#if we get some jo backstory can we pretty please also have her last name revealed maybehaps rob??

[a-dotrivenitupontop]

wildest hopes and dreams for mythic quest to catch a mouse. GO!!

1a.) i hope jo is outed as the felon

1b.) i hope this causes Serious Shit (both interpersonal and situational)

2.) i hope brad is forced to confront his so called weaknesses

3.) i hope zack is at least mentioned

4.) i hope brad is questioned about his eating habits

5.) i hope the entire episode traumatises jo and brad to the max

6a.) i hope we get a bit of jo backstory

6b.) i hope if not jo backstory we get more brad backstory maybe

and as always…

7.) i hope bravid becomes canon (it won’t but i can dream)

[iamtrebleclefstories]

help, ‘cause I need saving - part one

six times Jo and Alex saved each other from horrible dates and the one time they didn’t 

a two-shot fic taking place in a Season 9 alternate universe

One

“Yeah, you know I just really think it’s weird for a woman to be a surgeon. I don’t know, it just doesn’t sit right with me. I feel like your skills would be of better use in…”

Jo drowned out the voice of the man sitting across from her, willing herself to not give an outburst as a result of her date’s misogynistic comments. She should’ve known that he would be a sexist asshole the moment she heard his name. No self-respecting guy goes by Trent. But no, William Trenton III, insisted on being called Trent because Billy was his grandpa and Will was his father. 

She wanted to bang her head against the table and throw a tortilla chip in Trent’s eyeball. Her patience was quickly fading and Jo was struggling to think of a good enough reason to bail on this guy that Stephanie had set her up with. From the corner of her eye, she watched as Alex Karev walked into the bar. Despite what she’d originally told him about she’d never sleep with him, Jo couldn’t deny that she was extremely attracted to him. It honestly wouldn’t take much from his part to get into her pants. Especially since she’d started spending more time on his service, learning from him and growing as a surgeon. They weren’t exactly friends, but ever since she had shared her tragic backstory with him, there was a sort of kinship between the two doctors. 

Hoping he would catch on to the hints she was dropping, Jo looked over at her superior with a desperate expression on her face. Locking eyes with her, Alex tilted his head in question at the intern. Jo motioned to her date with her head and mouthed the words “help me” as discreetly as she could. Alex raised an eyebrow and his lips twisted up into a smirk as he realized the situation. 

Schooling his expression, Alex walked over to the table with a serious look on his face, “Wilson!”

“Dr. Karev,” Jo feigned surprise. “Is something wrong?”

“Hate to break up your date, but we’re being paged for a trauma. Let’s go,” Alex pointed towards the door. “Now.”

Jo scurried up from the table, grabbed her purse, and mumbled an insincere apology to Trent as she exited the booth and followed Alex out the door. Once they were outside, Jo let out a sigh of relief, “Oh God, thank you so much. I thought my brain was going to melt if I kept talking to him for one more second.”

“That bad huh?” Alex chuckled. “You looked pretty miserable there.”

“It was horrible,” Jo leaned against the outside brick wall. “He kept talking about how the OR was no place for a woman and that my skills would be of better use in the kitchen when I told him that I’m a surgeon. He was a sexist asshole that I hope never has any children because his daughters will grow up oppressed and his sons will grow up to be oppressors.”

Alex nodded, an amused expression on his face, “So, it was worse than bad. Got it.” He leaned against the wall next to her. “Well, I’m glad you got out of that horrible date, but now you owe me a drink.”

“What?” Jo raised her eyebrows. 

“I was going on there to get a drink to wind down after a long day but instead I had to fake a page to get you out of there. I can’t exactly pop back in. So, now you owe me a drink to make up for the one I gave up to help you,” Alex stated, hands in his pockets.

“That’s fair,” Jo conceded. “Well, I know this place near my apartment that does buy two, get one half off beers. It’s not as nice as Joe’s but it’ll do the trick for one night.”

“Lead the way Wilson.”

+++

Two

He wasn't quite sure how he got here. But after friending an old high school classmate on Facebook, Alex found himself on probably one of the worst dates he'd ever been on with Britney Bowers from his high school English class. He was glad that he told her to meet him at Joe's so that he could fake a patient emergency and never call Britney back again.

“I think it’s just so important to eat healthy and live a clean lifestyle. People are so focused on all the illnesses there are nowadays but they refuse to see all the wonderful things that nature has to offer us. I guarantee you that none of that modern medicine stuff is necessary if people just ate the right foods. You see it all comes down to your gut. That’s the root of all the diseases. If we eat healthy then we don’t get sick and there’s no need for medication or vaccines or the healthcare field,” Britney’s ignorance seeped through as she voiced her opinion in conversation. “It’s such a scam, all of it. It’s just Big Pharma that wants your money and everyone is in on it. Why do you think doctors make such good money? I bet half the time they treat you, there’s nothing wrong with you or there’s something that can be remedied naturally that they’re refusing to acknowledge because it takes away from drug companies that stuff money in their pockets.”

“You do know I’m a surgeon, right?” Alex stared at her incredulously. 

Britney laughed awkwardly, "Oh, I'm not talking about you. I'm sure you aren't trying to scam people for their money. I'm just… you must know a lot of people who do."

"Nope, I don't," Alex shook his head. "Most of the people I work with are just trying to save your life, not take your money. We aren't the ones in charge of billing." 

"Huh," Britney stared at him dumbly. 

Much to his luck, Jo had been sitting at the bar witnessing the travesty and found it in herself to be merciful. She walked up to the table with her best innocent expression and spoke, "Dr. Karev, I'm so sorry, you told me not to bother you tonight, but I was monitoring Lily Phillips vitals and I noticed that her SATs started dropping again. I know her parents were hoping not to have to operate again, but I think you should come in and see if there's something more serious going on."

Alex’s eyebrows shot up when he saw who had come to his rescue. Realizing that this was his out, Alex stood up, “Crap. Yeah, lets go.” He turned to face Britney. “Listen, it was great catching up, but I’ve got to go.” 

“Oh, no worries, I get that you’re busy,” Britney flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. “You can always call me and we can continue this another day.” 

“Sure,” Alex smiled awkwardly, trying not to glare when he heard Jo’s quiet snort. “Goodbye.” 

As soon as they were outside, Jo burst into laughter, “Wow, that was hard to watch. ‘There’s no need for medicines or vaccines or the healthcare field.’ Please, if it weren’t for modern medicine, natural selection would have weeded her out a long time ago.”

Alex laughed along with Jo, “You’re not wrong.” 

“How did you even meet her?” Jo asked as they walked over to their cars. 

“We went to high school together,” Alex huffed in annoyance. “She found me on Facebook and sent me a message. I answered like an idiot. She said that she moved here a couple months ago and was surprised to see that I was living here too. She asked if we could meet up and since I didn’t want to be a complete jerk, I said yes. I also kind of had a thing for her back in the day, so I guess I wanted to see what she was like after all these years. Not making that mistake again.” 

“Yikes,” Jo grimaced. “Well, on the bright side, now you know that you wouldn’t have worked anyway, being that she believes we’re in cahoots with Big Pharma.” 

