#hes on the verge of tears asking olivia why she did that to him and he reads out the 'cross gartered yellow stockings' line

[aq2003]

Hi! I have a question -

When you talk about Twelfth Night being ruined for you or not being able to read it or listen to it, do you mean in a literal sense that you don't enjoy it anymore, or in the way that people mean when a story is tragic or emotionally painful but still enjoyable?

technically it's the latter but there are tiny aspects of the former in there kind of. like i love the play, and also i am much more overall emotionally attached to it than i was previously, it's just that i don't feel nearly the same way abt it as i used to (positive: olivia went from "i like her the most in this play" to "i think she is one of shakespeare's best female characters". i am a lot more invested in viola and orsino's relationship. Terminal Incurable Malvolio Brain Rot. negative: the ending is kind of a massive downer for me now. moments i found amusing are no longer remotely funny. i don't think feste deserves rights. etc)

[cultofdixon]

No need to be embarrassed, hun

Daryl Dixon | Carol Peletier [PLATONIC] • She/Her Pronouns • It’s natural! It happens! People who say it’s disgusting in ill intent deserve to fall off a bridge—-Daryl and Carol have your back • SFW • TW: Periods / Blood

Requested by: Anon

“You’ve seen the kid?”

“No, not for a couple hours…you think—-“

“If you jump the gun, I will and then the Spencer guy will be dead”

Carol immediately gave the archer a concerned look. “Why would he be dead? He’s too old for her. She’s close to Carl’s age!”

“He’s a fuckin’ creep and freaks me out. He could literally breathe in the same room as my kid and he’d dead meat” Daryl scoffs bringing himself to go check the room Y/N has taken up in Carol’s house.

“I’m not gonna warn Deanna of your potential murder!” Carol chimes in one last time before checking the oven for the cookies she’s making.

But before Daryl could even check the upstairs bedrooms he watches Y/N anxiously come down the stairs.

“You okay pumpkin?” His voice instantly riddled with worry which triggered Carol to make herself present beside the archer.

Y/N shook her head as she held her stomach looking at the two on the verge of tears.

“is it just us…?” Y/N anxiously asks watching both of them nod as Carol slowly approaches her which made her start sobbing. “I don’t know what’s happening…”

“Oh hun” Carol frowns wrapping her arms around her, holding her until she felt better as Daryl brought himself over rubbing circles on her back to soothe her before noticing the few jackets wrapped around her waist.

“Y/N, are you alright?” Daryl asks wanting her to explain what’s going on before he jumps to his scary conclusions that his mind has at the ready. “You cold? Or coming down with a cold?” He made it obvious to Carol that Y/N was wrapped with a few jackets as she instantly understood.

“Hun. Did you start your period?” Carol kept a soft tone the entire time she said such watching Y/N start balling as she nods her head but she was still a bit confused on the matter. “You never…?”

“N-No…a-and now I have no mom to h-help me…I’m scared…I-I….”

“You’ve got me. I’m right here” Carol reassures with a smile brushing the hair out of the way of Y/N’s face, tucking the strand behind her ear.

“Phew…least yea ain’t bit or nothin’” Daryl states suddenly watching Y/N’s face turn mortified as Carol rolls her eyes.

“I’m gonna run yea a bath, then once yer in. I’m gonna make Daryl get everything you need. Okay? We’ll take it slow” Carol reassures wrapping her arm around Y/N’s shoulders directing her upstairs. “We’re here for you, sweetheart”

After getting the bath ready and Y/N situated, Carol met with Daryl in the kitchen writing down everything she’ll need from the pantry—if they have it.

“Yea sure you don’t wanna get this stuff?”

“Are you equipped to help Y/N in this moment without these items?” Carol question with a smile watching Daryl read the list and already look dumbfounded. “That’s what I thought. And if Olivia questions you? Ignore her. Y/N needs all these things. And Denise? Lovely girl in the infirmary, you can get pain killers from her”

“Pain killers? How fucking bad is this?!” Daryl started to sound like a panicked father who’s never dealt with this before. And he is. Y/N is like a daughter to both him and Carol.

“I’ll go into details later if you really wanna fucking know. But go!” Carol shooed him away before getting a pot of water on the stove.

In the old world there are two types of girl dads.

One dad knows exactly what he is looking for because there’s an isle for the item and if he really needs help. He’ll ask for it.

The other dad. Will get the wrong thing because he doesn’t want to stay in the women hygiene isle for too long. Or—he will get multiple options when he was instructed and shown which one to get before leaving for the store.

Daryl is dead center. He knows what is asked of him to get, but still looked clueless looking at the options they had given it’s the apocalypse and the pantry will have limited options.

“Daryl…?” Olivia questions his presence as he instantly tensed holding all of Carol’s list in his grasp minus the main product he needed. “…why are you looking at pads and tampons?”

“Mind yer business” Daryl glared taking one of each and stepping out of the pantry immediately after. Leaving Olivia extremely confused before charting what he took given his list was discarded on the rack.

Carol watches Daryl spill all the products onto the kitchen counter as she grabs what she needed in the moment. The pads, pain killers, and the hot water pouch to pour the hot water in.

“You gonna tell me now?”

“Gonna tell you now?” Carol laughs a bit. “Let me take care of our girl and then you can ask all the weird ass questions you want”

“They ain’t weird!”

“Really? Once I tell you that women shed, and only that with no explanation? You’ll come up with weird questions” Carol smirks watching Daryl’s expression go from neutral to horrified.

Snakes? Daryl thought as Carol made her way upstairs. No…that ain’t. What the fuck he rest his head in his hand leaning against the kitchen counter.

“Y/N? You okay in there?” Carol knocks on the bathroom door hearing the girl say ‘come in’ giving her pets mission to open the door. “How are you feeling?”

“Gross…” Y/N frowns sitting on the edge of the tub wrapped in the darkest towel they’ve got.

“That’s normal.” Carol reassures handing her the box of pads seeing her confusion grow a bit. “It’s simple and again, a normal thing to go through. If it makes you feel any better I think I broke Daryl’s brain about the subject” she smiles when that got a laugh out of the girl to ease a bit of the awkwardness.

After Carol explained how to use the product before letting her get situated alone. Then once Y/N was situated back in her bedroom still uncomfortable but at least she had the hot water pack against her abdomen. It helped a bit. But being in the fetal position back under her blankets felt a lot better. Maybe the pain killers help a bit.

“You feelin’ better kiddo?” Daryl asks checking in after Carol didn’t come back down stairs after an hour.

“Meh” Y/N sighs curling up a bit more with Carol laying beside her propped up against the headboard rubbing circles on her back.

“Least yea ain’t a snake” Daryl refers to the shedding comment early as Y/N raises herself a bit to give him a confused look before giving the same expression to Carol watching her shake her head in a sense of ‘we’ve lost him’. “Brought some of Carol’s cookies for yea”

“Now where did you find where I hid those?”

“Better me then the little brat” Daryl scoffs handing the plate to Y/N once she brought herself to sit up resting it in her lap. “He always takes the goods”

“Are you seriously trying to fight another son in the community? One that is a child?” Carol tried hard not to laugh as Y/N mid bite looked at Daryl for an answer watching him take one of the cookies from the plate.

“I can push the kid in a bush and call it a day. The Deanna son? Gotta knock his lights out for him to shut up for once” Daryl took a bite of his cookie, hiding his smile when Y/N laughed at his words.

“Now hun, violence is—“

“—sometimes—“

“NEVER—the answer” Carol glares playfully at Daryl who always tends to shrug for his responses.

A few hours passed and Y/N got the hang of using the products given to her. Even if she made the choice to wait on tampons until she got used to this monthly virtue. She put everything given to her under the sink of the communal bathroom in the house before taking the now cold water jug downstairs with her to see if Carol would help her boil water for it.

Carol was situated on the porch swing putting out her cigarette at the right moment Y/N stepped out. “Hey hun”

“Hey Uhm…you think you can help me with this?” She held up the jug sheepishly as Carol reassures her with a smile.

“I’m happy to. You still feeling as bad as you were this morning?”

“No…feeling a bit better. The cramps are still bad” Y/N frowns bringing herself to sit with Carol for a moment as she instinctively wrapped her arm around the young one’s shoulders.

“It’ll be like that the first few days. Then it’ll get better. Meaning not as painful and you’d feel like yourself again” Carol smiles watching the teen rest her head on her shoulder. “It only lasts a week and if it gets too bad, no one is going to judge you if you want to stay in bed. And if they do. We both know Daryl is getting antsy to punch someone” She jokes smiling even more when Y/N laughed.

Her laughter faded along with her smile as she thought about it. “You sure I won’t get judged for staying in bed?”

“I bet you a million dollars, or the equivalent to such in the apocalypse, that our favorite archer would rather spend all day in bed if he could”

“Damn straight” Daryl makes his presence known looking at the soft display as he smiles to such before showing what he caught outside the walls. “Found this guy outside the walls” he presented the possum to both of them watching their faces turn into disgust. “You look like that now, but y’all like my cooking”

The two looked at each other watching Daryl head inside to prepare the meat.

“I mean. Food is food”

“Exactly”

[ryeriy]

Requested: no

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Champagne Problems - Mathew Barzal

Ib: "she would've made such a lovely bride, what a shame she's fucked in the head" -T.S

A/n: on the verge of making a pt. 2. Should I?

warnings: toxic family, swearing, angst with a slightly fluff ending

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

It's been ten months since me and Mathew broke up. We both thought it was for the better. Me and Mathew don't really talk much ever since we broke up, but it was for the better. With both of us being busy, it was just so chaotic.

I recently got invited to one of my best friends wedding. It so happens to be Mathews cousin Olivia. Me and Oliva have been friends before I met Mathew. It just happened to be that he was her cousin.

Olivia's family was going to be there. So I knew that Mathew and his family was going to be there. I wasn't going to let stop me from going to support my friend on her big day. Her parents loved me and had no problem with me. It was Mathews. They think I'm a monster for breaking up with him even though it was a mutual agreement.

I was going to try my best to push through it all for her. I'm not going to let something in the past effect me.

On the invitation it said I was more than welcomed to bring a plus one but I wasn't dating anyone and if I brought someone who wasn't Mathew it would cause so much drama. Olivia asked me if I wanted to be a bridesmaids but I told her no. It would just stir the pot and I wouldn't want her to deal with that stress.

Today was the day of her wedding. I had a nice elegant lavender dress. Wasn't too revealing. Just nice and cute for a wedding. I didn't have high hopes things were going to gosp smoothly. You know what they say, fake it till you make it.

**

Things started to sail smoothly before the wedding. I got their at the time she told me to be there. Three o'clock in the afternoon. My eyes immediately drawed to Mathew as soon as I walked in. Glaring at him before sitting on the grooms side. I didn't sit on the brides because I was already getting stares and hearing gossip about myself.

**

The ceremony was great. No drama caused a burst of anger from anyone. Now, it was time for the reception. It was just right next store in a gathering hall next to the chapel. Hopefully things don't go down hill.

I took my time getting out of the chapel. Making sure I didn't exit at the same time Mathew and his family did. I guess I was wrong because as I was leaving Mathew came up behind me.

"Why are you here?" He whispers to me as he walks next to me trying not to draw attention. Not even looking at me.

"Olivia asked me to be here. I've known her longer than I've known you Mathew. I came here to support my friend. I would appreciate if you and your mother would stop making horrendous comments about me ans just let Olivia enjoy her day." I told while walking away from him and entering the hallway leading into the gathering room where it was a bit dim.

Partying has started. For majority of the reception I was sitting down at my table. It was very awkward for me to be here but I did it for Olivia.

But when I did decide to go on the dance floor I heard Mathews family talking badly about me almost yelling it as if everyone needed to hear it. I just ignored it until I heard something I couldn't unhear. My name and slut should not be used in the same sentence.

I quickly went to go find Olivia to tell her I was going to leave. Trying not to cause a big scene.

"Aww but we haven't had cake yet!" She told me.

"I know Livvy. I'm sorry but I'm just feeling tired tonight." I was faking it so hard. I honestly felt bad for her.

"Well it's okay. Thank you for coming!" We exchanged in a hug before I went back over to my table. Grabbing my coat and purse and heading out.

As I walked out I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. Wiping away my tears as some softly left me eyes. I sniffled before walking out.

Walking out of the bathroom on my way out to the parking lot, I wasn't expecting to see Mathew waiting there for me.

"What do you want? You've already ruined my night. What else could you possibly want from me!"I exclaimed at him in anger. More tears streaming down my face.

"I'm sorry about them. I told them to drop it but they wouldn't. I'm sorry (y/n). Sorry for everything."

"Bullshit! If you where sorry you would've never let this happen! You fucking talked shit about me to your entire family and now they hate me!" I am hurt by this. You can hear the pain in my voice.

"Just hug me." He held his arms out for me. I walked into his arms. Wrapping my arms around him. Feeling his arms around me, pulling me closer to him, gave me flashbacks.

Crying in his arms made me feel a bit better. No way I was going back in there but I just needed this.

"Thank you." I said while pulling away from him wiping the tears off of my face.

"I still love you." He says. The tone in his voice is soft.

"I know. I do too." I looked at him trying not cry again.

"Is this goodbye for now?"

"Yes. Goodbye Mathew."

"Goodbye (y/n)."

Walking past him and exiting the building. I looked back at him before I left. He let a tear race down himself face as I left. This was not goodbye for ever. Perhaps one day we'll meet again.

[galaxysupreme17]

Hold On

Olivia Benson X Daughter Reader!

TRIGER WARNNING! Cutting/Bullying/attempted suicide. So this isn’t my first time writing but it is my first time posting on here. I write a lot of stories manly about my favorite tv shows/characters. Anyway this is a short story about being Olivia Benson’s Daughter and having depression and someone keeps leaving notes telling you to kill yourself. Olivia is currently a detective around season 14. If you guys have any request send them in and I will write them! 

As you walk through the walls of your high school trying to keep your head down, not wanting to be seen, you walk up to your locker and open it. A bunch of notes come flowing out of it. You squat down, pick them up, and read through them. 

“No wonder your mom is ever around. It’s probably because you are a horrible no good person” and another “my god just go kill yourself” and another “the world would be a better place if you weren’t here.” 

After reading all of them you quickly shoved them into your bag and shut your locker. You walk home and as fast as possible open your apartment door. You run to your bedroom and burst into tears.

 You have been getting these notes for months and slowly you have been believing them. You have your own personal bullies. Their names are Holly and Jamie. They make your life a living hell as often as they can.

 Holly is the captain of the cheerleaders and Jamie is captain of the football team. You open your bag, after drying your tears, and pull out the notes putting them with the others, which are in a box on your desk right next to the picture of you and your mom. 

You smile at the picture through your tear eyes and pull out a pen and paper. You quickly write down a suicide note and leave it on the counter in the kitchen for Olivia to find.

 You then walk to the bathroom and pull out a bottle of pills and your razor. Before doing anything you think about your life.

Olivia was the best mother in the world. Always coming to every performance of every musical and always being there when you needed her. She would be there when you woke up and when you went to bed. 

You remember going to the park when it was snowing and the rest of the squad went and you and Fin ganged up on Cragen throwing snowballs at him. Then the bullying started and your depression and anxiety got worse. You dropped theatre and show choir because you didn’t feel the joy of singing anymore.

 After a little bit of thinking you continued with your plan. You took the razor and slid it across your arms and legs watching as the blood came running down. You grab the bottle of pills and start taking them; at first one by one but then continued until even after you started to feel dizzy. Within in minutes you passed out on the floor. 

~With Olivia~

Olivia finally got off work just ready to be home. She was happy because she was finally going to have an evening with you. She had planned to let you pick dinner then you both would curl up on the couch and finish watching Gilmore Girls. You started that show together loving it because it reminded you both of your relationship with each other.

 You were Rory and Olivia was Lorelai. The memory makes Olivia smile as she drives home. As soon as she parks her car and heads the flight of stairs, she gets a sickening feeling in her gut telling her something is wrong. Olivia rushes to the door and fumbles with her keys to get the door open. Finally, after struggling, she gets the door open and walks inside.

 “Y/n! Y/n Where are you?” Olivia sets her stuff down and sees the note, it reads. 

“Dear Mom, I am so sorry for this. I just can’t take it anymore. The real reason I quit theatre and show choir was because I have been bullied. For awhile now actually. I just cannot stand to live another day. They keep telling me it is for the best that I die and I believe that is true. Just now that I did fight. I fought for so long. I truly just cannot continue fighting. Know that I love you and none of this is your fault, I know you are going to blame yourself for not seeing it sooner but I am serious, none of this is your fault. I just can’t continue on. I don’t think I can continue on, I feel numb and like no one wants me. I love you momma never forget that.” By the end Olivia had tears streaming down her face as she ran to the bathroom banging on the door, 

“Y/n! Please stay with me baby please! Open the door Y/n!” Olivia yelled.

 Pulling out her phone she called 911 and busted down the door. As soon as she saw your body laying on the floor she broke. Immediately, Oliva checked for a pulse which was weak but there. 

“Please don’t leave me baby! Hold on baby-girl please! I love you so much sweetheart!” Oliva cried as she began doing CPR. 

The ambulance soon showed up and the took you and Olivia to the hospital. Olivia called Fin and asked to go check your bedroom for anything and bring it to the hospital. Of course Fin immediately jumped and ran when he heard what happened. Fin was still at the precinct when Liv called and Cragen happened to also be there. 

Fin told Cragen everything and the two took off to go to Liv’s apartment then the hospital. Once the found the notes from your classmates and the suicide note they drove to the hospital. Olivia was waiting in the waiting room and when she saw Fin and Cragen she stood up again, on the verge of tears.

“Liv what happened?” Cragen asks looking her. Oliva cleared her through trying not to cry.

 “I uhh had this feeling something was wrong and when I finally got into the apartment I saw umm the note. I ran to the bathroom and the door was locked so I called 911 and broke down the door. She was just laying there *her voice cracks* y/n looked to helpless it broke me.” Olivia explains and starts crying again. 

Fin pulls her in for a hug and they all three just stand there. Olivia walked away to call Rachel your best friend. Rachel Cabot is Alex Cabot’s daughter and your best friend. The two of you have been through thick and thin together. Olivia knew she needed to call Alex and Rachel so they could be here. 

After calling Alex, who said they would be down there soon, Olivia returned to the waiting room where your doctor came walking out. “Olivia Benson?” She asked softly. 

“That’s me” Olivia said standing and walking forward. “Hi! I’m Arizona Robbins. So me and my team were able to pump Y/n stomach and stich up their wounds. They are still asleep and it might be awhile before they wake up but I can take you back to see them if you want” 

“Yes please” Olivia says letting out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding. As soon as they reached your room, Olivia covered her mouth trying not to cry. She sat next to your bed and held your hand, not wanting to let go. 

Hours later you woke up not knowing where you were. Olivia felt you moving and immediately jumped looking at you with a soft smile. 

“Mommy?” You say barley above a whisper. “Yes baby I’m right here” Olivia says wiping the tears away.

~Days Later~ 

You were sitting on the couch reading your favorite book Little Women. “Y/n can I talk to you about something serious?” Olivia asks walking over and sitting on the coffee table in front of you. “What is it?” You ask setting your book down and turning and looking at her. 

“If you don’t want to talk about it I completely understand but, why didn’t you tell me about the notes from the kids at school?” Olivia asks looking at you watching your facial expressions. 

“I don’t know. I just felt like if you saw them you would agree or would tell me I’m just being dramatic and over reacting.” You say trying not to cry.

“Listen to me Y/n; I will always be here for you to talk or just to cry. I don’t ever want you to feel like you can’t come to me. You are my daughter and I never ever want you to feel like I would judge or yell at you. I love you so much baby” Olivia says opening her arms causing you to jump into her arms hugging her. 

“Thank you. I love you too mom” You smile as she tightens her grip around you.

[youranxiousnerd]

Most Likely To Thoughts

because i am an angry theater kid

spoilers below

First of holy shit. That was one of the best episodes of the season. My second favorite (episode 5 has a special place in my heart okay?)

big red is awesome

i missed ABF this episode hes awesome

miss jenn you literally did the exact same thing 

“would you like to be the first” “im good”

ashlyn youre a cutie

oh my god guys they’re actually rehearsing

FRICKING GO BIG RED

EJ YOU KILLED IT

Gaston was ICONIC. 

the callback to 1x08

“monkies”

im sorry you guys haven’t blocked the 2nd act?!?!?!?! its MARCH the show was cast in January you’ve had TWO months i have been in shows blocked in less time

*angry theater kid screeching*

“It’s an expression, Sebastian”

Seb is going to snap one day. This is like the fourth time this has happened this season. 

Like he lowkey looked pretty sad and angry after that comment. Maybe the episode 10 Seblos fight isn’t going to be so private.

ANYWAYS back to the episode (i will gladly talk about seblos all day)

KOURT AND NINI KOURT AND NINI

they lookin good

kourt and nini have started a “relationships are hard” club and the members include big red, gina, and seb. ricky and ej pop in from time to time

kourtney that is a great lie well done

communication saves lives and obviously ricky and nini never got the memo

ricky no

did you learn nothing from nini and ej?

i do like how he immediately regretted it. like he knows he effed up

oooo ej, gina, carlos, and seb thats intersting

do not try to tell me carlos and seb dont hold hands in class bc they do

#giveusmoreoftheseforupleaseineedagroupchat

AIHFDAKFHGAL GINAS SNORT I LOVE IT

ej honey i think you like her

ngl i might have jumped on the portwell train

GINA LEFT BAHAHA

cash caswell

i hate him already

ej just sinking in his chair

carlos’ somewhat impressed face i cant

cash you son of a gun why

cash this is career day not show off your son day

ej noooo

“seize the day” theatre kids share a knowing glance

im shocked carlos didnt stand up and do the choreo 

miss jenn has a new man every episode omfg

mazzara is my fav

STOP

HOLD THE PHONE

THEY ARE DOING TECH WORK

I REPEAT, TECH WORK

IM A TECHIE IM FREAKING OUT OMFG

those are the nicest high school aprons like where are the ratty tshirts?!?!

how is sebs so messy

bitter seb

i smell tension

ope seb is mad

he is going to snap one day i swear

you can tell carlos regretted it or just doesnt understand what happened

im glad the seblos fight is building instead of something out of the blue

seb has been kinda pushed around this season im happy he is finally saying something

and no more seblos the rest of the episode rip

carlos go after your boyfriend come on

you know what would have been fun? they have their bantar while cleaning brushes and rollers in a clogged sink

ricky have you ever asked how big red is doing?

