#imagine finally reuniting with your wife only to tell her your daughter will never join you

[sapphoismymuse]

someone made a slipping through my fingers edit of arwen and elrond and now i’m sobbing

[cutieodonoghue]

the edge of hope (4/9)

summary: canon divergent au; when Din left Sorgan to protect the Child, he left the woman he’d fallen in love with, not knowing he’d also left behind something else. Or, Omera and Winta join Mando and Grogu on their season 2 adventures. Mandomera!

Catch up here: 1, 2, 3

Fourth chapter below the cut or on AO3!

The Heiress

Very slowly and held together by sheer luck, the Razor Crest approached the estuary moon of Trask. The passengers of the ship had slept for a short while at the beginning, but were now all awake, sitting in a silence that felt tepid. Omera kept her eyes on the windows while she held tight to her yawning daughter.

This journey had started off so hopeful only a handful of days ago, and now, they were flying in a ship so broken that they all had to squeeze into the cockpit and pray that the door wouldn’t fly off. 

Was it worth it? Omera pondered this question often over the course of the past day or so especially, trapped on an icy planet with no clear path of escape.

Her gaze shifted to Din, whose slouched posture indicated that he may have still been resting. She had to smile just slightly. He’d worked hard to keep them safe, and she knew this wasn’t the journey he’d wanted for them.

Yes, she decided, even with all of their struggles and scares thus far, joining Din and his son on their path to find the Jedi had been worth it. Winta had been given a gift many of the children in their village would never have the chance to receive: adventure. Omera had been given the gift of spending time with the man she loved.

In the smallest moments with Din was where she’d found the most joy. His fingers on her knee on Tatooine. The way he’d gone speechless at the sight of her wearing his clothes. Working in tandem to fix the ship. Even if they were unable to spend any time together in the future, being here now would have been worth it.

The nav system beeped, alerting them of their proximity to Trask, and Din jolted forward, his hands already at their positions. 

“Looks like we made it.” He turned, checking to see if everyone was awake. “Get ready for landing.”

The Crest began its descent, but it wasn’t easy. The ship jolted and jerked. Din seemed overwhelmed as he checked the levers and knobs on the console.

“Dank farrik! The landing array isn’t responding.” Bad. “Without the guidance system, it’ll be a manual re-entry. It might get choppy.” Worse. “Once we’re through the atmosphere, there should be enough fuel to slow down. If we don’t burn to a crisp.”

His words were less than reassuring, but Omera chose to believe that it would be alright. After a moment, Din called out over his shoulder, “Omera, come up here. I need your hands!”

She was on her feet in an instant, allowing Winta the entire seat for herself. She came alongside Din and he touched her hand to the lever he wanted help with. 

“This lever needs to stay back. Keep it steady.”

They began to plummet and the entire ship felt like fragile glass beneath them. Fire damaged the lower belly of the Crest, sending alerts up to the console in bright flashing red lights and alarms.

But now, she could see the port. They were getting close. Probably too fast.

“Razor Crest, this is Trask flight control. Please reduce your speed to port protocol.”

“I’m trying my best here,” Din replied, pained. “Engage reverse thrusters. Brace!”

Omera reached out with a free hand to grab the side of the ship, bracing as the ship dropped in altitude. 

“Razor Crest, do you copy? You have to reduce speed.” 

“Almost there, almost there.” Din’s words came as the ship began its final descent, finally just above a landing spot in the waters of Trask’s port.

Omera prayed with everything within her that the cockpit was waterproof.

Din focused intently on the landing, finally setting them down on what felt like the landing pad. It was seamless. “Here we go. Nice and easy.”

The ship almost instantly jolted downward, lopsided, sending them down into the water. Blessedly, the cockpit held, even if Omera had fallen to the floor in the collapse.

“Nice and easy,” Omera teased. Din looked at her and she could tell he was glaring through his helmet. She shook her head. “Next time, maybe.”

Din scoffed. “I definitely want to do that again.”

The ship was raised from the water then by the careful help of a crane and settled on the landing pad they’d struggled to find balance on. The Mandalorian helped her off of the floor, his hand gentle and strong in hers.

On a sigh, he turned to the Frog Lady and Winta. “Well, we made it.”

Winta grinned. “That was fun!”

“Fun?” Din asked. “We’ll put you in the pilot’s chair next time, then.”

Her daughter giggled. “Can you teach me how to fly?”

Din stood and guided the little girl out of the cockpit. “I thought we already had your first lesson.” 

“Oh yeah!”

Omera steadied herself when she felt a wave of nausea, a hand falling absentmindedly to her middle.

In all of the excitement, she’d very narrowly forgotten that she was pregnant. The Frog Lady seemed to notice, tilting her head at her while she settled her egg backpack over her shoulders.

She croaked, sympathetic in tone.

Omera offered her a soft smile in response. She gave her belly a slight rub. “We’re a lot alike.”

The Frog Lady nodded with compassion in her eyes. She approached Omera and set her hand over hers. It was startling how understood she felt.

“I haven’t told the Mandalorian,” Omera admitted in a quiet voice. She shook her head. “I don’t know how.”

Her companion croaked again. She removed her hand and held it outwards for her, as if to offer her the chance to leave first. 

Omera smiled politely. “You go on ahead. I’m sure you’re anxious to see your husband.”

The Frog Lady paused, hesitant, before she gave in and walked away. 

It took a minute, but the nausea passed, and Omera breathed in deep, the scent of the ocean filling her nostrils. It reminded her of Sorgan, the water, and offered a sense of calm. 

Stepping down the ladder from the cockpit, she found the rest of the Razor Crest’s passengers already venturing off the ship, the Frog Lady the last on the ramp.

Ahead of her, she spotted Winta with her hand in the Mandalorian’s, and the Child in his floating pram. Already, Winta had become so attached to Din.��

Omera gathered her bag and swiftly disembarked the ship. 

The Razor Crest dripped with water, spouts of it raining from drainage all around her, and as she walked away, she looked at the damage. 

It was a lot worse than it had been before. Parts had actually fallen off in their landing. The door to the cargo hold seemed to be stuck permanently open. It looked like it had been through absolute hell and back.

She could only imagine how much this would cost to get fixed properly.

Omera caught up to Din and the children at the dock. She spotted the Frog Lady ahead of them, looking around with haste to find her husband. For a moment, it almost seemed as if she might have to keep up her search.

But suddenly, a call from a voice similar to the Frog Lady echoed from across the dock. The Frog Lady took off in a run, bustling through the crowd with her eggs in tow. As Omera watched the couple embrace, she came alongside Din.

“You did it. They’re reunited.”

Din looked down at her. “We did it.”

