#he is t minus 5 seconds away from elbowing fives in the face

[secretly-a-trekkie]

me when yellow lighting

[ai-katsuu]

Jack and Audrey (5/5)

chapters: 1   2   3   4   5

previous 

finale to the story!! i hoped you guys liked it!

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“Jack..!” he heard faintly. 

‘Audrey..?’ he looked around but couldn’t see anything 

“Jack!” 

“Throw him into the water again, maybe that’ll wake him up.” 

“He’s been thrown in water too many times, Merlin.” 

“We could try the alarm clock we made!” 

“That would probably break his and our eardrums.” 

“Audrey!” he sat up immediately breathing like crazy. 

“Jack! You’re awake, are you okay?” Snow knelt down beside him.

“What happened?” he asked, rubbing his head.

“We found you here by the lake.” Arthur told him. 

He then remembered “Audrey, where is she?!” he looked around frantically. 

“We were hoping you’d tell us.” Snow responded worriedly. 

“Her cloak and belt are still in there, but we haven’t seen her since last night.” Kio explained. 

“We were hoping you’d know,” Noki interjected. 

“Oh no..oh no no no it’s my fault. I told her about the curse and she got scared and she ran away because of it.” he gripped the sand. 

“That doesn’t sound like Audrey.” Merlin thought, “She wouldn’t run away just because of that. Did something else happen?” 

“I..” he stammered, “That doesn’t matter now, I need to find her. Where could she be..” he stood up and paced around. 

“Did she say anything during your time together? A home?” Hans asked. 

“No, she told me she was always wandering around the world and that..” an epiphany came to mind. He nodded, “I know where she is. And if I’m correct I have to get there as fast as possible she could be in danger.” he properly put his cloak on. 

“You lot should get back to the White Palace-” 

“That’s not happening, lad.” Arthur crossed his arms. 

“That’s right, Audrey is one of us now.” Hans nodded. 

“And if you say she’s in danger,” Snow continued. 

“Then we’re going as well,” Merlin stated bringing one of his spells out. 

Jack looked at them and gave the most adorable dwarf smile. “Merci, mon ami.” he said gratefully

 “We need to get there quickly, how do we-” A loud sound that made them jump off the ground was heard and they whipped their head around. What seemed to be the newest contraption of the triplet inventors hovered over the field of flowers. 

“Get in!” they popped their heads out. 

South West from where they were Audrey jumped down from the 24-foot cliff and landed in a bush. As she got up she looked at a certain spot in the wall. Something clenched in her heart but she disregarded it and moved forward. She untucked her hair as a guide for knowing where the wind was blowing. Audrey thought about everything her and Jack went through. Their conversations, her encounters with the group, and all the fun they had. 

She stopped for a moment, “Was that really the right decision?” she asked herself.

Deep in her thoughts, she aimlessly walked around the forest. It was only when she lightly stumbled from a rock did she realize; she couldn’t feel the wind anymore. 

Audrey frantically looked around, this was not a path she was familiar with. “Crap..I must’ve wandered off the trail.” she gasped when she heard something behind her. 

In the dark, she saw something slither into a tree. Instinctively, she slowly reached for her belt, only her hand to touch the fabric of her skirt. She had left it in the cabin, and there was no water in a dead forest. She was defenseless.

 Panicked, she looked around her surroundings, it had gone quiet. Something then wrapped around her ankle and violently pulled her in, she didn’t have enough time to scream as her head hit the edge of a rock. 

“Are we there yet?” Jack asked. 

“Just about,” Noki replied 

“Everyone stand on the doors. We’ll open them once we’re closer to the trees!” Kio told them 

“Everyone ready?” Snow asked, rolling up her sleeves. 

“As I’ll ever be,” Arthur unsheathed Excalibur. 

“Lead the way,” Hans nodded at Jack. 

The five of them stood at the platform. Merlin looked over at Jack who looked anxious. He put a hand on his back, “Hey,” Jack looked at him, “we’re gonna find her. Don’t worry.” 

Jack smiled gratefully “Thank you, Merlin.”

“T-Minus 12 seconds!” Pino yelled. 

Jack reminded the group once more “Okay, remember if you ever get lost just look for the wind and follow it. Don’t make too much noise so you-” 

What happened was that Kio had pushed the lever by accident with his elbow, causing them to scream as they fell unexpectedly. They fell through the branches and got separated. Jack looked up and scanned his surroundings. 

“Merlin, Jack, are you guys okay?” Snow whispered. 

“Yeah..” they both got up and crowded together, “Looks like we got separated from Arthur and Hans.” Merlin looked around. 

They heard a loud scream from their left and saw the seventh and sixth members of the Fearless Seven. 

“We’re okay!” Arthur shouted to a mortified trio. “We’ll handle this part, but hurry and find her! We can’t hold them back for long.” They nodded and continued their way through the forest. 

“There’s too much mist,” Merlin waved his arms around. 

Snow gasped, “Merlin watch out!” she held a vine headed towards her way and broke it in half before it slithered back into the trees. 

“Thanks, Snow.” Merlin huffed. More came crawling their way. “Well so much for being quiet,” he said in a normal voice. 

“Merlin, you take the ones on the right, Snow White north, I’ll-” 

“Jack!” 

He immediately whipped his head around, “Audrey?” he whispered looking around. 

“Jack it’s me, Audrey! Where are you?” she cried out. 

“Audrey, I’m here!” 

“Jack, go!” Merlin used his spells on the vines, generating electricity and frying them. 