“You’re right,” Alex chuckled. He looked over at Jo gratefully. Ever since Bailey’s wedding when they fake cried their way into a stranger’s hotel room two weeks ago, they became fast friends. Honestly, Jo was probably one of the people he trusted most in the world. Not to mention she was really hot, which was clouding Alex’s head with all kinds of confusing things, especially when his friends were hell-bent on insisting that he and Jo were more than friends. All he knew was that he enjoyed her company and found himself wanting to spend more time with her. “What do you say we go get some pizza and beers and eat them at my place?”

“Sounds great to me.” 

+++

Three

“So… I’m going on a date tonight.”

Alex raised his eyebrows as he looked over to Jo who’d come up next to him by the fourth floor nurses station, “Okay… and?”

“And, I need you to be on-call in case I need to get out of there,” Jo rested her chin in her hands. 

“You want me to sit by my phone all night waiting for you to call me just in case your date goes bad?” Alex made a face. “If you’re so worried, why are you going out with this guy anyway?”

“Because my drunk ass may have agreed to go on a date with him after you left me alone at Joe’s last night,” Jo narrowed her eyes. “This is why you can’t leave me alone while I’m drunk. I can’t be trusted. I make stupid decisions while drunk.”

“It wasn’t like I wanted to leave. I got paged,” Alex rolled his eyes.

“Ah, yes. I’m sure you tell all the girls that,” Jo grinned sarcastically. 

“Shut up,” Alex sighed and placed the chart down on the counter. “Where’s your date and what time is it at?”

“It’s at the movie theater ten minutes away from here,” Jo answered. “I haven’t been on a movie date since I was sixteen. That’s how I know that it’s going to be interesting…”

“Fine. I’ll be at Joe’s with my ringer on and a bottle of beer, trying to think of a creative way to bail you out,” Alex crossed his arms. “But if an hour goes by and you still haven’t called me, I’m going to assume it’s not horrible and I’ll worry about myself. Maybe I’ll pick up some chick and get laid.”

“You’re the best! I’ll text you later,” Jo smiled brightly as walked away to finish her shift. 

Sure enough, later that evening, Alex snorted when his phone lit up with a message from Jo. 

J: Save me please 

A: Dude, you haven’t even been there for 20 minutes

J: I know but I need to get out of here ASAP. He’s creepy and I feel uncomfortable.

   His name is Brock. BROCK! 

A: Don’t panic 

    I’m coming.

    What do you want me to do? Interrupt the theater?

J: Yes. I don’t know… just help me. And the movie hasn’t started yet. We’re just watching the previews. 

A: I’ll be there in ten minutes 

    I’m going to call and text you fifteen times now

    Don’t answer, it’s part of my plan

Ten minutes later, Alex was standing in front of the ticket booth bargaining with one of the workers. 

“Listen man, I don’t need to sneak into a movie. I’m a surgeon. I’ve got the twelve dollars you need to get in, but I’m telling you, this is an emergency.”

“I’m sorry sir, but I cannot let you in there. Especially now that the movie is about to start any second,” the young ticketmaster said. 

“Dude, you’re not getting it. I’m not asking to go in there. I’m asking you to get someone to interrupt the theater before the movie starts and get her,” Alex huffed. “Her phone is on silent, so she probably hasn’t realized that she had about twenty missed calls. Her brother was just in a car accident and might not live to see tomorrow. I think you can make an exception just this once.”

The teenager looked back and forth between Alex and the theater and sighed, “Fine. What’s her name again?” 

Back in the screening room, Jo was bouncing her leg anxiously as the lights began to dim, signaling the start of the film. She looked at Brock warily as he attempted to rest his hand on her thigh. She brushed it away and chewed on her lip, hoping that whatever plan Alex had in place would begin soon, so that she would have to be stuck watching the movie with this creep. 

Suddenly, the lights brightened again, and she watched as one of the teenaged workers walked into the front of the theater. 

“I’m so sorry for the inconvenience, but I’m looking for a Josephine Wilson.”

The moviegoers grumbled at the interruption, but Jo shot up in her seat, “Yes. That’s me!” 

The worker walked up the steps to her level and spoke, “I’m so sorry, ma’am. But your friend Alex is outside. He says he’s been trying to contact you and you haven’t answered.”

“We’re on a date, of course she hasn’t answered the damn phone,” Brock sneered. “What the hell could be more important than this?”

The teenager looked down apologetically, “He said that he’s called you about twenty times. It’s an emergency.”

Finally catching on to Alex’s plan, Jo suppressed a laugh. She looked down at her phone and indeed saw all the missed calls that he’d warned her not to answer, “Oh my God. It says he called me nineteen times. What happened?”

“Ma’am, your brother has been in an accident,” the worker—Vinny, as described by his name tag—gave her a sympathetic look. “I was told it was really bad.”

“Oh God,” Jo pressed a hand to her mouth and got to work on her fake tears. “Is… is he alive?”

“I’m not sure,” Vinny shook his head. “But I think you should come outside and head over the hospital with your friend. 

“Yes, yes of course,” Jo nodded as a couple tears made their way down her face. 

“I’ll go with you,” Brock stood up from his seat. 

“No!” Jo said, almost too quickly. Shaking her head, she held a hand up. “No. It’s alright. Stay here. Enjoy the movie. We can always go out another day.”

“Okay…” Brock sat back down and watched as Jo walked out of the theater, not realizing that he had no way of contacting her until it was too late. 

When Jo exited, she kept up her façade and ran straight into Alex’s arms, fake tears staining his shirt. He rubbed her back soothingly, “Hey. It’s okay. We’re gonna go see him now.” Alex looked back at the kid. “Thanks for your help.”

“No problem,” Vinny waved his hand. “I hope everything works out with your brother, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” Jo sniffed and wiped a couple tears. She looked up at Alex. “Can we go?”

“Yeah,” Alex led her out of Vinny’s view and into the parking lot. 

As soon as they entered the car, Jo and Alex both burst into laughter. Jo held her stomach as she laughed, “When I said yes to interrupting the theater, I didn’t think you’d actually do it.” Jo wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “My brother was in a horrible accident? Do you know how hard it was not to laugh at that? I don’t have a brother.”

“It was the first thing I could come up with,” Alex took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm his laughs. “You were great in there, though. The crying was very convincing.”

“Thanks,” Jo giggled. “You know he tried to come with me? Brock.”

“That right there—his name—should’ve been a red flag from the get go,” Alex chuckled. “You were right though, fake crying gets you out of everything.”

“Stick with me and maybe I’ll teach you some other tricks,” Jo grinned.

They stared at each other with mirth in their eyes for a few moments. There was no denying that there was something brewing between the two of them. As much as they tried to ignore it, there was this connection that neither of them could quite explain. It was comforting but electric at the same time. But neither of them were bold enough to take it any further. 

“What do you say we get some fried chicken and eat it in the car like we were raised to do?” Alex suggested. 

“I’d say… I think I love you,” Jo joked. “In all seriousness though, let’s get out of here before Brock comes looking for me.”

“Yeah, probably a good idea.”

+++

Four

“So you know how helping each other get out of dates now is our thing?” Alex said as he fell into step with Jo as she exited the intern locker room. 