Omera smiled softly. They were a team. Together, they’d fixed up the Razor Crest and brought the Frog Lady and her eggs home in one piece.

Careful not to crowd the Frog Couple, they hung back a little as the pair chattered excitedly over their eggs. The Frog Man turned to Din and took his hand, shaking it brusquely.

“You’re welcome. I was told you could lead me to others of my kind.”

The Frog Man nodded eagerly. He gestured out, pointing to a nearby inn.

“The inn? Over there?” 

Again, the Frog Man nodded. He and his wife held hands as they led them toward it, as if they were eager to give as much as they could as a way of thanking the Mandalorian for his kindness.

“Do you think we could get a room?” Omera asked Din.

“Let’s see what we can learn. Then we’ll see about a room.”

Once seated at a table in the inn’s restaurant, Omera felt as if she could relax a little bit. The crowd of fishermen in the restaurant were a mixture of Mon Calamari and Quarren in species, all of them preoccupied with their bowls of chowder and conversation to care about their group.

“What can I get you?” the waiter asked.

“Nothing for me.” Din held tight to his creed even if he was probably just as hungry as the rest of them. “A bowl of chowder for everyone else.”

“These seats are scarce, buddy. Everyone seated needs to eat.”

Din settled a generous physical payment on the table, one that the waiter took easily. “I can buy something else. Information. Have you seen others that look like me?”

He poured chowder into each of their bowls from the device hanging on the ceiling. The chowder was white and smelled a bit odd, but Omera was just hungry enough that she was willing to give it a try.

“Others with beskar have been through here.”

“Who can take me to them?”

“I know someone who might help.”

Omera watched as the man went to another of his kind a few tables away, sharing a discussion that brought focus onto the Mandalorian sitting at the table beside her. She shifted her gaze when she realized Winta was giggling at the Child.

A small sea creature jumped out of his bowl and onto his face. Din slashed it with his knife.

“Don’t play with your food.” 

The Child made a little noise and leaned over his bowl again, this time having a sip of the food. Seeing that both of the children were eating, Omera felt comfortable feeding herself. She lifted the bowl to her lips just as the man from a few tables away approached.

“You seek others of your kind?”

“Have you seen them?”

“Aye. I can bring you to them.” 

There was something about the man that made Omera nervous. He had an easygoing tone, but the way he eyed Din left her wondering if his motivations were pure.

“Where?”

“Only a few hours’ sail. It’ll cost you, though.”

“Always does.” Din sighed. “Can you take me to them tomorrow?”

The man shrugged. “Anything you’d like. Just bring the credits.” 

-

After they finished eating, Din got them a room to stay in for the next few nights while they explored Trask in search of others of his kind. It was small, with a double bed in the center and a bathroom they could use to freshen up in, but it was enough.

Winta collapsed almost instantly on the bed with a relieved sigh. “I wish the Razor Crest had one of these, Din.”

“I don’t think something like that would fit on my ship.”

Omera padded across the room to check in the bathroom if there was a tub for bathing. A smile found her lips when she discovered that there was.

“Looks like it’ll be bath night, Winta.”

Her daughter pushed herself up so she sat on the edge of the bed. “That’s good. My hair is smelly.” 

“I imagine,” Omera teased. “Mine must be too.”

She watched Din survey the room as if he were searching for traps. It seemed to her that he was anxious for the day that lay ahead of him meeting those of his kind.

“Does the Child need a bath?” Omera asked. “If we’re all going to clean up, I think getting his bath done first would probably be best. He can try to go to sleep after.”

“He’ll get the water all over,” Winta giggled. She jumped off of the bed and approached the Child’s floating pram, reaching inside to grab him. “Do you want a bath?”

“I haven’t ever really given him one,” Din admitted in a soft, awkward voice.

Winta put her fingers over the Child’s head, gently stroking. She had always been a caring girl, looking after the younger children in the village as if it were her responsibility. One day, maybe, Winta would make a natural mother. 

“I think he would like it.”

“Go ahead.” Din nodded. “I should go see if I can find something to eat. Want to check in on our passenger to make sure she’s okay too.”

Winta beamed happily at the prospect of giving the Child a well deserved bath and carried him with her toward the refresher. 

Omera folded her arms to her chest and studied the Mandalorian. He crossed the room toward her on his way out like he was eager to do something - anything at all.

“You okay?”

He stopped at her side and nodded. “Just… been a rough couple of days. We need a win here.”

She hummed. “I have faith. When you find the Mandalorians, they will have an answer.” Omera settled her hand over his heart and offered him a tiny smile. “In the meantime, our victories should come from knowing we’re doing our best to care for one another. The children are happy and healthy. We still have plenty of time to find your boy’s kind.”

Din reached for the hand at her side and put his opposite palm over her wrist, bent slightly to hold hers.

“I know I’ve said it before, but I’m glad you’re here.”

Her heart fluttered at his admission. “I’m glad, too.”

He lowered his forehead to hers, one hand moving up toward her cheek to hold her steady. Omera smiled at the closeness of the embrace and allowed herself to get comfortable in it.

“This is called a Keldabe kiss,” Din explained in a quiet voice. “My people use it to show affection.”

Her smile only spread wider knowing that it was the equivalent of a kiss. “I wondered if it was something like that.”

For a moment, they were able to stay as they were, holding onto one another by touching the crowns of their heads with their hands held tenderly over Din’s heart.  

“Mama, can you help?” Winta called from beyond, a jarring reminder of reality.

With some reluctance, Omera released Din from her grasp. “Go get something to eat. I’ll get the children clean and try putting them to bed.”

Taking a few steps backward, she watched the Mandalorian, her heart still beating fast from their gentle intimacy. He waved goodbye to her and she echoed the sentiment. 

Turning toward the refresher, Omera’s teeth dug into her lower lip to keep from smiling too big.

-

When night covered Trask like a dark blanket, Din returned to the room at the inn. He’d found something to eat and thought to grab a few extras for them to share come the morning, already anticipating the Child’s ravenous appetite. 

When the door closed behind him, he found himself staring at Winta and Omera, curled up together on one half of the bed, while the Child snoozed in his pram nearby.

Gently, he settled the supplies he’d picked up on a table that lined the wall next to the door. 

With everyone sound asleep, Din had only one thing in mind: getting into the refresher to get clean himself.

The door locked behind him and he worked with practiced ease to remove his armor, helmet coming off first so he could finally breathe fresh air through his nose and see without his visor.

The small space of the bathroom smelled already of flowery fragrances and there appeared to have been somewhat of a mess, water sprayed on the floor. He could only imagine how things had gone with the Child in a bath.

The Child probably did enjoy it, as Winta had suggested, probably too much. 