“We’ll cover you here, hurry!” Snow threw a giant branch to a vine. 

Jack nodded and ran through the mist. Out of sight from Snow and Merlin his body covered much more distance. 

He heard something crack and a tree swung its branches into his direction. He covered himself in his cloak and dodged it. Several more attacks came on the way and he was able to dodge them successfully until one vine got a hold of his ankle, twisting it as it pulled him down. 

He screamed in pain and he fell to the ground. He took his mirror out and smashed it on the ground. 

Jack picked up one of the shards and cut the vine off. The excess vine wrapped around him swiveled in pain before letting go. Jack grunted and got up. The stinging sensation on his ankle made his search ten times harder. He groaned in frustration and used his cloak to quickly tie it up. Once he had made the knot he heard another set of branches cracking. 

Picking one of the shards up he readied himself. 

“Jack,” 

He widened his eyes. He pushed past the bushes and saw Audrey in the middle of a small patch of ground with no plants. 

“Audrey!” he beamed and tried to run to her before he stumbled but still managed to keep his ground. 

“Jack, you’re here. Why are you-” 

“I’ll explain everything later, Audrey. Right now we need to-” 

“Where are you?” she looked around. 

“I-I’m right here Audrey, right in front of you,” he assured her stretching out his hand. 

That’s when he realized, he was still human. 

“What,” he looked at himself and sure enough he had all his human limbs. Jack touched his face, “I don’t understand..this doesn’t make sense..what on-” 

“I don’t know where you are!” she cried. 

That’s when Jack noticed her eyes. Her eyes had gone grey. She was blind.

 “Audrey, what happened to you?” he asked heartbrokenly. 

“T-the vines. You have to be careful.” she panted holding her hands to her chest. Audrey was scared. 

“Alright..I’m coming to you, it’s alright I’ll be there soon. Er..” he thought as he limped towards her, “Talk to me. Why did you run off?” 

Her breathing became ragged, “Jack, I can’t break your curse. Even though I’m in love with you my heart isn’t pure enough to turn you into a human.” Though the middle part made him very happy in the midst of this he focused on the task ahead. 

“Audrey, don’t you see?” he laughed. 

“No not really,” she said. 

“No, yes my bad. What I mean is, I don’t care whether my curse is broken or not at this point! My heart knows what it wants and that’s you, to be with you!” Jack heard a crack in her voice

“But I’ve caused so much lives-” 

“Listen to me,” Jack told her now two meters away from her, “It doesn’t matter to me who you were before, what matters is who you choose to be now.” he looked at her glass eyes and her a sincere smile that even she could feel, 

“I love you regardless, Audrey.” she finally let her hands off her chest and gave a small smile as she reached out. 

Unkowest to him the vines had snuck on him and grabbed his face, latching themselves onto his eyes. 

“Argh!” he groaned out. 

“Jack!” Audrey screamed. 

A separate set of vines pulled her in through her wrists as she struggled. Jack cried out of pain as he managed to remove the vine, however his eyes turned glassy and he lost his vision.

 The stinging sensation in his ankle didn’t make it better either as he toppled to the ground. He called out for Audrey with a weak voice as he started to pass out from the pain. Audrey didn’t have enough strength to free herself as she became shackled to the tree. 

It was quiet. Neither of them moved from where they were. The vines had stopped moving and not even their rustling or the wind could be heard. Jack’s breaths couldn’t be made out and Audrey’s struggling movements stopped.

Then her fist closed. She twisted her wrist repeatedly and got herself loose. Jack had pulled his leg up to free them from the attached plants. Using all of their strength to get to the other, they didn’t know the other was doing the same until they heard each other as they drew closer in the center. They didn’t care how much pain was in their body, they had to get to each other. 

“Audrey,” he breathed out once he finally touched her arms. 

No longer able to move their legs they fell into each other. Unable to see each other, they both let out chuckles as Jack touched her face, 

“Don’t ever run away from me again,” 

“How could I?”

The moment they had kissed Audrey felt his face get warm. Jack’s body glowed a golden light that lit up a great portion of the forest, killing the undead vines nearby. He slowly opened his eyes. His body had never felt better. All of the pain from his body was gone and could see again. Audrey had collapsed into his arms, her ragged breathing starting up again. 

“It’s alright now, we’re getting out of here.” he gently told her. 

He picked her up after untying his cloak from his ankle and clipping it on her. He looked to his right and saw a path had been cleared to an exit. 

On the other side, the others were waiting on the beach. The triplets were tinkering with their ship out of stress, Snow sat with Hans on the sand looking at the forest, and Merlin and Arthur paced around it. 

“It’s been too long, we should go back there!” Merlin finally said. 

“No, look,” Hans raised his head. Jack emerged from the forest holding Audrey in his arms. 

“He’s human!” Arthur exclaimed. 

“Jack, you’re human!” Snow ran up to him overjoyed.

 He smiled at her and nodded, “Merlin,” he looked at him “I need your help.” 

Moments later Audrey felt something jolt in her body. 

“Ah!” she opened her eyes wide. 

The first thing she saw was the sunlight, she looked to her right and saw the waves crashing on the shore. 

“Is she alright?” she heard a female voice. 

“Merlin, are you sure you didn’t kill her?” a German voice asked. 

“Of course not, I’m very careful with my magic.” a British accent responded.

 “The medicine makes her a bit drowsy, but she’ll be fine!” that was Italian. 