“Is it now?” Jo raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Didn’t know that.”

“Oh come on. I’ve helped out get out of two really bad dates already, and I expect you to return the favor,” Alex gave her a sideways glance. 

“Mhmm,” Jo hummed. “What kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time, Karev?”

“I haven’t gotten myself into anything yet,” Alex placed his hands on his hips. “I’ve got a date tonight with this blonde chick named Tiffany. I met her last night while I was out grocery shopping. She seems pretty nice, normal, but then again, I met her in the frozen food section so who knows what she’s like. Anyway, I was hoping you’d be available to get me out of it in case things go horribly.”

“I’d love to, but it all depends on what time I get out of here tonight,” Jo sighed. “I’m on Medusa’s—I’m sorry, I mean Dr. Grey’s service today.”

“No you’re not,” Alex shook his head. “I switched with her.”

“What? Why?” Jo scrunched her eyebrows as they approached the elevator. “Is this because you want me available to bail you out?”

“No. Well… yes, but it’s not the only reason,” Alex pressed the elevator button. “Murphy was on my service and I know it’s been months but she still gives me those creepy, weird looks and I don’t feel like dealing with her today.”

Jo snorted in laughter, “You are such a douche.”

“Whatever. She knew what she was getting into when she slept with me,” Alex shrugged. “So, if I let you out when I leave, will you hang around in case I need you.”

“I guess,” Jo faked annoyance.

“Great, thanks.”

By the time the date rolled around, Alex had been pretty optimistic. Sure, Tiffany wasn’t the girl he wanted to go out with, but since he couldn’t date the one person he wanted to date, Alex was doing his best to try to find someone he could make it last with. So far, he wasn’t having the best luck.

It started out normal, great even. So great that for a while there, Alex thought about texting Jo and letting her know that maybe he wouldn’t need her tonight. He discovered that he was very wrong rather quickly. 

Tiffany was beautiful, he couldn’t deny that. But she was too clingy. To the point that it was actually scaring him. He was sure if this went any further and they broke up, he’d have an ex who wouldn’t take no for an answer—or worse, a stalker on his hands. 

Sending a quick text message to Jo under the table, he waited for a reply. 

A: Definitely going to need your help tonight

J: what happened?

A: She’s too clingy. Bad clingy. Creepy clingy. 

    Take a lock of my hair and clone me later clingy. 

J: Yikes. Where are you again?

A: The club across the street from that diner we like to eat at. 

    I should’ve known it would be bad when she suggested going to a club on the first date 

J: You think?

    I’ll be there in fifteen

A: Please hurry 

True to her word, fifteen minutes later, Alex watched as Jo entered the club and took a seat at the bar. He spent about five minutes looking back and forth between Tiffany and Jo, who’d taken to flirting with a couple guys that had come up to her in the short time since she’d arrived. Bouncing his leg impatiently, Alex sent another angry text to Jo. 

A: What the hell are you doing?

    You’re supposed to be helping me, remember? Not trying to get laid.

“Is everything okay?” Tiffany asked. “It’s just, you keep looking at your phone.”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Alex rubbed a hand on his neck awkwardly. 

In that moment, Alex heard a gasp from his right side. Jo had materialized and wore an angry expression, “You!”

“Me?” Alex pointed to himself, confused as to what her play was. 

“Oh my God. You don’t even remember me,” Jo clutched her drink in her hand. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re a hump ‘em and dump ‘em kind of guy.” 

“What did I do?” Alex widened his eyes as he waited for Jo’s cue. 

“What did you do? What did you do!” Jo’s eyes hesitated for a split second before she threw her drink in his face. “Thanks for the syphilis, you ASSHOLE!” She turned to face Tiffany before walking off. “Don’t waste your time!”

Sitting there in shock, Alex watched as Tiffany rose from the couch they'd been sitting on to look at Alex with a face of disgust, “And to think, I had picked out our kids names.” 

Once Tiffany grabbed her face and exited the club, Jo came back with a semi-apologetic, but mostly amused face, “I’m so sorry about your shirt, but that was awesome! I’ve always wanted to do that.”

“Yeah, I bet you’re having the time of your life right now,” Alex glared.

“Hey, you told me to get rid of her and that’s what I did,” Jo defended, a shit-eating grin on her face. “Come on, I have one of your old t-shirts in my car.”

“Why do you have one of my t-shirts in your car?” Alex scrunched his face in question. The thought of her having one of his shirts in her car did things to his brain that he wasn’t even sure how to vocalize. 

“It’s from the last time I crashed at your place on the nice, comfy couch I bought you,” Jo smiled. 

“Yeah, with my money.”

“Semantics,” Jo waved her hand. “Anyway, let’s get out of this hell hole and go to watch movies at your house.”

Alex rolled his eyes at her antics, “Fine.”

+++

Five 

Alex should’ve said no the moment April Kepner offered to set him up on a date. Knowing Kepner, he should’ve known what kind of thing he’d be getting himself into. But when she came up to him with a request from a former patient’s daughter who thought he was attractive, he found himself having trouble saying no and ended up agreeing to the date.

That’s how he ended up spending the past 20 minutes staring across the table at a woman who might as well have been the carbon copy of Izzie Stevens. 

He’d truly tried to give the woman a chance and not associate her with his ex-wife, but the longer they spoke, the more freaked out he was getting by the whole situation. Especially when she started talking about her love of baking.

“I’m gonna go use the bathroom real fast,” Alex started to stand from his seat.

“Oh yeah, no worries,” the woman waved her hand. 

The moment he stepped foot into the bathroom, Alex searched for his cellphone in his pocket and dialed the one number he needed to get him out of this situation. It rang four times before a voice came through the speakers.

“Hello?”

“Dude, I need you to get me out of here right now,” Alex whispered into the phone. “I’m at the bar and grill 20 minutes away. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t stand this for another minute.”

“What’s wrong with this one?” Jo chuckled on the other line. 

“She looks like my ex-wife,” Alex hissed into the phone. “She’s got strawberry blonde hair but they have the same face. Their brown eyes are the same. Sure her tits are smaller than Izzie 's were, but they even have the same creepy, overly perky laugh. And her name is Katherine. That was Izzie’s middle name. But she insists on me calling her Kitty Kat.” 

Jo snorted into the phone, “Gosh, you really know how to pick them. What do you want me to do? How are we going to play this?” 

"First of all, I didn't pick her," Alex paused. "Kepner set me up."

"Mistake number one right there," Jo giggled in amusement. "Okay, again, how do you want to play this?"

“I don’t know,” Alex shrugged helplessly. “Pretend you’re my girlfriend and come in here kicking and screaming at me because I’m a cheating asshole or something.” 

“Wow, you’re really desperate this time aren’t you. Aren’t you traumatized from what I did last time?” Jo laughed at his expense. “Okay, I’m changing out of my scrubs right now. Give me half an hour. I’ll figure out a story on my way there.”

“Thank you,” Alex sighed in relief. 

He made his way back to the table giving Kathrine an awkward smile as she continued to yap on and on about some cooking show she’d almost been a contestant on. He was about ready to gouge his eyes out with his fork when he saw Jo walk towards the outdoor area where he and Katherine were sitting with an oddly shaped bundle in her hands. 