The water in the shower was gratefully warm, a pleasant departure from the ice from that rock they’d nearly been stranded on permanently. His armor offered him more warmth than what plain clothes granted, but not much more.

Quickly, Din cleaned the past couple of days off of his skin. Sweat, blood, and grime washed down the drain and he scrubbed some of the flowery smelling liquid into his hair, briefly wondering if Omera would smell just like it, too.

It was incredible how quickly his thoughts shifted to her. Before he’d gone back to Sorgan to see her again, he’d find himself in situations similar to this, allowing his mind to wander to her as if he had nowhere better to set his thoughts.

Bringing her along on the journey to find the Jedi hadn’t exactly been in his plans when he went to Sorgan. In fact, he’d gone to Sorgan to repent of what he’d thought had been a mistake on his part, hoping to just clear his conscience of what he’d done when he knew Omera was alright.

Having them along with him made things difficult in some ways, but in the overwhelming sense, he felt as if being in this together made it easier. Easier in a way he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

He dried himself off as soon as he was finished with the warm water. Clothes and armor back in place, he felt better, new, and went to see if he could fit on the bed next to the girls.

The last time he’d laid beside Omera had been the first time he’d laid next to her. The night they’d spent together, giving to one another the most intimate of a stolen moment in time. 

She’d come to him, warm and unassuming. His heart had acted faster than his brain could catch up. It seemed she was one of the only people in the galaxy who could do that to him.

The bed was much more comfortable than his chair in the cockpit of the Crest, where he’d last allowed his eyes to close. He laid on top of the blankets, facing the ceiling with his hands clasped together over his chest.

Beside him, the bed shifted and he turned his head to see Omera facing him, her eyes open. 

“Did you get something to eat?”

Din smiled softly beneath his helmet. “Yes. Picked up some extra for the morning too.”

Omera’s lips curled at the ends and she reached out with one hand to touch the side of his helmet. “Try to sleep. Don’t worry about tomorrow.”

He lifted both of his hands, tugging the glove from one to remove it. When his bare hand was free, he brought it to Omera’s, giving her one of the only things he could when his whole being ached for something more.

She thoughtfully turned her hand and gently touched their fingertips together before pressing her palm to his. Slowly, her small fingers filled the spaces between, curling as she lowered her fingertips to his knuckles.

Ever so gently, she brushed her thumb against the side of his and offered him a kind, almost loving, smile. As he stared at her, he saw that secret again, hiding and private, dancing behind her pretty brown eyes.

It wouldn’t be right to ask about it now, while the children were sleeping so close by, but he resolved he’d ask soon. All he wanted was to know that she felt whole, and seeing the shade of fear in her eyes imposed by this secret made him think she didn’t feel that way at all.

“Rest, Din,” Omera whispered. 

“You too.”

As Din allowed himself to fall asleep, he thought back to their conversation earlier. She was right. The children were happy and healthy. He didn't need to worry about how quickly he could find the Jedi when he could see victories here, with them. 

-

For the first time in a long time, when Omera woke, she felt rested. Lately, she’d found it difficult to sleep even back home on Sorgan in her own bed. 

As she opened her eyes, she decided it had to have been because of the pregnancy. Her body needed more energy, and she hadn’t exactly been allowing herself to charge up on the unborn’s behalf. 

Very quickly, she realized that she was the last one to wake. She heard Winta’s giggles and the Child’s cooing babbles. Even warmer was Din’s low, even voice as he dealt with both of them on his own.

Omera sat up in the bed, wincing ever so slightly at the light that came from the overhead lamp. 

The Child was tucked under one of the Mandalorian’s arms, both of them sitting directly beside her in the bed while Din offered his son food to eat. Winta sat on the foot of the bed, nibbling on whatever Din had brought them to share.

Perking up at the sight of her freshly awake, Winta grinned, crawling over top of the bed towards her. “Morning, Mama.”

“Good morning, Winta.”

“You slept for a long time. Din was worried about you.” 

Din sighed. “I wasn’t worried.”

Winta hummed. “Yes you were.” She gave Din a very matter-of-fact look. “You asked me if she usually sleeps this long. Twice.”

Omera laughed to herself and looked over at the Mandalorian, whose open palm held the food meant for the Child to eat. It was touching that he’d been worried about her.

“I needed to sleep. Thank you for not waking me any sooner.”

After they shared their food, Din settled the Child into his floating pram and said, “I’ll take the kid with me to the harbor, but I think you and Winta should stay here. I don’t know if I can trust him. Heard them saying something about my beskar.”

Omera nodded in agreement. “There was something about him I didn’t like either.” She looked at the Child. “You’re sure you want to bring him?”

“We are a clan of two. Where I go, he goes.”

Omera nodded in understanding. She reached into the pram and stroked her thumb over the top of the Child’s head. “Be good for Din, little one.”

The Child cooed adorably, his ears twitching at the feeling of her hand on top of his head.

Omera looked up at the Mandalorian, whose gaze always seemed to be on her. He was closer to her than he had been before, but then again, he always seemed to be close to her too. 

He lowered the crown of his head to hers ever so briefly and she set her hands on either side of his helmet. 

“Be safe.”

When he pulled away, he said, “We’ll be back tonight. Let’s plan to meet at the chowder place downstairs at sunset.”

Omera liked his optimism, but worried he might not be able to fulfill the plan. She didn’t know what laid ahead. “We’ll be there.”

Winta wrapped her arms around Din’s side in a tight hug, a surprise to the Mandalorian. He lowered his hand to the back of her head with the slightest hesitance. 

“We’ll be back in a few hours, Winta.”

“I know,” she said. She smiled up at him. “Just for good luck that you’ll find your Mandalorians.”

Din nodded once. “Thank you.”

When Winta pulled away, Din took an audible breath and stepped toward the door. As it opened, he looked back toward them as if he had something to say, but said nothing, instead leaving them on their own.

Almost instantly, Omera’s fingers fell to her middle, where she swore her belly had swollen up even more over the course of a night, and sighed softly through her nose. She really needed to tell him.

It had been four months since that night, which meant very soon, it would be quite unmistakable that she was with child. Even now, she felt as if the child had begun to show enough that Din might be able to tell on his own. Maybe he already had noticed and was just being polite while he waited for her to say something. 

“Mama, can we go see the Frog Lady? I wonder if her eggs are going to hatch.”

She laughed a little. “Okay.”

Winta noticed her hand over her belly and looked up at her curiously. “Have you told Din yet?”

Omera shook her head. “Not yet. He has a lot on his mind. I don’t want to overwhelm him.”

“But your belly is growing,” Winta noted, her hands settling on either side of Omera’s small bump. “And it will get even bigger.”

