#he's surprised that there's still any Henry left to rebuild

[sparkarrestor]

I reckon Nobby was surprised The Fat Director even bothered in the first place. Maybe he knew how angry he was at being swindled (and probably took some joy in that!) and reckoned he'd scrap Henry in a heartbeat, even after the special coal business. Why you'd import special coal just for that elephant is beyond him.

So the shock that Henry was rebuilt instead would be big. Maybe that proves to Nobby that there are still directors that look after their engines?

Maybe Nobby and Henry even share the joy of grumbling about anything and anyone whenever he arrives at Barrow, I know one big engine that might get on both of their nerves...

The whole "He's not useful/isn't useful anymore so he probably isn't really worth caring about" thing seems like a common sentiment in the Big 4 era that slowly unravels during BR days.

Henry also being like "I understand you now!!!!!!!!! I know what you're going through and you're not alone!!!!!!!!!" and Coppernob hating it is funny. He doesn't want to be understood, or psychoanalyzed by the Jank pacific with 20 diseases.

I'm curious if Nobby & Henry had any interesting interactions or if he just ignored the jank pacific with 20 diseases lol

The short version is as you say: At first Coppernob barely gives a thought to Henry. It's 1922, the F.R. is staring down the barrel of Grouping, and as a clown-studded sideshow the No-Where Railway keeps scrounging up these absurdly-large track-deforming monster engines from Lady-knows-where. And then (because beggars can be choosers, apparently?) they keep chucking some back. Whatever! Nobby has seen the value placed on engine life plummet over the last decade, so in all this chaos Jank Pacific With 20 Diseases surely won't last long. Sad, but not Coppernob's problem. He has enough of his own to take care of, remember he already chaplains a minimum of 5 engines each year on their deathbed. He's certainly not going to get attached to this sickly stray. This isn't like E2106, who had value. The green elephant is not a Useful Engine and we all know what happens to those.  

So, funnily enough, this relationship begins on Henry's initiative. Cos after being let out of the tunnel, with his whole new perspective on life, he starts coming into Barrow (sometimes. he's not on the express very often, of course) and looking on Coppernob with new eyes. Like "... oh wow. we're the same, this incredibly ancient haughty old relic and i. i, too, know what it is, to be stuck watching everyone else pass. everyone else have a life. and to be all alone as a spectacle." Not that Henry ever says it, but it's abundantly clear he's thinking it – and Nobby HATES. IT. Nothing in all the world he hates so much as pity. He grows wroth. Just spittingly sarcastic. Whelp, Henry is a real and no mere shadow engine to him now – an engine he criticizes specially at every opportunity! But the more Coppernob reams him out, the more Henry just looks on him with eyes that are clearly thinking "Poor old fellow, of course he's grouchy. I Understand." and obviously that infuriates Nobby even more. 

Luckily Henry doesn't come into Barrow THAT OFTEN. Otherwise Coppernob might have exploded long before that bomb could get to him lmao. 

It really says a lot about how just absolute shite Henry's life was during the '20s that Nobby never succeeds in putting him off. Like Coppernob never upbraids him for being an ill-built failure. That's one thing. He'll criticize Henry to death but he doesn't insult him and to Henry, sensitive though he is on some points, it's really quite refreshing that Coppernob never starts from the assumption that Henry is lazy or slack. Also there's, like, one (1) time when Nobby told off a couple other engines at the station who were having a go at him and Nobby really mostly did it more because he despised them than because he gave a damn about Henry, he literally forgot about it ten minutes later. But for the rest of his life Henry's like "damn, he's a patron and a gentleman. I'll never forget that." 

Look, the bar for being nice to Henry I was so bloody low. 

But Henry also got the chance to inadvertently boost Coppernob in return. Coz the Flying Kipper wreck, see. Spoiler alert, but Coppernob spent 1930-1935 sinking into a deep depression as the LMS shifted into high gear wiping out the ex-Furness engines. There was a year there towards the end when he was nearly silent. What was the point. What did anything matter. The engine from the tunnel was in a devastating derailment? They're sending him to Crewe? Wellll that sucks. Everything sucks. R.I.P. 

Nobby's so lost in the brain fog that it takes him a while to process what he saw, when he witnesses Henry's return that spring. Henry blows through en route to the island and everyone's like "who's THAT? that isn't...?" and it takes a solid 5 minutes for Nobby to blink his way to grasping the question and another 5 to realize the significance of what he just saw. 

The green elephant, sent to an LMS workshop as wreckage. Returning in hale and hearty triumph. 

For the first time in three years, Coppernob is heard to give a rusty laugh. 

And he laughs, and he laughs. And he laughs. 

Maybe, even now, even when the world seems hopeless… maybe senseless tragedy doesn't always win.

(Nobby's perfectly composed, of course, when a mere two days later Henry brings his first express to Barrow. The wind warning signal on Ab Hawin Viaduct held them up 15 minutes, so Henry is three minutes late. Coppernob is perfectly grim when he tsks Henry over his time… but maybe there's just a bit of a twinkle in his eye, when Henry splutters protest.)

[make-me-imagine]

Hearts Divided - A Nine Part Benedict Bridgerton Story (Masterlist)

Benedict Bridgerton x GN!Reader *sometimes might allude to a more feminine character, but no pronouns besides they/them are used (if you spot one I may have accidentally used, let me know!)

Story Synopsis:

Years ago, Edmund Bridgerton and Charles L/n, friends and equals, suddenly clashed and became enemies for unknown reasons. This caused a rift between the children of both families, who were then forced to never see each other again. Charles L/n took his family out of London not long later, and nothing had been seen of the family since.

Years later, Y/n L/n, their two siblings and their parents return to London. Even though Edmund Bridgerton is now deceased, Charles L/n, refuses to let go of the past.

Y/n is the opposite of their parents, they are kind, compassionate, and never understood the hatred of the Bridgertons. Once back in London, Y/n befriends Henry and Lucy Granville. And after attending one of his soirees, runs into a long lost friend, Benedict Bridgerton.

Once reunited, their friendship is rekindled, but not long later, difficulties arise. Not only because there were sworn enemies by their own fathers, but because their old friendship returns with a growing attraction between them now that they are adults.

What will they do when their attraction becomes an unbreakable bond? When the hatred of the Bridgerton's is still held strong by Y/n's father. A secret friendship turned romance, painful decisions and broken hearts may be all that lies in their future.

*Takes place between Seasons One and Two.

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

Chapter One: A Bitter Separation

One day, after the sudden discovery that the long-held friendship between Edmund Bridgerton and Charles L/n has come to a sudden and abrupt end. Y/n is heartbroken when forcefully separated from the Bridgerton family, who unlike their own family, accepted and gave them love they knew nowhere else.

Years after being forced out of London by their father, Y/n learns they are to return for the season. Plagued by the thoughts of what will happen while they are there.

- - - -

Chapter Two: Reunited Hearts

Now back in London, Y/n awaits the moment they might once again see the Bridgerton family and in particular Benedict. After making the acquaintance of Sir Granville and his wife Lucy, Y/n is unaware of just how close they are to seeing her long lost friend again.

- - - -

Chapter Three: Resentment

During the first ball of the season, Sir Charles L/n comes face to face with the Bridgerton's for the first time. And to no ones surprise, remains resentful for the same unknown reasons. Y/n and Benedict steal a moment during a dance, but it does not end as they wish. And Y/n's night only ends with more questions and anger.

- - - -

Chapter Four: Rebellious Hearts

After sneaking out in the middle of the night to another Granville party, Y/n and Benedict are able to continue rebuilding their friendship. But as they talk throughout the night, they realize, what they have now, is much more.

- - - -

Chapter Five: Discovered

After a month of secret rendezvous, Benedict and Y/n's feelings have developed into a strong love. But as careful as they've have been, it seems that neither of them can keep their secrets from their parents for long.

- - - -

Chapter Six: Sacrifice for Love

After Y/n and Benedict's relationship is uncovered, Y/n is left to make a heartbreaking decision to save Benedict and his family from scandal and disgrace. The result? Sacrificing any chance of happiness they might have.

- - - -

Chapter Seven: Fate Unknown

As Y/n grows closer to losing their happiness forever, they send Benedict a message. One last goodbye in case they are separated forever. Refusing to give up hope, Benedict reignites Y/n hope there would be a happy ending to this story.

- - - -

Chapter Eight: Secrets Unraveled

After one last secret meeting with Benedict, Y/n learns of the information he discovered about Edmund’s discovery. With one last attempt at saving their future, Y/n finally discovers their father’s long hidden secret.

- - - -

Chapter Nine: Hearts United

What Y/n set out for has been finished. The secret that plagued their mind for years has finally been revealed. But will knowing it allow them to be freed from their punishment?

- - -

[shemarmooresfedora]

Rebuilding Family

Summary: Y/N and Spencer were college sweethearts at Cal-Tech but once Spencer got accepted to the FBI Academy, he ended things deciding it was not fair to make Y/N wait for him. When they meet again years later, he discovers something unexpected.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem! Reader

A/N: this may be my favorite chapter yet. i originally was going to delay this chapter a day but the wonderful comments gave me motivation to write. i beg of you to play the song when i write it starts playing...enjoy!

Masterlist

Chapter 12

“Yes, yes, yes!” Spencer excitedly left the hospital, immediately calling you.

“Y/N Y/L/N” you answered, having not checked the caller ID first.

“Guess what?” Spencer smiled.

“Hi Spence. What?” your tone instantly became lighter across the phone.

“The doctor cleared me. I don’t need crutches anymore!” Spencer exclaimed.

“Oh my god, that’s great! I know how much you hated them,” you responded.

“Yes, I did not like not being able to help you with Jo as much. But do you know what this also means…” he prompted.

“What?” you asked.

“I will actually be able to walk around and

take you on a real date ,” he beamed.

“Looking forward to it,” you grinned.

“How about tonight?” he asked excitedly.

“What about Jo?”

“JJ’s,” he replied quickly.

Clearly, he had already thought this through completely.

“Okay. I’d ask you what time you’re picking me up but we are both living in the same place right now so I’ll see you at home,” you giggled.

“See you at home,” he repeated with a massive smile plastered on his face.

-

“Mommy, why can’t I come?” Jo pouted, clinging on to your neck as you brought her out to the car.

“Me and Daddy are going to do BORING adult things,” you pretended to snore, “You don’t want to come, Baby J. You get to go have a fun playdate with Henry. I’m so jealous.”

You buckled her in and closed the car door, feeling arms wrap around your waist.

“Boring?” Spencer asked, feigning hurt.

“So boring,” you teased, giving him a kiss.

“You look beautiful by the way,” Spencer earnestly looked into your eyes.

You opened your mouth to respond but there was a faint knock on the car window.

“The princess is getting impatient,” he chuckled, climbing into the driver’s seat.

-

“Hi!” JJ greeted the three of you at the door as you set Jo down who immediately ran inside in search of her best friend.

“Thank you for watching her,” you said.

“Oh, of course. Don’t worry about it! Now, go! Don’t waste any more of your night off talking to me,” she ushered you away.

“Bye! I’ll text you when we’re on our way back to get her,” Spencer waved.

Spencer then grabbed your hand, interlocking your fingers and pulling you back towards the car as your head fell back in delightful laughter.

-

“You know it’s funny,” JJ said to Will as they were watching you two out the window, “Before I even knew that they had a history together, I was considering setting them up together.”

“What made you think that?” Will questioned, “I mean they’re both very nice people but I wouldn’t have thought about that.”

“I don’t know. I just felt like there could be something between them...turns out there already was,” she smiled.

-

Spencer pulled the car up to a beautiful patio dining area overlooking a lake. It was dusk and the sun was setting so stringed lights were hung up all around the tables.

“Spence, I heard it takes like a year to get a reservation here,” you looked at him incredulously.

“I have my ways,” he kissed your hand, “Come on.”

You walked up to the hostess with your hands interlocked.

“Dr. Spencer Reid for two,” he politely said to her.

“Right this way,” she guided you to your table with menus in her hand.

Spencer, ever the gentleman, pulled out your chair for you. You thanked the hostess but your eyes never left Spencer.

Once Spencer was seated, a silence fell over the two of you.

“This is kind of an awkward first date because we already know everything about each other,” you admitted.

“Yes, we are doing things a little backwards but at least I know I already love every single thing about you,” Spencer smiled.

You blushed, “Ditto.”

“Hey there,” the waitress approached your table, “What can I get started for you both?”

“I’ll have a glass of red wine please,” you said.

“I’ll just have water, thanks. Also, can we get spring rolls as an appetizer,” Spencer asked.

“Sure thing, I’ll be right back with those,” she wrote your order down in her notepad and left the table.

“Why am I surprised you remembered my affinity for spring rolls?” you laughed.

“I know it’s technically impossible for me to forget anything but even if I didn’t have an eidetic memory, I still wouldn’t forget a single thing about you,” he spoke.

You felt your cheeks heat up yet again.

“You have always had a way with words, Dr. Reid,” you took a sip from the wine glass that the waitress placed in front of you to hide your bashful grin.

-

You were headed back to JJ’s after a wonderful dinner. You were on a backroad and it was starting to drizzle. The radio was playing softly as you played with Spencer’s fingers in your hand.

Signed, Signed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder began to play through the radio. Spencer excitedly turned to look at you.

“This is our song, remember?” he beamed.

“Yeah, I remember,” you giggled.

Before you know what was happening, Spencer had pulled the car over and turned the radio up loudly.

He let go of your hand and exited the car.

“Spence, it’s raining!” you laughed.

“Good thing we have a dryer at home. Come on!” he walked around to your side, opening your car door and offering his hand.

You accepted and he pulled you out of the car, twirling you around. You danced around hand in hand, splashing in puddles without a care in the world.

You and Spencer were both singing at the top of your lungs, occasionally breaking from the lyrics to let out a joyous laugh. As the song faded out, he dipped you down, smiling widely. You slicked his wet hair back as he pulled you in for a kiss.

You didn’t know how long the kiss lasted but you finally pulled apart when there was a loud honk in front of you. A car was stopped in the road, waiting for you to finish your makeout session in the middle of the street.

“Sorry!” Spencer called out to the driver as you both giddily ran back to your car.

You kissed him once more once you were back inside the safety of the car.

-

You were grinning like fools when Will opened the door.

“Do I want to know?” Will chuckled, gesturing at your soaked clothes.

“I think it’s better if we keep it to ourselves,” you smiled.

JJ came around the corner with a sleepy Jo in her arms.

“Well it looks like you two had fun,” she said as she handed Jo to Spencer.

“Thank you again. If you guys ever want to go out, we can watch Henry,” you offered.

“It’s really not a problem but we may take you up on that some time. Have a good night, guys,” JJ smiled.

“Daddy, why are you wet?” Jo asked curiously.

“Mommy and Daddy had to walk in the rain back to their car after the long meeting,” Spencer pretended to sound unamused as to not let the child know about your fun night without her.

“Me and Henry had mac and cheese for dinner and then we played dinosaurs and then we watched Finding Nemo,” Jo informed you both on the drive home.

“Well it sounds like you had an exciting night,” you smiled.

Once you got home, Spencer offered to tuck Jo into bed while you changed out of your damp clothes.

You peeked into the room just as Spencer was giving her a kiss on the forehead and getting up from the bed.

“I should go,” Spencer spoke softly.

“Or...you could stay,” you offered quietly.

Spencer smiled, “The latter sounds much better.”

“Now go change into sweats from my closet before you catch a cold,” you ushered him into your room.

You went downstairs to give Spencer some privacy, turning the kettle on to heat up and taking out two mugs.

You slowly made your way back upstairs with two warm mugs of chamomile tea. You tapped slightly at the door before entering.

“Thank you,” Spencer accepted the mug into his hands, giving you a quick kiss.

“I’m going to put our clothes in the dryer and then I’ll be right back,” he said, taking a sip of the tea before setting it down on the nightstand.

Spencer returned a few minutes later, getting in under the comforters and wrapping one arm around you. You both sipped your tea in a comfortable silence as the rain continued to pour down outside.

“Chamomile tea’s health benefits include protecting against diarrhea, nausea, stomach ulcers, and gas,” Spencer stated.

“Ever the romantic, Dr. Reid,” you giggled, resting your head on his shoulder.

[hotchley]

lauren: aaron and emily

Yeah so for something that is meant to be a conversation, there’s a surprising lack of her speaking but honestly, this was so much fun to write. I forgot how angsty Hotchniss could be like DAMN

This is my take on what happened at her bedside before they moved her, and is dedicated to everyone who said they would read it because without you guys, I probably wouldn’t have actually written it so thank you so much!

Trigger Warnings: serious medical injuries, references to abortion, implied/referenced child abuse, religious themes

read on ao3!

“You could’ve told me,” he tells her, even though she can’t hear him. Her eyes are closed. If it wasn’t for the rise and fall of her chest- so faint it almost isn’t there- he would believe she was dead.

And in some ways, she is. 

To the team, Emily Prentiss is gone. Just another victim of a dangerous serial killer with a vendetta. To the children that love her- Jack, Henry, even Carrie, who she still spoke to once a week- she will be in heaven. With Haley. To Aaron and Jennifer, she will be hiding. Alone and weak but safe.

Safe. He wants to laugh at that. How can she be safe when everyone she loved is being torn from her? When Ian Doyle is still alive? 

He doesn't want to be the one to tell her she was dead. He doesn't want to be the one to tell her that she had to go to Paris- the one place that had never been touched by the bloody hands of murder and pain- until they found Doyle. If they ever do find him. He doesn't want to let her go.

He wants to bury his head in her hair, inhaling the familiar smell of her shampoo that had always felt like the safety he craved but could never hold onto and pretend the sea wasn't pulling him under, cutting off his breathing as he struggled to stay afloat. He wants to hold her, hearing the steady and strong beat of her heart that reminds him of the reason for doing all of this. He wants to feel her hands- so warm and soft- against his stomach as she draws on his ribs so he can look in the mirror and see her, not George Foyet.

He wants so much. But there is a reason he is the Unit Chief. There is a reason he is in the room with her whilst JJ comforts a crying Reid. There is a reason that when the team thinks of Mom, they think of him. Not Rossi. Certainly not Gideon.

He does the difficult jobs. He does the things that need to be done but nobody else wants to. He cleans the blood off walls and stands guard at hospital beds. He pulls them away from dead bodies and witnesses their anger and sadness. He takes their insults and cradles them when they cry. He pretends he isn't human so they can believe they didn't hurt him. 

He does the difficult jobs because he brought all of them into a life of loss and pain, and in his opinion, it is a small price to pay. It is less than what he deserves to do. It isn't enough to make up for everything he has caused them to see but it is a start.

When Emily leaves- and JJ will go to Paris with her, no matter how much she may say he should go instead- he will carry out their grief assessments. He will let them look at him with pain and hurt and anger and sadness and ask him what the point is. As they ask him why they are alive. 

And then he will run. Because they will find Ian Doyle, and when they do, Emily Prentiss will return. They will hate him, and he will be a coward. He will take a job elsewhere and let them repair their lives, rebuild their home, without him.

But until that day comes, he will sit by Emily's bed, holding her hand, limp and cold, and pray for her to wake up. He hasn't prayed since he was a child. And even then, he didn't really believe in God. But desperate people will do anything. And although he was calm and collected before the committee that decided Emily's fate, he is desperate for her to just wake up.

So he will atone for his sins and take whatever punishment is deemed appropriate. He will let her go and never inhale her perfume again, if only so she is able to open her eyes.

"You could've told me," he repeats, thinking about the last woman he said those words too. But that had been different. JJ wasn't Emily. "I could've helped you. You could've trusted me with this. And I know it isn't about me. It's about you. But I'm selfish, Emily Prentiss. I'm selfish and I don't want to let you go but I have to."

He doesn't know how to. He doesn't know what he's meant to say when she wakes up and only sees him. JJ had looked at him when she said Emily never made it off the table. It was a single glance, but he'd understood. He had walked away from the team. Refused to let his tears fall.

And then he had looked the committee in the eye and told them he had no emotional attachment to her case. He had lied. And Emily had, in their words, been saved. He didn't believe it was saving her. He believed it was keeping her alive so one day, she could come home and live a better life. 

The woman on that bed is not his Emily. It is not the Emily he loves, or the Emily that told him he wasn't alone. It's not the Emily that dances around the kitchen with Jack, or the Emily that refuses to flinch when he has nightmares. The Emily that never walked away from him until that one fateful day.

He should have known something was wrong then. And if not then, when she was late twice in the same week. But he had been so blinded by his own hurt and anger and betrayal that he refused to comment. Secretly, vindictively, he had hoped that her lateness was being caused by her own pain. That she was trying to avoid him. 

Now he realises that he was right. She was trying to avoid him. Because he knew her. And if she saw him properly, she would crack. And in the same way he had been determined to find Foyet alone, without anyone else going down with him, she had been determined to find Doyle alone.

But Foyet had still killed Haley. And Doyle had technically killed her. In some ways, he had killed the team too. He didn't know how to bring up Spencer's migraines with him, but Emily had been his confidant. What was going to happen now? How is Derek supposed to move past being told to let her go? 

