#if there's one thing olivia will do at the diner table is having FACES!

[toneelspeelster]

live feed of sarah nelson having war flashbacks of divorcing this man

[writingplotbunnies]

Best Served Cold (Part 10/?)

Pairing: Jax Teller x OFC

Summary: Sophie gets some info on Stahl, which has an intense impact on the Club.

Word Count: ~2800

Warnings: angst, illegal activity, possessive behavior, sexual content, canon typical violence

Hands cupped around the mug in her hands, Sophie blew air across the coffee as she studied the man sitting across from her. He had young features, but something in his eyes told her that he’d seen a bit more than he ever wanted to. Finding information on Agent Stahl had been surprisingly easy. Tracking down her former partner had been even easier. 

“Agent Smith?”

His lips twitched up into a ghost of a smile. “I know. It sounds fake.” 

Sophie took a sip of her coffee, eyes closing as the caffeine hit her system. They made it just right. Enough sugar to cover the bitter flavor of coffee, and some cream to smooth the texture. Olivia used to tease her about her coffee, kept telling her one day she’d have to drink it like an adult. Yet, her sister had been the first to buy her the special, seasonal creamers - find new flavors to add to lattes. 

“Tell me about your former partner. It usually takes a bit more to get reassigned as quickly as you managed.” 

“No small talk?”

Sophie raised a brow. “Did you want to talk about the weather?” 

“Not particularly.” 

“Then, no. No small talk.” 

He sighed, and Sophie wanted to feel for him. She did, but when someone on your team was dirty, it made everyone stink. Plus, she just really didn’t like the bitch. 

“You’re going to tell me whatever it is you know about your former BFF Stahl.” 

Agent Smith met her gaze, jaw tight. “I’ve got nothing to say.” 

Sophie took another sip of the coffee before setting it down on the table. She flagged down a waitress, who came over to the booth with a bright smile on her face.

“Hi,” Sophie greeted. “I’d just love an order of pancakes with so much syrup my friend here and I could swim in it.” 

The waitress laughed and nodded her head. “And for you?”

Sophie looked at Agent Smith expectantly. He glowered at her. 

“Nothing for me.” 

“You sure?” Sophie asked. “Best diner in the city.” 

“I’m sure.” 

Sophie looked up at the waitress, and shrugged her shoulders. “I guess he’s not hungry. Thanks.” 

The girl nodded before heading to the kitchen to drop off their order. He wouldn’t have taken the meeting if he didn’t plan on telling her anything, but it seemed as though the good agent wanted to make her work for it.  

“You left Charming. Stahl stayed. Tell me why. The case is still open. She wants to take SAMCRO down for everything including the sinking of the Titanic. Case that size could be career-making - we both know that’s what Stahl is hoping for, so why bail?” 

“You seem to already know.” 

“Course I do, but that doesn’t make what I know evidence. And that, my friend, is what I need.” 

“They’re criminals.” 

“So is she. At least the Sons are honest about it.” 

Smith cursed under his breath as he broke eye contact with Sophie. She smiled. They both knew she was right, no matter how unsavory Mr. Smith found it. 

“I looked into you before agreeing to this meeting.” 

“I’d be surprised if you hadn’t.” 

Smith nodded but didn’t say anything. Before either could respond, the waitress brought Sophie’s pancakes. As promised, there was indeed enough syrup to create a small swimming pool. Licking her lips, she picked up her fork and tore into them as though she were starving. They melted on her tongue, the buttery flavor of the perfectly fluffy pancake mixing with the decadent sugary syrup collided on her tongue in delicious harmony. 

Pushing her plate towards Agent Smith she offered him a bite, which he refused. 

“They’re not good people,” he said as she bit down on another piece of her food. “The Sons. I heard the way the town spoke about them. A mix of Santa Claus and the Godfather, but they do bad things. All of them have been to jail.” 

“So have I,” Sophie added around a mouthful of pancake.

“They weren’t in for a misdemeanor.”

Sophie grinned and pointed at Agent Smith with her fork. “I see you did your research on me. Good for you.”  

“Sergeant Cooper,” Agent Smith said, leaning in closer to her, tone placating. 

Sophie wanted to shake him. Her contact had assured her that this idiot was a good agent, that he didn’t agree with Stahl’s approach to cases. Given his speedy departure from Charming, she’d been inclined to believe, but sitting across from him now, she just wondered if he had any balls. He had to know what she would do with the information, what fate awaited Stahl. If he for a single second believed she’d keep the boys from seeing bloody vengeance, well, he was dumber than he looked. Woman had it coming for the shit she pulled with Donna and Opie. 

“I’m retired, so don’t think leaning into my better nature or judgment or whatever it is you were about to do would help. That bitch put my family in danger. Nearly got an innocent woman killed because she couldn’t do her job with a shred of decency.”

For the longest time, Smith didn’t say anything. Sophie continued to eat her breakfast, resisting the urge to lick the plate clean. She could wait him out. Eventually, he pulled an envelope from the inside of his jacket. Placing it on the table between them, he held his hand over it, fingers tapping a bit restlessly. Sophie didn’t move. 

“This could make things worse, you know.” 

Sophie nodded. Anything was possible. He slid the envelope closer to her, and Sophie took it in her hands. Meeting his gaze, she waited to see if he was going to say something or leave. He just sat there, meeting her eyes. 

She pulled the papers from the envelope, half expecting one to say say “fuck you” in crayon. But, Agent Smith seemed to be a straight shooter. It held the information she needed. Bank records showing federal money being deposited into Opie’s accounts - Stahl’s sign off on the transfer. Another sheet detailed the series of events that led to Donna being shot - the detail being pulled - everything she needed. 

“Thank you.” 

Agent Smith shook his head. “Not sure you should be thanking me for that. Still not sure I should have given you that. But, I think I’ll sleep better tonight.” 

“She’s bad news. I think you got out just in time, Agent Smith. Good luck.” 

He raised his mug in mock salute as Sophie slid from the booth, envelope in her hand. Sliding on her sunglasses, Sophie felt a bit lighter as she left the diner. Obviously, this packet of information wasn’t going to magically fix everything. Clay broke trust with his Club, and he’d be called to account for it - Tig, too. Plus, there was still no guarantee that this would all just smooth over with time and a demotion. Based on what Jax had told her, going after a patched member like Clay ordered Tig to do with Opie couldn’t be done without a full vote. 

Happy sat on his bike, arms crossed and resting on the handlebars. 

“You still babysitting me?” 

“You good?” 

Sophie smiled as she stopped in front of him. “Yeah, got what I needed and he didn’t put up a fight.” 

Happy nodded.

She knew if she stood in the lot, they’d never leave. Either by Jax’s order, or his own initiative, Happy had become her new shadow. Her backup. As much fun as it would be the dally just to see irritation flash in his eyes, she knew time wasn’t on their side. Even if Happy being here with her meant they hadn’t started Church yet, things were too volatile to screw around. 

“Let’s go. Can’t have you late.” 

Happy gave her another nod as she slid into the front seat of her Challenger. Happy followed her back to TM, and gave her another nod before parking his bike. Seeing the slight confusion on Jax’s face as he approached her car, Sophie answered her own question. Happy had sent himself. One day the boys would realize she could take care of herself, but she also not so secretly enjoying having backup. 

“Hey babe,” Jax greeted, arms resting along her window seal. 

Sophie leaned towards him, face upturned for a kiss. Jax obliged, smile on his lips as they met hers. When he stood back, he opened the door. She followed him into the clubhouse where most of the guys were milling around. Clay and Tig were noticeably absent from the group. At least that would give her and Jax a bit more time to come up with a plan. They all offered her a warm greeting, Chibs even giving her a kiss on the cheek. She wondered how the dynamic would change when they all learned the truth - when they learned about her involvement with it. After all, she was new. And it was always easier to shoot the messenger. 

“Stahl set the whole thing up. Donna getting hurt is on her,” Sophie said as soon as Jax locked the door behind them. 

“Shit.” 

“Any idea how you’re going to handle it?” 

Jax shook his head. He sat down heavily on the bed, raked his hands through his hair. “None of this is gonna be clean or easy. I’ve got Piney on my ass about it because he and I both know it was Clay, but I’ve been at Clay about other Club stuff, too so the boys are looking at us both. Now I’m gonna bring this to the table?

Sophie knelt down in front of Jax. She took his hands in hers, met his gaze when his eyes locked onto hers. 

“Those baby blues of yours are dangerous, Teller.” 

He huffed out a laugh. 

“Real talk though. Do you think Clay wanted to kill Opie? To hurt Donna?” 

Jax jerked as though he’d been shot. “What? Of course not.” 

“Then that’s how you approach this. It was a shitty situation caused by the bitch from ATF. Clay acted in what he thought was the best interest of the Club - he made a bad call. You’re bringing this to the guys because you care about what’s best for the Club. You and Clay can’t keep going at each other in these little passive-aggressive ways - that’ll kill you before ATF or Zobelle get the chance. So, man up and do what needs to be done to protect your Club.” 

“I have no idea how the vote would go. I can’t go in there like that.” 

Sophie nodded. “I don’t know the guys as well as you, so I don’t know exactly how you should navigate this, but you’ve been in this life forever. You know the guys better than you think you do. I can distract Clay if you need time to get your shit together, but Jax - this can’t go on. Zobelle will come at you, and if you’re too busy fighting each other, he won’t even have to work at it to destroy you all. Fix it.” 

Jax nodded. He brought their hands to his lips, kissed the back of her fingers. “I hate what brought you to Charming, but I’m glad you came.” 

Sophie smiled at him. “Me, too.” 

As he stood from the bed, he pulled Sophie to her feet and into his body. She wrapped her arms around him, and tucked her nose up against his neck, breathing in the scent of leather and cigarettes. Jax pressed kisses to her head before pulling back and meeting her gaze. For a moment, her heart stopped beating because she thought she recognized the look in his eyes, and she wasn't ready for it. Couldn’t admit to herself that it might be love, that it already probably was. Too much. Too fast. 

“Waiting won’t make it any easier.” 

Jax sighed. “I’d rather stay here and kiss you.” 

“Charmer.” 

When they walked back into the main clubhouse, Sophie saw Clay and Tig sitting at the bar. She tugged on Jax’s sleeve and nodded her head towards where they sat with their backs to her. Jax pressed a final kiss to the side of her head before walking over to where Chibs, Bobby, and Opie were playing pool. With a heavy heart, Sophie walked over to the bar, plastered a bright smile on her face, and slung her arms around their shoulders. 

“How are my two favorite bikers?” Sophie asked. 

“Aw,” Tig said, eyes full of mischief. “Finally decided to trade up, sweetheart?” 

Sophie laughed as she pressed a kiss to Tig’s cheek. “Never gonna happen, but that doesn't mean I don’t still love you.”

Clay looked at them both with an indulgent fondness, and Sophie felt her heart squeeze for him. Even the best case outcome would be hard for Clay. The man was proud, and she just knew that stepping down - or, more likely, being forced to step down would diminish him. Like any leader at the end of their term - some allowed the closing of a chapter to happen with better grace than others. Knowing he’d lost the trust of his Club would hit Clay hard - a single mistake, or as far as Sophie knew the mistake he got caught in, and he’d be forced out. 

“How’s Gemma?” Sophie asked. 

Clay shook his head. “Says she’s fine.” 

Sophie laughed. “So she lies to you, too?” 

“Yeah,” Clay said as he took a drink from the beer bottle in his hand. “I thought she’d be more honest with you.” 

“That woman isn’t going to admit that she’s in pain. Stubborn sort.” 

“She asked me about you. Said you hadn’t been by the house.” 

Sophie moved around the bar and poured herself a drink. “I’ll go over later. I know she wants to have a family dinner. I think she wants me to learn how to cook. I keep telling her that it’s a terrible idea, but maybe she just wants me to blow up the kitchen so you have to buy her a new one.” 

Clay laughed. “That would be an idea she’d come up with. That woman wants to see me broke.” 

“Don’t worry, Clay,” Sophie teased as she took another sip of her drink. “I’m not gonna let her domesticate me like that. Can’t have Jax getting the idea that I’m gonna be some Donna Reed homemaker for him.”

“That’ll make Gem happy. She’ll have you two to keep fussin’ after.” 

Sophie grinned. “I aim to please.” 

“Good, it’ll keep her - ”

The doors slamming open cut off whatever Clay was going to say next.      

“You son of a bitch!” 

Opie pulled Tig from the bar stool and landed a sucker punch to his face before Sophie could round the bar.  

“What the hell is going on?” Clay roared as he stood from the stool.

Sophie looked on as Tig just let Opie beat him. 

“What did you do?” Opie screamed. 

“Why was she driving the truck, Ope?”

Hearing the pain in Tigs voice, she wanted to stop it, wanted to intervene, but she knew they both needed this. Tig needed to feel as though he’d been sufficiently punished and Opie had his own demons to work out. 

What she didn’t expect was Piney to punch Clay square in the jaw, both men swearing as they cradled their respective wounds. 

Before things could completely devolve into chaos, Jax wrapped himself around Opie, hauling him off Tig, who just laid on the ground, blood and tears covering his face. Chibs and Bobby worked at separating Piney and Clay who both continued to glare at each other. 

“Enough!” Jax’s voice echoed through the room. “Everyone in the Chapel.”

Master List

[nerdyvocals]

I haven't been able to stop thinking about the line in Take the Wheel, the one about the mother-daughter brunch thing. And I just.

So Jane reinstates it, obviously. Like she wouldn't bring it up in a debate about the things she believed should be fixed if she wasn't intending on bringing it back. So a letter gets sent home with a date and time and dress code and all that jazz. And four things happen.

Mrs. Valdovinos remembers very clearly when Cynthia's mother disappeared. She remembers the food she brought over, the hand-me-downs Olivia had outgrown that she packed in a box and sent with the kids, the hair-braiding she did whenever the girl spent the night. She remembers the wave of relief she felt when she saw Cynthia in the group of girls that whisked her daughter out of the church. She knew the note went home with her as well and she knew there was no woman in that house to read it. So she makes a decision.

Mrs. Nakagawa doesn't know Cynthia that well. She knows her by her usual order at the diner. She knows her by her short cropped hair and boyish clothes. She knows her by the smile on her own daughter's face; a broad, genuine thing that didn't exist with her old friends. She knows her by the gossip that surrounded her when her mother ran off. Small towns, y'know? Nancy brings a note home, and she makes a decision.

Mrs. Facciano doesn't entirely know what to make of Cynthia Zdunowski the first time she meets her. She was unladylike and brash, unkempt and uncouth, and she learned somewhere along the way that she had started the flashing incident. She made a slightly off-color comment to her husband one night that whoever this girl's mother was, she wasn't doing a very good job at controlling her. Francesca must've overheard and told Jane, because the next morning her eldest scolded--actually scolded!--her about what she said. And she learned that, though Jane did not know all the details, the girl did not have a mother, and hadn't had one for a long time. So when Jane comes home one day, talking about her plans to bring back the mother-daughter brunch, she makes a decision.

Mrs. Robertson doesn't approve at all of this "girl-gang" business Hazel had gotten herself wrapped up in. But she does approve of the characters of the girls involved. They appear loyal and loving and strong. They are exactly the type of people her daughter needs in her life, and she approves very much of the way they support Hazel and how much they're brought her out of her shell. But she is a smart woman, and above all, she is a mother, and so she keeps a very close eye on these girls and what they get up to. So it doesn't take her long to find out that the one with the boy hair, the one who got Hazel on that stage in the play, came from a single-parent home. So when the school sent a letter home about a brunch, she can think of only one way to thank her, and she makes a decision.

The day arrives and McGee has countless women wandering in and out of her office in the hour before the brunch is set to start, and she's almost worried the PA system is going to fry itself out with how often she and her new assistant are having to fire it up to call girls down to escort their mothers to the buffet set up outside. She's a bit taken aback when Mrs.'s Valdovinos, Nakagawa, Facciano, and Robertson simultaneously (and separately, if the startled way they look at each other is anything to go by) ask for Ms. Zdunowski to be called down with their own daughters. It's a bit unorthodox, but, well, what isn't with those girls?

Cynthia doesn't cry over it. She might tear up a bit, but she doesn't admit to crying when she walks into the office, wondering what she did this time, and instead finds her friends' mothers, who hug her and kiss her cheeks and compliment her skirt and take her by the hand to lead her to the tables outside, decorated for something she didn't expect to have.

Cynthia Zdunowski is loved by many people. By the Pink Ladies, the T-Birds, the Thespians (one in particular, more so than the others). By her dad, most of all. But she hasn't felt loved like this in a long, long time.

(Maybe she cries a bit. Sue her.)

[jerzwriter]

I hope you have a day full of love and sunshine - you deserve nothing less! Thank you for always caring about others and spreading joy - even when it's not the easiest thing to do. Thank you for always, always being there for me, and for simply being you. It was a very, very good day when you entered this world, ma'am. We're all better for it!

I hope you enjoy this beautiful art from @callmebeem. Olivia deserved some love today, too. You know darn well Merida & Casey would never let her day slip by uncelebrated, so here's a little fic for you - I hope it makes you smile. Sending you a huge hug and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Something Sweet

Open Heart | Bryce x Olivia, Ethan x Merida, Tobias x Casey | Teen | Approx. 1300 words | Merida belongs to @lilyoffandoms| Olivia belongs to @storyofmychoices

 In some ways, it was a typical Boston morning. The Paramount Diner was bustling with city-dwellers grabbing sustenance before heading to work. The clattering of dishes, morning news blaring from the TV, and a mixture of North End and Brahmin accents shouting orders to Joey, who manned the grill, was not out of the ordinary. The unusual thing was our chatty little crew could actually hear it.

It had become a Wednesday morning tradition. Ethan and Bryce headed there right after the gym; Merida and Olivia stopped by before work, and Casey and Tobias arrived just after... well... you know. Olivia had dubbed them the “breakfast besties,” and Ethan did his best to prevent rolling his eyes every time he heard it. On a typical morning, there would be at least three different conversations taking place, each trying to yell over the other, and anything happening outside of their table would be a misty blur.

But today, you could hear a pin drop. It could be attributed to a late case that left Tobias, Casey, Ethan, and Merida with very little sleep. Or it might have to do with the flight they had to catch in three hours. Perhaps Bryce had a case of nerves over the surgery he had been called to assist on at U Mass Memorial. The rare procedure was being streamed live to nearly every major hospital and medical school in America. No pressure there. The only one who appeared to have a normal day ahead was Olivia, and that was the problem.

Bryce scowled in an utterly oblivious Ethan's direction. But the curmudgeonly doctor couldn’t ignore the handsome, young surgeon when he blurted out, “I can’t believe you had to make this presentation today... of all days!”

Merida looped their arm with Ethan’s and leaned in close.

“Hey, you know I’m the last one who would typically rush to his defense, but I don’t think Ethan had anything to do with scheduling the AMA symposium.”

“And while I’m the next to last person to rush to his defense,” Tobias jumped in. “I can confirm he wasn't on their selection committee, either. So he wasn’t the one that invited us to present.”

Ethan reached for his coffee with a shake of his head. “Thank you both... I think.”

Across the table, Olivia was growing increasingly uncomfortable. “Guys, it’s OK. We’ve been over this before... I don’t mind.”

“Well, I mind,” Bryce frowned, and Ethan couldn't hold back anymore.

“Lahela, for what it’s worth, I’m not responsible for you being asked to assist on a pulmonary autograft at U Mass either.”

“I know,” Bryce unreasonably tried to reason. “But if you didn’t have the symposium today, I wouldn’t have to worry about Olivia being alone at Edenbrook on her birthday!”

“Bryce,” Olivia comforted. “It’s all right. I’m a big girl, and we’re all celebrating this weekend. It’s OK.”

And it was. She was an adult, after all, not only an adult but a doctor, just like the others. It would be silly to think that their busy worlds would stop just because it was her birthday. But if she was completely honest, she was a little sad that she wouldn’t see any of their faces in Edenbrook today.

“It’s all right,” Casey said, tapping Olivia’s knee. “We are going to spoil the heck out of this beauty on Saturday.”

“Damn straight we are,” Merida chimed in. “We have an epic spa day planned, with bottomless mimosas to boot! You guys are lucky if we remember to meet you for dinner after!"

“Oh, you’ll remember,” Tobias chuckled. “If you think Casey will forget meatballs at Carmelina's, you’re bugging.”

Ethan let out a sigh. "Is this where someone makes an obnoxious comment about these two and meatballs."

"Only you," Casey teased. "You really need to stop being such an adolescent, Ramsey!"

Ignoring the exasperated expression on Ethan's face, Casey turned to Olivia.

“I love that we share a favorite restaurant.”

“Of course we do,” Olivia grinned. “We have exquisite taste!” She turned to Bryce and lovingly brushed his hair away from his eyes. “Honey, as far as I’m concerned, Saturday is my birthday, and it will be great. Today... it’s just another Wednesday.”

After giving Olivia a dozen kisses, Bryce left directly for U Mass while the others headed to Edenbrook. Olivia had a busy day ahead, and her friends were checking in on patients before their flight. But Casey couldn't help but feel sad when she watched Olivia walk away.

“I know I said it doesn’t matter, but I was just trying to look at the bright side. Honestly, I hate that we won't be here for Liv’s birthday.”

“Yeah,” Merida soughed. “I feel the same way. Of all days for us to all be away.”

“In reality, we’d all be busy working anyway, but at least we could take little moments throughout the day to make her feel special, you know?”

Merida tapped their pen on the desk. That glimmer that appeared in their eyes whenever an idea struck suddenly appeared. “Come with me!" Merida said, grabbing Casey's hand. "I have an idea.”

~~~~~

Several hours later, Bryce was focused on his surgery as the other's plane touched down in Cleveland. Olivia grabbed her folders from the nurses’ station, surprised to find a bright pink envelope on top of the stack.

With a gentle smile, she put the note in her pocket and continued with her day. Before she knew it, she was ready to sign off for lunch when Nurse Laura handed her an envelope.

“What’s this?” Olivia asked. “I’m not waiting on any results?”

“Not sure,” Laura shrugged. “But I was given strict orders to get that to you right before you headed to lunch.”

Olivia opened the envelope to find an ecru sheet of fine stationery, a note with penmanship not typically associated with a doctor inside.

Olivia beamed as she held the note close to her heart. She was filled with warmth, and not just because she was anxious for the delicious Penne.

“Laura, you have lunch now, don’t you?”

“I do,” the nurse nodded.

“Good! Join me! Carmelina’s portions are more than enough for two, and trust me! You’ll love this!”

~~~~~

The day was busier than usual, so it passed by in a flash, and now, it was time to go home. She just had to make one stop at the nurse's station, to pick up the beautiful flowers Bryce had delivered. But it looked like her surprises weren’t over yet. An adorable pink box from Little Miss Cupcape sat next to her flowers, a colorful note affixed.

The nurses watched on silently as Olivia’s eyes began to tear. “Your friends really love you,” Laura smiled.

“I know,” Liv blushed. “Leave it to them to make me feel special from seven hundred miles away.”

She gathered up her belongings when Laura reminded her of just one more thing... there was no way the nurses were letting her leave before they got to sing.

I hope you enjoyed this, Dani. I know this isn't the easiest birthday for you, but I still hope you find joy in special little moments throughout the day—just like Olivia did here.

Sending you the biggest of hugs! xoxo

[imagine-all-the-imagines]

Casey Novak x F!Reader - Reader is being “protected” by the mafia and when the SVU tries to get her to work with them, the mafia lashes out.

Warnings: Violence, Financial troubles, break ins, threats, blood.

I hope you enjoy!

That morning started like any other. You got up and started breakfast, only to be interrupted by the patter of little feet running towards you. You smiled and turned to see the smiling face of your two-year-old bounding at your legs. Crouching down, you caught the laughing child and spun her around before balancing her on your hip while you continued to scramble the eggs in the pan.

“What do you think, baby? Eggs and pancakes for breakfast?” You asked the little one in your arms.

The girl in your arms giggled again and nodded her head as you set to work getting breakfast finished. When everything was cooked, you set your daughter down in her chair and got the plates together. As you sat down by her and got ready to help her cut up her pancakes, there was a knock at the door. You kissed your daughter’s forehead and went to the door, checking the peephole before cautiously opening the door.

“Hello ma’am, my name is Olivia Benson and I’m with the Special Victims Unit. Were you aware that there’s been a series of break ins in your neighborhood?” The woman in front of you spoke with an official voice.

You were taken aback, “Break ins? Is everyone ok?”

The woman gave you a sympathetic look, “Unfortunately no, there have been a few attacks.”

Shock jolted through you. You had moved to the neighborhood for the safety that it provided. You hadn’t had the best of luck in your past, but this was supposed to be a fresh start.

“I’m sorry, I had no idea. I haven’t noticed anything unusual.” You managed to sputter out.

At that moment, your daughter let out a cry and you gave the officer a guilty look. “I’m so sorry, I have to get my daughter, you caught us in the middle of breakfast.”

Olivia gave you a nod, “That’s fine, go take care of her. But ma’am, if you think of anything, or see anything, please don’t hesitate to call,” she produced a business card and handed it to you.

You nodded and took the card, as you headed back into your house.

As you closed the door, you turned the card over in your hands before placing it on the table by the door and heading back to feed your daughter.

You had only just cut the pancake into a few more pieces when your phone pinged.

Boss: Who was that at your door?

Y/N: The cops, apparently there’s been some break ins around the neighborhood and a couple of people have been attacked. They were asking if I had seen anything.

Boss: I see. Have you seen anything?

You suddenly felt a pit in your stomach. Something didn’t feel right as you typed out your response.

Y/N: Honestly, no. I didn’t know that anything had been happening.