“Shh, she’s waking up.” another one in a Scottish accent said. 

She looked at the faces before her gaze drifted to an unfamiliar one with golden locks. He was kneeling on the sand as he gently held her hand. She cocked her head to the side as she squinted her eyes. He looked at her with the most sincere and heartwarming smile that was filled with love. It was on a different face...but she could recognize that anywhere.

“Jack,” she spoke. 

He let out a laugh as small tears came out “Oui, it’s me.” 

She reached her hand out and put her hand on his cheek, and he leaned into her touch. “You broke your curse.” 

“No, you broke it, Audrey.”  

Audrey giggled and threw herself into his arms as they tumbled on the sand laughing. Snow had linked her arms with Merlin’s as they watched the happy couple. 

“So, you're thinking about planning another wedding?” he asked her. 

Snow laughed, “Let’s put a pin on that. After all they’ve only known each other for two days.” 

[lovingsiriusoswald]

“Fragile, But Not Weak”

Part 7 - Her POV

Summary and Notes, Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight

Pairing: Fenrir Godspeed and Delinquent!Alice

Word count: 2710 words

Tagging: @christmaswarlock @midnightcradle @pianoperson @wishiwasfictionaltoo​ @plumpblueberry @bumbleberry-jamboree @forenah-gaijin @the-cashewpeia and @5-of-spades​ i’m so sorry this was a week late, i got into art a lil too much and i deadass forgot about this AAAAAA as usual, thanks again so much for the lovely comments you left on the previous one (´⌣`ʃƪ)♡

⊱ ──── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──── ⊰

I was offered a lovely room, its interiors astonishingly decorated by the single bright, beautiful flower growing amongst the smelly, messy army men. Seth had a big smile on his face as I took in the sight. "Seth! This room is so beautiful!"

"It is, isn't it? I put my all in making it perfect just for you~" He sings as he smiles brightly at me. He places my bags down by the closet and turns back at me. "After all, a woman's safe haven is her room! Its the only place where she'd be comfortable."

He then walked towards me and gently holds my hands. "I know its overwhelming to stay in a place filled with brute men, but I can assure you that you can come to me whenever you need help. I'm the Big Sis of this ruckus of an army, and I'd be more than glad to help you, Alice."

"Big..Sis?" I asked very softly, unsure of what he was talking about.

"Oh, please don't get the wrong idea, I'm a man through and through!"

"I'm sorry for taking it the wrong way." I apologize as I start to look away from him.

"Its alright, Alice." He puts his finger underneath my chin and gently pulls my face upwards. Our eyes were fixated on each other for a moment and I felt like I was being pulled in a trance. "Come on now, I'm pretty sure that you're starved! You need to eat as much as you can~" He starts dragging me out of the room.

When Seth opened the doors to the kitchen, I was astounded by the huge amount of food placed on the long dining table. There was so much food, my stomach started to growl and my mouth drooled . "Come on Alice! Its time to eat!" Godspeed calls me over.

"What's happening? Why is there so much food?" I ask as I walk towards him. He had the biggest grin on his face as Ray holds his shoulder.

"We're having a welcome party for you." Ray answers and gives me a soft smile.

"A party?" My mouth drops open. I blinked several times, Why would they throw a party for me?

"You're officially part of the Black Army now, Alice!" Godspeed puts his arm around me and ruffles my hair with his other hand.

"W-wait wait, hold on, I didn't say anything about taking a side in this war." I remove his hand from my shoulder and grip his wrist tightly. He winces a little and looks at me worriedly.

"You aren't taking any sides, Alice. Don't worry." Sirius's calm voice "Just because you're here doesn't mean you have to fight. We promised to protect you, like family." His smile grows as he says the last word.

Why are you so nice?

"Now, enough with this war talk! You said you were starving, let's eat!" Seth pulls me to a chair beside where Luka sat. Cheers erupted in the dining area and I scanned the faces of these soldiers. They vowed to protect and keep me safe, even if they don't know who I am.

It felt surreal and overwhelming, I'm not dreaming, right? Unbridled emotions swelled in my chest and for the first time, it wasn't from fear nor regret. What good have I done? Do I deserve this kindness?

"What's wrong, Alice?" Luka asks softly.

"Oh! Nothing! I was just.. overwhelmed." I quickly plaster a smile on my face when I turned to look at him. Hunger got the best of me so I didn´t waste another second and indulged the savory and aromatic meals in front of me. "This is so good!" I say through my full mouth, unable to hide my amazement.

"I'm so glad you like it." Luka smiles at me. The fatigue that I was feeling  seemed to dissipate at each bite, recharging my energy and I've never felt so content.

"Woah, you really have such an amazing smile!" Godspeed exclaims out of the blue, making me almost choke on my own breath.

"Excuse me, what?" A chuckle erupts from my throat as I look up at him. He was seated across from me and had a goofy grin on his face. "Where did that come from?"

"Please don't think I lied, it was an honest compliment." He winks. A loud laugh slips from his lips and it was infectious. I stopped myself from laughing, but I couldn't help but grin. How dare he use my card against me. "Did that get ya?" He smirks at me as he wipes off the stray sauce from his upper lip with his thumb.

"Off guard, yes. Romantically, try again next time." It was my turn to wink and smirk at him, then we laughed at each other.

"Alice," Seth calls and I turn to him. "If it's okay, we'd like to know more about you." He has a soft smile on his face as he eats a spoonful.