“What the hell Alex? Tell me why I just got off the phone with your mother only to find out that you were supposedly at dinner with me, when you told me you were working late,” Jo exclaimed, causing the bundle in her arms to let out a cry. 

Alex stared at her in shock, wondering where the hell she had gotten a baby from. He hoped the very real confusion on his face would come across as shock to Katherine, who was sitting there, jaw dropped and eyes wide, watching the scene unfold. Alex opened his mouth, "Jo—"

"Don't, Alex. Just don't," Jo held up one hand as she rocked the now screaming baby. "I know things have been difficult since the baby was born, but I really expected more than this. I don't know when you stopped loving me, but I expected more respect as the mother of your child. I thought you'd have the decency to at least tell me the truth! Instead of lying to me and your mother, about where you were and who you were with."

Alex looked back and forth between Jo and Kathrine, unsure of what to say. Jo was really selling it this time and he did not want to throw her off by saying the wrong thing, "Jo, I—"

"Shut up, Alex. Just shut up and hold your son," Jo shoved the crying baby into his hands only to scoff when the child stopped crying immediately after landing in Alex's arms. "Of course! Of course he calms down as soon as you hold him. I'm done!" Jo threw her hands up in the air and turned on her feet back towards the car. 

Alex cradled the child close to his chest and looked up at Katherine, “I should go…" 

Much like Izzie used to do, Katherine turned up her nose indignantly, "Yes, and I think it's best if we never see each other again."

"Yup," Alex nodded sheepishly as he made his way out of the outdoor seating area and to Jo's car.

Rocking the small infant in one arm, Alex opened the car door with his free hand and sat inside the passenger seat, staring at Jo who smiled at him. 

“How was that for a rescue?” 

“Where the hell did you get this baby from?” Alex scrunched his face in question. “Please don’t tell me you stole some stranger’s baby.”

“I didn’t steal the baby,” Jo shook her head, a smile playing at her lips. She bent over to stroke the baby’s head. “I signed up to be one of the people that picks up the safe haven babies after they’re dropped off at the fire stations. I got the call about this little guy two minutes before you called me to get you out of your date. I picked him up and came to get you. Which honestly, I would’ve interrupted your date regardless because I wanted you to be the one to give him a check up. I’m supposed to head to the hospital with him now.”

Alex watched as Jo became entranced with the little boy currently resting in his arms. She was a natural when it came to kids, and it showed now as she fussed over a whole bunch of details he hadn’t thought of himself. He opened his mouth in confusion, “Wait, so you used a kid abandoned by his mother at a fire station to play our fake son and get me out of my date with my ex-wife’s doppelganger?”

“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up,” Jo took the infant from his hands and looked at him lovingly. “Come here you little guy. I know it must be scary to be away from your mommy, but I have to believe she did this because she thought she was giving you your best chance. She might not have been able to give you a home, but I will make sure that you end up in a very nice home, with some very nice people, who can give you all the love you deserve.” 

Seeing this side of Jo was incredibly sweet. She was so tender with the child resting in her arms, cuddling him so that he’d never know that he’d been abandoned; so that he would be surrounded with love. Alex knew instantly she would be an amazing mother one day. What scared him though, was that he’d begun picturing himself in that position with her. 

Jo sighed dreamily, “Okay. We’ve got to take him to the hospital for a check up and contact a social worker. If we don’t do it now, I’m afraid I’ll fall in love with him and take him home with me.” 

A crooked smile pulled at the corner of Alex’s lips, “Here, I’ll get him into the car seat and sit in the back with him. You drive.”

+++

Six

“That’s going to be fun. I’m especially excited for that kid’s next eighteen years.” 

They had just finished monitoring a newborn with the most difficult set of parents Alex had ever gotten a chance to work with. When he and Jo were paged down to OB for the case that morning, he never would’ve guessed that the parents would end up being coworkers who hated each other, hooked-up once, and ended up with a baby. But hey, not much surprised him these days. Still, the success of the little boy making it past the benchmark was a special moment for the two parents, who despite their differences were able to come together to make a decision in favor of their child's health. 

The situation inspired a conversation between Jo and Alex regarding workplace relationships. If Alex was being honest, he was a bit biased when it came to his answers. Ever since Jo had all but dragged him into that linen closet to celebrate their win against Cahill with powdered sugar donuts last night, he could not get her out of his mind. Working with her today made him realize just how much he enjoyed her company. They'd grown so close in the last couple months and if he let himself, he could see them potentially becoming more.

Deciding to take initiative, Alex turned towards Jo, “Hey, do you want to go get a beer?”

“Oh, I would love to. Especially after today, but I actually already have plans," Jo waved over to a guy standing in the hallway wearing pink scrubs. "Tomorrow night? Is that cool?”

“Yeah… yeah that’s cool,” Alex looked at the guy suspiciously. "So, you have a date tonight? With someone from OB?"

"Yeah," Jo smiled nervously. "I've been wanting to ask him out for a while now, but, well you know my luck when it comes to dating. Anyway, I finally got the balls to do it today. We’re just going to Joe’s."

“Huh,” Alex nodded. For the first time, Alex felt strange knowing that she would be going out on a date with someone else.  “Well, if you need help getting out of it, I’ll probably be hanging around the bar too.” 

“You know, I don’t think I’ll need you this time. I feel really good about this one,” Jo beamed. She looked over at the doctor in pink scrubs before turning back to Alex. “Jason is waiting for me. I’m going to go change for my date. I’ll see you later.” 

“Yeah, see you later,” Alex waved lamely at her. 

He seriously considered forgoing a drink at Joe’s altogether. He didn’t want to see the girl he was falling for having fun on a date with some guy that wore pink scrubs to work on a daily basis. But another side of him wanted to keep an eye on Jo and make sure she was okay. He wanted to be around in case something happened or that Jason guy tried to pull something fishy. 

When Jo first saw Jason, she was immediately attracted to him. Who wouldn’t? He was hot and delivered babies for a living. After going on failed date after failed date over the past few months, Jo wanted a win. Besides, she needed a distraction from the thoughts invading her head about Alex. Because it definitely was not appropriate to think of your friend in the way she’d begun to think of him over the past few months. Especially when said friend was a pediatric surgeon who held babies on a daily basis and she’d begun picturing what he’d look like holding their own child. Yeah, that was a glaring warning that she was treading into dangerous territory with Alex. 

What she hadn’t banked on was Jason being the worst date she’d ever been on. From the outside, they looked like a normal, carefree couple, but something within her was raising some giant, blaring red flags. Maybe it was the way Jason had insulted and disapproved of her close friendship with Alex the moment they walked out of the peds wing earlier that evening. Maybe it was the way he mansplained everything and spoke down to her. Maybe it was the way he roughly grabbed her arm and raised his voice when she said something he disagreed with. 

She needed an out and she needed one fast. 

Alex was standing in the corner of the bar playing darts, periodically glancing at Jo and the guy she was with. He made sure to get a really good look at this Jason guy, memorizing his face enough to imagine it on the dart board as he flicked his wrist and hit a bullseye. One second he was pulling a dart out of the board and taking a swig of his beer and the next, someone was tugging on his arm to get his attention. 