“I know,” Omera sighed. “I’ll tell him soon. Just not yet.”

“Tonight?” Winta suggested. “Once he finds his kind, he might have less on his mind.”

Omera chuckled. She ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair and shook her head. “Why do you want him to know so badly?”

“Because I’m excited to be a big sister,” Winta admitted, bouncing on her feet. “Will Din be the baby’s father?”

Her eyes widened a little in surprise. “Um… I don’t know. I don’t think he thinks of us in a family sort of way. Not yet, anyway.”

Winta’s nose and brow both wrinkled as she pondered Omera’s explanation. “But he does all the things you do for me, Mama. He feeds us, gives us a place to sleep, and keeps us warm and safe.”

Omera smiled softly at her daughter’s innocence. She continued to run her fingers through her hair as she considered what to say. 

“Being a family is more than those things. It means you give your heart away. That you love regardless of how you feel. That you stick together through all things.”

Her daughter frowned. She clung to Omera, burying her face into her side. “How do you feel that way for someone? If they aren’t like you and me and Baby…” Winta’s fingers trailed over Omera’s belly as she paused, thoughtful. “It must be hard to give your heart away.”

“It is.” Omera nodded. “But often, your heart decides on its own who to choose.”

“Has your heart chosen Din?”

She bit down on her lip, her heart feeling heavy. “It has.” 

Winta pulled herself away from Omera and stared up at her, still thoughtful. “Is Din the one who gave Baby to you? Is that why your heart has chosen him?”

A blush very quickly found her cheeks. She shook her head. “That’s enough questions about the baby for now. Let’s go find our friend. Maybe we can bring her a gift to celebrate her arrival here.”

Winta sighed. Clearly, she wanted all of the answers that Omera felt the most unsure about, and she wanted them right away. 

“Okay…”

-

“You ever been on a boat, kid?” Din asked the Child.

From within his hovering pram, the boy stared up at him, tilting his head to the side. He made a little noise, patu, and Din nodded his head once.

“Try not to get seasick. Don’t wanna get your clothes dirty and have to get you another bath.”

This time, the Child made a different noise, like he wouldn’t mind it. Blep.

“You liked the bath, didn’t you?” Din asked. He smirked to himself, giving a small shake of his head. “Omera spoils you.”

The Child hummed.

Din knew that the kid liked Omera. He knew that Omera liked the kid, too. She was a good mother. Even if she hadn’t intended to take on that role for the boy, he was glad that she had. 

He did his best where it came to being his father. The word felt funny even to think, but the Armorer had bestowed the title upon him. All he could do was honor him and the path they had been set upon. He could care for him and guide him. Teach him his manners. 

He was trying. That’s what mattered. He hoped the kid could see it.

Ahead of them, he saw the captain of the ship that could take them to meet up with his kind. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. This would define their next steps. 

Din guided them to the ship at the dock. He kept an eye out for danger, cautious in case the stranger fisherman wanted to try anything from the docks.

“Excuse me. We spoke yesterday about a ride to find more of my kind. Mandalorians.”

The fisherman nodded. “Yeah. I remember. You got credits?”

“Yes.”

The fisherman eyed him briefly, then looked at the Child. He nodded his head. “Settle up and we’ll be on our way. There’s a mamacore out there, right in our path. Impressive beasts. You ever seen a mamacore?”

“Can’t say I have.”

He hummed. “We’ll get up close. Get you a good look.”

The fishing boat was modest in size, crewed by a modest crew of five Quarren. 

After a couple of hours on the water with no end in sight, the bad feeling Din had about the captain of the vessel only intensified. There didn’t appear to be any land masses anywhere nearby, and the fog that settled over the waters was eerie.

“You ever see a mamacore eat? Quite a sight.” 

Din looked blankly at the captain of the ship. The Quarren gestured to the Child beside Din, still safely stowed in his floating pram. 

“Child might take an interest. You should take a look. Come on over here.”

Din cautiously allowed the Child to follow after him toward the center of the fishing boat. There was a large grate in the floor that opened up to the choppy waves. 

“Get a good view. Let the kid see.”

He and the Child stayed back a safe distance, just close enough that they could see into the water, and Din held out a hand to stop the kid from going any closer. “All right, close enough.”

The captain of the fishing vessel rigged up a net of dead fish just above the freshly exposed hole in the middle of the ship. With a swift releasing mechanism operated by a lever, the net broke open and the fish dropped down for the mamacore to feed on.

“She must be hungry.”

The waters began to bubble, signifying the arrival of the mamacore, and the captain continued to ramble, but before the creature of the sea could emerge, the Quarren used his fishing spear to push the floating pram and the Child into the water.

Din’s stomach lurched. “No!”

In an instant, the mamacore surged upwards, its sharp teeth and claws descending upon the Child’s pram in the most horrifying instant. He didn’t have to think twice- he jumped in after him. 

The water was murky, and he didn’t have a plan for fighting the mamacore. As he tried to find the creature beneath the surface, he very quickly ran out of air. Surging to the surface, where the boat was, he was met with resistance in the form of a grate.

It was a trap.

It seemed the Quarren operating the fishing vessel were, in fact, hunting him down for his beskar. They jabbed at him with their spears through the holes in the grate as he tried to push back on it.

How the hell was he supposed to save the kid and get himself out of this situation all on his own?

One jab of the spear in the right spot made him lose his grip on the bars, sending him back down into the water. He was as unprepared as the first time, but this time, water flooded his lungs. 

With a renewed anger, he surged back up to the surface, just in time to catch his breath and get attacked all over again.

But before the fishermen could push him down below the water’s surface again, they were met with force by a Mandalorian from just beyond his sights. 

He could hardly make out what went on, too focused on his breathing as he coughed and struggled to keep his head above the water.

He heard the sounds of a couple of other Mandalorians arriving via jetpack as the fighting continued. With his eyes fallen shut, Din coughed and set his focus on one thing: hope.

He would get out of this. The kid would too. He’d be safe within the pram. They just needed to get into the jaws of the creature and pry him out. Hopefully it wasn’t too late.

The grate that had locked Din away from safety aboard the boat finally pulled back. In front of him, a Mandalorian held out their hand to help tug him out of the water he’d very nearly drowned in. 

“Take my hand.”

Din did as the Mandalorian asked of him, and as she helped him up out of the water, he choked out, “There’s a creature. It has the Child.”

“On it!” The words came from one of the other Mandalorians.

Focused on the Mandalorian who had pulled him from the water, Din added weakly, “The Child. Help the Child.” 

“Don’t worry, brother. We’ve got this.” 