The doctors had told him to get some rest and to go home, but he can't. Jack is still with Jessica, and his apartment is still littered with scraps of her. He hadn't moved anything after that night. He had thought it was strange when she didn't ask for any of it. Now he knows why. She had bigger things going on.

He told Clyde Easter that it would be his fault if something happened to her. Because he needed someone else to blame. He needed to believe that he was a good man that had done what he could. But he hadn't. Rational thought told him that just like with everyone else, he couldn't force her to tell him the truth or accept his help.

The part of him that was still helplessly in love with her told him that he could have. Should have. But he hadn't. So now he was sitting there, watching the heart monitor, convincing himself she was alive. Bracing himself for the moment she woke up.

He still doesn't know what he's meant to say.

"I was so angry at you then. After everything we had gone through, I didn't understand why you were just so willing to throw it all away. You had told me you would never leave, and you just left me there, in the home we had finally started to build. But I get it now. And I am sorry. I am so, so sorry that I wasn't enough and that I didn't do more and-"

"Aaron," she whispered. Her eyes had fluttered open moments after he'd started speaking, but she hadn't been ready to confront the world. He needed to get the words out. He needed a moment to be Aaron before he morphed back into Hotch.

She has no right to his name. Not now. Not after everything she has put him through. Not after she left him on his knees, a ring so different from the one Ian had tried to give her that still symbolised the exact same thing, with tears in his eyes as she pretended he was nothing in order to protect him.

But she needed him. She was cold, and her stomach hurt, and she didn't know where she was. She didn't understand why it was so dark, or why only he was there, apologising. The team should have been waiting. He should have been smiling, looking slightly disapproving. Not crying. He wouldn't risk any of the team seeing him like that.

He looks up. "Emily," he whispers, pouring every inch of his heart into that single word. But as he says it, he is looking at her hairline. Not her eyes. He knows that if he looks at her eyes, he will crumble. And now she is awake, he cannot let himself do that.

He forgets that Emily knows everything about him. She knows the optimum temperature for his baths. She knows the way he takes his coffee, the fact that he hates two-in-one shampoo and conditioner but keeps it in his go bag for ease. She knows which nightmares lead to a cold shower that chills him to the bone and reminds him of his own fragility.

She knows that his own humanity terrifies him. She knows how he shuts down and avoids everything when it gets too overwhelming, which is how she knows whatever has happened is bad. Worse than bad.

"Where is everyone?" she asks, shocked by the weakness of her voice.  

He doesn't reply. He knows that he needs to. That with every moment that passes, she comes up with another scenario. But he didn't need to tell the team that she never made it off the table. Until now, he has been able to pretend that none of this is even happening. That when she opened her eyes, he would guide the others down to her room. 

That when they discharged her from the hospital, he would take her to his apartment, Jack's toys strewn across the living room and the carpet, which if you looked at it from just the right angle would see had been changed in one area.

"Hotch," she whispers.

He closes his eyes for a few seconds. When he opens them, there is no warmth behind his stare. He still won't meet her eyes, and she feels herself begin to panic. His biggest tell is when he refuses to look at someone.

"They believe you're dead," he says, voice completely monotone as he fights a wave of emotion.

"Then why haven't you gone and told them that I'm not?" she asks, already terrified of the answer.

He looks down. "Emily, I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry. You don't need to forgive me, but I need you to know that there was no other way to keep you safe. I tried. I tried so hard, but there was no other way-" he inhaled, snatching his hand back the moment she tried to hold it.

It hurt, more than anything that had happened over the past weeks, to see how he did not trust her. Not anymore.

"I always said that the only person that wouldn't forgive you is yourself. And I stand by that. So tell me the truth. Please Aaron. Just tell me what happened because I can't remember and it is terrifying, and you know what it is like. Please," she whispered. She tried, once more, to take his hand, but she was too weak.

He did not know what it was like to not remember what had happened. He remembered everything Foyet had done to him, from the first time the knife had touched his skin to the moment he had lost consciousness. He had never told her that. He probably never would.

"It's to keep you safe," he said, trying to find the words to explain what had happened. But like the ability to save the people he loved, they evaded him.

"Safe," she repeated. Like she didn't know what the word meant anymore. Maybe she didn't. Maybe she never had. There had been a time where his arms were the safest place she could find herself, but the man sitting in front of her was not the one that had held her at night.

The man sitting in front of her was a coward.

He flinches at her tone. It's been so long since she's spoken to him like that- snapping her words and rolling her eyes- that he's forgotten what it felt like. He wonders how. Her words always managed to meet their mark.

"Yes Em." The Em slips out without meaning to. He doesn't get to call her Em anymore. "Safe."

"Ian Doyle has murdered every single person on that team apart from Clyde Easter. Explain to me how I'm going to be safe."

"He's going to believe you're dead," he says, too quietly for her to hear. He says it to himself because he too needs to believe she's dead. In some ways, she is because she'll never be the woman she was before, and it's all his fault.

She frowns, the words not quite processing as her head still hurts from the painkillers. All she can say to him is: "What?"

She deserves more than what he can give. So he ignores his own shattered heart, and finally, finally meets her eyes. His own pain and anguish is reflected in hers. She almost looks away because she cannot handle his humanity. Almost. Her desire to prove she is better than he believes wins out, so she carries on staring.

"Ian Doyle hurt you. Badly. So-" he pauses again. Desperately tries to find that neutrality he had always stressed the importance of. He fails, because just like with Foyet, this isn't just a victim of a heinous crime. It's the woman that holds whatever pieces of his heart that still exist this time. Even as she had walked away, leaving him on his knees, he knew he would never stop loving her.

"So what, Aaron?" she presses, sounding angry.

It scares him, her anger. Everyone's anger scares him. He hates it, hates that his father still holds that kind of grip on him and his mind, but the moment someone seems angry he feels himself shutting down and becoming smaller. Drifting away to a fictional world where nobody cries and he's safe. 

He doesn't deserve to shut down now.

"Everyone thinks you're dead because that's what we've told them. And they will think you're dead until we find Ian Doyle and-" he doesn't finish his sentence. Ian Doyle needs to die before Emily can come home to him and the team. But if he tells her that, she will realise he is not the good man she believes him to be. He is just one misstep away from becoming an unsub they cannot find.

"They think I'm dead," she says, tears in her eyes as all the pain she has been repressing since the first sign of Ian's return suddenly makes itself known. She doesn't feel anything physically- the sedatives are working- but it feels like her heart is being ripped from her chest.

For a moment, she wonders if Aaron felt like this when Haley died.

"I'm sorry," he says, again. It's what his vocabulary has been reduced to. He doesn't know how to put everything he wants to say into words. He doesn't know what the point in doing that is, because it won't change anything.

JJ is taking her to Paris. She deserves that. She needs that. She needs to see something good. He doesn't deserve to see Emily smiling and healing enough to travel. He deserves the anger and hatred of the team. He already knows that when it's time for them to know, he will tell them how it was him.

"You're sorry."

"Emily, please, I am trying to keep you safe, so just let me tell you what's going to happen. When the doctor gets here, they're moving you somewhere out of state, and as soon as you're strong enough, JJ will go with you. Paris, I think. She'll be your point of contact." It comes out in all one breath because if he stops he won't be able to start again.

"Are you?"

"Am I?"

"Are you really trying to keep me safe, or is this about you? Because I told Derek to let me go. I told him to let me go because Ian won't stop coming after people until I am dead. He broke out of a prison that should've held ten of him. He murdered every single person from that operation apart from Clyde Easter."

She's hurting. She's angry and hurt numb and upset and still so in love with him, but she can't hold back. Not now. She has to let go of everything and everyone she has ever cared about, and although rationally she knows it isn't his fault- it's Doyle's- she can't shout at Doyle. She can shout at Aaron though.

"Emily," he pleads, closing his eyes.

"You should've let me die," she spits. "You should have let me die because then this whole thing would be over. Ian would've got what he wanted and nobody else would be getting hurt. He'll work out I'm not dead. He will. And then the next person he kills, their blood will be on your hands."

He knows she doesn’t mean it. He knows that. It doesn’t stop him from looking at her face, at the mouth that had always felt like a firework against his own and wondering how she manages to do this to him.

“Stop,” he begs. He can’t take much more.

“Just like Haley’s,” she says before she can stop herself.

Those three words make his heart shatter all over again.

Time seems to slow down. Her own words register in her mind and her jaw drops. She presses one trembling fist to her mouth, forcing the apology down. She can't give it to him right now. He won't accept it. The other traitorously reaches out for his hand, still resting on the blanket.

He had turned away the moment she said Haley's name. When he looks at her again, eyes read and cheeks damp, his mouth is forming the word why, but no sound is coming out. He's frozen, hands trembling and there is nothing she can do to cure his pain. 

There are no words she can whisper. No medication she can count out for him. No stories of her childhood that she can distract him. There is nothing she can do because this time, it was not a serial killer scarring his stomach so every time he looked in the mirror he would see them. It was not a man that should never have had children causing him to look at her and ask what he had been thinking.

It had been her. That was the problem with profilers. They always knew where to strike. The difference was, he was too afraid to do it. She was too angry to not.

The worst part is, he doesn't reply. He doesn't say a single word, because in his head, it is what he deserves. It is what everyone has been thinking since the day of the funeral. The difference with her is that she does not hesitate to say what she thinks.

It used to make him smile. In this moment, it breaks him.

He moves from the chair. He's done his duty. And if he looks at her, he think will say something he doesn't mean. Something cruel. Something about her own issues- about how she doesn't trust him, how she is so afraid of commitment she would let the only good thing she's ever let herself have go. 

She knows that he won't. He's too good. Too afraid. It's why, before she can overthink it, she whispers one word: "Stay."

He's still close enough to hear her. She watches as slight relief, then pained love, and finally a forced and cold neutrality that she has always hated because it means people don't get to see how beautiful and painful his humanity is.

Nothing he does will ever be enough for this. He will never deserve her forgiveness. The final decision was out of his hands, but if he had just fought a little bit harder, then he could have told the team and they would be able to share the burden. He will never be good enough for her. The darkness she has carried with her since that day in Italy, even though she understands now that she too was just a child faced with an impossible decision, will never compare to his.

Her darkness was part of her beauty. His got people killed. Her, laying on that bed, is just another piece of proof. He cannot give her what she deserves, but he can give her what she wants.

And so, he stays.

Nothing she says will ever make up for those words that now feel like copper in her mouth. She will never deserve the feel of his calloused hands- some from the horrors of his childhood, others from the guitar he loved to play so much- in her own. If she had just been quicker, less of a survivor then he would be able to mourn her death instead of hiding the truth. She will never be good enough for him. The darkness he has carried with him since he was a child, a darkness that should have never been created, will never compare to hers.

His darkness is part of his humanity. Hers got people hurt. Him, heart once more in tattered shreds because of her, is just another piece of proof. She cannot give him what he deserves, but she can give him what he needs.

And so, she reaches out for him.

She takes his hands that are not coated with Haley's blood, no matter what he believes and holds them tightly. He lets her, even though every part of him screams to let go. Haley's body was cold the last time he held her. He does not want to remember Emily as this cold and fragile girl. 

But he will not take her to Paris. JJ had to stand there as they fought to keep her alive because he was frantically trying to convince people that cared more about politics than they did about real lives. She needs it.

He won't survive without it, but maybe that is for the best.

They sit like that, hands clasped in some pathetic recreation of the long nights and days they had spent together. 

When the doctors came to take her away, somewhere where he could not follow, the full extent of what was about to happen hit her.

"Aaron, I-" 

don't blame you, need you to come with me, want you to forgive yourself, regret saying no, trust you with everything I am, think you are the best man I know, didn't mean what I said- 

"I love you."

"Emily, you-" 

don't need to lie, are so much more than you give yourself credit for, are one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, cannot regret saying no, were right about Haley, were right about everything- 

"You shouldn't have said that."

She knows that. But she needed to say it in place of all the things she could never find the words for.

"Be happy for me," she says, right before the doors close.

"I'll try," he whispers, to an empty and cold room.

He doesn't. He runs instead, like the coward she accused him of being.

[jor-elsemissary]

Can’t Stop Loving You

part 3

———

“… LuthorCorp plans to see Metropolis return to its former glory. Even now, with the aide of the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Guard, cleanup of the city and relocation of the thousands who lost their homes and businesses…” Martha heard the voice of Lionel Luthor in the background of her living room as he gave his small speech and answered questions from the press. She glanced at the digital clock on the microwave in her kitchen and noted the time and how soon he would be at her home.

She had nearly an hour but she doubted he’d make it here in time with the traffic in Washington. Unless he cut his time at the press conference by not answering the questions she knows the press will want to ask of him. She should have been there herself but the President had only asked for Henry Vaughan to be present and as she glanced at the television, she caught a glimpse of the senior senator from Kansas.

It was politics, of course, and one that would only help Vaughan slightly. The man was getting on in age and his constituents were not too pleased with his record of late. Martha would not be surprised if he stepped down next election and let someone else younger take the reins. As for her, she planned on making an appearance in Metropolis and helping the people as a show of support. Action was always louder than words.

Martha returned to what she had been doing before she became distracted by Lionel, pencil tapping against the legal pad she had been scribbling parts of a speech on. She was having trouble finding the words that would invigorate and raise morale for the people of Metropolis, her thoughts drifting back toward Lionel yet again.

With a defeated sigh, she turned her gaze toward the press conference again and found that Lionel had stepped back to let his public relations expert take the podium and answer the plethora of questions directed at him. She studied him for a moment, noting how the cameras at the White House were not doing him any justice. He still looked tired and worn, and she wondered how he had been since the attack on their city.

He loved Metropolis as much as he did her. She knew he’d devote a lot of his time seeing through the promise he made to the people, even if she knew he was only doing it to make money. The man was a workaholic and as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be. She could imagine him in his penthouse study, nursing a glass of brandy while he went over the logistics of rebuilding a city with Dominic or that new assistant of his.

Martha tried to not think about what else he would be doing with the red head in his study. They were not seeing each other anymore and it should not matter to her with whom Lionel spent the night with. She reasoned he was a man with needs and he had every right to seek out companionship with whomever he wanted.

So why did it hurt to imagine him with another woman?

Frustrated that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with the speech while he was on her mind, Martha tossed the pencil down and stood up from the sofa, deciding instead to get ready for their dinner. She headed to her bedroom and searched for something casual and dug out a blouse with slacks that was the color of a deep red, wine. It was simple and did not reveal too much, quite conservative in fact.

Martha took a moment to look at her partially nude form in the floor length mirror once she had undressed out of the jeans and t-shirt. Her hand slowly ran over her body, remembering the last time Lionel had touched her curves and simply admired her body. He had always been good to her in bed and never said anything negative toward her aging body.

Closing her eyes she imagined she could feel his strong arms wrapping around her from behind and clasping her wandering hand firmly in his as he left feather-like kisses on her neck and shoulder. She can hear his husky voice whispering endearments into her ear, affectionate words that always left a smile on her lips. Her hand gracefully slid over her stomach where it paused and she felt a pang of regret threatening to surface and ruin her moment of fantasy.

Martha opened her eyes again and saw the tears welling in her eyes. The memory of their last time together had both been a pleasant one and a painful reminder of why she had chosen to leave him. She turned away from the mirror abruptly and started to change into the casual attire in the hopes that if she kept her self busy with getting ready, she wouldn’t think about it.

It was easier said than done as she found out while trying to slip on the blouse. Her fingers brushed over her stomach while trying to button the shirt and her mind immediately wandered. She knew she had hurt him when she had called things off and insisted they simply remain friends. He had asked why, what had he done and if she would give him a chance to correct things.

“It’s not you,” she had told him, tears in her eyes. “It is nothing that you can fix.”

She had given him a goodbye kiss and left him standing in his office with more questions than answers. She had seen the hurt in his face, knew it had deeply affected him for days afterward. He had tried to reconcile not long after but she refused to return his calls he left with her secretary and avoided him when she could.

Eventually he stopped calling on her.

She had missed him in the following weeks and had wanted to let him back in, but she had not been in the right mindset to do so. It would have hurt him even more if he had known the truth for leaving him. It would have reopened the wound that was still healing at the time.

A wound, she realized had only festered over the months.

Martha managed to angrily button the blouse closed.

—————

The hour passed by agonizingly slow, a torment she could have gone without. But she had managed to dress and be ready by the time her door bell had rung unsurprisingly exactly at seven o’clock. Martha wondered if he had used his helicopter to bypass all of the traffic, but this was Washington and the hassle of getting permission to fly anywhere near the White House or Capital Hill would be more than Lionel would have wanted to deal with. She smiled at the thought though. If he really had wanted to, she was certain he could get the permit to fly directly over the White House and land there.

It was a disturbing though to consider and made her wonder who exactly ran the country. People like her or men like Lionel?

She brushed aside the idea, something to contemplate another time and with those of like minded minds.

Martha approached the entryway to her Washington home. She could see his silleottte in the side window and that he had something in his arms. She didn’t need to guess what it was even as she reached to open the door, hesitating for a brief few seconds to gather herself and take a calming breath. Even after months of being separated and not talking to each other, she could tell that he still had an affect on her. Having him just beyond the door was more than enough to leave the flutter of butterflies in her stomach.

So when she finally opened the door and saw him standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his arms, that charming smile that could sweep her off her feet and looking as handsome as ever, her stomach did more than have butterflies. She had been right that the television had not done him any justice in his appearance. He looked less tired and worn in person than he did on camera, but she could still see the creases of age and stress on his face. He tried to hide it as best he could beneath a jovial expression, his smile wide with a happiness she hadn’t seen on him since before she had broken up with him.

Martha felt a pang of regret and tried to return his smile. Her’s must not have been as genuine looking as she had hoped because she saw his falter a little. “Hi, Lionel,” she quickly greeted and stepped back to invite him into her home more out of a curtesy than actually wanting him there. She saw his demeanor change from the hopeful suitor to the nervous, love-struck fool he had been in the first years of their friendship.

It was clear he still loved her deeply and she could not understand why. Most men would have taken the heartbreak and moved on. Had she been any other woman, Martha probably would have had a pair of diamond earrings by now as a parting gift and as a message that he accepted her choice to leave him. But he had not given her that and it was clear now that he had not moved on at all.

“Hello, Martha,” Lionel returned the greeting and nervously held out the bouquet of flowers to her. It was a mix of seasonal flowers that were beautiful and smelled fragrantly. Martha hesitated to accept the thoughtful gift and noted that he took notice. His smile faded completely and she could see him considering to leave and call off the dinner date.

Out of politeness more than anything else, she finally accepted them and brought them over to the kitchen. “You looked well at the press conference,” she gave polite small talk to help ease the tension that was building between them.

“Hardly,” he replied from a safe distance that wasn’t hovering like he so often did when they had been friends or had been dating. Now he seemed to be carefully thinking about how he presented himself to her and how far he was willing to invade her personal space. She didn’t need to be a therapist to know that he was still hurting over the breakup and Martha wondered if this dinner was a good idea. “Between rebuilding Metropolis and handling stubborn politicians,” she knew that was a dig toward her but didn’t let it bother her, “I am exhausted. Its a wonder I haven’t collapsed from the stress.”

“You’re a businessman,” Martha pointed out and turned to face him once she had the flowers in a vase. “You thrive best in stressful situations.” Except when their lives were on the line. She didn’t need to be reminded of what Lincoln Cole had put them through or that Lionel had been so willing to die for her back then. She could tell by looking at him, that he was still willing and again she questioned why he was so head over heels for her.

“Yes,” his gaze cast downward, hands clasped behind his back and she couldn’t help but smile at the image of him looking like a nervous, love-struck school boy. He brought his head back up and his smile was back when he caught her smiling at him. “Shall we? I’m sure you’re quite hungry, I know I am.” He held out his hand to her and this time Martha didn’t hesitate to take it in her own and let him tuck her arm under his.

Although she wasn’t sure about this dinner with him, she could convince herself that they were at least friends still. It wasn’t the first time he had to cope with unrequited love from her before.

She just needed to cope with him being in love with her still.

TBC

Funny thing to happen. Martha getting jealous over Lionel's new assistant. Of course she's pretty. Of course she's young. Of course she's pretty. OF COURSE SHE'S A RED HEAD!

Martha: so...how was work?

Lionel: Boring. Better now that you're here.

Ptst fun little plot twist I think you'll enjoy. The new assistant is gay.

Can’t Stop Loving You

‘LUTHORCORP HEADS REBUILD’ read the headline on the latest edition of The Daily Planet. Senator Kent flattened the paper on the counter while she poured herself a cup of coffee and buttered the toasted english muffins. Normally she would have had a much larger breakfast to carry her throughout the day until lunch but she had an early meeting and only had enough time to catch up on the paper and a light meal. If coffee and toast could be even considered a meal that is.

She read through the article about how LuthorCorp was promising to rebuild the devastated parts of Metropolis after the alien invasion’s attempt to terraform the planet. How Lionel was upset over the loss of life, culture and architecture; that Metropolis was his city and he was going to take care of it. Martha was impressed that he was willing to help take the lead, but she knew that he was going to make a lot of money from the government in this rebuild.