There was a long pause before your phone pinged again.

Boss: Good. I’m glad you haven’t had any issues.

Boss: I need you to come in for a meeting later today. 1:00, at the diner.

Y/N: I’ll see you there.

You turned back to your daughter and gave her a tight-lipped smile as you tried not to show her you were nervous. As you both finished breakfast, you got your daughter out of her chair and placed her in her playroom where she immediately went for the stuffed animals in the corner. While she created her own world with her stuffed animals, you sat in the rocking chair and tried not to think about what was to come that afternoon.

While you were trying not to think of your day, other thoughts started to intrude. Memories of how you met this man started to creep in.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

It was about three years ago; you had just been kicked out of your apartment due to not being able to pay your bills, and you were struggling. Your parents lived out of the country, and you couldn’t stay with them. Then you found out you were pregnant. That was your breaking point.

He found you when you came into a diner, looking for a cup of tea and maybe something to eat. You needed to warm up, the weather in New York could be unforgiving, and you had to keep yourself going, not just for yourself, but for the little bean growing inside you.

You had gone up to the counter and ordered, pulling out loose change and some crumpled bills to pay the waitress. You enjoyed the warmth of the diner as you waited for your food, unaware of the man in the corner booth watching you.

When your meal came out, you started eating. When you were about halfway done, you felt the presence of a someone sit next to you. You slowly looked up and saw that a man was looking down at you.

“Can I help you?” You asked as you wiped your mouth off with a napkin.

The man gave a short laugh, “Actually dear, I think it is I that can help you. You look like you’re in need of a place to stay, maybe a shower, and a few hot meals.”

You couldn’t deny that sounded nice, but you were hesitant. How could you trust this man, he could be trying to lure you away to cut you up and dump your remains in the river.

The man must have seen the hesitation in your face because he gave a boisterous laugh and smiled at you, “Trust me child, I mean you no harm, I just want to help you in these trying times.”

You rolled your eyes, “My momma always said, ‘Never trust anyone who says, “Trust me.”’ What makes you any different?”

The man looked you in the eye, suddenly very serious. “I never go back on my word. It’s very important to be a man of my word.”

You looked at him and you knew he was telling the truth. You were still hesitant, but you nodded. “I need help. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. I lost my apartment, which led to me losing my job. I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I’ve been living out of my car. And to top it all off I’m having a kid. I’ve been lucky enough to go to a free clinic to keep myself health, but I can’t do that forever.”

You found yourself telling this man everything. You couldn’t control it, it was basically word vomit, but when you were done, you looked up at him. He was nodding slightly and giving you a sympathetic look.

You suddenly didn’t have an appetite and pushed the plate away. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out money, putting it by your plate. He gently put his arm around you and led you out of the diner and into a very nice car that was waiting at the curb.

The man’s name turned out to be David, and he explained that he was the leader of an underground organization. You later learned this was code for he the leader of the mafia in Manhattan, that fact should have scared you away, but you were being taken care of. You knew that there was illegal activity happening, but you had been promised that so long as you stayed quiet, you’d be taken care of. This meant that you had the best medical attention, you had been able to move into a house, and you were able to raise your beautiful daughter in peace.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

And now you were being called back in by The Boss.

As the meeting time drew closer, you called your daughter’s babysitter and got everything set up for her to come over to watch her while you stepped out.

The knock on your door startled you. There was still time before your meeting, so you knew it wasn’t your babysitter.

Opening your door, you saw the same detective as before, but this time she was joined by a tall, muscular man.

“Sorry ma’am, we were just in the neighborhood recanvasing, and we just wanted to see if you had remembered anything from the past few days.” The man spoke this time, and his voice was comforting, but there was a sense of urgency about it.

Dread hit you like a ton of bricks, and you shook your head quickly. “I’m sorry, I haven’t remembered anything.  Now, please, I have to get ready for a meeting.”

You backed away and shut the door in their faces, turning quickly and going to your daughter. You made sure that she had everything that she would need for her time with the babysitter.

Eventually it was time to go to the diner. You kissed your daughter’s face and said your goodbyes, pausing by the door and slipping the detectives card in your pocket before you headed to your car and left for the diner.

After a short drive, you arrived at the diner and pulled into the lot. Climbing out of your car, you headed inside. The diner was eerily quiet and almost completely empty, minus a few staff and David in the corner booth with a large henchman standing beside the booth. David gestured to the other side of the booth, and you slid in. Taking your place in front of him, you looked him in the eyes and tried to not let your fear be too apparent.

David nodded at you. “I wanted to talk to you about some things that are going on around you. As you are now aware, your neighborhood has become a bit of a hotbed for criminal activity. I want you to know that you are completely safe. No harm will come to you. Some of the boys are just tying up some loose ends, but again, you have nothing to worry about. But, understandably, we’d appreciate it if you could keep it hush hush, you understand right?”

You looked at the man in front of you and gulped, slowly nodding. “I understand. But, why are you telling me this? I didn’t know anything about it.”

David grinned at you, a grin that gave you the heebie jeebies, “Think of this as a test. If you keep the secret, everything will continue to be fine. If you squeal,” he paused, “well, hopefully, you don’t have to find out what happens if you squeal.”

You felt all the color drain out of your face and you nodded again. “Of course. I can keep the secret. My daughter and I, we owe you our lives.”

David gave you a short nod, “That’s what I hoped to hear. You can go but remember what I said.”

You gave David a weak smile and all but bolted out of the booth and out to your car. Frantically, you pulled out of the parking lot and headed to one of your favorite bars, needing a drink after what you had just gone through.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

As you sat at the bar, you looked at the drink in front of you, trying to process what you had just been told. It all was just too much, and you were having trouble processing it. One of your hands rested by the glass while the other fiddled with the detective’s card in your pocket. Knowing what you should do, you found yourself pulling out the card and studying the letters and numbers intently.

Finally, you built up the courage and pulled out your phone, stepping away from the bar you typed in the phone number. After a few moments on the phone, you nodded and headed back to the bar, paying for your drink and leaving the building.

When you arrived at the Manhattan SVU precinct, your eyes immediately found Olivia and you went over to her. She ushered you into a room with another woman sitting at the table.

“Hello, Y/N, my name is Casey, Olivia has already told me a bit about what is going on, but, I’d like to go over it again with you.”

You nodded and sat at the table with Olivia and Casey. Taking a deep breath before telling them everything. By the time you finished telling them what was happening, you were in tears.

Casey reached across the table and gave your hand a squeeze. “With your help, we’re going to catch these bastards, and they’re going to go away for a long time. Olivia and I have already talked about it, and you’ll be getting police protection until this is done.”

You gave her a slight smile and squeezed her hand slightly. “Thank you, I just want this to be over with.”

The two women walked with you to the entrance of the precinct and you thanked them both again.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The last thing you remembered after leaving the SVU was heading back to your apartment. You had been looking forward to seeing your daughter after being away from her all day. You had told the babysitter that you would be home late, but you assured her you would be able to cover her extra time. You opened the door to your house to see nothing but darkness. Calling out the babysitter’s and your daughter’s name with no answer. Grabbing your key and pulling out your phone, you started to dial Casey’s number, then it all went black.

When you awoke, you found yourself in a dark room with your hands and feet bound to a chair in the middle of a room. There was a table in front of you and a large man in an ill—fitting suit sitting across from you.

“So, Miss Y/L/N, my boss was under the impression that we had an understanding. You keep your mouth shut and we keep you and your daughter safe. Imagine how upset our boss was to find out that you were talking to that lady ADA. Tell me, what did you talk to her with?” The man in front of you let out a sickening grin.

“I promise,” you pleaded with the man, “I didn’t say anything about you, they were curious about a string of break ins. Nothing to do with your organization at all. Please, where is my daughter, she and her babysitter were gone. I need to know they’re safe, please.”

The man looked at you, unfazed, as your pleas fell on deaf ears.

“Believe me, miss. Everything will turn up the way it is supposed to be in the end. Just you wait.” The man got up from the table and walked out the door as you struggled against your bindings, pleading for your daughter and her babysitter.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

When Casey got the phone call from you, she was confused. You had just left the building and you couldn’t have made it very far, so why not just come back inside? She quickly understood why when she answered the phone. She heard you struggling in the background and immediately got Olivia.

The two women quickly rallied the troops and explained the situation. Thankfully, you had given them a list of places that David and his goons liked to do their business, so the team split up to check them all.

Casey followed Liv to her car and got in without saying a word. She needed to help find you. There was something about you that made Casey need to make sure you were ok.

As the Liv and Casey made it to the diner, Casey noticed a torn piece of fabric on a branch around the side of the building. Liv called in for backup and then followed the worn path to the back of the building where the door of a storm shelter sat, unlocked with a rock propping the door open.

Casey heard another car pull in and within moments, Elliot was there beside his partner. Olivia motioned for Casey to wait outside while they ventured into the shelter.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

You sat there in the chair, head lolling from the force of so many punches. You could feel the blood dripping from the multiple lacerations to your face. You were certain that your hand was broken, and the clothes you had been wearing were sliced and torn till there was nothing left.

You tried to tell the men that you hadn’t done anything wrong, that all you wanted was your daughter, but somehow, they knew. They had followed you to the bar and then when you went in to talk to Olivia and Casey. They told you that they had bugged your phone, so they heard everything when you had called to schedule a meeting with them.

As another painful round of punches hit your flesh, you swore that you could hear the sounds of someone entering the room before everything went dark.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

When you woke up, you were blinded by the brightness of the room that you were in. After a few moments, the sounds of the machines in the hospital became more apparent. Blinking your eyes, you looked around the room. You nearly burst into flames when you saw your precious child curled up in Casey's lap.

You cleared your throat and spoke quietly, “Sorry about her, she can nap anywhere.”

Casey looked startled and then smiled, “That’s perfectly fine, she didn’t want to leave her mother.”

You gave a small chuckle, “That sounds like my girl. Is she ok? They didn’t do anything, did they?”

Casey shook her head softly, “She’s fine, so is the babysitter. They had them locked in the utility closet upstairs.”

You breathed a sigh of relief, “And David?”

Casey gave you a bigger smile, “Locked up. He won’t be coming out for a long while. Even with all that money.”

You grinned, “Thank goodness, I’m glad I don’t have to look over my shoulder. We need to move forward instead of staying in the past.”

Casey reached over and grabbed your hand. “I think that sounds like a fantastic idea.”

And that’s how Olivia found the two of you when she came to check in on you, holding hands and whispering to each other. As Olivia slowly backed out of the room to avoid being noticed, a smile began to grow on her face. Who knows what will come of that, but Olivia sure wasn’t about to ruin a beautiful moment. 

[marchtomydrums]

The Rules 10

Alex Cabot X Reader

Rated M

The next morning you wake up with your head pounding. Rolling over you barely peek your eyes open to see the sun shining through curtains. Groaning you carefully sit up in bed glancing around the room before finding Alex sitting at the small table looking at you. “What happened?” you groan rubbing your head.

“There's medicine and water on the table you should take it,” Alex says softly. Reaching over you take the meds draining the water in the cup.

“What happened?” you asked again.

“You don't remember last night?” she asked. Shaking your head no she sighs. “Why? Did I do something stupid?” you asked only to be met with silence. “Fuck. I'm sorry Alex. I don't know what happened. I've got a lot going on and I guess I just lost it. I'm sorry for whatever I did.” you tell her.

“It's okay,” she replies with a small smile.

“I didn't embarrass you did I?” you asked. She laughs “no you didn't.”

You sigh in relief “okay good. Wait. Don't you have meetings today? I'm fine you can go...”

“It's Sunday. I have no prior engagements today. “ she said cutting you off.

“Oh. Okay,” you mumbled pulling the covers over your exposed body.

“I was hoping we could go out for breakfast or lunch now I guess,” she says looking at her watch.

“Like together?” you asked her confused.

“Yes, like together,” she says chuckling. You smiled nodding your head “do you mind if I shower first?” you asked her.

“No. Take your time. I’ll be here,” she said smiling back at you.

An hour later you and Alex were sitting down at a diner a few blocks from the hotel. The two of you made small talk while you ate. Once you were finished Alex sighs sitting back in her seat. “Y/n we have to talk.”

“Okay,” you said softly focusing on her.

“Last night you said some things to me and I've thought about it a lot last night...”

“So I did do something stupid? Great,” you said cutting her off.

“No. We got into a disagreement when you wouldn't leave the club. You said that I didn't really know you and I only cared about myself. And you were right. Then after grey and I finally got you to the hotel you said you wished that I'd let you love me.” she tells you.

You sigh heavily as you try to piece together what happened last night. Leaning forward you speak “I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I was clearly wasted and as I said I've just got a lot going on. It won't happen again. “ you tell her.

Alex sighs “y/n do you remember the rules I set when we first started this?” you nod your head slowly.

“The number one rule was not to fall in love. And I think we can both agree it's been broken,” she says. You nod your head dropping your gaze to the table praying you could control your tears.

“I'm sorry,” you whispered holding back your cries.

“Me too. “ Alex said sighing. “Because I broke the rule too,” she said softly causing your head to snap up “what?”

Alex reaches over the table holding your hands in hers. “I love you. And no matter how hard I try I can't stop. But what you said last night showed me that I don't know you. So how can I love someone that I don't really know?” she says tears welling up in her eyes.

“What I'm trying to say is I want to know you. I want to learn everything there is to know about you. I want to be around you all the time. It kills me when you leave at night. And the thought of you being with someone else...I can't stomach it. But I'm scared. I'm scared because I'm broken and I don't want to cause you any more pain. That's why it's so easy for me to go to Olivia. She knows. She knows how broken I am. I know that I love you but I don't want to be selfish and hurt you. However, if you're up for it I'd like to try. “ she says tears pouring down her face as she holds tightly to your hands.

“You love me?” you asked shocked. She nods her head sniffling “I do.” Sighing you get up sliding into the booth next to Alex.

“Alex, I'm broken too. I know that I had no right to be but I was upset when I opened that door and seen Olivia. It hurt me so much and it pissed me off because I knew I shouldn't have. I love you. As long as you're willing to try I am too. But some things need to change.”

“I’ll do it. Whatever it is I will do it,” she says cutting you off. “Tell me and I'll do it,” she says pulling your hand to her mouth placing a gentle kiss on your palm.

“Okay, first no more running to Olivia when things get hard. You have to talk to me. Tell me what is going on in that head of yours. This won't be easy and I can't make it work alone. You have to be in this too to make it work. “

“I will be. I promise.”

“Don't make promises you can't keep Alex. It will be hard. We're both stubborn and have tempers. “ you chuckled. Alex laughs nodding her head.

“Anything else?” she asked.

“Well, you probably shouldn't be paying me if we're dating.” you chuckle.

“No, I shouldn't. But can I keep the accounts for you? I meant what I said I want you to be able to focus on school instead of bills. Plus if you're working all the time how will I get to spend any time with you? “ she laughs.

“We’ll see how it goes. How does that sound?” Alex nods “Okay.”

“Y/n I'm really sorry about sleeping with Olivia. It doesn't happen often I swear. “ she tells you.

“I know. I'm sorry too for how I reacted.”

“Can I kiss you?” she asked. “In public?” you asked looking around the crowded diner.

“Yes,” she whispered. You smile nodding your head as she leans closer to you placing a gentle kiss on your lips. You groaned when she pulled away missing the feeling of her soft lips against yours. Alex chuckles pulling you in for a hug. Pulling back she cradles your face in her hands.

“We can take it slow. Go on dates. Whatever you want to do I'll do it. I really want to make this work. And I'll call Olivia and tell her. “ she tells you. You nod “okay.”

“You know under different circumstances you and Olivia would get along. You two are a lot alike. It may not make sense but she's my friend, my best friend. The sex is just that sex. It's like an escape from the world for me. It doesn't mean anything serious. “

“I know. I understand. And if I'm being honest I looked her up. She seems like a nice person. “

“She is. But I will have a conversation with her. Okay? “

“Okay,” you say kissing her again. She smiles into the kiss before pulling back.

“Let's get out of here. We have to pack and be ready for our flight tonight,” she tells you. You nod your head as the two of you get up and exit the diner. Once the two of you are in the car you quickly lean across the seat pulling Alex into a heated kiss. She moans into the kiss holding you in place as your lips danced across each other. Pulling back for the air you sigh as you lean your forehead against hers “promise me this is real. Promise you won't change your mind once we get back to New York.” you whisper through your tears. Alex pulls you in for another kiss before speaking “I promise.” she says smiling against your lips. “I promise,” she repeats pulling your body into hers as you rest your head on her shoulder.

[calamitykaty]

Breathe You In

Alive!Luke x Fem! Reader 

Requested: Yes and no? This originated from an ask game and @dream-a-little-bigger-x​ asked what a story titled ‘Breathe You In’ would be about so...this is it. 

word count: 3259

Warnings: mention of anxiety, I don’t think there is anything else but if there is then let me know and I will add a warning! 

A/N:  Huge huge huge shout out to @dream-a-little-bigger-x​ for helping me with this and letting me bounce ideas...and for encouraging me to write this one...and to post it cause I second guessed a lot with this one. 

Luke stood on her porch, barely lit by the dim porch light with his hands stuffed in his pockets. His eyes were red and puffy from tears cried beforehand. It had happened again. She opened the door and immediately wrapped her arms around his shoulders like she always did. His arms tightly wrapped around her waist in response and he buried his head in the crook of her neck. 

“You’ll be okay.” She assured him as she pulled back from the embrace. She lifted her hands to his face and wiped away the tears that gathered on her thumbs and smiled at him. Her smile was soft and nurturing, the way it always was when she looked at him. She was his constant, always there for him, never changing. 

She wiped her hands on her jeans and grabbed the boy by the hand, pulling him into her house. Luke closed his eyes as he breathed in, vanilla and cinnamon filled his nostrils and eased the tension in his shoulders. 

“What happened this time?” 

Luke opened his eyes as the question lingered in the air. This time. There always seemed to be a this time. They fight and break up, kiss and makeup, and y/n  was always left with the fallout. She was always left to pick up the pieces until Luke didn’t need her anymore.

“Luke?” She placed her hand on his bicep. 

Luke wiped his eyes with the back of his left hand and shrugged “I’m just...I’m just never good enough for her.” 

Y/N pulled her top lip into her mouth and hesitated on her response. This wasn’t the first time Luke had said those words to her and she could never wrap her mind around why he constantly went back to Olivia when she was standing right there in front of him, ready to love him the way he deserved to be loved. 

“You are more than good enough, Luke.” Y/N finally settled on, she couldn’t stomach arguing with him about Olivia again. 

Luke’s lips were on hers as soon as those words had left her mouth. She didn’t hesitate to kiss him back even though she knew it didn’t mean the same thing to him as it did to her. Luke needed comfort and she would settle a million times over for fleeting moments with him. 

“Can I stay?” Luke’s forehead was pressed to hers and his thumb lazily traced the outline of her jaw before running softly over her bottom lip. 

“Yeah--” she breathed out, “of course, I’ll get you some clothes.” 

Luke dropped his hand from her face as she turned away from him and headed to her room. Luke followed behind her and stood in the doorway where he watched as she pulled open the bottom drawer of her dresser, his drawer. She pulled out a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt and held them out to him. 

Luke sauntered across the room and grabbed the items from her hand and began undressing. Y/N’s cheeks burned red and she averted her eyes from his toned chest to the floor. 

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, y/n” Luke teased. 

“Do you want to watch a movie?” Y/N changed the topic as she turned back to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pajama shorts and a t-shirt for herself. Her brows pulled forward in confusion when Luke grabbed the items from her hands and placed them back in the dresser. He avoided the girl's questioning gaze and pulled one of his t-shirts from the drawer reserved for him and handed it to. 

“You’re ridiculous” She snorted but grabbed the t-shirt from his hand anyways and motioned for the boy to turn around. 

Luke obliged but not with scoffing “and I’m the ridiculous one? I’ve seen your body before or did you forget about that time---”

He was cut off by the sound of his phone vibrating in his discarded jeans. He bent down and grabbed the phone from the pocket of his jeans. He turned around and faced Y/N, his eyes flicked between the name on his phone and the girl standing in front of him wearing nothing but his t-shirt. Y/N felt her heart drop as Luke’s thumb pressed the green button and he walked out of the room. Y/N stayed in her spot with her eyes on the door, she let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding in when Luke walked back into the room. She could see the smile that was threatening to take over his face and instantly knew what that meant.

“Let me guess, Olivia said she’s really sorry and that she overreacted and you should come over?” 

Luke’s smile faltered at the coldness in her voice “Yeah, but I told her I would come round to hers later because I’m watching a movie with you first.” 

Y/N pursed her lips and tried her hardest to not roll her eyes before she grabbed the remote from her nightstand and moved to the bed where Luke was already situating himself. She started the movie and laid her head on Luke’s chest, only half paying attention to the tv screen as Luke’s fingers tangled in her hair and massaged her scalp ever so slightly. Her mind began to race along with her heart and she suddenly felt like she was tearing at the seams. 

“I’ll be back…” she muttered as she pushed herself up. 

“You okay?” Luke looked at her with worry in his eyes. 

“yeah...I just have to use the bathroom” she gave a tight lipped smile and excused herself. 

Y/N closed the bathroom door and gripped the edge of the counter as her breaths came in desperate gulps. She closed her eyes and began to count in beats of four until her breathing slowed down. “Pull yourself together, Y/N.” She whispered to herself before letting go of the counter and staring at herself in the mirror for several seconds. The back and forth between her and Luke had been going on for almost as long as she could remember and she had always been fine with it. She had accepted a long time ago that she was always going to be the fallback, never the choice, but that didn’t stop her feeling like she was a flame being snuffed out every time he went back to Olivia. 

Y/N wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before turning off the bathroom light and making her way back to her bedroom. She froze in the doorway at the sight of Luke putting his jeans back on. 

‘You’re leaving? It’s been like twenty minutes…” 

Luke shot her an apologetic smile as he placed the pajamas he had been wearing back into his drawer. 

“I’m sorry,” Y/N closed her eyes at those words and how she despised hearing them leave his lips. How he always said those words before leaving her. 

“Olivia called again and said something was wrong, I told her I would come over right away. You understand, right?” 

Y/N opened her eyes and nodded, forcing a smile as Luke pecked her on the cheek before he passed by her to leave the bedroom. 

“When Olivia calls…” she mumbled to herself and moved over to the bed. She turned the tv off and pulled the blankets tightly around her body, not bothering to try to hold back the tears as they landed on her pillow.

When she woke up it was to her cellphone vibrating wildly on her nightstand. She rolled over and pulled the phone free from the charging cord and swiped the green button before placing the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She mumbled through the receiver

"Good morning, junebug!" Her friend,Jade, sang through the speaker. 

"Too early…" y/n muttered and cleared her throat to shake her morning voice away.

"It's almost 10am." 

she could practically feel Jade rolling her eyes at her.

"I'm up, I'm up…" y/n sighed

"That's what I like to hear! Meet me at Bryan's in twenty? I'll have a latte waiting for you!"

"Mhmmm" y/n hummed before dropping the phone on her bed and stretching her arms above her head. She stood up and made her way over to her closet where she grabbed a pair of ripped jeans and her favorite jumper. She moved to the bathroom where she quickly changed before pulling her hair into a messy top knot and brushing her teeth. 

She walked back to her room and grabbed her phone from her bed and shoved it into her pocket, ignoring the stream of text messages that flooded in from Luke. 

"Juuuunnnneeeeebug!" She heard Jade shriek from the corner table as she walked into Bryan's Diner. She felt her ears turn red as several patrons turned their attention to her. She ducked her head down and scooted into the booth, opposite of Jade.

"You are so embarrassing!"

Jade folded her arms on the table and pouted "someone is in a foul mood today…"

"I'm sorry...I had a rough night and I shouldn't be taking it out on you" Y/n apologized and took a sip from the latte that sat on the table in front of her.

Jade pursed her lips, knowing that the cause to Y/N’s bitter mode was one certain green eyed, brown haired boy, 

“You can just say it,” Y/N rolled her eyes, “I know you don’t like Luke.”

Jade hesitated as she got her thoughts together, knowing that she was approaching a sensitive topic with Y/N. 

“You’re right, I don’t like Luke,” she reached across the table and grabbed Y/N’s hand, “ I don’t like Luke because of how he makes you feel, Y/N.”

Y/N opened her mouth to defend Luke out of habit. It was an instinct to always stand up for him, one that she had perfected after years of practice. She closed her mouth when Jade held her left hand up to her.

“I have kept my mouth shut for a very long time, Y/N, but I can’t anymore! I have watched that boy wear you down time after time and I can’t just keep watching him destroy you.” 

“I’ll be fine, Jade.” 

Jade scoffed and threw her hands up in exasperation “you shouldn’t be just fine though, Y/N! You should be great!” Jade's tone softened as she continued “you should feel loved and chosen and cherished…and Luke is never going to make you feel those things.” 

Y/N avoided Jade’s gaze on her and instead focused on tearing the napkin in her hands into small squares, 

“You don’t know that…” she whispered and watched the pieces of napkins float across the table from the deep breath she sighed out.

Jade closed her eyes and cursed herself for what she was about to bring up, knowing that she was going to be hurting Y/N by doing so. 

“Do you remember junior prom?” 

“Why would you bring that up?” Y/N dropped the napkin and looked up at Jade with her eyes narrowed. 

 “Olivia dumped Luke for the 100th time and he asked you to go to prom with him. You had the most amazing dress and you looked like a dream...and he left you standing in the corner by yourself because Olivia decided to take him back.” 

“Jade, stop!” Y/N demanded.

 Jade shook her head and pressed on “Do you not remember how heartbroken you were? How disposable he made you feel, Y/N? Has he really done this so many times that you’re just desensitized to it now?”