He struggled to catch his breath. His body trembled and tears sat unshed in his eyes. The shock of this attack hit him differently than most did. He wasn’t a skilled swimmer, and although he probably could’ve compensated for it with his weapons, he hadn’t been prepared for the fight.

The sounds of gunfire came from beneath the ship and Din set his focus on the opening. Dread flooded him from top to bottom.

What if he’d failed? What if the pram wasn’t strong enough to protect the Child from harm? How would he explain this to Omera and Winta?

As much as he doubted himself in the past, this was a harsh reminder of how inadequate he was. Did all fathers struggle with these feelings?

The Mandalorian who had plunged down into the water to battle the mamacore emerged with a gush of water that broke the surface. She landed on the boat, pram in between her hands, and set it down on the ground next to him.

After tearing it open, she grabbed for the baby inside. “Here you go, little one.”

She handed the Child to Din. He instantly cradled him in one arm and placed his palm against the baby’s chest as he examined him. He was completely unharmed, and hadn’t even gotten wet. 

A calming wave covered him. It was alright. They were both alright. A breath he hadn’t realized he was holding slid past his lips and he felt the hot tears escape his eyes out of sheer relief.

Finally, he looked up at their saviors. His voice still trembled a bit when he spoke, “Thank you.” 

Briefly, he checked on the Child again. Safe. He was safe.

The fear he held in his heart gave way to something different in this instance. Was it love? Did he love this child?

Afraid of what the answer might be, Din set his focus on the next realization: this was the moment he’d been searching for. He’d found his kind. Now, he needed to do right by the kid. 

He needed to find a Jedi. That was his path.

“I’ve been searching for more of our kind.”

Of the three Mandalorians who stood in front of him, the one who had rescued him from the water replied, “Well, lucky we found you first.” 

“I’ve been quested to deliver this child. I was hoping that…” 

He stopped dead in his tracks when all three of the Mandalorians standing on the deck of the ship removed their helmets from their heads. As he stood to be on their level, a certain degree of rage simmered just beneath the surface of his skin.

On Tatooine, it had only been Cobb Vanth who wore Mandalorian armor. He’d worn it as a means to protect his town, as a symbol of strength. He hadn’t understood the Mandalorian creed because he wasn’t Mandalorian.

Now, three much more powerful strangers stood before him in Mandalorian armor, skilled with their weapons, and treated him as their equal. 

Never removing one's helmet was one of the first things they’d taught him as a Foundling. It was a key to being a Mandalorian. To remove your helmet meant turning your back on the creed.

“Where did you get that armor?” 

The woman in the middle seemed confused by his tone, keeping her voice light as she replied, “This armor has been in my family for three generations.” 

“You do not cover your face.” Din felt himself growing angrier with the passing moments. “You are not Mandalorian.”

This time, the man on the right spoke, “He’s one of them.”

“One of what?” Din asked the woman in the middle, the one he deemed to be the leader.

“I am Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze.” She took a tempered pause. “I was born on Mandalore and fought in the Purge. I am the last of my line. And you are a Child of the Watch.”

“The Watch?”

“Children of the Watch are a cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society.” Bo-Katan’s gaze fell upon the Child in his arm. “Their goal was to re-establish the ancient way.”

Din gritted his teeth. “There is only one way. The Way of the Mandalore.”

-

After a few hours sitting with the sweet Frog Couple and their new tadpole in their humble home, Omera walked Winta through the shops along the dock, holding onto her hand tight enough that she wouldn’t get lost or wander. 

Her daughter seemed nervous by all of the excess stimuli that a new planet like this crafted on its own, so it didn’t matter all that much how tightly she held on.

Omera herself kept an eye on passers by, cautious not to linger for too long in one place. She had a pistol clipped to her side, but it would never help her feel as safe as she did with the Mandalorian at her side.

She wanted to get some more food for the morning, hoping it would be the last meal they’d have to share on Trask. It would be good to have the Crest fully repaired somewhere else before they found the Jedi. If, in fact, Din had found his kind, that would likely be the course of action. 

With a small container of fresh food in arm, Omera walked Winta back toward the inn, set on staying there until sunset, just under an hour away. But, as soon as they drew close, she noticed a ship a short ways out and the surprising sight of a figure with a jetpack soaring up toward the sky.

Recalling their plan to meet Din and the Child, Omera took Winta back to the inn in order to deposit the food. 

“Mama, do you think Din found his kind?” Winta asked. She sat on the bed just behind her, kicking her legs out and swinging them back inward until they hit the base of the bed.

“We’ll have to ask when we meet him.”

Winta hummed. “What if he didn’t find anyone?”

Omera turned to her daughter and shrugged her shoulders. “I guess we’ll just have to keep looking.”

Together, they walked to the chowder place and settled in at a table in the back corner. She kept her eyes on the patrons, careful of onlookers. The last thing she wanted was for something to happen to them before the Mandalorian could return.

The door to the building slid open and she watched as Din entered. He cradled the Child in his arm and approached the table with a dominance that attracted the gaze of many of the patrons. 

Finally, Omera felt as if she could breathe.

From behind him, she noticed the door open once more. This time, three others wearing blue Mandalorian armor entered. They had their helmets in their arms. Were they Mandalorian? Or were they as Cobb Vanth was - just a man in Mandalorian armor?

Din stood at the head of the table and the three others followed. One, a woman with a commanding presence, studied Omera and Winta for a thoughtful second.

“These are your people?” she asked Din.

He nodded once. “They’re traveling with me.”

Again, Omera met the woman’s eyes. Finally, a smile found her lips. “I am Bo-Katan. A Mandalorian, just as he is. We are from different clans, but we serve the same creed.”

Her head swarmed with thoughts. They were Mandalorians. Mandalorians who took their helmets off, and still professed the same creed that Din held. 

She wasn’t sure what to believe, but she couldn’t help but feel a little excited by the idea that not all Mandalorians had to keep their helmets on. Maybe one day she’d get to see Din’s face after all.

Omera smiled back at Bo-Katan, trying to be polite. “I’m Omera. This is my daughter, Winta. You’re free to join us.” 

And so it was that the table was filled with Mandalorians, and a child whose pram had been lost in the jaws of a mamacore. 

Beside Omera sat Din, whose attentiveness to his boy seemed amplified after the attack at sea. The boy was perched up on his own chair beside him, with a bowl full of food that he sipped slowly.

“They came in time to save me and the Child,” Din explained. He gestured out toward Bo-Katan and her clan. “I should’ve been more careful. I was right. They wanted the beskar.”

Omera’s heart almost broke at his retelling. She wished she’d been there to help, but knew that if she had, something far worse might have happened. 

“Thank you,” Omera said to the three new faces around the table. 