“Kiss me,” Jo looked up at him with wide eyes. 

“What?” Alex sputtered his drink. 

“Jason. He’s the worst one Alex. The worst. And he’s at the bar getting more drinks and I need to get away from him,” Jo rambled. 

“I still don’t understand how—”

“Just kiss me,” Jo blurted, eyes desperate. “Public displays of affection make people uncomfortable.”

“Yes, they do,” Alex responded dumbly, still unsure as to what was going on. 

He didn’t have any time to think about it though, because as before he knew what was going on, Alex was being pulled into a searing kiss. While this wasn’t the way he’d pictured his first kiss with Jo going, he wasn’t complaining. Not when he could feel her this close to him. Not when her tongue met his own. Not when he could hear her whimpers as she deepened the kiss. 

They could’ve kept going. They would’ve kept going, if it weren’t for Jason’s angry interruption, “You little bitch. I should’ve known you were a liar when you said that there was nothing going on between you and Karev.”

“Jason—” Jo attempted a weak protest. 

“No, you know what? I dodged a bullet with you Wilson. I don’t need to be dating a whore,” Jason’s fists balled up at his sides. 

Seeing the red in Jason’s eyes and his fists ready to strike, Alex intervened, “Don’t you dare call her that or any insult ever again. She’s not your girlfriend, she’s not even your friend. She didn’t cheat on you. So, if I hear you ever disrespect her like that again, you’re gonna want to skip town and that’s a promise.”

Jason glared at them in disgust before turning on his heels and walking out of the bar. 

It wasn’t until Jason was long gone that they were reminded of what had happened minutes prior. Staring up at each other with the strangest expressions on their faces, Alex and Jo waited in silence for a moment. Because what were you supposed to say when you kissed your best friend and you liked it?

The question was, where do they go from here? 

With the surfacing of Jo’s thoughts about Alex blaring 

loudly in her mind, Jo mumbled a small, “thank you” in order to avoid the very real possibility that she’d just thrown this friendship down the toilet. 

Alex nodded awkwardly at her appreciation, “Yeah… don’t mention it.”

And for the first time in months, the end of a horrendous date was not celebrated with Jo and Alex hanging out. It was spent alone. 

[nancydrew65]

SKAM Austin Season 2 Episode 1 Recap

Faking a boyfriend means one thing, guys. A girl is not into you.

Basically Seniors

Great song to open up the season. ‘Lipgloss’ is very upbeat and catchy.

But I‘ll be honest. I seriously thought I was watching an ad for about 30 seconds before I realized it was the opening to the clip.

Tyler is gay! SKAM Austin finally confirmed our suspicions and I am so happy. Nice twist in having Tyler being the one kissing someone instead of Shay. Really highlights how they are both kind of the Isak character of this show (though I’m pretty sure it will be Shay who has the next season).

Aww. Zoya helping Jo with her sweater head scarf. They are so cute together.

So, Kelsey finally became a Kitten. Good for her, I guess. She actually looks really good; longer hair suits her.

I really like how they are introducing Grace (Noora) being on the newspaper early on. That will definitely add depth later in the season when she is asked to write the article.

It has been a whole year since the Daniel debacle instead of just a few months like it was in OG. I wonder how that will affect the story line. I can understand more how Kelsey might have developed another crush on Daniel seeing as him shaming her happened so much longer ago.

Grace invented a boyfriend to get Daniel off her case. Daniel, if a girl has to invent a boyfriend in order to avoid you, you should take a hint and leave her alone.

Damn, he just stares at Grace for an uncomfortably long time while taking the selfie with Kelsey.

Not A Good Person

I love how Grace is dancing while she cooks. Great continuation of that moment when she danced to cheer Megan up last season.

Wow, Marlon actually says something worthwhile and accurate!

And then Megan ruins it. I’m sorry, but I am going to off on a bit of a tangent here: Saying things like “He keeps on pursuing her because she doesn’t want to be left alone” is so dangerous. Because how does a guy know if the girl is secretly into him? He doesn’t. And assuming things like that is not right. It basically gives men permission to do whatever they want to a woman under the guise of her secretly wanting it. I’m not an idiot; I know SKAM Austin is trying to set up how Grace actually does secretly like Daniel, but that is not the case for every situation. And saying things like “Maybe she doesn’t want to be left alone” as a broad generalization is very problematic. It promotes a male centered rape culture. It is a less harsh way of saying “She deserved to get raped because she was wearing revealing clothes” or saying “She wanted it, so it is OK.” And it is very much not OK. Whew, sorry. Just had to get that off my chest. I know SKAM Austin probably didn’t mean it like that, but putting that line into a season that will most likely deal with sexual assault was a poor choice on their part.

I got so excited that Grace might actually tell Kelsey what has been going on. Yeah, it would be a harsh blow, but it is way better than continuing to lie and deceive her. WHY did Megan advise Grace to not tell Kelsey about Daniel texting her????? It feels like Megan is giving some pretty shitty advice this season.

Ahhhh, Eskild’s a woman! I think her name is Eve. I don’t know why I didn’t realize this before. I mean, Shay is Isak. And Eskild was basically a fellow gay man mentor to Isak, so it makes sense they would change him into a lesbian in this remake.

Oh, and Grace was smiling when she saw those texts from Daniel. I honestly don’t know why. He was still a dick when we last saw him. Were they texting for the whole year, though?

Mostly Naked

Well, I really liked how they included a St. Patrick’s Day parade/festival into the show as that is most definitely a big thing in the U.S.

I kind of feel that Megan is way more into Marlon than previous Evas have been towards their respective Jonas’s. What with that tongue line in Clip 1 and her barging in on Marlon and that girl talking, that’s the vibe I get.

I know people are finding Kelsey really annoying this season and while I do agree some of her lines are outrageous (accusing Grace of not caring about her friends, really?), I can’t help but like her. She is just so cute!

Thank you, Zoya! She tried to shut Kelsey’s crush down so fast. If only she were successful. Sigh. On that note, I am already liking Zoya way more. Last season I thought she came off as rather abrasive without as much of Sana’s soft side. I hope they explore this soft side of Zoya more this season. I could find myself really enjoying a season of her.

Know-It-All

More Poonam! Yay!!! I love her so much. Her deadpan line about not wanting to associate with Grace was EVERYTHING.

Oh, Kelsey, why do you have these hopeless fantasies about Daniel. I feel so bad for her already.

David already seems cool. The brief moment when you thought he could be a potential love interest for Kelsey, and the crushing disappointment when you realized he was with Shay. Noooo! Though since next season, Shay will most likely come out as lesbian, we might see David become a love interest for Kelsey. Wasn’t the actor who played Magnus in OG named David? Please let this happen. Kelsey deserves a nice guy in her life who shares her love of ‘Hamilton’.

Who Is He?

I am literally Eve when anyone is baking cookies. I am really digging Eve so far. She seems way more calm and chill than other versions of Eskild. (I am looking at you, Mika from SKAM France).

‘Daniel Williamson’. Could you get a boy’s name that sound whiter?