Lionel rarely ever did anything out of the goodness of his heart unless it was something she wanted. She might have suggested he do something in their last phone call though. Martha remembered he had gently chuckled and promised her he would look into it.

Her attention was soon drawn to the picture printed across the upper half of the paper. It was of Lionel, much older and tired these days. The sides of his hair had greyed and made him look even more distinguished when it was trimmed short enough so he could comb it back. He still wore the beard, greyed in the middle and neatly trimmed. But there were more crows feet at his eyes and laugh lines around his mouth.

Despite the obvious signs of age, he still looked much younger. They had once joked that the meteor rocks had given him an uncanny longevity, an agelessness that caused him to age at a much slower rate. It had only been teasing on her part, but now she wondered if perhaps the rocks did indeed grant him something. He was in his seventies and he still looked like a man twenty years younger.

Not that she was complaining. Lionel looked good and perhaps that was why she felt a sudden pang of jealousy when she spotted the young red head standing behind him in the picture. She shouldn’t feel this way over another woman in Lionel’s life, and from the pencil skirt and blouse she wore, Martha suspected the woman was a personal assistant and that seemed to only make it worse.

A new one too.

The last one had been a brunette and just slightly younger than herself. She recalled Lionel did not have any issues with her so why the new hire? Had Janet finally had enough of his eccentricities and called it quits? Or had he tried to flirt with her? No, Janet hadn’t been his type and one of the reasons why he hired her. Well she may have had a hand in helping him pick an assistant.

She wondered if this was one of Lionel’s games he liked to play with her. Of all the bad habits and behaviors he had, Martha never really did enjoy his manipulative challenges. She only went along with them because she could easily see through them and he never did anything to be malicious or to hurt her.

But this?

If Janet hadnt lived up to his expectations, he had a list of suitable hires to pick from that she had gone over with him before returning back to Washington. She did not recall there being a red head in her twenties being among them. So why her and why now?

“He is incorrigible,” Martha murmured and caught herself side eyeing the smartphone resting beside her briefcase. She could easily call or text him but if this was one of his games to make her jealous and seek his company, well the man was gonna find himself waiting a long time. She would not be jealous over a personal assistant, even if she was a red head and professionally looked a little too much like her.

“No, Martha, you are not going to give him the time of day over this.” She flipped the paper over and finished off her coffee and muffin, determined to put him and his assistant out of her mind as she grabbed her phone, keys and briefcase. She was not dating him anymore and if he had purposely hired the woman to incite a reaction out of her, she was not going to give in.

She had better things to do than deal with a man pinning for her still.

—————

The chorus of Save Me rang muffled from inside the mahogany desk where she kept her personal phone while she worked. Martha gave the ringing song an offended look from where she stood by the bookcases, a thick law book in her hand. She thought she had changed that ring tone a while back but apparently not.

She knew who was calling and although she longed to talk to him again, she was determined to not allow him to win at this little game of his. Martha frowned as the song abruptly stopped and the call went to voicemail and she wondered if perhaps her stubbornness was expected or if there really was a game.

“Oh for Christ’s sake,” she muttered with a snap of the law book closing shut in her hand. “So what if he has a new assistant? What he does in his spare time and with whom doesn’t matter anymore.”

Setting the book aside, she went over to the desk and fished out the phone. Swiping the screen open, she found the voicemail waiting for her and opened it.

Martha, it’s Lionel. It’s been a while since we last talked or had a lunch together. I am going to be in Washington later tonight and wondered if you would be interested in dinner? I know a wonderful Italian hole in the wall, nothing fancy or extravagantly expensive. Just you and I, and spaghetti? Please call me back to let me know. I… miss you.

Of course he would reference one of her favorite movies to try and court her back into his life. She should not have been surprised that he sees her as the lady and himself as the tramp. She who came from a privileged life and he from the Slums. “Still the romantic,” Martha sighed and allowed herself to give in and text him a reply instead of calling.

Martha stared at the messages with the sinking feeling he had maneuvered her into a date with him. She had to give him credit where credit was due. When Lionel wanted something, he pursued it until he had it or he could no longer acquire it. She had been the one to break things up between them and she knew it had broken his heart, but they had agreed to remain as friends.

Friends who didn’t talk to each other for a long while.

She sighed heavily and sat the phone down on her desk while leaning against the edge, staring ahead at nothing in particular and lost in thought. Did she really want to meet him for dinner after all this time? How awkward would it be for them? For her? Lionel would be the one pursuing a relationship again, possibly even mending what he thought had been wrong the first time. She had never given him a reason other than that it wasn’t working out.

Martha sighed again and pinched at the bridge of her nose. He was going to want an answer if the subject was brought up and she didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth. It would be too painful for her and a stab in the heart for him. Thinking about it now brought tears to the corners of her eyes.

Damn him for wanting back into her life!

TBC

[shadowedoracle]

Family Photos

Summary: Rumbelle go out for ice cream with Henry, Neal and Gideon.

Rating: G

A/N: Happy Rumbelle/ Skin Deep Day/ Fluffapalooza All! This is the first of my two Fluffapalooza fics.

Let me know if there are any typos -- I’ve had a migraine all week and haven’t been able to proofread it as many times as I normally would.

[AO3]

***

Henry’s birthday outing to Any Given Sundae was nearly over. Belle looked around at the other members of her family amazed how far they’d come in two short years. These outings had once been awkward and sometimes tense but today’s had been enjoyable and comfortable.

Henry and Neal were finishing off their massive sundaes and discussing comic books, while Rumple was trying to clean up Gideon.

“Papa!” shrieked Gideon, giggling as Rumplestiltskin wiped chocolate ice-cream off the two year old’s hands and face. He managed to wriggle one of his hands out of his father’s grip to tug on Rumple’s tie. Rumple sighed and began to uncurl Gideon’s stubborn fingers one by one from his tie.

“I suppose this is what I get for not wearing a hazmat suit.” He grumbled as he revealed a set of chocolate marks down his blue silk tie.

Belle giggled as images of her refined and always elegantly dressed husband in a hazmat suit appeared in her mind. Next to her both Henry and Neal laughed clearly imagining the same thing.

“I’d pay good money to see Papa take Gideon to Any Given Sundae in a hazmat suit,” said Neal grinning widely.

“Yeah! We could probably sell tickets,” Henry put in eagerly.

“Not, that I want to squash my grandson’s entrepreneurial spirit…” began Rumple.

Neal snorted, earning him a glare from Rumple as he settled his younger son in his lap. Neal just rolled his eyes.

Rumple harrumphed. “Let’s just move on shall we?” said Rumple testily. “Gideon’s clean enough for a picture now.”

He gave Gideon a hug. Gideon turned a little and lifted his head to give his Papa a smacking kiss, leaving a large patch of chocolaty drool on Rumple’s face.

Belle reached for her phone but before she could snap a photo, Rumple had picked up a napkin and wiped the drool from his face. “Can’t take you anywhere my boy, can we?” he said tickling Gideon slightly, making the little boy giggle and kick his feet.

She smiled, her heart expanding at the clear love between her husband and their son. But she still felt tinge of disappointment at missing the shot of Rumple covered in chocolate ice cream drool.

Neal caught her eye and grinned. He stage whispered across the table, “Don’t worry Belle I got a photo of him before he cleaned himself up. I’ll send it to you.”

She smiled at her step-”son” (of sorts), “Thank you Neal.” “Send a copy to me too, Dad,” put in Henry.

“I hate all of you” Rumple muttered. But effect was ruined by the half-smile on his face. Besides all of them (apart from Gideon) knew how pleased he was that his eldest son and his grandson wanted any photos of him at all. They knew he was beyond happy that Henry allowed these birthday outings with his Dad’s family.

Belle smiled at four of them. “All right. Time for you picture. Now huddle round everyone so I can fit you all in.”

Rumple kept his arms firmly around Gideon, Henry leaned slightly in on Rumple’s right side, while Neal wrapped his arm around his father’s left shoulder and leaned close.

Belle saw Rumple’s mouth twitch almost imperceivably -- she doubted anyone but her would notice that twitch or understand its significance. But Belle knew even after these few years of rebuilding his relationship with Neal Rumple was still surprised his son even deigned to spend time with him -- let alone that he was now comfortable enough with his Papa to initiate physical contact with him again.

Belle smiled as she readied her phone. “Alright smile everyone!” She called.

The four male members of her family all grinned up at her. She snapped a few pictures and satisfied when she managed to get a clear shot of Rumple with his sons and grandson with chocolate marks down his tie and looking like he couldn’t be happier.

She gave a thumbs up to the men so they could relax and began plotting where among the many family photos in their living room she and Rumple should place this one.

[emospritelet]

Twisted Fate - chapter 22

Sorry I’m taking ages with fic at the moment. Suffering from an extreme lack of spoons :(

Last time, Belle jumped Gold’s bones and they both enjoyed it :)

[AO3]

X

Belle decided she could get used to waking up with Gold. She was warm and comfortable, his body pressed against her back and his lips gently kissing her shoulders. She found herself smiling broadly as she stretched her legs, and he kissed the back of her neck, making her shiver.

“Morning,” she murmured sleepily.

“Morning.” Soft lips traced a line along her shoulder. “Did you sleep well?”

“Eventually,” she said, giggling a little. “That was quite a night.”

“Mmm.” Gold paused, pushing up on one elbow. “Are you alright? Was it a little too much?”

“No no,” she assured him, shifting to look over her shoulder. “It was good. It was perfect.”

He smiled broadly, and kissed her full on the lips. Belle pulled away with a sigh of frustration.

“But unfortunately I have to pee,” she grumbled, and he chuckled, patting her hip.

“I’ll make some tea.”

The sun had risen, the day bright and clear after the previous night’s storm, and Gold cooked omelettes with cheese and mushrooms, washed down with tea. Belle was hungry, and followed the omelette with a slice of toast with butter and honey. He watched in amusement as she used a finger to dab at the crumbs on her plate, catching every one.

“I could make you some more, you know,” he said.

“I think it’s enough,” she said, wrinkling her nose as if she was unsure. “Guess we worked up an appetite.”

“That must be the reason I feel as though I was beaten with something heavy last night,” he remarked, sipping his coffee, and she smirked.

“Well, your efforts were very much appreciated.”

He caught her eyes, grinning, and she found herself blushing a little. It felt good to be flirting with him again. It felt good to be a couple at last. She reached for her tea, taking a sip, and set down her cup.

“Are you going back to Storybrooke on Friday?” she asked, and he nodded.

“I have my appointment with Dr Hopper,” he said. “And there are a few enquiries from tenants I may have to deal with in person. Dove keeps me updated, and is very adept at enforcement if necessary, but it’s best to deal with these things before they become an issue.”

“At least tell me you’re not repossessing the flower shop,” she said, in a dry tone, and he pulled a face, his eyes glinting.

“Not this week.”

She gave him a very level look, and Gold sighed.

“Your father has no arrears that I’m aware of,” he said. “He’s managed to pay the rent each month since you left. Albeit at the last minute and with an extremely bad attitude.”

“Hmm.” Belle reached for her cup again. “Wonders will never cease.”

He grinned at that, and took a sip of his coffee.

“Will you be alright here by yourself?” he asked. “Ask Emma and Neal to come over. I’ll make extra food, you can invite them to dinner again.”

Belle hesitated.

“Actually, I thought I might come with you,” she said. “Is that okay?”

He looked surprised, but nodded.

“Of course,” he said. “In that case, why don’t we travel up the day before? It’ll save me an early start. We could take our time, get some dinner on the way, perhaps.”

“With me looking like I did twelve rounds of amateur boxing?” she remarked, gesturing at her bruises. “I was thinking takeout and an early night.”

“Well, I’m all in favour of that,” he said, his grin turning wicked, and she giggled.

There was silence for a moment as she turned back to her tea. Gold poured more coffee, the scent strong in the air, and glanced up at her.

“Any particular reason you wanted to go to Storybrooke?” he asked, and she put down her cup, pushing it across the table for him to refill.

“I thought I’d go and see my father,” she said.

An eyebrow flicked upwards, the only indication of his surprise.

“Alright,” he said, and took a sip of coffee. “How do you think he’ll react?”

“Don’t know,” she admitted. “But I’m going to speak to him. If he chooses to cut me off for trying to build a life with the father of my child, he can at least do it to my face.”

Gold frowned at that.

“You want me to come with you?”

She was shaking her head even before he had finished the sentence.

“I think that would only make things worse,” she said. “I’m going to tell him about us, but I think it’s best if I go alone.”

“Right.” He took another drink. “Perhaps when I have my appointment with Dr Hopper, then.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“It’ll give me something to talk about,” he added, and she smiled.

“You mean to say there’s nothing else you want to mention?”

He returned the smile.

“Maybe one or two other things.”

x

It was nice being happy, Belle reflected. She and Gold had spent a couple of days doing little but lounge around, eat and make love. They had also been talking, trying to rebuild everything that was broken between them. It was a slow process, but she felt that it was worthwhile. That they would be stronger for it. He had tentatively broached the subject of them getting therapy as a couple, and she had agreed readily, but suggested that they wait until the baby was born. Not that being pregnant was a barrier to it, far from it, but she wanted him to have a few more sessions on his own with Archie before they started delving into their issues. For one thing, she thought, he needed practice in how to open up.

Admittedly he was doing far better on that front, and had told her a little more about his son, and tiny snippets of his childhood. Her heart ached for him, and the son he loved so desperately. She had wished that there was something she could say to ease the pain, some miracle that she could work to find him. All she could do was reassure Gold that his son was safe and well, and urge him not to give up hope. He seemed to appreciate the words, whether he believed them or not.

By midweek, he had decided that there was business in Boston to attend to that couldn’t wait any longer, and had left her with Emma while he visited his lawyer.

“So.” Emma lounged back against the couch cushions, flicking her hair back over her shoulders. “You look better. Still bruised, still with a broken arm, but I’m sensing a thawing of relations with the father of your child.”

“Oh yeah?” Belle sent her a look. “You using your investigative superpowers again?”

“Maybe - dare I say - a heating up of relations?”

She was grinning, and Belle sighed, slumping in her seat.

“Fine,” she said. “We had sex.”

“I knew it!” Emma punched the air in triumph before falling back, cackling. “How was it?”

“Amazing.” Belle reached for the bag of chips between them, taking a handful. “I mean it always was amazing, but now it’s different, it’s - I don’t know. It feels different. Better. More - secure, I guess.”

“Sounds like you two made some real progress.”

“He told me he loved me,” she said, and Emma whistled.

“Mr I-Don’t-Care-About-Anyone said the ‘L’ word?”

“Said he always had, and he’d pushed me away out of fear,” said Belle, crunching chips.

“What a moron.”

“Yup.”

“So you guys are back together, then?”

“Well, we both want to make it work,” said Belle. “So assuming we can do that, yes.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

Belle finished the chips in her hand, brushing off the salt and reaching for her hot chocolate.

“I’m afraid we can’t do dinner on Friday,” she added. “We’re heading to Storybrooke on Thursday.”

“You’re going back to Maine with him?”

“Only for the night,” said Belle. “He has therapy on Friday afternoon. We’ll come back Friday evening.”

“Long way to go to see a shrink,” observed Emma, reaching for the chips and popping some into her mouth.

“If he feels comfortable enough to actually sit down and talk to someone, I’m not raising any objections,” said Belle. “I think he trusts Dr Hopper. As much as he trusts anyone, I guess.”

Emma winced, sucking salt from her fingers.

“Well, that’s a statement and a half.”

Belle shrugged.

“Yeah. We have a lot to talk about on that front,” she admitted.

“I guess at least he wants to make it work,” said Emma. “He’s trying, right?”

“He really is,” said Belle. “He meant what he said, I could tell.”

“Well, I’m happy for you,” said Emma, reaching for the chips again. “So, how come you’re going with him? Thinking of moving back there?” 

Belle cradled her mug of hot chocolate in both hands, sinking back into the cushions a little.

“I don’t think so. I want to finish my Master’s first.” She took a sip. “Although I have to admit Storybrooke is a great place to raise kids. Maybe in a year or two.”

There was a silence for a moment. Belle put down her mug.

“I thought I’d go and see my dad,” she said hesitantly, and Emma raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah?” She sat forward a little. “How d’you think he’ll react?”

Belle pulled a face.

“I guess we’ll find out,” she said dryly. “I don’t want to cause a scene, but I’m tired of waiting around for him to call. I know how bloody stubborn he is. If I don’t make the first move, he never will.”

“You think he wants to make up?”

“Guess I’ll never know until I try.”

“Maybe he’ll be excited about being a grandpa,” suggested Emma.

“Yeah, maybe.” 

Belle chewed her lip, and Emma tilted her head.

“You gonna be okay?”

“He either wants a relationship with me or he doesn’t,” she said simply. “Not much I can do about it but reach out. The rest is up to him.”

“He can’t leave it too long,” said Emma. “The baby’ll be here soon. You got everything you need?”

“I think we’re as ready as we can be,” said Belle. “As far as baby accessories go, anyway. Actually being parents and - and a couple is kind of untested.”

“Just make sure you have your hospital bag packed and ready to go,” said Emma. “Nothing to say the baby’ll wait until May. Henry was two weeks early.”

Belle hesitated.

“Did you have anyone with you when you had Henry?” she asked. “I know Neal wasn’t around, but you weren’t alone, right?”

Emma smiled.

“I was living in Tallahassee,” she said. “Crappy one-bed in a crappy apartment block. There was an old lady called Mrs Bernstein who lived down the hall. She’d had something like eight kids, all grown up and moved all over. She kind of took me under her wing, tried to feed me up every time I stopped by. She gave me some of her grandkids’ things, like the crib and a high chair. Went to the hospital with me.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“Yeah.” Emma looked sad. “She passed not long after Henry was born. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so frightened as I was right then. But I got through it.”

“Trying to raise a kid alone must be so hard,” said Belle. “You think you and Neal will have any more, now you’re settled?”

Emma pulled a face.

“We’ve talked about it,” she admitted. “Can’t really afford it at the moment. Maybe when Neal qualifies, or when I get a decent job. In a couple of years, maybe.”

“There’s plenty of time,” agreed Belle, and Emma nudged her.

“What about you?” she asked. “Gold seems to like kids.”

Belle huffed out air in a sigh.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Let’s see how we do with this one first.”

“Guess it’s early days for you guys.”

“I haven’t wanted to kick him in the balls recently, though,” said Belle. “So that’s progress.”

“Maybe your dad wants to bury the hatchet,” suggested Emma. “Pretty soon you could have more family than you know what to do with.”

x

Driving into Storybrooke felt like coming home. Belle peered out of the window as they passed by Granny’s Diner, customers drinking and laughing as the waitresses handed around beers and plates of burgers and fries. She wondered how the townsfolk would react when they heard the news that she and Gold were expecting a child. Hopefully better than her father had. The car passed by the florist’s shop, but at this time of the evening it was dark and locked.

They drove straight to Gold’s house and he carried in the small overnight bag they had brought, locking the door behind them to shut out the cool night air. 

“Take a seat,” he said. “I’ll get you some tea.”

Belle walked into the lounge, looking around with interest to see what had changed since she had last been there. A few different antiques on the shelves and mantelpiece. A patterned silk shawl draped over the back of one of the couches. She smiled, inhaling deeply and pulling in the scent of beeswax polish. His house smelt a little like the shop, a comforting smell. Perhaps this will be our house, she thought. Storybrooke would be a nice place to raise our child, if I can get a librarian post. Perhaps the town library could open up again.

She shook her head, sitting down on the couch and folding her hands in her lap as she waited for Gold to return. They were a long way from settling down in Storybrooke as a happy family. But at least she knew he wanted to make it work.

x

They earned the curious stares of the townsfolk the next day in the diner. Belle had decided that it was best to start as they intended to go on, and had suggested lunch at Granny’s. Granny herself served them, doing a double-take when she saw Belle’s rounded belly but recovering quickly.

“You sit down right now, girl!” she ordered, waving them to a table. “Take the weight off your feet. How the hell did you get those bruises? Is the arm broken?”

“Accident at college,” said Belle. “I was pretty lucky, considering. At least the baby’s fine.”

Granny made a noise of agreement.

“Got it tucked up nice and safe,” she said. “I can’t believe Moe didn’t mention you were expecting!”

“Didn’t he?” said Belle dryly. “Hmm. Well, I’ll take a burger and an iced tea, please.” 

“No problem,” said Granny, scribbling rapidly. “When’s the baby due?”

“May fifth,” said Gold evenly. “We’re very excited.”

Granny eyed him over the top of her glasses as though she had just remembered he existed, and he showed his teeth. 

“I’ll have the same,” he added. “Don’t scrimp on the pickles.”

Her gaze hardened, but she merely nodded, sniffed, and bustled off to the kitchen with their order. Gold pulled out Belle’s chair, and she sat down with a sigh.

“Well, that went better than I expected,” she said, as he took the seat opposite.

“How are you enjoying going public?”

Belle pulled a face.

“So far, so awkward,” she said, and he chuckled.

“Not much happens in this town,” he said. “I’m afraid the gossip mill is going to be working overtime.”