ASHLYN WITH A DRILL

OMFG GUYS I LOVE DRILLS YESSSSSS

why is there no drill piece in the drill what is she doing? is she bolting stuff or predrilling?

ash trying to be supportive

i love ashlyn guys

omfg two parents this episode what is this?

kourt’s mom being on her side love to see it

“i live to serve”

“i cleaned your desk a little” yep she’ll take you back after that

the shade kourtney is throwing im living for it

ricky just disappears and reappears

oof-okay richard

the pizza place fight. they were both in the wrong, im glad kourt shut them down

REDLYN NOOOO

i love them

ash is trying so hard and red is trying to get her to understand

mazzara you sneaky

i thought it was a date lol

miss jenn take the hint

PORTWELL HOME SCENE

that was really sweet, like go ej and gina, they have one of the healthiest relationships on the show because they learned what not to do.

thats a nice treehouse

lesbians build nice things

i should know

bc im one- ill stop

the treehouse scene-holy shiz. its amazing. props to josh and olivia, i was on the verge of tears. best rini scene of the season, hands down. it was beautiful

nini is sobbing i cant

ricky you can cry its okay

im so happy the breakup happened, major rini shipper in season 1 but they have fallen flat this season. it was handled so well and just gahhh

nini sobbing by herself 

NINA IM CRYING NOW STOPPP

roman sounds so good holy. 

like so good

this does damper my theory on ricky leaving halfway through the show and seb taking over as beast and singing this

MONTAGE TIME

“you’re gorgeous”

mazzara fell hard

“To Miss Jenn” why am i laughing

GABFILFBIWE PORTWELL

OH MY GOD GINA IS ASLEEP 

EJ AND THE HOODIE

GUYS I CANT ANYMORE IM LOSING IT

THE LITTLE SMILE WHEN EJ TURNS THE LIGHTS OFF

REDLYN IS BACK IM SO GLAD

you guys are adorable

howie fell hard

omfg ej

ej noo we love you pls be okay

redlyn you cuties

RICKY NO

IM SOBBING NOW

OMFG LOOK AT HIM

HE HELD IT TOGETHER FOR NINI 

GUYS IM CRYING I CANT

AHHHHHH

we stan big red in this house

ricky and the pillow no

glad ashlyn sticked around

i am dead. ricky thank you thats it.

like that broke me

i should not be crying over this i have already cried to much this season 

you know what would have made this scene better? seb just sitting on his bed then carlos texts him and he pushes his phone aside. something to show them drifting bc its happening and i need content

like where were they the second half?

ITS OVER

WTF

LIKE WHAT THE ACTUALLY HECK YOU CANNOT END IT THERE

WHAT IS HAPPENING 

As you can probably tell, I lost my mind this episode. I have no words, nothing at all. All I have is my tears. The past two episodes have been the best of the season. Episode 8 was another level.

[echo-hiraeth]

Chapter 8: Agente Peña

Part of the “Ilicit Limerence” series

Pairing: Javier Peña x F!Reader

Summary: The reader comes to terms with the downsides of pregnancy and confides in Connie. Javier decides to spend some more time at home, taking his work with him.

Warnings: swearing, angst, explicit sexual content, unprotected sex, nudity, mentions of sickness/vomiting

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Everything you knew about pregnancy you learned from watching television and so you’d expected the sickness and the glowing hair. But the migraines? Those were something you didn’t prepare for, your last week off work started out hunched over the sink, the nausea and continuous pounding in your head making you shiver.

It was just around noon now and you’d fought Javier over the phone, insisting you didn’t need a babysitter. He told you he’d head to your place on his lunch break, just to make sure you were okay. There was no stopping him, no amount of telling him off could change his mind.

He noticed it before he left this morning, the way you sat up a bit more in bed, eyes squeezed shut as you desperately tried to fall back asleep, telling him all he needed to know. But as soon as he offered to stay home with you another day, you pushed him away, rolling over on your side and just turning your back to him, literally. At the office he had to fight off the urge to call you every other minute, stomach in knots with worry. Was it normal to be that sick? He’d have to read up on some of those books Steve had been rambling about. Steve – that was the other thing, the tension was fucking horrid. He wouldn’t even look at Javier, just throw down the next folder on the desk. Javier was sick of it at this point, lighting yet another cigarette as he thought about how to go about this.

“I know we had.. words, but can we at least work together, like partners?”, he asked, puffing out a cloud of smoke.

“I’m sorry man, didn’t mean to be an ass, the girls just kept me up all weekend”, Steve sighed, reaching for the bottle of whiskey in the bottom drawer. “Con wouldn’t shut up.”

Javier shook his head slowly, taking another long drag of his cigarette. “I don’t fucking get them sometimes. One moment she’s practically begging me to stay with her and the next she’s just doing everything to get away from me.”

Steve quirked a brow at him. “Trouble in paradise? So soon?”

“I just want to check up on her, but she’s just so fucking stubborn”, he grunted, putting out the cig.

“Why don’t you take the paperwork home tonight, skip lunch so you can head home earlier.”

He looked at the phone, wondering if he should call to see if you needed him. “You’re probably right. She just drives me crazy man, in a good way, but still just crazy.”

His partner chuckled, knowing exactly what he was on about. He’d stay at the office another couple of hours and would bring the casefiles home.

A part of you had expected him to show up, a part of you really wanted him to be there, hands on your back, telling you it’d all be okay. You knew it wasn’t that big of a deal, just the morning sickness and headache kicking your ass as of right now. But you were too tired to deal with any of this, the dull aches of all your bruises and sore muscles not allowing you to get much sleep. You figured a warm shower would help, dragging yourself into the small bathroom, stripping yourself of your clammy and dirty clothes.

You put your hand under the stream, jerking it back when the water was ice cold. Shrugging a robe over your shoulders you sat down on the toilet seat, waiting for the water to heat up. It was well past one now, which meant any possibility of a lunchbreak visit was off the table. You got up again, only to find the same exact thing; freezing cold water. Not that you couldn’t take care of yourself, but you were no expert plumber. With a heavy sigh you made your way over to the landline in the living room, dialling up the landlord’s number, only to be met with his answering machine, over and over.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. You knew Connie worked parttime now, wanting to be home with Olivia more often, so you tested your luck and called the Murphy’s.

“Murphy.”

“Con, I’m sorry to bother you on your day off, but my shower broke and I’m all alone and I just feel so miserable and-“

“Shut up and get your ass over here”, she chuckled, Olivia babbling away in the back.

You smiled to yourself, already shrugging your robe off. “Dinner’s on me!”

A bag with a change of clothes and some snacks for the little one was all you brought with you. You had no trouble navigating through the busy streets and soon found yourself parking in front of the infamous apartment building. The days of sneaking out of the back entrance in the mornings were past you now. You sighed at the memory, feelings of guilt and shame now replaced by bliss and adoration. It wasn’t perfect, it didn’t have to be, but you were content.

The walk to Connie’s apartment seemed longer than ever. With shaky knees and heavy breaths you dragged yourself up the stairs, the elevator still out of order. You were lucky to have some friends here, it wasn’t often DEA agents had the privilege of keeping their friends from home, but Steve and Connie had made it abundantly clear that they were here to stay, Bogotá or not. They’d been there for you through the years as had you. You’d even been promoted to maid of honour at their wedding, and were put in charge of her hen party. The states were good times, but Colombia had been tougher on the three of you. While you and Steve had no problem leaving your families behind, Connie had proven to be rather close to her parents. That’s where you had come in, sweeping her out of her mellow state whenever she needed it to take her out into the city, dancing the night away. However, with you being pregnant and herself a new mother, it had become something of the past. Soon girls’ night would have a whole let alcohol and whole lot more diapers.

Connie opened up with a heartfelt smile, a giddy Olivia bouncing on her arm. “Towels are laid out for you, we’ll talk after.”

You smiled back at her, grateful for her understanding. She was the kind of friend that just had to take one look at you to know what was wrong and while it was really helpful sometimes, but God was it hard to keep a secret from that woman. It wasn’t hard to tell you were feeling like shit, your pale face and fading black eye were enough of an indicator. You kissed Olivia on the forehead, side-hugging Connie before heading to the bathroom.

With how tired you were, you didn’t even bother to conceal your injuries, even applying some loose powder had seemed too intense a task. You turned the water on, the warmth of it already fanning over your bare arms. When it hit your chest and stomach you let out a sigh of relief, the cold shivers finally faltering. You took your time, now that you weren’t on the verge of puking your guts out. You washed your hair twice, even conditioned it before moving on to the rest of your body, exfoliating and rinsing, just treating to yourself. By the time you wrapped the fluffy towels around yourself you were completely relaxed, ready to just hop into the bed and pass out for the day, but the wailing outside the door reminded you exactly where you were. You’d brought a long sweater, the evenings getting rather chilly mid-November. With half-dried hair and in some baggy jeans you stepped out of the bathroom, joining the two ladies on the couch.

“Thank you”, you muttered, slipping your hands around the cup of tea that was waiting for you on the coffee table.

“What’s got you down in the dumps?”, she asked, carefully sitting the baby down on the carpet.

You sighed, blowing at the hot drink. “I-I think it’s just registering now..”

She gave you a frown, scooting over a bit closer. “Do you regret it?”

The tears were burning in your eyes, a dull ache settling in the back of your throat as you tried to hold it together. “I’m terrified”, you breathed out.

That was your breaking point, the floodgates were open now and you were a sobbing mess as she wrapped her arms around you. “Oh hun, you should’ve called me”, she cooed.

While you and Connie talked about anything and everything, getting it all out, Javier was finishing up to go home early. Steve decided to stay back at the office, wanting “some damn peace and quiet”. With some casefiles in hand he left the embassy, stopping along the way to pick up one of your favourite snacks. Tonight would just be a slow night, he’d listen if you wanted to talk and if not he’d just work in silence. He really just wanted to have you close, so that he could personally ensure you were “fine”. He hated the way he’d left this morning, the way you were just curled up into yourself, shivering under the covers, but he didn’t want to get on your nerves, he was so scared to screw things up.

Treading up the steps to your apartment, he tried to think of something to say. He couldn’t help but feel guilty, you were sick because of his baby after all. Surely there was something he could think of. Your apartment was eerily calm when walked in, your heaps of blankets and pillows still there. He tiptoed his way over to the bedroom, heartbeat picking up a bit when he noticed you weren’t there either.

“Anyone home?”, he called out, checking the bathroom.

No reply. He scratched at his chin, contemplating what to do next. You did mention wanting to meet up with Connie over the weekend. Yeah, that seemed likely enough, no reason to panic (just yet). He sped his way back downstairs, panting due to all the climbing action and hopped in the car, heading for the other apartment complex. When he spotted your car he could breathe normally again, his worries somewhat soothed. His knock at the door was a loud, demanding one. Connie opened up once again, laying a finger on her lips so as to motion for him to be quiet. Javier stood there out of breath, nodding frantically before he stepped inside. And there you were, asleep on the couch with Olivia in your arms, a blanket sprawled out across the two of you.

He caught his breath, nodding at Connie as a way of saying thanks. She bumped her shoulder into his, smirking as she detected a hint of a smile on his lips. “She been here a while?”

“An hour or two. She came because your boiler broke, but turned out she really just needed to talk as well”, her voice was laced with a tone of sympathy as she nodded in your direction.

“Did she eat anything?”, he asked, not looking from you.

Connie shook her head. “We had some tea and then she fed the baby, they were both out soon after.”

They both chuckled at that, Javier planting his hands on his hips. “I’ll take her back to my place in a bit, so you can get some rest as well.”

“You’re always welcome, especially if she’s gonna put Liv asleep like that”, she joked, softly patting the man on the back.

“Is she err- is she okay though?” It was a dumb question, but he still felt compelled to ask it, counting on the fact that she was your best friend.

Now it was Connie’s turn to sigh, her head tilted as she answered him: “She’s really scared, just sit down and talk with her from time to time. I know it’s not your strong suit but she’s gonna need it.”

“Let me get my place cleaned up and I’ll come get her, sound good?”, he offered.

The blonde just nodded again. “Make sure to change those sheets, preferably not ones Freckles has seen.”

He flipped her the bird on the way out, heading down a floor to go clean up his own apartment. He hadn’t been there since you’d come back and honestly.. he preferred it that way. That apartment stood for everything he’d decided to give up on for you and he absolutely despised it. It was as if the small space was the embodiment of his bad persona, haunting him everywhere he went. But he found it too soon to discuss such heavy subjects and did not want to jeopardize his relationship for the life of him.

Even just opening the door brought back those feelings of disgust and self-hatred, but he tried to push past it as he made his way into the kitchen. He wetted a washcloth and laid it in the fridge, should your migraine come back. Next he made his way over to the couch, where he gathered all the old cigarettes and empty beer bottles, shoving them into a trash bag. Along the way he picked up the clothes scattered across the floor everywhere and found himself in the bedroom, ripping the sheets off the bed. You’d been complaining about being cold at night, putting your icy feet all over him. So he got out the thicker sheets, putting them on as neatly as he could. The bathroom was clean enough, so he decided to lay out some of his clothes for you to wear. He ran back down to get everything from his car and when he was ready he went back up to the Murphy’s place. You were still sound asleep, lips perked as Olivia’s hand held on to your thumb. Connie was in the kitchen chopping some greens.

“You here to steal her away now?”, she jested.

“I’m here to give you back your couch”, he retorted.

She carefully picked up the baby from your chest, peeling her little fingers of your thumb, which made you stir a bit. Javi took a knee by your side, pressing a tender peck to your temple before gently shaking your shoulder.

“Hermosa, it’s time to go home”, he whispered, caressing your cheek with the pad of his thumb.

You hummed a bit, not really giving away at his request. So he decided to slide his hands under your knees and neck, lifting you up off the couch himself. He’d expected some resistance but you really only nuzzled into his neck even more, his warmth and smell drawing you in. Connie held the door open, smiling at the two of you as he carried you out of the apartment and down the staircase. He mentally thanked himself for leaving that damn door unlocked, managing to open it with just his elbow. Once inside he laid you down on the couch, covering your chest with his jacket. You were slowly waking up again, he’d noticed, so delved into his cupboards, setting down a tray of cookies on the coffee table. He sat down in the armchair, grabbing the first folder of the stack.

You blinked a few times, feeling a bit confused as to what was going on, but as you found Javier sitting across from you, reading over something, deep in thought as he picked at his moustache, you didn’t really care.

“What time ‘s it?”, you mumbled, stretching your arms out over your head.

He closed the folder, leaning back in the chair as he looked at you. “Somewhere around five by now. Sleep okay?”

“Mhm, you’re back early”, you remarked, yawning as you sat up a bit more. “Should I be worried?”

He got up off the chair, plopping down next to you. “Just wanted to check up on you.”

You leaned in to kiss him, which he gladly reciprocated. “I meant to call.”

“Gave me a bit of a fright. Crazy girlfriend on the loose”, he taunted.

You poked him in the ribs, squinting your eyes at him. “I’m sorry about being snappy this morning”, you whispered.

He kissed you again, successfully shutting you up. “Want some dinner?”

“I’d love that actually”, you beamed pressing your lips to his.

“Eat some of those”, he suggested, pointing towards the tray on the table, “Quesadillas alright with you?”

You were chewing away at a cookie, covering your mouth as you gave him a thumbs up. He chuckled, getting up to start on your dinner as you sat back. “I’ll be there in a sec, Javi!”

 The two of you had made dinner together, and taken it to the couch, where you fed him as he read out the details of the files. Due to your absence, you didn’t really know what had been going on with the cartel as of late. You sat there long after dinner was over, discussing the new developments regarding Pablo’s “surrender” it was absolutely ridiculous and the government was giving him exactly what he wanted.

“No point in getting so worked up over it, amor”, you purred into his ear.

He heaved out another heavy sigh as his eyes glazed over the paper yet again. “I just don’t understand how they accepted this, it’s a fucking set up.”

You took the papers from his hands, throwing them onto the coffee table with the rest of them, pushing him back against the couch. “Why don’t we do something else, huh, blow off some steam.”

“Are you sure you’re up for it, we don’t have to”, he assured you, intertwining his fingers with yours.

“Let me do something nice for you”, you tutted.

He shifted beneath you, eyes a couple shades darker already, laden with lust and want. “I-I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold back, hermosa, you’re playing a dangerous game.”

You knelt down in front of the couch, looking up at him with big, innocent eyes. “I’m well aware of what I’m getting myself into, agente Peña.”

Fuck – that little nickname, he felt himself twitch beneath his jeans, desperate for some friction. “Do. Not. Tease.” He gritted out, two fingers hooked under your chin to make you look up at him.

His belt came off first, the metal of the buckle hitting the carpeted floor with a thud. Four hands fumbling around with the waistband of his jeans. You giggled a bit at his eagerness, finally dragging the restrictive trousers down his legs. His tented briefs made you lick your lips, fingers hooking themselves into the elastic. “What do you need, baby?”

“Mouth, now, please”, he stammers out, chest already heaving with expectancy.

You wrap a hand around his throbbing members, squeezing it just the way he likes it. His head falls back against the pillow, mouth hanging open a bit. Ever so slowly you lick along his shaft, paying special attention to the dripping head. He lets out a guttural grunt, biting back another one as you engulf him with your warm mouth. Nothing – no-one ever did compare to you, the way you worked your tongue nothing short of entrancing.

He wouldn’t last, the delicious pull and shove of your mouth and hands had him hurling towards his orgasm. He’d dreamt about it, seeing you down on your knees, just for him, just to please him. Fuck, it was so hot, even better than he’d imagined. He balled his fists, trying to resist the urge to manipulate your head with them. On the verge of his release, he flinched, grabbing a hold of your arm.

“Espera, para, para, para..”, he called out.

You leaned back on your heels, lips glistening with your dribble. He leaned forward, rubbing your chin and helping you up. “Something wrong?”, you asked with a slight frown.

“I want to fuck you”, he growled, practically ripping your sweater off of you.

His mouth latched onto your heavy breasts, eliciting a sweet moan from your throat. “Be-bedroom”, you whined, grip on his biceps tightening.

He tapped, your thighs, imploring you to jump up. Your legs wrapped themselves around his hips as his hands squeezed your ass. The journey to the bedroom was a passionate one, you swallowed his grunts as you merged your lips with his again, fingers tangling in his dark brown hair. He dropped you on the bed, immediately following suit, sucking and biting at that one spot on your neck. You gasped at the sensation, fumbling around with the button on your own jeans as he made his way down to your chest. One of his hands slid down to help you, the other supporting his weight next to your face. His tongue swirled around your nipple, making you arch into him.

“Tan ansiosa”, he hisses as he feels your jeans rub up against his erection. (So eager.)

You shoved your jeans down your thighs, rolling him onto his back to get them off all the way. With your panties still in place you went to straddle his lap. He quirked a suggestive brow at you, moving up against the headboard to sit up a bit more straight.

“You sure about this?”, he asks, mouth pressed against the nape of your neck.

You grab his face in both your hands, sliding your tongue across his bottom lip. “Paciencia, agente Peña.”

He gasps as you grab a hold of his cock, pumping a few times before sliding your panties to the side and sinking down. You rest your forehead against his, hissing as he bottoms out. He gripped at your ass, squeezing to keep himself contained. He loved having you on top, but seeing how long it had been since he’d gotten the chance to be this close to you, he was hungry for more.

“Move”, he demanded, one of his hands smacking your behind.

You let out a loud moan at the sensation and slowly started circling your hips. He watched you through hooded lids, head thrown back with that beautiful neck on full display. He started sucking there, making sure to leave his mark as you sped up your movements.

“F-feels so good”, you whimpered, bracing yourself on his chest.

He smirked against your skin, hands moving up to cup and play with your breasts. It was pure paradise, the fine line between pain and pleasure driving you completely insane. Your mind was ridden of any thoughts, there was only this, you and him, loving on one another. He noticed your panting and jerky movements, you were getting close. Pure lust made him do it, flipping you over so he was towering over you, still sheathed in your deliciously warm heat. He felt like he was on fire when he looked at you, cheeks flushed and glowing, biting on your lip as you touched yourself.

“Mírame”, you opened your eyes, his thrusts becoming harder and faster, “I want you to see what you do to me.”

You whimpered at his words, fighting off the incite to screw your eyes shut. It was then that he hit that spot inside you, making you cry out his name. His hands found yours, holding on to them as he rocked into you, hips smacking against yours. You couldn’t help yourself and let out a string of high-pitched moans as he embedded himself even deeper.

“I-I..”

“I got you, me too baby, me too”, he reassured you, giving a curt nod.

You nearly screamed when you hit your peak, clutching onto his shoulders as you arched up off the bed. Your nails digging into his back was all he needed, he grunted out your name as he filled you up, catching himself before he collapsed. The two of you laid beside each other, breathing heavily, one pair of hands still entangled. You felt like you’d been hit by a train, sheer exhaustion washing over you.

“Stay here”, he whispered, pecking your cheek.

He came back with a towel and washcloth, sitting down on the edge of the bed as he carefully cleaned you up. You just sleepily smiled at him, stroking your thumb back and forth over his knee.

“That was fun”, you murmured.

He huffed out a laugh, looking down at you while he slid your panties off. “Did I hurt you?”

You shook your head, sighing contently as he tucked the covers over your torso. “You were perfect, Javi.”

It was his turn to smile, resting a hand on your side. “We can stay here until your shower gets fixed”, he proposed.

“Thank you. I’ll call again tomorrow, I just want to lay in your arms for a bit”, you whispered.

He walked over to the other side of the bed, barely laid down before you curled up against his side.

Perfect – he thought – she thinks I am perfect.

Taglist: @pedritomando @peterhollandkait @ophelia-ingenue @radiowallet @phoenixhalliwell @diogodxlot @rosiefridayrogersunday @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan @asta-lily​

[an-svu-sideblog]

Women of SVU Week | Day 2

Trust

Characters: Olivia Benson x Kathy Stabler (gaybler time babey)

Warnings: none

“Tell Kathy I’m okay. Tell the kids I love them,” Stabler said quickly before he hung up.

Olivia sighed as she heard the click and slammed her flip phone shut. Elliot abruptly went undercover which left Olivia to notify his wife. She wouldn’t classify it as a “dirty job” per se, but she certainly wasn’t pleased with Elliot. He’d been avoiding Kathy all week, and Olivia now imagined it was she that would receive the aftermath.

Half an hour later, on the dark doorstep of the Stabler home, Olivia hesitated. What was she supposed to say? Hi Kathy, your aloof husband went undercover,with no warning, to take down an animal-smuggling ring. We can’t contact him. He’s probably fine.

It was going to be uncomfortable no matter what she said, so she took a deep breath and rang the door bell.

A long moment later, the door opened and revealed Kathy, looking gloriously unkempt. Liv’s heart started to beat faster. She wasn’t sure if it was anticipation of the news she was about drop, or something else. Around Kathy’s waist was an apron, covered in flour. A messy ponytail crowned her head; it wasn’t quite containing all the strands of honey blonde hair.

A smile flashed across Kathy’s face as she saw it was Olivia on the other side of the threshold, but it fell flat when she realized her husband wasn’t with her. “Where’s Elliot?”

Olivia’s heart dropped seeing Kathy immediately assume the worst. “He’s not with me, Kathy.”

“Oh, God. Did something happen?” Shit, that was not the right thing to say. The panic on Kathy’s face deepened before Olivia could clarify.

“No, he’s alright,” Olivia placed a hand on Kathy’s shoulder and hoped it would be comforting. “He’s okay. Just breathe. Can I come in?”

Kathy, on the verge of tears, took a deep breath and nodded. She backed into her home, beckoning Liv inside. She lead her to the kitchen where a mess of flour and dough covered baking supplies was strewn across the counter. Kathy leaned “Why isn’t he with you? What happened this time?”