Hmm, I think it is interesting how they introduced Daniel’s sister so early. I hope they dig into his backstory a bit more, you know, how he was affected by her death instead of just glossing over it like they did in OG. I think in OG they actually mentioned that his sister died in a car accident. I hope SKAM Austin isn’t as explicit, that way it comes as more of a shock later on.

Messed Up

Jo talking lovingly about her unibrow is all I want in life.

Oh, no. Kelsey exercising and refusing food? Not a good sign. I guess they are going to go into the eating disorder storyline. Also, how are beans bad for you?

Aw, Grace made the nachos with gluten-free chips specifically for Kelsey. And then offered to cook something else for Kelsey. If only Kelsey had taken her up on that offer.

Daniel calls Kelsey to get to Grace. Grace using the pre-calc excuse is way more believable than saying he needed someone’s number. Also, plenty of seniors take pre-calc. And not because they are bad at math.

I like that Daniel admitted his actions were messed up. BUT, dude, if you know what you are doing is messed up, then don’t do it. LEAVE GRACE ALONE! Hopefully, this admission of his points to him being less of a dick than William was, but we’ll see how the rest of the season plays out.

General Thoughts

This is the first season of any version of SKAM that I have watched live and it is a wild experience. I am on the edge of my seat, constantly checking to see if a new clip has come out. I now definitely understand how SKAM got so popular and addictive when it first aired. I thought this was a pretty strong start to the season. They were a few tweaks that really worked well, like Tyler’s confirmation of being gay (or bi, who knows?) and Eskild’s character being a woman. All in all, I think this remake has a very different vibe from OG Skam and I am excited to see where it heads.

[zareleonis]

My Star Wars Top 10 of 2018

This year I fell massively in love with Star Wars, learned more about a galaxy far, far away that I ever expected and started this blog, first to liveblog Star Wars Rebels, and later to share my thoughts on whatever new (and old!) Star Wars media I came across. In honor of what, in my mind, was a really fun year for Star Wars, I wanted to share my top 10 list of my favorite Star Wars things that came out this year, across different kinds of media. Read more because it’s really long :P

Honorable Mention: Flight of the Falcon multimedia series (by multiple authors and artists)

Okay, if I’m honest, this gets honorable mention spot, mostly because I felt like putting it in top 10 when it’s really a BUNCH of comics and books would be totally cheating :P One of the more fun things to come out of Solo: A Star Wars Story, this series of loosely connected books and comics whose main connecting factor is the Millennium Falcon (and Bazine Netal’s hunt for it!) is an absolute joy. Cavan Scott knocks it out of the park with the ridiculously fun Choose Your Destiny: A Luke and Leia Adventure. IDW Comics does what’s it does best by bringing together some exciting and unexpected pairs of characters for the last couple months of Star Wars Adventures. In Lando’s Luck Justina Ireland gave us the coolest darn Princess in Star Wars since Leia, Rinetta Gan. And they’re not even done yet, with 2 more comics and Pirate’s Price left to go!

10. Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy’s Most Notorious by Pablo Hidalgo

What an awesome and fun book! So much great art, and Pablo Hidalgo always gives 100% with his work. It’s such a creative concept, following Tan Divo and and his descendants, as they report on the criminals and rebels of their day. I completely geeked out over how it gave soooo much neat new information about characters and organizations from ALL OVER the Star Wars universe. It’s an absolute blast!

9. Solo: A Star Wars Story: Tales from Vandor by Jason Fry

This book is AMAZING. Even among the “replica journal” style books that Studio Fun puts out, it stands out as super unique, written from the point of view of the Midnight, the bartender at The Lodge on Vandor (where Han meets Lando), as if he is telling the story to a guest. It’s such a fun outsider’s point of view of Han and the other characters of Solo. The best part though, is the parts of the book that are just a shameless love letter to Star Wars Legends, with nods to stuff like The Wookiee Storybook, LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace and several novels. Jason Fry’s love for the franchise really shines through.

8. Star Wars: Poe Dameron by Charles Soule and penciller Angel Unzueta

This year we said a bittersweet goodbye to Marvel’s monthly Star Wars: Poe Dameron and goodness gracious it was good. Between the Legend Found arc that was to be the original ending and the final The Awakening arc, where Black Squadron is reunited after The Last Jedi, this comic really touched my heart. The last couple pages of issues 25 and 31 still make me cry. :’)

7. Solo: A Star Wars Story directed by Ron Howard and screenplay by Lawrence and Jon Kasdan

THIS MOVIE IS CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED AND I’M MAD AT EVERYONE WHO LET IT FLOP. I’ll admit I wasn’t exactly desperate for a Han Solo Backstory Movie, but Solo was just AWESOME. Just some good, raw, Star Wars-y fun that you can’t help but smile the whole way through. It might not be groundbreaking, but it introduced some super cool characters in L3-37, Qi’ra and Enfys Nest, gave us Maul’s grand triumphant return to the public at large and has INCREDIBLY charming performances by Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover as the Han and Lando we all come to love.

6. The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear! by Tom Angleberger

If Solo, is good, this kid’s book written to accompany it is even better. I mean, Chewbacca meets K-2SO meets Tooka cats meets teenage bounty hunter/librarian?? On a planet with scary monsters and a spooky evil Force user? Also Cassian is there?? And the daughter of This Funny Hat Dude from Return of the Jedi? Hell yeah!!!!!

The book is hysterical, ridiculously fun and I can’t recommend it enough. I just have to say if you do get it, try and grab the audiobook it’s got a full cast of voices for the main characters including Marc Thompson giving his best Shyriiwook as Chewbacca. I laughed so hard I cried at the narration and a K-2SO’s lines done out loud. You won’t regret it!

5. Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy by Amy Ratcliffe and eighteen awesome artists!

THIS is one of the coolest Star Wars books out there and a celebration of all the women we know and love (and sometimes hate) in a galaxy far, far away. It’s such a wonderful collaboration, created by all women (& non-binary) artists and author. I love that it’s got characters from practically everything—movies, books, comics, video games, you name it! We even got to see characters like Jas Emari for the first time which makes me SO HAPPY. it’s one of the books I come back to all the time just to flip through it and enjoy the illustrations.

4. Star Wars Resistance created by Dave Filoni and executive produced by Athena Yvette Portillo, Justin Ridge, and Brandon Auman

I LOVE RESISTANCE SO MUCH!! I didn’t quiiite know what to expect with the new animated series, but was super excited and it hasn’t disappointed one bit. It’s such a fun show and really enjoyable to have a Star Wars show that is almost just ‘slice of life’ compared to the others. The animation is so cool to me and the characters really cute. I’m ridiculously charmed by all of them, especially our main man Kazuda Xiono and really hyped to see where these characters go. It’s more happy and fun than anything, but I know it will break my heart to pieces soon enough (KAZUDA XIONO. HOME PLANET: HOSNIAN PRIME). I hope more people give it a chance because it really is awesome!

3. Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle by Cavan Scott and various artists

LET THIS BE MY LOVE LETTER TO CAVAN SCOTT AND ALL THE COOL AND AWESOME STUFF HE’S DONE WITH THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE!! I was soooo excited when these came out because it’s such an AWESOME idea, I mean? Star Wars Horror story one-shots connected by a wider plot??? YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU. Doubly so when they star Lina Graf, of the Adventures in Wild Space series by Cavan Scott and Tom Huddleston. I was soooo excited to see her again and it’s amazing to see how she’s grown from a young kid to a brave and capable pilot and Commander in the Rebellion.