Jade paused and lowered her voice “I’m just saying, that you need to choose yourself, love. Because that boy has had every opportunity to choose you and he hasn’t….so stop choosing him. Choose you.”

Y/N licked her lips and quickly slid out of the booth, not bothering to notice that she knocked over her latte in the process. The milky brown liquid spilled over the edge of the table as she hurriedly made her way to the door. She gasped for air as she stood in front of the diner and contemplated her next move, deciding to walk through downtown to the used record store, the place where she had first met Luke. 

She pulled her phone from her back pocket as she walked through the busy downtown sidewalk, shoulders bumping hers and apologies quietly escaping her lips for each person she bumped into. She clicked on her messages seeing a handful of texts from Luke that she had ignored earlier. She clicked on the first message and scrolled down through each of them. Without surprise, each message was Luke rambling about how he and Olivia had made up and everything was great. Y/N decided to not message him back and slid her phone back into her pocket. 

She pulled on the door to the record store and stepped in, her eyes scanned across the rows of tables that were filled with cardboard boxes that held endless amounts of vinyls. She breathed in the unique smell of the store, one that she couldn’t recreate if she had tried. 

“Hi, Don.” She waved to the man at the register as she walked towards the rock section. Her fingers grazed over the tops of the boxes until she stood in the exact spot she had met Luke.

 Her dad brought her to the record store when she was twelve and she had started to show a real interest in music. She remembered her dad telling her to choose five albums and he would buy them for her and how she immediately gravitated to the rock section. She remembered how she pulled an Elvis Costello album out only to be met with resistance from a boy on the other side of the table holding the other side of the record. She remembered how even back then she had set aside her own wants for his and how she let him have the record, assuring him she would find something just as good. 

Y/N swallowed as she thought back to what Jade had said about Luke not choosing her. She thought back to him leaving her the night before and every other time before that. She thought back to them being fourteen and Luke telling her he liked a really pretty girl and that Y/N knew her really well. She remembered blushing when she thought he was talking about her and how her heart fell to her stomach when he asked if she could help him get Olivia’s attention.

 She thought back to the first big fight that he had with Olivia when Olivia told Y/N there wasn’t room in Luke’s life for the both of them. She remembered being so sure that Luke was going to choose her and she remembered feeling so low when Luke swung by her house after school and told her that she would just have to be his secret until he could get Olivia to come around. 

Y/N was brought back to reality when the door chimed as someone entered the record shop. Her ears pricked at the familiar voice that said hello to Don. She looked over her shoulder to find Luke chatting with Don, his arms slung over Olivia’s shoulders as she leaned into him. Y/N bit her lip and made a beeline for the door. She had always seen Don’s as their place and it hurt her that he would bring Olivia there of all places. She swung the door open, ignoring Luke as he called her name out. 

Y/N spent the next week purposefully avoiding places that she knew Luke would likely be at. She had ignored countless text and phone calls from him as she processed what choosing herself meant. Y/N sighed as she placed the last of Luke’s belongings in a box and headed downstairs to place them by the door. Her brows furrowed as she hit the last stair and heard a loud pounding on her front door. She placed the box down before opening the door to find Luke standing on the other side with his arms crossed over his chest and his jaw locked tightly. 

Y/N sighed and moved to close the door only to be met with resistance as Luke’s hand held the door in place before he pushed the door open and slipped past her. 

“You’ve been avoiding me, why?’ Luke snarled.

Y/N quietly closed the door and turned to face Luke. She could feel the hot tears rushing towards the front of her eyes and she blinked quickly to try to hold them back.

Luke’s face softened as he took in the girl’s demeanor and he stepped forward “y/n, talk to me, please? What did I do? I’ll make it better, I promise.” 

He reached out to grab her hand but she flinched back and wrapped her arms around her body in an attempt to hold herself together. 

Luke dropped his hand back to his side “Y/N, please…” he begged for a response. 

“I can’t be this for you anymore,” she choked out and shook her head. “You...you’re like secondhand smoke and I keep breathing you in but I can’t breathe anymore, Luke.” 

She looked up to meet Luke’s eyes and could feel the tears breaking through the rim of her eyelids

 “I love you Luke and--” she choked on a sob, “ I can’t live this way anymore, I can’t be the spark in your life while Olivia is the flame….I’m the one that’s turning into ashes...a-and .I-i can’t do this.”  Her hands frantically moved to her face to wipe away the steady stream of tears that were falling from her eyes. 

“I think you should leave, Luke.” She avoided his eyes, knowing that if she saw how sad they looked she would just give in to him.

 Luke moved forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders despite her resistance.“Please don’t do this. You’re my best friend, Y/N.” He whispered into her hair, his own tears tracking down his cheeks. 

Y/N pushed against his chest and freed herself from his grip. She raked her right hand through her hair and laughed “that’s the problem, Luke.” 

She moved over to the box by the front door and lifted it up before walking back over to Luke.

 “I can’t pretend that I’m not completely in love with you, Luke. I tried so hard to do that already and look where that’s gotten me…” she shook her head and pushed the box into Luke’s hands. 

“Please…” Luke choked out. 

Her heart broke at Luke’s strained voice and it took everything in her to turn away from him and pull the front door open despite Luke’s pleas. 

“Y/N, please, we can fix things! I can fix this….please let me fix this.” 

It was a scene that had played out so many times in their relationship, Luke on her porch crying because his heart was breaking. Only, this time she was the cause for his broken heart and she was exiling him from her house instead of inviting him in.

“I can’t breathe you in anymore, Luke. I’m sorry.”

She gently closed the door and twisted the lock leaving Luke standing with his box of clothing in his hands and his heart at her doorstep.

@straywonpil @siennanoelle01 @choppedhoundsludgeclod @cool-ultra-nerd @hxney-bunches-x @crybabyddl @sorryyoureoutofmyleague @dream-a-little-bigger-x @kcd15 @all-in-fangirl @ifilwtmfc @onlygetaway @iainttakingshitfromnobody @angryknightstatesmantrash @jazzyhales @bathtimejish @lanasfandoms @miranda0102 @emotionalbruv@aliandthephantoms  @multifandombabies @kinda-really-lost​ @5sosmukefan  @s0uz4s @vicesvsvirtuesfanfic​ 

also @n0wornever​ I don’t know if you wanted to be tagged in this but this is the one from this morning that I finally finished 

[thatesqcrush]

Retrouvaille

Rafael Barba x Reader. For @barbasimp - winner of Holiday Bingo. Prompt: Maybe a fic where Rafael and the reader were a thing before he left new york after the incident, but when he comes back he sees how close Carisi and the reader are and gets HELLA JEALOUS.

AN: This takes immediately during 22x04, “Sightless in a Savage Land.”  Script found here.  Coffee reference (above and in the fic - from 19x9, Gone Baby Gone.

AN2: Using “Sway” by The Kooks for VDay bingo. Lyrics denoted in bold.

AN3: Retrouvaille is a French word meaning rediscovery - the happiness of meeting or finding someone after a long separation. 

Warnings: language & smut (p in v sex, implied cunnilingus).  WC: 3.3K

****

To say you were anxious was an understatement; your leg bounced restlessly as you and your Captain sat in the diner. It had been unbearably cold and despite still wearing your parka and the hot cup of coffee in front of you, you could not warm up.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Olivia replied as she poured some milk into her coffee. She stirred the coffee with one hand and reached out to grab your hand from across with the other. “You don’t have to be here.”

“Nope, I am good.” You replied coolly, your lips emphasizing the ‘p’ sound. You looked out the window, watching the people mill about on the street. A blast of cold breezed through the diner. You looked past Olivia and you felt your stomach flop at the sight of the man approaching the booth. You stood and switched sides of your seat, choosing to sit next to Olivia.

The last time you saw Rafael Barba, he was worn and depressed, with tears lining his eyes as he stood in front of the courthouse. It was there he poured his love for you making your heart swell before he shattered it into a million pieces as he broke things off with you. You were a wreck after, to the point you needed to take time off to get your affairs back in order. The apartment you shared with him was no longer your safe space  and no longer inhabitable. Rafael told you to keep the engagement ring. You took it off that night and left it in a lock box at your bank. Photos of you and him during happier times were taken down from your locker and tossed in the trash. Plans for the future - for a shared life together were gone, like a sandcastle being washed away by the sea.

Now Rafael appeared just as handsome as he did all those years ago. His hair was a more pronounced shade of salt and pepper and instead of being clean shaven, a beard graced his face. The infamous camel pea coat was swapped out for a grey one. Instead of a three piece bespoke suit under it, he wore dark jeans and a blue and pink checkered shirt. He turned to the counter and requested a coffee before he sat down in front of you. 

“Barba.” You greeted, taking a sip of your coffee.

“Olivia!” Rafael replied brightly. He shrugged his coat off and looked at you. “Y/N, it’s good to see you again.”

You didn’t reply, instead choosing to sip your coffee once more. Rafael shifted in his seat and looked at Olivia. “So--”

“Liv’s said you’ve been busy.” You spoke, cutting him off. “What have you been up to?” 

You knew Rafael had kept in touch with Olivia. She had mentioned Rafael here and there in conversation with you and the squad.

You knew Mickey Davis deserved a good defense. You were, however, caught off guard when Olivia suggested that perhaps Rafael could help secure a deal. You didn’t even know he was back in New York.

“Consulting with the Innocence Project, defending voting rights on the ground. I've barely slept since the election ended.”

“Liv said once everything cleared up, you might consider doing defense work.” You continued. 

“Her case or Fin’s?” Barba asked. 

“The city settled one of Fin’s. Liv's still waiting on her day in the barrel, but that's not why we're here. 

“It should be -- sorry.” Rafael shrugged, looking at Olivia. 

Olivia gave Rafael a small smile. “Hypothetically, if we... arrested a defendant who was not innocent…”

“Decorated vet. Six tours in Afghanistan. Comes home to find his daughter raped by her foster father--” You interjected. 

“And he shoots the guy point-blank range three times?” Rafael questioned. Both you and Olivia give him a pointed look. “Hypothetically.”

“So you're all caught up.” Olivia replied, now picking up her own cup.

“All right, hold on.” Rafael shook his head. “Did Carisi ask you to intervene on Davis' behalf?”

“Well, actually, Carisi doesn't know that we're here.” You murmured.

Rafael laughed. “Of course not. Wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“We wanted to see if you would feel him out. And see if he would cut Mickey a deal.” Olivia continued.

“With Carisi's stomach? He won't have the stomach to take this to trial.” Rafael rolled his eyes. “This case is a dog.”

“Really? Some mentor you are. Not even believing in your protege.” You sneered.

Rafael cocked a brow at you while Liv put a hand on your shoulder, in an attempt to comfort you. You jerked your shoulder away from her, and stood. You tossed some bills onto the table. 

“Sorry, Liv. I thought I could handle this. But I can’t. I’ll see you tomorrow.” You heard Liv call out your name as you stormed out of the diner, but not once did you look back.

Rafael looked at Liv, a frown on his face. “Honestly, I am surprised she didn’t leave sooner.” 

***

You and Phoebe were watching through the double-mirror in the squadroom as Kat and Rollins interrogated a suspect. Phoebe watched as Carisi approached you and she tapped your shoulder, nodding towards him. 

You looked over at Carisi and smiled. “How did voire dire go?”

Carisi sighed, crossing his arms. “It was the Rafael Barba show, charming and cherry-picking jurors for twelve straight hours.”

“He was always a dog with a bone.” You replied. “Walk with me to my desk. I am gonna order some Chinese.”

“I gotta know, Y/N. I saw Barba’s witness list, and he tracked down Ajay's other foster kids, ACS employees, VA shrinks. How big of a staff does he have?”

“I can’t say but know that I am not helping him out.” You hissed in a whisper.

Carisi huffed. “It's fine. Barba was here before me. He was your--”

You held up a hand. “No! That doesn't mean I'm more loyal to him than I am to you. You forget - he broke up with me. He wanted nothing to do with me. Why should I help him?”

Carisi’s ears turned pink and when saw the broken look on your face, he felt shitty. “Y/N, I am so sorry.”

You shook your head. “Dinners on you Mr. ADA and all will be forgiven.”

***

When Rafael entered the squadroom, it was late - he did not expect to see you. But there you were, Carisi perched on the corner of your desk, laughing. Seeing you and Carisi together like that - his jealousy flared and he wondered if there was something more than friendship going on. You plucked food out of the takeout container and offered Carisi a bite. You grabbed a napkin and reached up to Carisi’s face and you were about to say something when you spotted Rafael. Your laughter subsided and you smacked Carisi on the knee and pointed to Rafael. As he made way to your desk, you murmured something to Carisi and made a beeline to the locker room, dropping your food on your desk, causing it to spill a bit. The chopsticks fell to the ground with a clatter.

Rafael paused mid-stride and turned to follow, when Carisi approached him and blocked his path. “Barba, I don’t know why you’re here, but leave Y/N alone.”

“Is there a problem Carisi?”

Carisi jutted his jaw, clearly displeased. “Just leave Y/N alone - you hurt her. I know you never meant to. Don’t make it worse.”

“I came here to talk to her. That’s all.” Rafael huffed, before pushing past the young attorney to follow you, much to Carisi’s protests. 

**

You sat on the bench in front of your locker, crying. You dropped your head in your hands, your body shaking. You heard the sound of footsteps and you stood up, wiping your eyes. 

“Y/N.” Rafael’s voice was dark and deep, and hearing your name escape his lips sent shivers down your spine.

“Rafael! What are you doing here? Y’know you’re really not supposed to be back here!” You hissed, dabbing your eyes once more with your sleeves. 

“I wanted to check in with you.”

“Why? You’re not my boyfriend anymore.” You replied, as you grabbed your belongings. You slammed your locker shut, the metal clanging sound echoed. 

There was another sound of footsteps. Now it was Carisi who arrived. “Y/N, you okay?”

You looked at Carisi. ‘I’m fine. I’ll be out in just a bit.” Carisi nodded and made his way back out. 

You adjusted the strap of your bag. “Move.”

“No, I’m not your boyfriend anymore.” Rafael agreed, but not moving. You stepped to the side and Rafael followed your movement, blocking your way.

“Move.” You commanded. “Now.”

When he did not budge, you let out an exasperated sigh. “Say whatever you have to say. Get it out.”

“I just wanted to say I am sorry for everything. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Rafael replied.

“Suddenly you care? Please, I have plenty of people in my life who have taken an active role in that. I have gotten by just fine since you left.”

“Who? Carisi? Trading in one lawyer for another? You got a kink or something?" Rafael replied haughtily. 

You snorted in derision. “You know what, you can go fuck right off.” You pushed past him and Rafael grabbed your wrist and pulled you flush to him. Rafael met your eyes, they were puffy and red from you crying. 

“What are you--” You began, but Rafael crushed his lips against yours. You were initially stiff, but you relaxed into his embrace, allowing for the kiss to happen. You let out a soft moan and Rafael used the opportunity to deepen the kiss, by sliding his tongue into yours. Rafael wrapped his arms around your waist and you wrapped yours around his neck, dropping your purse to the ground.

“I love ya.” Rafael rumbled into your ear before dipping his head to your neckline, sucking a mark that you knew you would not be able to hide.

At his words, you pushed Rafael away. “What the fuck? You can’t just barge back into New York, into my life, say that you still love me and expect me to forgive you on the spot!” You were angry, there was a fire in your eyes that Rafael had been at the end of before, and he dropped his head, shamed. He took a seat on the bench and you followed suit, sitting next to him. “Me, the squad… that was always your M.O. - take whatever you want to take - to hurt the ones you love. You never thought about the consequences of your actions on others - nevermind baby Drew.”

“I know. I am an asshole.  I know this is the wrong time and the wrong place but I had to tell you. I love you. And I regret the way I left things with you. And if you tell me you don’t love me - that you still don’t feel the same way - I’ll leave. After the case - you’ll never hear from me or see me again.”

Deep down you knew you still loved Rafael. You had always loved him. You didn’t initially understand why he did what he did with baby Drew or why he left, but with therapy, time, and deep talks with Liv, you understood. It didn’t mean you weren’t angry - you were - but you could see why Rafael felt he had no choice but to leave.

“I need your heart. I need your soul. And getting over you was the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do.” You replied, not answering his question. Your breath was still uneven from the tears you shed. You were worn and all you wanted to do was go home. You stood and slung your purse over your shoulder. “I am going home. Figure your shit out but don’t expect me to wait around.”

Carisi watched as you stormed away, with Rafael trailing behind you. He was going to say something but he noticed how Rafael allowed for the space between you and him to grow. 

***

The following morning you were getting ready for the day as usual. Coffee was brewing, music was blasting, you were digging around for some clean clothes. There was a staccato knock on the door. You ignored it and found a shirt from the pile of clothes and sniffed it.

There was a second knock, this time louder than first. “I am coming!” You shouted as you tugged your shirt on. You huffed as you marched to the door before tripping over a stack of books that you were planning on donating to your neighborhood library.

You swore loudly and hobbled over to the door. Swinging it open, you all but shouted, “What do you wa--”

On the other side was Rafael. Holding a tray of coffee and a paper bag, that you presumed were some kind of sweets. “I know I am the last person you want to see. I don’t know what to do. Um… do you want some coffee?”

You wrinkled your nose, but you took a step forward and plucked the pastry bag from his grasp. You opened it and inhaled the fresh pastries; your stomach rumbled in response. You reached in and grabbed a honeybun. 

“Come in.” You waved him in before taking a bite of the sticky pastry. Sorry it’s not more neat.”

Rafael made his way in. You entered your apartment, turning the lights on as you made your way in. 

“It’s fine.” Rafael replied as he took in your new-to-him space. There were elements that reminded him of your time together, but it was more uniquely you than anything else.

“You said something yesterday that has stayed in my mind all night long.” Rafael sat down on your couch. 

“Yeah? And what’s that?” You asked, taking a seat across from him. You reached over and plucked the two coffees from 

“I need your heart. I need your soul. All this time away from you has made me realize that. I am sorry for hurting you - for even breaking things off the way I did.” He confessed. “But then I realized, I couldn’t do it. All this time… I still love you.”

You didn’t respond and Rafael felt his heart sink. His stomach knotted and he thought he would throw up. 

You were quiet when you finally did speak. “I still love you too.”

Rafael looked at you, a huge grin on his face. He was overjoyed to hear your proclamation. “So now what?”

You furrowed your brows and an idea came to you, your face brightening. “I suppose we’re due for some makeup sex.”

Rafael blinked. “What?”

You stood up and tugged off your top. “Look, I don’t know about you - but it’s been awhile and I have needs. Are you complaining?”

Rafael stood, shrugging off his coat and also making quick removal of his clothes. “No, not at all. Just not what I expected to happen.”

You were down to your panties. “Just gotta make one call.” Rafael nodded, continuing to undress. You grabbed your phone and called Liv. “Hey, Liv - personal emergency, I won’t be able to make it - no everything will be fine - no you don’t need to come by. I’ll make it up. Thanks.”

You tossed your phone onto the couch and stretched out your hand. “Come on.”

**

Rafael groaned as he pounded into you with punctuated thrusts. You grabbed the sheets desperately as pleasure coursed your body. Being reunited with Rafael was almost too much - no one ever fucked you as well as he did - and no one ever made you feel complete as he did. Rafael pushed your knee higher, changing the angle. His cock hit you at a new angle and you cried out.

“Oh fuck, fuck, yes, just like that!” Your back arched slightly. He dropped his mouth to yours, swallowing your moans as he slid his tongue into yours. Rafael quickened his pace and you snaked your hand between your bodies to rub your clit. 

“Gonna… fuck… gonna come…” Rafael groaned. 

“Come for me, give it to me.” You panted. “Need it. Need you.”

Rafael stiffened, groaning your name as he came, filling the condom you insisted he wear for the time being. You continued to rub with one hand as your orgasm approached, you used your other hand to grip his arm tightly. You threw your head back as you cried out Rafael’s name as your orgasm peaked and washed over you. 

Rafael pressed a kiss to the top of your forehead as your body grew slack. He removed himself and rolled his body off yours. He removed the condom, tying it in a knot before disposing it into the trash bin at the foot of your bed. Rafael rejoined you in the bed and you curled into his embrace.

You stroked his chest softly, running the tips of your fingers through his chest hair. “We have a lot to work on.”

Rafael grabbed your hand and pressed a kiss to your knuckles. “I know, hermosa.”

You looked up at him. “For us to work - it’s going to take time. We have a lot to work on - a lot to unpack.”

“As long as it takes. I don’t want to lose you again.”

You propped yourself up and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Well, since we have so much time ahead of us now… why don’t we make up for lost time?” 

Rafael arched his brow and you squealed as he pulled you up on top of him.He kissed you deeply and rolled you onto your back once more. He began to press kisses along your body, shimmying down. 

He got to the apex of your thighs and spread your legs. You met his eyes and he winked before dropping his mouth to you again.

FIN.

***

Tags: @mgarner1227   @madpanda75  @tropes-and-tales @dreamlover31 @beardedmccoy @youreverycolor @neely1177 @witches-unruly-heart @mrsrafaelbarba @skittle479 @ottosuricato @sass-and-suspenders @mommakat32 @dreila03  @beccabarba @garturbo @lovebennycolonmiguelgalindo @imjustreallynosy @sweetsummertime99 @whyissvuruiningmylovelife @annabelleb49 @scarletsoldierrr @cesarofangirl78 @redlipstickandplaid @redlipstickandblacktea @zoeykaytesmom @differentshadesofgray @misssirenlove @esparza-army @bananas-pajamas @mishaissocoolike @thefanficfaerie @theenchantedgalleryofstories @catnip987 @choppedgalaxynerd @pieceofshittytitty @ktiz90 @evee87 @itsjustmyfantasyroom @detective-giggles @rampantmuses @jazzyjoi @stormtrooperofficerbrowneyes @rachelxwayne @prurientpuddlejumper @lv7867 @permanentlydizzy @bisexual-dreamer02 @madamsnape921 @averyhotchner​ @teamsladsandgents @qvid-pro-qvo @alwaysachorusgirl @amelia-song-pond @wanniiieeee  @tintinxtintin @law-nerd105 

[bbrandy2002]

Fool’s Rush In

Part 15

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam x MC

Warnings: mild violence

Series Premise: With two weeks until Liam is to marry Madeleine – his pick during the social season – the guys throw him a bachelor party in Vegas. After a drunken night, he finds himself with more than he bargained for.

Thanks @burnsoslow​ for the beta read.

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

Supposedly, the more a person suffered in the name of love, the more it showed they really cared. 

At least, that's what Riley thought. 

After nightfall of this particular evening -- when she least expected it -- she never realized how much truth that belief held. 

Or how much it would hurt to sacrifice the one person who made her believe she was worthy of love and saw who she really was on the inside.

Her dainty arm -- a delicate bronze in color, sleek, with a glittering red strap across one shoulder -- linked through the arm of the man she had grown to love more than life itself as they entered the palace ballroom. Working tirelessly over the last week to ensure everything went off without a hitch had taken its toll on her. All she could think about, as she shook hands and charmed dignitaries with a sparkle in those twinkling brown eyes, was how much sleep she planned to make up for after the ball ended.

This ball was to introduce the King and his new bride to the Cordonian court for the first time. A show of solidarity and, hopefully, strength. A way to establish that what happened in a tiny chapel 10,000 miles away weeks ago between two strangers wasn't a careless mistake, and that she could handle the duties bestowed on her as a common American woman. 

Or at least pretend she could for now.

However, for the King and the "Jewel of His Heart" whom he escorted through the curious crowd of pretentious naysayers in extravagant gowns and tuxes, with their fake smiles and tedious posturing ...

It was nothing less than fate. 

Riley was the key that unlocked that safe space deep inside Liam's heart that had been sheltered for so long, waiting for the perfect person to come along and open it. This was the place where he kept his most sacred feelings: a genuine love, never-ending laughter, joy, romance, ecstasy, and every dream he ever held for the future -- one he presumed would never exist in any form he longed for. 

But she didn't just unlock it. Riley shattered it wide open, where everything came flooding out at once and consumed him like a raging wildfire. 

And it was the most remarkable, intoxicating experience of his life. 

Liam showed her off all evening as they mingled during their rounds, danced, and conversed with the variance of nobility. She was the sexiest woman in that room, and he'd dare say the looks of envy shot in his direction from high-class men as he proudly cavorted her around didn't bother him in the least. Not that that was her only quality -- far from it. There were so many things about Riley that were special. But he couldn't help feeling a sense of pride that she was all his.

And without question, he was all hers.

Seated at the head table, Riley swallowed a morsel of the veal medallion she wanted to be served for this occasion. When given a choice between fish and lamb, the fish never stood a chance. The memory of that smelly, god-awful lunch with Regina three weeks ago was not something her palate had forgiven her for yet. As wonderful and savory as this extravagant meal, covered in a light brown mushroom sauce and served with a side of broccoli rabe, was, it couldn't hold a candle to what she craved the most: a slice of white pizza from Carmine's back in Brooklyn.

Or a slab or two of the New Yorker.

With maybe some cheesecake.

Covered in chocolate.

And a sausage rice ball. A Frito pie smothered with sour cream. Definitely a rainbow bagel from The Bagel Store. Barbecue ribs and beans from the mom-and-pop diner hidden just off the strip in Vegas. 

Of course, her grandma’s country fried steak with white gravy sounded delicious too.

For sure, a fried Twinkie like the one she ate at the New York State Fair in 2013. 

"You've outdone yourself, sweetheart," Liam marveled while wiping at the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "The meal was delicious, and our guests appear to be enjoying themselves." The others seated at the table looked up, adding their compliments.