“Good thing we’ll be in Boston,” she said. “Let them say whatever they want.”

The burgers were every bit as good as she remembered, the iced tea sweet and refreshing, and as she ate, she caught Gold watching her with a tiny smile on his face, as though he couldn’t quite believe she was real. 

“Do you want to see anyone else while we’re here?” he asked, and she pondered for a moment, dipping her last fry in ketchup and chewing it.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “It would be nice to see Mary Margaret, but she’ll be in school at this hour, and besides, I’m not sure I have the energy for a lengthy explanation of the changes in my life.”

He nodded his understanding.

“In that case,” he said. “How about I meet you at the shop after I’ve seen Dr Hopper? It should only be an hour.”

“Sounds great.”

She reached out to take his hand, smiling and Gold smiled back, his eyes crinkling as he lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles. Belle could feel the stares of the townsfolk around them, and it almost made her want to climb over the table and kiss Gold into a frenzy, just to give them a proper show. She settled for kissing his hand in turn, earning a soft-eyed grin. Storybrooke would get used to the idea.

x

Belle could feel her heart thump with anxiety as she stared up at the sign for Game of Thorns. Gold had walked her to the shop before kissing her goodbye and whispering words of encouragement. She took a deep breath, squaring her jaw. Well. Here goes.

She pushed open the door of the flower shop, the bell above tinkling merrily. Sunshine filtering through the leaves of potted houseplants threw dappled light across the floor, and she stood for a moment, breathing in the familiar scents of cut stems and fragrant blooms. She could hear noises from the back room, scrapes and rustles, and then the sound of heavy footsteps. After a moment, her father swung into view, a plastic bucket of flowers in each hand. He stopped dead as he saw her.

“Hi,” said Belle.

He stared at her for a long moment, eyes flicking to her belly and back up.

“So,” he said. “You’re back.”

She wasn’t sure if the brief light in his eyes was anger or hope.

“Just visiting,” she said. “Alex drove us up last night. We’re leaving this afternoon.”

He snorted, and set down the buckets of flowers. Belle raised her chin defiantly.

“Gold,” he said, mouth twisting around the name. “Back in your life, is he? I might have known.”

“We’re working things out, yes,” she said. “It’s early days, but he knows how much he hurt me, and he wants to fix it.”

Moe grunted, as though he doubted it.

“He give you those bruises?” he asked. 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” she snapped.

“You look like hell.”

“I fell down a set of bloody stairs at college,” she said coldly. “Broke my arm. Thanks for the sympathy.”

“And I’m only finding out about this now, am I?” he groused.

She threw up her free arm and let it fall, aghast.

“You haven’t spoken to me in five months!” she said. “If you were so desperate for an update on my life you could have picked up the damn phone! But as usual, I have to do all the work, right?”

He curled his lip, his expression somewhere between petulance and guilt.

“How’s the baby?” he asked, not quite looking at her.

“The baby’s fine,” she said. “Disappointed?”

Moe waved a hand, looking irritated.

“Oh, come on, I wouldn’t wish harm to the kid…”

“Really?” she said sarcastically. “When in our last conversation you pretty much cut me off because I wanted to keep it?”

Moe looked uncomfortable, shoulders hunching a little.

“That - that wasn’t my finest hour, okay?” he grumbled. “I was angry.”

“I was terrified!” she said, her voice shaking. “I needed you, and you weren’t there. I was alone and - and scared - and you just cut me out of your life like it was nothing. Like I didn’t matter.”

“Thought it might make you choose your own future,” he muttered. “You could have had a life, not been trapped!”

“And you think having a child is like being a prisoner, do you?” she said tartly. “Yeah, that’d be right!”

“I didn’t mean that!” he snapped. “I just meant - I didn’t want you tied to Gold, that’s all.”

“Well, we’re together, you’ll have to get used to it.”

“But he hurt you!”

“So did you.” She met his eyes, glaring until he looked away. “Luckily I’m a very forgiving person. When the apology is sincere. Pretty sure I’ll be getting one of those any moment now, hmm?”

He looked chastened then, shuffling his feet a little.

“Sorry, love,” he muttered. “Just - sorry. Things haven’t been right since you left. Not feeling so good.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her tone more sharp than she intended. He shrugged awkwardly.

“Dunno. Shop seems harder work than usual. Getting tired all the time.”

“Are you taking your medication?” she asked, and he waved an impatient hand.

“Course I am.”

“So what does the doctor say?”

There was silence, and she wanted to roll her eyes.

“You have been to the doctor, right?”

“Haven’t had time.”

“Dad…”

“Don’t nag me!” He waved a hand again. “I’ve been running this place on my own since you left! Hard to find the time for myself.”

“I left to go to college,” she said, her voice sharp again. “Which was always going to happen. Why don’t you get some help? You could afford a part-timer.”

Moe made a scoffing sound,

“You must be joking! We’re only just breaking even. Not like that - that man of yours would cut me any slack with the rent.”

“There’s no reason he should,” said Belle coolly. “Besides, I remember going through the books before I left. There are plenty of profits. It’s all in how you choose to spend them.”

“If you just came up here to tell me what a bloody failure I am—”

“I didn’t,” Belle sighed. “I came here to see if we could make peace. You’re about to be a grandfather, and I’d rather put my energy into getting ready for the baby than fighting with you.”

Moe was silent, and she glanced around the shop, lifting her free hand.

“D’you think we could sit down?” she asked. “Being on my feet isn’t too comfortable right now.”

Moe grunted, pulling the baseball cap from his head and using it to wipe his brow.

“You’d better come through to the back,” he said. “I’ll make some tea.”

x

Gold’s tread felt a little lighter than usual as he made his way up the steps to Dr Hopper’s office, and he even smiled at the man in greeting.

“So,” said Dr Hopper, when they were seated. “How have you been since we last met?”

“Things have been - good,” said Gold. “It - uh - it feels like progress.”

“That’s excellent news,” said Dr Hopper, and he sounded as though he meant it. “Can you tell me a little more?”

“Belle and I have been talking,” said Gold. “I - I was honest with her about how I felt, and - and why I did what I did. Why I pushed her away.”

“And how did she react to that?”

“She was hurt,” he admitted. “Angry. I don’t blame her, of course, she had every right to be. At first I thought she wouldn’t want to see me. I even offered to move out, get her some help that - that wasn’t me.”

“What was her reaction?”

Gold scratched the back of his head.

“I think she may have called me an idiot or something.”

Dr Hopper pressed his lips together, as though he was trying not to smile.

“So, then what happened?” he asked.

“We talked,” said Gold. “I told her I loved her. That I always had. And I apologised for everything I’ve ever done to hurt her.”

“How did she respond?” asked Dr Hopper, and Gold pulled a face.

“She asked me if I wanted to fix things,” he said. “Said that it was going to take time.”

“I suspect she’s right about that.”

“Yeah.” He dropped his gaze to his interlaced fingers. “It’s - well, things had been kind of up and down since then. Awkward, like we were stepping around each other. But then we had sex.”

“Ah.” Dr Hopper sat back a little. “Well, reestablishing intimacy is important.”

“Yes.”

“We talked about trust at an earlier session,” he added. “That the two of you need to build trust between you. Intimacy is part of that, certainly, but it won’t work on its own.”

“No, I understand that.” Gold rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward hand. “I - uh - I tried to talk to her a little. About my past.”

“I see.” Dr Hopper scribbled something. “And how did you find that?”

“It was - uncomfortable,” he admitted. “But afterwards I felt something like - well, it wasn’t quite relief, but I felt a little easier.”

“When you say your past,” said Dr Hopper. “What period do you mean?”

“A little about my childhood,” said Gold, shifting in his seat. “My parents.”

“Do you feel able to talk about them now?” asked Dr Hopper, and he felt his mouth twist.

“Can we skip past the part where my father never wanted me and blamed me for my mother’s death?”

He could hear the wry tone in his voice, his body tensing as it fought to take him out of his seat and away from the conversation, and Dr Hopper looked up.

“That sounds like something that we should probably talk about,” he said calmly. “But we don’t have to go into it today.”

Gold nodded, dropping his head a little.

“Good.”

“We’re going at your pace, not mine,” added Dr Hopper. 

“Alright.” Gold felt himself ease a little, his shoulders lowering from their slightly hunched position. “Thank you.”

“Getting back to your conversation with Belle,” said Dr Hopper. “You said you apologised, and opened up to her a little.”

“Yes.”

“And how are things between you now?”

“Better,” he admitted. “Less awkward. I know that she’s right, and that we have a lot to discuss. But she told me she wants to make it work. And - and so do I. I really do want to make it work.”

“Did the two of you talk about what that might look like?”

“Not in any great detail,” said Gold, resting his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together again. “We’re going to live together in Boston for the moment. The baby is due in early May.”

“Then I suspect the two of you are going to be pretty busy.”

“Yes.” Gold couldn’t help smiling. “I’m looking forward to it.”

[nflweeklyuk]

NFL Divisional Preview

AFC East

The Bills figure to remain the top dog in the division this year, if not primed to establish a dominance over it. Josh Allen looked in midseason form in his preseason play. He is an ascendant talent and that should worry the other teams in the East. If the Bills can provide support in the run game this team will be a powerhouse in the AFC. An new crop of QB’s in this division should make it a fun one to watch in coming years. With a second year starter in Tua, Miami are still looking to see if he is the guy, all noises coming from South Florida are that he is the guy and we will see that this year. I hope so. The Patriots and Jets are starting rookies under centre, but in very different situations. Mac Jones will be put in positions to succeed by Belichick and McDaniels, and only asked to do the minimum required. The Patriots defence looks to follow on from an overall good showing last year where the they were top ten in passing and tied for the league lead in interception. An improvement in rushing yards allowed will see this defence provide all the support a ball control offence needs to win enough games to be in the playoff hunt. The Jets have their QB of the future but Zach Wilson is a raw talent who will likely ride the rookie rollercoaster in his first season. His supporting cast is the worst of the teams overall and the best Jets fans can hope for this season is to end the season with hope!

Projected Standings:

Bills

Patriots

Dolphins

Jets

AFC South

The two best units in this division are the Titans offense and the Colts defense. I would rate the Titans unit as the better of the two at this point, bringing back all major contributors in Henry, Brown and Tannehill provides great continuity. When you throw Julio Jones into the mix to play as the number 2 wideout on this team then you have a pretty fearsome unit. Expect Julio to take Jonnu Smith’s end zone production after the TE left for Foxborough. The young Colts D will look to build on the leaps it made last year and could turn out to be one of the best in the league. I just don’t trust the offensive side of the ball enough. What Wentz will we get? Who will emerge as his go to with Hilton’s injury worries? Michael Pittman has flashed but his overall production does not point to a number one wideout at this point.

If Watson was suiting up (terrible legal issues to one side) then the Texans would possibly challenging the Colts here. He is not, and likely won’t be for at least a meaningful chunk of the season. Outside of him the Texans roster is bare. There is not much to like, and they have just traded their starting corner away. That is the move of a team thinking full rebuild. The Jags have some hope and some intrigue at last! Trevor Lawrence makes this team relevant and more competitive. One of the top prospects in recent years has the usual number one pick pressure but after a 1-15 season any improvement in record will be considered a success.

Projected Standings:

Titans

Colts

Jags

Texans

AFC West

The Chiefs are favorites for the Superbowl, and rightly so. Therefore there is no surprise they are my pick to win the AFC West. Mahomes is an rare player and it is just great to watch him week to week. His supporting cast still includes Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce so we can probably move on! You could make an argument for any of the other three teams, in any order in this division. The Chargers have an ascendant talent at QB and some nice pieces on D. The Raiders have an underrated QB in Derek Carr and will put up points with Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller and Henry Ruggs supporting him. The defense is always a question mark, and so are ALL of the high picks spent on that side of the ball by Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden. The Broncos likely have the best defensive unit in the division and will lean on that to win games. Teddy Bridgewater has made stops in several locations for a reason, he is a good but not great QB, and lets be honest Drew Lock is not the answer. If Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick can all make strides then this could be a sneaky good offense. When things are close calls I always revert back to who has the best player at the most important position. In this division they rank Herbert, Carr, Bridgewater. Behind Mahomes. Obviously.

Projected Standings:

Chiefs

Chargers

Raiders

Broncos

AFC North

This is one of the trickier divisions to predict. There are three teams that you could make a case for winning this division. The other one is the Bengals. It’s really hard not to like what the Bengals have done at the skill positions on offense. Joe Burrow looked the real deal before his injury last year, and Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon have shown how good they can all be. Throw in Ja’Marr Chase, preseason struggles aside, and you have a very talented core of players. Offensive line woes were not seriously addressed though and that will put a cap on this offense, if not stymie it completely. The defense has improved but not enough to challenge the other teams in this division.

The Ravens will look like… the Ravens, the ground game will dominate most opponents and ensure Baltimore puts up plenty of wins again. I forsee a déjà vu year for the Ravens who will make the playoffs but not go deep into the competition when they cannot keep pace with the powerhouse AFC offenses. The defense figures to be stingy again, allowing the run first offense to run over teams throughout the regular season.

The Browns were a nice surprise last year (even with the hype).  With Chubb and Hunt leading this offense and Baker Mayfield not having to play the leading role, the Browns found a great offensive rhythm. Mayfield had his own moments worthy of plenty of praise and admiration but I still don’t trust him week in week out. There is so much talent on this roster across the RBs, WRs and TEs, but outside of the RB room there has been no consistent performers. Landry has probably been the most consistent but I’m not sure there are clear roles defined, or a plan to feed all the mouths on this offense. Defensively we know Garrett is going to terrorise QBs and with a 17 game slate some records might be in danger! The Browns gave up a lot of touchdowns and yards through the air last year (although a low completion %), if they can improve that area then they may walk away with a division title.

The Steelers have some great talent on both sides of the ball. Ranking dead last in rushing through 2020, however, was very anti-Steelers. Drafting Najee Harris in the first round looks to improve the balance of this offense, but was it the backs that were the problem? Harris is an upgrade, but you do need some holes to run through. The defense boasts the highest paid defensive player, rightly so, and looks to be a turnover machine once again. Tieing for the lead league in INTs as the Steelers did last year generally helps with field position and setting up the offense in good field position. Downside? The two teams the STeelers are competing with were both top 4 in rush attempts and rushing yards last year. The Steelers led the league defensively in completion % allowed, but were middle of the pack against the ground game. There is a lot to like about the Steelers, but the teams that provide the worst match ups for them reside in their division!

I’ll take the Ravens for the division but it is a coin flip with the Browns. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cleveland go deeper in the playoffs than Baltimore though.

Projected standings:

Ravens

Browns

Steelers

Bengals

NFC East

I’m rooting for the Dak Prescott of last year to be the guy we see minute one on Thursday night. It will just be great to see the guy suit up to be honest, that was a really chilling injury to see, to someone who seems a stand up guy as well. If Dak comes back in that form, or even gets there after shaking off some rust and uncertainty then I don’t have much doubt the Cowboys take this division. The defense sorted itself out to a large extent towards the end of last year and has added some nice pieces this offseason. With Lamb, Cooper and Gallup and a trim Ezekiel Elliott all returning I can only see this offense putting up big numbers. Any defensive improvement should translate to Ws, especially within the division.

Placing the rest of this division was a lot trickier. Washington have a fearsome front with Chase Young and Montez Sweat likely terrorising opponent QBs on a regular basis and the defense will be the strength of this team once again. Who doesn’t love Fitzmagic? Well, winning records don’t really unfortunately. Fitzpatrick is with his 400th team for a reason, he is a streaky QB that cannot string together consistent performances. He did a great job in Miami last year, and perhaps is having a late career settling down.. but would you really bet on that? Washington will win games based on the strength of this defense but to challenge for the division, or even the playoffs then they need a makeover in the QB room.

I bought a little too much into the Jalen Hurts early showings last year and had a flutter on the Eagles making some noise in the playoffs. Only for Hurts and the rest of the team too play a couple of duds and miss out completely. The second year pro will likely see ups and downs as any young QB does, but his athleticism and courage should provide enough spark to drive the Eagles to a middling win total, which is likely enough to slot into second in this division.

The Giants are in Daniel Jones purgatory, he has not quite done enough for the plug to get pulled but an insane number of turnovers in his first two years has to be worrying. If the G-men can get Barkley going and limit the work Jones has to do then this offense could thrive on play action with the likes of Golladay, Shephard and Slayton on the outside. The defense has a star in James Bradberry and should keep the Giants in plenty of close games, I just don’t have faith in the QB to put the Giants on the right side of them.

Projected standings

Cowboys

Eagles

Washington

Giants

NFC South

The Bucs bring back all 22 starters on offense and defense from their Superbowl triumph last year. That kind of continuity is rare and makes the Bucs perhaps a more fearsome team than that which closed the season last year so strongly. Like most, I have no real interest in discussing Tom Brady’s age, I have no doubt the first person to call time on Brady correctly will be Brady himself. Someone so in tune with their body and committed to their craft will know the time before we see any semblance of decline. Therefore the Bucs stroll this division this year, a division which sans Drew Brees leaves less talent to challenge the Bucs main area of concern, the secondary. As areas of concern go, it is not a huge concern!

Matt Ryan will be challenging that secondary with Calvin Ridley, Russel Gage and Kyle Pitts. I’m not sure there is anyone who is not excited to see the latter get on the field. Again I fear a déjà vu type year for the Falcons, yes, points will be scored, but that will be a necessity as the perennially thin defense projects to underwhelm once again. If this team could find balance on that side of the ball they would be an NFC team to watch. As it happens they will be just that, but only because they should be in a fair few shoot outs.

What will Sean Payton’s game plan be? How much trust does he have in his QBs? I would expect heavier doses of Alvin Kamara.. and Taysom Hill?.. leading to some deep shots off of play action, limiting the amount Winston (to start with) has to do on any given day. Without Michael Thomas suiting up for the first 6 weeks of the year do the Saints have enough out wide to take advantage of those deep shots? Callaway has flashed the potential, as has Tre’quan Smith, but neither have yet been consistent performers. On the other side of the ball the Saints have a strong pass rush and an improved secondary after the acquisition of Bradley Roby from the Texans. This secondary group may be a little thin and will need rookies to step up to push this defense to the next level. It was a toss up between the Falcons and Saints to take the spot behind the Bucs but again, when in doubt go with the better QB!

The Panthers round out this division, not so much because they are a last placed team, but because there are strong teams in this division. The Panthers defense has the chance to be much improved, if a Brian Burns led pass rush can maintain pressure on opposing QBs then this unit can improve from it’s middle of the pack showing last year. On the offensive side of the ball there are serious questions on the offensive line, that does not bode well for Sam Darnold. Darnold does have a much better supporting cast around him at the skill positions, and a bona fide stud in McCaffrey to be the workhorse but the jury is still out on him as a starting QB. If the offensive line can hold up we should know by the end of the year whether the Panthers have an answer at QB or whether they will be back in the market next offseason.

Projected standings:

Buccaneers

Falcons

Saints

Panthers

NFC West

Probably the most competitive division of the lot. Great, established coaches (mostly…). Talented, proven quarterbacks (mostly…) and top notch skill position players everywhere. All these teams look poised to put up plenty of point on offense, so will this division come down to who has the better defensive unit?

The Rams acquisition of Matthew Stafford is a brilliant move in my opinion. Stafford deserves a chance on a loaded team after being the ultimate competitor and teammate in Detroit, without any support from the organisation. In LA he will benefit from a team that knows how to run the ball, and play defense. The Rams offense has been hit and miss under Goff in more recent history but Stafford will bring consistency and aggression, raising the ceiling of this offense. The defense still has Aaron Donald so they will be just fine, if not a great unit. Pressure up front and lock down play in the secondary from the likes of Jalen Ramsey will mean that the Rams will limit opponents offensive production. With a solid offense with Stafford at the helm this looks to be one of the most balanced teams in the league.

The 49ers are up there with the Rams in almost all facets. They are more talented at the skill positions, certainly, with the likes of Kittle, Aiyuk and Samuel, however Garropolo is not Matt Stafford, until proven otherwise. The guy has been to the Superbowl, but he has also been underwhelming for longer than he has been good overall. Trey Lance is waiting in the wings and there will be plenty of noise if Garropolo is anything but stellar, distraction potential? The run game usually reduces the burden on the quarterback and the 9ers have some talented backs that will rotate to keep a heavy dose of the ground game going. This offense will be good, even with mediocre QB play. I’m not buying the hype of the return of the 2019 9ers just yet but they could easily win this division and be one of the best teams in the league. The defense has lost it’s spearhead in Robert Saleh, so some question marks about continuity need to be answered. There is plenty of talent there though. I have the Rams slightly ahead of the 9ers here but it could go either way.

Russell Wilson is one of my favorite players of all time, when he came out of the gates last season on a record breaking pace it looked like he was about to elevate into the very top tier of QBs. So where did the second half of the season come from?! Letting Russ cook was working beautifully, yeah the D was atrocious, winding up second in the league in air yards allowed, but it didn’t really matter all that much. Until it did. As soon as the offense’s average points per game dropped to a more middling level the Seahawks were not going to win games. We can expect Wilson, Metcalf, Lockett and co to be a dynamic offense which, in all likelihood, will not be so up and down. What can we expect from the defense? Unfortunately while offensively the Seahawks are up there with the teams above, they do not boast the same talent defensively, limiting their ability to compete for honours in this division.