“He had to go undercover suddenly.” Olivia explained.

“Had to?” Kathy asked sharply. Olivia knew the tone was directed at Elliot, and yet here she was. Taking the brunt of it like she knew would happen. “Where is this time?”

“I cannot discuss the case details with you,” Olivia said regretfully. “They don’t know he’s married, so you and your family are safe.”

“Safe but worried,” Kathy retorted.

Olivia wasn’t sure what else to say. She awkwardly leaned against the counter and crossed her arms.

Kathy made herself busy cleaning up the kitchen and checking on the pie in the oven. She pulled the dirty apron off of her form and tossed it, defeatedly, onto the counter. Just as enough time had passed for Liv to cement the idea of leaving, Kathy paused her busy work and spoke up, albeit softly, “I wish he trusted me the way he trusts you.”

Olivia’s mouth fell open, but any words she might say stopped in her throat as Kathy turned her blue eyes toward her. Olivia tried to read her face, but found it difficult to focus on anything other than he pounding of her heart. The blonde stepped across the tile floor and slowly closed the distance between them. “I trust you,” Kathy whispered.

Olivia let her arms fall to her side, ghosting her hands across Kathy’s shoulders on the way, not quite touching. Kathy moved impossibly close but left just enough distance between them to prevent their bodies from touching. Liv could feel the heat of her form, just centimeters away. What were they doing?

“Do you trust me?” Kathy asked, softly. Olivia felt her sweet breath gently waft to her face, mixed with the scent of the baking blueberries. Kathy’s blue eyes turned up toward the detective’s face once more, asking a different, silent question.

Olivia nodded. Kathy closed the distance and softly, briefly placed her lips at the side of Liv’s mouth, giving her leeway to reject the kiss. Rejection was nowhere on her mind as Olivia slid her hands to the other woman’s back, and turned her head so their lips met again.

The second kiss was deeper. Their hands roved each others bodies, tentatively exploring the new sensations of each other.

Not quite a minute had passed when the oven timer beeped loudly, cutting the reverie in an instant. They broke apart, catching their breath. A smirk was shared between them. Olivia adjusted her jacket as Kathy rushed to attend to the pie.

Olivia swallowed thickly and drank in the form of the other woman, surprised at the emotions now tightening her throat and sitting heavily in her chest. Strands of blonde hair fluttered as the heat washed over Kathy’s form when she opened the oven door. Olivia wondered idly if Kathy was suddenly as warm as she was.

Kathy flipped the oven off, and turned to face Olivia once more. “Stay for dinner?” she asked, with a smile.

Olivia smiled back. “Sure.”

[plaidbooks]

Hiya! Could you do one where reader and Sonny are in a relationship. The reader sees how close Sonny and Rollins are and gets jealous/feels inadequate/thinks he’s cheating? Thanks!!

Jealousy

A/N: Hey anon! I love writing angst, so this was a fun one for me! It jumps around a little, and the second half is a lot of dialogue, but I feel like communication is important in relationships. Hope you liked it!

Tags: none, just angst (and implied cheating)

Words: 2k+

Taglist: @the-baby-bookworm @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @itsjustmyfantasyroom @stardust-fray @permanentlydizzy @averyhotchner @mrsrafaelbarba @reading--mermaid

“Hey guys, this is my girlfriend, [Y/N],” Sonny introduced you, naming all of his coworkers in turn. He was invited to post-work drinks, and he decided to bring you, too, to have you meet his coworkers. Mostly because they were his friends, his second family, but also as a safety precaution, in case anything happened to you—they’d at least know who you were now.

“Ah, this is the famous [Y/N],” the woman Sonny introduced as his partner, Detective Amanda Rollins, said, smirking. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”

You smiled back. “Yeah, I’ve heard a lot about you guys, too. Sonny loves you all, loves working with you.”

“Can you guys not talk about me like I’m not standing right here?” Sonny chuckled.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. “It’s not our fault you gush about [Y/N] to everyone who will listen,” she gave you a welcoming smile as your cheeks warmed in embarrassment. “We are glad that you’re keeping an eye on Carisi, though. He’s a good guy.”

“Okay, if you’re going to keep talking about me, I’m gonna go grab another drink,” Sonny sighed, looking to you. “Need another, doll?”

“Please,” you grinned at him. He squeezed your hip and turned towards the bar.

“Hold up, Carisi. I’ll go with you—I need a refill, too,” Amanda said, jumping off her barstool.

“Oh, okay, sure,” Sonny replied, giving her a smirk, and they both made their way over. You watched them go, the briefest flash of jealousy shooting through you before you brushed it away. They were friends, partners even; they were close, but Sonny still came home to you. While watching them at the bar, you missed the look Olivia and Fin exchanged.

 *****a few months later*******

You were in the kitchen, cooking dinner, dancing and singing along with the soft music playing in your apartment. Sonny was getting off early tonight, and though he offered to cook, you turned him down. He’d been working so much recently, and you wanted to do something nice for him. He reluctantly agreed—it’s not that he didn’t love your cooking, but he loved cooking for you. Your music dimmed as your phone rang. Putting the spoon down and turning the burner to low, you picked up your phone, seeing Sonny’s face and ID on your screen.

“Hey, baby. You almost here?” you answered, twirling on the balls of your feet.

You heard him sigh, his voice strained. “Actually, change of plans tonight. There was an…incident at work today…I’m taking Amanda home, making sure she’s okay. You don’t mind, do you?”

Your shoulders slumped and your heart dropped, but you tried to keep your voice light, keep the disappointment out of it. “Y-yeah, sure, Son. Everything okay?”

“It’s fine…I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. Right now, though, Amanda needs me. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love ya,” he replied, voice slightly muffled, as if his phone wasn’t fully against his face.

“Yeah, I love you, too.”

 *******************

A few weeks later, you dragged yourself home from work. It had been a shitty week, and today took the cake. It took all your strength to not break down and cry from the stress you were feeling. You texted Sonny, seeing if he was free to come over and cuddle; you just needed his arms around you, to feel his comforting body against yours. He said that he just had to run to the courthouse with Amanda for a warrant, then he’d be free. You put your phone on the kitchen counter, annoyed that he was with Amanda right now. You knew he was at work, and you knew they were partners, but you couldn’t stop the anger, the jealousy you felt every time her name was mentioned. It felt like he talked about her all the time, like he thought about her all the time, and you were starting to feel left out…left behind. Sighing, you poured a glass of wine and sat down hard on your couch.

Sonny knocked on your door an hour later, and you put your third wine glass down. You opened the door, and he came in, looking worried.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, pulling you into a hug.

You noticed the slight smell of perfume on him but ignored it; it wasn’t that rare that he had strange cologne or perfume on him from people he arrested. You just hugged him tighter, ignoring the pang of jealousy from the other woman’s smell.

“I’ve just had…a really bad week,” you murmured into his chest. He stroked your back with one of his hands as he rocked you gently.

“Well, I’m here now. I’ve got you,” he said, kissing the top of your head.

You smiled against him, pulling back to look at him. But your smile faded, your eyes narrowing as something pink caught your attention. “What’s this?” you asked, your voice dangerously low. Moving his unbuttoned jacket aside, you saw that the pink was lipstick, staining his shirt, right between two buttons on his chest. Your heart stopped and you felt your hands starting to shake with emotions—sadness, betrayal, and an intense rage. You didn’t wear pink lipstick.

Sonny looked down to his chest, seeing the lipstick smeared there, then looked back into your face that was slowly transforming into furiousness. “Now wait a moment, [Y/N]. It’s not what it looks like,” he started, raising his hands in defense.

“Not what it looks like?” you yelled. “Then what is it, because it looks like fucking lipstick to me!” An image of Amanda, opening Sonny’s shirt, her lips on his chest flashed in your mind, and you saw red.

You took a step towards him, and he retreated. “I-it is, but it…it was an accident—”

“An accident?” You started breathing heavily, tears threatening to fall. Your mind was turning rapidly as you struggled to make sense of this. “Are…have you been sleeping with that fucking partner of yours?” It all made sense, why he ditched you for her, why he talked about her all the time.

Sonny’s eyes went wide. “What? No! Of course not! How could you even think that?” Now he was raising his voice incredulously, annoyed that you could even imply that he was cheating on you.

“Get out,” you whispered. Sonny went quiet and you stared at each other. “I said get out!” you screamed. You advanced once more, and Sonny backed away, crestfallen. He looked on the verge of tears, but you couldn’t make yourself care, not after he hurt you like this. Not after he fucking cheated on you, with that fucking detective.

Sonny stopped on the doorstep, turning towards you. “I would never—”

You slammed the door in his face, throwing the lock. You broke then, the tears spilling over, your heart breaking. You collapsed onto the couch, crying until there was nothing left.

 *******************

It had been a week since you kicked Sonny out of your apartment, and the wound was still fresh. He sent you a text the following morning, asking to talk things out, but you ignored him, not responding, and he got the message loud and clear. You still cried every night, wondering how you could be so damn stupid. You remembered when Sonny had thought Tommy was cheating on his baby sister, how pissed he was. It was crazy how people got so defensive, enough so that they attacked people just like them.

You heard a knock on the door, and you dragged yourself to it, looking through the peephole. Confused, you unlocked the door, opening it. “Lieutenant Benson? Everything okay?” you asked the woman standing there.

She gave you that same warm smile she gave when you first met. “Hey, [Y/N], I just wanted to stop by, see how you were doing. May I come in?”

“O-of course,” you replied, moving out of her way. She entered your apartment, looking around appreciatively. Regaining your composure, you asked dully, “did Sonny send you?”

Olivia glanced to you. “No, he didn’t. But I guess I am here on his behalf. He’s worried about you.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “He didn’t seem worried about me when he broke my heart.”

“I heard about that. Another reason why I’m here. I wanted to explain how…close partners can get, in our line of work,” Olivia started. She moved to your couch, sitting down gently. You sat down on the other side.

“Look, I know that there some kind of bond there, some deep ties, but that doesn’t excuse—”

“Carisi didn’t cheat on you, [Y/N],” Olivia cut you off. “Especially not with Rollins.”

You raised an eyebrow. “How do you know? There was lipstick on his shirt, and he talks about her all the time, goes to her place at the drop of a hat! A month ago, I tried to make him dinner, and he ditched me to take her home. He promised to tell me what happened, but then just brushed it off like nothing happened!”

Olivia sat in silence while you ranted at her. Once finished, she said calmly, “a month ago, Rollins was taken hostage. She had a gun to her face and was almost killed. I told Carisi to take her home, to make sure she was okay. You know him. He has a bleeding heart; he was a wreck the whole time. It’s not shocking that he wouldn’t want to talk about it.” She let that sink in for a moment before she continued, “and the lipstick on his shirt was from me. We were trying to locate a suspect, and I was pushed from behind into Carisi’s chest. In the moment, we never noticed that my lipstick had rubbed off on him, and for that, I deeply apologize.”

You sat there, dumbfounded. “B-but that doesn’t mean they aren’t sleeping together,” you whispered, your voice weak. You knew already that you had been wrong, but you were clinging to the hope that you didn’t just throw away the best thing you had for no reason.

Olivia sighed. “I met Rollins’ boyfriend a few weeks ago; unless two of my best detectives are somehow both cheating in a department full of sex crimes cops, I think it’s safe to say that this was a huge misunderstanding.”

Tears filled your eyes, and you buried your face in your hands. “I’m a fucking idiot,” you murmured. “How could I believe Sonny was cheating on me so easily? How could I have kicked him out? I-I should’ve listened to him, talked to him—”

“You still can. And I recommend doing it soon. He’s been lost since all this happened,” Olivia gave you a soft smile, placing her hand on your knee. “You can still fix this.”

You nodded. “I’m going to call him right now…unless he’s at work?”

“Oh no, I’ve given him the night off. I can give you a ride to his place, if you’d like,” she said, standing.

“Please.”

 **********************

You didn’t bother changing before Olivia dropped you off at Sonny’s apartment. You were in an oversized tshirt, and leggings, but you didn’t care; you just needed to see him. You knocked on his door and heard shuffling before it uplocked, opening. Sonny stood in the doorframe looking haggard; he had a light stubble you’d never seen before, his blue eyes dim though wide at seeing you, his shoulders slumped, his hair loose and hanging in his eyes.

“[Y/N]?” he breathed out, his voice ragged.

You gave him a small smile. “Hey, Dom…can we talk, please?”

He nodded, gesturing you in. You moved past him, entering the familiar place, your heart in your throat. You stood awkwardly in his hallway, unable to make yourself move any further inside. Standing there, face to face with Sonny, you couldn’t think of where to start.

“Sonny…I’m-I’m so sorry—” you started before he cut you off.

“How could you even think I cheated on you?” Sonny asked, voice hard.

Tears instantly sprung up in your eyes. “I-I don’t know…I was…I was jealous with the attention you were giving Amanda. And then the lipstick—”

“Jealous?” His voice was venomous, and his eyes narrowed. He glared at you for a moment, and your shrunk into yourself, feeling like such an idiot for thinking he could cheat on you, for being jealous—

Just as quickly as his rage came, it was gone, fading from him like air escaping a balloon. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to yell. It’s just…I’d never cheat on you, hurt you like that—”

“I know, Dom. I’m sorry I overreacted. I just…that lipstick had me seeing red…and it had been a bad day, a bad week. That’s not an excuse. I was stupid, and I lost you, the best thing that had ever happened to me—”

Sonny took your hand in his, his eyes locking to yours. You both fell silent, and Sonny tugged you into the living room, pulling you onto the couch next to him. He sighed heavily, rubbing his face with his hands.

“I love you, [Y/N]. Really, I do. But this is going to take time to work though. We can’t just go back to normal…but if you’re willing to sit here, to talk to me about it, then I am, too,” he said.

You nodded, sniffling. “I want that, Dominick, more than anything. I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back. I…I fucked up, and I’m sorry. I’ll never stop saying I’m sorry.”

“I know, sweetheart. I know. Come here,” Sonny held his arms open and you crawled into his lap, cuddling into his chest. “I understand why you…came to that conclusion…. I understand how we got here. I may not be happy about it, but I get it, okay? And you have a point; I do bring work home with me too much.”

You sat back to look at him. “I don’t want you to not talk about work with me, Son. I…like that you can talk to me, that I can help you vent. I know that Amanda is your partner, and that she’s with you all day every day. I’m going to work on my jealousy, I promise you, okay? This will never happen again.”

“And I believe you. I…I’ve been jealous, too. When we go out, and I see men stare at you, I have half a mind to tell them off. As long as we’re…open with each other, as long as we have trust, we’ll be okay.” Sonny pulled you back to him, kissing your forehead gently, his stubble tickling your skin.

“I love you, Dom.”

“I love you, too,” he whispered against you.

[jung-snoopy-woo]

How I Met Your Grandfather

~ Chapter 6 ~

(Gif credit: @ stay_shittizen_via Pinterest/Wattpad)

Other Chapters: Masterlist | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 (coming soon)

Pairing: Bang Chan × Fem! Reader, Twin brother! Felix Lee.

Genre: Fluff, mostly angst.

Word count: 1.4k+

Warnings: mentions of the same insecurities from last chapter, mentions of (almost) death.

Summary: You ask for advice from your older sister as tomorrow you're going to your first date with Chan, and both her and Olivia- your younger sister, encourage you. Chan decides to work in his studio until his date with Y/N, then Felix comes unexpectedly and tells him what's on his mind. After Felix left, Chan keeps working despite being tired, but eventually falls asleep.

A/N: hello hello :) I actually finished this part a few days ago but it felt too short (still does zksgnsaj) and I wanted to make some small changes too so it took me a while 🙈🙈

Hope you enjoy!! Thank you all for reading ♥️♥️

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"Just be yourself and I can assure you, he will fall for you in seconds", your older sister, Rachael, said. You both were sitting on her bed, as she was trying to encourage and calm you down. It was Wednesday night and Felix was staying in the dorms since yesterday, so you decided to ask for advice from Rachael, as you finally realized that tomorrow is your first date with Chris and you don't even know what you're supposed to do or say.

"There's no need to plan anything.. I mean, what did you plan on doing? Memorizing things and then saying them to him?", She asked jokingly. The thought of you searching for cheap pickup lines online and using them on Chris later, made you two burst into laughter.

"Are we talking about Chris oppa?", You and Rachael turned to see Olivia's head peeking inside. She then smirked. "I know he really likes Y/N".

"Oh, you do?", You asked, amused by your younger sister's words and the silly look on her face. "How come?"

"Well..", she started making her way to join you two on Rachael's bed, sitting between you and Rachael. "Remember the day Felix's friends were here? Well, I didn't even get to say anything to him because he'd talk to you most of the time and looked at you like this.. ", she said, mockingly imitating Chris as she started widening her eyes and coming closer to your face. "Oh, and there's another thing...", She started, but stopped once she saw Rachael's eyes signing her that she's already said more than enough.

"What is it?", You asked with curiosity. You saw Rachael's look too, and knew these two were hiding something from you. "I know this look, Rachael", you said.

"Well, he--", Olivia started.

"Asked you out... Of course", Rachael said quickly. Very smooth, Rachael, you thought, of course it was very obvious that this wasn't what they were talking about, but you decided to leave the topic, thinking it probably wasn't that important.

"So... before I came in I heard you two talking", Olivia finally said. "And I agree with what Rachael eonni said. Just be yourself, he already likes you! I mean, he was the one to ask YOU out"

"And you and him are both super sweet and kind", Rachael added. "Just relax and go to sleep, I'm sure he's just as nervous!!"

You sighed. Despite being nervous still, their words did help. "Thank you", you said and hugged your older sister. "And you too", you turned to Olivia, ruffled her hair a little and hugged her too.

"Goodnight", you said, turning off the light in Rachael's room as you and Olivia left to go back to your rooms.

"Goodnight, sis", Rachael said. "And good luck tomorrow, show him how great you are!"

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Chan was busy, just like every other day.

It was Thursday morning, which means he's going to the beach with Y/N in a few hours. He decided to go sit in his studio and work on some new stuff until it's time to go, this way he could relax too.

"Excited for today?", Felix's voice surprised Chan. He turned to look at the younger boy, but before he could say anything, Felix continued. "Don't worry, I'm not here to threaten you this time", he said with a small chuckle after seeing Chris's look. "I wanted to wish you good luck and... to apologize".

"Felix, it's--"

"No, no, I have to... After seeing how happy you both are about this...", he said, shaking his head, then looked at Chan. "I'm really sorry for not approving this at first. I know you'll be good to her".

Chan froze. There were so many things he wanted to say. He wanted to promise that he will never ever hurt Y/N. He wanted to tell him that it's okay and that he understands where his disapproval was coming from. "Thank you...", He finally said, but was cut by Felix's hug.

"Sorry I came here so unexpectedly.", Felix said on his way out. "I just really had to let this out before you go so you wouldn't feel uncomfortable or something"

"It's absolutely fine, you're always welcome to surprise me here", Chan said with a giggle. "And thank you again"

"It's all good!", the younger said with a smile. "good luck!"

After Felix left, Chan was working for hours, with almost no breaks. I wish I could sleep more last night, he though as he let out another yawn. Too many thoughts were on his mind last night- how much work he has, you, a new line he could add to the lyrics of one of the new songs, you again. He felt his eyes getting heavier with every minute passing. You can't sleep now ,Your date is in 2 hours, he told himself. But maybe just for 10 minutes? A part of him thought. 10 minutes of sleep aren't going to kill anyone...

He woke up, immediately checking the time on his phone.

6:07pm.

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You got to the beach a bit earlier, as you wanted to be mentally prepared for this. You baked chocolate-chips cookies and cut some fresh fruits, and decided to place them nicely in cute plates on the towel you were sitting on, in the spot where you both decided to meet.

You were wearing your swimsuit under a big shirt and black shorts. I'll just do what I always do, you told Felix after Chris's call, and by that you meant 'not taking off my clothes, and getting in the water wearing them'. This shirt was big enough to cover your butt and a bit of your thighs, and you loved it for that.

It was already 4:50pm, but thinking of Chris's shy smile made it easier for you to believe that everything is going to be fine. You suddenly remembered Felix used to tell you of how great their leader is, always willing to help, cares for everyone all the time and so very hardworking. These traits made you trust him, despite not actually knowing him.

5:15pm. You read from your phone screen. He's probably going to be here in a few minutes., You told yourself. The traffic these days...

At least I don't have to worry about the swimsuit, you thought with a bitter smile. You sighed. Maybe this is happening to me because I looked forward to it a bit too much...

5:30pm. At this point, you decided to eat some of the cookies and a few grapes. A part of you wanted to believe he's still going to come and that he's probably on his way. But at 6:00pm you lost hope.

You decided to take off the shirt. He's not coming anyways, you thought. And even if he is... You were on the verge of tears, but you fought them back. The wind was blowing in your hair and you looked at the beautiful waves as they were breaking on the sand. I have cookies and I have fruits and I have the sea... I don't need no man to make me happy. You got up and went inside the water.

The sea always calmed you. You weren't the best swimmer, but it was something about water, even just a small swimming pool, that made you feel so relaxed. Maybe it's better that way, you told yourself. No one's going to get hurt. Well, except from you, of course, but you'll get over it. Just like always.

You were so deep in thought, that you didn't even notice yourself drifting deeper into the sea. It was only when your legs couldn't reach the floor that you realized you should swim back. You tried making your way through the waves but they got bigger and stronger. You were fighting the waves, trying to call for help, but then a huge wave covered you, pushing you into the deep.

As you were drowning, you remembered a moment of you and your family on the beach, years ago. You and Felix were 6 or 7 years old, playing in the water. You two told Olivia that you had powers and could move the water according to your hand movements, and she believed. Your parents and Rachael clapped with surprised looks, as if they also believed in your abilities, that only a few years later you realized were fake. Oh, how you loved these moments you spent with your family...

Then you imagined Chris's voice, calling your name, interrupting your warm memories. Why him, of all people?? You scolded yourself. You wished you'd hear your parents' voice, or any of your siblings, but hearing Chris just made you understand how unlucky you were, even in your last moments. You couldn't even cry as you kept swallowing and breathing in the salty water.

Then your mind went blank.

Everything got black.

[overladies-love-ladies]

HEY um. i've been feeling bad. could i request pharah, sombra, sym and tracer with an s/o who finds it hard to understand a lot of things, feels out of place a lot, like they're always doing something wrong and upsetting others? thank you <3

Here’s the request for Out of Place Anon. Sorry for the long wait!! <3

Pharah-

Fareeha first noticed you when a new recruit berated you and the other secretary at the security HQ for mixing up the location of his training zone. You were on the verge of tears when she took the rookie officer by surprise and tore him a new one for abusing the staff. After he skulked away, she pulled you aside and took you for a walk around the base to clear your mind. Your walks with Fareeha became a routine until one day she finally asked you out on a proper date in the middle of the parking lot. You were thrilled she reciprocated your feelings, but you couldn’t help but express your concerns. What if you messed everything up? What if you were a lousy girlfriend who could never remember her birthday or where you had your first date? The stream of worries felt like it would never stop until a strong gust of wind swept across the pavement causing you to shiver. Fareeha simply grinned and threw her jacket around your shoulders and pulled you in for a hug. As far as she was concerned, you could do no wrong. Anyone who disagreed would have to answer to her. 