Still dreaming about a fat slice of New York-style pizza, Riley smiled graciously back at him, until she noticed the server refilling Liam’s glass with merlot, causing her to do a double-take. 

Hot tears pooled in her eyes, and a heavy feeling of sadness swelled in her chest as she panicked. "I asked for the Pinot Noir. Not the merlot,” she rasped meekly. “You don't like merlot, Liam. And the Pinot Noir was from the 'C' place where Duke Hakim lives. He'll be so disappointed and think I'm slighting his duchy. They’ll all hate me forever and ... wait a minute." She trailed off as a realization hit her, and Riley quickly glanced down at her plate before scanning each of the dishes from those seated around her.

The anxiety intensified; she could no longer suppress the heartbroken sob that wailed out of her. "Where are all the potatoes? We were supposed to have the potatoes, Liam. They didn’t serve the potatoes. Now the whole night is completely ruined, and it’s all my fault. I'm such a failure as a queen, and you should just send me to the dungeon now and throw away the key. I apologize to all of you for my incompetence and the lack of potatoes with your meal." Riley’s red-hot face, full of tears, plunged into the palms of her hands, then quickly sprung back up as Liam hesitantly tried to place a hand on her shoulder. A strong urge to use the restroom ended her crying spell as if it never happened. “Oh, oh. I gotta pee so bad. I’ll be right back.” She gave a warm smile and excused herself as she pushed her chair back and scurried merrily toward the nearest restroom.

Liam, Regina, Leo, Maxwell, and Olivia watched with confusion as she happily took off, not knowing what to say or what to make of the sudden shift in her moods.

“What the hell was that?” Olivia scowled, her eyes fixed on Liam.

“Is she all right, dear?” a concerned Regina asked.

Liam scratched the back of his head, nearly at a loss for words. “I ... I don’t know. I’ve never seen her that upset … especially over potatoes.” He paused in thought. “She was a little on edge this morning. Still, she’s been working a lot on the preparations and everything else going on. It must have gotten to her.”

Maxwell shrugged. “Maybe she just finally snapped.” 

Leo shook his head, swallowing a forkful of beef. “Or maybe she has the premenstrual syndrome.”

“Leo!” The group admonished.

“What?” Leo bit back, taking in each of their disappointed glares. “Don’t act like it’s not true. Trust me, when I have cramps and bloating, I can go from a happy little Leo to a Bertrand, just like that.” He snapped his fingers, following it up with a frown. “It ain’t pretty, you all.”

Maxwell looked across the table at Liam and agreed, “He has a point.”

Wanting to shed his skin and slither away, Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can we not discuss something so personal and private, especially while several hundred people are dining around us?”

“I’m just saying, little brother, that you need to be understanding and gentle during this special time of your wife’s 'lady business.' You should speak softly and slowly to her because Shark Week messes with a girl's mind, man. Their brains short-circuit, and there’s nothing left up there but a couple of crickets and man-eating rattlesnakes. One second, you think she’s fine, but if you’re not careful, in the next second, you’ll find yourself with two venomous fangs rattling from your nut sack, dude. She will tear you apart and spit you out like a rabid dog. You can make it through these next few days, but only if you take my advice.”

“That is the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Olivia spat, boring her eyes into him. “And you’ve said a lot.” She turned to Liam, whose face was slightly pale and void of expression. “Don’t listen to his sexist drivel. Why you haven’t declared him insane yet is beyond me. You should have sent him away with that filthy hairball to Valtoria you had caged earlier.”

“IT WAS MONGO!” Leo erupted, causing the dishes on the table to clatter as he jumped to his feet and hovered over the redhead. Every head in the ballroom whipped around to see what was happening, and a deafening silence filled throughout. Even the orchestra stopped playing their classical tune.

A wide-eyed Regina smiled sheepishly as she glanced out at the quiet audience who were waiting to see what all the fuss was about. She thought fast before calling out, “We were just playing a little game of … 'It was Mongo.'” The former queen snatched Maxwell’s Sunset Rum punch from his hand, thrusting the drink up at her stepson, towering beside her, and instructed in a grandmotherly tone, “Be a good lad, Leo. You lost this round. It's time to chug-a-lug, my boy.” With his face burning, Liam slid down in his seat.

“Ooooo, I wanna go next.” Maxwell bounced excitedly while the guests resumed the festivities. "How do we play?"

“I think I want to go, too,” Liam replied, straightening back up before hurling his napkin on the table. “I’m going to go find Riley.”

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

Riley exited the ladies' room, clutch in hand and a fresh dab of clear gloss gleaming on her pink lips. She stopped walking just as the door closed behind her and smiled with a look of surprise at seeing Liam leaning against the opposite wall. "What are you doing out here?"

He pushed himself off the wall, closing the distance between them and meeting her in the middle of the empty corridor. They wrapped their arms around each other, indulging in the warmth of their lovers' embrace. "Would you believe me if I told you I just missed you?" he answered, placing a tender kiss on her lips that skimmed lower to her jawline. 

"I missed you, too," she moaned with each gentle pressure of his seductive lips, suckling and nibbling along the spot that trailed behind her ear that he knew drove her crazy. "But something tells me that's not the only reason you left the ballroom."

Their gazes met simultaneously. "Leo."

Riley chuckled softly. "Do I even want to know?"

Liam sighed, smoothing back a loose hair behind her ear. "You know my brother and his wonderful words of wisdom." There was no way in hell he would tell her what they really discussed after she left; he could only imagine her embarrassment. "Everyone was just a little worried about you, that's all."

"I didn't mean to scare everyone. I just wanted tonight to be perfect. Instead, so many things went wrong. I can only assume what the court thinks about me now." She lowered her gaze to the red carpeting where they stood. "I let you down."

"I don't want to ever hear you say that again. Riley, sweetheart, you can never let me down. Do you understand that?" Liam lifted her chin; her tentative eyes stared back at him for a moment before nodding. "Good. And just so you know, our guest are used to bombings, stabbings, kidnappings, shootings, and terror plots at most of my palace events --"

"Wait. What?"

" -- I assure you, just the fact alone, that none of that took place tonight, and they're all going to leave here soon -- alive -- will be huge for them. Not having potatoes with the meal or the right wine was the least of their worries. They will consider this night a success. And a testament to their new queen. You should, too. I'm so very proud of you."

"I have so many questions about everything you just said."

Liam smiled, caressing Riley's petal-soft cheeks and lowering his head to kiss her again. "All in due time, my love.”

Riley let out a deep, drawn-out yawn she lightly covered with her palm before stretching and rolling her neck. A couple of weeks' worth of planning and endless decisions had left heavy tension in her shoulders and overwhelming exhaustion like nothing she'd felt before. None of it went unnoticed by Liam, who placed his hands on her shoulders and gingerly kneaded the taut muscles. 

"What do you say about heading back to our quarters, taking off all of your clothes, and I'll be up soon to massage this gorgeous body from head to toe? And hopefully, when I'm through, you'll massage parts of me, too … with any part of your body that you'd like." His lips curved into an inviting smile.

"Mmm, that's tempting," she purred, rubbing her hands over his ample chest. "But I can't just leave. It's the Queen's Ball. Without me, it's just ... The Ball." She chuckled, despite herself.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little panties over the ball. Just go upstairs and take them off. I’ll handle everything down here. Then … “ He squatted down to her eye level. “ … I’ll handle you.”

Her heart fluttered every time Liam spoke to her that way. The way he desired only her. She bit the corner of her lip teasingly. “I love you so much.”

Liam smiled. “You better. You’ve got one hell of a husband. I’d even venture to say you’re the luckiest woman on the whole damn planet right now.” Before Riley could respond to his jest, he put both of his hands on her cheeks to hold her head still and began placing playful, wet smooches all over her face, causing her to laugh riotously. After a few seconds of her squirming around and cackling at his antics, he paused to look at her. “You know I love you, too. Now go on up. I’ll be right behind you soon.” 

With a pat to her backside, they went their separate ways.

---------

Liam returned to the ballroom, having offered to finish what little time was left without her. He would offer his apologies for her absence, but in reality, the King couldn’t have cared less what anyone there thought. Since his bachelor party weeks ago, he had grown from a man who had no choices to one who made his own. His marriage and relationship with Riley came first. Her wellbeing was the main priority -- to hell with anyone who had a problem with that.

As Riley placed a hand on the elegant wooden handrail of the grand staircase and took the first step up, her thoughts meandered to where she had been in her life one month ago and how vastly it had changed in such a short time. For the first time in years, she was happy, and it felt so good to be in that place where she could finally let go of the past and move on. Liam was a game-changer, and she was thoroughly convinced he was the only person on the planet who could have gotten her out of her own head and to this level of blissful existence.

Rounding the corner at the top of the stairs, she reached into her clutch to pull out the key card to her quarters, exhaustion slowing her strides. Shuffling past a row of closed office doors and framed artwork, she made her way to the residential wing. 

The squeak of a door behind her and the click of heels drew her attention, causing her to stop and turn to see who was there. 

The color drained from her face as Madeleine casually stepped out, her hands behind her back and a devious, unsettling grin cemented on her face. 

It wasn't the fear that made Riley's heart pound with a sickening thud, but more shock than anything. No one had seen or spoken to the Countess since the confrontation in Las Vegas when she showed up unexpectedly after finding out Liam had married Riley the night prior. 

Now, suddenly, there she was, as if out of nowhere, a gleam in her eye, looking all too pleased to have this run-in with Riley.

"A little dramatic, don't you think?" Riley scoffed, taking one step back the closer Madeleine approached. "What are you even doing here?"

"I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're worried about," she answered contemptuously. Her green eyes drifted to one of the cameras mantled at each end of the hallway. Riley placed a shaky hand over her stomach, letting out a low, relieved breath, hoping that was the truth. "Not physically, anyway."

"Well, that sounds promising," Riley replied sardonically. "Now, if you don't mind ..." She turned away, wanting nothing more than to escape this conversation and make it back to her quarters. 

Madeleine reached out and grabbed the Queen by her elbow, pulling her back and harshly twisting her around so they were now face-to-face. "You're not going anywhere until I'm through with you," she hissed with an icy glare. "I told you I would make you regret what you've done."

Riley jerked her arm, trying to free herself. "Let go of my arm, Madeleine!" 

"Not until you hear what I have to say."

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say! Now LET ME GO!" Riley hoped someone heard her yell or at least witnessed what was happening on the camera. Where the hell is security?

While continuing to struggle to free herself, she reached up with her free hand in an attempt to pry off Madeleine's bony fingers that were squeezing tight grooves around her elbow, her manicured nails digging deeper into Riley's skin. "You're hurting me. I said to let me go."

"Very well, then." The woman, who had twice lost her chance at the crown, released her firm grasp, knowing that the momentum would cause Riley to stumble back as soon as she let go. 

Just as predicted, Riley planted a foot behind her for leverage before drawing her arm back as hard as she could, one last time. Her eyes grew wide, and she let out a sharp gasp that sounded well down the corridor. Riley sailed backward, tripping over herself and toppling to the ground. She finally landed with a hard blow on her backside, the rear of her head just inches from slamming to the floor.

A shockwave of pain coursed up Riley's spine from hitting so abruptly. Before she had a chance to respond or process what happened, Madeleine crouched down beside her, holding a DVD up and gaining Riley's attention. 

The pain had morphed into a throbbing ache that was soon forgotten as the Queen stared quizzically at the object displayed in front of her like a grand prize. 

"What is that?" her voice trembled.

"It's my ace in the hole," Madeleine stated, then wagged a finger. "Someone used to be a very naughty girl." 

Furrowing her brows, Riley responded. "I don't know what you mean."

"You know precisely what I mean, but just in case, please allow me to refresh your memory," Madeleine smirked before rising to her feet and prancing around as if she were having the time of her life. "I did a little digging after my brief visit to Las Vegas and came across a man who knew you very, very well at one time. I made some calls. We exchanged e-mails, a transfer of money or two. And he was all too eager to accept my offer of payment for any dirt he could give me on you."

There was no point in asking "who" -- she already knew; the thought made her nauseous. Riley closed her eyes and muttered. "Tyler?"

"Yes," Madeleine beamed, " Your ex-husband. He had a lot to say about you."

"I'm sure he did. Does it even matter to you that he's a liar and a cheat -- not to mention greedy? He would make up anything if he thought he could profit off of it."

"Oh, it matters. Personally, I don't believe a damn thing he had to say. Honestly, Riley ... even someone like you could have done better than that slime."

Riley cringed in pain as she pushed herself off the floor and turned to her oppressor. "Just get to the point, Madeleine. Clearly, he gave you something you thought was valuable enough to use against me, so just spit it already."

Madeleine smiled, "How very astute of you. You're correct. He did." She held up the disc as Riley regarded it suspiciously. "On this disk are several hours of the two of you ... together. Very graphic, if I do say so myself." Riley's jaw dropped upon hearing those words as Madeleine continued, "Now don't worry. I only watched it long enough to make sure the video was legit --"

"Give me that!" Riley reached out to snatch the DVD, but Madeleine pulled it away just out of her grasp. A burning sensation filled inside her chest and spread across her face. "You're lying. I never made videos like that."

"Oh, I think you did," the blonde countered with a mirthful tone. "You just didn't know about it. Your ex admitted as much to me ... an asshole move, for sure. But nonetheless, I purchased the copy from him for a hefty sum. And ... well ... here we are now. You're more than welcome to take this disc and see for yourself; I have it downloaded as a backup, knowing you'd want proof."

At that moment, all Riley wanted was for Liam to walk down that corridor where she now stood, pick her up in his arms, whisk her away to safety, and tell her it was all a bad dream. Not that she did anything wrong -- she was married at one time to the man, presumably on the video, and would have been a consenting adult. 

No, it was the fact that Tyler Brooks had taken intimate videos with her during their marriage, without her knowledge. Now Madeleine had possession of them.

God only knew what she planned to do with them, but Riley had a pretty good idea. "What do you want?" she whispered in defeat, afraid to hear the answer.

Madeleine grinned from ear-to-ear. "For you to leave Cordonia tonight and never return, or I release everything to the press."

Riley shook her head. "No. As much as I don't want anyone to see that video, I did nothing wrong, and I won't be blackmailed or intimidated by you so that you can get your grubby little paws on the crown."

"Is that so?" It wasn't a question so much as a remark meant to convey who was in control. 

Maintaining her position, Riley raised a brow, refusing to give in.

Madeleine was far from giving up, though; she had manipulation in her blood. "Very well, then. I'll release the video in the morning. It should be interesting to see how the world reacts to yet another scandal by this monarchy. Their Queen plastered all over the internet again, except this time, uploaded on every porn site on the web. 

"The news will run the story with your blurred-out silhouette in the background. Your father will see it, and his business will become a target.: Your friends. Family. Students. They'll all be inundated with your sexual proclivities. But the worst part will be the tribunal. The council will have no choice but to question Liam's decision-making abilities after not only squandering his pick of queen on some American nobody, but now one whose ass will be featured on the desktops of teenage boys across the world. It's a shame that he'll lose his reign, all because of you. Would you really do that to Liam? Do you genuinely believe you're worth all the trouble it will cause him?"

Riley froze. She knew Madeleine was taunting her with the people she cared about the most. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass each of them. But to possibly cause Liam to lose his legacy, his birthright, and the rulership of a country he loved so much? It was something she couldn't shake. 

Staring blankly, twisting the bands of gold that belonged to Liam's mother, she couldn't get the question Madeleine just asked out of her mind: Did Riley believe she was worth the trouble it would cost him? 

Nothing was damning on that video, aside from the fact that she never knew it existed. But she already had so much to prove; another video in the press' hand would tarnish Liam. Maybe the Countess of Fydelia was right: He would lose it all.

"Time is ticking," Madeleine reminded Riley as she tapped her watch. "What's it going to be?"

----------

@burnsoslow​ @dcbbw​ @ao719​ @hopefulmoonobject​ @jessiembruno​ @texaskitten30​ @janezillow​ @merridithsmiscellany-blog​ @mskaneko @callmeellabella​ @queenjilian @sirbeepsalot @drakexwillow @caroldxnvxrs​ @jovialyouthmusic​ @forthebrokenheartedthings​ @bebepac​ @kingliam2019​ @lovablegranny​ @cordoniaqueensworld​ @amandablink​ @liamxs-world​ @choiceskatie @iaminlovewithtrr @hopelessromanticmonie @charlotteg234 @annekebbphotography​ @txemrn​ @thecordoniandiaries @alyssalauren​ @cordonianroyalty @monsoonbloom12 @mom2000aggie​ @theroyalheirshadowhunter​ @princessleac1​ @kimmiedoo5​ @graceful-leah​ @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @thegreentwin​ @gkittylove99​ @cinnamonspongecake @lifeaskim @neotericthemis​ @pink-diamond13​ @walker7519 @natureblooms24​ @yourmajesty09​ @gabesmommie1130​ @sweatyrysconnoisour @kat-tia801​ @debmcg1106

Liam x MC: Cordonia-gothqueen

FRI Series Tags:   @narrytheworld​​  @queenwalton​  @cordonianprincess​        @zaffrenotes​ @zilch3​  @drrookie​ @sfb123​​

[harryissuchalittleshit]

Potters + Cigarettes + Rehearsal Dinners = Shenanigans

Happy Training Prompt Tuesday!! Instead of writing about one ship I wrote about three!! @petalstosarah

1. James and Lily, 1978, Petunia and Vernon’s Rehearsal Dinner

Lily did everything she could to hold in her temper as she felt Vernon’s beady little eyes on her. The only thing keeping her from cursing him was the large amount of Muggles around her, and James’ warm hand on her waist. It was all ridiculous anyways, Petunia didn’t want her here, and Lily honestly hadn’t wanted to spend her Easter holidays as a member of the wedding crowd.

Petunia had been treating her like a slave since the moment she and had come home. She had been nothing but rude and demanding, had ignored James from the moment he introduced himself, and had called Lily a number of rude things within ear shot. But Lily had been the good sister, she had smiled through the pain and kept her emotions in check.

The rope though was starting to come undone.

“You okay?” whispered James, his lips at her ear, his breath tickling her neck.

“I think I need some air.”

This was the best thing about James, he was observant enough to know when she needed her space, when she was holding in too much. It had been years since she had done accidental magic, had a temper tantrum, had an outburst. Petunia was about to break that streak though.

“C’mon.”

She didn’t know how James got so good at sneaking through a crowd, appearing in one place and then in another in the blink of an eye. But it was comforting holding his hand and sneaking through the crowd and out of the banquet hall.

Out in the dimly lit parking lot, Lily pulled her hair out of the stupid twist her sister made her wear and accepted the cigarette James handed her. The smoke was comforting in her lungs, the burn familiar and warm.

“Sorry about all of this,” said Lily after a few more puffs. “I should’ve known t-“

“Don’t worry about it,” said James, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around Lily’s shoulders. She hadn’t realized she was cold until the moment his warmth wrapped around her. “You’re sure that there’s an open bar tomorrow, right?”

Lily giggled and kissed his cheek, tucking her head into his shoulder. “From what I understand, yes, but knowing the arse Vernon is, it’ll only last for a little while.”

James sighed and Lily took another pull from her cigarette, before dropping it on the ground and putting it out with the heel of her shoe. There was no way they would be allowed back inside if Petunia smelled them. Not that Lily really minded, she was still hungry from dinner, nothing had been appetizing and they had been one of the last tables to go through the buffet line.

“Are you still hungry?” Lily asked him, turning to look up boyfriend. “Because I’m starving and the diner should still be open.”

James smiled down at her and Lily felt herself return the gesture. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the darkest corner of the parking lot, she had no plans to let go of him anytime soon.

2. Harry and Ginny, 2003, Ron and Hermione’s Rehearsal Dinner

“Let’s sneak out, before she corners us again.” Ginny pushed Harry towards the restaurant door, “I don’t think I can handle another lecture from mum sober.”

“Thank Merlin there’s an open bar tomorrow at the wedding,” Harry replied as they snuck through the door unnoticed, “or I would’ve bailed on you the second I met your family.”

Ginny nodded, “I would’ve bailed on me too, honestly.”

Out in the parking lot, it was marginally quieter and Ginny could feel herself think again. It was one thing to trap a large amount of Weasley’s in one room, but add in Hermione’s extended family, and a language barrier, it was means for disaster.

Even if it was nice to have everyone around, the last time they had all been together had been for George and Angelina’s wedding a few years ago. That day had been fun, but it had also been heavy, they were missing Fred and Angelina’s mother and sister. Ginny had been a bridesmaid then too, she had been paired up with Angelina’s little brother David, who was laugh and who she had a lot of fun with.

But this felt different.

“Knut for your thought?”

Ginny smiled and accepted the cigarette that Harry handed her, she had to admit that she didn’t take him for a smoker. But he was getting increasing good at stealing them from Hermione when she wasn’t looking.

“Do you think it’s time that we set a date?” asked Ginny, passing the cigarette back to him and blowing a steam of smoke pass his face. “It’s been what? Almost four years since you proposed?”

Harry shrugged and Ginny wished that he would make a decision on the matter at hand. Even though she had been the one who wanted a long engagement and had given him shit about making her a child bride. But now that George was married and Ron was getting married and Percy was ready to propose to Audrey at any moment from what Angelina had told George who told Ginny. At this rate, she was going to be the last one married even though she had been the first one engaged after the war.

Everyone had given up on Charlie, well, except for their mum, but that was expected.

“Do you want to get married?” asked Harry, leaning against one of the many cars in the parking lot around them. “I thought you wanted to wait.”

“I did,” offered Ginny, because honestly she had wanted to wait. But not she felt like the youngest all over again, like the baby of the family she was born into. “But at this rate Percy’s going to be married with three kids before we settle on a date.”

“August sixteenth.”

“What?”

“August sixteenth,” repeated Harry and Ginny stared at him. It wasn’t that Harry didn’t make decisions, it was just that more often than not he didn’t care about these sort of things. “It’s the day I proposed, the day I knew I couldn’t ever live without you.”

Ginny bit her bottom lip and looked at him, taking in his smile and his dancing green eyes. Maybe he cared more than Ginny thought, more than he would ever admit to anyone except for her.

“Okay,” agreed Ginny, stepping into his arms and wrapping her own around his neck. She felt herself relax into his kiss, her whole body turning into jelly. “I’ll be the one in white.”

“Just meet me at the altar.”

3. James and Marci, 2037, James and Marci’s Rehearsal Dinner

“Why did we bring the kids again?”

Marci stared at her soon-to-be husband and rolled her eyes. She had to admit that they may of made a mistake, but she also knew that this was more about James’ family than their children. They were getting married tomorrow, bringing their families together into one.

There would no longer be Potter children and Abraham children, instead they would all be Potters. James’ three kids and her three kids and their daughter Liliana would finally all had the same last name, and would all finally be of one identity.

“James,” said Marci, wrapping her arms around his neck and tucking her head under his chin as she heard the familiar click of a lighter. A moment later she reached up and took the cigarette out of his mouth, taking a pull before putting it back between his lips.

“Sorry,” grumbled James a few moments and another cigarette later. “I just didn’t do this last time, Lily was the only one of us who had a real wedding.”

Marci smiled and pulled away from him, this was new for her too, she got married at eighteen in a quick ceremony at a Muggle courthouse. She knew that marriage was doomed from the start, how she had allowed herself to be forced into that kind of situation she didn’t know.

She knew that a big fancy ceremony wouldn’t change anything, but she wanted to have it. She didn’t want to feel ashamed to marry James, she just wanted to marry him.

Their wedding party was made up of their children, their nieces and nephews, and their siblings. It was in a dingy courthouse late at night or at the Ministry in the early morning, this was everything that they wanted for themselves, for each other.

“This is all new to me too.”

James nodded and Marci reached for his hand, twisting their fingers together and letting him kiss the ring he had given her the day their daughter was born. They really weren’t doing anything too crazy, too many children would be in attendance, and they weren’t stupid kids anymore.

“By this time tomorrow, we’ll be married.”

Marci felt her heart flutter as James stepped forward and held her cheek. His hand was warm, his brown eyes bright and almost golden, everything about him was warm and soft and home to her. Had been from the moment they had met, from their first smile, first words, first kiss. James was the home that she had been searching for when she came to England with a bag and her three children, Josey, Hallie, and Mike Anthony.

Back then she hadn’t expected to meet James, she hadn’t expected to fall in love with Jason, Kerrie, and Hazel. She definitely hadn’t expected to get pregnant within months of her arrival to the country, but it had all been for the better, for the best of all of them.

“Mrs. Marci Olivia Potter,” whispered James and Marci leaned forward, kissing him softly.

“Just promise me that you won’t forget the condoms this time.”

James smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her back towards the doors of the restaurant they had rented out for their rehearsal dinner. In less than twenty-four hours she would be Mrs. James Sirius Potter.

And she couldn’t be happier.

[jensengirl83]

Unsung Verses Chapter 7

Rockstar!Dean x plus sized reader

Word Count- 4201

Summary-Y/N and Dean have been best friends since high school, in a band together, and dated for a year but decided they were better off friends. They play gig after gig trying to get discovered, but once they sign a record deal, will fame be all it’s cracked up to be? Or will it be too much for their relationship to handle? Join them on their adventure to fame and find out!

Warnings-  Angst, Fluff, Language, Smut

A/N- Song in this cahpter is “You’re The One That I Want” by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John from the movie Grease. I hope everyone enjoys!

Lyrics will be in italics.

Thank you to @deanwanddamons​​​​ for being my beta for this series!

Text dividers made by @firefly-graphics​​​​

Series Masterlist

Series Spotify Playlist

The playlist is a big part of the series!

