[saleintothe90s]

482. Seventeen Magazine, March 1996

(see also: 1994, 1995)

Two things that are sightly upsetting: 1. I barely remember looking through this issue when I was 12. 2. I had to pay $30 for this issue off eBay.

Unfortunately, the Tendrecils line from Lancome is discontinued. Doesn't stop me from misreading it as "tendrils" though.

Does Kate know what magazine she's reading. This was Seventeen in 1995/1996, not 'Teen. 'Teen was the girly magazine back then. I don't know about Y/M, never read that one.

Those Hush Puppies the girl in blue is wearing.

South Coast Today [archive]

A similar green pair with laces seemed to be everywhere in my magazines for a brief time in 1996. I never saw anybody wearing 'em though. Never saw them at Kinney. I don't see 'em on eBay either, Joel sold 6,000 pairs at his store in 1995, wherearethey. 1

'Y'all know Cover Girl still makes this?!

Remember this beautiful "great" packaging Maybelline had. If I had money to throw around to collect old makeup, this would definitely be in the collection.

The fuzzy trim dress was a classic prom dress (or, at least the teen magazines made it seem that way) for the mid to late 90s.

Anna's dress is #1. I love the short sequin Hawaiian print dress. That is 1996.

There's those black and white dresses again! The Chanteuse girls will kick all of our butts.

I saw a lot more of these pastel dresses in my 1997 issues, which sadly yes, I'm trying to find on eBay right now. No luck.

If I was allowed to have makeup back then, you better believe I would have worn this look at school the next day.

I honestly had no clue that self tanner was a thing yet, or maybe just a thing that was sold at like, Saks in the glass case.

Slick straight hair. That was the thing. I had hair down to my waist back then so suffice to say I was not sporting this look

I used to get my Sanrio stuff from the My Doll and Toy Shoppe in downtown Hampton, Virginia. If you said the name of the store quick, it almost sounded like "MIDOL toy shop".

Every time I would see this ad for Kaepa shoes, naive 12 year old me thought "oh my god is that girl going to burn her school down?"

I had that lava lamp keychain and the 8 ball! I used to get them from either Claire's or Spencers. I had a Cracker Jack keychain too around this time that will just randomly show up in my dreams.

Did people really have scanners to scan in their handwriting back then? I imagine they were a small fortune back then. I tried doing some research on this software, but nothing came up.

Mickey was still stuck in 1995.

Oh, these were SO GOOD in the waining days of the low fat craze.

I remember when the Backstreet Boys got real big when I was in high school, I thought back to the ad and wondered "wait, haven't they been around for a while?" In 1996, they didn't even have an album in the U.S. yet.

"our internet address is.."

Some of these look more like pageant dresses.

I adore all the short dresses in this issue.

Is this a freshman dance? They look like freshmen.

Sharon Stone is a not-g0ing-to-prom icon.

Man, what happened to Finesse? It's like once 2000 hit, it became bottom shelf stuff.

There's always one dress that makes me sad in the prom issues, and I think it's this one. It looks so ... mature.

School Zone time, real pics of real kids from a school in Las Vegas:

The shiny, silky shirts!

These are the only two things I remember from this issue when I was 12: MaryBeth's amazing outfit--I wanted it so bad--and Jennaia's cat shirt.

A baby Tobey Maguire.

Baby Eliza Dushku. Did anybody else other than me think it was totally the norm for a guy to want to wear a bright tuxedo like this to prom?

I wish my scanner app on my phone got a better picture of this amazing Betsey Johnson dress Kathleen Robertson is wearing.

ok, a lot going on here on page 230.

-When I was attending Mary Baldwin College, there was this really cheezy store downtown that sold mostly cutesy poo gag gifts. Very cringe store. I'm sure if that store existed in 1996, they would have sold PMS Crunch.

-We're still in the waining days of the low fat craze here, so here are some "healthy" chips. Garden of Eatin' is still around! I think Guiltless Gourmet went out of business?

-I want to see photos and or footage of the Creamette Pasta Party at Tavern on the Green. All I I found was a blip on the New York Times:

On Saturday, about 17,000 carbo-loaders at the annual pre-marathon pasta party at Tavern on the Green will dig into five dishes created by New Yorkers, one from each borough. The dishes were the winners in a contest sponsored by Creamette pasta. The judges included as many weathermen (Storm Field and Mr. G) and sportswriters (David Kaplan of The Daily News) as food experts (Patrick Clark, Bob Lape and Robin Leach).

The meals, which will be served from 4:30 to 8:30 P.M., are free to runners in the New York City Marathon, which will be held on Sunday. The dishes are: baked ziti and vegetables by Martha Katzeff of the Bronx, rigatoni with beef and cheese by Mike Boyd of Brooklyn, spinach-rotini toss by Barbara Shields of Staten Island, creamy macaroni and basil salad by Karin Mackin of Queens and sweet nutmeg kugel by Diane Girer of Manhattan. All the recipes are by runners. 2

Remember when these Y-Necklaces were popular for about a minute?