"Well," I start. "In the Land of Reason, I work at a confectionery because I really like sugary food." I chuckle. "So when I decided to reside here, I wanted to continue my career."

"Other than being the sweet confectionery girl, what else do you do here in Cradle?" Sirius asks.

"Um, well, mess around in disguise?" I shyly answered, feeling my cheeks burn. "B-but I only do so because some soldiers slack off during their patrols!"

"Hey!" The man I'd thrown eggs at two nights ago reacts. I sink further down in the chair, suddenly ashamed of myself. Without my mask, I felt so vulnerable. "We don't slack off!"

"Yeah, I'd love to talk to the lady you were hogging off at the market about your duty." My mouth spits out the words without me thinking. My hands immediately cover my mouth and I glance over at the man, his cheeks flushed and his mouth agape.

"Your reaction to her statement proved that she was telling the truth." Sirius looks over at the man who sat back down to his chair. "We'll talk later."

"I'm sorry." I whispered to no one.

"You're not yourself without your mask, huh?" I hear Godspeed say as he places his elbow by the table and leans his chin on it. He had a smug smile on his face, he watched me as I try to sit properly. I hate how you read through me that quick, dammit.

"I'm too exposed to do anything stupid, my image would be ruined." I pout and reach for a glass of water.

"Have you always been a delinquent?" He asks, his tone serious but a smile still apparent on his face.

"Well, I guess, but not to the extent that I've become a criminal whatsoever." I breathe in. "Me and my friends were characterized as chaotic good, meaning, we have good intentions, but we do it differently and usually in a not so good way." A smile creeps on my face as I remembered the good days when everything was okay. "We do have rules though; we only mess with people, not hurt them. We replace things, not steal them. We usually do these things if we see something that isn’t right, or if we just want to have fun.”

"So you throwing that egg was something that you thought you did for the good?" Ray chuckles.

"Yeah, I'd like to think so. It was a bit rude that someone started shooting me for it." I eye Godspeed, who raises an eyebrow at me.

"Hey, I didn't know why you did it and you insulted my men. It was on instinct!" He exclaims defensively.

"Sure, you gun-shooting maniac." Seth rolls his eyes and Godspeed frowns at him.

"You wanna go?" He rolls his sleeve and clenches his fist.

"That looks like fun." I smile through the fork on my lips and watch them bicker back and forth, resulting in an arm wrestling match in seconds. The soldiers started to cheer and take sides, betting on who would win.

"Winner gets to be with Alice for a day!" Godspeed chips and Seth smiles, his feminine demeanor vanishing.

"If that's the case, you won't last a second!" Seth rolls his sleeve and places his elbow on the table, right in front of him.

"Hey now, I'm not a prize." I stood from my seat. "..but I'd love to see how this would turn out." I walk near them and witness their fight.

"Who's side are you on?" Sirius asks.

"I'd like to say Godspeed, but Seth is the 10 of Spades for a reason." I say as I look up at the taller man. Ray was beside him, cheering on his best buddy.

"That's good thinking, little lady." He pats my head and we watch the two fight, Godspeed's arms were slightly leaning down, but he's fighting as strong as he can. Through gritted teeth, I could see their amusement and willpower.

"Hear that Fenrir? Alice is on my side, give up now!" I could see Seth flex his muscles harder, making Godspeed struggle.

"Not fair! Ahh dammit. Another win for Seth!" Godspeed admits his defeat as Seth pushes his arm down. He immediately skips towards me and holds my hands.

"We're going shopping tomorrow Alice, its coincidentally my day off! It must be fate~" He hugs me and I giggle, memories of my old friends resonate to my heart and it aches with joy. I've missed this feeling.

"That sounds lovely! I can't wait!"

"You seem like you're used to being around men, do you have brothers?" Sirius asks as we walk to the lounge.

"I don't. I have a sister though, but we have a lot of guy friends — most of my friends are, actually." I smile at him and put my arms underneath my chest.

"When did you learn how to fight?" Godspeed asks as he stretches the arm he used to wrestle with Seth. "You kicked those Magic Disciples' asses with your bare hands!"

"My friends taught me how to defend myself, there were a lot of similar encounters back in my world. Minus the magic, though." I plop down the sofa and Luka hands me a strawberry and cream cake slice.

"I hope its as good as your expectations." He smiles sweetly at me and my heart nearly felt like it was gonna burst.

The men of the Black Army weren't a ruckus as Kyle had described them as. They're super sweet and generous, hospitable and very fun to be with. I actually felt at home and it's only been two hours since I got here. Do I really deserve this? Or is something gonna take this feeling away the moment I start to relish in it?

I took a bite from the cake and felt the sweet delicacy, balanced with the strawberry flavors and creamy texture, exactly how I like my cakes. "Luka! This cake is amazing!" I can feel my smile growing wider as I kept on taking another bite, my sweet tooth craving for more of the treat.

"Aww Luka's all red and blushing!" Seth teases him and I see him look away from me with a pout on his face. For a moment, he really did look like the Queen of Hearts. He tries to say something but he stutters, deciding to leave us in the lounge and went to what I assume was the kitchen.

"Is he gonna be okay?" I ask as I place the plate down by the nearby table.

"Yeah, he usually doesn't like being around too many people. He'll come around." Godspeed says confidently, beaming up at me.

After a few more hours of eating, I excused myself to go outside to breathe for a moment.