Y/N’s eyes were beginning to strain as she drove down the interstate. They had been on the road for around ten hours now, and she had been driving the last four. She had made Dean let her take over when she noticed his eyes beginning to droop. She had managed to get a few hours of sleep and wanted to let him rest for a little while. Once the sun was fully risen, the odd lighting of the sky should dissipate and ease the strain on her eyes. At least she hoped it would. 

“Where are we?” Dean’s groggy voice interrupted her train of thought. 

“About an hour outside of Grand Junction, Colorado,” she laughed when she glanced over and noticed his hair. It was sticking up all over his head. 

“That’s pretty much halfway. We’ll stop there and get a room and some food. I could use a shower,” he grumbled, sitting up in the seat. 

“You sure? I can keep driving for a little while,” 

“I’m sure, babe. You could use a break and food too, I’m sure,” he yawned, still trying to wake up fully. 

“Okay. I guess I could eat something when we get there,” she said, smiling at him as he took her hand in his, bringing it up to his lips. 

“Yeah, and I know we could both use more sleep,” he stated. 

“Not going to argue with you on that one,” she laughed. 

They made small talk as Y/N drove them to Grand Junction, discussing subjects like what they wanted to eat and which hotel they should stay in. Dean had been searching Google for which ones were on route. They decided on Motel 6 and the diner across the street from it, agreeing there was no need to be extravagant since they were only there to eat and sleep before they got back on the road. 

Y/N sighed in relief as she pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine, needing food and a bathroom. She opened the door and exited the car, stretching her arms over her head to loosen her muscles, Dean laughing at the exaggerated groan that left her. He walked around the front of the Impala and kissed her on the forehead. 

“I’ll go get us a room, and you can go ahead to the diner and get us a table, sweetheart,” he said. 

“First thing I’m doing when I get to the diner is using their bathroom!” she exclaimed. 

“I swear, you have the bladder of a toddler,” Dean huffed with a smile. 

“Shut it, Angus!” she groaned in faux annoyance. 

“Okay, go pee, and I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he shouted over his shoulder as he walked to the lobby. 

He didn’t have to tell her twice. She was across the street and through the door in a matter of seconds, going straight for their facilities. Once she was done and her hands washed, she made her way to a booth, sliding in and looking over the menu as she waited for Dean to join her. She hadn’t been looking at the menu for very long when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking up, she saw a man standing by their table, a smirk on his face. 

“Hey there. Mind if I join you?” 

“Actually, I do. My boyfriend is on his way,” she said, trying to be nice but as firm as she could. 

“Come on now. No need to lie to me,” he chuckled, obviously not getting it. 

“I’m not lying. Now, could you please leave?” she asked, her tone a lot sharper than before.

“Hey, sweetheart. Who’s this?” Dean questioned, walking up to the booth and sitting across from her. 

“No one. I’m leaving,” the man said, turning to walk away briskly.  

“Okay...Well, what looks good, Freddie?” Dean asked her like nothing was going on. 

“Really? You have nothing to say about that?” she was confused about how he was acting as if no one had been standing there trying to hit on her. 

“What do you want me to say? I know there’s no reason for me to be worried about guys trying to pick you up,” 

She thought she could physically feel her heart shatter with his words. She knew she was overweight and not the most attractive woman out there, but Dean saying he had nothing to worry about because of it really hurt. Why would he even say something like that to her? 

“Where’s the room key?” she asked, her voice trying to break. 

“Why? What’s wrong?” his voice laced with concern. 

“The key?” she growled, holding her hand out. 

“No, not until you tell me what’s going on,” he sighed, confused about what was going on. 

“I’m not making a scene in here, Dean. Just give me the damn key!” she glared at him, trying to keep back her tears until she was alone in their room. 

“What the hell is wrong with you? I just got here, and you’re pissed at me? What could I have done in two minutes?” he asked, raising his voice a little. 

“Dean…” 

“Here, there’s the key,” he slid it across the table to her, “I don’t know what happened, but this is ridiculous,” 

“Just as ridiculous as dating the unattractive, fat girl that you don’t have to worry about anyone wanting, huh?” she fumed, leaving him sitting at the table with his jaw slack in shock. 

She was in tears, choking back sobs as she crossed the street and into the hotel. All she wanted was to get to their room and lock herself in the bathroom. She should have known that a man as attractive as Dean would ever honestly want her or think she was beautiful. Sure, she wasn’t a dog, but she wasn’t a supermodel either. 

Her hands shook as she got the door to their room open, dropping the key on the chest of drawers and throwing herself on the bed. She had wanted to hide in the bathroom but couldn’t bring herself to make it that far. She had the key anyway, so it wasn’t like he could get in to bother her. She was so lost in her misery that she didn’t hear the door open and Dean entering the room. 

“Y/N, baby, talk to me, please!” he pleaded, laying on the bed and curling up to her back, “Why would you ever think something like that?” 

“How did you get in here?” she asked. 

“They gave me two keys. Now, talk to me,” he whispered. 

“Just leave me alone,” she sobbed, feeling him cuddled to her back, making her even more self-conscious. 

“Freddie...Please. Is it because I said I wasn’t jealous?” he begged, running his hand up and down her side. 

“You said you didn’t have anything to worry about as if you knew that no one would want me!” she cried. 

“Oh, sweetheart. That’s not what I meant. I meant that I trusted you, and I know you would never hurt me like that. I’m crazy jealous! I was trying to hide it because I thought it would make you think I didn’t trust you,” he whispered in her ear, leaving light kisses on her neck and shoulder. 

“Really?” she whimpered, turning over to look at him. 

“I promise! I’m crazy about you, darlin’. You should know that. I can hardly keep my hands off of you!” he chuckled.

“But why? You could get someone so much better than me,” she sighed. 

“Are you kidding me?! You’re all I want. You’re beautiful, smart, caring, and sexy as hell,” he growled, nibbling on her neck. 

“Dean…” she moaned, his mouth on her sending heat straight to her core. 

“Let me show you how much I want you, Y/N. No other woman has ever turned me on as you do,” he said, moving his lips from her neck to her shoulder and then to her collar bone. 

She didn’t answer him, just let him continue his path down her chest, his lips kissing every inch on the way down. Her skin felt like it was on fire anywhere he touched her, a feeling no other man has ever given her. His hands were calloused from playing the guitar and working on the Impala, but so gentle when they were gliding across her skin. 

She couldn’t stop the moan that passed her lips as his hands slid under her shirt, running up her sides to cup her breasts and squeeze lightly, thumbing her nipples through her cotton bra. She arched her back into his touch, her core clenching around nothing as he teased her. He lifted her shirt over her breasts and pulled one of her nipples in his mouth, sucking lightly through the fabric, eliciting another moan from her, before removing her shirt to reveal her partially naked chest to him. 

“So damn beautiful,” he whispered against her skin, looking up to lock eyes with her, “Always driving me crazy, making me so hard,” 

He didn’t wait for a response before reaching behind her and popping the clasp of her bra, throwing it across the room. He kissed his way back up her chest, her neck, and across her jaw, finally making it to her lips. There was no rush in the kiss. His lips were moving with a softness that left her breathless, his tongue caressing hers as if it was the most fragile thing on the earth. His hands were warm and soft against her cheeks as he held her, showing her how much he wanted her without a word spoken. 

“I’m so fucking in love with you,” he whispered against her kiss swollen lips, both of them panting with desire, “There will never be another woman for me, sweetheart,” 

“I love you…” she moaned as his hand slid under the waistband of her jeans and rubbed over her clothed heat. 

His fingers felt so good against her, moving slowly over her panties, pressing against her clit every so often. He removed his hand and popped the button to her jeans, moving down her body to pull them and her panties off in one go. Once he had them off and had disposed of them, he sat back and looked at her with an expression of awe. He would never be able to put into words how beautiful she was and how much she meant to him, but he would never stop trying to show her. 

He stood and undressed, his eyes never leaving her, taking in the sight of her panting and wrecked, waiting for him. He didn’t think he had ever been so turned on as he was when he was with her, but it wasn’t just sex when he was with her. He wanted to please her, not even caring about himself. 

She watched as he moved in between her legs, his muscular body hovering over her, holding himself up with his forearms. The warmth of his body caused her to shiver, not because she was cold but from the anticipation of feeling him inside her. 

“You ready, sweetheart?” He whispered, his forehead pressed against hers. 

“Please…” she begged, needing to feel him. 

He smiled at the tremor in her voice, knowing she wanted him as much as he did her. Reaching between them, he lined himself up at her entrance and moved his hips enough to slide in just an inch. He pulled and pushed a few times, both groaning as he became fully seated inside her. He buried his face in her neck as he gave them a moment to adjust to each other. Y/N rolled her eyes in ecstasy with how he filled and stretched her in the best of ways. 

“Fuck...so tight, baby. Feels so good,” 

“Move, Dean. Please…” she moaned, moving her hips against him. 

“Patience, sweetheart. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you,” he growled, nibbling on her ear. 

He withdrew his hips and moved back in at a slow pace, hitting that spot in her with every thrust. His hips were pushing against her sensitive bud, driving her to the edge faster than she had anticipated. The sound of their wanton moans and skin against skin was all that could be heard as she felt the coil tighten in her belly. 

“I-I’m so c-close,” she whined, her body beginning to shake. 

“Come for me, beautiful. I’m right behind you,” his voice was wrecked with desire, “I need to feel you let go for me,” 

That’s all it took, and she was coming, his name passing her lips in a breathless chant. She wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing him deeper into her, causing him to fall over the edge. His thrusts became erratic before he stilled deep, hips pressed against hers, moaning filthy praises in her ear, and came. His body shook as he tried to hold himself above her, not wanting to crush her as he tried to catch his breath. 

After a few minutes of light kisses and whispered praises, he moved to stand and walked to the bathroom, coming back out with a washcloth to clean her and then himself. Y/N smiled, feeling loved and content with how he wanted to take care of her. Once he crawled in bed beside her, she rolled to lay her head on his chest, his arm pulling her closer. 

“I don’t want you ever thinking that you’re aren’t exactly who I want, Freddie. Do you hear me? I’ve never been as happy as I am when I’m with you,” he whispered, kissing her head. 

“I’m sorry. I let my insecurities get to me when I shouldn’t,” she sighed, knowing it was something she had to work on. 

“You don’t have to apologize. Just promise me next time you feel this way, you’ll come and talk to me so I can show you just how beautiful you are and how much I love you,” he said, squeezing her against him. 

“I promise,” she smiled. How did she ever get so lucky? 

“Get some rest, sweetheart. We still have a long drive ahead of us,” 

He tilted her chin, so she was looking at him, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. They both were exhausted and needed the rest. Y/N fell asleep in his arms with a smile on her face, never feeling as loved as she did when she was with him, and she was determined to show him just what he meant to her too. 

Y/N was loading their overnight bag in the trunk when Dean walked back from the diner, bag of food and coffee in hand. She laughed at the goofy grin on his face as he shook the bag at her, holding it up in the air like a trophy. Granted, they were both starving since breakfast had got ruined earlier. 

Dusk was beginning to settle in as the sun sank lower in the sky, both of them agreeing that they enjoyed driving better at night. There was less traffic to deal with, and there was just something so peaceful about driving with the stars in the sky above them. Y/N settled in the passenger’s seat as Dean got in and handed her a cup of coffee, sitting the bag of food between them. 

“I just talked to Sam. They will be landing around ten in the morning. I figured with what drive time we have left and a few pit stops, we should make it at the same time,” he told her before taking a bite out of his burger. 

“Sounds good. I’ve really enjoyed this trip with you, but I’m ready to get there,” she laughed at Dean’s fake pouting. 

“I see how it is. You just can’t wait to get away from me!” he said, clutching his chest in fake hurt. 

“Calm down, drama king! You do remember we are going to be living together, right?” she asked with a chuckle. 

“Oh, I remember, sweetheart. It’s just going to be you and me. The fun we’re going to have christening that penthouse,” he laughed, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“Is that all you ever think about?” she asked, rolling her eyes but with a smile on her face. 

“When I’ve got a woman that looks like you, how am I not supposed to think about it?” he whispered, leaning over to kiss on her neck. 

“Okay, Casanova. We have to get on the road,” she giggled, shoving him away by his face. 

“Fine, fine. But once we get to L.A., you’re all mine, darlin’,” he winked. 

“I’m forever all yours,” she said sweetly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

Dean smiled and kissed her with passion, her face cupped in his strong hands. How could she make him fall even more in love with her by the day? It didn’t seem possible, but here he was, absolutely and irrevocably head over heels in love with her. He couldn’t wipe the smile from his face as he put Baby in gear and headed for the interstate, ready to get to their new home and  to start their new life together. 

Y/N felt the relief wash over her as she pulled up in front of their building and turned off the engine. She had been driving the last six hours so Dean could nap, and she was exhausted and ready to rest. Sam and Cas should be getting there at any time, and she knew they still had to unpack their things. She sighed, just wanting to forget it all and go to sleep, but that wasn’t going to happen. 

“Dean, we’re here. Wake up,” 

“Huh? What? Already?” he grumbled, wiping the sleep from his eyes and sitting up to look around. 

“Yes, grumpy bear, already,” she laughed at the bitch face he gave her. 

“Uhh...We still have to unpack!” he complained, throwing his head back against the seat. 

“Yes, we do, so come on, let’s get this over with,” she groaned, getting out of the Impala and walking back to the trailer. 

Dean soon joined her, and they began unloading their belongings when Sam, Cas, Meg, and Jess pulled up in the cab they took from the airport. Everyone greeted each other with hugs and pleasantries before Dean started to complain again. 

“I’m so tired, and we have to haul all this shit up to the apartment,”

“I’m tired too, but it’s not going to get done if we just stand here and bitch and moan about it,” Y/N huffed. 

“Oh, really? You mean you can’t twitch your nose and make it all appear upstairs?” he asked with a smirk.   

“Unfortunately, I’m not a witch, but if I were, my first action would be to curse you not to speak,” she sassed, everyone but Dean laughing. 

“Are you sure about that?” he wiggled his eyebrows. 

“Yes. Your dick would still work if you couldn’t talk,” she quipped. 

“So, you’re going to dis little Dean, huh?” he growled. 

“You’re the one that just called him little…” she laughed. 

“Okay, okay, that’s enough of that. Let’s get this stuff upstairs before you guys kill each other,” Sam chuckled. 

“She started it,” Dean whined, picking up a box and walking toward the building. 

Everyone laughed at his whining before grabbing a box and following him into the building and to the elevators. It only took a little over an hour to get everything in their penthouse with the others’ help. Y/N and Dean were ecstatic to be done moving everything in. Yes, they still needed to unpack, but they could do that slowly, resting in between. They were both lounging on the couch when he reached over and grabbed her hand, catching her attention. 

“Do you really not want me to talk?” he asked with a pout. 

“Aww, honey, you know I was joking. You were tired and grumpy. I was just messing with you,” she chuckled, leaning to peck him on the lips. 

“You promise?” 

“Yes, I promise. Are you okay, Dean?” she was puzzled by his sudden questioning. 

“I’m okay. I worry I’m not what you want sometimes,” he told her, hanging his head. 

“C’mere,” she whispered, gesturing for him to lay his head in her lap. 

He gave her a weak smile as he hurried over and laid on the couch, resting his head in her lap and wrapping his arms around her thigh. She began running her fingers through his hair, visibly seeing him relax. She smiled down at him, seeing the exhaustion and insecurity in his eyes. It broke her heart to see him when he got this way. She would never understand how a man that looked like him could ever be insecure about himself. 

“Angus, I love you. I know we bicker sometimes, and I can be a little bitchy, but I’ve never been so sure of anything as I am that I want you. So, stop your worrying, and let’s enjoy this new chapter in our lives,” she reassured him. 

“How do you know just what to say and do to make me feel better?” he whispered, nuzzling his face into her lower abdomen. 

“We’ve known each other for over a decade now. If I didn’t know you by now, then I deserve the worst girlfriend in the world award,” she giggled, him already shaking his head in her lap. 

“Nope! No ma’am! That is the last thing you deserve,” he vehemently disagreed. 

“Well, thank you, my dear. Now, how about we get some of this stuff unpacked so we can rest more later?” she smiled, hands still in his hair. 

“Alright, let’s do it,” he groaned, standing up and reaching for her hand, pulling her up and into a hug. 

“Love you too, Freddie,” he declared, kissing her forehead before walking to a box to get started unpacking. 

She smiled at his retreating form. She hated to see him go but loved to watch him leave. He had the cutest butt she had ever seen and could stare at it all day. The way his jeans cling to it when he bent over or moved his legs to take a step… She shook her head to get the thoughts out of her head. They had work to do, and she could stare at his ass later. She giggled to herself as she hit shuffle on her phone, needing music to pump her up and get her moving. She cackled at the song that started to play. 

“Dean!” she yelled, turning to see a mirrored smile on his face. 

“Oh, Freddie, that was the good ole days,” he laughed, wrapping her in his arms and spinning her around, singing the lyrics to her. 

I got chills

They're multiplyin'

And I'm losin' control

'Cause the power

You're supplyin'

It's electrifyin'!

She giggled as he continued to sing and spin her around the room. One of their favorite times in high school was when they performed “Grease”. Dean the lead role as Danny, and Y/N as Sandy. 

You better shape up,

'Cause I need a man

And my heart is set on you

You better shape up

You better understand

To my heart I must be true

She sang the next verse, doing her best Sandy impression, causing him to laugh now. They were still dancing around the room as they both took a deep breath to sing the next verse together. 

You're the one that I want

You, oo, oo, honey

The one that I want

You, oo, oo, honey

The one that I want

You, oo, oo

Are what I need

Oh, yes indeed

They ended the verse in a fit of laughter, reminiscing the great times they had performing musical theater together. He spun her around one last time, pulling her back flush against him. His smile turned into a smirk as he looked at her mouth and licked his lips, leaning in and kissing her hard. 

“Am I interrupting something?” Sam’s voice broke them apart. 

“Yes, you are actually! And have you ever heard of knocking?” Dean huffed. 

“I did. You couldn’t hear me over the singing and teenage giggles,” he smirked. 

“What do you need, Sam?” she asked sweetly, laying her head on Dean’s chest. 

“We’re all going out to get dinner. You want to join us?” he smiled. 

“Nah, we’ll order a pizza later,” she declined, “We have things we need to do here,” 

“Oh, yes, we do!” Dean moaned into her neck, kissing and nibbling. 

“Alright! I’m outta here!” the younger Winchester shouted, letting himself out, shutting the door behind him. 

“Now, where were we?” he chuckled, trying to kiss her again, but she stopped him. 

“We were unpacking these boxes, Romeo,” she laughed. 

“But, sweetheart…” he whined. 

“Later. I promise,” she winked, “After we get some things put away and go get dinner,” 

“Fine, but you’re getting me pie!” he exclaimed, pointing his finger at her playfully. 

“Of course, dear,” she said, rolling her eyes and making her way back to the stack of boxes that weren’t going to unpack themselves. 

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[forever-rogue]

Keep Quiet

Inspired by THIS little ask! You guys wanted some sex on Steve’s desk, you get some sex on Steve’s desk. Ask and you shall receive ;)

Warning: ...smut (with a little bit of plot); 18+ only! also SOFT!Javi! So enjoy :)

Word Count: 4k

Pairing: Javier Pena x Reader

MASTERLIST

PS - extra points to anyone who knows where the whole sex on the desk and co-worker finding out scenario is from!

»»————-　♡　————-««

“Javi,” you moaned into his mouth as his large came down to your ass and give it a firm squeeze. You broke your kiss with him, and grabbed his forearms, pulling his hands off of you. He smirked at you, earning even stronger glare at you sighed at him.

“Baby-”

“No,” you held up your finger, raising your eyebrow as you pressed it against his lips. Javi, naturally took this opportunity to press a quick kiss to your finger, his mustache tickling you. Rolling your eyes at his childishness, you leaned against your desk and tried to give him a glare. It didn’t work terribly; it was hard to stay mad at the innocent face he was pulling, “Javier Peña,  you’re going to be the death of me.”

“Don’t worry,” he joked, coming closer and wrapping his arms around you, despite your lack of response, giving the crown of your head a small kiss, “the only way you’ll end up dead on my account is if you’ve died and gone to heaven-”

“Javier-”

“Because I’ve made you cum too many times-”

“JAVI!” you groaned at him and pushed him away, hiding your face behind your hands. He threw his head back with laughter, clearly amused at the situation and your reaction before going back to his desk across from yours, “you’re going to get us found out. And then I’ll kick your ass.”

“No one knows, baby, and no one will find out unless we choose to tell them,” he promised, giving you that stupid, goofy little smile of his. You rolled your eyes at him, but couldn’t help the smile that crossed your own features. It was a moment in which you realized just how much you loved him; which was, of course, more than life itself. Who would have thought? A few years ago, hell probably even a few months ago, you never thought this would ever happen. But here you were, completely and truly in love with Javi. Almost as if he could read your mind, he silently mouthed at you, “I love you.”

You stuck out your tongue at him, but not before repeating the sentiment to him as well. You were about to say something else, but you were quickly interrupted by Steve murmuring under his breath as he walked into the office, a cup of the pathetic excuse for coffee in his hand. You exchanged a look with Javi, who just shrugged his shoulders.

“Good morning, Steve,” you walked over to him, grabbing the coffee from him and setting on the desk before giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, “what’s wrong? You’re usually the only cheery thing in the entire building this time of day.”

“Nothing,” he sighed as he slinked into this seat, rubbing at his tired face, “just up late last night with Olivia, Con needed some rest, so I took over. And the ambassador decided to take it upon herself to personally chew me out for our lack of progress the last couple of months. All in all it’s been a great morning - and we’re still stuck with this shitty coffee. I asked ages for at least a decent coffee maker.”

“Hey,” you sat at the edge his desk, doing your best to give him a small smile, “it’s going to be okay. It’s just one of those days, but we’ll get through it. We always do, right? Javi?”

“Always,” he agreed, standing up and reaching for his jacket, “but for now, how about we all get out of here and get some decent fucking coffee? At least it’ll get us out of here for a while.”

“Deal,” you and Steve chorused before following suit and grabbing your things and heading out. You weren’t particularly motivated to work that day, and the idea of getting out of the quiet and tense atmosphere of the embassy sounded like the best option.

»»————-　♡　————-««

About halfway through coffee, which had turned into a breakfast consisting of several courses between the three of you, spirits were running much higher. It might have been due to the delicious food you were consuming, the shit talking, or the several rounds of mimosas. It was probably a combination of the three. You’d all been tenses and stressed for weeks, and it turned out that this was something you all desperately needed. 

You were situated in a booth of aging leather, equally between Javi and Steve, mostly sitting back and listening to the rapport between the two men, and knocking back more than a fair share of alcohol. At one point, you’d even sneaked Javi’s glass, but it seemed lost to the men as they were heavily engaged in their little conversation. You didn’t even really know what they were talking about, but you knew it wasn’t work related; they were too happy for that.

But at some point, Javi’s hand found its way onto your thigh, toying with the hem of the dress you were wearing. It had been a warm morning and you’d decided to wear a dress for once, instead of a skirt or suit. At first you didn’t think anything of it, but eventually his large hand pushed your dress up higher and higher, until his fingers were grazing the bare skin near the apex of your thighs. Your eyes widened as you came to your senses and realized what was going. Glancing at Javi, you could see a smirk placing on the bastard’s features; Steve hadn’t noticed anything out of place.

“Javi,” you said quietly as fingers moved to push your panties to the side. He turned to you with an innocent smile, one eyebrow raised as he waited for you to go. Steve also turned to look at you, and you felt your entire being flush with warmth. Trailing his fingers through your heat and gathering up some of the slickness, he pretended to wait for you to go on. Just as you opened your mouth to say something else, he ever so lightly brushed your clit, and it took every ounce of strength within you not to moan out loud.

“Everything okay?” Steve seemed mildly concerned as he noticed you struggling, your chest starting to rise and fall in a more rapid manner, “Y/N?”

“Fine,” you managed to get out, giving him a smile you hoped was natural. Steve seemed satisfied enough and turned back to Javi, picking up their conversation as if Javi didn’t have his fingers in your aching center. 

You shot a warning glance at him, but he either didn’t notice or pretended not to. Instead, he continued on, teasing your clit lightly, just enough to start the tingling in your bones as the familiar tightening in your belly increased. At one point, you reached down and grabbed his hand to try and get him to stop; here you were in the middle of a small diner, about to orgasm due to your boyfriend’s incessant ministrations. What a morning.

He obliged for a moment, resting his hand on thigh and and trailing his fingers over the soft skin, which caused you to clench your legs to together. You weren’t sure how much longer you were going to to be able to take. Maybe you could quickly dash into the bathroom and finish yourself off? Yes. That seemed like a plausible idea, but as you moved to get up, Javi’s hand firmly held you in place. He turned to give a stern look, which turned you on more than anything. So you obliged, and remained rooted in your seat, wondering if he would finish the job himself then. 

It took a few minutes before he carried on, his large hands spreading your legs apart and going back to your aching core. He took a few moments before to touch you gently, almost too tender, before slipping a fingers inside of you. You were so wet, you could definitely hear it, and you were surprised Steve didn’t; Javi kept an expert poker face. If Steve heard or noticed anything out of place, he offered no indication of it. But just as Javi started to pumped his thick fingers more rapidly, he used the pad of his thumb to rub your clit. The sensation surprised you, and you inadvertently slammed your hand on the table, gathering a few concerned glances. You coughed awkwardly and grabbed your napkin, covering your mouth to hide the little whimpers that spilled past your lips. 

Javi was pleased, beyond pleased with himself as he carried on like nothing had happened. When you were close, you automatically started to lightly rock your hips to meet his pace, a sense of exhilaration flooding through your veins at both the pleasure you were experiencing and the sheer audacity of the act in such a public place. 