Bo-Katan nodded. “He would do the same for any of us.” Pausing, she took a second to gather her thoughts. Then, she turned to Din specifically, saying, “Trask is a black market port. They’re staging weapons that have been bought and sold with the plunders of our planet.”

Bo-Katan glanced at her fellow blue-armored Mandalorians. “We’re seizing those weapons and using them to retake our homeworld. Once we’ve done that, we’ll seat a new Mand’alor on the throne.”

“That planet is cursed.” Din was clearly not all that pleased with Bo-Katan and her plans. “Anyone who goes there dies. Once the Empire knew they couldn’t control it, they made sure no one else could either.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear. Our enemies wanna separate us. But Mandalorians are stronger together.”

Din focused on the Child beside him. “That’s not part of my plan. I’ve been quested with returning this child to the Jedi.”

Bo-Katan’s brow knitted. “What do you know of the Jedi?”

“Nothing,” Din admitted. “I was hoping you would help me by creed.”

Bo-Katan was silent. She looked at the Child thoughtfully. “I can lead you to one of their kind. But first, we need your help on our mission.” Briefly, Bo-Katan glanced at Omera and Winta. “If you can spare the time.”

“What is your mission?” Omera asked, almost daring her to continue to treat her as if she wasn’t there.

The leader of the group pursed her lips. She lifted her bowl to her mouth to sip. Then, she spoke again, “We can share our plans with the Mandalorian you travel with, but it isn’t a place for you or your child.”

She felt Din stiffen beside her. “She travels with me. Treat her as my equal or I won’t help you.”

Bo-Katan’s jaw clenched, as if she didn’t want to do what he wanted her to. Like she was annoyed that she’d encountered a Mandalorian like Din. Even if she were trying to be courteous and not involve Omera due to the dangers of the mission, it felt like she had judged Omera quickly.

She nodded at each of them, looking between them as she spoke with intention, “Tomorrow morning, there is another Imperial freighter leaving Trask with the weapons I’d mentioned earlier. We get in, take the weapons that belong to us, and get out.”

Din considered Bo-Katan’s mission thoughtfully. “And if I help, you’ll give me what I need.”

Bo-Katan nodded her head once. “Should you earn it, yes.”

“We shouldn’t discuss the details here,” the other female Mandalorian said. “Let’s get eyes on it after we finish.”

Beneath the table, Din settled his hand over her leg as a gentle reminder that they were here, together. He nodded his head to the Mandalorians. “Fine. I’m in.”

Bo-Katan smiled into her bowl slightly. “This is the Way.” 

“This is the Way.”

-

With Winta curled up in bed sound asleep, Omera sat at the foot with the Child in her arms, waiting patiently for Din to return. The boy wasn’t sleeping, but seemed content reaching for her hair and babbling incoherently to her all about the hardships of his day.

Omera couldn’t help but smile, looking down at him. She hoped he knew that he was very much part of their family, as unique as it may have been. She lowered her lips to the top of the Child’s head and gave him a gentle kiss.

“Shh,” she whispered, “I think it’s time you went to sleep, little one.”

Din had gone with the other Mandalorians to scout out their mission, a mission she hoped would finally bring Din the answer he searched for. Yet, in the same heartbeat, she almost wished he wouldn’t be able to find a Jedi at all. In such a short period of time, she had grown deeply attached to the boy in her arms.

The door before her slid open and Din entered, quiet and cautious. He paused at the sight of her and his boy, almost like he hadn’t anticipated to see them still awake.

Omera rose to her feet. “How did it go?”

“I’ll meet them in a few hours to prepare,” Din replied. He looked at the Child in her arms when they were close enough. “Today… I couldn’t protect him. I owe Bo-Katan my help after what they did.”

Omera nodded, somber. She offered the Child to him. “Here, maybe you can get him to sleep.”

The Mandalorian reached for the small boy and took him into his arms. With utmost care, he rested a hand over his belly. 

“When we were on Tatooine, you sang to him.”

She smiled. “It was a song my mother taught me as a little girl. I sang it to Winta when she was a baby.” 

Omera couldn’t help but think about telling him her secret then, especially with their conversation leaving the perfect opening to just say it without needing the right circumstances. 

But it still wasn’t right. Telling him then would only distract him during a mission with high stakes.

Maybe, she decided, once they were back onboard the Crest, she could get him alone and say the words she so desperately needed to.

Winta was right. She would only be able to conceal her bump with strategic articles of clothing for a little while longer. And, as much as she wished things were simpler, having a child with a Mandalorian would likely never be easy.

Din sighed deeply. He shook his head. “When I almost lost him today in the water…” He stopped, choking on the last of his words. “If the Jedi take him from me to raise him, they will be right to do so. I can offer him nothing.”

Omera closed her eyes briefly. She knew the inadequacy he felt. She’d experienced it herself plenty of times as a young single mother. 

She lifted her hand to touch the Mandalorian’s arm ever so gently.

“You’re his father,” Omera said. “That will never change.”

She watched the Child finally fall asleep, clinging to Din as he did so. The little boy was so small in Din’s arms and he found so much peace there. Would their child feel the same peace? Would they ever have the chance to?

Din had nearly died a few times over the course of their adventures so far. Maybe she was right to want to keep the unborn within her a secret. Why would the Mandalorian want to settle down and raise a child with her, even if it was his own?

“I’m sorry for the way Bo-Katan treated you and Winta.”

Omera shook her head. “I wasn’t offended.”

He sighed heavily. “She thinks I’m part of a cult. On Mandalore, I guess they did things differently. They… take their helmets off.”

She could tell that Bo-Katan and her clan had hit a nerve. Whatever had been said in their meeting on the boat had been enough to spark a conflict within him.

“Do you want to help them?”

“It is the Way to help other Mandalorians.”

Din stepped away from her and approached the bed. He tucked the Child in beside Winta, gently bringing the blankets up toward his chin. 

When he came to Omera’s side again, he said in a soft voice, “I… didn’t realize there were Mandalorians who don’t abide by the same rules.”

Omera hummed. She didn’t expect Din to change his understanding of his creed overnight, but part of her felt hopeful that maybe one day, he might be comfortable enough to remove his helmet in front of her.

She could only imagine what he looked like beneath, but she knew it wouldn’t matter. To her, Din Djarin was the man she’d fallen in love with without needing to know what he looked like.

“Maybe being Mandalorian means more than what you wear. It’s your code that makes you Mandalorian,” Omera thought aloud. “Maybe… if you all fight for the same cause, for each other, it doesn’t matter how you appear.”

He stared at her in silence. She wasn’t sure how he felt, but knew that she hadn’t upset him. If she had, his posture would surely indicate as much.