Sombra-

Olivia had a hard time understanding your discomfort at first. She lived for being a nuisance and making other’s lives difficult, but she couldn’t ever imagine you upsetting anyone. Everyone in the seaside town loved you. As the months of dating went by though, the more she noticed the signs. The way you flinched when someone raised their voice, or how you always tried so hard to do everything right, but never seemed happy with the results. She observed you in the marketplace, trying to interact with shop owners and how you would begin blushing and stuttering until you eventually clammed up. One night strolling along the beach, Olivia stopped suddenly and turned to face you, gripping your hands tightly. You noticed how wet her eyes were, shimmering in the moonlight. Her voice came out shaky; it was the first time you ever heard Olivia sound uncertain. She explained how she noticed the patterns in your behavior and how you were constantly walking on eggshells. She exclaimed with ferocity how you never needed to feel that way around her. Nothing you did would ever be short of perfect in her eyes. You were speechless but Olivia didn’t seem to mind. She knew that you would open up and trust her on your own time, and she would be ready when you were.

Symmetra-

Satya was no stranger to feeling out of place. She had her own struggles that she dealt with daily. Meeting you was like finding a patch of warm sunlight on a cloudy day. You were one of the few people she knew that could understand her discomfort in what many would consider simple interactions. Where you struggled with your confidence and constantly felt like a nuisance to others, Satya was comfortable with who she was, and longed to pass that self-love on to you. At the store, if you struggled with making a decision or talking to an employee, she would gently nudge you in the right direction. If you made a mistake when cooking, she would stop your berating words in their tracks and assure you that everything was wonderful. She found you one night before bed, leaning on the bathroom sink and staring woefully at the mirror. Without turning you asked her why she was so kind to you? So patient? Satya gently turned you towards her and rubbed your arms softly. She had to learn how to interact with others and face her own insecurities growing up. She would rather die before she let you face your struggles on your own. 

Tracer-

She eventually found her place at Overwatch, but Lena stepped on more than a few toes on the way there. She was very familiar with feeling like she annoyed everyone around her. So when she met you, another recruit who went completely out of their way to try and not bother anyone, she had a feeling she knew what you were going through. What started as a budding friendship slowly grew into more. Lena became more comfortable, making friends and finding her place in the organization, but she noticed that you were as worried as ever about what others thought of you. Lena, fueled by her determined spirit, vowed to herself to show that everyone at Overwatch loved you. For your birthday that year, she collected messages from each of your closest friends full of well wishes and reassurances. When you both curled up together that night to watch it in your room, Lena held your face in her hands and planted a kiss on each cheek. She asked you to talk to her if you ever felt like you were in the way or a nuisance at all, and she’d do everything in her power to make you feel better and reassure you that that wasn’t the case. You held her tight and settled in for your movie night, feeling better than you had in a long time.

[msjr0119]

We Belong

Part 8

Evangeline Bruley returns to Cordonia to take over her families Duchy. She was betrothed to the now King, however he is engaged to Duchess Riley but still has lingering feelings towards his first love. What will happen during her time back in Cordonia?

Just using combined tag list- if you want to be removed just let me know 😊

@pedudley @kacie-0156 @loveellamae @annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @insideamirage @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @kozabaji @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @yukinagato2012 @dcbbw @qammh-blog @nz1091 @cordonianroyalty @custaroonie @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @princess-geek @jared2612 @desiree---1986 @gardeningourmet @twinkle-320 @queenjilian @forthebrokenheartedthings-blog @princessleac1 @scarletreesex

Warnings: Swearing, alcohol abuse, mention of murder, potential murder. Long chapter- sorry! There’s lots of skipping time...

*****

“Oh really Bast. Care to explain why I was the reasoning behind my husbands death?” Denial had set in, as it had done all these years- providing a confident smirk she couldn’t wait for the guard to elaborate on his assumption.

“Your problem with alcohol, Bi. He was too worried about you and your children’s welfare that he wasn’t concentrating that day... he failed the royal family...” Letting out a sinister laugh, Bastien looked at her frustratedly- he knew the real Bianca and this wasn’t her. When he had first met her, she welcomed everyone into her family home- she mothered everyone, she put her family as number one priority.

“Fuck the royal family. They wouldn’t give him time off, that’s why he died...he was tired... I don’t see how it was my fault. Then the Bruleys stole my kids off me...” Knowing whatever he said, she was going to respond with denial- but he needed to defend the people that were there when she wasn’t even if it took him the rest of his life for it to sink in.

“They did no such thing! They were good people who looked after your children along with the King and Queen. All because you cared more about the booze. Now I will escort you to a spare room. Then you will go home to Texas.”

“I’m here for the wedding, and to see my children and my grandson.”

“You have never cared about them. So what is the real reason as to why you are here?” To bring down the crown, and Evangeline. I’m not the only one- let’s hope your tired and not concentrating during this important event, head guard.

*****

Evie began to stir, dreaming about her passionate night with Drake- she didn’t want to wake up. Feeling content with her life at the moment, in her dreams and thoughts she regretted wasting all these years without Drake as they are now. Wondering what their future held, could they be happy like all their friends are? Was Toby cheating on her fate? Was him and Kiara not working through their relationship fate? Was all of Olivia’s meddling fate? The answer to all those questions were, yes- and now she couldn’t wait to finally settle down. The strong scent of whiskey surrounded her waking her up from her slumber, blinking as she checked her phone she realised that it was only 7am. Too early for drinking, seriously Drake?Turning around there was no sign of Drake- suddenly she was alert and awake, wondering where he was and where the sudden smell of whiskey had vanished to. Putting the satin babydoll dress on, she took some painkillers before searching for Drake.

“Hey, what are you doing out of bed?” Facing away from her, he could sense her presence as soon as she entered the kitchen- pouring her a coffee, he eventually turned around giving her the newly brewed drink and a kiss on the cheek.

“I wondered where you was. I smelt whiskey...” But it’s not you. Am I dreaming about whiskey now?

“Must be your imagination. I know Olivia thinks that I’m an alcoholic but I know it’s too early to have a drink. Although I feel drunk around you when you are wearing that...” Damn these painkillers must be strong, imagining whiskey. She was snapped out of her thoughts as Drake lifted her up on to the table.

“Can your imagination predict what I’m about to do to you Duchess?”

*****

Liam woke up debating what to do about Bianca, internal thoughts battled against each other- not knowing which was the right path to follow. There was a slight bit of jealously that his friend was with his childhood sweetheart, but he cared for Drake- and didn’t want to ruin his happiness or friendship. Besides he had a beautiful fiancée and child on its way.

“Li?”

“Sorry, did I disturb you?”

“No... okay - yes you did. You’ve been fidgety all night. Is it because of Tariq’s and Neville’s funerals next week or because of Drakes mom?”

“Both. Especially Bianca. I can’t tell Drake and Savannah that she’s here. But I can’t send her away whilst she’s like this.” Liam wrapped his arm around Riley, hoping that she could help him decide on what to do. Drake had briefly informed her about his relationship with his family- how she ran away when life got tough, then how Savannah did the same. But he failed to mention to her that his mother was an alcoholic- Riley now realised that it was probably to do with embarrassment, or to protect himself and Savannah.

“How long has she been like this? Did it start when Jackson died?”

“No. I think we was about ten when she became dependent on the alcohol. Her sister was on the verge of losing their ranch, she couldn’t cope with Jackson working long hours. Two days before he passed away, she showed herself up in front of Evie’s parents- they took Drake and Savannah in for the night. I don’t know what to do Ri. Do I tell them or not?” In the back of her mind she believed that he should inform them of their mothers impromptu visit- especially to warn them. But on the other hand would that warning cause trouble, she didn’t want her to become a burden on everyone especially Drake. She was thinking about why people had left her to continue struggling with the addiction and why no one had convinced her to attempt counselling and rehab.

“When’s Savannah and Bertrand back?”

“They are coming back for the wedding. I’m not sure the exact date, as far as I’m aware they are returning the night before. She seems to only show up back here when it’s a special occasion.” Hearing a knock on the door, Liam immediately shot out of bed. Ready to berate whoever it was.

“Sir? Sorry to disturb you so early. I have some bad news.”

“Is it Bianca? What has she done now?”

“No, she’s sleeping. It’s your father. He passed away in the night. I’m so sorry, Liam.”

*****

The King father’s funeral took place a few days after his death- the whole country were in silence, mourning their “beloved” ex monarch. Shock was also a common expression throughout the country- the only people that was aware of his illness was his family, but they believed he had a longer lifespan- so were all also shocked at the news. Liam and Leo supported their step mother throughout the ceremony, she explained how Constantine wasn’t thrilled about Riley being his choice- but he would have loved to be at the wedding and support them.

Tariq’s and Neville’s funerals were quick and short. Many people providing crocodile tears- the two men were despised within court, but the majority of people just attended out of curiosity. Hoping that the truth regarding their deaths would come alight. Liam provided a speech, not wanting to criticise the deceased instead turning negative factors about their lives into positive ones. Many ‘mourners’ now expressed the same expression- grimace but deep down were relieved.

*****

Liam and Riley had decided to postpone their wedding due to all the deaths that had unexpectedly occurred- it was now taking place two months later than its original date. It was a hard decision to make, especially as Riley was beginning to grow a slight baby bump. They were due to go for her first scan today, if everything was adequate with the baby’s health- they had decided to announce it at their wedding rehearsal dinner that was taking place later that night.

“Your majesty, Duchess Riley. Are you both ready to see your baby?” They both nodded, both excited but also nervous at the same time. Liam had believed that when he was younger that this would have been him and Evie. Now it was reality with Riley, his fiancée- he understood that fate had a way of changing destiny, in a positive way. He was finally getting the family that he had always dreamt of- with everything that had happened the last few weeks, this was now something positive to look forward to, not only for himself and Riley but also for Cordonia. Holding her hand, he slowly began to lose his usual stoic expression- worrying about this, as most new parents would do.

“Are you okay?” Riley asked cupping his cheek, knowing that he wasn’t as his whole body was tense.

“Yes love. I love you both. I’m just nervous.”

“We love you too daddy.” Hearing her say this made it finally sink in- he was going to be a father.

Placing the gel onto her stomach, Riley flinched at the sudden coldness even though she had a pre warning. After a while, they heard noises escape the machine- both their eyes formed tears as they looked at their child for the first time.

“The baby is fine, all measuring correctly. Is there anything you’d like to ask?”

“No.” They said in unison, both jaws nearly hitting the ground- disbelief still surrounding their minds that they had created this little miracle.

“I love you my Queen, are you ready to go back. We can then announce to everyone our news.” Looking at the photo, she traced her fingers along it.

“Yes, lets hope our closest friends can act surprised.”

*****

Everyone arrived at the rehearsal dinner, they had decided to add an American tradition for the Queen to be. The guests all congratulated the happy couple, all looking forward for the nuptials that were taking place the next day.

“Drakey!” Bianca ran up to her son, he wasn’t sure how to react. The anger towards her that lingered every day since his childhood. The confusion as to why she was here. The frustration that she was drunk as always. Placing his arm around Evie he whispered in her ear, I’ll see you in a bit- I need to sort her out. Evie was hesitant about leaving him, knowing how she ruined his childhood as well as Savannah’s- but eventually agreed. Kissing her on the cheek, he had hoped that his mother’s visit was just a flying visit and that she would become non existent again.

“What are you doing here?” For the first time in a couple months- his infamous scowl had returned.

“No kiss for me, but a kiss for the little bitch who’s parents tried ruin your life- her parents who tried to take you and your sister away from me.”

“They did no such thing.”

“Oh please tell me you and Evangeline aren’t....”

“What if we were? It’s none of your business. I love her, Mom. Now answer my question. Why are you here?”

“I’m here for Liam’s wedding obviously. You can’t love her. Would you love her if your father didn’t stop the arrangement?”

“Im actually surprised you’ve turned up, oh silly me- you only come back for special occasions that provide a free bar. I loved her when she was in that arrangement. I am going to spend time with the woman that I love, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t follow me.”

“Oh Drake, let me in to a little secret.... I killed Michaela and Alexander. Alcohol and driving doesn’t mix. I paid someone to cover my tracks. Why do you think I insisted that you came to Texas when the was funeral taking place? Who do you think started those rumours off about the Bruleys- the rumours that turned everyone against them. I’m not leaving Cordonia- it would be a shame for anything to happen to poor little Evie. Goodnight son, I’ll see you at the wedding.”

Evie had been watching the interaction between Drake and Bianca from a distance- noticing how his expressions were originally anger but confident, then how it turned into shock.

“Hey handsome.” Fuck, I need to protect her.

“Evie I can’t be with you... I’m so sorry.” Evie’s eyes widened, immediately searching for Maxwell- assuming that he would be stood in the corner laughing at this practical joke. Trying to convince herself that this was something Maxwell would do for entertainment. There was no other explanation as to why their relationship should abruptly end.

“Excuse me?” Were the only words she managed to express, as Drake looked at her with sorrow in his eyes.

“My mom has some vendetta against you. I can’t ....”

“Yeah I heard you Drake. You can’t be with me...” Not realising how loud she was, everyone turned their heads towards the two of them. “How could you humiliate me like this? What was I Drake? Just a fuck? To get back at Liam for stealing the girl you love?”

“No. I love you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Too late.” Fighting the tears back was proving a difficult task, hoping that this conversation wasn’t ruining the night for her friends. Remaining in silence, she couldn’t comprehend what was happening- Drake tried to comfort her, but she pushed him away.

“Is everything okay?” Bianca asked as she smirked at Evie, before standing next to Drake placing her hand on his shoulder. Grimacing at his Mom, he brushed her away from him- not wanting to be anywhere near her.

“The best mother and actress award goes to Bianca Walker. See ya around Drake.” Regretting what he had done, he was undecided whether to follow her or not. Deciding how to grovel for forgiveness. Bianca watched Evie storm out of the room, with Olivia following her- she knew Nevrakis wouldn’t be an issue. Her focus was to brainwash her son against them all. Maybe get him on her side to accomplish her vengeance.

“Don’t worry about her. All these nobles care about are themselves. Come back to Texas with me darling. Where you belong.”

“You got what you wanted Mom. Why couldn’t you die instead of dad? I hate you. You are not my mom anymore, goodbye Bianca- enjoy the flight back to Texas on your own.”

*****

The day after the disastrous rehearsal dinner was the wedding of the century, all of Cordonia was relieved that this day had finally arrived.

Leo and Drake went up to Liam’s study, both already suited and booted.

“Don’t you both look dashing. Are you both trying to upstage me?”

“Well I did that a long time ago little brother, but I’ll let you have the spotlight today. Just this once though- I’m the more handsome brother.” Leo knew Liam was nervous, so decided to keep the upbeat attitude rather than provide a heart to heart conversation.

“Drake? Are you okay?” Liam hadn’t heard from neither Drake nor Evie after the commotion that Bianca had caused- he even had doubts that the two of them would even turn up.

“Yeah Li. It’s your wedding day, it should be me asking you that.”

“You need to fix things with Evie, I don’t know what you was thinking. All I wanted my whole life was for her to love me back, you had that and you let her go.” Drake felt guilty, knowing that he had a diamond - a diamond who the king, his friend had pined for all those years- and he let her go in an instant.

“Li, my mom hates her.. I don’t want my mom’s vendetta to cause trouble between us. You don’t know what she’s capable of. Could you imagine if we got married or had children... my mom would destroy us. So I’m saving her and myself from the heartache now.”

“No offence Walker but is your mother in this relationship too? No she isn’t.”

“Leo’s right. She will going back to Texas, and who knows when you’ll see her again. I still don’t understand why she’s here- we didn’t invite her to the wedding.”

“You didn’t?”

“No. Listen, I’m sure Evie will have calmed down- at the reception, try and talk to her. Ask her for a dance. Myself and Riley won’t be offended if you both sneak off.....” Straightening his tie, he closed his eyes. It’s time. “I think I’m ready. Leo are you ready to marry me?” Leo nodded, the three men had a scotch before making their way to the cathedral.

****

Arriving at the cathedral with Olivia, Evie was in a trance- not really wanting to attend, not wanting to see Bianca again.

“Are you okay? Fuck Bianca, Drake is a jerk- but he does love you and you love him. Just talk to him now you’ve calmed down.” I’m not wasting anymore time watching you cry, I sacrificed my love life last night to comfort you.

“I feel really sick. I don’t want to be here. I’ll listen to their vows and then I’ll leave. I’m sure they won’t mind.... Liv pass me your bag quick!” Olivia passed her best friend the bag, not really understanding why- until she heard Evie use it as a sick bag.

“For fuck sake Evie, it’s Prada!”

“I’m sorry, I’m just really nervous. I don’t want to see him.”

“Are you sure it’s nerves? It could be a stomach bug, or alcohol poisoning after the amount you consumed yesterday. I better give the bag to Riley in case she wants to use it too...”

“It’s nerves. Trust me.”

Walking down the aisle the two duchesses took a seat, Olivia smiled at Liam and Drake whilst Evie stared off into space.

“Look at you two, don’t you both look lovely.”

“Fuck off!”

“That’s no way to talk to people Duchess Evangeline.”

“I can talk to you however I want Mrs Walker. Excuse me I’m going to be sick.”

“What is her issue?” Bianca asked Olivia, in an innocent tone of voice.

“You are. You are everyone’s issue. I’m surprised you’re not stumbling around yet. Or is it because you don’t want to make a scene in front of the press?”

“Duchess Olivia, I can behave when I need to. Besides my daughter and grandson are on their way- I don’t want Bartie to inhale my alcohol breathe.”

“Oh but it was okay for Drake and Savannah when they were kids to inhale it. Go away Bianca no one wants you here.”

****

Leo made the ceremony entertaining, with laughter echoing throughout the cathedral- the emotions soon changed the moment Liam and Riley said their vows to each other. There was tears throughout the cathedral, it truly was a fairytale love story.

“What’s up Evie? You’re pretty emotional- that could have been you.” Bianca asked as she lent forward, intentionally ready to cause trouble yet again.

“That would have never been me.”

“No you just prefer Dukes who cheat on you. Shame really, the Bruley name would have disappeared in a flash if you stayed in London and married him. Like your parents disappeared, they thought they could steal my children off me.”

“Don’t talk about my parents. They did a lot when you was absent along with Constantine, Regina and Bastien.”

“Bianca shut the fuck up because I’m going to do it for you if not. Leave my best friend alone.” Before Bianca could respond, Savannah squeezed in next to her mom after overhearing the conversation.

“Mom, you’re embarrassing me. Everyone helped myself and Drake- you need to make it up to these people. And please get some help.” Evie turned around, shocked that savannah had defended her, providing a half hearted smile- she turned back towards the happy couple.

“You ready to go?” Olivia whispered, with a smirk- as she pulled out the hip flask.

“I’m a Duchess, get me out of here- get me to the champagne that’s at the end of the bridge.”

****

Throughout the reception, everyone mingled with each other- The congratulations continued for the happy couple. Drake stood in a corner, his eyes focused on Evie- admiring her beauty, his heart just wanted to take her away from all of this. Liam had noticed what Drake had been doing ever since they arrived- giving his friend a nudge, he knew what to do. Feeling like he had to drag his feet forward, it was as if a magnet was pulling him away from her.

“Duchess Evangeline, may I have this dance?” Drake wasn’t aware about how many whiskeys he had consumed to pluck up the courage to speak to her.

“Sir Walker, thank you. But I have to decline. I promised a dance to Lord Maxwell.”

“He’s dancing with Hana.”

“I meant Leo.”

“He’s with Penelope.” Fuck.

“Rashad. This champagne has gone straight to my head. Rashad... I meant him.” Drake looked over towards Rashad, who was whispering into Kiara’s ear before leading her on to the balcony- Evie noticed too, knowing there were no other options apart from Toby and the mysterious man stood with him. But she wasn’t going to go down that route.

“Evie, please. I know my mom has caused trouble, I want to rectify it. I wasn’t thinking straight. I love you. I can see a future with you. Hate me all you want, I deserve it. I just want you to know that I love you, and I’ll carry on fighting for you. Even if it takes me another ten years....”

“Evie! Dance off?” Maxwell shouted as he bounced towards the two.

“Sure Maxi. See ya Drake.” Max jumped up and down like an excited puppy, Drakes heart sunk watching the Lord place a smile across her face. He was extremely disappointed that she couldn’t provide a bit of an inkling that she still cared for him.

“Give her time Drake, she’s not feeling well. She’s been sick three times today- once in my Prada bag, she’s lucky she’s still walking.” Drake wondered why she would be sick, why she was in fact still walking if anyone else had done that they’d be planning their funeral. Leaving Olivia, he went back over towards Liam- knowing full well he had failed Evie and was potentially going to get a lecture off of his best friend for not trying hard enough.

Evie had finished her dance with Maxwell, and noticed Bianca pestering the Queen. Making her way over, she grabbed another glass of champagne- hoping it would blank Bianca out of her mind- luckily for her Bianca created a distance.

“Congratulations Riley. Your vows were beautiful.”

“Thank you Evie. I’m glad you came.”

The two women spoke comfortably in other’s company, with Bianca lurking in the shadows. Evie informed Riley about Liam’s childhood- the times they shared together with the rest of their friends, all the embarrassing memories of Liam. Then the conversation turned into the future heir, Riley showed Evie the photo of the scan that they had. “Aw. Riley, I’m so happy for the two of you. I’m going to spoil him or her.”

“Myself and Liam were talking last night... I’m sure he won’t mind me telling you. But we wanted to ask you to be godmother. You’ve had my back, protected the baby before it’s even born.” Evie remained silent, not knowing how to respond at first. Wondering what people would think about her being her ex’s child’s godmother.

“Id love to be its godmother. Thank you so much, Auntie Evie can’t wait to meet you little one.” Uncontrollably crying, she didn’t know what had come over her- maybe it was just the reason as to why they chose her out of everyone.

“I’m glad. I didn’t think you’d get this emotional though.. I’m the pregnant one.”

Before Evie could respond, Bianca knocked into Riley sending her straight to the floor- her head narrowly missing the vase that stood next to them.

“Oops! Did I hurt you, your Majesty.”

****

“Riley! Are you okay?” Evie helped the Queen to stand before providing Bianca with dagger eyes.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Do you want me to get Liam for you?”

“Do you want me to get Liam for you... because I’m little miss perfect... why do you care about her?”

“Bianca shut the fuck up! I’m caring about my godchild too!”

“I’m glad my son humiliated you... he deserves better than you. You would put everyone first before him- are you jealous that she achieved the crown and not you. You’re abnormal Evangeline.”

“Drake deserves a better mother. I think you should leave. You wasn’t even invited.” Riley defended Evie, knowing that the woman had got under her skin.

“Trust me Evie, my little stumble with the Queen was nothing... I’m not going anywhere...”