A gust of cool wind flutters the ends of my dress a little, inviting me to bask in the afternoon light. I pondered on the sweet emotions that grew in my chest, feeling my cheeks hurt from constantly smiling so much. Times like this had been very rare — almost like a luxury — ever since the fire. I wonder if I can make this feel a little longer, Maybe I should take Kyle's advice.

"Need some company, lady?"

On second thought, nevermind.

"Not really, but I don't mind." I look up at Godspeed as he sits beside me on the stairs to the courtyard.

"Did ya drink your medicine?" A small smile grows on his face.

"Oh shoot, I forgot." I gasp and I immediately got up, but I was stopped when he grabs my arm. He shows my pill bottle and a bottle of water. "Aww thanks." I smile at him and reach for it, but as I was gonna grab for it, he pulls them away.

"But first — answer me something." His expression turns serious all of a sudden, startling me. "You're too comfortable around Seth and the others, wouldn't Kyle be mad if he found out?"

Wait, what?

"Ha..?" I could barely even form a proper reaction. What was he talking about?

"You and Kyle are together right? I won't consent you to cheating— " He says this with a straight face and it was almost laughable.

"WAIT ONE SECOND GODSPEED." I almost scream as laughter erupts from my throat. "Me? And Kyle? Together? What made you think of such a thing?" More laughter rose from my chest and I had to sit down to clutch on to my aching stomach.

"Wait what?" It was his turn to be confused now. "You two aren't together?" Something in his tone changed, but I ignored it. I kept laughing until there was no longer any sound coming out of my mouth.

"No! He's my doctor and I'm his patient. That's all there is." I wipe away the tears that leaked from my eyes. "Plus, neither of us are interested in having a love affair whatsoever." I start to calm down and take deep breaths to cool myself down.

"Ah geez, I got really worried about that." He chuckles and he finally gives me my medicine. I check its label to see if it was the correct one, before taking one pill out and tossing it into my mouth. I take a few gulps of water and close the bottle cap.

"That was something I never knew I would hear, you really are an idiot." I giggle as I hand Godspeed my pill bottle.

"Hey!" He pouts at me.

"It was a joke!" I reached my hand out to his head and started messing it terribly.

"Hey stop!" He holds both of my wrists, leaning close to my face with a dissatisfied look and I laughed in response. "What's that for, lady? Geez!" He lets go of one hand and desperately tried to fix his hair in vain.

"For messing with mine, dimwit." I pointed at the stray away locks on my head and stuck my tongue out at him. He rolls his eyes and pulls away, shoving the pill bottle in his inner jacket pocket and a grin was painted on his face. "Thanks for reminding me about that."

"No worries. I did promise to keep you well."

"Why are you guys so nice?" I asked hesitantly. The grin on my face almost felt natural again and I couldn't stop anymore.

"Well if it meant we could see you smile that brightly, we'd spoil you rotten with kindness." He chuckles as he watches the sun slowly start to set. The way his eyes shone against the last orange rays of the sun was just as enchanting as a magic crystal glimmering underneath the moonlight. He almost looked like he was glowing with the sun just by his side, outlining him like he was from a painting. His magenta hair swayed lightly against the wind and he looked amazing. There's no point in hiding how breathtakingly attractive he is — now I can see why the noble women that often visited the confectionery gush so much about him.

"We should head back inside, dinner will be ready soon and if you want the best meals, better be there early!" He then grabs my hand again and pulls me back, a fit of giggles erupting from me.

[ready8210]

Let me in your heart again

3. Something’s missing

Vivian

Los Angeles / United States - Airport

The last view hours of our flight went by unspectacular. After my little comedic interlude earlier today, I preferred to maintain a low profile for the rest of the journey and stay on the sideline.

After almost 12 hours, filled with watching movies, listening music, editing photos and conversations with Roger, we arrived at our destination - sunny Los Angeles.

Roger, the little nosy scallywag he is, didn't insist to switch seats with Phoebe, to, as he called it, sweeten his day with me.

At least time flew and I learned something about the excessive life of a famous Rock band, as he amused me with stories about groupies and parties.

Whereas Freddie fell back into old patterns. After miming the nice guy for exactly two minutes, he was very busy to give me hell, with nasty remarks and potshots, for the remaining 718 minutes of the flight. Asshole!!

„We're standing here for about 30 minutes now, I think you should go meet the guys and head to the house." I say to him, as I dandle from one feed to another, with increasing worry. We were standing at the baggage claim, for what felt like ages, to wait for one of my suitcases to arrive. Unfortunately for the one, containing half of my photo equipment and to make it even worse, when I say photo equipment, I mean my sanctuaries.

After a horrible flight, the nightmare continues. A photographer without his camera, a really great start for my new job. Since meeting this Freddie guy, misfortune haunts me.

Phoebe, who wanted to help me with carrying my numerous suitcases and bags, tries to calm me in his soft soothing voice.  "I'm sure your luggage will be here soon. We wait another 5 minutes."

"The others must be really pissed off already. You should go Phoebe. I can handle this on my own. I'll get me a taxi later." I try to refuse his offer. I don't even want to think about the impact, this delay will have on Freddie's state of mind. He hates me already, I don't want to aggravate the situation even more.

Phoebe notices my nervousness and starts to rub my back. "Don't be silly. I'll stay here with you. Don't puzzle your head about it. They can wait a little longer."

"Is everybody in Garden Lodge that stubborn?" A grin forms on my lips and I almost forget about my sorrows for a minute.

"You cheeky devil you." Phoebe smirks and pushes my shoulder.