A very similar story looks to play out in the desert. Arizona boast a truly talented offense that has only improved this offseason. The one question mark remaining is do they have a lead back who can carry the load and relieve pressure on Kyler Murray? I’m not sure, and I don’t think this offense will have balance. Yes the rushing numbers will be inflated by Murray himself but that will not be what is seen on field. Defensively the Cardinals have lost Patrick Peterson and will rely on younger players to step up. They will need to generate way more pressure up front to compensate for a weaker secondary. Not you Budda. There are more questions surrounding this team than any of the others in the division, so last place it is.

NFC West

Probably the most competitive division of the lot. Great, established coaches (mostly…). Talented, proven quarterbacks (mostly…) and top notch skill position players everywhere. All these teams look poised to put up plenty of point on offense, so will this division come down to who has the better defensive unit?

The Rams acquisition of Matthew Stafford is a brilliant move in my opinion. Stafford deserves a chance on a loaded team after being the ultimate competitor and teammate in Detroit, without any support from the organisation. In LA he will benefit from a team that knows how to run the ball, and play defense. The Rams offense has been hit and miss under Goff in more recent history but Stafford will bring consistency and aggression, raising the ceiling of this offense. The defense still has Aaron Donald so they will be just fine, if not a great unit. Pressure up front and lock down play in the secondary from the likes of Jalen Ramsey will mean that the Rams will limit opponents offensive production. With a solid offense with Stafford at the helm this looks to be one of the most balanced teams in the league.

The 49ers are up there with the Rams in almost all facets. They are more talented at the skill positions, certainly, with the likes of Kittle, Aiyuk and Samuel, however Garropolo is not Matt Stafford, until proven otherwise. The guy has been to the Superbowl, but he has also been underwhelming for longer than he has been good overall. Trey Lance is waiting in the wings and there will be plenty of noise if Garropolo is anything but stellar, distraction potential? The run game usually reduces the burden on the quarterback and the 9ers have some talented backs that will rotate to keep a heavy dose of the ground game going. This offense will be good, even with mediocre QB play. I’m not buying the hype of the return of the 2019 9ers just yet but they could easily win this division and be one of the best teams in the league. The defense has lost it’s spearhead in Robert Saleh, so some question marks about continuity need to be answered. There is plenty of talent there though. I have the Rams slightly ahead of the 9ers here but it could go either way.

Russell Wilson is one of my favorite players of all time, when he came out of the gates last season on a record breaking pace it looked like he was about to elevate into the very top tier of QBs. So where did the second half of the season come from?! Letting Russ cook was working beautifully, yeah the D was atrocious, winding up second in the league in air yards allowed, but it didn’t really matter all that much. Until it did. As soon as the offense’s average points per game dropped to a more middling level the Seahawks were not going to win games. We can expect Wilson, Metcalf, Lockett and co to be a dynamic offense which, in all likelihood, will not be so up and down. What can we expect from the defense? Unfortunately while offensively the Seahawks are up there with the teams above, they do not boast the same talent defensively, limiting their ability to compete for honours in this division.

A very similar story looks to play out in the desert. Arizona boast a truly talented offense that has only improved this offseason. The one question mark remaining is do they have a lead back who can carry the load and relieve pressure on Kyler Murray? I’m not sure, and I don’t think this offense will have balance. Yes the rushing numbers will be inflated by Murray himself but that will not be what is seen on field. Defensively the Cardinals have lost Patrick Peterson and will rely on younger players to step up. They will need to generate way more pressure up front to compensate for a weaker secondary. Not you Budda. There are more questions surrounding this team than any of the others in the division, so last place it is.

Projected standings:

Rams

49ers

Seahawks

Cardinals

NFC North

Aaron Rodgers with a bigger chip than usual on his shoulder, coming off an MVP year… the league should be afraid. His connection with Adams should be as strong as ever. The depth in the receiving core is a little better but I’m not sure why there is so much hype about the return or Randall Cobb, yes, there is familiarity but we have not seen the game breaking play from Cobb since he left Green Bay. Having two backs in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon should mean the run game continues to be an important, and effective cog in this high power offense. I don’t see any drop off from the leagues leading scoring offense. Defensively the Pack will look to improve again this year, with a young secondary that played well last year. An easy choice to take this division.

The Vikings project to be just fine offensively, the combination of Dalvin Cook with Jefferson and Thielen on the outside will mean this offense is capable of going toe to toe with the better offenses in the league. Well, at least if you don’t watch the preseason. Defense was the problem for this team last year, the Vikings could not effectively stop the run or pass, meaning opponents could play whatever game plan they liked and have success. I would not expect a Mike Zimmer coached defense to repeat such bad stats for a second year. The additions of the likes of Patrick Peterson and Eversen Griffen, among others, should ensure that improvement is seen on the field, making this team a lot more competitive this year.

Projected standings:

Packers

Vikings

Bears

Lions

[supportivespaceforsurvivors]

tw abuse) i just got in a new relationship after getting out of a very abusive one with my ex a year ago. my new bf is perfect, hes sweet and kind and funny and listens to my problems and obeys my boundaries. but i cant trust it. my ex was this way at first too. im so scared this is going to turn into that again. i want to have a normal relationship without fear but im so scared, and i dont want to open up. how do i do this? he doesnt know what my ex did.

Hey anon,

This reaction completely makes sense. It’s really hard to adjust from being in an abusive relationship of any kind to one that’s healthy. I went through the same exact thing when I was younger and my mom’s boyfriend moved in with us--he wasn’t my father, and he didn’t try to be, but I was still terrified that it would change. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.

When you’ve been in an abusive situation, you learn things you shouldn’t have to. You might learn that signs of irritation will always turn into anger, for example, which is completely understandable if you needed to know when your abuser was going to be angry before it happened. Once you’re out of the relationship, you don’t need to know this anymore, but the learned behavior stays, because it’s kept you safe in the past.

I’m really sorry, because I don’t think this is the answer you want to hear, but the only things that can really help here are communication and time. It’s incredibly hard to build trust with someone in this situation, but it’ll be a lot easier if you explain to him what happened and why you’re having a hard time. He’ll also be able to reassure you that he’s safe, then, and you’ll be able to figure out ways together that you can work on this.

This is going to take a lot of time. It took my mother over two years to be fully comfortable with her now-fiancé after the relationship she had with my father. I promise you will get there, though. I believe in you.

This is an article written by someone who used to be in a similar situation to you about how they learned to trust their next partner. I would suggest reading through all of it, but it contains descriptions of abuse that are very detailed and personal, and therefore could be triggering. I’ll include the parts of the article without that under the cut in case you’d rather avoid it.

I really hope this helps, anon. Please know that we’re here for you.

Stay safe,

Mod Henrie

Getting Answers

I spoke to Ammanda Major, relationship counselor, sex therapist, and the Head of Clinical Practice at Relate, the UK’s largest provider of relationship support, to try to understand why this was happening.

She explained that “the legacy of domestic abuse can be immense. Survivors are often left with trust issues, and in some cases potentially PTSD, but with specialist therapy it can often be managed and people can work through it.”

“One of the key things for moving forward is being able to recognize and ask for your own needs to be met, because in an abusive relationship your needs go entirely unrecognized,” says Major.

Even with therapy, it can be challenging for those coming out of an abusive relationship to recognize the warning signs when the same pattern starts happening again.

“It’s possible to have a good and healthy relationship, but many survivors will struggle to make healthy connections and communicate their needs. They may find that they’re drawn to other people who turn out to be abusive because it’s what they’ve become accustomed to,” says Major.

Other times, survivors don’t want to risk the possibility that abuse could happen all over again.

“Sometimes survivors can’t see themselves in a relationship again. It’s all about trust, and that trust has been broken,” Major says.

The important thing is to learn who you are, especially when you’re alone.

Major says “Although a new relationship can be incredibly healing to some people, the key takeaway and main way to move forward is to try and find out who you are as an individual, rather than as an accessory to your abuser.”

Lessons from Trauma

My responses aren’t all that surprising after spending 2 years constantly on edge. If my ex got annoyed at anyone or anything, it would be me taking the blame.

Even though my new partner is nothing like my old one, I’m preparing myself for the same reactions. Reactions that no loving, stable partner would have.

Major explains, “It’s what we call a traumatized response. It’s the brain telling you that you’ve experienced this before, that you might be in danger. It’s all part of the recovery process, as your brain doesn’t know at first that you’re safe.”

These steps can start the healing process and help rebuild trust:

Find a therapist who specializes in domestic abuse.

Practice breathing techniques to stay calm when things get tough.

Learn how to stay grounded and present during difficult situations.

Recognize and ask for your needs to be met in all your relationships.

Explain your triggers to your partner so they can be prepared.

“It makes a huge difference if your new partner is able to explain, understand, and be supportive,” Major says. “By laying down new experiences to replace the old, traumatic ones, the brain may eventually learn that these situations don’t indicate danger.”

[yukiwrites]

Fulfilling the Promise, Together

Thank you so much for the support as always, @breeachuu! I hope you like this sin and fluff! ;D

Summary: There were only a few days left before Wolfram had to return to Ylisse, but there was still much to do. He wanted to be with Dimitri for as long as he could, but he was also thinking of how to tell Nidra that he would want to return to Fódlan...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

______________________________

The increasingly cold autumn climate at the Monastery reminded all who lived there that a new season was approaching. Winter symbolized a time of restructure; of enduring the harshness of nature with the fruits of the hard work from the previous year. To Fódlan, that meaning would be taken to the extreme, as it would be the first winter in over hundreds of years that the entire country would be considered as a whole.

There would be much work ahead, not only for the common people, who needed to rebuild their farms that were razed by the war, but to those in charge who had to oversee every and all little changes in governing such a large, diverse land.

With Dimitri at the helm of the New Unified Kingdom of Faerghus, he would share the workload with Byleth, the new Archbishop for the Church of Seiros. They were still to be formally appointed into their new positions of King and Archbishop since the war had barely just ended, but the work they had to take care of was piling up by the hour.

All of that meant that although Wolfie’s time in Fódlan was ending, he wouldn’t be able to spend as much time as he and Dimitri both wanted to spend together. It was already an immense feat to stay at the Monastery instead of returning to Fhirdiad right away, but Dimitri was adamant in at least seeing Wolfie off before heading back home to his coronation.

Besides, once Wolfram returned, they would need to hold another coronation for the King consort anyway, so Dimitri wasn’t too pressed about the formalities at the moment. He felt apologetic at his beloved for not being able to leave the meeting room for long periods of time, but Wolfie always replied with a smile, especially since he still needed to properly talk to his friends before leaving.

He had asked Caspar and Dorothea for a lock of their hairs at the same time, explaining what it meant to his kind as he showed the jewel he had made for himself with his and Dimitri’s hair.

Dorothea’s eyes sparkled as she saw the gold and silver scale-shaped jewel. “Wow! And you do this with your own fire? How very interesting…”

Since it was something precious and priceless, they were looking at it from Wolfram’s hand. Caspar gapped at it and bounced on his seat.

“That’s sick! Can I watch mine being made?”

However, Wolfie awkwardly shook his head. “I’m sorry, but it’s something really intimate and I need to focus on it all the time. Besides, I don’t think I make it here, so I’ll have to do it once I’m back home.”

“Are there any specific conditions?” Dorothea tilted her head to the side. Before she could ask more, Caspar nodded beside her.

“Yeah, like if you need something special?” He asked, though since he wasn’t very creative, he didn’t even think of what else Wolfram could need.

“Yup, I need to do it under a full moon. Since it’s not time yet here in Fódlan, I’ll have to do it back home.”

“Sick…” Caspar mumbled under his breath, leaning back on the chair in thought. He sprung up right away as a thought blinked in his head. “Oh yeah, how much do you need?” He reached out for the middle of his hair, grabbing a fistful-

“No, no, wait!” Wolfie jumped at the same time Dorothea pulled Caspar’s hand from making him suffer from early baldness. “J-just a lock is fine, no need to pull so many…”

Sighing in relief at preventing a tragedy, Dorothea also leaned back on the chair, taking the tip of her silky, wavy hair. “Perhaps if I trim the ends…”

“Oh!” Wolfie turned to Dorothea after receiving less than a fistful of hair from Caspar. “Since your hair is so long, I think just taking some from your brush is fine.”

“Truly? I don’t mind cutting it a bit if it’s for you, Wolfie.”

“Heehee,” Wolfie scratched his cheek as his chest beamed with warmth. “Thanks, but it’s really fine. It’s better if it’s new hair, though, so…”

Smiling, the songstress threw her hair back with a smooth movement. “Would you brush it for me, then, Wolfie?” She winked.

Beaming, the half manakete got up. “Sure!”

Before each went their ways, Dorothea pulled Wolfie to the side to whisper in his ear.

“Make some time for me tomorrow evening, okay?” She asked with a mischievous smile, making Wolfie feel cold sweat drip down his back.

“Um, sure? What’s going on?” He stuttered, somehow feeling a predatory aura from Dorothea. Strange that a dragon would feel spooked at any kind of predator, but it was something instinctive.

“Don’t worry about it, dearie.” Dorothea pushed him to be on his way. “Just be ready to spend a few hours talking with little old me and another friend.”

Wolfie tilted his head to the side, even more confused. “O...kay.”

“Great! Goodbye now!” She singsonged as she waved to him, snorting as he waved back awkwardly.

He walked the path towards the central tower with a puzzled expression, imagining what Dorothea would want to talk to him about with such secrecy. However, since he still had a lot to do before the portal opened, Wolfie quickly shook his head and sped up his steps.

He still had to ask for Dedue’s hair, not to mention how he always rushed in and out of the town market to buy some presents to his family and friends. He never had the time nor luxury to think about giving them souvenirs during the war, but now that he had some respite from all of that fighting, it was unthinkable not to get them a few presents.

To Cynthia, he would give a book detailing pegasi and horses since he still remembered how excited she was about the different kinds of mounts this world would have. For Cyn, although the same book would probably suffice, he would still rather give her something different, like a new saddle or a sturdier choker for her to hang her dragonstone at.

To Meliodas, he would give a book about this world’s goddess and her children -- the fabled draconic species of Fódlan. Meliodas was always interested in their draconic descent, so reading up about other world’s cultures would be a treat in itself! Meli was also interested, though much less so than their older brother -- most likely due to how differently each of them grew up. Because of that, Wolfie thought of giving him a fancier and sturdier belt chain for his dragonstone, or perhaps a hair clip for his long braid.

Wolfie smiled warmly at his own, much shorter, braid as he browsed through the market. Of course, he wasn’t going to give only one present to each of his family members -- his bag was large enough to keep a lot of stuff -- but he was thinking hard about the ‘main’ ones, at least.

There were also tiny wooden statues of horses, knights and princesses, so there was no shortage of souvenirs around.

He would probably gift Henry a tome pertaining to how they approached magic in this world, though Wolfram figured that having Byleth teach Henry would be better at the end of the day, so he was a bit stumped on his parents’ presents.

Well, Henry aside -- since there were many things that he would like -- Wolfram really didn’t know what to give his Mother, Nidra.

Tea? Would that truly be enough? There were so many trinkets around to give to everyone, but each time he thought of Nidra, he came up with a blank. He remembered her tender though protective touch on his hair; how she sang a very old lullaby whenever he had been anxious before coming to Fódlan… How she had told him she would fight the gods up and below just to protect his opinion…

Wolfie’s chin trembled as he remembered his Mother, missing her so very terribly.

She had announced to their family that they would all live together for eternity, but here Wolfie was, wanting to go back to her embrace only to leave her again… He missed her so much, but he was also feeling such a deep-rooted guilt it made it hard to choose anything that would appease her.

He didn’t realize he left the market until he heard Dimitri’s concerned voice beside him.

“Muh?” Startled, Wolfram turned to the soon to be King beside him, not understanding how he ended up with him.

Dimitri chuckled, though worry never left his eyes. “Are you alright? You’ve been staring into space ever since we left the meeting room.”

“I was in the meeting room? Whoa.” Wolfie looked down in thought. “Sorry, I think I was a bit out of it.”

“That’s understandable. You’ve been rushing here and there every day since we arrived.” Dimitri nodded.

“Mhm,” Wolfie absent-mindedly nodded, silently looking down as they walked.

Not wanting to call to him again, Dimitri let his beloved have his space. However, he allowed himself to be a tad greedy by sneaking one hand into Wolfram’s just so they could enjoy this night walk together for a little longer.

It had been basically the only time they could meet after they returned to the Monastery. With Dimitri being busy handling state affairs and Wolfie saying his goodbyes during the day, they could only converse after night fell, during the short walk towards the dormitories.

Many of the soldiers (especially Gilbert and Dedue) were adamant in having Dimitri sleep at the separate quarters reserved for distinguished guests and royalty instead of huddling himself at the dormitories with the others. He was soon to be King, after all, so he couldn’t sleep among so many people.

Wolfie still shared a room with Caspar like always, too used to it to consider a change during these busy two weeks. So the walk they took was simply from Dimitri walking Wolfie back to his quarters so he could return alone to the room reserved for him.

It wasn’t surprising that he was a bit greedy for touch by holding his beloved’s hand, or so he justified himself as he nodded with a blush. Wolfram felt the warmth between his fingers and looked up at his wonderful, handsome and perfect boyfriend.

He smiled instinctively, then intertwined their fingers. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about my Mother today, so I’ve been a bit out of it.”

Dimitri widened his eye. “Mother-in-law? Is something the matter?” He said that so casually it made Wolfie’s smile grow.

“Heeheehee, mother-in-law, heehee,” he giggled, covering his face with the empty hand.

Dimitri’s blush deepened, his hand on Wolfram’s flinched and his lips quivered. He wanted to say something back, but since that was how he truly felt, no words left his mouth, so he only muttered a, “please do not tease me like that…” with an adorable pout.

“Heeheehee,” Wolfie giggled for a few more moments before pulling Dimitri’s hand to his lips and kissing it softly. “I’m having trouble choosing a gift for her, so I’m in a pickle.”

Welcoming the topic change, Dimitri cleared his throat before speaking, “do you have no idea at all?”

Wolfram tilted his head to the side in thought. “Hmmm, actually, I was thinking of giving her tea since she likes to drink it, but… well, our kind isn’t really that much materialistic, and with her being the only pureblood in the family, it’s even more acute in her. She’s more family-oriented…”

Dimitri fell into a short silence before turning to Wolfram. “Perhaps the biggest present you can give her is your return,” he said in a serious voice, then lowered his gaze. “All a mother wants is to be reunited with their children, after all.”

His words had layers of depth Wolfie could discern at glance, so he didn’t reply right away. Instead, he squeezed Dimitri’s hand more while placing his own forehead on his chest. It wasn’t as though Wolfie hadn’t thought of that, to be honest -- it was actually the reason why he was anguished.

The biggest present he could give Nidra was coming back to her arms. But he would only want to stay temporarily, which would break her heart even more.

Perhaps he should settle with the tea for the time being, if only to vow to put all of his feelings into proper words so she could understand his decision. He couldn’t not return to Fódlan, not when his heart was so deeply intertwined with Dimitri’s, so he was sure that NIdra would understand, if only after some time.

The couple stayed in silence that way for a while longer, not wanting to let go of each other during all the time they had left before the inevitable separation.

The next day, Wolfram returned to the market to get those tea leaves plus a few jewelry he found pretty as well. He had asked for Dedue’s hair before lunch, so now he probably had everything he needed to go back -- it was time to pack!

He was about to ask Caspar’s help to clean up their room, but Wolfie saw how Hilda stole Caspar away from training so he just covered his mouth with boths hands and giggled, returning on his own.

As he took everything out of his bag so he could organize it all neatly, he was taken by nostalgia. Each and every single one of these items had a story to tell of his time here in Fódlan, especially the ones he had forgotten inside the cave he spent five years in.

It had been so hard. He had been so lonely.

He had learned how to take a life, how to hold a spear (with professional guidance, at least), how to tap into his inner potential to take out magical power… how to hold a secret and how to reveal it. He had learned how to make comrades, friends and… he learned how to love.

Six years in his long, long life were a trifling amount, but to his young, naive heart, it was an essential time to his growth as a person, as a dragon and as a man. He would have never felt any of this if he had stayed back home with his family, nor would he feel the width of the world outside their nest.

Of course, he would still rather make a nest of his own and never leave it, but he was simply overwhelmed by how much his world had grown after that one decision he had made seven years ago; to help those in need, if he could do it.

He had done it. He had helped.

Sniffling, Wolfie patted a cloak amongst the countless things scattered across the room, not realizing he had made an even bigger mess than before he had started it. Caspar probably wouldn’t come back that night, but that thought didn’t occur to Wolfie until after his meeting with Dorothea.

Actually, he had lost track of time, so he was about to miss the meeting when a hurried knock landed on the door.