Evie snatched the drink out of Biancas hand, if it was anyone else she would potentially have empathy towards them- try and help them battle their demons. But not Bianca Walker, the woman who for over a decade had caused trouble due to her alcoholism.

“What the hell do you think your doing?”

“You’ve had enough, and you are going to kill yourself.” Beginning to shake, Bianca watched Evie pour the liquid in the nearest plant pot. Anger began to build up, how dare she- she thought in her head on repeat. Seeing the man walk towards her- she knew his intentions, she was involved as well. Taking her opportunity, the original plan had changed- Bianca was after vengeance, not only on the crown but on the last remaining Bruley.

“How dare you humiliate me?” Pulling Evie’s hair, she dropped the glass- before being forcefully pushed into the man. Evie, this wasn’t what was supposed to happen. I was just needed to threaten the Queen with the knife not cause harm.

“EVIE!” The ballroom suddenly went silent, hearing the Queens voice. Liam and Drake immediately witnessed Evie fall to the ground.

“Bastien get the medics now!”

“Mom- Bianca what happened? Who the fuck are you?”

“Duke Tobias... he... he... I couldn’t stop him Drake... he came over to Evie and just stabbed her... for no reason.” Bianca smirked discreetly as Toby removed his balaclava- horror written all over his face.

“Evie, I didn’t mean to... she fell into me... your mother.... id never hurt her... I love her...”

“What happened?” Liam asked Riley as she stood shaking, whilst watching the guards remove Toby from the situation.

“She fell into me before- Evie defended me.... again...she was horrible to Evie....so she took the wine off her. Next minute he’s there with a knife, and Evie was pushed into him by Bianca. I thought you had security scrutinising the palace Liam! What if that was for me? Or you?”

“Bastien, take Mrs Walker to cells too! And get my Queen to safety. That’s your kings orders.” Bastien nodded, feeling like he had failed everyone- looking at Evie laying in a puddle of blood, he then focused his gaze onto Drake who was applying pressure to wound whilst cradling her.

“You better hope she survives Walker!”

“I know Liv, this is all my fault... and you’re gonna stab me for hurting her... I already know.”

“Well yes... but if she dies... the Bruleys wrote in their will that you will become heir to their Duchy.” What the fuck? “Savannah can’t do it because she’s soon going to be Duchess of Ramsford. I know you’re not into all this court shit- but you better get praying now.”

“Liv shut the fuck up! If you’re not going to help go away!” Looking at her friend, she tried to hold the tears back. Ready to kill Bianca and Toby herself. Leaving the crime scene, she assisted the majority of the guests outside to give Evie some privacy.

“Evie you can’t leave me, one reason- I don’t really want to be a Duke... unless I marry you. Two, I’m sorry for trying to protect you and finishing us. I love you so much... I’m a dickhead for letting you go. Please don’t leave me... I love you.”

Evie it’s time.

Mother?

My darling daughter, it’s time to come home to us. We’ve missed you. We love you.

Father? Both smiling softly at her, they held their hands out in the distance.

I’ve missed you both so much. I love you both.

“Evie get that stubborn ass up. You’re a fighter! I can’t cope with Walker crying. I’m beginning to cry- and I don’t cry. Please...you’re my best friend.”

It’s time. Come with us. We will be together again- as a family.

I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you.

You haven’t, you’re a fantastic caring friend to everyone. But it’s time to let go.

“Evie, come on. Wake up. Who’s going to cry over titanic with me? Come back jack. Come back Evie.”

I can’t leave my friends.

You will be reunited with them when their time comes. You saved Cordonias Queen and the heir.

I don’t know how much more I can fight. I’m going to be a godmother. I can’t fail it already.

“Evie, thank you for saving my wife and child- but you are going to survive this. We all love you. We need you to fight.”

Liam’s right, you need to fight.

“Walker?”

“She’s just said Walker... Drake talk to her again.” Olivia said as she dragged him down towards Evie’s body.

I’m surprised you didn’t call me Sir. You’re a fighter Evie Bruley. I love your parents, but they are incorrect. It’s not time.

I’ve got nothing left, I may as well give up.

You’ve got your friends. You have my son, Drake.

“Where are the fucking paramedics? Evie, I’ve known that I’ve loved you since I was probably about thirteen. I waited years to have you in my arms. You and I have a great future. Just us. I fucked up, please forgive me. Maybe in time we can have a little Gracie and a little Tommy. You can’t give up, I’m not leaving you...”

Drake doesn’t think, he was protecting you from my wife. She hates your family because you all looked after him and Sav when I passed. He gave you up out of love. I saw you both at my cabin, the whiskey you smelt was me, the door suddenly opening was me, the cold breeze after you two- you know what- that was me. Myself and your parents are always watching over you all.

He should have fought for me, not given up - even if Bianca is forever causing trouble.

“Your majesty, the paramedics are here. I’ll escort everyone into the back room. Who’s going with her?”

“Drake.” They all said in unison.

It’s time Evie. If you decide its time, we will wait for your spirit to leave. If not, we are so proud of you- keep making us proud. We love you.

Evangeline, don’t give up. I’ll keep an eye over you, my son, my daughter and my grandchildren.

Grandchildren?

Yes. My grandchildren. Bartie and.......

[heauxplesslydevoted]

Unexpected

Pairing: Liam x MC (Kendall Mason)

Summary: The Walker/Beaumont wedding doesn’t go as planned.

I’m tired of my faves being held hostage on that God forsaken ranch like they’re trapped in the AHS Murder House, so I wrote this.

Word Count: 2.8K+

The day of the Walker-Beaumont wedding is a very busy one. And no one has been busier than Queen Kendall herself. She’s been up since 5AM, helping the planners get everything together, making sure Savannah was calm and collected, keeping Leona and Barthelemy from killing each other, the works.

The effects of the day are starting to wear on her. Kendall has been up for almost 8 hours straights, running solely on coffee and sheer determination. Yes, she feels exhausted. Sure the coffee is making her dizzy and if she drinks any more, she might pass out, but she can power through, at least until the ceremony is over.

“You need to eat something,” Madeleine says, catching Kendall in a rare moment alone. “Like, at least a bowl of cereal.”

Kendall shakes her head at the idea. “I’m already dressed. I’m not running the risk of getting milk on my dress minutes before the ceremony.”

Madeleine sighs. “You’re on the verge of crashing. At least eat a piece of fruit. Or a granola bar.”

Kendall doesn’t respond to Madeleine. Instead she walks to the kitchen and plucks an apple out of the large fruit bowl sitting on the kitchen counter. She takes a large bite. “Happy now?”

“Ecstatic,” Madeleine replies dryly. “God, must you always be so petulant and stubborn?”

“Madeleine, I really don’t have time to listen to you today, especially since you weren’t even invited on this trip, you just weaseled your way in,” Kendall snaps in a rare outburst. “So why don’t you go find your seat? The ceremony starts in a few minutes.”

Madeleine looks taken aback by the harshness in Kendall’s time, but she doesn’t argue with her. She knows that’ll only end in disaster. She just turns on her heel and walks off, mumbling under her breath.

With the blonde woman gone, Kendall breathes a sigh of relief. The last thing she needs is her breathing down her neck all day 

She quietly munches on her apple, ignoring the fact that she really doesn’t want to eat it and her stomach is doing somersaults at the taste. Has she gotten used to only eating Cordonian Rubies? Are they the pinnacle of apples? 

“Kendall!” Kendall snaps out of her thoughts and sees Hana. “Come on, the ceremony is about to start!”

Five minutes later, the ladies were in the Walkers’ spacious backyard. A gorgeous archway covered in various flowers is set up under a pair of trees, and Bertrand was standing at the altar, a smiling Maxwell next to him. Liam’s standing in the center of the archway, as he is the officiant.

Kendall’s heart beats double time at the sight of her husband. He looks extra handsome in his royal regalia and she tries to keep her more impure thoughts at bay. A wave of lightheadedness hits, much stronger than the last one, but she manages to brush it off and continues walking. Thankfully no one notices.

Liam smiles back at her as she reaches the end of the aisle. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you. This was a rush job, so my hair and makeup aren’t the best.”

“Could’ve fooled me. You’re still the most stunning woman here.”

“I married the most charming man on earth,” Kendall muses. “How did I get so lucky?”

“I’m the lucky one in this scenario.”

“Hey, your wedding is over!” Olivia hisses with an eye roll. “Save the lovey dovey shit for the current bride and groom.”

Before Kendall can respond, the wedding march starts. Everyone stands up and turns around, spotting Bartie toddling down the aisle, in front of Savannah’s who’s being escorted by Drake. 

They make it halfway down the aisle before Kendall realizes if she doesn’t sit down somewhere and soon, she’s going to be extremely sick. Her heart rate—which she originally chalked up to being a young newlywed excited to see her husband—has yet to return to normal, and the ground underneath her feet is unsteady. Before she can even attempt to excuse herself, she drops onto the ground with a hard thud and everything around her goes black.

~~/~~

When Kendall finally comes to, she’s no longer in the Walker’s backyard, but what looks like a hospital room. It’s not too bright, as the lights have been dimmed, but there is a loud and persistent beeping noise that won’t go away.

“Where am I?” She asks, and god does she instantly regret it. Her throat is so dry, and talking only makes it sore.

Liam, who’s been sitting at her bedside, perks up at her voice. “Kendall? Thank heavens, you’re awake!” He reaches across her bed and presses the small red button, alerting her doctor to come to her room.

“I need water,” she manages to croak out.

“Of course.” Liam grabs the cup of ice water on Kendall’s small bedside table and raises the straw to her lips. She greedily gulps down the water, unaware of how thirsty she truly is. 

“Thank you.”

Liam puts the cup down and runs a hand across Kendall’s cheek. He kisses her forehead. “You gave me quite a fright.”

“What happened? Am I in the hospital?”

“Yes. You collapsed at Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding.”

“What? Oh god, how embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing about it?”

“Collapsing in itself is embarrassing, and I’m sure everyone was gawking at me. And I ruined their wedding. They can’t even continue on without us because you’re the officiant and I’m the maid of honor.”

Liam dismisses the concern with a hand wave. “Nonsense. Bertrand and Savannah will survive. They know they can always find another officiant or they’ll have to wait. You come first.”

Kendall tries to sit up, but she’s exhausted and moving is too much effort. “Did the doctor at least say why I passed out?”

“When we first brought you in, she told me that your blood pressure was low. They drew blood, but those results haven’t come in yet.”

“Don’t tell Madeleine, but she was right, I should’ve eaten something.”

“Yes, you should’ve,” Liam agrees.

“Does the press know I’m here?”

“No. You weren’t wheeled in through the emergency room so no one really saw, and you were checked in under an alias. Any unsuspecting nurses and orderlies think someone named Isabel Martin is occupying this room. Plus, this is a private suite, only your nurse and doctor have access.”

“Okay.” That lessens some of the embarrassment. The last thing she needs is to be plastered on newspapers and on CNN, looking weak on a world stage.

There’s a small knock on the door and in walks a doctor. She smiles nervously upon seeing Kendall. “Hello!”

“Hi, doctor.”

“This is my first time meeting actual royalty. Do I address you as Your Highness? Your Grace? Queen Kendall? Your Majesty?” The doctor drops into an awkward bow. “Do I courtesy to you?”

Kendall shakes her head. “We’re on your turf, and calling me Kendall is just fine.”

“Very well. Hello Kendall, I’m your doctor, Dr. Washington. I’m an attending ER physician here at the hospital.”

“Nice to meet you. Will I be okay?”

“There are a few things I want to go over with you, point by point.” The doctor turns to look at Liam before turning back to Kendall. “With all due respect, is it okay if your husband stays?”

“Of course it is! You may speak freely in front of him.”

“We just have to make sure.” Dr. Washington logs into a computer and pulls up Kendall’s chart. “Your blood pressure was low, that’s probably why you fainted. We gave you some fluids to get you re-hydrated, so you should feel better soon. You need to be very conscious of how much water you drink, especially in a place like this, where it gets very hot. Your blood sugar was also low, so just make sure you’re eating enough throughout the day. I’m sure your schedule can be hectic, but you have to carve out time to eat, with some light snacking between meals.”

Kendall nods, taking in the information. “Will do.”

“And there’s one more thing I think you should be aware of: you’re pregnant.”

If Kendall wasn’t already in bed, she’s almost positive she would have collapsed again. Pregnant? She was actually pregnant? “What? How?”

“I think you guys know how.”

“But I took a test last week and it was negative.”

“Well you’re only about 6 weeks along, so you probably took the EPT too early. We did a blood test, and we can detect levels of hCG that are too low to be found in urine.”

Kendall feels Liam squeezing her hand tightly, but it barely registers. She suddenly remembers the alcohol she indulged in last week.

“Since I thought the test was negative, I haven’t been the most careful person. I had a glass of champagne at my friend’s bachelorette party, and I drank a lot of caffeine.” A tear rolls down her cheek. She’s already a horrible mother and her child isn’t even a fetus yet. “Will the baby be okay?”

Dr. Washington briefly glances at one of the monitors attached to Kendall, and she reaches out to touch the queen’s arm. “First things first, I need you to stay calm. You're not the first mom to be who drank before finding out she was pregnant, and you won’t be the last. Now that you know you’re pregnant, I say stop drinking alcohol immediately, and limit caffeine to one cup of coffee per day. But it’s still so early in the pregnancy, I don’t think one glass of champagne and some coffee will have an effect on the baby’s development.”

“Calm?” Kendall chuckles humorlessly. “My entire country’s future rests on my reproductive organs.”

“That may be the case, but none of that matters if you don’t have a successful pregnancy and delivery, and staying as stress free as possible is key. That’s the goal right?”

“Of course.”

“Don’t worry, Doctor, I’ll make sure she takes it easy,” Liam assures.

“Now Kendall, I think you’ll be okay, so I’m prescribing you some R&R. Pregnancy can make your blood sugar and blood pressure drop, because the baby is taking all of your nutrients and making your body work overtime. So I am forcing you to take it easy. Make sure you get something to eat, keep your feet elevated, drink plenty of water, and have your husband wait on you hand and foot for a few days.”

Liam smiles. “I don’t need to be told to do that.”

“And last but not least, congratulations! If you want, I can page one of our attending obstetricians to come down. It’s too early for an ultrasound, but they can go over more things with you if you have any questions.”

Kendall looks at Liam who’s just as eager as she is. She turns back to the doctor with a nod. “Yes. We’d like that very much.”

~~/~~

“Are you guys sure you can’t come back to the ranch tonight?”

Liam can hear the disappointment in Bertrand’s voice. “Yes. Kendall is exhausted, and I think there’s too much going on at the ranch, and her doctor said she needs some quiet and relaxation. If she’s there, she won’t relax.”

“That’s true. What was wrong with her?”

“She just pushed herself too hard. Lack of sleep, stress, the works,” Liam replies, not giving away any detail. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to officiate for you.”

“Don’t apologize, your wife is your priority. Thankfully Bianca’s minister was in attendance and he gladly married us.”

“Congratulations. I hope married life treats you well.”

“I do too. Will we see you guys tomorrow? Bianca is throwing us another get together, a goodbye party of sorts.”

“Yes, we’ll be back tomorrow,” Liam assures Bertrand. “Enjoy your reception tonight.”

“Will do. Take care of Kendall.”

“Absolutely.” Liam hangs up.

While Kendall was still in the hospital, Liam asked Hana to pack them a small overnight bag and bring it to the hospital. Liam decided that Kendall had a bit too much ranch living and thought it would be best if he got a hotel room for the night. That way, there would be no distractions, no noise, and no people bothering them.

He decided on the Ritz Carlton, and when the manager of the hotel realized that a king and their American queen would be staying with them, he gave them the entire top floor to themselves, for maximum privacy.

Liam walks back into their bedroom and finds Kendall sprawled out on the bed, wrapped up in a large white bathrobe. He gets into the bed with her. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” she answers honestly. “Like I can sleep for a year.”

“It’s been a long day, you deserve some rest.”

“I still feel bad about missing the wedding though.”

Liam sighs softly. He truly married the best person in the world. She was always looking out for others, even at the expense of herself. She deserve a night to be selfish.

“We can make it up to them tomorrow. They’re having another party before we all leave. And we’ll get them a very nice gift.”

“An amazing gift.”

“An amazing gift,” Liam repeats with a smile. “It’s been such a crazy day, I don’t even think we’ve had time to properly celebrate the good news. You’re pregnant!” 

The words sound like music to Kendall’s ears. “When I took the test and it came back negative, I lost a bit of hope. I thought we’d be a couple who went through years of trying before it finally happened.”

“But we didn’t.” Liam gently tugs on the belt keeping Kendall’s robe secure, letting it fall open. He places a warm palm on her stomach, stroking the skin with affection. They actually had a baby in there. He was going to be a dad. “I am married to the love of my life, the most amazing woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, and you’re giving me a beautiful baby. You’ve made me the happiest man alive, Kendall. You’ve made all of my wildest dreams come true. And I hope we have a girl who looks exactly like you.”

“And she’ll have an accent like you, and speak fluent Greek and Italian.”

“Or maybe she’ll take after you and talk in a New York accent.”

Kendall rolls her eyes. “I don’t have an accent.”

“You do, and I think it’s adorable,” Liam argues.

“Well whatever we have, boy or girl, they’ll be the most loved baby in the world. Hana and Bertrand will fret with them over etiquette, Maxwell will teach them how to dance.”

“Olivia will probably teach them how to conceal weapons on their person.”

“After they turn 18.”

“Of course.”

Kendall reaches out and strokes Liam’s cheek. “Can I make one request?”

Liam catches Kendall’s wrist and kisses it gently. “You can make as many requests as you want, my queen.”

“I don’t want to tell anyone yet, at least until I’m out of the first trimester. And even when we tell people, it’s only our immediate circle. Let's not make an official, public announcement until we absolutely have to. I know we’re the king and queen, and we owe it to our people to keep them abreast on our lives, but I still want us to be a normal newlywed couple. I just want to enjoy this as much as I can, as much as we can.”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Liam says after a moment. “Though part of me would love to shout our good news from the highest mountain top, I also want to privately revel in this, with you.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Liam shifts his body and places a kiss on Kendall’s stomach. “Hello there, little one! I don’t know if you have ears yet, but I am going to talk to you anyway. I love so much already, and I’m incredibly honored to be your dad. I can’t wait to watch you grow up and explore. I can’t wait to show you all of the things my father never showed me. You and your mother are the most important things in my life, and I look forward to telling you that every single day.”

A tears slips down Kendall’s cheek and she tries to wipe it away before Liam notices. It doesn’t work. “Why are you crying?”

“I don’t know. Because I have an amazing, wonderful, beautiful husband whom I love. Because I’m having a baby with him, which is all I wanted to do. Because I’m just so ridiculously, deliriously happy in this moment.” Kendall sees Liam’s own eyes are glistening, unshed tears threatening to spill. “Why are you crying?”

Liam smiles, a smile so wide and bright, Kendall is afraid he might split his face in half. “I’m happy too. Actually, happy doesn’t even begin to describe it. I’m euphoric. It almost doesn’t seem real.”

“Well it’s real.”

Liam drops another kiss onto Kendall’s stomach. She can already tell he’s going to do this all day, every day. And honestly, she can’t wait.

“We should order room service,” Liam murmurs against her skin. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Let’s order some food, and whatever looks best on the dessert menu. And then we can order a movie.”

“On one condition.”

“Whatever you want.”

“You have to put on the other fluffy robe.”

“Deal.”

[pug-bitch]

That’s not why I’m going (40)

Team Peacock

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Drake Walker x Amara Suarez

Rating: some foul language, some extremely suggestive. This is absolutely NOT appropriate for people under 18.

Word count: around 5,500 - oops (once again I’m on my iPad and can’t figure out the ‘keep reading’ thing, I’m sorry for the huge post!)

Notes: This picks up pretty much where we left off, after Drake, Amara, Max, and Michael leave the Ball, starting with Michael’s POV. This is the last chapter of Book 1, I will come back soon with the 1st chapter of Book 2, with a slightly altered title :) Thank you everyone for your awesome feedback, I’ve been super spoiled with you all! ❤️

*****

Michael has been silent the entire car ride. As soon as Amara suggested she and Drake get out of there, Max offered to give everyone a ride back to Ramsford. Michael knows his sister; there is no way to make her change her mind when she’s sure of something.

She and Drake had a contingency plan, and they are heading to Paris as soon as they can get a flight out. They’re going to find Drake’s sister, who has dropped off the face of the Earth a while ago. Amara apparently found out where she lives, and now they’re going there.

That’s his girl, the woman who puts her awesome detective skills at the service of those who need it.

But he worries that she’s leaving for the wrong reasons. That she’s acting out of fear, out of anger, out of all those impulsive feelings that got woken up when everyone got a glimpse of the night when she almost got assaulted.

Right now, she and Drake are in the backseat, on their phones, looking up flights. Drake’s brow is furrowed, and so is Maxwell’s, which lets Michael believe that they are on the same boat as he is: worried about the reasons why Amara’s so adamant about leaving.

Again, he knows her. She is as stubborn as Sergio was, and there’s little to no way to make her change her mind.

But he’d sure like to try.

*****

‘Babe, do you have space in your bag for this?’ Amara asks him as she holds out a bulky toiletry bag, filled with lotions.

Drake nods. ‘Sure. Give it to me.’ He pauses. There’s no right way of telling her about his doubts. ‘Suarez, are you certain you wanna do this?’

She snorts, as she energetically zips up her suitcase. ‘Yeah, fuck that. I’m not staying one more minute in this toxic place.’

He understands. Of course he understands. But he also knows that running away is not the solution, and maybe she will regret doing that, as soon as they’ve found Savannah and she no longer has a short-term goal. They’d been happy here, hadn’t they? Of course they were sneaking around, but they made amazing memories with their friends, and life was pretty good here. He knows that Amara agrees with that. He knows she loves Cordonia, probably even more than Drake does.

Maybe they should just stay put, wait until this blows over, and live at the cabin or something.

Amara stops moving for a second, and sighs. ‘I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m running. But what else can I do? Keep letting myself be victimized by this whole fucking country? No, I’m done turning the other cheek.’

Drake nods. ‘I get it. I can’t take much more, either.’

She smiles and approaches him to give him a warm hug. ‘Babe, this is temporary, we’ll see everyone again, you know that? We just need to find your sister, she needs you more than anyone here.’

He smiles and places a soft kiss on her lips. She kisses him back, deeper, until they’re so far gone in their bubble that they forget what they were even talking about. Amara breaks their kiss for a second, and says, ‘I love you, Drake.’

He smiles. ‘I love you too.’

At the end of the day, he’ll do whatever she wants him to do. This is the woman he loves. This is the woman who brought him back to life. Whatever she wants, she’ll get.

But he can’t shake the feeling that giving up on clearing her name means that the people who wanted to bring her down have won.

*****

Olivia swings the door to Ramsford open. She and Hana heard by Bertrand that the others had left and Amara and Drake were on their way to Paris, and Olivia was furious. She demanded that Bertrand drive them back to Ramsford immediately, and when his driving was way too slow for her liking, she took it upon herself to be the pilot. Upon entering his mansion, Bertrand’s coloring was very similar to that of his sweater vest. Olive green.