Then the individual stories are just awesome. It was a joy to see Kanan and Hera back together again after Rebels (or, well, pre-Rebels). The Dooku story was just amazing and such an enthusiastic tribute to Christopher Lee as Dracula. The Frozen inspired Han and Chewie story was also pretty great and I LOVE that it referenced the events of The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear! And, my personal favorite story, the spooky ewok story featuring a young Chief Chirpa and Logray was brilliant and I enjoyed getting a closer first-hand look at ewoks (something we don’t have much of, at least in canon!). All in all just an absolute masterpiece in my book and a great reminder of why IDW Comics’ Star Wars stuff has been so freaking awesome.

2. Join the Resistance: Attack on Starkiller Base by Ben Blacker and Ben Acker and illustrated by Annie Wu

I’M BACK AT IT YELLING ABOUT WHY MORE PEOPLE NEED TO CARE ABOUT THESE WONDERFUL, CHARMING LITTLE KIDS’ BOOKS!! This was such a perfect end to the J-Squadron kids’ story. To me, this series is such a hidden gem and I really hope more people give it a chance. It was wonderful how all the characters’ stories closed out. I loved seeing Jo finally openly defy his parents, Mattis putting his faith in the Force and his friends, the return of Klimo, AG-90 and Dec fighting as brothers but growing stronger for it, and Lorica becoming the hero everybody thought she was. There’s so many fun cameos, from Rey, to Hux to Poe and Black Squadron, with the backdrop of the actual climactic battle in The Force Awakens.

And, one thing I really want to talk about that I love, is how the book (in tandem with the first two) give us the first gay character in a Star Wars kids book, with Dec Hansen. I wish they could’ve said it a bit more explicitly, but we actually got the kid and his friends talking about it in the books? And, with most of the LGBT characters falling more on the “scum and villainy” circles of the galaxy, it’s so refreshing to see a brave and unambiguously heroic gay teenage starfighter pilot trainee. Like, holy shit that actually happened!!!! ANYWAYS READ THIS SERIES I LOVE THEM AND YOU SHOULD TOO.

Oh, also, Annie Wu’s illustrations are AWESOME and I hope she does more Star Wars stuff (Pirate’s Price, out in a week!)

1. Star Wars Rebels created by Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg and Carrie Beck

I don’t think there’s way I could place anything but Rebels at #1. This show changed my life in so many ways and I’m just. ridiculously thankful it exists. without Rebels, I wouldn’t have this blog, I wouldn’t be up to my ears obsessed with Star Wars and I there’s so many friends I wouldn’t have either. It’s touched my heart in a way that.... gosh I don’t know if I can even think about anything that resonates with me quite in the way Star Wars Rebels has. Pretty sure most if not all of my followers have seen Rebels, haha, but if you haven’t. You won’t regret it. Well, you might. It hurts. I hate to say, but it does. But even if the end destination leaves you heartbroken and uh prone to randomly bursting into tears about it, you will never regret the journey. Everything I learned and experienced with Ezra, Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Zeb and Chopper is beyond precious to me and I’m thankful it exists because it made my year in so many ways.

[walkerismychoice]

Queen of My Heart  - Chapter 5

The Royal Romance Reality Show AU

Pairing: Drake X MC, Liam X MC

Rating: PG

Author’s Note: This chapter picks up the morning after the welcome ball. I really didn’t want to cut the chapter off where I did, but the only alternative to was to make it twice and long, and I felt I would be rushing it more to get it out. So this isn’t the most eventful chapter, but its sets things up for event to come.

Tag List: @lazychic28, @choices-fanatic, @simplyaiden-blog, @butindeed, @bobasheebaby, @queencatherynerhys, @theroyalweisme, @boneandfur, @drakelover78 @notoriouscs, @mfackenthal, @blackcatkita, @devineinterventions2, @choiceswreckedme, @drakewalkerfantasy, @andy-loves-corgis

Word Count: 2259

Queen of My Heart Chapter Index 

Kat and Jo pored over the footage from the night before.

"God, those two are like lovesick puppies already," Jo laughed. "It's almost sickening to watch."

"They definitely are making our job easy so far," Kat mused, staring at the screen.

"Who else do you think is a frontrunner? Who else is wife material, and who do we need to make sure Liam keeps for the drama?

Kat flipped through the head shots of the women. "Hana' a keeper for sure. She's good at everything, and there's nothing not to like. Maybe Lydia and Kiara as well. He seemed interested in conversing with all three of them last night"

Jo nodded her head. "I agree, all three possibly solid choices to compete with Riley. Madeleine comes off as an ice queen, but she really wants to be queen. If she warms up to Liam, she could be a contender, but I could also see her butting heads with some of the other woman. Plus, it's no secret that she is King Constantine's first choice for Liam and was dumped by Liam's brother Leo when he abdicated. There are so many possibilities for her story. What's your gut feeling on Olivia?

"I think she's another one that can go either way. She's had a close relationship with Liam since childhood and has a tragic backstory with her parents being killed when she was a young child. From the footage, she seems more into Liam than he is into her, but that could add some angst with the unrequited love angle. She also has no filter and doesn’t seem to make friends easily. There will be drama with that one for sure. We just have to see how her story plays out, but she’s a keeper too.” Kat thought for a moment, looking at the photos once more. “Oh! One more...Penelope. I don’t see her being a match for Liam intellectually, but she’s gorgeous. And the things that come out of her mouth...we’ll get lots of good soundbites from her.

All right, I think we’ve got a solid group here to get us good ratings. Now we just have to see how Liam is feeling after last night. Wait, there is one thing I wanted to show you.” Jo rewound through some footage before pressing play again. “Do you see that?”

Kat watched Riley being walked back to her room by her guard and then him leaving a few moments later. She didn’t notice anything remarkable. “What am I missing here Jo?”

“Kat, have we not been doing this long enough for you to notice subtle body language? She rewound the footage again. Look at her, she’s running her hand through her hair, smiling, leaning in closer. I think she’s into him. He ignores it mostly, but you can see him break a little at the end. It’s nothing big, but we should keep an eye on it. What was Liam thinking assigning her such a hot bodyguard?”

“I don’t think we have anything to worry about. She’s way into Liam already, but your concern is noted.” 

There was a knock at the door.

“That must be Prince Liam. Why don’t you go get the door Kat.”

“Good morning ladies,” Liam greeted respectfully. “You wanted to discuss upcoming dates?

“Yes, please have a seat.” Jo motioned to an empty chair in front of her desk. “We need to discuss who is going on the one on one and group dates. Everyone will be on the group date except the woman you choose for the one on one. The one on one will be this evening, the group date tomorrow afternoon, and then the first cocktail party and apple blossom ceremony will be tomorrow evening. You will be eliminating 3 women from the competition at that time.”

“I would like to ask Riley on the one on one date.”

Jo shook her head in disagreement.“ Sorry Liam, but we can’t let you do that.”