1.Parnes, Francine . “Old Dog Trots Out in Trendy Places.” New Bedford Standard-Times, December 25, 1995. https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/1995/12/26/old-dog-trots-out-in/50652285007/. 2.Fabricant, Florence. “Food Notes.” The New York Times, November 8, 1995, sec. Home & Garden. https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/08/garden/food-notes-021709.html.

[aristocraticvision]

Chapter 363: Retreatus Interruptus (Part 2)

As the four finished their tea, the conversation faltered. Price Flynn was obviously preoccupied, and finally excused himself to visit the facilities.

“I’m not surprised by your visit, mother,” Jack said, once Price had gone. “But I have to admit, I’m shocked to see father here. You must have threatened his life.”

“Oh Jack, your father does care – he’s just not very good at showing it,” Eliza replied. “In fact, you may be even more shocked to learn that our visit was his idea! Maybe he’s making progress?”

Jack shook his head and glanced over at Ted.

“Or, more likely, hell has indeed frozen over,” he said, grinning.

Ted laughed – and Eliza joined him, despite herself.

“I don’t know what it is about you two that makes your relationship so difficult,” she said, finally. “Of course, of all my children, you’re the most like me.”

“That explains a lot,” Jack said, teasing.

“Possibly,” she replied. “I’ve never exactly been fond of playing the dutiful wife.”

“Excuse me,” Jack said, rising. “I think I’ll put the kettle back on for another pot of tea.”

Jack stepped toward the kitchen as Ted made small talk. The meeting could have been a disaster, but, thanks to a combination of his quick thinking and Ted’s natural charm, they’d salvaged it.

As he passed the cellar door in the butler’s pantry, however, he noticed it was open.

Strange, he thought. I don’t remember being down there all weekend.

He gazed down the rickety wooden stairs curiously, and started when he heard his father’s voice.

Jack crept down the stairs quietly to find his father looking around, his phone against his head.

“No, not yet,” he said. “I don’t have much time, so I’ll call you as soon as I can,” he said.

“Father?” Jack asked, and his father spun round, surprised. “May I ask what you’re doing down here?”

“Oh,” the baron said, obviously shaken. “I … well … it occurred to me that we hadn’t had the cottage inspected before signing it over to you, and I was … curious as to … how the foundation was holding up. Seems to be in better shape than I remembered.”

“Thank you, father,” Jack said. “Your concern is appreciated. Why don’t we go back up – I was about to make another pot of tea.”

“Quite right,” Price replied, heading up the stairs.

Jack looked around, still curious, but saw nothing out of place.

He sighed, and followed his father back upstairs.

CHAPTER 1 | BEGINNING OF PART 4 | PREV | NEXT

Continent of Oceana | History of Weston | History of Corwyn | History of Torenth | History of Allycia

[isolatedphenomenon]

on love:

He laughed, the deep boom a ten-year-old Jack had always hopped his own high chortle would grow up to be. “It’s not about being a husband, Jack, or raising a family. It’s not that. That woman and this family is what I fell in love with, but that’s me, not you. It’s the falling in love, Jack. That’s what gives you meaning and makes you stand tall. It’s finding something worth building.” Light filtered down through the bush’s tangled branches. “What are you in love with, Jack?”

Beanstalk by E. Jade Lomax

“Jack’s a romantic,” said George. “Less so, after Liam, but still more than he claims. He thinks if you love hard enough, things will be okay. There’s a poem or something somewhere—love cures a multitude of sins.”

Echoes of a Giantkiller by E. Jade Lomax

“Is there always evidence when things happen?” said Jill. “Someone goes brain-dead and they could just be sleeping, except they don’t wake up. You fall in love—what evidence?”  “Pupils dilating,” George told the ceiling.  “Not the kind of love I mean,” said Jill.

...

“Let them take care of you,” she said. “They love you, Rupert, and they want to be there for you. Let them.” “Couldn’t stop them if I tried,” he said. His cheeks had pinked, but he was keeping a straight face. “Don’t try,” said Miz Eliza

Remember the Dust by E. Jade Lomax

[beloyaltowhatmatters]

@achanceofforgiveness asked:

John flicked his cigarette into the growing pile of the ends he'd already smoked next to the chopping block. He reached for another one in his pocket, only to find there were no more.