"I just don't want to incur „the prince of darkness' wrath." I can't suppress a eye rolling, when suddenly Phoebe's cellphone starts to ring. I augur ill as I try to construe his mien.

"Freddie hi......

Wait, wait, wait.....Just give us another 10 minu.....

No, her bag is missing....no with the equipment.....

It's just 10 minutes Freddie....fine, see you in a view." he rashly ends the call, while screwing up his face.

"He already is furious, isn't he?"

I'm honest. I could cry right now.

Phoebe lets out a long haggard sigh „I'm afraid he is."

Facing the floor, I numbly shake my head.  "Great. He'll give me hell. We've waited long enough now, I should speak to the airline staff." I declare, while starting to walk away.

"Ok, lets go. Let me take this" he affirms with a smooth smile, as he grabs one of my suitcases and we make our way.

* * * *

„Look who finally arrived. You better have a good excuse. We're cooling our heals for an hour now." A furious Freddie impatiently tabs his feet with crossed arms. His narrowed eyes burning holes into mine.

A weak and almost invisible „Sorry." comes over my lips, as I shamble towards the waiting group, standing in front of the parking van, that would bring us to our final destinations.

"If this is your excuse, you've failed miserably." he hisses, his expression turning even darker, so his eyes look almost black.

"Let's just go." I mumble absently, seeing Roger stepping in front of me, looking at Freddie grim-faced, laying his hands on my shoulders and searching for eye contact, with a worried look on his face.

I have to smile at him shyly, as I feel tears filling my eyes.

That's just wonderful. Don't start to cry in front of Mr Rock God. You have to be strong now.

"What's wrong Viv?" Roger whispers in concern, now patting my shoulder.

"Nothing that a rooftop and an AK-47 won't take care of." I quip.

Freddie slightly starts to chuckle at my reply.  Maybe seeing me dead would lighten his mood.

Roger smiles weakly, as the others start to get into the van. „You have your luggage?"

"No, it's lost." I tell him concerned, fumbling in my bag.

"They send it somewhere else?" he asks, as he steps back a little.

Putting out my cigarettes,  I face him again. „No, they don't know where it is." I stop him with a wave of my hands.

Yes, I put out my cigarettes. I really don't care if I smell like an ashtray anymore. Mr Mercury hates me anyway and maybe the smell will keep Casanova aka Roger away.

"I'm sure you'll get it back soon." he tries to convince me rather badly, stepping besides me, to lay his arm around my shoulder and rub my arm. Roger seems to be out of words for the first time in history.

Putting the cigarette in my mouth and lighting it, I just let out a weary hum, before taking the first puff.

We just stand their silently for a view minutes, as I hold the cigarette in front of Roger, to break the awkward silence.

"Thanks" he chirps with a wink and takes a puff.

"If looks could kill....we better get in." I mumble, as I notice Freddie shooting me a vicious glare, while stepping into the car with a face like thunder.

The fact, that I only have to survive one last car ride with him today, gives me new confidence. I can manage one ridiculous drive, all I have to do is stay silent and not be provoked by my new pal. Honestly, how hard can it be?

"Congratulations everybody, our personal standup comedian has finally made it into the car." I hear a posh British voice sarcastically addressing me, as I enter the van.

So much for it, my good intentions are already thrown overboard. If he wants war, he can have war!

"I'm pleased you enjoyed my little performance. Considering your omnipresent depressed look, I thought you could need something to raise your spirits." I hit back with a annoyed look, while seating myself between Phoebe and Roger, at the rear seat bench.

Blessedly there was some safe distance between Freddie and me, since Roger performed as a "Buffer", sitting between the two of us.

"You have to remember who you're talking to." Paul, sitting right in front of me, hisses, while turning around to face me.

"Paul, do what you do best and suck up to Freddie." I rumble, rolling my eyes.

Oops, did I really just say that?

In the corner of my eye, I can see Freddie leaning forward and looking at me. As I face him with raised brows, he shoots me a baffled look. Paul already turned around again, grumbling something with gritted teeth.

I'm afraid I may loose my job by the end of the day, but I really don't care. I've reached a point where - to cite Mr Freddie Mercury - nothing really matters to me. The point of no return so to say.

"For fuck sake kids, stop the bickering, we haven't even left the airport." an unnerved Brian exclaims livid, which causes Freddie and me to sit back in our seats and look at him in surprise.

I couldn't imagine Brian ever being so enraged.

For whatever reason, Freddie couldn't care less about Brian's advice and continues to squabble. „Oh, fu** off Brian. The only one acting like a child is her." He spits out, leaning forward again, to await my reaction.

"Says the man, who needs FIVE people to use the restroom." I snarl, looking in the opposite direction. With no sound coming from Freddie, I turn to face him, with the most devastating look I can manage.

"I mean, I do get why you take Paul there, he sticks in your ass anyway...but..."

"You little...." Freddie stifles, desperately searching for some clever words to end his sentence, while Roger has a hard time to suppress his laughter.

"Ouch...!" Roger whines, after Freddie forcefully hits him on the back of his head.

"Yes Freddie? ....Just get it off your chest. I dare him with a confident and defiant smile. My brows raised in anticipation.

Speechless Freddie gasps on his seat, his head turning red in rage, while his mouth twitches uncontrollably, by his hopeless situation.

„You little .... b-brat." he finally stammers, visibly dissatisfied with his shiftless remark. Trying to escape the awkwardness, he quickly leans back in his seat and turns away, to look out of the window.