“Isn’t this about me finding my future wife? I should be able to decide who I spend my time with,” Liam objected.  

Kat jumped in to try and smooth things over. “Liam you are right, this is about you choosing your wife. Jo and I personally love Riley and would be happy if you ended up with her. But we also need to produce an entertaining show. You chose her for the first dance last night. If you keep picking her first for everything the viewers will get bored. More viewers equals more exposure for Cordonia and Cordonian exports. We know you are doing the show to help the people of Cordonia. You also don’t want Riley to have a target on her back. Woman can be brutal towards each other, and they already see her as an outsider.” 

“Oh, I guess you do have a point.” Disappointment showed on Liam’s face, but then he managed a small smile. “How about Hana? I think we could get on well.” 

“Kat and I approve. You will be taking her to a vineyard in the countryside for wine tasting, and then you will have dinner and a private concert at the vineyard.”

“And what about the group date?”

“The women will be planting trees in the apple orchard followed by a group picnic. To make it more interesting, the woman who plants the most trees in an hour will get private time with you. There will be a more secluded area where you can have one on one conversations with some of the women, but then everyone will be sent home, and you and the winner will get to have dessert alone with you,” Jo explained.

Liam furrowed his brow. “Competing for time alone with me? This all sounds a little silly.”

Kat interjected again. “Think of how good this will look for Cordonia. You will be highlighting your main export, the Cordonian Ruby. You’ll get a chance to see what these ladies are made of, and the world will see that the noble women of Cordonia are more than just pretty faces and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.”

“It does sound better when you frame it like that.”

“Liam, Kat and I have been in this business a long time. Leave worrying about the details to us, and you just focus on finding your wife.” 

~~~~~

Riley woke up with a big smile on her face, thinking about the ball the night before. Her itinerary told her breakfast was at 9am, and everyone was to meet in the main parlor at 10am to find out about date assignments. Just as she was about to leave, there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find Drake standing there.

"Bennett, did you just open the door without checking through the peephole to see who I was? You could get yourself killed that way."

Did he just call me Bennett? Wasn't it Riley yesterday? "So are we going by last names now? That's not fair, I don't even know yours."

"That's all you got out of that? I'm supposed to make sure you are safe, and that's going to be hard to do if you can't even manage basic safety precautions."

"Oh Drake, I highly doubt someone is going to get past security at 9 in the morning and come attack me in my room."

"While not likely, anything could happen. Just start checking to make sure you know who is at the door before you open it."

Riley couldn't decide if she found Drake's extreme regard for her safety endearing or annoying. Probably more annoying if anything. "Am I going to be stuck with you all the time? I'm not even allowed to walk to the dining room on my own?"

"Trust me, I'm just following orders. This is last on the list of things I want to be doing right now. But no, I won't be with you all the time. If you are alone on a date with Liam, his guard will be sufficient for both of you. I'll be at all the group dates and court functions, but most of the time you won't even realize I'm there. I won't be traveling with you if events are outside of the palace grounds. You'll be traveling by limo with the other women.

"I don't know what would be worse...being stuck in a car with them...or having to put up with you," Riley teased."

"Ha ha," Drake replied sarcastically. “Now I suggest we leave if you don't want to miss breakfast."

"Wait, you still didn't tell me your last name."

Drake rolled his eyes. "It's Walker. Now let's go."

Breakfast was uneventful. Riley sat at a table with Hana, Kiara and Penelope. The more time she spent with other noble women, the more she realized how different her upbringing was. They had classes on dancing, diplomacy, and dinner etiquette, among other things. There were expectations to marry into nobility, hopefully with a man whose title out-ranked their own. Riley had played some sports and did piano lessons growing up, but that was about it. Her mom's only wish for her was to finish college and find a career that could make her happy and financially independent.

After breakfast they gathered in the parlor. Everyone was buzzing with anticipation. A well-dressed man with unnaturally white teeth walked in.

"Good morning ladies. I'm Chad Garrison, and I'm the host of Queen of My Heart. I know you are all waiting to hear about the dates. There will be one individual one on one date with Liam today, and tomorrow the rest of you will get a group date with Liam. Without further ado, I leave you with today's date card. I will see you all tomorrow night at the apple blossom ceremony.

Madeleine, who was seated nearest to Chad, shot up out of her chair and practically snatched the card out of his hand. She opened it and scoffed loud enough for the others to hear before pasting a fake smile on her face and reading the card out loud. "Hana, get ready to drink and dine with world class food and Wine in Cordonia's countryside."

There was a mix of reactions around the room. Some women congratulated Hana and some sat silently giving her death stares. Riley thought there was a chance she could get the first solo date, so she was slightly disappointed. But if it had to be anyone else, she was glad it was Hana. 

Filming paused and Kat came in to address the room. “Hana, you need to be ready to leave by 2pm. The rest of you have a free day today. You can hang by the pool, work out, walk around the grounds, etc. Whatever you want as long as you stay in the specified areas.”

As the women started to disperse, Kat pulled Riley aside discreetly. “Riley, you don’t get a free day. We are allowing Maxwell and Betrand to spend the day with you.”

“Do we get to have some fun sibling bonding time?”

“Something like that. They’ll explain when you get there. Kat called Drake over. “Drake, please escort Riley to the grand ballroom.”

Drake and Riley walked in relative silence to the ballroom. Maxwell and Bertand were already inside when they arrived.

Maxwell got up from his chair, shook Drake’s hand,and patted him on the back. “Drake Buddy! How have you been? I didn’t get a chance to talk to you last night.”

“Wait a second.” Riley looked back and forth between Maxwell and Drake. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.”

“Liam, Drake, and I all grew up together. Betrand and I have known Drake for years, right buddy?”

“Maxwell, stop calling me buddy." Drake turned to Riley. "Being Liam’s friend all these years meant I was stuck with Maxwell too.”

“Oh Drake, you know you love me. Just admit it.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever you want to think”

“Hmm,” Riley cut in. “Maybe you can tell me more about Drake then since he doesn’t seem to want to tell me anything about himself.”

“Maxwell, you know I have way more dirt on you than you have on me. Just think about that before you say anything,” Drake warned. “Now, I’m guessing you don’t need me for whatever you are doing here. Can I trust that you two can return Riley to her room safely this evening?”

“Betrand spoke up. “We will take good care of her. No need to worry.”

“You better. I don’t need Liam getting upset with me. See you tomorrow morning Bennett.”

Riley watched Drake leave the room, thinking about their interactions thus far. He showed glimpses of warmth towards her one minute, but then he was closed off and kind of an asshole the next. He was a tough one to figure out, which only made her want to try harder. She would have to deal with that later though.  “Okay guys. Can you tell me what we are doing here.”

“Welcome to day two of the Beaumont Brother’s crash course in courtly etiquette!” Maxwell exclaimed.

“Seriously? Do I really have to do this?”

Riley, we are absolutely serious,” Betrand said with an absolutely serious expression to match. “Yesterday was a start, but there is so much more you need to learn, and the producers agree. We want to give you every advantage we can.”

"That, and Bertand is afraid you will embarass us."

"Maxwell!"

Riley laughed. "Well I guess we should get started so I don't tarnish the Beaumont name."