“Do you want to try to sleep tonight? Before you meet with the others?”

He nodded silently. When they laid down side-by-side, Omera turned to face him. He stared after her, even in the darkness. 

As he had the night before, he removed his glove from just one hand. With it free, he very hesitantly reached out to touch the side of her face, almost as if he wanted to ask if it was okay. Omera gave him an affirming smile. 

Gently, the tips of his bare fingers brushed against her cheek, a tender caress that brought back memories of the night they’d spent together on Sorgan. So rarely had she felt so adored in her entire life. 

He brushed her hair behind her ear and then soothed his knuckles with the lightest touch against her cheek.

“Goodnight.” Din spoke in a voice so quiet that she almost couldn’t hear him speak.

Her hand found his and she took it in the space between them, flat against the mattress. 

“Goodnight, Din.”

He shifted until he could touch his forehead to hers. Omera closed her eyes at the feeling. It was such a simple action, but she felt a tangible wave of warmth fill her from the very top of her head to the bottoms of her feet. 

She wondered if the Mandalorian felt the same. 

She hoped he did.

-

Din didn’t sleep as much as he should have. He spent a long time watching Omera rest, her fingers having fallen away from his but her figure still turned toward him. 

Beside her, the Child and Winta were curled up together. He could hear the Child’s sleep sounds, little squeaks and grunts that he always made when he dreamed, and a soft smile settled on Din’s face.

They were all safe and comfortable here: together.

Being together had been the reason for asking Omera to join him. 

Now that they were together, walking this path toward a Jedi, he had to consider what was next for them. 

He knew that Omera would likely wish to stay together, even if she never admitted it aloud to him. If he stayed with Omera and Winta on Sorgan, would he still be able to be Mandalorian? How would he fulfill his role as a Mandalorian there? Would he remove his armor?

Their conversation before they went to bed echoed in his mind. Was what Omera suggested true? Could he remove his armor in front of others and still be Mandalorian?

The Mandalorians who raised him would have argued that every element of their code together made a Mandalorian. The creed dictated adhering to the code as strictly as possible so that they could develop future generations to be strong. 

As Din stared at Omera, sound asleep, only one thing ran through his mind over and over again: he wanted to stay by her side. 

Could they be together in the future? Was that even a possibility? 

Maybe it was naive, but he wanted to believe it could be.

When it was time for him to get up and meet the clan of Mandalorians, he reluctantly looked away from Omera and sat up. Quietly, he stepped around the bed, moving with determination to the door, but stopped when he caught something moving out of the corner of his vision.

Winta. She sat upright in bed, her head tilted to the side as she rubbed her right eye. 

“Din?”

He glanced over at Omera. She hadn’t stirred. Neither had the Child. 

Din nodded. “Go back to sleep. I’m going to meet with the other Mandalorians now.”

The young girl had a tight knit in her brow before she suddenly hopped off of the bed and with light feet, came to stand in front of him. Curious, Din studied her. Maybe she was sleepwalking.

“Will you come back?” Winta whispered. She seemed genuinely concerned about him. Probably not sleepwalking.

He sighed to himself and dropped down to one knee so that he could meet her eyes at her level. 

“I’ll be back before you even realize I’m gone.”

She nodded, but something still seemed to bother her. She reached out with one hand to touch the side of his helmet, gentle and timid. 

“What’s wrong?”

Winta shook her head minutely. He noticed tears in her eyes, something he absolutely hated, and she whispered, “I’m just thinking about Mama.”

He tilted his head to the side, confused. “Is she okay?”

Winta smiled softly at him, a pure reflection of Omera, and lowered her hand from his helmet. She sighed. “She told me that she loved someone and wanted to be a family with them, but… she doesn’t know if they want that too.”

His heart leapt. Immediately, his mind began to whirl in thought. Was Omera in love with him? He’d thought that she could be, but was there someone else? Maybe Winta misunderstood altogether.

Was Omera in love with him?  

The thought felt loud in his mind, so loud that he could barely force himself to focus on Winta.

“Why wouldn’t someone want that with you?”

Winta shrugged one shoulder. “She said their heart has to choose. I don’t know if it will happen.”

He frowned, reaching for her hand to squeeze it when her lower lip trembled with oncoming tears. 

“Hey, no. Please don’t cry.”

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. 

“I’m sorry. I just…” She sighed heavily. The weight of all of the feelings she carried within overwhelmed her so that her shoulders fell low. “I love Mama and I want her to be happy.”

He smiled. Winta had the same giving heart as her mother. 

“She is. She has you.”

Winta wrapped her arms around his neck in one swift movement. He held her with one arm around her middle. Winta’s eagerness to hug him all the time reminded him of the Foundlings from the covert on Nevarro. 

“Please come back.”

As if she didn’t want to overextend her welcome, she took a step away from him, her fingers still wiping at her wet cheeks. She managed to smile at him through it and squared her shoulders, putting on a brave face even if she continued to sniffle.

“Don’t worry about me, Winta,” he said. “I’ll be back by midday. You can tell your mom that we should meet at the Razor Crest then.”

Having a plan in mind seemed to calm the girl. She nodded her head. “Okay.”

Din was hesitant to leave, but he knew Bo-Katan and her clan would be waiting for him. He was running late as it was. He stood to his feet and gestured to the bed. 

“Go back to sleep.”

Winta scrambled back to the bed, careful as she climbed back in beside the Child and Omera. He waited for the blankets to be up to her chin before he left the room. 

-

When Omera awoke, Din was nowhere to be found. The sun had come up, so she decided that she would prepare the children to return to the Razor Crest.

Winta nudged Omera’s arm when she sat upright. The girl sat beside her in the bed, bright-eyed and rested. 

“Din left a few hours ago.”

Her daughter cradled the Child in her arms. The boy babbled while he played with Winta’s favorite stuffed toy. Omera had given it to her as a newborn. She’d made it herself.

“He told me to tell you that we should meet him at the Razor Crest by midday.”

Omera smiled at Winta and ran her fingers through the young girl’s hair. “Then I suppose we should get something to eat and get ready to be back on our way.”

It was bittersweet having to leave the inn on Trask. While it had been a comfortable, safe place to lay their heads, Trask itself left much to be desired. It was certainly not a place she would have felt confident letting Winta off on her own.

“What do you think I can bring home from this place?” Winta asked. “I have my rock from Tatooine. What can fit in my bag from Trask?”

Omera looked over at her daughter, who now sat on the edge of the bed with the Child doing the same at her side. Meanwhile, she busied herself with making sure their bags were packed.

“We could…” Omera paused, thoughtful. “Maybe we could get you a shell from the beach.”