‘Where the fuck is she?’ Liv groans as she spots Michael and Max having a drink in the living room.

‘In her bedroom,’ Max responds, ‘they’re packing.’

Olivia stops right in front of Maxwell and points an angry finger at him. ‘And you’re letting this happen? What the fuck, Beaumont? Weren’t you supposed to be the voice of reason? She’s running away from her life, again? No offense, Michael.’

‘None taken,’ Michael says, visibly terrified.

Maxwell takes a deep breath. ‘Liv, there is no convincing her. She is adamant. Plus, can you blame her? Two nights in a row, she is put on the spot and humiliated in public. Tonight was the last straw.’

Liv chuckles. ‘Oh, that’s rich. The last straw was when this one—‘ she gestures to Hana— ‘was outed at court. We should have just thrown in the towel that day, because it was the last fucking straw, but we stuck it out! The country is at the hands of a manchild and a psychopath, and now she’s leaving?’ She strides to the staircase and makes her way upstairs.

*****

Hana sits at the table with Maxwell, Michael and Bertrand. She grabs a tumbler and pours herself a large dose of whiskey. Tonight, she needs it.

‘Guys,’ she says softly, ‘Liam told me he still plans to give her Valtoria. But she needs to clear her name. We need to investigate and make this right.’

Maxwell throws his hands up. ‘I know, hun, but she doesn’t want to. She kept saying that Cordonia can go fuck itself, and that she’s outta here.’

Bertrand scoffs. ‘Oh! That can’t be right. It’s not Cordonia’s fault if some...bastards are taking pleasure in humiliating nice ladies.’

Hana smiles and puts her hand on Bertrand’s forearm. ‘She’s angry, Bertrand. She’s tired. I get it. But she can’t give up. We have to convince her. This whole affair needs justice, we can’t let them win.’

Michael nods curtly. ‘Agreed.’

*****

Amara and Drake are in the middle of getting undressed. Drake’s belt is undone and his shirt open, and Amara’s dress is on the floor. As Drake took it off her, she said ‘Take that fucking thing off me, I don’t wanna see another stupid gown ever.’ Now he’s working on unhooking her bra and kissing her neck, drawing low groans from her.

‘Suarez!’ Olivia screams as she flings the door open.

Amara jumps up and Drake gasps in surprise. ‘Liv!’ Amara screams, covering herself with her discarded gown.

‘Oh please,’ Liv says as she closes the door behind her, ‘nothing I haven’t seen.’ A pause ensues. She continues. ‘What, too soon? Come on. What happened tonight was a fucking disgrace, and if you’re leaving town because of it, it’s the dumbest fucking thing you’ve ever done. You need to face your demons for once in your fucking life, Amara.’

Amara freezes upon hearing her friend’s cutting words. ‘You—you don’t mean that, Liv. I’ve been doing my best—‘

‘It’s not enough!’ Liv screams. ‘You can’t just up and leave. You’ve been so worried about Walker ruining his friendship with Liam, and now you’re forcing him to come to Paris with you, and miss his supposed best friend’s engagement tour? Please. All you’ve ever cared about is yourself.’

Drake steps toward Liv, not even bothering to cover his bare chest. ‘Liv, you’re crossing a line. We’re going to Paris because Amara has found my sister, and you call her selfish?’

Liv rolls her eyes. ‘Please. You two aren’t going on a normal trip to reunite with little Savannah, no, you’re fleeing, there’s a difference.’ She looks down. ‘And you didn’t even have the decency to say goodbye. If I hadn’t come back—‘

Amara feels tears coming up. She fights them down. ‘Liv, I was gonna call you…’

‘Bullshit. Call me? Pff. That’s the fucking bare minimum. Just say it, be honest, Amara. You didn’t even think about how I would feel.’

Olivia’s voice cracks on the last word, and so does Amara’s heart. Olivia’s half-right. Amara didn’t want to see her before leaving, because she knew this very thing would happen: she would try to convince her not to give up. Except that she’s tired. She doesn’t have it in her. She takes a deep breath and says, ‘That’s not true, Olivia. I did think about it, and frankly, I didn’t think I could take the confrontation.’

Olivia gets up and heads for the door. ‘Well, I was wrong about you, Suarez. I never pegged you for a quitter.’

*****

After a tense goodbye session with Maxwell, Michael, Hana, and Bertrand, Drake ordered a car to the airport. They managed to get last minute tickets to Paris, with a million connections. The trip will be tedious, especially since Amara is still upset from her fight with Olivia. Drake knows how close the two women had gotten over the past few weeks, and their fight today was very ugly. He wishes he could do more, to make Amara feel better, but she doesn’t seem to be open to conversation.

He flashes back to when they first met, and she refused to tell him anything about her old life. At the time, it was mysterious, endearing, and even sexy. Now, as they’re in a committed relationship, her silence is grueling. This isn’t how she’s been ever since they got together. During the months she spent in Cordonia, she had opened up to the world, had laughed more, and had talked about her trauma. Now, she was silent, and on the verge of tears, in the back of an Uber.

He strokes her hand. She smiles faintly, and rests her head on his shoulder. He kisses her hair.

‘I promise I’ll be more fun when we get to Paris,’ she whispers. ‘It’s just a little hard right now.’

He gets it. It’s hard for him, too. Amara is his home now, obviously he’ll follow her wherever. But these circumstances… He hates to admit it, but it really feels like Olivia is right. They’re not travelling, they’re fleeing.

His phone buzzes. He reaches inside his pocket and takes it out. Liam.

Drake, tonight was crazy. Hope you guys are ok. Call me when you can.

He sighs. After everything, he does feel bad for Liam. He’s been manipulated into a toxic engagement, and if nothing changes, he’ll be stuck in an awful marriage.

They’ve had their differences, and Drake sure doesn’t appreciate his change of personality, but he still feels responsible. He was supposed to be there for him. He texts back.

Everything ok for now. I’ll call you soon, I might have gotten a hold of Sav.

Dots appear right away.

Wow!! That is great. Some good news in this ocean of shit… Keep me posted.

He puts his phone away. Amara snuggles up to him more, and whispers. ‘I’m sorry. I ruined everything.’

He kisses her head. ‘How can you ruin everything when you are everything? Relax. Everything will be ok.’

*****

‘I’m sorry you came here to see Amara, and now she’s gone,’ Maxwell says sadly.

Michael smiles and takes another sip of his whiskey. ‘It’s fine, I can change my flight.’

Maxwell waves him off. ‘No, you should stay and enjoy. Plenty of space here. Hana, same for you, honey. Please stay as long as you want.’ He pauses and looks into his glass. ‘I’m not ready to lose everybody at once.’

Michael sets down his glass in a loud thump, which draws a gasp from everyone at the table. ‘Yeah, Max, you’re not losing anyone. Feel like a good old-fashioned airport chase?’

Maxwell gasps excitedly. ‘OMG...always.’

*****

Liam sighs as he puts his phone aside, anxiously waiting for a sign from his best friend. He can’t shake the feeling that he fucked up badly. He glances at the mirror, not ready to get out of the bathroom. Madeleine is waiting for him in the study, and he doesn’t want any of the options that are going to be presented to him.

‘Li, open up,’ he hears his brother’s voice say.

Liam opens the door to see Leo, his bow tie undone, and a chilled bottle of white wine in hand.

‘Dude, let’s pop this open. You’re gonna need it if you wanna survive your engagement. I should know.’

Liam chuckles as he takes the bottle to open it. Yes, Leo knows how Madeleine is. But does he, though? He fled as soon as their engagement was pronounced, and plus, Madeleine seems to have gotten a lot worse this time around. Liam pours two glasses and hands one to his brother. ‘Leo, this whole thing—‘

‘It was very messy, I’m not gonna lie,’ Leo interrupts as he grabs his glass and raises it before bringing it to his lips. ‘Any news from everyone who fucked off before it was over?’

Liam nods. ‘Yes. Maxwell called me, and Drake texted, I’m waiting for his call, actually.’

Leo nods and opens his mouth to say something, but closes it immediately. Liam frowns. Since when does he brother think before he talks? Leo takes another sips and says, ‘What about Lady Amara? Did you have any idea she was boning Tariq?’

Liam shakes his head vigorously. ‘No, and she isn’t. Those pictures were staged. She was almost assaulted by him, and I suppose someone took those photos at the exact right moment.’

Leo frowns. ‘So that’s why she looked on the verge of tears. Wow. Whoever did this is a fucking bastard.’

Liam nods as he takes a sip. ‘Agreed. I just don’t know what to do now, Leo. I don’t want her to leave, but I also don’t blame her.’ He pauses. ‘I want to give her Valtoria, still. But right now, the press is having a field day, and it wouldn’t be received well. This needs to be sorted out. I need to make this right.’

Leo nods. ‘How are you gonna do this all the while being engaged to Regina George?’

Liam chuckles. Leave it to Leo to make obscure references that no one understands. ‘I can’t make waves right now,’ he replies. ‘But I can guarantee you that if I could break this engagement right this second, I would.’

*****

‘Here you go,’ Drake smiles as he hands Amara a cup of coffee. Probably not the most indicated before hopping on a multiple-layover flight, but she insisted.

‘Thank you,’ she says softly. She sips in silence.

Drake sits down next to her and rests his hand on her knee. They passed security very easily and are now at their gate, with some time to spare. Drake bought them beverages and a bunch of snacks, while Amara was sitting in silence.

What he wouldn’t do to rewind back to earlier today, when they were at the pool. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again, he wouldn’t let her go to the ball. They’d go to the cabin instead, and she’d be happy right now. She’d be catching up with Michael, and Drake would get to know him. No one would have been humiliated and exposed in public.

He keeps flashing back to the moment when the lights went off. For the first couple of seconds, his heart stopped. It was exactly like the day when his father died. The total blackout. The assassination attempt that led Jackson Walker to push the King out of the way.

The last time Drake had seen his father.

What had happened tonight broke his heart. Seeing those pictures up on the screen, and Amara’s facial expression upon seeing them, the trauma, the humiliation, the desire to get the fuck out.

He understands.

Of course he’s happy to be on his way to Savannah.

Of course he’s happy to be with Amara. But he would be, regardless of the plan. He’s not going anywhere without her.

Maybe she thinks he wants this. Maybe she thinks he’s so sick of the court that they both need to get out. Maybe she thinks this is the perfect opportunity.

But it’s not. All it will accomplish is take her away from the little stability she’s known recently. From the connections she’s made with her friends. Olivia is already pissed. Not that it’s a reason not to go, Liv is always pissed. But never at Amara.

He kisses the top of Amara’s head. She squeezes his hand, ever so slightly, her head still lowered. Drake could swear that she’s sniffling.

‘Amara!!!’

They both jump up in surprise, as they see Maxwell and Michael running towards them, out of breath.

‘Guys!’ Drake exclaims, suddenly as relieved as he’s ever been, even though he has no idea what’s going on. ‘What are you doing here?’

Maxwell stops in front of them, completely out of breath. ‘I—‘ he huffs and puffs, as if he’d been smoking a pack of cigarettes à la Don Draper, ‘Jeez, I’m out of shape.’ He sits on the floor, clearly about to die. ‘We got here as fast as we could. We bought the cheapest tickets to go past security, don’t tell Bertrand.’

Michael, so far still silent, walks up to Amara and wraps her in a tight hug. ‘Don’t go,’ he says.

Maxwell smiles at Drake. Drake smiles back, and says, ‘Guys, Max and I are gonna go to that bar over there. Max needs a drink. We’ll catch up with you later.’

*****

‘Michael, come on,’ Amara says, breaking away from their hug. ‘You’ve seen what happened, you know I have no choice.’

He holds out his hand and gestures towards the seats. She obliges. He sighs and says, ‘Hear me out. I know this is fucked up, I know this was not okay, what happened tonight.’

‘Fuck no it wasn’t,’ Amara says, suddenly worried her voice might break. ‘I can’t look any of them in the eye.’

Michael’s eyes widen. ‘Who’s ‘them’? People at court?’ She nods. ‘All of them?’ She shrugs. Michael throws his hands up. ‘You can’t rule out everyone just because a bunch of dicks did something terrible. Plus, by running, you’re kind of accepting their narrative.’

Amara pauses. No, he can’t be right. ‘I’m not running,’ she protests. ‘I’m going to Paris to find Drake’s sister. Max told you, right?’

Michael smiles and takes her hand. ‘I know the official reason. But I also know that Savannah isn’t going anywhere, and that you could very well go to Paris in a couple of weeks once you have processed this whole thing.’ He looks down and squeezes her hand harder. ‘I know your MO, Amara. You block it all out, you don’t want to hear about anything, and you think things are gonna go away if you proceed like that. But they’re not.’

Amara fights back tears. Second time today someone confronts her in a friendly intervention. She’s not gonna cry, dammit. ‘This has nothing to do with...with two years ago.’

Michael smiles at her, in a way that breaks her heart. She knows that, despite what she’d like to believe, he understands her more than anyone. He saw her at her low point. He whispers, ‘You can’t even say the words, Amara. That’s how running away feels. You can’t confront it, two years later. You say ‘two years ago’, or, as I call it, when Sergio was shot. And I lost my sister, because she couldn’t face me, and I made mistakes, and I wasn’t there for you like I should, and I let you isolate yourself. Well fuck that, I’m not doing that again.’ His voice is louder now, and he catches himself almost shouting. He continues, calmer now. ‘You can’t run away from what you’ve got, here. Drake is wonderful. I know he’s coming with you, wherever you decide to go, but you know what I mean. You fell in love here. There is something for you in Cordonia. You found amazing friends. Maxwell took it upon himself to fix our bond, and he did it. That’s the kind of friends you surround yourself with. Are you willing to not see them for a while because you can’t face, what? Two people at court? The media?’

Amara can’t fight the tears anymore. They’re falling down no matter what. She knows he’s right. ‘But—‘ she protests, ‘but everyone thinks I was sleeping with Tariq, and I wasn’t, but on some level, I kinda did what they accuse me of, you know. I am in a relationship with Liam’s best friend.’

Michael makes an annoyed face. ‘Oh, and you owe the court your body and your heart? Honey, by leaving now, you are giving everyone the impression that you’re ashamed. When really, what happened is that you were almost sexually assaulted by a dirtbag who has now fled the country. You are the victim here. Of that Tariq, but also of the people who staged this whole thing. Don’t you think you deserve justice?’

Damn, Amara thinks. Being a lawyer really was Michael’s calling. She sighs. ‘I can’t abandon Drake, I promised him to find his sister.’

Michael smiles. ‘And you will. But don’t leave now, please. It would mean too much if you did. To others, yes, but mostly...to yourself, hun.’ He kisses her hand. ‘You have to face this. You’re Amara Motherfucking Suarez, you can face anything. Stop believing that you can’t.’

*****

Amara and Michael are still talking near the gate, and Drake can’t stop looking over to see what’s going on. Maxwell puts his hand on Drake’s arm, reassuringly. ‘Hey,’ he says, pushing his beer towards him, ‘drink this, you didn’t pay airport prices for nothing.’

Drake smiles weakly. ‘Max,’ he whispers, ‘I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go to Paris just yet, I wish we could stay. Amara will regret it if we just run, you know. And...maybe I will, too.’

Maxwell nods. ‘I know. We all agree. But let Michael work his magic,’ he gestures towards the gate, ‘he’s a lawyer, he knows what he’s doing.’

Drake chuckles. ‘True.’

Maxwell pauses and continues. ‘Drake, are you ok? I thought of you, too, tonight, when the lights went off. It must have brought up terrible memories.’

Drake sighs deeply. ‘Yeah, it did. But I have to move forward, you know.’ He takes a sip of his overpriced beer. ‘Thank you for thinking of me, though.’

Max smiles broadly. ‘Of course. We’re co-uncles, after all!’

‘Right! Well, don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to meet the little guy and to see Sav again, but…’

Maxwell nods. ‘I know. Now feels rushed. Plus, I don’t know what you think, but I believe it would be more fun if we were all to come with you guys. Make a trip out of it.’

Drake smiles. A few months ago, a collective trip would have sounded like a nightmare. Now, he would love it. Of course, being alone with Amara is still what he wants most, but that’s what locked doors are for.

Maxwell continues. ‘Plus, there might be a way to arrange for that to happen. Two birds, one stone.’

Drake raises an eyebrow. ‘Do tell.’

‘Well, we can all go on the engagement tour. We can arrange it with Liam. It goes through Paris in a couple of weeks, we can look for Sav then. It would allow for Amara to clear her name and to show she’s not hiding. And also…’ He pauses, a guilty look on his face.

‘What, Max?’ Drake asks, worried.

‘Well, I know Liam has been a dick. I know he’s been very self-centered and all, and I haven’t forgiven him for his attitude towards Amara. But…’

Drake nods. ‘I know. I feel the same. I don’t feel good about leaving him to be engaged to a woman who manipulates and forcefully outs people.’

Maxwell smiles. ‘We’re on the same page, then.’

Drake gasps. Amara and Michael are walking over to them, a faint smile on their faces. They are both holding Drake and Amara’s carry-ons. Maxwell grabs Drake’s arm excitedly.

Without saying a word, Amara plants a kiss on Max’s cheek, and goes straight to Drake. She wraps him in a tight hug, which draws a relieved sigh from him. She kisses his neck a million times, and whispers in his ear, ‘I’m sorry babe. I acted like a coward, when you clearly told me that you were partial to staying. Please forgive me.’

He breaks away from her hug, only to kiss her passionately. ‘I know this was hard for you. I didn’t want to push you. And for what it’s worth, you could never be a coward.’

Michael chuckles. ‘That’s what I said. She’s Amara Motherfucking Suarez, after all.’

Drake laughs. ‘Exactly.’

Amara pulls Drake closer again. ‘Do you mind if we stay? I want to face this head-on. We’ll find Savannah soon, but leaving now…’

Maxwell smiles broadly. ‘We were just saying the exact same thing. In fact, we have a plan.’

*****

Amara listens carefully and nods. Maxwell is right. She needs to clear her name, even if she doesn’t care what other people think. She needs to stand up for what’s right and she won’t accept the blame for something she was a victim of.

She’s sitting as close to Drake as possible, not wanting to let go of him. She feels like a terrible partner right now. He clearly expressed his opinion earlier, and she brushed him off with her desire to get out as fast as possible. They’re a team, and she kinda forgot that for a second. She’s not used to people being on her team, not since two years ago. Not since Sergio died, and she isolated herself.

But now, she has other people to think of. Drake, the man she loves. Her family. Her friends.

Drake strokes her arm lovingly, his other arm around her. ‘So, what do you say, babe? We completely get it if you don’t want to go on the tour. You can say no at any time.’

She nods. ‘I’m in. Let’s do this.’

Maxwell squeals. ‘Woo! Overpriced beer for everybody!’

Amara laughs. ‘Plus, it will feel like an undercover mission, you know. Old times.’

Michael smiles. ‘You’ve missed it, huh?’

Amara blushes. Yes, yes she has. ‘Yup.’ She plays with Drake’s glass absentmindedly. ‘Captain Braugher would be impressed, an undercover job with royalty…’

Michael laughs. ‘That man always terrified me, but he had a real soft spot for you.’ He reaches for Amara’s hand. ‘I’m glad you’re staying, hun. You’re running out of continents.’

Amara lets out a throaty laugh and playfully swats his hand. ‘You bastard,’ she jokes.

Drake laughs along and says, ‘Guys, keep my expensive beer cold for me, I have a phone call to make.’

*****

The phone doesn’t ring for long. Drake can’t help but think that Liam has been waiting for his call, which breaks his heart a little bit. ‘Hi, Drake,’ Liam says.

‘Hey, Li. Sorry it took me so long. I was making some last minute decisions regarding Sav,’ he lies. Well, half-lies. It’ll do, for now. ‘How are you holding up?’

Liam sighs. ‘Not great. I’ve been with Leo, I’m delaying meeting Madeleine, I just don’t know what to do.’

‘Look, I’ve talked to Max, and we want to help you break your engagement. We think we can pull it off, along with clearing Amara’s name. All we need to do is some sleuthing, to find out about who leaked all those pics. Maybe find Tariq, he’s gotta be somewhere. As you know, Amara’s a detective, and she can do that sort of stuff.’

Liam quickly replies, ‘That sounds great. Do you think you can all come on the engagement tour? It starts on Friday, so you have a few days to move things around. We’ve commissioned a train, we’ll go to Rome, Paris, and London. Then, we’re all flying to New York for the last leg of the trip.’

Drake nods. ‘We’re all in. To tell you the truth, I’m happy we’re going to Paris. It’s, um… it’s where Savannah has been.’

Liam gasps. ‘Oh my God, Drake, really? Well that’s wonderful. We’ll be in Paris two weeks from now. You’ll see her then. Is that ok?’

Drake smiles. ‘Yeah. And Liam?’

‘Hm?’

Drake pauses. ‘I’m sorry I’ve been distant. I want to make up for it. I’m gonna help you get your life back.’

Liam sighs. ‘Thank you, Drake. Oh, and you can tell Max that I’m hiring a PR person for Amara. We’re all in this together, she’ll have her name cleared in no time, and she’ll be able to claim Valtoria.’

Drake swallows hard and slow. ‘That’s great,’ he forces himself to say. ‘I’ll let Max and Amara know. Hey, Li, don’t sweat it, ok? Just be normal with Madeleine, don’t force yourself to do or say anything. Be yourself, everything will be fine.’

‘Thanks, man, I appreciate it. I’ll be in touch for the planning of the tour.’

*****

‘Bertrand, pop the champagne!’ Maxwell shouts out as he plops down on the couch back at Ramsford.

Bertrand comes out of his study wearing a burgundy silk robe with so many tassels that Amara can’t even count them. ‘Maxwell,’ he whispers, ‘it’s very late, I was worried about you all. Hana just turned in, please keep your voices down.’

Maxwell mouths ‘I’m sorry’, and walks to the kitchen with his brother to fill him in.

‘If you’ll excuse me,’ Michael says softly, ‘I’m gonna go to the kitchen too to see if I can find a snack… Is it just me, or is the food at court a little scarce?’

Drake’s eyes widen. ‘That’s what I’ve been saying for YEARS, Mike.’

Amara smiles and sits down on the couch. Drake follows suit. She stares at her phone and puts it away, sadly.

Drake looks at her and raises an eyebrow. ‘Still nothing from Nevrakis?’

She shakes her head. ‘Nope. She won’t take my calls, or answer my texts. I really pissed her off.’

Drake smiles. ‘You’ll find her tomorrow. Once she sees you listened to her and stayed, she’ll cool down.’

Amara nods. ‘Thanks for being there for me,’ she says. ‘I’ll never thank you enough.’

He kisses her tenderly. ‘I’ll always be there.’

She nods. ‘So will I. I need to tell you something.’

He looks panicked for a second. ‘What?’

She smiles and strokes his cheek. Her heart feels full. ‘I was a shitty girlfriend today. Only thought of myself and the quickest way out of here. There’s a bunch of things I didn’t see.’

He smiles and takes her hand. ‘Suarez, you had something traumatic happen to you tonight. You’re allowed to think about your own feelings for…’ He glances at his watch. ‘What, five hours? It’s a pretty sweet deal.’