“Wolfie? Are you in there?” Dorothea’s muffled voice sounded from outside, startling the half manakete into attention.

“OH NO!” Wolfie jumped, “am I late? I didn’t notice how much time passed-” he opened the door in a hurry, being greeted by two people instead of one. “Oh, hi there, Yuri!”

“Yo,” Yuri winked, then glanced at the mess behind the boy, “yeah, follow us down to Doro’s room, will ya? We thought of having the meeting here, buuut,” he smirked before turning his back towards the stairs.

“Ehehe…” Wolfie chuckled awkwardly as he closed the door behind him. “Sorry again.”

“You should be! I was worried.” Dorothea pouted, taking the boy’s hand to guide him down to her room. “We’re having a serious talk, so get ready to burn your midnight oil.”

“Oh? I-I didn’t think it’d be so serious, I’m sorry again…” Wolfie bowed apologetically, which stole a loud snort from Yuri, up ahead.

“Yeah, I got something to give ya, as a parting present.” He waved with his back turned, making Wolfie tilt his head to the side.

What could the talk be about? He had a strange feeling about it, though most of all he felt guilty since he would probably be late picking Dimitri up from the meeting room…

However, all thoughts of guilt were forcefully erased from Wolfie’s mind once he stepped out of Dorothea’s room. His mouth was agape and his pocket had a new addition to his luggage -- a very slippery and essential present Yuri made sure to drill its uses into Wolfie’s head all evening.

Blushing deeply, Wolfie wobbled around the greenhouse, not even remembering to take the stairs up to his room. A familiar blond head amidst the plants made Wolfie freeze on the spot, immediately remembering allll of the contents of the Big talk he, Yuri and Doro had had just now.

Gulping, Wolfie didn’t notice his steps nearing the Prince, only realizing it once Dimitri turned towards him with a gentle smile.

“Good evening, Wolfram. Has your meeting gone well?”

“Um,” Wolfie stuttered, not knowing where to look. Dimitri’s face? But he was too handsome right now, it would spring up all kinds of thoughts- but if he looked down it would be even worse…

Since Dimitri knew of the meeting with Dorothea -- Wolfie had commented as much the previous night, he didn’t go around looking for his soon to be consort. He simply waited nearby so they could meet as soon as possible. Seeing how flustered Wolfram was just by meeting him made Dimitri’s heart tingle, however.

He was so adorable…

Dimitri reached out to touch Wolfram’s cheek, which surprised the half-manakete into letting out a squeak.

“Eek!” He jumped out of his skin, holding Dimitri’s hand by instinct. “I-”

However, the Prince was already shaking from trying to contain his laugh. “F-forgive me, but- your voice- ahaha!”

Half of the awkwardness melted away. “H-hey! No laughing!”

“Haha…!!” That only set Dimitri off even more, making him bend over to catch his breath.

Pouring, Wolfram nudged his boyfriend’s chest, “no laughinggg.”

“F-forgive me,” Dimitri shook for a moment longer before taking a deep breath to compose himself. “You were simply too adorable.”

“Ador-” After having just cooled his face down, Wolfram blushed again, pouting even more.

“Indeed,” Dimitri smiled lovingly, running his thumb on Wolfie’s cheek, right beside his lips. “Truly, too adorable…” he closed his eyes as he approached, landing a soft kiss on Wolfram’s stiff lips.

He had been so nervous about the big conversation that he was about to avoid the kiss, but the moment their skins touched, the nervousness melted away. Closing his eyes, Wolfram wrapped his arms around Dimitri’s neck, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

Under the reflected moonlight inside the greenhouse, the couple happily caught up with the affections of a day spent apart from each other.

As the day the portal would open approached, the more Wolfram wanted to spend time beside Dimitri. Despite their still busy schedules, they did everything they could to spend every evening together, but as time ran short, Wolfie started to get anxious.

He was so happy with Dimitri, he didn’t want to part with him.

Tomorrow was the 10th day of the 9th month, so he could barely focus on anything anyone said all day. Even as Dimitri tried to act normal and speak of his day as usual, Wolfram couldn’t pay attention to any of it, simply snuggling into his chest like a lost child.

Dimitri’s hands trembled, but he didn’t want to pressure his beloved even more than he already had. He had already asked him to stay -- to come back -- so he couldn’t ask more of him now. Instead, he adjusted Wolfram in his hug, digging his face into the lovable, soon-to-be-gone head.

Their hearts ached, longing for each other before a separation that hadn’t happened yet. As Dimitri struggled to keep the grief within himself, he felt Wolfram trembling in his arms, which was soon followed by muffled sniffling.

“Wolfram…” Dimitri pulled away so they could look each other in the eye, but he regretted it -- Wolfram looked so pitiful that the sight made Dimitri’s heart crumble even further. He opened his mouth, but no words left it.

It was a temporary goodbye, but they would part nonetheless. Wolfram hadn’t even said how long he would be gone. Days? Weeks? Months? Worse yet, years? Neither of them actually knew the answer to that, so they simply hung onto one another to spend each day as the fullest -- as their last.

Seeing the same pain he felt reflected on Dimitri’s eyes, Wolfram squeezed his hands and threw himself on Dimitri’s arms. “Please, don’t let me go tonight! Let’s… stay together until dawn!” He cried, rubbing his face in Dimitri’s chest.

The Prince sniffled as well, his cheeks tinted in a rosy hue as he nodded, hugging his beloved back with the most tenderness he had ever felt. He didn’t want to mlet Wolfram go, tonight or whenever.

But if they had to go their separate ways, at least they wanted the memory of this night to remain… With these thoughts in mind, they lingered in one another’s embrace for a while longer before getting up, their faces resolute.

Since they were sitting by the bridge, just existing together, the walk to Dimitri’s private quarters wasn’t long, though they walked it in silence. Their hands in each other's were hot, as were their faces, but their hearts beat as one.

Still, despite their resolve, the moment they arrived in front of the bed, they froze for a moment. Wolfram stuttered as he remembered the talk he had with Yuri, also remembering how he had forgotten the lube he got as a present… But the moment he turned to meet Dimitri, the desperation in the Prince’s eyes made Wolfram’s subside and his body melt as he reached out to kiss him.

Wrapping his hands around Dimitri’s shoulders, Wolfie opened his mouth for a deeper kiss, allowing everything Dimitri wanted from that moment on. The Prince winced, closing his eyes from the deep longing as he dove into his beloved’s lips and tongue with a hunger he never realized he had.

They walked backwards to the bed, and Wolfie only didn’t fall because Dimitri’s hold on him was rock solid -- which actually aroused him even more, honestly. Pulling away to breathe, they huffed by each other’s lips, closing their eyes to once again dive into one another’s taste.

This time, however, Wolfram plopped on the bed as Dimitri gently placed himself on top, unbuckling his cloak with one hand amidst their kiss. Wolfie reached out to help Dimitri out of his armor, but since there were so many knots and buckles, he gave up with an annoyed huff under their entangled tongues.

As reluctant as he was to stop the kiss, Dimitri pulled away to take off his armor; his face so red it shone in Wolfram’s sensitive eyes. Gulping, Wolfie couldn’t help but stare as the well defined muscles tempered by scars came into view, holding his breath once the pants rolled down on the floor.

“Oh, my Naga, it’s big just as they said…” Wolfie gasped, clenching his body from seeing the amount of effort it would take to put all of that inside of him.

Bashful, Dimitri scratched the back of his neck. “If you stare so much, I…” He trailed off, not actually knowing what he would do, only having an instinct that he would do it.

Wolfie gulped, reaching his shaky hands to it, “c-can I…?” He looked up like a frightened cat.

Adjusting himself on the bed, Dimitri nodded. “Of course…”

Once Wolfie’s cold fingers touched it, it twitched a bit as a strangled huff came out of Dimitri’s throat. “It’s really so big, I’m… I- Will it fit?”

Dimitri covered his mouth with one hand, embarrassed to no end. “If you would rather do it, I can-” He meant to turn around, but Wolfie squeaked.

“N-no! I- want to… to feelitinsideme,” he dug his face inside his hands, “but I’m just-”

Even more aroused after Wolfram’s declaration, Dimitri lifted his beloved’s face, placing a kiss on his lips. “We can take it slow, if you want. I absolutely do not wish to hurt you. Besides… I, well…” he stuttered, glancing at the bedside table. “Sylvain… informed me of many things.”

Wolfram looked from imitri to the table, opening the drawer at his urging. There was a flask much like the one he had gotten from Yuri sitting there. “Oh- I know this-”

“You do?” Dimitri chuckled nervously. “Have we been thinking the same things all this time?”

“Heehee,” Wolfie giggled as he noticed that even the packaging was the same. Did the two of them get it from the same merchant? Bearing those light hearted thoughts actually calmed Wolfie down, making him look at Dimitri’s towering erection with hunger instead of fear. “I think we did.”

Dimitri’s heart pounded as he saw Wolfram slipping off his clothes. He grasped at his chest as he saw the glittering skin under the faint moonlight, finding him beautiful beyond words. Even the deep blush -- or rather, especially the blush -- made him look like a painting someone put all of their life into making.

The words fell out of their tongues, unneeded, as their lips touched, intertwining one with the other. Dimitri softly placed Wolfram on the mattress, carefully sliding his hands through all of his body. Wolfram could finally touch the muscles he had been ogling from some time ago, relishing on how they hardened as his soft fingers passed by them. The moment Dimitri’s fingers touched Wolfie’s bottom, he let out a soft welp, digging his face into Dimitri’s shoulder.

The shuddering breath, the pale skin, the welcoming flesh around him… Dimitri could get drunk on all of it. He smeared the lube like Sylvain had told him, inserting one finger at a time until three could fit without hurting Wolfram, under the half-manakete’s moans and squeaks. His voice was so adorable.

So, so adorable.

It was a wonder Dimitri hadn’t thought of embracing him before, but now that he had him in his arms… He didn’t want to let go.

Slowly he prodded his erection into Wolfram, startling him into holding his breath.

Feeling the anxiety, Dimitri lightly kissed his beloved, then dove in with his tongue. Wolfram melted noticeably, wrapping weak arms around Dimitri’s neck which the Prince took as permission. He inserted it slowly, so very slowly he could go mad.

The deeper it went, the more stretched out Wolfram’s moans became, which spurred him into pushing it even deeper. Once it was all in, they both let out sighs of pleasure, never wanting to part.

At the back of his mind, Wolfram even wondered how could all of that fit inside of him, but most of him was occupied with the pleasure it all made him feel. He was dizzy, he was huffing for breath, grasping for Dimitri’s touch like a starved animal. He wanted to feel it all.

As Dimitri moved, their bodies resonated with one another, making them even more sure that they had made the right choice in choosing to be together; to bound themselves with one another. Their bodies fit perfectly.

The night was young and the couple had a lot to learn from their love-making, though they moved like there was no tomorrow.

Tomorrow, they would part. Tomorrow, they wouldn’t see each other anymore.

But tomorrow was still far away. For now, they had each other.

There was golden dust fluttering around in the sun-kissed room, blessing the lovers’ morning like a mother waking her sleeping child. Deep inside Dimitri’s hug, Wolfram squirmed, turning his head away from the light.

“Are you awake?” Dimitri’s voice was so soft it made Wolfram wonder if he was still dreaming. The Prince had woken up long ago, but he wasn’t about to let go of his beloved so he stayed to watch over Wolfie as he slept.

“Ughhh,” Wolfie groaned, “I’ll have to fly to the portal… I can’t sit on Aquilo like this…” he grumbled, feeling sore all over.

Dimitri choked, beet-red, then cleared his throat. “A-ahem… Forgive me.”

Wolfie giggled, shaking his head, not really wanting to leave this perfect cage of muscles. “I’m happy. I was so anxious yesterday thinking that we’d never see each other again, but now… I’m content. Like I can do anything.”

“I feel the same,” Dimitri nodded, placing a kiss on Wolfie’s forehead. “Is your body alright? Can I help with anything?”

Wolfie grinned, shaking his head at first, but then tilting it to the side. “Not rea- wait, maybe… can you help me take a bath? I don’t think I can sit up.”

“Of course! How could I not-” Flustered, the Prince got up to quickly call for someone to bring water. The morning was just beginning but it was already this filled with happiness.

It made the anxiety from last night feel like a lie.

However, as they left to Zanado -- Dimitri on Aquilo at Wolfram’s request and Wolfie flying beside them -- it all started to feel real.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t anxious at all, but now he felt more assured. He landed on a seemingly empty spot with a light heart, straightening his back once Aquilo landed with Dimitri in tow.

“Is it here?” The Prince asked, looking around.

“Yup. Anytime now.” Wolfie looked at the space in front of him, feeling the familiar energy from when he had first arrived in Fódlan. It was compelling him to take a step forward.

He tried to, but Dimitri’s hand on his stopped him.

Wolfie grinned happily, squeezing Dimitri’s hand before placing a kiss on it. “See you soon.”

The wind around them started to change, swirling around Wolfram before reaching a spot a few steps from him. Light started to gather and Dimitri could see something similar to what had engulfed Byleth five years ago -- it was a portal.

“Yes…” Dimitri also took Wolfie’s hand to place a kiss on it. “Come back soon, my love.”

“My love.” Wolfie repeated before walking into the portal, followed by Aquilo. The light flashed blindingly, forcing Dimitri to close his eye -- just as he reached out to it again.

But there was nothing there anymore.

Wolfie followed the same gut feeling from the past, avoiding portals near him by instinct, walking straight ahead towards the one he felt most familiar with. As the blue light around him gathered, he felt his body drop and closed his eyes from the sudden vertigo.

He couldn’t even open his eyes once the atmosphere changed around him because something -- or someone -- tackled him at full strength, throwing him on the ground that was full of water and roots.

“Wolfie! Oh, Wolfie, my child, my little baby…” Nidra cried on his chest, quickly touching his face and shoulders. “Are you alright? Look how much your hair’s grown! You’re so thin-”

“RAMYY!” Cynthia and Cyn both threw themselves on the pile, drenching even Tiki and Nah who were close to help with the portal.

“Aww, now he has more green on his hair, he’s not only my kid anymore, Ni-Ni!” Henry laughed from the side, helping Nidra and Wolfram up. “Welcome back, kiddo! Now you’re even taller than your old man here, nyaha!”

“Father- Mother…” Wolfie choked up, his chin trembling. Cynthia and Cyn glued themselves on him like leeches, as Nidra patted around him in search of injuries.

His eyes burned with tears.

“Mother…” He sniffled, then cried. “Wahhh!” He wailed, losing the strength in his legs as he dove into Nidra’s hug. “I mi- missed… you all so much! So much, wahh!” He sobbed, setting all of their family but Henry off into crying with him as well.

Henry smiled with a ‘nyaha’, looking at Tiki and Nah so they could excuse themselves from the family reunion, which they did silently.

The crying wouldn’t end until after a long, long time. It was late afternoon when he arrived, but only way into the night that they composed themselves into talking with words instead of with tears.

Everyone took turns hugging their youngest, each asking a different question about how everything had been on the other side, though only Meliodas and Henry noticed the ring on Wolfie’s ring finger at first.

They exchanged glances like the overprotective father and brother duo that they were, planning on pulling Wolfie to the side once they arrived home so he could explain that first and foremost.

However, for now, they were all just so happy to be reunited that they almost considered staying in Chon’sin for the night, but Wolfie wanted to fly.

More than anything, he wanted to fly again with his family, just like how he had seen in the dream Naga had shown him. The bright light of the moon in this oh-so-familiar world, filled with draconic energy… It seeped into Wolfie’s bones.

He hadn’t realized how tired he had been everyday back in Fódlan, but just by breathing into his world’s air, he felt recharged. He was home.

On their flight back, Cyn excitedly told him about the news they wanted to share as a surprise.

“Our castle is done! We’re going there now!” She looped in the air, giggling as even her older sister Cynthia scolded her.

“Hey! It was so hard to keep it a secret! It was gonna be a huge surprise!”

“Nyahahaha, you truly are sisters, huh?” Henry cackled on top of Nidra’s dragon form, knowing how hard it had always been for his little girls to keep a secret.

Wolfram’s eyes, however, only sparkled. “It’s done? Wow! We’ve only visited it while it was being built, but now we can LIVE there? Wooohoo!” He did a loop-de-loop, following his sister into a happy dance.

The castle that Robin had promised to make for Nidra and her family about 30 years ago, before Luci was even born, was finally ready. So Nidra could keep her vow of watching over Robin’s family and descendants through ages to come, Robin had a castle to be secretly built in the woods, behind the royal palace of Ylisse.

Only those who were involved in its construction and the royal family would ever know about it -- a den of dragons, right under Ylisse’s nose.

Wolfie was excited to finally see it completed -- it had been under construction ever since before he was born, so seeing the whole thing made his heart soar.

The location was really deep into the woods, which, in Cyn’s words, was ‘just like how legends are born’. They landed at the courtyard, under Wolfie’s gaping mouth. “Woooow!” He twirled around himself, then jumped to fly around the spires and towers. “Is this really for only us? It’s so big!”

Nidra puffed her chest up with pride, as though the praise directed at Robin’s work was her own as well. “Well, it WILL house many generations of our family, so it has to be at least this big.”

Nidra and Henry’s children, as well as their consorts and their children’s consorts… And their own children’s consorts, as well. Since they were of immortal blood, all of them would live together, sharing the same space. It was the perfect way for everyone to live together.

Once she said as much, Wolfie winced, looking down with dark eyes.

“Son?” Nidra took Wolfie’s hand, looking up at him with concerned eyes.

Wolfram shook his head, smiling right after. “Nothing. I just wanted to see how it looked inside!” He beamed, but Nidra could feel that something was wrong.

Before she opened her mouth, however, Henry touched her shoulder. “Alrighty, kids! Time to show our youngest to the nest! Tomorrow we’ll do a big tour.” He urged the children with his usual eagerness, watching them disappear inside the castle with a smile.

“... Henry.” Nidra touched the hand that was on her shoulder.

“Ni-Ni. What if they don’t want to live here with their mates?” He asked without taking his eyes off of the door they went through. “Will you hold them back?”

The manakete looked down, pressing her lips into a thin line.

Sleeping inside their nest after so long made Wolfie sob half of the night until he finally fell asleep, though by then Cynthia and Nidra had also cried so much the pillows were drenched. Henry stayed up all night, caressing his youngest’s hair as he reminisced of the past.

Had it been already that long since he was just a bundle of warmth at the corner of the nest? Now he was fitting right in the middle, in between so many limbs no one knew what belonged to whom.

His eyes naturally trailed to the ring on Wolfie’s finger.

His children finding mates wasn’t something new, actually. Meliodas and Cynthia both had found their sweethearts, though they weren’t living at the castle yet. Emphasis on ‘yet’. But it seemed like Wolfie’s wouldn’t be able to come over, maybe ever.

Henry looked at his wife whose eyes were puffy from crying so much and smiled, kissing her eyelids. “Maybe we can make another one, nyaha!”

The following day, Wolfie distributed the presents one by one, muttering something about buying larger decorations if he’d known the castle would be ready. Each one reacted to their presents differently, but it was just what he had expected. Meliodas and Cynthia were excited to read their books, just as Cyn wanted to test out her new saddle right away. However, they would rather spend time with their youngest, so they put away their presents to listen to Wolfie’s stories instead.

Bashful, Wolfie took a deep breath to start the epic tale, but Nidra lifted her hand, getting up from her spot in the nest. “Children, you should go enjoy your presents now. Mother needs to have a talk with Wolfie before we all return to our usual lives.”

Meliodas and Cynthia exchanged worried glances, remembering how serious Nidra had been on the day Wolfram had had his destiny’s call. Cyn and Meli glanced at Henry, silently asking to stay, but he urged them to leave instead.

Under the suddenly cold atmosphere, Wolfie looked like a lost puppy. “Um, Mother? Is something wrong?” He squeaked after everyone but Henry and Nidra had left, hugging a big pillow as though to defend himself.

Nidra took a shaky breath, truly not really wanting to have this talk. Henry sat beside her and held her hand, jumping straight into the issue.

“You’re not really staying, right, Wolfie?” Henry surely used words, but Wolfram felt like he had been slapped instead.

“Wuh- how? I-” He blabbered, looking from Henry to Nidra.

The manakete felt tears burning on her eyes again, but she pushed them down. She was a mother, so she understood her children well.

Of course, she wouldn’t want to tie them down if they absolutely didn’t want it. She would use her authority as a mother to keep them under her wing for as long as it took -- even that meant thousands of years! Actually, she would prefer it that way.

However, if they wanted to fly out of the nest on their own, she had no choice but to accept it… with conditions, of course.

“We’re your parents, Wolfie. Of course we know when our baby is struggling,” she said with a level tone, smiling warmly at the boy.

“They can’t come over, huh?” Henry pointed at the ring, making Wolfie flinch and look down at his hand as well. Not even the nosy Cynthia duo noticed, so he didn’t think he would be found out this soon.

The moment he saw his family again, he wanted to blurt it all out, but he couldn’t. The more time he spent with them, the more he thought that he had to wait for a better moment to drop the news and ask for help.

And yet, his parents saw through it all.