"That's it? I think I can live with that." I giggle, a pleased smile forms my lips, as I lean back to face Phoebe. "You'll get along well, he?" I jibe. Phoebe just looks at me helplessly, shrugging his shoulders and trying to avoid my gaze.

Roger, still giggling, turns to Freddie. „Wow, that wasn't your best Fredster." he snickers, with a shake of his head.

"Oh fu** off Roger. You just being nice, cause you want to shag her." Freddie snaps, so everybody in and surely a view people outside of the car can hear him. I facepalm at his last comment, to elude Rogers gaze, who now sheepishly smiles at me.

"Is somebody jealous?", he teases Freddie, which results in another slap on his head.

Rubbing it, he lets out a murmur. "I don't hook up with mari...."

„Ouch!!" I elbow him, my eyes widened in panic, as I shoot him a reproachful look. After a view seconds, he lets out a plain "Oh", while shrugging apologetically. At least the penny's dropped.

Poor Roger, playing the buffer must be painful.

"Ok, ok, ok, everybody just calm down." a soft voice from the front of the car reaches out to us. Good old, placid John tries to sooth us with his smooth, serene tone.

The attempt unfortunately fails, as Roger decides, to teas Freddie a little more.

„I think someone has finally met his equal." he sarcastically quips to Freddie, who shoots him a death glare in response.

Considering this last ‚conversation', I really think, we all just went back to preschool.

Trying to relieve some of this gruelling tension, swirling around in the van, I start to make conversation to Roger.

"Will we get to the villa, or drop me off at my hotel first?" I ask casually, fumbling in my bag, searching for my cellphone.

Mr Beach informed me, that I would stay at a hotel, whereas the boys, Paul and Phoebe would be lodged in a villa in the Hollywood hills.

After the cheerful atmosphere between Freddie and me, I was more then grateful.

"Oh, now that you mention it."  A now uncertain Roger starts to tell me. "You will be staying with us." He continues, backing up a little and turning his face away slightly, as being afraid, I could hit him due to his disclosure.

"Why the hell is this the current state of play? Who decided this, without even asking me?" I harshly whisper a tad to loud at him, before cussing him with some German swear words (something like ‚Trottel', ‚Idiot', ‚Depp', ‚Scheiße' and ‚Arsch', just to mention a view), my face turning deep red in frustration.

Roger stares at me in disbelief and try's to find the best way, to break it gently.

"Weee........I.IIII" he stutters. "I thought it would be a good idea. The house is sooo big and we get along so we" he tries to sugarcoat our gridlock, as I interrupt him with wrath in my voice.

"Are you suffering from amnesia or something? Did Freddie slap you to hard? You've noticed he devoted his life to hate me?!?!" I get carried away by my overwhelming frustration, before staring into my lap and deciding to ignore just everybody in this fucking car.

Keeping your mouth closed may be a good idea Vivian. I really don't want to spoil things with Roger too.

"Somebody has found a new victim.", an amused Freddie giggles next to Roger, looking at him with a grin from ear to ear. "So much for getting laid." He bursts out laughing, looking out of the window again, while Roger starts to tap my arm, to make me look at him.

I refuse to give in and fumble for my headphones.

Only music can make things right at this point.

With the shuffle mode set, I hit play, while closing my eyes and sinking into my seat.

‚This thing called love, I just can't handle it' It echoes in my ears. „This can't be true" I sigh, as my eyes spring open again. Mr Mercury is everywhere, even in my shitty phone.

‚This thing called love, I must get rou......' I tap wildly on my phone, to successfully stop the mocking sound of him.

‚Tonight, I'm gonna have myself a real good time' , Freddie's voice reaches my ears again.

What the hell is going on here? Please lord, show mercy, I face the roof, sending prayers up, while tabbing my phone like a maniac, without any success, to stop his breathtaking voice. Did I just say that? It happens again. The devil enchanted me.

‚I feel alive and the world I'll turn it inside out, yeah', I let out a long miserable sigh, as I start to beat the phone against my leg, which results in my seat-mates staring at me in confusion.

‚And floating around in ecstasy', he still chirps in my ear, as I give up for a second, to reconsider my next step.

‚So don't stop me now don't stop me', „What the hell is wrong with this fucking phone...Oh noooo, I will stop you now, Mr fuc*** Mercury." I finally make the music stop. "Finally" I sigh satisfied, as I realize everybody is staring at me, waiting for an explanation for my questionable behavior. I freeze by Freddie's words, as I feel uncertainty growing in me.

"I'm pleased I'm such a big deal for you." Mr Mercury hums brazenly, twinkling at me, with a big smug grin, plastered on his face. A face I want to slap right now.

Deciding to just ignore him, I put away my useless, sneaky phone.

Freddie, being disappointed by my refusal, now is incited to start teasing.

"You've lost your camera?" He eagerly chirps.

„Brilliant deduction Watson, you catch on fast, really impressive." I mumble in boredom, not even looking at him.

„Than I have a suggestion for you. Without a camera and the fact you don't want to stay with us, I think it's best for you, to book the next flight back to London. I mean, you are more than useless at the moment." He submits buoyant, looking at me challenging, with his sparkling eyes.

„Fortunately I was smart enough to bring a second and a third camera with me." I retort, while putting on the most plastic smile possible.

Freddie's mood now darkens, as he realizes, I won't be intimidated by his words.

"It would be smart to search for a REAL job now." He spits tamely, looking at me, as if regretting, to not come up with something better.