He gave you a slight nod when he felt your walls start to clench around his fingers, as if telling it was okay to cum. You squeezed the edge of the table so firmly that your knuckles were turning white as he drew out your orgasm, slowly guiding you through it. Only when you had stopped writhing in your seat and he was satisfied that you were finished did he remove his hand from center. Steve excused himself to go to the bathroom and once he was out of view, Javi brought his hand to mouth and cleaned his cum coated fingers clean, learning a look of both admiration and annoyance from you.

“How was everything?” your waitress came back to start gathering your dirty dishes, a wide smile on her face.

“Delicious,” he responded with a wicked smile, “simply delicious.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

You’d remained silent as Steve and Javi paid for brunch, and the three of you made the dreaded trudge back to the office. You’d been unmotivated already, and now, in your slightly buzzed state, coming down from your high, you really didn’t want to do anything else. What you really wanted to do was just head out for the day and bring Javi home with you, but that clearly wasn’t an option. 

“What’s wrong?” he had the nerve to ask as you sat down at your desk and reached for your trust water bottle, downing it in one ago. You set the glass bottle back on your desk, eyes looked onto his, staring him down. Steve was off doing Lord knows what, leaving you the two of you alone, “baby, you’re breaking my heart, looking at me with those eyes.”

“Javier,” you adopted a serious tone as you stood, straightening to your full height as you sauntered over to him. He leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head, licking his lips at the sight of you trying to be domineering, “what the hell was that? You’ve got some nerve doing that! In public, where anyone could have seen! Do you ever think about the consequences?”

“I didn’t hear you complaining,” he wasn’t phased by your little tirade in the slightest, “the only sounds I heard was how wet-”

“Javi,” you sighed as you rubbed your temples, “what the hell was I supposed to say? In front of Steve? Javi, please get your fingers out of me and stop trying to make me cum? I don’t think so, asshole!”

“Mi amor-”

“No!” you hissed at him, narrowing your eyes, “you don’t get to use Spanish to try and get out of this one. Just because you think you’re so sexy and-”

“Hermosa-”

“No!”

“Novia-”

“Stop,” you leaned over and grabbed his jaw with your hand, forcing him to look into your eyes. Gods, he had the sweetest eyes, so warm and deep; it made it hard to focus on the fact that you were annoyed with him. Unable to stop yourself, you gave him a soft kiss, letting your lips linger on his, still tasting the sweet champagne from brunch.

“I thought you were mad at me,” he teased against, smiling against your lips.

“I am, buddy, trust me,” you reminded him, “and this discussion isn’t over-”

“Guys, I think-” Steve had chosen the perfect moment to walk back into the small, shared space. He was looked right at the two of you, still in the compromising position: you leaned over Javi’s desk, his face in your hands, “what’s going on...is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” you quickly snapped out of it and pulled back, dusting your hands off on your dress, as if you were trying to get rid of any evidence of what had just happened, “this one just couldn’t understand what I was saying. I was just trying to make sure he finally understood.”

“Loud and clear, Agent L/N,” he shot you and Steve a dazzling grin as you swallowed the lump in your throat, moving back to your desk. It was so tensely quiet the only sound in the room was the click of your heels on the linoleum floor.

“What’s wrong, Steve?” you pulled a stack of papers closer to you, looking at him with a saccharine expression on your face. He may not have known exactly what was going on, but he knew it was something.

“Nothing,” you could easily hear the hint of skepticism in his voice as he looked between the two of you several times, head moving back and forth as though he was watching a tennis back, “is there...something going on with the two of you?”

“No,” you and Javier spat out the word at the same, causing you to groan internally. That certainly wouldn’t deter any attention. 

“Javi’s just a being a stubborn fool,” you shot the dark haired man a firm glare so he wouldn’t say anything else, “sometimes you just need to tough with him to get him to understand what you’re staying. But you would know that better than anyone else, Murph.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, nodding lightly as he started to look for papers on his desk. Your heart that had been rattling around in your chest slowly eased up when you realized he wouldn’t push the issue right now, “well, I guess we should get to work.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

The end of the day finally approached and you were more than ready to leave for the day and unwind at home. Quickly throwing your things in your bag, you set it on your desk as you went to the coat rack near Steve’s desk to grab your jacket. Steve, whether tired or just weirded out from the day, had already left a few minutes prior, leaving just you and Javi remaining. You hadn’t said another word to him all afternoon, instead offering him a very obvious silent treatment. 

He quickly and silently made his way to your side, putting his hands on your waist as you tensed up in surprise. You sighed lightly, both in pleasure at the feel of his large hands on your body and in annoyance, but it didn’t deter him from starting to pepper kisses all over your neck and the exposed parts of your shoulder.

“Javier,” you said as firmly as you could, as he pulled you tightly against his body, an arm wrapping around your stomach and on hand slowly roaming up to your breasts. You had to bite back a moan as you manage to hiss, “anyone can walk in and see-”

“Let them,” he growled in your ear, setting a flame off in the pit of your belly, “let them see me fuck you senseless.”

“Javi,” he told the opportunity to flip you around and set you on Steve’s desk, knocking a few things out of place. You could see that his normally honeyed eyes were dark with lust, along with the straining that you spied happening in his pants. You put your hand in the center of his chest in a vain attempt to stop him and try to collect yourself, “we shouldn’t do this.”

“I know,” he agreed and the two of you exchanged a look, and  a few moments of silence passed between the two of you. Before any other words were exchanged, he crashed his lips onto yours, his deft hands immediately moving to start undo the buttons of your dress, He kissed along your neck and jaw, nipping at the delicate flesh, making sure there would be bruises for you to find tomorrow. Normally you’d chide him, or make him stop, but today you didn’t bother, “you expect me to keep my hands off of you when you come in looking like that? God, you’re so fucking beautiful.”

He pulled down the straps of your dress and swiftly undid your bra, effortlessly tossing it to the side as his mouth found your breasts. You already were lost for words, unable to get anything coherent out, wrapping your arms around his neck, threading a hand through his dark locks as you held him against your chest. 

He sucked on the delicate skin of your breast before taking your pert nipple into his mouth, his hand massaging your other breast, pinching and rolling your nipple, causing shivers of pleasure to run through your body. 

“Jesus,” you managed to moan out as you started to subconsciously rocked your hips against him. You could tell your panties were already soaked, and you probably would cum easily once he moved to touch you. He smirked at you before trailing kisses up your chest and stopping at your smirked, “you’re wearing too much clothing.”

He let out a velvety laugh as you reached to start to undo his button up, getting frustrated with the few bottom buttons and resorted to ripping the shirt open and he tugged off it off, “eager, are we?”

“Shut up,” you teased as your wrapped him towards you, wrapping your arms around him, his warm, bare chest against your. You always relished the feel of his skin on your skin; it was such an intimate, special thing, and he felt like no other. Javi kissed you, slowly, deeply, but with hunger as he took his time with you, holding you closely against him. Every once in a while, soft little mewls left your lips and you could feel him smiling against you, “I love you, Javi.”

“I love you too, hermosa,” he agreed, stopping his actions and just hugging you, his arms around you like a vice grip as you buried your face into the crook of his neck. You loved this - loved him and it always felt like home when he held you like this. It was different from how he’s ever held anyone else before; no, this was all for you. He was all yours as you were all his.

“Javi,” you whispered against his skin, trailing a few kisses along his neck, “make love to me, please.”

He murmured a soft reassurance into your ear  before kissing the side of your head. He pulled back and you undid the button and fly of his trousers, letting them pool onto the floor before doing the same to his boxers. 

Pushing your dress up to your waist, he gently pulled off your panties and let them fall to the floor. He took a few moments to trail soft kisses along your thighs before giving your lips a few pecks. He took his hard cock and ran it along your folds for a moment, coating it in your slickness before pushing in slowly. You moaned at the delicious of him feeling you so completely, stretching you in the most perfect way. 

Javi let out a soft moan when he was fully inside you, getting adjusted to how perfect you left. He wrapped his arms around you as you stayed like that, completely still for a few moments, only exchanging a few kisses. You sighed contently as he slowly started to move. Sometimes when you had sex, it was rough and fast, both of you only chasing your highs. Sometimes it was like this; soft and gentle, and slow. You didn’t have a preference of either, typically, but right now, this felt perfect in every way.

“You’re so perfect,” he whispered in your ear, as he thrust into at a languid place, taking his sweet time with your body and placing gentle kisses all over your skin, “and so beautiful. Everything.”

“Javi,” you breathed softly as your arms wrapped around his neck. He reached down and gently rubbed your clit, keeping perfect time with his strokes. You bit down lightly on his shoulder into our to keep from crying out in pleasure, but only a small Javi left your lips, causing him to smile.

The buildup was slow, but you soon found yourself coming completely undone, body going weak as your vision started to get hazy. Javi pulled back and rested his forehead against yours, his eyes locked onto you and a lazy smile on hips, “let go, mi amor, cum for me.”

You closed your eyes, biting down on your bottom lip as you felt him twitch inside of you, “cum with me, Javi. Cum inside me.”

He groaned lightly at your nods, but was more than happy to oblige you, rutting his hips into you a few more times before spilling inside of you as your clenched around him. Throwing your head back in ecstasy, his name fell off your lips over and over like a prayer. He quickly followed, burrowing his face into your neck as he drew our your highs, staying burrowed inside you as long as possible. 

“I love you, mi amor,” he whispered in your ear as your breathing started to even out, “you’re so perfect in every way.”

“You’re just saying that because I let you cum inside me,” you joked as you put your hands on either side of his face, running a finger along his cheekbone before giving his nose a kiss.

“I mean it doesn’t hurt,” he agreed with a wink, still holding tightly onto you, fingers ghosting over the the bare skin of your back, “but it’s most because I love you. Truly. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” you agreed, “I know. I’ve know that since the night you showed up on my doorstep when you were supposed to be meeting with an informant. You can to me instead and said nothing is right when it’s not you. That’s when I knew.”

“I remember that night,” his grin threatened to split his face in half as he nuzzled his nose against yours, “it was the first night we stayed together after having sex.”

“I know,” you laughed lightly, “when did you first realize I loved you?”

“When you yelled at me any time something happened or went wrong,” he explained, “whenever I’d do anything even remotely risky, or get even a scratch, you’d yell at me and tell me to be careful. It would be something so small that it didn’t even really matter, but you would get so upset. That’s how I knew.”

“We’re just saps, aren’t we?” you asked as he nodded, “but I’m glad for that. For you. There’s no one else I’d rather love or be loved by, Javier Pena.”

“Agree,” he booped the tip of your nose gently before grabbing your hand and placing a kiss to your palm, “now let’s go home. We can stop and grab some food-”

“And wine?”

“Obviously,” he smiled as he finally, slowly pulled out of you, reaching into Steve’s desk and grabbing a few napkins from Steve’s stash to clean you up. You both stopped for a moment before laughing, “do you think he’ll notice?”

“Not a chance,” you said as you slid off the desk and started to do up your dress again, “we’ll just make sure to put everything back. He’ll never know.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[lasting-inkpressions]

I Put A Spell On You (Because You’re Mine) [5/11]

Summary: Denali is in love with her very much straight best friend, but a break up later and one drunken night together changes everything.

Note: Again, this is definitely NSFW. (:

Prefer reading it on AO3?

It was the morning of their second day at the lake house when Rosé rolled out of the bed she had been sleeping in, rubbing her eyes as she squinted at how bright the room was from the sunlight pouring in. She looked over to the bed next to her and noticed that it was empty, meaning that Denali was already up and about.

Yawning, she grabbed her toiletries and headed to the ensuite bathroom to freshen up for the day. 20 minutes later, she was out of the room, trying to gauge where everyone was. She had already figured out that Mik and Symone were outside with Kandy, from the sounds of Kandy hollering instructions at the two on what they needed to load into the boat that they were going to be taking out later that day. Checking the clock on the wall as she walked past it, she saw that it was just past 9am, meaning that the rest were probably up as well, and even if they weren’t, Kandy’s voice would have woken them up. Her nose twitched as she smelled the scent of bacon and toast, the smell leading her to the kitchen where she saw Denali wielding a pan in one hand and a spatula in the other, her dark hair up in a messy bun and an apron tied around her waist. Rosé smiled at the domestic scene and walked over to Denali.

“Good morning, angel.”

Denali whirled around, grinning when she spotted the older girl. “Good morning sleepyhead! Sorry I didn’t wake you earlier, figured you’d appreciate the sleep.”

Rosé smiled appreciatively at Denali. “Thanks. Do you need any help that doesn’t involve me burning the place down?” Denali laughed, clearly remembering the time when Rosé had somehow managed to scorch a pot of water. “Yes please! Could you help me set up eight plates on the table and distribute that plate of toast over there? I’m almost done with the bacon, and just have the eggs left do.”

“That I can do.”

Rosé busied herself with grabbing the plates from the cupboard and placing them on the table, then distributed the pile of toast, two per person. She moved back over to Denali who passed her the finished bacon while she started cracking a dozen eggs into a large bowl and whisking them. After making sure every plate had an even amount of bacon, she hopped onto the countertop and watched as Denali added milk and shredded cheese to the eggs.

Watching the other girl cook was one of her favourite things to do. Denali always had this little crease between her brows when she was cooking, her tongue poking out as she concentrated with the task at hand. She always put so much love and care into whatever she did, which was how her food always ended up tasting so good. Rosé remembered that one time when she had moaned about wanting to eat chicken pot pie after seeing it on her Instagram feed and that same evening, Denali had whipped up a batch for their dinner. Despite Denali saying that it was her first time baking the dish, it had been so good that they had somehow managed to finish it all, not leaving behind a single crumb.

That was the thing with Denali, she was someone that was so big hearted and loving, always giving and never asking for anything in return. It was the thing that Rosé loved the most about her, and also something that made her protective of her best friend. She had seen her fair share of Denali having her heart broken after she had given too much to her partners, only to have been taken advantage of and tossed aside once they were done with her.

At that very thought, Rosé felt her insides clench with shame, thinking back to the nights when she had slept with Denali.

Rosé didn’t want to admit that there was anything going on between the two of them. She knew that the sex had made their friendship more complicated than it needed to be. Each night when she slept, each time she woke up from those dreams about her best friend, she felt the guilt in her growing stronger and stronger, slowly eating away at her. Their sexual chemistry was mind-blowing, and Denali was always so willing and pliant under her. She had always been such a loving and kind person, so affectionate and filled with life and love. She knew that the younger woman always found it hard to say no to anyone, and that was what was killing Rosé, the fact that Denali never seemed to say no to her.

Rosé knew that she had taken advantage of that aspect of her giving nature, and that she was just taking and taking and taking, but she couldn’t help herself.

And she didn’t want to stop long enough to ask herself why.

She felt a finger poke her cheek, and shook herself out of her thoughts, meeting Denali’s laughing eyes.

“You looked like you were a million miles away.”

“Oh sorry, did you say something?” Denali held up a spoon of eggs to Rosé. “Taste this and let me know if it needs more salt?” The older girl nodded, and was about to taste it when Denali pulled the spoon back. “Hold on, let me cool it for you.” Denali blew at the spoonful of eggs, and Rosé couldn’t help but stare at Denali’s pursed lips with a lump in her throat.

The urge to kiss Denali then was strong.

Satisfied with the eggs being cooled enough, Denali held the spoon out to Rosé again, who stiffly took a bite. She nodded in approval at the taste, giving Denali a thumbs up, who grinned in response.

“Great! I’ll just add the chives, and it’s done! Can you help me round up the rest while I dish out the eggs?”

Not trusting herself to speak, Rosé nodded again and began looking for the rest after Denali had pointed out where everyone was. Minutes later, the dining table was filled with the sound of everyone eating and chattering away.

Rosé was sitting across from Denali, subtly watching her as she ate her toast, the younger girl nodding and smiling to whatever Symone was telling her, who was next to Denali sitting closer than necessary. Rosé didn’t know what it was, but she knew that she didn’t like the way that Symone had been eyeing Denali since yesterday morning at the diner.

She took a bite of her eggs, watching the way Denali was blushing at something Symone said, and she scowled down at her plate.

No, Rosé didn’t like it at all.

———————

It was close to noon when the boat was finally anchored. Kandy had commandeered the boat closer to the shore opposite of the lake house where there was nothing but lush greenery and, from what she had heard from her family, a waterfall that was a short walk away.

As soon as they were safely anchored, Mik had been the first to strip down to his trunks and jump into the water with a shout, followed closely by Olivia, Utica, Joey then Kandy. Symone, Denali and Rosé had watched them in amusement and chose to stay on the boat instead of getting into the water.

Denali was sitting at the edge of the boat, swinging her legs back and forth as she watched the others laughing and splashing about in the water. They had beckoned at her to join them in the water, but she declined, not really wanting to take off the shirt that she was wearing. She was a little conscious of the fact that Olivia had pointed out the faint marks that Rosé had left on her, and she didn’t really want to risk the others asking her questions if they saw them, especially with the older girl in their presence.

Leaning her chin on the railing, she heard footsteps and a familiar pair of legs slid into her view as Symone sat next to her.

“Hey beautiful.”

Denali stifled a laugh. She wasn’t sure why, but Symone had been showering her with compliments lately. It was odd, but Denali had thought nothing of it, chalking it up to just Symone being Symone.

“Hey pretty girl, why aren’t you down there?” The other girl shrugged, scooting closer to her as she replied. “Well, maybe because you’re up here and not down there.”

“Oh.” Denali frowned, feeling bad that she was possibly holding Symone back. “Are you alright? I thought you were looking forward to swimming in the lake.” Symone asked, tapping her fingers on the railing.

“I was! I mean, I am. I just- Maybe later.”

Symone quirked a brow. “You sure? You know, if you’re afraid of drowning, I’ll make sure to save you. I’d even give you a little mouth to mouth resuscitation. Heck, we can practice it now if you don’t believe me.”

Denali stared at Symone, stunned at her bold advances, before coughing, her cheeks flushing a bright red. “It’s okay, I believe you.” Symone laughed at Denali’s expression and poked at her cheek. “I’m kidding babe. Well, half kidding.”

“And which half are you kidding about?”

“Whichever half you want to believe.” Symone winked before getting up. “Listen doll, I’m going to head into the water. Just come in whenever you want to, okay?” Denali smiled at Symone and shooed her off, giggling as the ebony girl blew a kiss in her direction before jumping into the water to join the rest.

Denali huffed and stood up, fanning herself in the heat. Deciding that it was safe enough to take her shirt off, she pulled it off and tossed it to the side, leaving her in just her white string bikini. Denali sighed in relief, feeling the soft breeze on her skin as turned to join Rosé. She froze for a bit when she saw the older girl looking at her from the other side, an unreadable expression on her face.

“What?”

Rosé shrugged, silent as she looked away.

Denali frowned. Rosé had been acting weird all morning since breakfast. She had been cold and quiet, not really engaging with anyone, as if she was on autopilot, and Denali was worried. Rosé was usually only quiet when something was bothering her. She took a step closer to her, reaching out to her wrap fingers around her wrist in an attempt to connect with her.

“Rosie?”

There was a flash of a predatory look in her eyes that disappeared after a second, and Denali blinked. It was probably just the sun playing tricks on her. Rosé smiled innocently at her, then without warning picked Denali up in her arms, causing the younger girl to squeal.

“ROSIE! What are you dong? Put me down!”

Rosé grinned as she walked over to the edge of the boat, towards their friends in the water. “Are you sure you want me to put you down?” Rosé asked innocently. Gasping Denali narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare. If you drop me, I swear that I will never ever bake those stupid butterscotch blondies that you love so much ever again.” Rosé stopped just a few steps away from the edge of the boat. “Fine, I won’t drop you then.”

Denali smiled triumphantly at Rosé, thinking she had won, but realised her mistake as soon as Rosé took another step towards the edge.

“No, don’t you even think about it.”

“Think about what?” Rosé said innocently, taking another big step.

“Rosé McCorkell, if you take one more step, I will scream.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time I made you scream.” Denali sputtered, her face turning red.

“Not another step!”

“Fine, then I’ll just have to jump.” Denali’s eyes widened at that, before she could say anything Rosé jumped forwards with Denali held tightly in her arms, and they both ended up in the water with a huge splash, much to the delight of their friends. In the chaos of it, Denali broke through the surface, spitting out water as she gasped for air. She turned towards the sound of familiar laughter and splashed in the direction where she hoped Rosé was while trying to wipe the water from her eyes.

“You’re an idiot Rosé.” Rosé had simply smiled back at her and smacked a wet kiss against Denali’s cheek.

“That’s why you love me.” Denali’s heart thumped at that as she bit the inside of her cheek.

Rosé had no idea.

———————

Hours later, the group had made their way to the opposite shore. Half of them choosing to sunbathe on their towels while Symone, Mik, Rosé and Denali attempted to play a game of frisbee, attempting being the keyword.

Rosé couldn’t stop glaring at Symone every time the ebony girl moved closer to Denali, which was happening more and more over the course of the day. It irked her how Symone was constantly flirting with the other girl, and instead of walking away or rebuffing her, Denali had just played along with an adorable blush on her face.

Why was Denali even blushing?

“Baby that’s not how you throw a frisbee. Come here, let me show you how it’s done.” Rosé’s jaw clenched when she heard Denali’s giggle in response and watched as the other girl went over to Denali and proceeded to show her how.

Rosé had to force herself not to shove her way between the two of them or pull the Alaskan girl away from Symone as she watched Symone guiding Denali with the frisbee in an attempt to show her how to throw it. The touching was completely unnecessary too with how Symone was lined up close to Denali, especially when the girl had left her shirt discarded on the boat, leaving Denali in just her bikini. Symone was arm to arm with her as she held on to Denali’s wrist to show her how to “flick it like so”.

“Careful Rosé, you don’t want the others to get the wrong idea with how you’re glaring at them, do you?”

Rosé was jerked out of her thoughts and she turned to face Mik, who was watching her with a knowing look in his eye.

“The wrong idea? What do you mean?”

“That you’re acting like a jealous girlfriend.”

Rosé stilled at that comment. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“I know.”

“I don’t even like girls.”

“Okay.”

“And besides, she’s just my best friend.”

“Got it. Denali’s just your female best friend that you do not have the hots for.”

Rosé glared at Mik, who was looking back at her, a smirk on his face. After a moment Mik sighed, the smirk falling off his face and was replaced with a careful one. “Rosé, there’s nothing wrong if you do happen to have feelings for Denali, you know that right?” Choosing to remain silent, Rosé turned away and walked off, not wanting to hear another word from Mik, nor did she want to even look at Denali or Symone right now.

Not if she wanted to maintain her composure and avoid doing something that she knew she would ultimately regret.

———————

“Rosé!”

Denali frowned and looked over when she heard Mik yelling and caught sight of Rosé’s retreating back.

Where on earth was she going?

Excusing herself from Symone, she approached Mik, wanting to figure out what was wrong with her best friend. “Mik, what happened? Where’s Rosé going?” She grew suspicious when Mik stiffened. “Nothing. She just wanted to go for a walk?”

Denali looked at Mik, noticing how he was fidgeting under her stare. “Are you asking me or are you telling me?”

“I’m just saying. Look, why don’t you go after her? Maybe she’ll need the company.” She stared at Mik for another beat, making the boy fidget even more under her gaze, before turning and jogging after the older girl, not noticing how Mik had let out a sigh of relief. She pushed past the trees and bushes, trying to make out the pink hair that was quickly disappearing from view.

“Rosie, wait for me! Where are you going?”

Denali picked up the pace, chasing after her, ignoring the little nicks that her bare legs surely bore now from the low hanging branches before emerging before a small spring with a waterfall. She gasped in awe at the sight, taking it in. She knew that Kandy mentioned that there was a waterfall somewhere, but she didn’t think that she’d see it today. It looks so peaceful and tranquil, the perfect thinking spot.

Suddenly remembering Rosé, she looked around trying to locate her and spotted her sitting on one of the large rocks near the lip of the body of water. The older looked upset, her face drawn into a frown, and Denali didn’t like to see her like that. It worried her to see Rosé upset and not know what the cause was. She cautiously walked over and sat next to the older girl.

“Hey, what’s up? You got out of there pretty quick.”

Rosé turned to look at her, her face guarded. Denali didn’t like it. Usually Rosé was open with her, though the past few weeks hadn’t really been the case.

“Nothing, just a little tired out from earlier.”

“Don’t lie to me Rosé. You may be able to convince everyone else, but I can see right through you.”

Rosé drew her knees to her chin as she kept her eyes trained on the waterfall, not wanting to reply Denali. The younger girl sighed, not really sure of what to do. There wasn’t anything that she could do if Rosé didn’t want to open up to her, and a small part of her felt hurt at that. She just knew that she couldn’t leave the other girl alone. Tapping an off beat rhythm on her knee, she was stopped when Rosé rested her hand on top of hers. She looked at Rosé’s hand, then looked back up at the girl. This time, she had a look of determination on her face, as if she had figured something out.

“Denali, can I try something with you?”

Denali blinked, then nodded. She wasn’t sure what Rosé wanted to try, but she trusted the other girl. She knew Rosé wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.

The older girl scooted closer to Denali and cupped her face with both hands, thumbs softly stroking her cheeks. Denali stopped breathing, not really sure what was happening.

“...Rosé?”

The older girl’s thumbs stilled, eyes sweeping across Denali’s face, from her wide brown eyes to her sun kissed cheeks, then landing on her full lips. Staring at her lips for a brief moment, Rosé finally pulled the girl towards her, pressing their lips together.

For Denali, it was like time had stopped and she couldn’t move. Her mind blanked out, and all she could register was the sounds of splashing water, the smell of vanilla and the feel of plush lips against her own.