She smiles and kisses his lips. ‘Still. When the lights went dark, I heard several people freak out, and I realized that they must have thought it was some kind of attack…’ she pauses and strokes his hand with her thumb. ‘Like the one that killed your dad.’

He blushes, and looks down. ‘Babe, I’m fine. I promise. It did cross my mind but then, all I wanted was to protect you.’

‘I know, and I want to protect you, too. We’re a team, Drake. Partners. I just want you to know that you can talk to me about anything, anytime, like I can do with you.’

Drake smiles broadly, his face beaming. ‘What the fuck did I do to deserve you?’

Maxwell barges in with a bottle of champagne, followed by Bertrand and Michael, each holding a tray of snacks. ‘Woooo!’ Maxwell says softly. ‘To Amara fighting back!’ He says as he pops the cork. ‘Team Peacock for the win.’

Bertrand chuckles. ‘Team Peacock? Who is that?’

Maxwell shrugs. ‘It’s us, Bertrand! We’re Team Peacock! They’re the best animals, plus no one takes them seriously because they’re fabulous, but they are smart as hell.’

‘Are they?’ Drake asks, dubious.

‘Who cares?’ Maxwell laughs. ‘They’re awesome. Like Bertrand’s robe.’

Bertrand blushes and grumbles, ‘Well, no one was supposed to see it, you know.’

Amara grabs the glass that Maxwell is holding out to her and raises it. ‘To you guys. To Drake, the best partner I could dream of, and to the three of you, the best brothers a bitch can hope for.’

Maxwell clinks his glass with Amara’s. ‘To brothers!’

*****

Taglist:

@drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @andy-loves-corgis @jovialyouthmusic @mariahschoices @drakesensworld @thequeenofcronuts @notoriouscs @drakewalkerisreal @nikkis1983​ @simsvetements @alesana45 @iplaydrake @emceesynonymroll @lily1999love @drakewalkerwhipped @drakxwalker @drakewalkerrosenberg @drakeswalkers @drakelover78 @silviasutton1989 @dcbbw @texaskitten30 @furiousherringoperatortoad @hollygirl1269 @sirbeepsalot @ladyangel70 @thisperfectmemory @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @mrsmairstanley @addictedtodrakefanfic

Thank you for your encouragements, everyone! Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist :)

[camillemontespan]

the boy who waited patiently [a lily fic]

@sirbeepsalot made me the above edit of Lily and her playgroup boyfriend, Milo, many years into the future. Here they are at their prom. Such a lovely birthday present!

I thought this was a good starting point for a fic. No idea if this is a one shot or if I will continue it. I guess it depends if anyone is interested in reading more of Lily, rather than Drake?

I need to make a Lily master list. She’s becoming a character in her own right. 

@jovialyouthmusic @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @pug-bitch @moonlightgem7 @emceesynonymroll @burnsoslow @emichelle @ibldw-main @katedrakeohd @be-still-my-aching-heart @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @gardeningourmet @iplaydrake @drakewalkerisreal @notoriouscs @dcbbw @stopforamoment  @rainbowsinthestorm 

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

Drake stood in the doorway with his arms folded, nervousness etched on his face, as he watched his wife and daughter.

Camille was standing behind Lily, helping her to zip up her dress. Lily was waiting patiently, while scrutinising her reflection in the mirror.

'Mom, is my makeup okay?' she asked nervously.

Camille gave her a smile in the mirror. 'You look beautiful.'

Lily was 17 years old and tonight was her prom. It was the night Camille had been excited for for years, while it was one that Drake dreaded.

He didn't want to be the stereotypical father who gave his daughter rules and told her who she could and couldn't date (cough, no one, cough) but he couldn't help it. As soon as Lily was born and cradled in his arms, Drake knew he wouldn't breathe easy again. He wanted her to be safe and happy.

Tonight was important because Lily was going to prom with Milo.

She and Milo had known each other since they were four years old when they were in the same playgroup and exchanged leaves. Leaves to their class was like a huge declaration of love and Lily had been so excited when she received one.

Their romance had cooled off after a week which was basically a year in the playgroup world. They had taken part in a wedding in the playground to cement their love, until one day Lily decided boys had germs and she was going to be a nun FOREVER. She had been introduced to the Sound of Music film the night before, which explained her sudden decision, but Milo had been heartbroken.

 They continued to grow up together and became good friends - Drake and Camille knew that Milo harboured actual feelings for their daughter but they had decided to let Lily work it out for herself.

It took her forever.

She dated Patrick. She dated Hayden. She dated Eli. For some reason, she seemed to like members of the swim team which Camille thought was amazing for Lily but a shame for Milo. Drake continued to set up his rifle, just in case.

While she dated swimmers, Milo waited patiently in the wings. He was imprisoned in the friend zone. Not even Lily's Uncle Leo could help with his advice. Milo looked like he would never catch a break.

Until one day, he blurted out his feelings to her while they were doing their homework. Lily had looked at him as he turned a faint shade of green, realising  what he had just admitted to.  She smiled softly.

'I'm such an idiot,' she murmured before leaning close. She kissed him gently and then went back to their English homework.

She had smelled of coconut. Milo's stomach flipped.

From then on, Lily was by his side. For the two of them, it had been six months of bliss.

Drake had been relieved that she was now dating a nice boy but his rifle was still on reserve because he was still a boy which meant he still had a dick.

'Dad, you look really nervous,' Lily teased, catching Drake's eye. Drake reddened and cleared his throat. 'I'm not.'

Lily smirked. The Walker smirk. 'Lies.'

Drake sighed. 'Just.. No funny business, okay? Like dance and be merry but nothing more!'

'Dad, I'm seventeen!' she cried. They all jumped when they heard her younger sister whisper through the door, 'I saw you kissing Milo in his car!'

'LUNA!' Lily yelled, whipping around. Luna smirked, the Walker smirk, and strolled into the bedroom. She flopped down on the bed and watched Camille spray her perfume onto Lily's wrists.

'Are you going to be k-i-s-s-i-n-g?' Luna teased. Lily shot her a stare that could kill. Aunt Olivia had taught her well. Luna stuck out her tongue and proceeded to examine her fingernails which were painted navy with tiny silver stars.

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

Luna and Lily were like night and day. While Lily was smiley, flirty and girly, Luna was the opposite. She had inherited more than the smirk from her father. Sure, she looked exactly like Camille - both daughters did - but she had her Drake's black humour and she didn't get along with the noble kids at court. Not that she cared.

Both girls attended a 'normal' high school which meant court events were rare. But when they did have to venture to the palace, Luna looked at her counterparts with contempt. She knew the hell the nobles had put her father through and she didn't appreciate it one bit.

She did love her parents noble friends like Uncle Maxwell et al, but she didn't like the noble teenagers. They were stuck up and found it weird that Lily and Luna went to a regular school - not privately tutored like they all were. Plus, they were American.

Lily had always let their judgement go over her head. She was the daughter of Drake Walker and Camille Montespan; she didn’t need anyone’s approval but her parents. Fuck the rest of them.

Luna couldn't do that - she had been caught trying to beat up Timothy Domvalier after he called her a particularly cruel word and she would have managed to do real damage if Lily hadn't dragged her away - though her older sister did threaten to cut his testicles off where he stood if he made fun of Luna again.

That was the thing. The two sisters may have been different but they were still a team.

Drake sat down beside Luna who snuggled up beside him. 'Your heart is beating really quick,' she said. 'Mom, I think Dad's gonna have a heart attack because Lily is kissing boys!'

Drake pulled her into him, covering her mouth. 'Lies! All lies!'

Lily blushed and turned to show off her dress. 'How do I look?'

Camille backed away slowly with her hands up to her mouth. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. 'You look gorgeous! Oh god, must take a picture for the album!'

'Mom, everyone puts photos online now,' Luna said. 'Taking actual photos is so.. Old.'

Drake let out a laugh. 'Here that Camille? You're old!'

'I'm only forty four!' Camille protested. Lily and Luna exchanged a look.

'Old,' they both chorused, laughing at their teamwork.  Camille pretended to be outraged. 'Well, your dad's older than me so..'

'Ha!' Drake scoffed. 'Only by a year!'

Camille pointed at him with her eyebrows raised. 'Big difference.'

Drake and Camille shared a long heated look that only they knew the secret code for.

You're so hot right now.

Wait until later when we're alone.

Camille had planned a date night so that Drake would be distracted. She didn't want him sat on the front steps of their Manor, rifle on his lap, as he stewed on hypothetical situations like Milo kissing Lily or God forbid, offering her some spiked punch.

Not that Milo would do that. He was a sensible kid.

Uncle Leo and Aunt Olivia were coming over to watch Luna. She was thirteen so she didn't need babysat, not really, but Drake and Camille felt happier knowing that she wasn't alone. Olivia and Leo had babysat the two girls in the past which had been.. eventful. But both girls adored them.

The doorbell rang. Lily let out a nervous squeal. 'Oh god, oh god..'

Camille squeezed her hand and guided her out of the room. Drake followed with Luna. His heart was beating very very fast.

'Dad, do you need a whiskey?' Lily joked as she carefully walked down the stairs.

'Don't push it kid,' Drake growled.

Luna giggled. 'Can I have one?'

Drake stared at her in horror until he saw her give him a smirk.

'Why am I surrounded by girls who like to gang up on me?’ he groaned. He still had a smile on his face though; his girls were his life. When they reached the front door, Lily didn’t want to open it due to her nerves. Luna took her hand and gave it a supportive squeeze. Underneath it all, she did care about her sister and wanted her to have fun. Camille adjusted Lily’s hair as Drake opened the door.

Milo had co-ordinated his suit to match Lily’s dress which had been her idea. Purple with silver sparkles, he was bound to get bullied as soon as he stepped into the prom venue. But he didn’t care. He would do anything for Lily. 

He was tall and broad, having developed into his body quite late. At six foot two, he towered over Lily but she didn’t see this new grown man in front of her; she just saw Milo. Her friend. The boy she should have been with all along. The boy who was right in front of her.  The boy who had waited patiently. 

Milo looked terrified when he was confronted with Drake. ‘S-Sir Walker..’ he mumbled, bowing his head. He offered a small bottle of whiskey as a peace offering. Drake took the bottle, holding in laughter, and they all watched as Milo then brandished a bouquet of peonies to give to Camille. ‘For you, Duchess!’

Camille smiled and took them. ‘Milo, you know us. You can call us Drake and Camille like you usually do. These flowers are beautiful, how did you know?’

Milo blushed and Luna smirked, shaking her head at the awkwardness. Lily smiled and stepped forward to give him a hug. His eyes widened when he saw her.

‘Woah.. you look.. woah.’

‘How romantic!’ Luna gasped, pretending to swoon, collapsing against the stairs. ‘If only Shakespeare was here to write a sonnet!’ 

Lily looked over her shoulder at her sister with her brown eyes narrowed. ‘Can it, sis.’ 

Luna rolled her eyes and watched as Milo took out a little box. Camille nudged Drake and Luna, pulling them down the corridor to give Lily some privacy with her boyfriend. 

Milo swallowed as he opened the box. Lily let out a breath and looked up at him with her eyes shining. ‘This is beautiful!’ 

It was a corsage with white and red flowers. Milo grinned and gently placed it around her wrist. Lily admired it then frowned when she examined the box. ‘What’s this..?’

She reached into the box and took out a leaf.

‘Oh my God, you got me a leaf!’ she shrieked, jumping up and down. ‘Milo!’

Milo laughed and for that moment, he saw the four year old Lily with the wide smile and dancing eyes. 

‘Oh god, I didn’t get you a leaf..’ she whispered. ‘Oh no. Oh no.’

‘Lil, it’s okay,’ he chuckled. Lily shook her head. ‘No, this won’t do.’

Quickly, she strode out the front door. Milo followed and he watched as she took off her heels so she could walk barefoot around the grass, looking around her. 

‘Lily, what are you doing?’

‘I’m finding you a leaf!’ she called. ‘I’m gonna find you the prettiest one!’ 

‘It was meant to be a joke-’

‘Shhhh, I’m searching!’ she scolded. Milo smiled and sat down on the steps, waiting for her to find a leaf. He jumped when he heard footsteps behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw it was Drake. 

Milo stood up quickly but Drake gestured for him to remain seated. ‘Relax, man,’ he said. Milo nodded and sat down awkwardly. Drake sat down beside him.

He had the bottle of whiskey in his hand and two crystal cut glasses. Carefully, he poured a measure into both glasses and handed Milo a glass. 

‘Uhh.. I’m not eighteen yet,’ Milo said. Drake rolled his eyes. ‘Milo, you go out with my daughter who I know has sneaked whiskey before. You know she helped herself to one of my most expensive bottles?’

Milo chuckled. ‘Sounds like Lily.’

‘Exactly,’ Drake said. ‘So, please, take the glass and have a drink with me.’

They sat together for a moment, watching Lily as she went further away from the manor to go to an oak tree. 

‘How is she seventeen already?’ Drake murmured. 

Milo smiled, not sure if he was meant to answer. Drake looked at him with a wry smile on his face. ‘I’m sorry I’m that dad who interrogates and makes boyfriends uneasy,’ he said. ‘I don’t mean it. It’s just... she’s my daughter. I’ll do the same to Luna when she gets a boyfriend or girlfriend. I know it’s annoying but I can’t help it. I just want her to be happy, you know?’ 

‘You are a bit scary..’ Milo whispered. 

Drake let out a deep laugh. ‘Oh good, I’m glad! Ha, fantastic. You know I’m actually really nice, right?’

Milo nodded. ‘I know, Drake. You come from a good place.’ 

‘I can see her becoming independent and becoming a woman and I’ll be honest, it scares me,’ Drake confided. ‘I sometimes miss the times when she was my little girl. She was obsessed with me. I was her hero. But now, she’s forging her own path, she’s dating guys, she’s graduating soon.. soon, I’ll just be a side character in the story of her life. And I’m okay with that, I am. I want her to grow up, I want her to make mistakes and I want her to have the best time while doing it.’

Milo bit his lip and sipped his whiskey. Fuck, this was strong stuff. Jesus. 

‘If it helps, I think you’re always going to be her favourite guy,’ Milo told him. ‘She honestly still looks at you like you’re Captain America or something. Sure, you can annoy her by being overprotective but when she thinks about it, she says she knows why you do it. She would rather have that than a dad who doesn’t care. With you, she knows you love her above everything. So I promise, you won’t be a side character.’

Drake was quiet for a minute, contemplating. ‘I think it’s time for me to let go a little. She is going travelling in the summer, maybe that will be a fresh start.’

Milo nodded. Lily was going to travel to Europe with him and a few of their friends before they started university. It was a freedom granted to her that many children of Dukes and Duchesses weren’t allowed to have. 

Drake clapped Milo on the back. ‘Good talk,’ he said. ‘Curfew is 1am.’

Milo frowned. ‘I thought it was 11pm?’

‘Ha!’ Drake let out a dry laugh. ‘What kind of night out is that?’

Milo grinned, surprised at the sudden change of rules. 

‘I have a leaf!’ Lily shouted, waving a leaf in the air. She ran towards Milo and Drake with a happy smile on her face and curtseyed to Milo, before handing him the leaf. ‘It’s the best leaf in the garden,’ she told him seriously. 

Milo held it to his heart. ‘I will guard it with my life.’ 

Drake smiled and took the whiskey bottle and his glass. He left his daughter on the front steps of the manor with her boyfriend, who was looking at her like she was a work of art. 

[bbrandy2002]

Two Men and a Baby Pt 4

Not your typical Royal Romance series....crazier.

Drake, Liam, Riley, Olivia, Maxwell, and Bastien.

Drake Walker was on the verge of a complete breakdown. What had he done in life that necessitated the events that had transpired throughout the course of this day. At this point, he was speeding down the highway in his truck with Maxwell in the back and his 8 month old nephew riding shot gun.

Behind his truck was the King and Queen of Cordonia. His best friends, curious of the alarming speed of Drake's driving and a sword wielding Maxwell, had Bastien follow them. In the seat next to their Majesties, Drake's long time, lovable, arch enemy, the lovely, Duchess of Lythikos.

What can be said about a baby.....cute, adorable, perhaps, precious gifts of life. There are times, however, when these precious gifts give us something more than we could anticipate, much more.

"Son of a bitch!" Drake yelled, as he glanced briefly at his nephew, slamming one of his hands into the steering wheel. "I'm done!"

Drake contemplated the people he planned to murder, starting with Maxwell. This idiot, he thought, is sitting in his truck bed, with a broken leg, caused by a pig....er, wild boar, he bought the day before, waving a sword, singing about conquering the seven seas.

As Drake pulled into the front of Ramsford Medical Center, Bastien stops the SUV behind him. Drake immediately gets out and runs to Maxwell, "Give me that fucking sword!". Maxwell hands him the sword and he places it behind the drivers seat.

Drake unlatches the tailgate as Bastien comes over to help unload Maxwell. A nurse, seeing this, brings out a wheelchair to assist.

"What the hell is going on Drake?" Bastien demanded. "No time to explain Bas, but, the short version is he broke his leg."

"It was a boar attack, and we lost...badly." Maxwell remarked.

Bastien shook his head, but, stopped dead in his tracks to give Drake a quizical glare. The nurse and Drake got Maxwell in the wheelchair and proceeded to the entrance. "I'll be there in a sec Maxwell, I have to get Bartie."

He walked around Bastien, who was still standing there with that same amused face. Drake got Bartie from his seat and as he turned around, the white flash from a cell phone goes off.

Drake shielded his eyes and when he lowered his arm again, there stood in front of him, three familiar people with large grins on their face.

"What the hell are you guys doing!", Drake scoffed.

"Oh please....let...me ask....him" Olivia says through laughter, while still holding her cell phone in front of her taking pictures.

Drake was clearly annoyed,"What is so funny?"

Olivia and Riley were attempting to hold each other up as they laughed, wiping tears from their eyes.

Then there was Liam, always the stoic, just standing there, frozen, with a big grin on his face and eyes so wide open, they looked like they would pop out.

Drake looks over at Bastien, who had a clinched fist over his mouth and red, watery eyes.

Drake looks down and thats when he realizes why these four people, he considers his best friends...well, most of them, are acting so strangely.

When Drake was feeding Bartie earlier and saw that Maxwell was hurt, he forgot to remove the breastfeeding harness.

"My, my, Walker, I must say, you have the nicest set of tits I've ever seen" Olivia gleefully shouted at him.

"Yeah Drake, can we squeeze your melons?" Riley was able to say through constant laughter.

It was at that moment, stoicism for Liam was all but forgotten, he snorted so hard, he cleared the sinus trouble he'd been experiencing the past several days. "Oh Drake, I think they're just lovely", he managed to say.

Drake sat Bartie's car seat down on the ground and immediately began trying to tear this contraption off himself, in a rather erratic fashion. Bastien feeling sorry for the disheveled man who was like a son to him, walked over to help.

Once he was finally free of it, Drake wildly throws the breastfeeder at his friends and it lands squarely in Olivia's hands. With a proud smile, she holds it above her head, shouting, "I claim Walker's boobs in the name of Lythikos!" The group loses it again.

There is still the unanswered question of what Bartie did and how will Drake handle his laughing friends? Find out in Part 5

[thescatterbrainedwriter]

Wish I Found You Sooner

Warnings: none? Well, I mean, hurted Gabriel.

Word Count: uhhh, not sure. Maybe 2,000?

Pairings: Kinda rewrote ‘Bring em Back Alive’ but inserted Olivia in there so no pairs. I don’t do user inserts really ;^;

I have a lot of opportunities to daydream at work and think up stories and scenarios. Since I’ve made a character for Supernatural named Olivia, I have a habit of inserting her in episodes. Here be one. Hope you like 🥔

—

Olivia had been out at the time, she needed to attend to her roost. She was caught unaware in the middle of lunch prep by a prayer from Sam, not too uncommon, but the mention of Gabriel being found and not being in the best shape made her drop a dish she was holding. Her breath caught in her throat when she was told he was covered head to toe in wounds, placed a hand over her heart when it was described that his mouth was sewn shut, nearly fell when she learned his grace was siphoned away and he was tortured for what looked like years. She didn’t realize she started to cry and it all came so fast that she didn’t hear the sudden concerned questions or register the fact she was instantly in the bunker.

Her face was blank, eyes wide and tears streaked her cheeks when Dean and Ketch turned in surprise to face her. “Olivia!” Dean said in alarm taking a few steps toward her. “Where,” was all she could choke out amid shallow and tense breaths. Dean stopped in his tracks when he got a good look at the state she was in. “Olivia,” Ketch cautioned, “he’s in no shape to be seen and neither, it seems, are you to see him.”

“Where,” Olivia said again, her words tinged with authority as she moved just her eyes to look at him. Ketch gave a sympathetic look before stepping aside to point down the corridor of rooms. She wasted no time and briskly walked past him toward the newly occupied room.

Sam had just finished snipping and removing the stitches when she came around the corner. Her sudden whimper at the sight caught his attention and he quickly ushered her out the room. He hushed her as she could only whimper on the verge of tears and hyperventilating trying to get past him. “Shh, Olivia. Olivia stop, no. Look at me, look at me!” He shook her wrenching her attention away from the door and onto him. “Not. Now. He’s been through too much for any kind of visitor.” Olivia sighed with a shaky breath, her eyes desperate and tear soaked as she met his gaze. He gave her a pained look before gently coaxing her back down the hall. “C’mon, you can stay here until he’s settled into the idea he’s safe a little. Give it a day, maybe two.”

Olivia finally let herself relax as she fell against Sam sobbing softly into his shoulder as they walked. Sam supported her as they neared the main room and was surprised to see Dean geared up and ready to go. “What are you doing?” He asked assisting an exhausted Olivia to a near by chair. She nearly collapsed into it and rested against the table in front of her, head in her hands, earning a curious glance from Ketch.

“Getting ready to open the portal.” Dean responds matter of factly.

“I’ll get my gear, give me a minute—“

“No,” Dean interrupts. “I’m going alone. I need you here in case I get stuck to keep an eye on things, especially Gabriel.”

“I can do that,” Olivia adds from the table. She still looks worse for wear but has started to compose herself.

“Not a chance,” Ketch objects, “you are an emotional wreck despite the brave face you’re trying to put on right now.”

“You are not going alone, Dean,” Sam protests.

“He’s not, I’ll go with.” Ketch offers.

“What?” Sam asked taken off guard.

“As I’ve said, Asmodeus will be scouring the world for me so, it’s probably best if I’m not on this world.” Olivia looked at him surprised, wrinkling her nose when he winked at her, as Sam began to protest. “It’s going to be dangerous, angels obeying a Homicidal archangel, demons running rampant, are you sure?”

“I’m all for it. Can’t be much worse than being hunted by a prince of hell after all.” Sam prepared another argument when dean cuts him off. “Alright fine,” Dean said surprising both Sam and Olivia. Sam looks at him angrily. “And why not me?”

“Because, Sam, I care if something were to happen to you but don’t care if he survives or not. In fact, I hope he doesn’t. No offense.” Dean glances over and Ketch just shrugs. “Besides,” Dean turns back to face Sam, “I need you to take care of Gabriel and keep the portal open for me.”