“...” Wolfie teared up, hugging the pillow even harder. “I love him so much… I miss him already, Mom…” he sobbed, his voice muffled by the pillow.

Nidra ran up to her child and hugged him, squeezing him into the most motherly hug she had ever given. “Tell Mother everything, Wolfie. We will do anything to help our baby.”

“Wuhh…” Wolfie sniffled, digging his face into his mother’s embrace. “Motherrr!” He cried out even harder as she patted his back reassuringly.

Henry held Wolfie’s hand through it all, silently waiting until he was ready to tell them everything.

It took a while for his tears to dry, and even longer for his voice to come back after sobbing so much, but they waited patiently. As Wolfie told them his and Dimitri’s tale, his eyes sparkled like they never had before.

Wolfram had always been a child who shone brightly with his smile; but seeing him talk about his beloved -- Dimitri -- the couple could see how much brighter he could become once he found something important to him.

Nidra caressed his hand in silence after he was done.

He wanted to open the portal again to be with Dimitri -- that was his strongest wish. He wondered if the portal could be permanent, but trailed off because he would still want to go back to Fódlan even if it couldn’t be permanent.

“We said this before you left, but we still remain true to our words, Son. All that matters is what you want.” Nidra smiled weakly. “Opening the portal once took a lot of power, so I cannot promise that we can make the permanent one right away.”

“Uh-huh,” Henry nodded, scratching his chin in thought, “maybe if we tapped into the life force… I think that would work…” He mumbled, though he felt that that train of thought would be too much for Nidra to handle at the moment. Cut off their son’s lifespan so they could meet anytime they wanted? She would never allow that!

However, Nidra simply bobbed her head to the sides. “I shall speak to Naga about how we could make this possible. It would be better if the portal was held here in the forest…”

Wolfie blinked, stunned. His Mother and Father were so open about helping him that made all of his feelings of guilt melt away like snow. “It- is it okay? I can… go back? But we just met again…”

“Oh, you are not going back now, Son. Perhaps a few moons away? There is much to prepare for the portal to open once, so opening it indefinitely will take even longer.”

Months.

Looking down, Wolfie hunched his shoulders, making Nidra and Henry exchange glances.

“Do not make that face, my boy.” Nidra lifted his chin with a soft touch, booping his nose. “We shall do our utmost to have you back in your beloved’s arms, so smile for us, hm? Besides, I still need to meet him for a ‘talk’.”

Henry snorted, setting Wolfie off as well.

“Heehee, poor Dimitri!” He giggled, finally feeling the weight in his chest being lifted. He looked up with clenched fists, as though readying himself for a challenge. “Wait for me, Dimitri… I’ll go back as soon as possible!”

The news about Wolfie’s eventual return to Fódlan was met with some resistance from the younger siblings. Meliodas figured that was the case so he was more level-headed, though he still grieved silently while Cyn sobbed, hugging her only little brother.

“I’ll go too! I’m not leaving Ramy alone anymore!” She declared under loud sobs, flustering her siblings and mother to the almost fainting point.

There was much to prepare for Wolfie’s return; from gathering information about the portal to how the dynamics inside their castle would change. If the portal were to be permanent, it would only be like crossing the street to visit, but if not… Well, there was a lot to think about.

Nidra prayed to Naga every day, talking with the Mother of the species as though they were in a group project together. They talked about materials and possible sources of power, not to mention a way to connect both worlds together.

They had to take stones from Naga’s temple up on Mount Prism to build a foundation for the portal to stay up, then there was a need for the stones to be bathed in a solution made with Naga’s Bell. The way to connect their worlds would be through the ring Wolfie wore and the Jewel Dimitri had on his person back in Fódlan. He had asked for additional hair the morning of his departure, saying that his feelings had changed from when he had first made the ejwel, so although a shame that the old jewel would disappear, Wolfie would return with a new one in tow.

For the energy source, Naga suggested two that none of them had thought of: the Fire Emblem and the Exalted Falchion. Since both of them were bathed in Naga’s holy fire and held a considerable amount of her power, they would be enough to supply the portal for all eternity. However, they would lose all of their power, so another Awakening Ceremony would be needed should the need arise in the future.

Nidra approached Chrom and Robin with such concerns, but the Queen Mother and former King readily lent them to her, seeing as they now lived in a time where the Fell Dragon didn’t exist anymore.

It took almost an entire year for Wolfie to stand in front of the portal once again, though this time he would cross it hand in hand with Nidra. The others were forced to stay since it would be too overwhelming for everyone on the other side if so many dragons crossed over, but once everything was settled, they would rush in right away.

Wolfie gulped, his heart pounding like crazy as he stepped into the light, guided by his Mother’s warm hand.

Summer in Fhirdiad wasn’t that much different from spring, which was only slightly warmer than autumn. The King of the Unified Kingdom of Fódlan sat in his office like he had done for the past year, digging into piles and piles of documents. However, that day, unlike the others, something strange happened: as he was stretching his arms from looking down for so long, something flashed under his clothes.

“What?” He quickly pulled the chain in which he had hung Wolfram’s jewel, seeing it shine brightly for a moment before… crumbling into dust.

Color left his face as he tried to gather what was left of it, but the dust floated in the air, avoiding his touch. It twirled around the room, then reached the door as though asking him to follow it.

Dimitri’s heart beat faster.

Could it be?

He slammed the door open, running after the golden dust that sped up more and more as it left the castle well into the woods. Many people shouted after seeing their King run around like a madman, but Dimitri didn’t hear any of it.

Huffing, he stood at a clearing in the middle of the dense woods as the dust twirled in the air, twinkled and flashed a blinding, familiar light. A blue portal opened right in front of him, the waves of distorted space making reality wobble around him.

“Do you think you will recognize the place once we arrive?” An unknown woman’s voice rang, making Dimitri flinch.

Soon after it, a familiar and sweet voice replied. “I have no idea! Naga said it’d open close to where the jewel was, right? But I dunno where Dimitri is-”

As Wolfram stepped out of the portal, a bright blue eye and a perfect blond head greeted him.

“Right here.” Dimitri huffed, pulling Wolfram into a much needed embrace. “I’m right here, Wolfram.”

[lunavadash-creates]

A letter

@ac-prompts​ 

Dear mum,

Once again, I was not enough.

I am so lost and, I don't know what should I do anymore. I swear I'm doing my best mum, but somehow it never works as it should. Father has never been supportive, not for me at least. Evie is intelligent and strong she shares father's vision of the world, just as him she was interested in finding pieces of Eden. Everything she did was perfect, just like herself. On the other hand, I always had a different vision of the Brotherhood and our goal as assassins. I've never cared much about history nor artefacts, to be honest, I think that those pieces of unknown metal should be destroyed or hidden.

All I ever wanted was to help people, protect them from templars and their supporters, not only from the consequences of their mystery work. But father could never understand it. He had always been so focused on artefacts he couldn't accept any other different perspective as mine.

I still remember when I went with him and Evie on a mission. Our task was supposed to be easy to retrieve a book with the results of the experiments. Of course, father wanted Evie to do this, and my job was to get rid of security, which I did. (You should have seen me, mum!) But then I saw how a man is grabbing a woman with a little child. So, I left roof I was supposed to stay and went on to save them. That man was ready to kill both the woman and the child, can you imagine? Templars are such cowards that they are willing to kill innocent people!  I saved that woman and her child, and she was so grateful! Even her child thanked me. (I still remember his name was Dominic). I felt proud and was ready to go back to that roof, but then father and Evie had found me. He was angry at me for leaving, said I let personal feelings compromise the mission. He didn’t want to hear my reasons and Evie? She agreed with father. None of them cared about those people. From that day father was even colder and harsher towards me. I let him down and never made up for that. He died proud of Evie and still disappointed with me.

I thought that everything will be different in London. I created my own gang. (You should see it, mum! I called ourselves the rooks!). I was able to do that one thing I believed in the most – protect innocents. I was saving children from working in factories, kidnapping gang leaders of Blighters, retrieving supplies for people. Maybe I will appear soft now, but saving children, seeing their exhausted, but relieved and grateful faces made me so… proud. On that moment I just knew that that was what I wanted to do as an assassin. I wanted to be able to protect people, who were suffering the most. So I was doing that whenever I could. I was protecting innocents, supporting an orphanage in London, stopping the experiments. Even now most of my income is still for Emmanuel’s. That orphanage is important to me, there are still living children I saved from factories. I pay for their education and medical care. I just want them to have a happy childhood, you know?

At one point I met Pearl. Mum, I swear I have never seen a woman like that. She was so confident, expressive, and she believed in me. So I did everything to save London’s transport and… failed. She was a Templar, she used me and I destroyed everything. As much as I hate to say it – it was Evie who in the end saved the day... I managed to destroy the whole London transport and Evie was the one who helped rebuild it. I’m not sure if she knows that I’m going to buy it now, to make sure that every person will have access to it and workers payment will be enough for them to have a decent life.

Sometime later, Abberline asked for my help regarding the Bank of London. A particular gang was ready to rob it. They wanted to steal the money of people, who were already killing themselves while working to provide their families. They were also sponsoring templar’s experiments and stuff like that so killing them would be a good decision, right? So again I did everything, I could and killed them. How was I supposed to know that printing plates were stored in the same vault? How could I know that there were more people and someone would steal them? Abberline was there I was sure he would step in just in time but… but I guess it was my fault again, wasn’t it? I almost ruined the English economy and Evie, once again, had to fix my mistakes.

And then there was Maxwell Roth. And mum I swear I… I don’t know anymore. I was cautious around him but his plan was perfect! He surprised me every time we met, and I believed him when he was talking about freedom as the most exceptional value. He sounded like a true assassin and he trusted me! Me! After everything I did, I’m sure he had known about my endeavours with Pearl and that action in the Bank of England. Nevertheless, he trusted me, supported me, believed in me. When I was with him, I had felt like I was with father. Roth gave me more support in a few weeks than father gave me in his whole life! And then… Then he tried to sacrifice children. How could I let that to happen? I wanted to protect people, not sacrifice them! And soon I was forced to kill Roth. Can you believe that in his last moment he kissed me? I know it’s weird, we’re both men but… I just felt like my heart exploded at that moment. Never in my life, I had felt such pain. It was like someone was frantically stabbing me again and again but I couldn’t die from it. Even now thinking about it brings me so much pain. I’m so lost, mum. Why I always put my trust in the wrong people? Why am I like this? Roth, Pearl, even now, when I’m aware who they were I can’t stop thinking… what if? What if I could convince Maxwell not to kill those children? What if I was enough for him?

So far, I let down every person whoever decided to put at least a bit of faith in me.

I disappointed Evie.

I disappointed Father.

I disappointed Abberline.

I disappointed Henry.

I disappointed all people of London.

I’m writing this letter now when we have already killed Starric. We should be celebrating, you know? London is safe, Templar Grandmaster is dead. The only thing left to do is to kill remaining templars and rebuild the brotherhood. Piece of cake, right? But Evie and Henry just got engaged and they will leave London sooner or later. So what am I supposed to do now? I shouldn’t be an assassin, but if I resign Evie will have to stay, Henry will follow her, and they will both be unhappy. I may be assassin failure, worse twin, terrible brother, but I want at least Evie to be happy. She deserves it more than anyone for what she did for London.

But me? I can’t do anything right, how am I supposed to be a master assassin, when I shouldn’t be one at all? Father was right in everything he said.

I probably didn’t mention that after arriving in London I had won a train in a battle with a templar. But it doesn’t matter. I’m just so afraid, mum. Soon I will have to do everything by myself, be the man London needs. But I know, I’m just so damn sure that I will fail again! I don’t know how or who but when I think about the future, I feel shivers going down my spine. Like there is something really dark waiting for me. Yes. I will fail again and on that day, Evie will not be here to clean my mess.

I know that father said assassin should focus on present times, not looking back and not trying to predict the future and look at me now? I’m writing about the future to you, woman I had never even met. I wonder, what would you think about me? Would you hate me like a father? Be angry all the time at me like Evie? Or maybe you would be that one person I need the most, maybe you would be supportive and loving? Maybe if you were alive, everything would be different? Maybe I would be different. Better? I have no idea I just wish… you were here with me. I’m so sorry that you died because of me.

I love you, mum,

Jacob Frye

  Evie couldn’t stop her tears while reading Jacob’s letter. She had no idea about all of this, how could she be so blind? It’s been 40 years and right now she felt like she even didn’t know her own brother! She always thought he was reckless and irresponsible but he was… lonely and sad, he was blaming himself for all those bad things that had happened. She hadn’t got the slightest idea Jacob would blame himself for Cecily’s death!

Jacob… he needed support and help, yet Evie had never provided him with any of it.

The woman sat on the chair, hiding face in her hand for a few seconds. This time it was her who felt disappointed. Disappointed in herself. Jacob was the only family she had left. The only one who had always been there for her and with her. Even if they were fighting and arguing, Jacob have always been there. And that letter proved that. Jacob was so afraid of staying alone, but never said a word, so Evie could be happy far away from London.

She wiped tears from her cheeks before she looked at the letter again. It was hidden with the picture they took in India and a few other documents. But among it all, there was another little piece of paper with only a few words written down.

“I knew I would do it again. This time I failed Jack”

[pangolin-404]

Batim but I myth-ify it because I lack self-control

Joey is essentially one of several head gods, and ruled the land alongside Henry and a handful of other minor deities: Bertrum, Susie, and Sammy. Each deity had/has power over a part of the land, had their assistants and helpers, etc., etc.

The creation myth goes that Henry wanted to be a part of the mortal realm, so he nerfed himself and woke up as a full human with very little recollection of his time as a god.

Joey begins to lose followers because he asks too much of them, and they honestly liked Henry better anyways. He wasn't happy with his and Henry's creations: the living cartoons(humans were kinda there before them). He created Bendy, a unique unfinished cartoon he stole from Henry, and promptly fused with it/him; aka the Joey is Bendy theory. It went wrong, they became senselessly evil, the land became sepia-toned, and almost all of the water became ink. The ink deforms toons so very few perfect ones are still around. The humans turned into ink people or cartoons, and were driven mad or traumatized, generally nobody's having a good time.

Bertrum's domain actually stood a chance, because he didn't have a tie to the ink. He managed to save his closest follower, Lacie, from being ink-ified by putting her soul into the animatronic. Then Joey/Bendy got mad, tried to smite him but failed, and now you've got Bertrum fused with the machinery.

Note that there isn't really an underworld. There's the well of voices, which is in the ink. They can occasionally push out a few searchers and such, but for the most part they just pull poor souls in.

Sammy was the god of music before the Joey mess. He was driven mad, and converted his cult following to become downright obsessed with Bendy. As in, they will do very dangerous things like stand in the ink and hold their own against the well trying to rip their minds to shreds. They drink it, sing and make songs about it, worship it, all the cult stuff. They view the ink and how it works with the well as a cycle of death and rebirth. Aka: ink Dionysus. (Bonus points if he's a satyr bc haha sheep. Also Pan parallels because music + we thought he was dead but SURPRISE he's not)

Susie was a more vaguely defined goddess, and ruled over love and passion (not just towards others but also towards interests and hobbies), but also medicine and science. She barely survived the ink event, and was left marred. She had already been losing power, because a new minor goddess (Allison) was starting to replace her. She uses the hearts from the searchers and toons to rebuild herself.

Norman was a mortal, and he's got the classic story of why one shouldn't challenge the gods. He kept searching for explanations and more things to learn about, including how Joey's powers worked. So not long before Joey and Bendy became one, Norman was shot down and turned into the Projectionist. He's thus cursed as a backwards oracle of sorts where he can see the life of any he looks at, and the knowledge of knowing someone's past, present, and future kinda messed him up. He wanders aimlessly in dark, quiet places. Also he gets Medusa parallels at possibly getting his head cut off.

The Lost Harbor is literally a lost harbor because it's floating in an ink sea and damn near impossible to get onto, but occasionally bumps into land like whatever pit brings Henry to Joey

Henry turning himself into a human took a while so he literally wakes up after everything's gone to hell. He thus has to piece together what he did to himself, drag himself through the gods' realms to Joey's doorstep and pry he and Bendy apart and fix the mess he made.

[agl03]

Enoch said that the team will not survive, but what could be the reason for this? Like, some kind of event in which they are scattered across the timeline and live a happy life in different periods of time? It would be bittersweet for sure. Do you have any theory?

Hi Anon,

I’ve been predicting for nearly a year that the team wouldn’t make it out of the finale as it was before.  The signs were everywhere.  As there were many characters that I saw being done or set up to move on even then.  The top at the time were Fitzsimons and May.

So Encoh saying the team would not survive was hardly a surprise to me.  That alone is Bittersweet even if its just Fitzsimmons leaving.  Seeing the family we have fallen in love with over the last seasons having someone leave the nest if you will and move ong.   

Yet as the season has progressed we are seeing more signs that others are getting to the point of heading out too.  

Fitzsimmons and their daughter (nope still securely parked on that hill).  Even if they don’t have to stay at the end of we had time I don’t see them staying in Shield.  With their daughter they will not risk being torn apart again.  

May the woman has died enough, and I can see her wanting to go on and help the future of Shield and the Academy comes back.  

Robo Coulson, no matter what he decided I didn’t think there was an option that kept him in Shield.

Now as we get close to closing out the season other member more members have been added to the “flight risk” list.

Daisy now is on this list with the heavy involvement of Afterlife and now with her getting the chance to meet and have an actual conversation with her mother pre Whitehall.  AKA a whole lot of crap is gonna be hashed out.  Daisy has a lot to rightly get off her chest.  This will also allow for us the audience to see if Jaiyings motivations were because of what Whitehall did to her or something she had been thinking about long before that.   Bonus left field Kora that still needs to be resolved.  Daisy knows going into this episode that she is loosing her team family but now her real family is there and with the right tweaks to history could have that.  Even if she can’t have that family back she can carry on that Legacy in rebuilding Afterlife as the safe place for Inhumans it once was.  

Mack said in the first moment of the season he was going to be re evaluating things after this mission.  And continued to mention it throughout the season.  In TV Land that is a massive red flag.  I know Enoch told Daisy her friends survive but I’m still looking at how Henry was upset in SDCC.  If Mack doesn’t die he does something so absolutely against Mack’s character that it upsets Henry.  So something bad.

We’ve already seen some of the Bittersweet.  Loosing Enoch (still not over that and holding out for BBG bodyguard Enoch ), Fitzsimmons forced apart and hiding their daughter, what this all means for Robo Couslon and Philinda, and the repercussions of the waves that have been made especially in Mack’s parents.

Other things that I put in the bittersweet category are:

The team having to split up and yes right now I can see Fitzsimmons needing to the end of We Had time.  

Daisy choosing to to back in time with her family would be quite shocking. 

Whatever Robo Coulson decides, if he decides to shut down, get Tahitied again, or become a Observing kind of Chronicom himself.

Death, I still think we loose someone and its gonna hurt sooooo bad.

Glimpses at those we’ve lost and not being able to save them.

This is also one of those things we’ll get a better idea of all the repercussions once we start to dig into the “We had Time” stuff which 11 is looking really good for.  

[saviourse]

FLEUR’S GRANDMOTHERS: NEL AND HENRIE MLADEN.

nel is a fullblooded veela from the velébit mountain range of serbia, the birthplace and largest veela clan in the world. henrie is a pureblood french witch who graduated from beauxbâtons académie of magique before meeting nel and joining the war against grindelwald. henrie worked in the l’oracle ( french ministry of magic ) under the job of caring for magical creatures. during this time nel left serbia under the orders of  wizarding federation. for years magical creatures – centaurs, giants, and even veelas were persecuted and hunted by the magical community. but after world war i things started to change. nel went to france in order to negotiate protection for the french veelas who immigrated here; and this is how she met henrie. 

nel remained in france citing her need to represent and continue negotiating protection – and ensuring protections were maintained – by the l’oracle. during this time henrie and nel began their romance. shortly after nel found herself banished from serbia for betraying the veela rule of only loving within the clan. nel never left france after that. 

henrie and nel lived in paris with the main veela clan of france, the garde veelas. paris was one of the many half-muggle, half-wizarding cities of france ( not unsimilar from england’s own tinworth, upper flagley, ottery st. catchpole, etc. ). france had it’s own few: honfleur, brantôme, louhans, nogent le roi, falaise, ornans, argentat, barjols, and paris.