"God fucking dammit!" he snarled into the cold, bitter night. He was beyond pissed. How could he not be? He only almost lost his son hours ago. The sight of his only child bleeding out, cuts all over his clothing and flesh, barely able to stand, was forever burned into his memories. If Rufus hadn't led him and Arthur to where he was, they might've lost him. John would've never forgiven himself. The doctor from Blackwater was inside the house stitching him up. Mary and Karen were doing their best to console Abigail. Sean was probably keeping Uncle away, because if John got his hands on the old son of a bitch, he'd tear him limb from him, and feed him to the bear - had he and Arthur not killed him. (Arthur)

More and more as the days passed Jack reminded Arthur of John. They could both be a little hardheaded, and when they had their mind set on something, little could be said to change that. He could remember when John first wanted to go hunting and prove himself. It didn't turn out as badly as it did with Jack mainly because Arthur caught up with him in time but the similarities were there. He could even understand why Jack was always giving John so much shade for the year he left the group. Even he gave John shit for some time after he came back but John had done more than enough to prove he was trying to make up for all of that. Jack just needed to cut him a little slack like Arthur had.

" I know it's easier said than done but try to relax. The boys goin' to be okay. He might have a few scars like his father but the important thing is that he's alive. " Arthur reminded John. Reaching into the pocket of his Jacket he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and after taking one for himself he held out the pack offering one to John. " I seem more of you in that boy every day. " Just maybe that was the actual scary part. All of them were trying to give Jack a life away from how things used to be. Yet it seemed like Jack's choices were more aimed at being and becoming what none of them wanted for him.

He could only imagine what was going through John's head. He knew what it had been like when he walked up to the little house of Eliza and Isaac to see both of them had been killed. Jack was however alive and maybe now a little wiser about actions having consequences.

Uncle on the other hand was a topic all on its own.

[verdemoun]

I don't know if you've answered this before but how old do you think everyone was when they died? obviously there's canon ages for some of them (Arthur, John, Lenny, etcetera) but for others we just Don't Know their ages and I'd really like to know how old you think certain characters were

in age of birth order! i'll put a slash beside canon birth years so they can be told apart from headcanons. please note i have issues with strauss's age i think he would be closer to dutch's age than canon suggests

Hosea: b. 1844/ d. 1899 (age 55) Strauss: b. 1846/ d. 1906 (age 60) Bessie: b. 1849 d. 1888 (age 37) Uncle: b. 1849/ d. 1911 (age 62) Dutch: b. 1855/ d. 1911 (aged 56) Grimshaw: b. 1856 d. 1899 (age 43) Trelawney: b. approx. 1858 d. -- (always appears rdr2 age, 41)* Micah: b. 1860/ d. 1907 (age 47) Arthur: b. 1863/ d. 1899 (age 36) Bill: b. 1866 d. 1911 (age 45) Charles: b. 1867 d. 1908 (age 41) Mac Callander: b. 1867 d. 1899 (age 32) Annabelle: b. 1868 d. 1891 (age 25)** Eliza: b. 1870 d. 1896 (age 26) Jake Adler: b.1871 d. 1899 (age 29) Molly: b. 1871 d. 1899 (age 28) Kieran: b. 1872 d. 1899 (age 27)*** John: b. 1873/ d. 1911 (age 38) Javier: b. 1873 d. 1911 (age 38) Davey Callander: b. 1873 d. 1899 (age 26) Sadie: b. 1874 d. 1907 (age 33) Karen: b. 1877 d. 1902 (age 25) Abigail: b. 1877 d. 1914 (age 37) Sean: b. 1879 d. 1899 (age 20) Lenny: b. 1880/ d. 1899 (age 19) Jenny: b.1881 d. 1899 (age 18) Isaac: b. 1890 d. 1896 (age 5) Jack: b. 1895 d. 1914 (age 19) Abigail Jr: b. 1907 d. 1910 (age 3)

*i very specifically headcanon as Trelawney is older than Arthur because I wholeheartedly believe Arthur was not the first plucky young orphan hosea and dutch picked off the street. they had originally picked up Trelawney around 1875 shortly after meeting and deciding to create the Van der Linde's a full gang, making Josiah their first apprentice. However, in 1877, Josiah met the woman who would become his wife and decided to step out. they picked up Arthur who, while having a much more difficult temperament, Dutch saw his younger age as an advantage in inspiring the loyalty Trelawney lacked. as a result, Trelawney sees Arthur and most of the gang as something akin a younger sibling, hence always calling him 'dear boy'. this is also why Trelawney's loyalty to the VDLs went so far as to create the timewarp so they would all have a chance at redemption.

** part of the reason dutch remembers Annabelle so fondly is that she died young, though he does not recognise it. Annabelle was in fact approaching the age where dutch gets bored of women and, if she had lived, he would have ended up with molly regardless. dutch is v problematic

*** this is exclusive to timewarp. i usually headcanon Kieran as closer to Arthur's age, born 1866 and dying at age 33