What was happening? Why was Rosé kissing her when there was no alcohol involved at all?

Pulling away in surprise, Denali squeaked when Rosé pulled her back in for a deeper kiss, and this time she couldn’t help the moan that she let out. She felt Rosé’s tongue sweep into her mouth, causing tingles to run up her spine. Not wanting to question it anymore, Denali let herself fall into it, felt Rosé’s hands slide from her cheeks down to her waist, pulling her even closer. She shivered as the pads of Rosé’s thumbs circled her skin and Denali tangled her fingers into the older girl’s pastel pink hair, her nails scratching her scalp, causing Rosé to groan in response.

The older girl pulled away and started to nip at her jaw, down the length of her neck and all the while all Denali could do was breathe in a daze, getting lost in the sensation of Rosé’s mouth drawing lazy patterns across her skin. There was a faint thought that the rest would notice the fresh marks that Rosé was leaving behind, but that disappeared once she felt a tug at her bikini top. She looked down, and the sight of Rosé with the undone strap of her top between her teeth caused her to whimper.

Rosé pushed Denali down onto the rock, careful not to let the younger girl get hurt in the process, and began to tug her top off of her. Before Denali could even protest, Rosé pulled a nipple into her mouth, both hands holding herself steady as she began to tease Denali.

It was happening again, and this time there was no alcohol involved, no excuses to hide behind, and Denali couldn’t think. All she could do was feel. Feel the way Rosé was showering her chest with attention, felt the way her tongue traced patterns and gasp when she nipped at her sensitive buds. Denali knew she was getting wetter and feeling hotter by the second. So lost was she in the physical sensations that she didn’t realise how one of Rosé’s hands had snuck down till it was pressed against her heated core.

Without warning, she felt a finger enter her, and she hissed at the sudden intrusion, reaching down immediately in a bid to stop Rosé’s wandering hand, but was stopped by the older girl’s heated gaze. Her pupils were blown, and Denali was sure that hers were too, lips parted as she dove back in, swallowing Denali’s moans as she inserted a second finger, stroking her walls, twisting and curling her digits inside her. She cried out when she felt the fingers scissor inside her, the sensation causing her to buck her hips against Rosé’s and she heard the older girl moan in response.

Pulling away, Rosé continued to suck bruises into the skin of Denali’s collarbone as she continued to stroke the younger woman with her fingers, intermittently circling the bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs, seeming to savour every gasp and moan that she pulled from her. It wasn’t long before Denali reached her peak, gasping as she felt her climax take over her and Rosé kissed her through it, holding her body tightly to hers as Denali whimpered, feeling spent and exhausted. Rolling over, Rosé tugged Denali’s body to hers, holding her in the cradle of her arms.

After a few moments of letting the younger woman recover from her climax, Rosé carefully picked her up and carried her over to the water. There she washed any traces of their love making from Denali’s skin, fingers lingering on the fresh love bites across her chest. Undoubtedly, there would be questions about those if the others saw them. Without hesitation, Rosé took off the shirt that she was wearing and after securing Denali’s discarded bikini top back on her, she pulled her shirt over Denali to hide most of the bruises on her skin.

The younger woman, still in a daze, let herself be piggybacked back to the boat, faintly registering familiar voices of concern and Rosé reassuring them that Denali was just tired, before she found herself back on the boat and bundled onto Rosé’s lap. Sighing as she felt familiar hands carding their fingers through her hair, Denali felt herself drifting off to the sound of Rosé humming her to sleep.

———————

Clearly there must be something wrong with my mind. This chapter got away from me and kind of went off script, but not so much that it derailed the whole plan. But yeah, we're at just about the halfway point, and it's gonna get interesting.

[youralternantpersonality]

Hello My Dear Friend

Warning: Talking about Texas (I'm from here, chill bro lol), panic attacks, Phonophobia: the fear of loud sounds.

A/n: Hello! How have yall been? I hope you are okay and are taking self of yourself. I'll be 100% with yall, I guess I just had to get out what was wrong with me because out of nowhere (with the help of medication) I had a need to start writing.

Also, I DID NOT KNOW MY LINKS WERE NOT WORKING! I’m so sorry. I realized the best way to get to my masters list is to go to my description bar. I don't know why it isn't. if you know how to fix it, please let me know!

Anyways, I never put summaries, but here's a little snip—Y/n is best friends (100% platonic) with Jared and will be with Embry. The end. Enjoy!

***

Y/n POV

Finally! I'm finally coming back to the place I grew up at and loved. The place where nature is at every corner. I never thought I would miss the muggy and rainy state. I miss my friends on the Res and the few friends I had in Forks. I especially miss my little brother-from-another-mother, Jared.

Jared and I grew up together on the Reservation. We befriended each other instantly in second grade after making a bet that one of us could eat our rainbow popsicle faster than the other. The winner gets the strawberry scented eraser and a mechanical pencil that the other grabbed from a 3rd grader. Needless to say, I won. Granted, I had a brain freeze, but it was 100% worth it. But now I was on my way back to La Push to finish my Junior year with my friends after leaving in Freshman year.

Pulling up to the house I grew up with, I was welcomed by my grandparents and my aunt Lydia. My grandmother and aunt were already outside washing what looks like something green; I'm assuming she's making collard greens tonight. My grandfather just came from around the side of the house with some more logs to make a fire. As soon as the car is parked, they look up with smiles on their faces, and I jump out to embrace my family.

"Nana, Papa, Aunty!" I say as I run up to them as they get ready for me to embrace them. After Nana had a minor heart attack, Aunt Lydia came to La Push from California to assist her since she was a nurse for the elderly. She eventually moved in with them after she divorced her bastard of a husband. Their marriage is an example of what happens when you don't communicate well with your partner beforehand. Aunt Lydia never wanted kids—she liked them, but she also liked giving them back to their parents. Her ex-husband, Justin, wanted kids. He's always wanted kids, and knowing that she never wanted them, he still tried to sabotage any way for them to get one. Hiding her birth control, poking a hole in the condom, arguing that she'd change her mind eventually. Not understanding that she did not want one. At some point, he claimed he was okay with it, but as soon as they got married, I guess he figured she'd change her mind.

Three years later, she filed for divorce. Not long afterward, she moved back up here; then, when Nana had a heart attack, she moved in with them. It's been a year since all of that happened. She is now dating a man in Forks who already has kids and doesn't want anymore. The kids are in fifth, seventh, and ninth grade, so she's content and happy. They all love her, and she loves them equally, if not more.

"Hey, baby! How's my Ladybug." Nana asked. Ever since I was little, she gave me that name. I was adopted by the Nomalose at two, and the second my Nana came up to me in her kitchen, somehow a Ladybug flew in and landed on my shoulder. Thus, granted me the name Ladybug.

"I'm good, Nana. How are you feeling?" I asked, hugging her as she continued to sit in her chair then moving to my aunt.

"Oh, baby, I'm fine. Always am, and always will be." She says with a smile. So optimistic as always. After greeting everyone as we moved inside, we all sat around to catch up on what has happened since we were gone. Dad had a job transfer in Texas, so we had to pack up and head out. At first, leaving La Push and moving to Dallas was (obviously) terrifying, but I was repulsed by the thought of it. But after a while, it wasn’t too bad. I mean, yes, it's hot as hell, some people are questionable, the pollen is horrific, and the redlining system is as evident as can be. However, I grew to love the heat and get a tan, made some friends, and the food…. oh, the food. What kind of threw me off is that they have to state the Texas flag pledge in class every day. What the absolute fuck.

After finishing up, we head back to the car and head to our home. Grabbing our stuff and unpacking it before the rest of our furniture arrives tomorrow. It's only mid-July (imagine moving in the middle of the summer from Texas to Washington. It was absolute hell), so I take this time to explore the area I once knew and get acquainted with. I plan on calling up some friends before I see my A1, the Jelly time to my Peanut butter, the Tom to my Jerry, the Magenta to my Blue, Jared Cameron. We kind of fell off within the last couple of months, but a little show-and-tell never hurt anyone.

I text some of my old friends I kept in contact with, and we decided to meet up at the beach. I put on my shorts, grab my beach gear, and head out.

"Be back before the streetlights-" mom started,

"-Come on. I know, I know. I'll text you when I'm on my way home." I finished. I kiss my parents and jump in the car to head to First beach. When I arrived, I see my sister-from-another-mister, LaCienega.

"Y/n/n!" She screams, running to me.

"Cien!" I scream back. We hug each other as tightly as possible before laughing like a bunch of crazy women.

"So, you're just going to forget all about us? Well, bitch, fuck you too." I look behind Cien and see her twin brother Javier and our other two friends, Leilani and Damion. I go up to them and hug the absolute shit out of them, and we all head towards the beach. We spent the day laughing, crying, playing soccer, and playing chicken before calling it.  I planned on seeing Jared tomorrow but was warned by Leilani.

"Jared isn't Jared anymore, Y/n/n," she says, looking down at her hands with a deflated expression.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at everyone else too.

"Did Jared stop talking to you recently?" Javier asked. I nod my head slowly. They looked at one another, and he continued. "He did the same to us too. He randomly disappeared one day, and the next thing we know, he grew a whole foot and a half, gained muscle, got a tattoo, and just ignored us. He started to hand it out with Sam Uley. Now when we see him, he just ignores us and moves on like we are nothing to him." I shake my head. That can't be right; Jared wouldn't be like that—he can hardly ignore starting random shit with people, especially if there's money involved.

"I mean, yeah, he did fall off the face of the earth, but…no. I'm going over there tomorrow. I'll talk to him to see what's up. That just doesn't sound like the Jared I know." I say, packing up.

"Well, if you can get him to talk, ask him for that $20 he owes me. Bastard never paid me back after winning a bet that I could out eat an XL pizza against him." Damion laughs. I nod my head and head to my car. On the way home, I think about what they said. I just can't fathom that Jared would be like that to anyone. It just doesn't sound like him at all.

~~~

The next day, I text the crew that I was on my way to talk to Jared. I decided to surprise him, and because I knew he didn't live too far, I decided to get my steps in and just walk to his place. Once I was there, I knocked on the door, and his mom answered.

"Oh my…Y/n? Is that really you?!" she exclaims with a smile on her face. She instantly pulls me into a hug, and tears swell in her eyes.

"Hi, Mrs. Olivia," I say back as I hug her. She invites me in, and we talk until Jared's sister and dad walk through the door.

"Y/n!" Kaylee, Jared's sister, screams and runs to me. I hug the now 12-year-old girl.

"Hey hon, hi, Mr. Kevin," I say, giving a wave across the room.

"Hey Y/n, how have you been? When did you get in?" he asked.

"I’ve been good. Just settling in. We came in yesterday morning. I came by to see you guys, and I was wondering where Jared was.” His demeanor changed. He cleared his throat and said Jared is with some friends and now isn’t a good time seeing him. He basically rushed me out of the house after that. As I was walking home, I thought it was strange, but I didn’t want to question it…for now.

It was only one in the afternoon, so I decided to walk to the diner not far from his house. I go up to the counter to order something to-go and sit on the barstool. Taking out my phone, I text Cien and Leilani what happened. They found it strange, but they weren’t too shocked by it. When I looked around the small diner, my eye caught a pair of familiar eyes.

“Kim?” she looks at me, and her eyes widen instantly. She gets up from her table and walks over to me and hugs me.

“Holy shit! Y/n?! What are you doing here? When did you get in?” she asked. Kim and I weren’t necessarily “besties,” but we were friends. More like the type to hang out around school, but not so much outside of it.

“Hey! I moved back. Came in yesterday. How have you been?” I asked. Before she could say anything, my food comes out, and she offers a ride to drive me home.

“Oh, you don’t have to. I don’t mind walking.” She looks at me hesitantly,

“Come on, we can talk on the way. Plus, daylight or not, you never know what's lurking.” She says.

“What do you mean?” I ask. She grabs her stuff from the table she was sitting at alone, and we walk towards the door.

“Well, lately, there has been a lot of bear sightings in the area. People coming up missing or dead. And, I just don’t want you to be the next victim.” She says as we head towards my place.

“Damn, so, let me guess, no hiking?” she nods her head.

“Please, please, please! Do. Not. Go. Into. The. Woods. Especially by yourself. The last thing we need is someone going missing again.” She emphasizes. I look at her with shock and just nod my head. At the light, she turns to me. “I’m serious Y/n. I know you have a habit of being a daredevil and taking risks. Don’t do it.” I look back at her with a shocked expression and just nod my head.

“Yeah, okay. I promise.” I say being serious. She nods her head, and we continue onward in silence. When we get home, I tell her bye and head inside. I now want to know what the fuck is going on, and what did I miss?

~~~

The next morning, I try calling up Jared, but I got no response. As I headed to the kitchen, I could hear Mr. Kevin’s voice laughing and talking to my dad in the living room. Heading in that direction, I welcome him then head into the kitchen to make myself some food. Once I was done, I head back to my room and get ready to head to the beach. I overheard Mr. Kevin saying that Jared and “the guys” would be at first beach. So, why not take a trip there for the fuck of it?

I tell my parental guiders that I will with some friends and head to my car. I text Leilani and Cien to meet me up at the beach for a little girl's day out. As I’m setting up, I run into Jacob Black, Embry Call, and Quil Ateara.

“Holy shit! Y/n!?” I turn to see Jake, and I smile at them and wave. We were classmates up until I left. I look at them, and I still see Quil looks like a baby, and Embry has gotten a little cuter, yet awkward and shy, but cute as can be.

“Hey, guys! How are you?!” I say, hugging them. Maybe hugging Embry, a little longer than I probably should’ve. They were a grade younger than me, but I still would hang with them when they were around.

“Not too bad, can’t complain. How about you?” Quil exclaims. Embry just looking at me and giving me butterflies in my damn stomach.

“I’m good. You know, just moving back, living life, trying to not get killed in the process. The usual.” I say, smiling. We talk until the girls come up. I tell them to text me some time—mainly hinting at Embry—and we parted ways. A couple of hours later, the girls head home, and I stay for a little while longer while La Push is still welcoming the sun. Not long afterward, I’m cut from my daydream with loud hoots and hollers. I turn to see who it was, and I can only make out a few of them. One of the girls turns to me and waves at me. I look behind me to see no one, and I slightly wave back, having no idea who she is. She runs up to me, and I see it's Kim.

“Oh, shit. Kim, hey. Sorry, I can't see shit.” She smiles and laughs but brushes it off. She invites me over to play soccer with her friends, and I politely decline. I suck being around new people. She smiles and encourages me, but I hear the voice I’ve been looking for before I could say anything.

“Y/n?” I look up to see Jared. But not the Jared that I remember; this Jared is entirely different. Someone I have never met before in my life. This Jared looks like he belongs on WWE or some shit.

“Jared? Holy shit! You’re fucking huge!” I say, walking towards him. But before I could do anything, he cuts the reunion short.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Hold on. Pause. What the fuck?

“Um, I live here. What’s wrong? Is that a bad thing?” he rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

“No, I meant here. On the beach. I thought me not replying meant not to contact me or follow me.” I looked at him, shocked. Kim steps in the middle.

“Woah, babe, chill. You guys cool?” I nod my head.

“Yeah, we’re friends.”

“Was.” What the…

“Woah, what the hell J. Did I do something? What the fuck is your problem? Last time I checked, this was a free beach.” What the hell was his problem? Who is this? This, this is…They were right, Jared has changed.

“Y/n, you shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t have come back!”

“Jared, what the hell!?” I walk up to him, confused. I look behind him and see 2 more guys and a female.

“Leave Y/n. Just to make everything clear to you and to all of your friends, leave me alone. Don’t talk to me, don’t text me, don’t contact me. Don’t come to my house to bother my family, and don’t bother my girlfriend. Come on, Kim.” I stood there in shock. Kim looked as puzzled as I did but looked back at me and walked off. I stood there until I felt something fall on my face—a tear. Before I could react cognitively, I go back to my stuff and head home. I honestly felt like my heart has been ripped to pieces.

As I pull up to the house, I run inside and go straight to my room. I sit on my bed and text everyone in the group text what happened and just shower and lay in my bed again. It wasn’t until later that evening that I came out of my room for dinner at my grandparents’ house that I communicated with everyone. Why would Jared act like that? Did he do that with everyone? Is this what everyone was talking about? Something is up. I’m not going to say it's ‘roid-rage, but… I can’t pass up the thought that it might be drugs.

The following week I keep myself busy doing little things and going out with my friends, hanging out with Jake, Quil, and Embry. Mainly attempting to not be bothered about my last interaction with Jared. Coming home from Port Angeles with everyone that evening, my parents are arguing again. I retreat my stuff upstairs and try to silence them out. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had a horrible reaction when it comes to people screaming at me or arguing with or in front of me. I eventually narrowed it down to a time where I don’t remember before I was adopted. It didn’t help that my parents did it frequently as I grew up. It was worse when I was a kid. Before I would be able to leave and go to Jared’s house, he would calm me down. Now? I have no one. I can't necessarily go to my other friends because they don’t really get how bad it is. Jared is the only one who knows and who has seen the horror.

As much as I try to block it out, nothing is working. I grab my speaker and head to the bathroom to shower, trying to calm my nerves and tune them out. Hoping that they would stop by the time I get out. But I was wrong. It seemed like it has only gotten worse. And when I listened in, it was my fault.

“If you weren’t fucking yelling, she wouldn’t need to hide and turn up the music to block us out!” mom said.

“Why is it MY fault? Like EVERYTHING ELSE! Jesus! I told you to stop when the car pulled up! BUT NO! YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE THE LAST FUCKING WORD!” Dad said. And it was just like that back and forth. I slide down the back of my door and put in my headphones while trying to even my breath. Attempting to not have a panic attack. But it seemed as if the more I try, the louder they got. The louder they got, the more I cried. I couldn’t take it. I threw my headphones on the bed, grabbed my coat, put on my sneakers, and ran past my parents and out of the house. Even as I’m running away, I can hear them yelling about how I’m now leaving. It’s times like these that make me wonder why I can’t be normal.

Not realizing where I’m going, I just run. No stopping, no looking back, not thinking, just running. I don’t come back to the realization until I am in front of Jared’s driveway. I stop, thinking back on his hurtful words that I start panicking and running away from his home. Mindlessly running away, I trip and fall from a tree root sticking out of the ground. I look at my surroundings and notice that I somehow ended up in the forest. Confused and unsure, I look for a sign of familiarity, and I can’t find anything. Trying to not put myself in an even more state of panic, I take multiple deep breaths and calmly walk back into the opposite direction I tripped. But after a little while later, I notice I was lost even more. The sun is setting quickly, and I have no idea where I’m at.

Panic starts rising as I try to calmly and carefully walk out of the woods. I reach for my phone only to discover that I don’t have it. I either left it at home or dropped it when I fell. I stop by a nearby tree and just try to relax. But of course, life likes to go against me and scare the shit out of me. It wasn’t a second later that I heard the crunching of leaves and a branch snapping. I looked around me and didn’t see anyone. The rustling of the branches above me had me look up and saw nothing. But it was the figure in front of me that scared the living shit out of me. 

In front of me stood an average height woman with chopped short black hair; she was skinny, pale skin, and beautiful. But what was creepy was the red eyes. I was so shocked by her appearance that I didn’t notice the man next to me. He towered over me. He looked six-feet, with silver blond hair, pale as the woman, and blood-red eyes.

“Well, well, well, look what we have here, Vanity. A little pet, I see.” The man says, stepping towards me.

“I see. Awe, she looks so adorable! I just want to eat her up! Can we keep her Leo!?” the female, Vanity, said. She gets a disapproving look from Leo, who turns to me, and the next thing I know, I’m up against the tree with this hand around my neck. This, by no means, is helping with my anxiety. I froze, unsure what to do.

“This is interesting, no fight back.” Leo says, “Well, where’s the fun in that?” he snarls. He throws me across the forest. I land on my shoulder and scream out in pain. “Run.” Is all he says before I get up and take off. I run as fast as I could while screaming for help. Hoping anyone is out there and available to rescue me from this hell.

“SOMEONE, PLEASE! HELP ME! HELP!” I yell, running as fast as my legs could carry me. If there's one thing I’m grateful for, it's being thankful for having the gift of balance. Without it, I would have tripped and fallen by now. I hear laughter above me, and as I look up, I see Vanity and Leo jumping from tree to tree, terrorizing me more. Nightfall has hit, and I can't see shit. I turn in another direction to get away from them, only to enter into an open field. I run across this little open area only to be cut off by Vanity on one side and Leo on the other.

“Now! We’re having fun. Right baby!?” Leo screams to her.

“Son of a bitch! What are you guys!? Please don’t hurt me!” I say, tears coming from my eyes.

“Well, since you asked so nicely. We’ll make it quick, hon.” Vanity says. She shoves me to the ground and moves my head to the side, but I hear a growl from across the field before she could do anything else. We all turn to look, and I see wolves. Giant wolves. What the living fuck is going on? A more enormous black wolf is leading two more of them, looking at us.

“Well, well, well. Look what we have here. I thought you guys died off.” Vanity says, turning to Leo, “The game just got interesting.”

“Game? What game? I don’t want to play.” I said in a quivering voice. One of the wolves looked at me; the one next to him stares back at him, then at me.

“Seems to me that one of them recognizes our little friend here, Leo.” The bitch pops my shoulder out of place, making me scream out in pain, begging them to let me go. The wolves growl and take a step closer.

“Gotta catch us to get her,” Leo says. Next thing I know, I’m tossed over his shoulder, and we’re taking off into the deep dark forest. Before I can react, I find myself moving at an inhuman speed. My mind catches up with my voice, and all I can do is scream.

“Let me go!” I yell to someone. I look up to see the wolves right on their tail. A second later, I'm being tossed in the air, and I was caught by Vanity.

“What the fuck! Please! Don’t kill me! Please!” they ignore my plea, and she starts jumping up from tree to tree along with Leo. She tosses me again, and I barely land in Leo’s arms. At this point, I'm crying. I have no idea what’s going on technically. Wolves are chasing us. I feel sick to my stomach. I just want to go home. I turn to look behind Leo and see a wolf right upon him. He senses it and tosses me to Vanity. She catches me, and I look ahead. We are coming up on a clearing, I recognize. It’s the cliff.

“NO! NO! NO! I CAN'T SWIM! I CAN'T SWIM! HELP! HELP!” Those were my last words before I’m thrown over the cliff and into the pacific. Everything slowed down at that point. I looked back and saw Vanity diving after me, and behind her, I saw one of the wolves looking at me, and before I hit the water, it howled, and I blacked out.

Part 1: Hello My Dear Friend

Part 2: Goodbye My Dear Friend

Part 3: Welcome My Dear Friend

Part 4: Why My Dear Friend

Part 5: End My Dear Friend

Request Open!

[artificialqueens]

You Light a Fire in My Heart (Rosénali) - Moonshot

A/N: I wasn’t expecting to write a follow-up to the first diner au this fast but I’ve genuinely fallen in love with the little au verse I’ve created. For context, this is set about a year after the events of ‘On The Ground’, and it spans across three months (March, April, and May). Flashbacks are in italics, and I hope you enjoy it x

Summary: The time(s) Rosé tried to be the best girlfriend to her Nali

Also on Ao3

-

If you had told Rosé a year ago that she would be dating one of the most amazing girls she’d ever met in her life, she would have believed you. Who wouldn’t want to date a fine bonnie lass like her?

What she wouldn’t have believed would have been that she was admittedly a tiny bit jealous of her girlfriend’s crush for a K-pop singer that shared her name.

Rosé was working on her laptop, busy mixing a track she had recorded with Jan and Lagoona when Denali had walked into the living room.

“OH MY GOD! I just finished watching Blackpink’s interview with James Corden and Rosé’s got the CUTEST accent! Her Aussie accent is so sexy too…” she remembered her girlfriend saying as she walked into her living room, her eyes glued to the phone in her hand.

“Hey!”, the pink-haired girl puffed out, “my Scottish accent is sexy too!”

Denali looked up, her left brow raised, “Says who?”, she asked teasingly.

“…My grandma”, Rosé replied unconvincingly, causing her girlfriend to laugh out loud.

“My Rosie is so cute when she’s jealous!”, she sing-sang, stamping a sloppy kiss on the older girl’s cheek.

“I’m not!”, she huffed as the black-haired girl sat next to her on the couch.

“You know she’s not my favorite in the group. Wanna know why?” Denali asked, draping her arms around Rosé’s neck.

“Why?”.

“Because you’ll always be my favorite Rosie”, she whispered in her girlfriend’s ear.

Rosé was sure her cheeks were matching colors with the shade of pink of her hair.

“Cheesy bitch”, she muttered as Denali hid her face in the crook of her neck.

“Yours truly”.

She remembered letting her girlfriend rest on her chest, the sweet strawberry scent of Denali’s shampoo filling her nose as she tried to focus on the track she was working on. 

However, another thought was buzzing in her head. 

The brunette’s birthday - the first one since they had started dating - was coming up soon and Rosé had absolutely no idea what to get her. 

Dedicating her a song, while definitely in her range, was too obvious of a gift. She really wanted to surprise her, to give her something she would remember for years to come.

With less than a month to the date, Rosé decided to go to the very familiar diner to pick up something quick to eat before going to grab the equipment she needed for her weekly set across the street. 

As she walked up to the register to pay up after having grabbed some pastries, she couldn’t help but notice the absence of a familiar face. She was sure Denali was set to be on shift at that hour.

Her attention was drawn back to the guy behind the counter.

“Hey, gorge! Looking for me?”, Mik asked as he took the pastry bag from the pink-haired girl.