I smile at him cheekily. "Considering what I will get paid here, I don't have to worry about a "real" job......FOR YEARS." I stifle the conversation.

This answer marks the turning point for him. He lets out a deep growl, pushes his now clenched fist to his knee, before pattering something for the next 5 minutes.

At this point I wish I could just keep my mouth shut for one minute. I still have no clue what is going on here. Usual Vivian already would've been crying several times throughout the day and surely wouldn't have the strength and courage to raise her voice, like I did over and over again.

It's death proof. I will experience hell for the next two years.

Roger brings me back to messy reality. "2:0 for Viv." He giggles towards Freddie.

I give him a slight push again, to make him stop, making things even worse.

„Roger, don't always meddle in my business.", Freddie spits at him, his narrowed eyes fixed on me.

Roger decides to ignore my objections and cheerfully babbles away. "Someone has to and make you stop, you're acting ridiculous."

I take Freddie as an example and sink into my seat again, trying to cut off from the outside world and maintain silent for the rest of the drive.

The other co-drivers follow our lead and drowse after this exhausting flight.

Not a sound is to be heard, as we're getting closer to our destinations.

I am almost asleep, as the van suddenly hits a monstrous pothole. It must have been huge, cause everybody bounced up from their seats.

„Vivian darling, fasten your seatbelt, we are excepting further turbulences. And don't forget to breathe." Freddie suddenly giggles out in his smug, disdainful tone.

„Freddie, do you never get tired?" an annoyed Brian asks him, glancing at him, while I roll my eyes and let out a bugged sigh.

„I hear an annoying, monotonous drowning in my left ear all the time.", I say playfully, while rubbing my ear. "Anybody else here, with the same problem?", I go further, looking around.

Freddie blankly shakes his head and finally keeps silent and stops his taunting for the rest of the drive.

* * * *

The enjoyable and long-yearned-for peaceful silence unfortunately is interrupted, as Roger suddenly speaks up. „Ehm Fred, there's a big fat spider hanging in front of you.", he taps Freddie on the arm, trying to get his attention. Freddie was fallen asleep 30 minutes ago and is now looking around in confusion, almost unable to open his eyes.

„What?", he mumbles sleepy, while stretching out in his seat and trying to find a comfy position.

„There's a big fat spider hanging in front of you.", Roger declares again, pointing at the ugly black monstrosity, hanging right in front of Freddie's nose.

Looking at it with panic filled, widened eyes, vigorously pressing his back into his seat and waving around with his arms and hands, as if to fend a swarm of killer bees, Freddie lets out a high pitched scream. One that sounds, as if somebody just kicked him in his balls. Or more suitable for a Freddie Mercury, his Crown Jewels.

I'm unable to laugh about it, beeing to busy to look panicked and move myself away from the place of action, closer and closer to Phoebe. So close, I almost sit on his lap.

„Jesus Christ Freddie, it's just a spider." , an annoyed Roger exclaims, raising his brows in incomprehension.

„Keep it away, keep it away.....just kill it. Just be useful for only one time and kill this fuc*** thing.", a tensed Freddie presses out, his voice slightly cracks at his last words.

Roger grabs the spider and moves to face me, coming closer....a bit too close. "You wanna take a look?" He smiles at me, before noticing my scared state.

I shake my head like crazy, moving back even more, as I try to breath evenly. "Oh god, are you mad? Just stay away, or you and your hairy friend will not survive this journey.", I hiss at him.

„Oh god, relax. It's a fucking spider, guys." Roger looks back and fourth between the two of us, with pure incomprehension.

Freddie finds his voice again by Rogers words. "It's a disgusting hairy monster.", he hisses at Roger, his face distorted with fear and disgust.

I only can nod at Freddie's last statement. "Everything with more than 4 legs is the enemy. Please just kill it." I plead Roger, my hands clenched in the seat.

You've already heard about my multiple anxieties.....you just discovered a new one.

Those little many-legged creatures scare me to death.

„With my hands?", Roger asks irritated....shooting me a questioning glance.

I can't handle it anymore at this point. Either the spider has to leave this car, or it's me. I will jump right out of the window, if necessary. "Just kill it Roger!!!! Please just get it out of here. I don't care what you do with it, as long as it is out of this car in less than 10 seconds.", I exclaim, fumbling in my bag and putting out a tissue.

"Here....", I say, handing it to Roger.

Roger, being extremely dull at this moment, looks at me disbelievingly. You can see the question marks popping out of his head. "What is this for?" He asks baffled.

„Put it in there and squash it!", I tell him quickly, trying to imitate the 'process of squashing a spider' with my hands.

Roger looks away at his hands, shaking his head with an eye roll. "You two are such babies. At least you've got something in common.", he determines. "Who would have thought that?!"

„Oh yes Roger. It's just wonderful. Now we can discuss our arachnophobia over a cup of tea.", I scoff sarcastically, almost relaxing a bit in my seat.

Freddie's chuckle makes way for his frightened face, as Roger kills the spider with a loud crack, which lets Freddie and me groan in disgust. "Is everybody happy now?"

A satisfied sighing Freddie relaxes in his seat and turns to face the window, as his cheeks start to glow.

I have to screw up my face by the cracking sound. „I think I have to vomit...and it's not because Paul is here.", it rashly escapes my lips, which results in giggles from Freddie, Phoebe and Roger and, of course, a scornful gaze from Paul.

Did Mr Mercury just giggle? I can see a bright future for the both of us.

Chapter 4 coming soon....

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