RISE OF GRINDELWALD,

veelas are one of the most fickle races. they owe no loyalty to anyone but themselves, but because they were often disloyal and ‘traitors’ it was no surprise to nel when many aided grindelwald in his search for power, promising them a place outside of hiding in serbia and other countries. he promised more than what ministries of magic were promising. 

during the years leading to grindelwald’s rise henrie became increasingly concerned with corruption within l’oracle, breakouts from the underground french prison of édras; the minister of l’oracle disappearing; and aurors caught breaking the law. in the distant past the l’oracle had been one of the darkest ministries in the world. they produced more dark wizards than any other country, and to nel and henrie, history was repeating itself.

henrie didn’t leave l’oracle until wizarding france argued against helping the muggle world during the rise of world war ii. the l’oracle cited the statue of secrecy, warning that any who are caught using magic to help the muggles will be imprisoned. henrie couldn’t believe it; so she left l’oracle. since then nel and henrie remained and paris and secretly helped the muggles in in the city. 

in-between the years, they met and english magizoologist, newt scamander, who was hunting grindelwald with the ministry of magic behind him. newt had remarked on never meeting a veela ( too secret, too hidden, and there are no books in the world about them. only word-of-mouth legends ) and nel was flattered. during grindelwald’s invasion of paris nel and henrie joined forces with him to repel the acolytes and they won.

grindelwald disappeared again, but france was not out of danger. the l’oracle was revealed to be corrupt and dark wizards were prowling more than ever. war in the muggle world was growing, too. nel and newt said their goodbyes, promising to come to his aid if he ever needed it and newt held to the promise. before the height of the wizarding and muggle war, they got married, becoming nel and henrie mladen.

OCCUPIED FRANCE,

the mladens were fully against l’oracle. statute of secrecy or no, they believed it was wrong for wizards and witches to be in hiding while war devastated france. paris was not safe; but the mladens frequently posed as muggles to help those in hiding and keep their citizentry safe, breaking magical rules but never being arrested because the l’oracle had fallen. it became the dark ministry again. other countries had broken off ties with them. 

NURMENGARD CASTLE,

newt scamander hadn’t seen the mladens for several years after his visit to paris, but nel and newt sent letters to each other once a year on the movements of dark wizards in france, the veelas, and and l’oracle’s plans. newt enjoyed the letters because, while she still didn’t dilvulge much about the veelas, each letter was a deeper peak into their world.

newt saw the mladens again in the war at nurmengard castle, austria. they did not follow l’oracle into war, preferring to remain seperate from it and entered the battle for themselves. newt scamander can vividly recall two french wizards descending on the castle, nel in her full veela form carrying henrie, both blasting away the darkness with powerful white magic. the mladens repelled several dark wizard who tried to approach nurmengard castle, and because nel was recognised for her powerful wandless magic, it didn’t long take for the acolytes torecognise that taking her out would be step closer to winning.

nel was attacked in the air by several acolytes at once and permanently injured one of her wings as she fell into the mountains, disappearing. henrie continued to hold off the dark wizards believing her wife to have died in the battle. 

after the fall of nurmengard castle and the successful capture of grindelwald and his followers, nel was found in the mountains but could never fly again. her veela days were over.

POST-WAR FRANCE,

wounded and still angry at l’oracle, they returned to paris and once again posed as muggles to help rebuild the city. 

nel officially went into hiding again, preferring to masquerade as a regular witch in lieu of the veela hunts that started again in post-war france. many veela clans of europe also went back into hiding after l’oracle started seeking wizards and magical creatures who betrayed france. 

in the following years they had their only child, apolline mladen. she was the first veela of the family to attend beauxbâtons, and later on she married a french wizard by the name of etienne delacour. the mladens became the delacours. 

VOLDEMORT AND THE RETURN OF DARK FRANCE,

voldemort was gathering followers again. many french wizards once again defected or betrayed l’oracle ( the mladens still didn’t trust it after years, even with etienne delacour an auror from there ). the l’oracle still never fully recovered from the war against grindelwald, so it crumpled again easily. during the first wizarding war, nel mladen was killed by a killing curse, and henrie left paris and the l’oracle forever. even though she had left the ministry a long time ago, she remained loyal to the soul of wizarding france. she now owed no loyalty to her own country. france could fall for all she cared; beauxbâtons, too. 

nel was buried in the pére lachaise cemetery in paris.

in the later years with the birth of fleur and gabrielle the mladen-delacour family had relocated from paris to honfleur. 

TO OTTERY ST. CATCHPOLE,

the last we see of henrie mladen is when they portkeyed with their daughter, son-in-law, and youngest granddaughter to ottery st. catchpole for fleur delacour’s wedding. when the wedding was attacked by voldemort’s followers, henrie immediately returned to paris. the l’oracle had fallen again and so had england’s ministry of magic. france was returning to darkness. 

[shemarmooresfedora]

Rebuilding Family

Summary: Y/N and Spencer were college sweethearts at Cal-Tech but once Spencer got accepted to the FBI Academy, he ended things deciding it was not fair to make Y/N wait for him. When they meet again years later, he discovers something unexpected.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem! Reader

Masterlist

Chapter 14

“Crack it on the counter carefully, Baby J. Try to get no shells in the bowl please,” you handed her an egg.

Jo gently hit the egg on the edge of the counter as Spencer held up a bowl with vanilla and cinnamon already in it for her to place the egg into.

“Good job!” you praised.

Jo beamed, gesturing for you to hand her another egg.

“Sorry baby, the recipe only calls for one egg. You can help Daddy add the milk if you ask nicely though,” you kissed her on the head.

The three of you were making French toast on a lazy Sunday morning. You had felt better after a good night’s sleep and the medicine Spencer brought you so Jo and Spencer came back over on Saturday night. Yes, you already missed Spencer’s arms wrapped around you and he was more than happy to stay the night.

“Daddy, can I please help?” Jo looked up at him from where she was sitting on the counter with puppy dog eyes.

“Of course, you can, Princess. Thank you for using your manners,” he handed her the measuring cup.

“We need to fill the milk up to that line so you tell me when to stop,” he explained and began pouring.

“Stop!” Jo chirped.

“What a perfect little helper!” you smiled at Jo.

You and Spencer dipped the pieces of bread into the mixture as Jo watched curiously. You placed the bread into the skillet and it began to sizzle. Spencer cut up a watermelon into bite-sized pieces and placed it in a bowl in the center of the kitchen table.

Once breakfast was all ready, you all dug in. Everyone having a second piece.

“That was delicious,” Spencer stated, clearing your empty plates and giving you both kisses on the head.

“I think it was because the egg was perfectly cracked and there was the exact right amount of milk,” you smiled at Jo.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Spencer agreed as he loaded the dirty plates into the dishwasher.

“I have somewhere I want to stop before we go to the park today,” Spencer announced to you both.

“Okay, sure thing. Where?” you asked.

“It’s a surprise but I need both of your opinions on it,” he smiled.

-

Spencer pulled up to a gated area about ten minutes from your house with a condo complex inside.

“You’re moving?” you asked.

“Well, I figured I’m going to need more space if Jo ever needs to come to my place again. A one bedroom apartment on the second floor of an apartment complex isn’t really ideal for a kid. But, I’m not moving in anywhere until I have you and Jo’s approval,” he parked in front of one of the condos.

“The owner gave me a key to check it out,” he smiled, getting out of the car and unbuckling Jo.

He unlocked the front door and set Jo down to go explore inside.

“This would be your bedroom, Jo,” he pointed into a room down the hall from his.

“Cool!” Jo exclaimed, running inside it.

Spencer found you in the kitchen, staring into space rather than exploring the condo. You had been uncharacteristically quiet since you arrived at the complex.

“It has a little gated backyard and the park is only a short walk away,” he said, trying to sell you on the place.

“Mmh,” you gave a little hum of approval but it seemed half-hearted.

Spencer was going to have to figure out what wasn’t meeting your requirements so he could make sure the next place he looked at was more suitable for Jo.

-

After watching and singing along to Lion King again, you tucked a sleepy Jo into bed.

When you went back downstairs, Spencer was still seated on the couch with his hands folded in his lap, looking up at you expectedly.

“What?” you furrowed your brow.

“I could tell you didn’t actually like the condo which is fine but could you just make me a list of things you need so I can find a better place,” Spencer asked.

You took a deep breath and sat down on the couch.

“My list would narrow it down to only one place,” you spoke softly.

“That’s fine, sweetheart. You just tell me where,” he took your hands in his.

You looked at the man in front of you, so willing and eager to do anything for you and Jo.

“Here,” you whispered.

“Here?”

Spencer surely couldn’t be hearing this right. You wanted him to move into the house and be with you and Jo 24/7. It seemed too good to be true.

“I don’t want to have you and Jo in some condo down the street when we could all just live here. I have an office upstairs but I mainly do my grading on the couch or the kitchen table so I don’t mind clearing the stuff out of there for you to move in,” you explained.

“You’re sure?” he confirmed.

“If you want to move in, we would be more than happy to have you,” you smiled softly.

You barely got the sentence out before you were pulled in for a kiss by Spencer. You could practically feel his smile against your lips. When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against yours.

“I also have a question for you,” his warm breath fanned out across your face.

“I don’t think you ever officially answered my question but ask away, Dr. Reid,” you smiled.

He chuckled, “Yes, I’ll move in with you… and will you be my girlfriend?”

“I don’t think any relationship has ever asked those questions in that order,” you giggled, planting a kiss on his nose.

“Yes, Spence, I would love to be your girlfriend.”

-

It was lunchtime at the office and the whole BAU team was eating their lunch in the break room.

“Guys, my lease ends in two weeks but I want to get most of the moving done this weekend so any help would be appreciated. I will provide pizza,” Spencer announced to the group.

“Yay! Y/N and Jo liked the condo. I’ll be there, Boy Wonder,” Penelope chirped.

“Not quite,” he smiled softly.

Now, Spencer had their undivided attention. Hotch put down his sandwich and Prentiss stopped the sink faucet while in the middle of washing out a mug.

“I am moving in with my girlfriend and daughter,” he grinned, taking a sip of his coffee.

“My man!” Derek slapped his back.

“I think we will all be there to help,” JJ smiled.

-

“Josephine, please stop taking things out of boxes or Daddy will never be able to move and come live with us,” you chided, knowing how excited she was for Spencer to move into the house.

“Sorry, Mommy. I will help,” Jo put the random knick-knacks that she had taken out of the box back inside.

“If you don’t want to pack any more, you can go with Auntie Penelope to the house. Henry is going to be there shortly,” you added.

Jo nodded enthusiastically and you lifted her up, carrying her downstairs to where Derek, Hotch, Spencer, and Penelope were loading boxes into their cars.

“Jo wants to head home now,” you said.

“Perfect timing!” Penelope chirped, closing her car trunk, “She can ride with me.”

“I’ll grab the car seat out of my car,” Spencer said.

“We should be over soon. I think Rossi, Emily, and JJ with Henry and Jack are already there,” you transferred Jo into Penelope’s arms.

After you had finished packing all the boxes, it was just you and Spencer left in the empty apartment.

“Are you going to miss it?” you asked.

“Not really,” he said, looking around, “I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life way too much to be sad right now,” he smiled, wrapping his arm around you and pressing a kiss on your head.

“Me too and I can’t speak for Jo but she was practically buzzing with excitement this morning,” you giggled.

-

Spencer was officially all moved in. He returned his keys to the landlord and all of his belongings were now in the house. He still had some boxes left to unpack but he was grateful for everyone’s help.

He was unpacking his clothes when he heard a light knock at the door. He opened it to find you standing there, guiltily.

“I know I gave you your own room so you could have some space to yourself but I want to sleep with my boyfriend,” you smiled softly.

Spencer opened the door all the way.

“I was going to come to your room anyways once I finished this box,” he chuckled, “but I think I’m done unpacking for the night.”

He followed you to the bed, getting under the comforters.

“You make me the happiest man on Earth, you know that, right?” he asked, wrapping his arms around you and nuzzling his face into the top of your head, breathing in the faint scent of your eucalyptus shampoo.

“Thank you for being a great dad and boyfriend,” you whispered.

“The pleasure is all mine.”

There was another soft knock at the already open door.

You and Spencer both sat up to see Jo, standing there in her PJs with her stuffed stegosaurus in hand.

“Is something wrong, Baby J?” you asked, concerned.

“I want to sleep with Mommy and Daddy,” she said, walking towards the bed.

“Come up here, Princess,” Spencer lifted the girl up and placed her in between you both, “Just for tonight though, okay? You have to sleep in your big girl bed.”

“Night night. Love you,” Jo snuggled into her stegosaurus.

“Love you too,” you both replied, still looking at each other.

[the-colony-roleplay]

Arthur Meir | Fifty Five; Survivor

House: Brink Status:  Uninfected Security Class: 1 Alignment:  New World Radicals

History

As the only child of the head of a prominent cattle ranch in Australia, Arthur Meir was born with great expectations already set for him. He was always told that one day it would be his turn to run the family ranch, a torch passed down from his father and his grandfather before him. Therefore, much of his childhood was spent working the fields with his father and his uncle Henry—and Henry’s gaggle of children. 

But for all the expectations, Arthur had very little interest in filling them. From the time he could walk, he’d been taught the workings of the ranch, the surrounding brush, the cattle drive and the trade. But the only part of it that had ever really interested him was the business side of things. By age twelve he could balance the books nearly as well as his father. The rest of it, however, was too dirty, too noisy, too crude for his tastes. He was envious of the children in the nearby town, who got to go to public school while he was homeschooled, or whose homes weren’t rampant with children and pets.

Not wanting to think about a fated-future he couldn’t escape, Arthur found reprieve in the past. He found himself absorbed in the history channel or historical documentaries, the story and politics of those who came before them engaging him in a way he’d never felt engaged on the farm. He began reading extensively about any timeline he could get his hands on. With the ranch’s spotty Echo connection, he joined forums discussing political strategies and how they might’ve been improved upon. Such discussions inevitably turned to present politics, which Arthur followed eagerly. This was something that excited him, that made him feel something. He continued doing his duties on the ranch as he was told, but they were often done halfheartedly and as quickly as possible, so that he could sooner get back to his studies.

At the age most students would graduate, Arthur’s parents offered him more responsibility on the ranch. A precursor to his taking over completely—the beginning of the end, the way Arthur saw it. It felt like a trap, a burden he wasn’t born for. So he returned to his parents with a counter-offer: university. He was almost surprised when they agreed—but it was on the condition that he come home in the summer to help with the drive. Arthur happily agreed, having expected more of a fight, but the second he set foot on campus he knew he would never properly return to his old life. 

Rather than biology, economics, business, or anything else his parents might’ve seen as practical for taking over the farm, Arthur majored in Political Science with a minor in History. As promised, he came home for the cattle drive every summer, but only at the last minute and he always left as soon as possible. Calls with his parents, especially with his father, became shorter and shorter. 

It came to a head at his graduation. His father had been under the impression that Arthur was furthering his education to take over the ranch; his son’s real major was a complete surprise. Even worse was Arthur’s flat refusal to come home. He had a new life he cared about, with a future that excited him and he wasn’t about to give up on it now, throwing away all his hard work. His father, nervous about the security of his ranch and hurt by the dishonesty, couldn’t see past the sense of betrayal. They argued until they were blue in the face, Arthur’s mother in tears. Desperate to get the final word, Arthur told his father that if his family couldn’t support him for who he was, then maybe he shouldn’t be a part of the family at all. He stormed away, angry. For better or worse, that was the end of big, obnoxious family breakfasts, of milking the cows at dawn, of practicing Shabbat with his parents—of the simple, but hardworking farm life.

Over the course of the next several years, Arthur worked his way up the political ladder until he was elected into the House of Representatives in the Parliament of Australia. But he didn’t stop there. Many terms later, he found himself working in the Department of Foreign Affairs, and eventually, was promoted to Australian High Commissioner to Canada: Arthur’s crowning achievement. And so, for the first time in his life, he made a little room for personal interests: and fell in love. 

At first, he and Rebecca Fitz seemed made for each other. They were both intensely independent and career driven, both having come from unlikely backgrounds and fought tooth and nail to get to where they were. They were married after roughly two years of dating, but as much as they had in common, their crucial mistake was failing to realize that they were both married to their careers first, and thus each other second. Arthur had apparently looked for himself in a woman, but it had been that which had doomed them for failure. 

Nonetheless, he loved her. Despite the nights of endless fighting and the abysmal communication, he loved her, and in a desperate (and stupid) attempt to save his marriage, he convinced her to have a child with him. For a smart man, this was where his naivety showed—his Achilles’ heel. For him, this could be a new beginning. It didn’t occur to him that perhaps this desperation was coming from a place of wanting to fill a hole he’d dug out of himself years ago, when he’d left his family behind. He’d been alone in the world for so long, but he had never allowed himself to look back, much less admit to himself that he was still burdened with regret. 

To his credit, they almost made it work. For a while, things even got better. But it goes without saying that throwing children into a broken marriage is like putting a bandaid over a bullet wound. The internal bleeding had already begun, and no surface treatment was going to stop that. Five years later, they divorced. 

It was when Arthur was making arrangements to transfer overseas to France—having taken up a job opportunity there so that he and Rebecca wouldn’t have to work under the same roof any longer—that he got the news that his father had passed away. A man he’d seen a handful of times over the years, spoken to on high holy days and special occasions—but never made amends with. The last real conversation they’d ever had, had been an argument. A hateful, hurtful one. 

The news unravelled Arthur. The loss of his marriage, his father, his family—years of guilt wrought with rust from neglect, bubbled to the surface and though he flew home for the funeral and more or less made amends with his mother, it was only a few months thereafter that her time came as well. It was a fiercely bitter-sweet relief that he was by her side, holding her hand in the hospital bed when she died. But in the end, for all Arthur’s independence and ambition, he’d not been prepared for the consequences of the choices he’d made when he was young, and it was in yet another fit of desperation that he arranged to leave his daughter, Dylan, in the care of his Uncle Henry. Perhaps it was cowardice, not being able to look Dylan in the face any longer after everything that had happened—or perhaps it was courage. Courage enough to know that he couldn’t give Dylan the life she deserved, especially not in his state of mind. He needed a fresh start. A chance to rebuild himself. And then maybe one day he’d come back for her. One day, he’d be ready. 

Unfortunately, with the apocalypse on the horizon, ‘one day’ never came. 

Arthur Today

When D-day hit, Arthur was a little surprised he didn’t feel somehow more prepared. It was a global crisis after all; that was what he specialized in. But as governments crumbled and the sky fell, he was rendered just as helpless as anyone else, at least in the beginning. By the time the dust had settled, society as they’d known it had been all but obliterated. But what remained... Arthur could work with. Along with several other politicians, leaders, and crisis workers, Arthur helped to establish a base in a chateau in Nantes. It was a place where survivors could get food, water, first aid, and a safe place to sleep. Eventually, this base would become Colony 16, and Arthur, one of the original founding Elites. 

The discovery of the Infections came as a bit of a plot twist, but Arthur was fascinated by it. Immediately, he saw the potential, the promise of a new world, of fresh, thrilling beginnings. This could change everything. If handled correctly, this could prove to be the reason behind the apocalypse. A chance like nothing anyone could have anticipated. Fate. 

And then the NWRF emerged.

Contrary to Arthur’s beliefs, the NWRF believed that Infected were just that—contaminated. They were afraid of the power the Infected wielded, and wanted to control it for themselves—or better yet, eliminate it altogether. It would be such a waste. A foolish, ill-advised waste based on fear and egotism. 

So when he caught wind of a burgeoning opposition calling themselves the New World Radicals, he eagerly made ties with them. From what he could tell, most of the movement’s supporters seemed to be either outside of Colony walls and on the run from the ‘purging of the wastes’, or laying low as registered citizens with their heads bent. They met only in the dead of night, careful about how they spoke of their cause, and with whom. There was a lot of secrecy involved, but to Arthur, it felt like the beginning of something. 

Having been on the side of the law and politics most of his life, this departure actually felt a little surreal—but he believed that the overturn of the Reformist government was not only necessary, but inevitable. So he would do what he could to further the agenda of those he knew would end up on top. He put his skills to use while at Colony 16, collaborating with other voices of the underground Radical movement and coming up with strategies to coordinate globally. 

And then his chance to implement some of those strategies arrived when he found his daughter as a registered citizen at Colony 22. He’d been considering trying to get transferred anyway, in order to secretly start furthering the reach of the NAR, and he’d been aiming for Colony 4, as he’d heard it was higher traffic; more people meant more opportunities for the NAR to grow. But his heart hitched when he saw Dylan’s name and birthdate in the Echo Database. In the years that had passed, he’d mostly been able to convince himself he’d put her and all his troubled, messy regret from his mind. But seeing confirmation that she was not only alive, but also a lot closer than he would have thought, felt like too fated an opportunity to pass up. 

Besides, asking for a transfer in order to reunite with his long-lost daughter was an excellent cover up to any other intentions he had, and would be very unlikely to be turned down. It also prompted very few questions, which definitely worked in Arthur’s favour. And so it was off to Colony 22 and the little island of Belvedere he went. 

Though he is not short of his own personal ambition and purpose for the NAR, Arthur would like to try to find a way into the ranks of the Elite at Colony 22 once he gets settled. He has plenty of political and business experience that he knows he could brandish around to help him achieve this, and he’s Uninfected, which he suspects will also make it easier. But the tricky part will be making good impressions upon his arrival, and fostering the right connections. With the NWRF in (relative) control at Colony 22, he knows he is going to have to play his cards wisely. But to secure a position as an Elite could help him and his political objectives immensely. 

For the moment, he keeps most of his true thoughts under his tongue, as he gets a sense for the political climate here. But he’s always watching, gathering information and calculating his next move; waiting for that other shoe to drop.

RELATED BIOS: DYLAN MEIR 

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