Rosé rolled her eyes playfully, “Hey to you too, Mik,” she replied as she took out some cash, “Sorry to burst your bubble, short king, I was just wondering where my lovely girlfriend is”.

The shorter guy shrugged, “Your loss. I’m always open for a tall glamazon like you, gorge”, he winked before presenting her the receipt, “it will be 4,99$ for that, and also Nali was allowed to go home early by Miss Iman because she was trying to get tickets for some concert, I think?”

Rosé gave a little nod of acknowledgment and was handing over the cash when a voice caught her attention.

“Oh, no!”, both Mik and Rosé turned their head to another of the diner staff, Olivia, who was looking down at her phone pouting, “Nali just texted me saying that the Blackpink show in Chicago she wanted to go to sold out before she was able to get a standing ticket and the VIP ones are too expensive for her! Oh, poor baby Nali”.

“What other tour dates are they doing?” the singer asked, an idea forming in her head.

The other girl furrowed her brows, trying to remember, “Well, Nali wanted to go to the Chicago one with some of her friends there, that one was in mid-May. If I’m not mistaken, they are doing one in Newark at the end of May, and then the other ones are down south and on the west coast as well? Pretty big tour from what she has told me”.

“Wow, that’s an impressive gig,” Rosé commented, genuinely surprised.

She grabbed the paper bag from the counter, waving goodbye to the two employees, “Well, divas, I’ll leave you to do your jobs. Thanks for the info, I guess my set has to be delayed a bit to deliver these to my girl, and hope to cheer her up a bit, wish me luck!” 

The other two waved her off as she exited the diner. 

The pink-haired girl grabbed her phone from her purse and quickly texted Jan and Lagoona to meet her at her place after her set. 

Maybe she had just found the perfect birthday present for her Nali.

Rosé and Lagoona were sitting at the kitchen table, the Scottish girl’s computer between them open on the ticketing site while Jan was busy gushing with her girlfriend over the phone in the living room.

The blue-haired girl stared at the laptop, clicking her tongue, “Is that the VIP price for both…?”

“Nope, just one. I could afford to get only one VIP ticket for her so she’ll get to enjoy it all by herself”, Rosé replied.

“Holy shit, I fucking wish you were this in love with me to spend that much money for my birthday!” Lagoona commented jokingly before noticing a small detail, “Wait, did you see the date of the concert?”

The pink-haired girl nodded, “Yes, I am aware that the concert happens to be on my birthday. However, this is an opportunity I can’t let Nali give up on,” she reasoned, “Also, I plan on spending many more birthdays with her, so her spending mine doing something she loves makes me happy as well”.

Lagoona shot up and started reaching for kitchen drawers, seemingly looking for something.

“Can I know what the fuck are you doing?”, Rosé asked, arching her manicured brow.

“Looking for a whip because you’re fucking whipped for the girl! I can’t believe it!”, her best friend cackled, actively avoiding the kitchen towel thrown at her.

“Oh, fuck you, bitch!”, the pink-haired girl said in return, unable to hide her own grin at the situation.

At that moment, their purple-haired friend entered the room, saying her goodbyes over the phone before she sat down on the opposite side of Rosé.

“Oh look, who decided to join us!” Lagoona teased as she sat back next to the Scottish girl, “how was the call with the sugar mommy?”

Jan blushed furiously, “Shush, you two! Jackie’s not my sugar mommy! She just… happens to be richer and older than me. Also, she called me because she’s stressed from organizing this big event in May and needed some advice!”, she blurted out, only causing the other two to laugh even harder.

“Yeah, sure whatever you say, Stuntalina the sugar baby. C’mon, I’ve got a new piece I wrote for us to show you!”, Rosé said as she closed the ticket receipt.

She opened her music editing program, pressed play on the last recorded file.

While her best friends were busy enjoying the new song she produced, Rosé checked her phone to find a new text from Denali.

10:52 PM:

thank u so much for the pastries, I really needed them today. You always know how to cheer me up. Goodnight my Rosie <3

The singer smiled. 

She couldn’t wait to show Denali her birthday present.

Denali was lying down on the couch, her eyes on her best friend - and soon-to-be ex-roommate - as she packed the last few things she needed to move out.

“I still can’t believe you’re moving out,” the brunette pouted, “You’re leaving me allllll aloooooooneeeee”, she said dramatically.

“Nali, you’re acting as if I’m moving across the country”, Olivia chuckled, “I’m literally moving in with Utica and Symone, and they live across the street”.

The Alaskan skater threw her head back, “So close, yet so far”.

The younger girl rolled her eyes, reaching for a silver sharpie before throwing it to Denali, “Okay, miss Dramanali. Will you get your ass up and help me finish labeling these boxes?”

It took them a little over an hour to have most of Olivia’s things labeled and boxed, ready to be taken to their new home.

A bottle of soju later, they sat together on the couch in front of the TV as they ate some take-out for dinner, reminiscing of their time as roommates.

“It’s going to be weird to live alone,” Denali confessed as she took a piece of kimbap with her steel chopsticks, “We’ve been roommates ever since I literally moved in from Chicago. But I know it’s the right thing for you, you know”.

Olivia nodded, “I didn’t expect it to take this turn, I mean, I started it out a year ago single and now I’m dating not just one but two of the most awesome people I know?”

“I remember you being bummed when Utica started dating Symone. I sneaked out way too much ice cream from the diner to cheer you up, but look at you now, dating both Utica and Symone, moving in with them? You won the jackpot, Liv!”, the older girl replied, smacking her free hand against the other girl’s thigh.

“Girl, I could say the same about you and miss Rosie. All lovey-dovey, sweet kisses and I love you’s”, Olivia winked as she saw Denali’s cheeks take a pink tint.

“Actually…”, the skater confessed, “she technically hasn’t said the big L word out loud, not like that at least”.

Denali was sure Olivia’s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, “WHAT?”

The brunette smiled shyly.

“It’s just… this past year everything has been so perfect with her and what if forcing her to say it will ruin that?”

“Nali, baby, the girl basically lives here. Do I have to remind you just how many times I’ve walked in on you two doing the whole devil’s tango while she looks at you like a lovesick puppy and you are worried about her not saying I love you back?”

The Alaskan girl tried to lighten the mood, “To our defense, you did say that you were spending the night out and that movie was very intense-”

“Nali…”

“I love her, Liv. Like really really love her. And I do see a future with her, but she is such a free spirit, someone who says and does things her own way and I’m worried that I’m going to scare her away,” Denali bit her lower lip, trying her best to not let the emotions get the best of her.

The younger girl took her hand, “Do you remember what I told you that day at the rink when you were scared to ask her out?”

“That you would unleash Kandy on her?”

They both chuckled.

“That’s still on the table if she breaks your heart,” Olivia replied honestly, holding Denali’s hand, “I told you to give it a chance. Tell her about how you feel your relationship is heading, and I got a feeling that she feels the same as you do”.

The two friends savored the moment, only the sound coming from outside the window to fill the void.

Denali was the first one to speak up after a couple of minutes of silence, “See? Who am I supposed to have those heart-to-heart conversations with if I’m alone? The wall?”

Olivia laughed out loud, “The cat lady that lives on the first floor sure seems like a good replacement for me!”

“Donut would run away before I could even let her in, girl”.

“True that,” she took another bite of her rice bowl before setting it down and getting up from the couch, “maybe, after you have your talk with your pink highlighter girlfriend in time for your birthday next week, she can babysit your pillow princess ass!” 

Denali’s mouth was wide open in shock but unable to restrain the laughter. 

“Liv! How dare you!” she said as the younger girl bolted into her room, prompting a not-so-sober chase.

They would totally be getting an angry noise complaint the next day.

Denali felt like her birthday went faster than she would have liked.

It had started with a call from her mom while her friends were trying to make her breakfast in bed - emphasis on trying - only to end up ordering delivery from the bakery two blocks down the street. 

Since she would have still had to work that day, they had opted to hang out at her place the night before, waiting up to midnight to wish her a happy birthday. 

What Denali was really looking forward to was the cute night-in her girlfriend had promised along with her mysterious birthday gift that was seemingly months in the making.

Having barely made it home from the diner, the brunette had just taken off her jacket and scarf when she heard a familiar knock pattern on her door.

She smiled as she was greeted by a small bouquet of forget-me-nots, a bag seemingly full of takeaway boxes, and a bottle of Rosé.

“Isn’t it cannibalism if you drink Rosé?” she teased, letting her girlfriend in the apartment and closing the door behind her.

“I’m letting that slide because it’s your birthday, baby,” the pink-haired girl replied as she set everything down on the kitchen counter.

Denali took a moment to take in how her Rosie looked.

The signature pink leather jacket was open to reveal a very deep low cut top that left close to nothing to the imagination. The black high-waisted jeans hugged her curves in a way that drove Denali crazy just to think about. 

“Liking the view, mama?”, Rosé’s smirk was one of the few things able to make her weak to her knees like that.

“You’re a tease-y bitch”

“Thank you for noticing”, she winked as she walked over to Denali and sneaked her arms around her girlfriend’s waist, towering over her thanks to the pumps she was wearing.

The brunette couldn’t help but smile as she wrapped her arms around Rosé’s neck, getting on her tippy toes to kiss her.

“Happy birthday, my angel”, she whispered against her lips before her strong arms picked Denali up with a small yelp from the younger girl.

“What about dinner?”, she chuckled.

“I’m in a mood to eat something else right now…”, Rosé simply said as she reconnected their lips and started taking her girlfriend to the familiar bedroom.

Denali lied with her head on Rosé’s chest like she always did after they slept together. She could fall asleep just with how the older girl was gently combing her hair with her fingers.

“Don’t fall asleep on me, mama. You still got my birthday gift to open up”, she whispered, making Denali chuckle.

“What? Wasn’t the mind-blowing sex your birthday present?” she teased.

She could feel Rosé smile against her hair, “Thanks for the ego boost, diva, but I think you’ll like the real present more”

She went to reach for the pink jacket on the floor, taking out an envelope and giving it to Denali.

“What is this?”

“Open it up and find out for yourself”

The brunette straightened herself, not caring about the sheets pooling at her waist, and opened the present.

She couldn’t believe her eyes.

“You’re kidding me?!”

“Well, it’s not my fault your birthday happens to be on April Fool’s day but it’s all real, angel”, Rosé smiled at her.

“Ahhh! VIP Tickets for Blackpink’s concert?! I love you!”, Denali blurted out and went on to hug her girlfriend.

When she felt the older girl get slightly stiff, she realized just what she had blurted out and did what she did best: she panicked.

“Oh gosh, sorry I didn’t-”

Rosé didn’t reply, just went on cupping her face to calm her down.

“Baby, it’s okay. Don’t ever feel sorry for how you feel”, she reassured, kissing her forehead, “I just… don’t have the best track record when it comes to being told those three little words. I know how strongly I feel about you. I just want to mean it 100% when I say it, okay?”

Denali nodded, not trusting her words as she knew how hard it was for her girlfriend to talk about her feelings.

Rosé tilted her head, “Now, let me snuggle my…”, she looked over Denali’s shoulder, the clock read 11:05 PM, “birthday girl for another hour”.

She went on to press her girlfriend’s body against hers. She let a couple of minutes pass, making sure that the shorter girl had calmed down.

“Sing me to sleep, Rosie?”, she heard the faintest voice coming from the younger girl, whose arms held her sides tightly.

“Anything for you, angel”.

Almost two months later, Denali couldn’t believe she was actually there, waiting under the smaller stage for the concert to begin.

The soundcheck had been overwhelming, she definitely had almost cried when the girls waved at her section of the crowd. She was sure Lisa was waving at her.

She had even managed to become friends with some of the other fans in the VIP section, having gone to the concert alone - she still was a bit sad that she was missing Rosé’s birthday but understood the argument that this was one in a lifetime opportunity that she couldn’t pass on. 

“I can’t believe how close we are to the stage!” one of the girls to Denali’s right, Sakura, commented, “Based on the videos from the other dates, this is definitely the best side to be on, especially during Lisa’s dance solo!”

“Girl, I know! I’m ready to see her shake that ass!” Denali replied, making both of them chuckle.

“Oh, is that how it is, mama?”

Denali froze.

Was that…

“Rosie?”

There was her girlfriend, sporting the VIP tag around her neck and around her wrist.

“How did you get in? I thought you didn’t manage to get another ticket?”, while she was beyond ecstatic to see her girlfriend there with her at the concert, she was also very confused.

“Up until a couple of hours ago, I didn’t have it, so that was as much of a surprise to you as it is to you,” she smiled, “Remember I told you about how Jan’s girlfriend was busy organizing a big event?” she asked as she recollected what had just happened hours prior.

Both Rosé and Lagoona were sitting on the former girl’s couch, watching reruns of America’s Got Talent and commenting how there would totally be no competition if they decided to audition.

Jan walked in, sipping on her frappuccino, “I know you love us but why aren’t you spending your birthday with your girlfriend?”

“I told you she’s at that Blackpink’s concert today” Rosé reminded her, lowering the TV volume.

“Blackpink? Oh! That’s the project Jackie was helping with organizing. She even offered me a full VIP ticket. Do you want it? It’s barely 3 PM, you just missed the soundcheck”.

The two friends sitting on the couch looked at each other, then at Jan, then back at each other before bolting up from the couch.

“COULDN’T HAVE YOU SAID SOMETHING EARLIER, JANICE?”

“I can’t believe it, Jan is really something else,” Denali smiled, now feeling that everything was complete.

“Me neither, baby. That girl is a mystery,” Rosé replied as she positioned herself behind her shorter girlfriend to hug her from behind, kissing Denali’s cheek “Now, I can check out my competition with the other Rosie in your life”, she joked.

“I promise you’ll be a Blink by the end of the night,” Denali said confidently, melting against the embrace.

“We’ll see about that, little diva”.

When people said time flies by when you’re having fun, Denali just realized how fast.

The concert was a rollercoaster of emotions, from the powerful beginning to the member’s solos - she definitely didn’t miss her girlfriend’s ‘mom dancing’ behind her. 

And now, the soft guitar notes of Hope Not filled the stadium. The ballad had always been one of Denali’s favorites, those raw emotions she had felt so many times were being so beautifully sang out loud and it made her teary-eyed.

Rosé kept her arms secured around her waist, rocking her from side to side. The brunette closed her eyes, fully letting the song guide her.

That’s when she heard Rosé’s voice in her ear, so quiet yet overpowering everything else.

“I love you”.

Denali’s eyes shot open and quickly turned around to be met with the most beautiful smile Rosé had ever given to her, she could only see pure love in her eyes staring back at her. 

She hadn’t even realized the tears spilled down her cheeks as she went in to connect their lips.

Nothing else mattered to her at that moment.

It was just her and her Rosie.

The warm autumn air filled Denali’s living room as they cuddled on the couch, watching a movie.

It was almost midnight when the end credits started rolling, the younger girl was already half-asleep, clinging to her girlfriend like a koala bear.

Rosé turned off the TV and turned her attention to her girlfriend, “C’mon, little diva, let go of me, I have to catch the bus home”.

Denali grunted, “Noooo, don’t leave meee,” she protested, her cheek firmly against Rosé’s chest.

“I gotta get home, baby”, the pink-haired girl tried to reason.

“This is your home too. You should just move in already,” Denali replied, slugging her words.

Her heart skipped a beat. 

Rosé stopped for a moment to think about it. She smiled looking down at her girlfriend’s serene face. 

She definitely could see herself wanting to wake up to that every day for a long time.

Denali woke up in her bed the following day, not remembering how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep on the couch with-

She shot up and went to the kitchen. She found a still-warm cup of coffee and a note.

She almost choked on the drink as she read the small piece of paper.

I thought you’d never ask

to move in together

Get those papers ready, angel

Your Rosie

PS: we’ve some remodeling to do, mama

Denali couldn’t help the pink tint from erupting across her face. She definitely blamed her sleepy self for being so open with her girlfriend.

On the other side, she had to call her landlord.

Her search for a roommate was over for good.

[thatesqcrush]

Neighbors, Pt. 3

Rafael Barba x Reader. CW: angst, pining, language. Episode references: Nationwide Manhunt (SVU) & The Song of Gregory William Yates (CPD). WC: 1892

AN: A non-smut chapter? Who am I? Forgive me for typos. 

--

The next morning you woke up startled. You rubbed your eyes and tried to make sense of your surroundings: you had fallen asleep on your couch, the TV screen black (with the flashing reminder to turn off your TV if not watching). Your alarm was screeching from the bedroom and there was pounding on your door. You reached for the remote and turned off the TV before going to answer the door. You stood and paused, groaning as your head began to throb.

You undid the deadbolt but left the security chain on and cracked the door open. “Oh, Raf – it’s you.” You replied with a sigh of relief. “Hold on.” You closed the door and undid the chain and then re-opened the door. You both stood there in the doorway, staring at each other, nothing being said. Finally, Rafael opened his mouth, taking the first step.

Can I come in?” Rafael looked fashionably sensitive, in his dark tapered jeans and oxford shirt, with his sleeves rolled up. You cocked your head and wondered if the Harvard lawyer truly knew how handsome he was.

“Sure.” You replied, opening the door wider to let him in. “I have to turn off my alarm, give me a second.” You walked down the hall to your room. “Look about last night…” You called out as you turned it off.

Rafael gave you a shrug. “Don’t worry about it, detective.”

You gave him a look that was half-bemused and half annoyance. “I have a name. What did I tell you about that?”

Rafael crossed his arms and grumbled an expletive in Spanish, which made the corner of your lips twitch slightly, knowing that you could get under his skin a little. “Y/N.” He replied, his voice clipped.

You let out a small laugh. “I am just teasing.” Your smile faded quickly. “Seriously, though, I’m really sorry.”

Rafael eyed your unkempt appearance and gave you a small smile before shaking his head. “You were hurting and drunk.” He pulled you into a tight hug, squeeze and you took a deep inhalation of his cologne which comforted you. Reluctantly, you broke the hug.

“I think we should keep things professional from now on.” Rafael announced quietly. He shifted his footing and shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn’t miss the hurt that flashed across your face.

You straightened and took a deep breath. “Duly noted.” After a beat, you continued. “And I think that’s best.”

Rafael nodded slowly, taken a bit by your quick agreeance. “So…” Tension quickly filled the room and the pounding in your head intensified.

“Want to get some breakfast before work?” Rafael suggested. “Just as colleagues.” He added for good measure.

“If you don’t mind waiting…” You waved your arm over your haphazard appearance.

“Not at all.”

You started walking backwards towards your bedroom. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be out in a bit.”

Under the hot steam of your shower, you wondered when everything got so fucked up and longed for the days when things were so simple. When you emerged back into the living room, you paused as you slipped on your watch. Rafael was sitting on the couch, watching CNN. There was something so domestic about it. Your heart skipped a beat.  

‘No. Focus.’ You thought to yourself. You plastered a smile on your face and put the kibosh on any feelings that were forming. “Ready?”

Rafael turned off your TV and stood, turning to face you. “Absolutely.”

As you walked by, Rafael grabbed your wrist, stopping you in your tracks. “Hey – are we okay?” He pointed his finger at you, then at himself. You winked.

“Of course. Now, lets get some food. I’m starved.” The waft of your lavender shampoo made its way to Rafael’s olfactory sensors and he felt his stomach twist painfully as he followed you out the door.

--

You both settled at a diner near One Hogan Place. You ordered an egg scramble and whole wheat toast and Rafael ordered an everything bagel with lox. Copious amounts of coffee were had. You were grateful for easy, though at times stilted, conversation. As Rafael settled the bill – which he insisted on doing – a breaking news alert on the overhead TV caught your eye.

You flagged down a waitress. “Excuse me, can you raise that?” The waitress nodded and raised the volume. The reporter’s words shook you to your core. Rafael watched as the color drained from your face.

Breaking news: two inmates from Green Haven Correctional have escaped. Both Yates and Rudnick were serving life sentences for multiple counts of rape and murder. They should be considered extremely dangerous. Officials are cautioning that anyone who sees them or has information on either of the two men should not attempt to interact with them. We will keep you updated as this story continues.

--

You stormed into the bullpen with Rafael following at your heels. “Liv! What the hell are we going to do?”

Olivia cocked her brow at your outburst. “Y/N, I take it that you heard the news.” She took off her glasses and sat on the corner of Amanda’s desk.

“We’re going to run this by the book. We’re headed up to Green Haven. Hank and I spoke, the 21st is going to meet us there. Y/N, you’re staying here.”

“Like hell I am!” You snarled.

“Y/N, it’s best if you stay here. We are keeping you safe.” Liv replied softly. “Yate’s baiting you.”

“After using me to talk to him, you decide now to bench me? If he wanted me, he would have had me already.” You replied angrily. You slammed your hand on your desk. Rafael put a hand on your shoulder and you shoved his hand off.

“If I'm bait, let me be bait. I can draw him in. Let me do my job.”

“You are too personally invested. You need to stand down.” Olivia replied sternly.

“No. I need to come up. Just… I can help from behind the scenes. I won’t do anything stupid.”

“Famous last words.” You whipped around and stared at Amanda who gave you a knowing look. “Look Y/N, I know how Yates works too. I can put myself out there – use me.” Amanda replied.

“All due respect, but no.” You retorted. At that moment, your phone buzzed. You pulled out your phone and looked at the text. “It’s Erin; I have to take this.” Rafael didn’t miss how your face crumbled as you walked out to take the call.

--

State troopers, FBI, ATF, SVU and CPD all converged at a local church in Stormville, just 90 minutes outside of Manhattan to begin the search for Yates and Rudnick.

“NYPD's Special Victims Unit and Chicago Intelligence are here to give specifics about the fugitives.” Warden Lucille Fenton announced.

“These guys are intelligent. They're motivated. They're charming, and they are without conscience.” Olivia began. She listed their heinous acts on her fingers. “Their crimes include rape, kidnapping, torture, and murder.”

“Now, Yates is definitely capable of hot-wiring cars. He's adept at identity theft, and he is highly manipulative. Especially when preying on young women.” You continued.

“Rudnick can blend in easily. We know that he assumes disguises, usually of an older female.” Sonny finished.

“We've already begun house-to-house searches and roadblocks. Air support with heat sensors and infrared will be in the air within the half hour.” Major Bowman with the State Troopers announced.

“Search every inch of this county. My staff has pulled security cameras, visitors' logs, and personnel files.” Lucille turned to Olivia.

“Okay, my team can help with the interviews.” Olivia agreed, before going over to you.

Rafael watched as you and Olivia spoke from the other side of the room. “Hey, how bad are these guys?” Lucille asked Rafael quietly.

Rafael swallowed hard. “Think Robert Durst and Ted Bundy on the run together.”

After an exhaustive search that came up empty, Olivia advised that a local hotel was putting up everyone for the time being. “Those who can keep going, we appreciate it. Those who need to rest… rest and come back.”

“Y/N, why don’t you get some sleep.” Rafael suggested, taking in your worn appearance. “It’s been a long and hard day.”

“I’ll rest when we have Yates and Rudnick.” You replied, pouring another coffee. As you reached for the sugar, you knocked over your coffee, spilling it all over on a table that had been set up at the church. You swore and scrambled for napkins to clean up. As Rafael helped you, your ex-fiancé, Adam approached.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Adam questioned. “Need help?”

“I got it!” You snapped. You took a deep breath. “Sorry. Just on edge.”

Adam walked around and reached for your arm, stopping you. You looked at Adam and Rafael watched as Adam pulled you into a tight hug, his arms wrapped around you. Rafael could see the appeal of Adam with his rugged looks. You melded into Adam’s embrace. You opened your eyes and met Rafael’s. You tried to read his face, but he appeared stoic and impassive.

“I think I am going to head to the hotel a bit and get some rest.” You replied breaking the hug. You grabbed the soiled napkins and shoving them into the now empty coffee cup. Your hands were sticky and smelled like coffee, to which you crinkled your nose in disgust.

“I am too.” Rafael replied, shaking himself back to present. “Want to ride together?”

“I’ll drive.” Adam offered. “Come on.” Rafael followed behind slowly as Adam and you walked ahead, Adam’s arm wrapped around you.

Rafael felt something in his guts churn that felt an awful like jealousy. Rafael let out a huff and you turned your attention to Rafael. Rafael didn’t say anything and you felt more puzzled than before.

--

The next morning, Rafael knocked on your hotel door, hoping to check in on you. You opened the door, clad in nothing but an oversized t-shirt, that barely skimmed the tops of your thighs. Rafael swallowed hard.

“Hey – “ Rafael began. His voice trailed as he looked past your shoulder, watching Adam walk in the background.

“What’s up? I told Liv I’d be down in 20. Has there been an update?”

“Um, yeah – overnight Carisi and Rollins apprehended Rudnick. He was discovered hiding in a docked boat by Caroga Lake. Rudnick suffered multiple injuries.” Rafael replied. Adam joined from behind, tugging on his shirt. Rafael ignored him, focusing on you.

“I'm not shedding any tears.” You replied, as you crossed your arms, leaning against the door frame.

“Yates hobbled him - broke both his knees, his ankles, pierced his eardrum. Just left him to die.” Rafael continued.

“Should have let him. Is he talking yet?”

“Only to Carisi, and he's in and out of consciousness. He did indicate the plan was to cross the border at the Saint Lawrence River.”

You turned, pushing past Adam and grabbed your jeans, which were laying on a heap on the floor. “Come on – lets go.”

“What are you going to do?” Rafael asked.

You holstered your gun into your waistband. “What I should have done a long time ago.”

“Olivia…”

“Olivia nothing. Now, Rafael – just get out of my way.”

Rafael looked at Adam. “You’re going to let her just go after a serial killer?” Adam scoffed. “No. I’ll go with her. We’ll see you at the church.”

TBC.

--

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