“And, really, I can help care for Gabriel,” Olivia insisted. “Even if it’s just sitting in his room to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself.”

Sam sighs and reluctantly agrees gathering the ingredients for the spell. Olivia walked over to observe, her legs still a little shaky, and stood by Ketch as Sam and Dean sync their watches. “You sure you’re alright, love?” Ketch asks looking down at her. She sighs rolling her eyes at the pet name, “Not completely but, yes. I’m getting there.” They stood in awkward quiet for a minute before Olivia pipes up again. “Look, I may not like you very much but, please be careful. Alright?” She looked up at him with sincerity in her eyes causing Ketch to smirk and raise an eyebrow. “Always am, don’t you worry about me.” Olivia smiled a little before turning her attention back to the boys. “Gabriel sure is lucky to have someone like you concerned about his wellbeing,” he commented quietly watching her.

Olivia walked over to the boys as Dean was preparing to leave. “Dean...” he turned to her just in time to catch her in a hug. “Be careful in there.” He chuckled, “You know me. Careful is my middle name.”

“I mean it,” she said looking up at him. “Make sure you come back.” Dean’s features softened as he looked into her soft eyes. “Alright, I’ll come back.” He said with a smirk. “Stop lookin at me like that,” he scolded Sam when he turned to find him smirking amused at the interaction. Shortly after the rift opens and both Dean and Ketch enter leaving Sam with Olivia and Gabriel.

Olivia made her way back over to the table to sit down as Sam settled back into his routine. They weren’t alone long before Castiel returned. When he noticed the state Olivia was in he became concerned. “What’s wrong?” He asked coming to her side.

“Gabriel’s back,” Sam said coming up behind him.

“What? Gabriel is back?”

“He was taken hostage and sold to Asmodeus. He’s been holed up and tortured since we last saw him.”

“He’s in a real bad state,” Olivia added. “Real bad.” Her eyes started to water remembering how he looked. Castiel put a hand on her shoulder and she reached up to hold it while staring off. “Where’s Dean?” He asked observing her. “He opened a portal to the apocalypse world,” Sam explained. “And he went alone?” Cas asked concerned. “No, Ketch went with him,” Olivia said composing herself again. “He volunteered to go with Dean in an effort to get as far away from Asmodeus as possible.”

“Why would he want to do that?” Cass asked perplexed.

“Because he’s the one who rescued Gabriel,” Sam concluded. Cass looked from Sam to Olivia for confirmation who nodded. “I was just as surprised as you are.” Cass sighed. “Now, you said he was in a bad state. How bad is bad?”

“Well,” Sam said scratching the back of his head trying to think of a coherent way to word it. “Come see for your self.” The three of them made their way to his room, Olivia trailing behind very reluctant to see him in that state again. “I was thinking,” Sam said as they walked, “that the grace left over from performing the spell could help him. Maybe even get his powers back.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Cas agreed. The two turned the corner to enter his darkened room and turned on the light to find Gabriel huddled in a corner. Olivia peeked in and her heart became heavy again. ‘Oh Gabriel....’ she thought to herself. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t register any words spoken but was snapped out of her stupor when Gabriel was yanked onto the bed in an attempt to force feed him his grace. “Hey, hey!” She snapped charging into the room to pull them off him. Gabriel broke free and hid in the opposite corner murmuring fearfully before she could intervene. “Are you serious?!” She scolded them. “After all he’s been through he probably associates his grace with pain!”

Sam looked sheepishly at her, “ That....would explain his reaction to us mentioning we needed it.....” Olivia waves her hand exasperatedly with an irritated sigh. “Ok, out. Go. Now, both of you,” she said ushering them out despite their protests. “No more talk of grace or spells and definitly no mention of Asmodeus. Understood?” Sam and Cas look at each other and nod in agreement. Olivia sighs finally calming herself down again. “My nerves are more frayed than I anticipated....”

“We’re sorry,” Sam apologized. “We just, we need his help and don’t have a lot of time—“

“And we figured forcing his grace back in would fix him—“ Cass added hastily.

“I understand why you did it,” Olivia cut in, “but what got me worked up was that you didn’t think thoroughly.” She looked at them both sadly. “He may be an archangel but, even we are not immune to torture. We behave similarly to humans, just after more abuse than you. Torture affects the soul, you should know that better than anyone Sam.” Sam looked down like a child would after having been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. “We may not have souls like humans but what we are behave a lot like a human soul. Case and point, Cas had to agree to Lucifer possessing his vessel just like Nick did, like you had to, Sam.”

They both looked at their feet shamefully before Cas spoke up. “We’re sorry,” he said apologetically. Olivia’s face softened. “It’s not me you should be apologizing to. But he’s not up for much of anything right now.” She turns to look into the room and at Gabriel still in the corner. “I’ll see if I can get him to open up. And I meant it, no talk of grace around him.” They both nod and turn to go. Olivia lingers in the doorway watching Gabriel who didn’t seem to notice her there. After a while, she leaves to go to find some rags and then to the kitchen to fill a large bowel with warm water. Sam observes her actions curiously. “What are you doing?” He asks. “I’m going to see if I can clean him up a bit,” she said carefully lifting the bowl of water. “I’ll let you know if i need anything or if he says something. Alright?” Sam nods and goes back to what he was doing before.

Carefully, Olivia tiptoed back to the room and paused in the doorway nervous about entering. His appearance still caused her pain and she had to fight to keep her hands steady. Taking a deep breath to steady herself she took a few tentative steps inside. “Gabriel?” She said softly. “It’s me, Olivia. I’m here to clean you up a bit.” She slowly made her way over to him and carefully squatted down placing the bowl of water onto the floor. Kneeling before him she just observed him silently for a short while. “Gabriel, may I see your hand?” She reached out a hand toward him as she sat on the floor. He flinched a bit causing her to draw her hand back. “I’m not here to hurt you. Please, I just want to clean you up.” She held her hand a short ways away from him, his eyes sweeping over it. After a minute he reached a shaky hand out and rested it in hers. She smiled and dipped one of the rags into the water and gently started cleaning his hand.

They sat in silence for a while when Olivia decided to start a conversation, even if it was one sided. “So, I heard you met the Winchesters at a university,” she said, “and were masquerading as a janitor and a trickster? Kinda wish I was there to see it.” She smiled, “Bet you had a lot of fun, huh? Faked your death and everything. Then showing up later, trapping both of them in a time loop? You always were good at that, making pocket dimensions and alternate timelines.” She carefully returned his hand and held out hers for his other one, he complied with her silent request after a brief pause so she could continue cleaning him.

“I think you may have gone a little overboard with that one, don’t you? I do think trapping them in that tv program was inventive, though did you really have to open with a porn program?” She though she heard him wheeze slightly at the mention of that trick causing her to roll her eyes a little. “Honestly, I don’t see why you have such an interest in that. You and humans in general. Dean, mostly.” She shook her head trying to get the thoughts out. “Anyway, as it would seem, your illusions have gotten to the point that you can trick even Lucifer. Quite impressive considering how much he taught us all those times before.” She sighed sadly and the memories bubbling up. She released his other hand and rinsed the rag before turning her attention to his face. He had been staring at nothing in particular the whole time. She scooted forward a little repositioning so she could reach better, moving the bowl carefully with her. “Alright, I’m going to clean your face now. Is that alright?” She held her hand near his face waiting for a reaction. When he didn’t move, she carefully and gently moved to touch him making contact with his chin.

He still stared forward avoiding eye contact as his head turned. “Alright, time to get your face all pretty again,” she said with a smile carefully bringing the cleaned rag to his face. After a few gentle strokes he made eye contact with her, instantly recognizing and registering who it was talking to him and snapping him temporarily out of his stupor. He looked like he was about to cry as he started breathing heavily in panic, grabbed the arm that was nearest his reach, and pulled her close to him so he could rest his head on her shoulder. He whimpered as he clung onto her tightly. Olivia froze for a second before cradling his head with the arm he was holding. Resting her head gently on top of his, she stroked his head trying to comfort him. “Gabriel....” she whispered sadly running her fingers through his hair. They sat silently for a while before Olivia quietly prayed to Castiel. “I need your assistance,” she said snuggling closer to Gabriel in an effort to make him feel safe.

Castiel appeared shortly after and stood surprised seeing them sitting the way they were. “I’m going to be preoccupied for a while,” she said glancing over to him. “Could you please take these rags to clean them and change out the water in the bowl?” Castiel nodded carefully walking over. “Of course,” he said picking up the items. “Pray to me again should you require anything else.”

“I will,” she responded before settling back down again leaving Castiel to exit. “Oh, one other thing,” Castiel paused turning to look at her again. “Sam has the number to ‘Heaven on Earth’. Please ask him to call the house and assure them I’m alright and just attending to an emergency.” Castiel nodded and resumed his exit. She resumed stroking Gabriel’s head gingerly, his grip still tight on her arm. “You can hold on as long as you need to, Gabe. I won’t go anywhere, promise.” She felt his grip loosen slightly and his body relax a bit but his grip was still rather tight and his body firmly against hers.

She didn’t know how long they sat like that when she lifted her head to look at him. “Hey,” she said quietly, “did you want to move onto the bed?” He didn’t respond continuing to sit silently holding her. “Gabriel, please come sit on the bed. It’s more comfortable. I’ll sit up there too, don’t worry.” He took a deep breath but otherwise didn’t react. “Come on,” Olivia insisted as she stood helping him to his feet as well. He grunted in a panicked fashion as she shushed and reassured him. “Shhh, don’t worry, we’re just getting on the bed. I’m not leaving, I’m not. I’m sitting with you. Shhh...” He looked up at her terrified she’d leave but waited for her to take off her boots and situate herself before clinging to her again and calming down once more. “See? Much more comfortable.” She said snuggling close to him again and closing her eyes trying to relax.

A short while passed when she started humming a tune. It wasn’t anything in particular but she could feel Gabriel relax a bit more. She smiled continuing to hum for a long while. “Hey, Gabriel, I need to finish tending to your wounds.” She explained softly. “Your low grace makes you vulnerable to infection. Will you be alright if i go get clean water and rags?” Gabriel didn’t move for a minute but eventually nodded quickly. Olivia kissed the top of his forehead and gingerly removed her arm from his grasp. “It won’t take me long, I’ll be right back.”

He still stared off into space but sighed in response. Olivia briskly left the room and made her way to the linen room for supplies. She couldn’t have been gone for more than 15 or 20 minutes before she heard Castiel call for Sam, a strange inflection in his voice. Olivia quickly put the items she found down and headed for Gabriel’s room not quite able to make out what was being said. Castiel was in the middle of reading when Olivia saw all the writing on the walls. She slowly made her way to the bed and sat next to Gabriel who held onto her arm again though not as tight.

“He goes on for quite a while about the porn stars,” Castiel comments getting to one particular section detailing his stint as a fugitive. Olivia rolled her eyes with a groan and Sam insisted Cass skip that part. “At some point in Monte Carlo,” Cass continues, “he was captured and pawned off to Asmodeus, “For years, I knew nothing but endless torture. Asmodeus, once the weakest of Hell's Princes, grew strong by feeding on my grace.’”Olivia found herself running her thumb slowly over the top of one of Gabriel’s hands, which was held softly by hers, as the last part was read. “He must have been somewhere near by when you and Lucifer had a brief stay in the “Suits de Asmodeus”. She squeezed his hand slightly at the revelation. “You were there when.....I was escorted by.......” her breath hitched. “Gabe I’m so sorry, I didn’t....”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Sam tried to console. “I don’t think you would have even been able to sense him. Between him being drained and Asmodeus feeding off it, you probably would have gotten your wires crossed if you tried.” Olivia sighed heavily in response but nodded in reluctant agreement resting her head against Gabriel who still stared at nothing.

“I think I can help him come back,” Castiel offered. “Given he was able to write all this, there is a chance he’s still in there.”

“You really think so?” Sam asked

“No, but I can try.”

“Then I’m going to get my rags and clean water to finish washing his wounds.” Olivia said standing. “Give me something I can do at the very least.” She slowly left the room despite Gabriel’s silent protest of her leaving by gripping her hand.

“She does know she can heal his wounds with a touch right?” Sam quietly asks Castiel.

“I think she’s too distraught to,” Castiel surmised. “She could probably heal his mind too, but given her current state that may be more risky than helpful.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Olivia slowly made her way back to the linen room trying to distract herself from the sense of guilt she had. Picking up the clean rags she headed for the kitchen to fill the bowl with fresh warm water. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks and nearly dropped her items when she felt a sudden familiar presence. She hurried back to Gabriel’s room to find him lucid and aware. He didn’t seem to take notice right away as he consumed the left over grace and only caught sight of her out the corner of his eye. He looked straight at her with a look of disbelief that quickly gave way to happiness. “Hey...” she said with a smile nearly in tears again. She stumbled over to him wanting to move faster than her now overly clumsy feet could manage.

“Olivia!” He exclaimed as she crashed into him in a hug nearly toppling them both over.

“You’re alright!”

“Yeah, for the most part I am.” He said looking at her. “Miss me?” She chuckled and made a face making Gabriel smile wide. Cas observed the reunion with a smile before directing his attention to Sam who had taken a call from an unknown person. Through the snippets of responses, they all eventually came to the conclusion that it was Asmodeus. “What is it?” Olivia asked already knowing the answer.

“Asmodeus, he wants Gabriel returned to him,” Sam replied. “He’s threatened to destroy the bunker to get him.” Gabriel begins to panic and grips Olivia hard threatening to leave bruises with his fingers. Sam glances at Castiel before moving toward the door. “I’ll check the bunker’s defenses and see what I can do to fortify them.”

“I’ll stay here,” Castiel says looking back at Olivia and Gabriel.

Gabriel looks Olivia in the eye terrified and beginning to hyperventilate. “I’m not letting him take you,” she declared confidently. “No matter what.”

“Olivia you can’t,” began Gabriel in concern.

“I can and I will.”

“I’ve checked everything,” Sam says returning, “but I don’t know if it’s enough or how long it’ll last.” Just as he finished his sentence the lights go out prompting the red alert lights to come on and the sigils to glow bright red. They all cautiously walk the halls making their way to the main room. Olivia kept close to Gabriel fully prepared to kill anyone attempting to take him away. They made it to the library just as some demons came in, Sam and Castiel easily dispatched them while Olivia took up a defensive position holding one of Gabriel’s hands to keep him behind her. Suddenly Sam and Cas were thrown around prompting Olivia and Gabriel to take a few surprised steps back before noticing Asmodeus at the top of the stairs.

“Those little wards of yours,” he says pompously, “are unable to keep a demon of my caliber out.”

Olivia and Gabriel are apprehended and escorted up the stairs as Asmodeus teases. “I’ve missed you Gabriel, and I hope you enjoyed your little outing for which I’m going to have to punish you rather severely I’m afraid.” Olivia’s anger flared and she wrenched her hand free to stand defiantly in Asmodeus’ face. “And who’s this pretty little thing?” Asmodeus asked grabbing Olivia’s chin and lifting to get a look at her face. “You didn’t tell me you had a friend.”

“Don’t.....touch her.....” Gabriel tried defending still securely restrained.

“I’ll kill you,” Olivia hissed. “You let him go and leave us alone. I’ll only warn you once.”

Asmodeus laughed. “Darlin, do you know who I am?”

“As I recall, the runt prince,” Olivia responded freeing her chin.

“I’m not so much a ‘runt’ anymore,” he said seemingly please with himself.

“And I’m no ordinary angel.”

“Oh I know who you are,” He said with a nod now recognizing her. “You’re Lucifer’s girl. Only angel I ever heard trying to get into hell.” He smiled down at her. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you, seeing as we didn’t get much of a chance last time we met.” They both stared at each other briefly before he broke his gaze to look at Cas and Sam. Olivia took the opportunity to jam her palm into his stomach choking the sentence he was about to say. Her hand began to glow, as did his abdomen, before she slowly dragged her hand up. It glowed so bright his insides could be seen through his clothing and he howled in pain as she moved. Once she got to his neck the glow shone out his open mouth allowing a whisp of Gabriel’s grace to be pulled out. She caught it and held it in her hand keeping it away from him so that he couldn’t reabsorb it as he laughed with labored breath.

“Well now, you’ve only managed to take my most recent dose,” he said gripping her behind her head in order to look her in the eye. “I can assure you it bears no consequence nor hindrance to my performance abilities.”

“Your performance is nothing compared to my experience,” Olivia snapped back. She clenched her fist as it and her eyes glowed a blinding white dispatching the two demons restraining Gabriel.

Asmodeus raised an eyebrow rather impressed by the display. “Perhaps you wouldn’t mind showing me a few tricks?”

“Pass...” she spat through gritted teeth.

“That’s too bad....” Asmodeus sent a shock to her skull causing her to cry out in pain. It lasted for a minute before she lost consciousness.

“Olivia!” Gabriel cried out in despair and concern.

Asmodeus looked her up and down almost hungrily. “I like the spirit this one has,” he commented, “I will enjoy breaking her too.” His gaze became pointed at Gabriel as he sneered. “Hold her for me would you?” He dropped her limp self in Gabriel’s arms before turning his attention back to Sam and Cass. “I have a few loose ends to attend to before we can return home.”

Gabriel frantically tried to wake her stroking her cheek and repeatedly calling her name. “Olivia. Olivia please. Please wake up. Wake up.” His attention on her was broken when he heard Sam and Cass cry out in pain as Asmodeus began killing them slowly and painfully. The last few demons tried pulling him up to drag him out when he finally snapped out of his fearful state and overpowered them, carefully laying Olivia on the floor as he stood to confront Asmodeus.

“Gabriel, what do you think you’re doing?” Asmodeus asked turning to look up at him. “I broke you! You’re too weak to fight me!”

Gabriel, in a flash, healed his wounds before displaying his wings. Asmodeus’ face dropped as he was faced with a now healed and enraged Gabriel resorting to throwing a ball of energy at him. Gabriel batted it away with ease glaring down and the prince. “I’m not weak anymore. And by the way,” he said tilting his head, “I always hated that dumbass suit.” He raised his hand setting Asmodeus on fire burning him and his vessel to ash. Once satisfied he turns his attention to Olivia still unconscious by his feet. Bending down he carefully looks her over before picking her up and carrying her down the stairs. “She’s fine,” Castiel says checking her over. “I don’t know how long she’ll be unconscious but she’s fine.”

Shortly after she was placed on a table her eyes fluttered open and she jolted up drawing her archangel blade as her eyes glowed white. Everyone jumped back in alarm at the unexpected awakening. “Whoa, whoa, hey!” Gabriel yelled trying to get her attention. “Olivia wait, it’s alright! It’s just us! It’s me!” It took her a minute but she eventually registered Gabriel talking to her.

“Gabriel...?” She asked as her eyes stopped glowing. “Where is...? But...” she looked at her blade pointed menacingly outward. “Oh, oh my.... I’m sorry!” She quickly put it away and looked around. “Are you guys alright?”

“Yeah, we’re alright,” Sam replied.

Olivia sighed heavily finally relieved bowing her head and resting it on her knee. Gabriel ran a hand over her back making her look over. “Hey ‘Liv, thanks.” She smiled up at him as he rested his forehead on hers. “I’m glad you’re ok,” She said and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back when Sam cleared his throat.

“Look, we need to talk,” Sam begins as both angels look over at him. “We need your help. Jack and our mom are stuck in an apocalypse world and that version of Michael wants to invade and take over with an army. So, will you help us?”

Gabriel sighs looking back at Olivia, seemingly ignoring the question, and places a palm on her cheek running his thumb slowly across it. “Sorry Sam,” he said looking over “not interested. But I have faith you and your brother will find a way like you did during the apocalypse.”

Castiel takes a step toward him. “Gabriel please,” he pleads.

“No, I don’t want any part of this. Not back when the apocalypse was going down and definitely not now.”

“Gabe...” Olivia pleaded softly. He looked solemnly at her. “I’m sorry, ‘Liv. I’m not a fighter. You know that.” He turns to look at Sam and Cas. “Good luck boys.” He says before disappearing. They all stood in silence for a few minutes before Olivia piped up. “Use my grace,” she offered drawing her archangel blade again. “If Gabriel won’t help then I will. Use however much you need.” She held out her hand offering the blade to Sam. “No,” he said refusing. “No, I can’t take your grace.”

“Sam, please. This is the only option we really have right now. Besides, my grace recharges much faster in comparison. It would hardly make an impact.”

“No, look, we’re not doing anything until Dean comes back anyway. We’ll....” Sam scratches the back of his neck. “We’ll consider that as ‘plan b’,” Castiel proposed. “You’re the closest to a full powered Archangel so if we need, you could provide some backup.” Olivia sighed giving a small smile. “Fine, but you better use mine if you’re left with no other option. No trying to weasel out.” She pointed a finger at both of them. Sam chuckled putting his hands up. “Alright, alright. I promise.” Olivia crossed her arms with a smirk before Dean crashed through the portal just before it closed.

“Hey, where’s mom and Jack?” Sam asks approaching. “They’re not with Michael anymore,” Dean explained with a grunt standing up. “Welcome back to you too.” Sam smirked a little with a slight laugh. “Ketch stayed behind with Charlie to try and find them.” Same gives a quizzical look upon hearing the name. “Yeah, they have a Charlie.” Dean looks around to find the bunker in disarray.

“Asmodeus payed a visit,” Castiel explained. “Gabriel killed him.”

“Wait, Gabriel? Then where is he?”

“He left.” Said Sam. “We asked if he would help with Michael and Jack but, he uh....said no.”

“We also used the last of his grace to return his powers,” Castiel reluctantly added.

Dean had been getting more and more frustrated as he paced around silently before tossing papers and books across the room. “Dammit, I should never have come back then!” He yelled. “Every time....” his voice cracked. “Every time we get close it all falls apart......”

“We will find Gabriel again,” Castiel reassured.

“And if we don’t?” Dean snapped. “We don’t have time to wait!”

“If we don’t then you use my grace,” Olivia responded walking over. “I insist.”

“No, no we’re not using your grace.”

“Dean...”

“No! You said yourself you were called a failed archangel. We don’t even know if your grace will work.” Olivia looked at him a little hurt. She understood his reservations though, she couldn’t blame him. She should have been used to it by now given all the disapproving looks she got back in heaven and how often she was moved around. “I was never demoted,” she said quietly, “just labeled failed. I understand your apprehension though. Many angels felt the same I suppose.” Dean sighed realizing how he may have come across. “Olivia I didn’t....”

“No need to apologize Dean,” Olivia said softly. “I understand. You desperately want your mom and Jack back, and this set back is devastating to come back to. You’re angry, and it’s from my experience anger has a tendency to cause people to say things they may not intend to or not in the way they want to.” She sits next to him placing a hand on his shoulder. He looks over, tears welling in his eyes. “I’ll help you find him again, but please, use my grace if we can’t. It won’t hurt to try.” Dean sighs heavy with sadness. “Alright. Alright, we’ll give it a try if we have to. But not until we have to.”

Olivia smiles a little. “Deal.”