Winta’s eyes lit up at the idea. “Yes!”

The Child giggled when Winta bounced eagerly on the bed, careful with her hand held over his belly to keep him from falling over. 

“It’s almost time to leave,” Omera told Winta, “and when we do, we’ll see what we can find.”

With both of the children and their bags ready to go, Omera held the Child on her hip while hanging on to Winta’s hand. They walked the docks cautiously and Omera kept an eye out for the Mandalorian.

Once they found a beach, Omera allowed Winta to wander, but only just a little. She pressed a palm against the Child's belly and kept her focus on her daughter as she searched for the perfect shell. 

Very soon, this would be a reality in her life: Winta wandering off while she held a baby on her hip. It felt oddly natural, being a mother over two at once. 

Breaking her from her thoughts was the sound of a jetpack. A familiar Mandalorian flew just overhead and landed on the beach beside them.

“You’re back!” Winta exclaimed. 

She rushed toward Din with a hug already locked and loaded. She tackled him with her arms around his waist and he stumbled at the impact, laughing breathlessly.

“I said I would be.”

Winta smiled warmly up at him. “I’m just really glad you are.”

Din sighed, still catching his breath from all of the activity. He looked up at Omera. “She told me the name of the Jedi and where to find them.”

Her heart jumped and her eyes widened slightly. “That’s good. You were able to finish the mission.” Omera smiled down at the baby in her arms and stroked her thumb against his fingers that gripped hers. “You’ll be with your kind soon, little one.”

As the words fell from her lips, Omera’s heart ached. She knew it was right to bring the Child to his kind, and it was what Din’s quest required of him, but she didn’t have to like the idea.

“We should get back to the ship,” Din said, pulling her attention away from the Child. “I have a feeling the credits I spent trying to get it fixed were wasted.”

They certainly were. The ship was now covered in netting and fishing gear, all of it trying a little too hard to keep the fragile ship together.

Din sighed deeply as he sat in the pilot’s seat. “Mon Calamari.”

Omera settled in beside him, still hanging onto the Child, and Winta giddily jumped into the third chair. 

“Well, based on the looks of things, we aren’t getting all the way to Corvus in this shape.” Din turned to look at her. “How would you feel if we took a trip to Nevarro? Got some friends there who might cut me a deal on the repairs.”

Omera shrugged her shoulders. She gazed down at the Child in her lap. The boy peered up at her with his big eyes and her heart clenched. They’d get the opportunity to spend just a few more days together. 

“What do you think, little one? Do you want to visit Nevarro?”

The Child offered her a lopsided grin, but otherwise made no efforts at communication. She soothed her thumb against one of his fingers. 

When Omera returned her focus to the Mandalorian, she nodded her head. “Extending our trip just a little wouldn’t hurt.”

Wordlessly, the Mandalorian nodded back at her. He spun around and began to prepare the ship for takeoff. 

In her lap, the Child squirmed and she allowed him to move freely. He turned just enough to face her and one of his hands extended over her belly. Omera felt herself freeze in surprise. Did he know?

From within her, she felt the unborn stir. Just a soft little flutter, one barely noticeable. Taking the Child’s hand away from where he’d extended it, she fought the tears in her eyes.

The Child stared up at her, almost as if he was trying to tell her something. He did know.

Without another moment passing them by, as the Razor Crest began its climb back up into space, the Child snuggled against Omera again. She held onto him and accepted the gentle feeling of his hand settled against hers with a soft smile.

She casted a longing gaze after the Mandalorian. 

She'd felt so conflicted since he came for her on Sorgan. While she wanted them to be together, and wanted to tell him about their child, she felt fear every time she considered it. She didn't want him to lose focus on what mattered the most. She wanted him to feel confident walking his path with the Child, knowing that she had his back through it all. If a future together would come of this time, she wouldn't decline it, but she worried, especially after meeting Bo-Katan, that perhaps there were even more important paths yet to come for Din. 

Should she protect him from learning about the truth so that he could face those challenges freely?

When Din turned around again, he gave the Child his attention. “Well, what do you think, kid? You want to try fixing some wiring for me?”

The Child quirked his head to the side, cooing curiously.

“There’s a panel…” Din tilted his head toward where it was in the cockpit. “Pretty sure we can hot-wire a fix. You know your colors, right?”

Again, the Child made a curious noise.

Omera offered the young boy to his father, who took him into his arms and held him there. He stared at the boy with an affection that filled the very air of the cockpit.

The Child reached out for Din’s helmet and touched the armor covering his cheek. The Mandalorian chuckled softly in response. “Hey, pal.”

The ache inside of her chest tightened. Doubting his capacity for the truth was a mistake. Din deserved to know her secret. Now if only she could find the right words.

[officialinuyasha]

Yashahime Trailer Analysis - Full Breakdown + Theories

Video -

https://youtu.be/ebFV15yPO6U

The Yashahime - Princess Half-Demon Official Trailer came out August 7th Japan Time like Kaoru Wada had teased for us on the Otakon Livestream. Here we will read off of what was posted on the VIZ Media Official Website "The anime’s been announced, but now you can sink your canines into some more juicy tidbits about the show. The anime stars Towa and Setsuna, the twin daughters of Sesshomaru who get separated in a forest fire. Towa ends up in modern times and is raised by Sota Higurashi, Kagome’s little brother. Ten years later, they are reunited, but Setsuna is a demon slayer with no memories of her sister. Joined by Moroha, Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter, they set off on an adventure to regain their missing past." https://www.viz.com/blog/posts/yashahime-princess-half-demon-arrives-in-october You guys will be able to watch Yashahime on VIZ Media's Website and AnimeLab.com when it's released.

First Impressions - @officialkagome​ : “I can tell the Rumiko has a lot of influence in the writing because key points and moments are conveyed just as they were in the Final Act. I believe it's going to be condensed like in the Final Act, but maybe only at first. Focusing on the girls but still including that bonus chapter. I definitely appreciate the animation, it's very aesthetically pleasing.”

Yes, the animation is being directed by the same person who did The Final Act, Sachiya. They also were the same person that did the Adult SessRin artwork that sold it on a calender. Which I actually own. I'm glad for them to return and do the animation. As it makes sense in the continuity. The animation in fact looks even improved further than what we had since the Final Act! Definitely one of my favorite animation directors next to Kumiko.

As I mentioned in my previous video, I talked about the extra chapter "Since Then" that took place after The Final Act. It was made because of the Tsunami that happened in Japan many years ago. A long time ago, I also wrote a post saying if we continued to show our support for the official streams on VIZ Media's website and still showed interest in the series that they would make this into an episode. Back in 2018 Anime Boston it was hinted about the staff wanting to have Rumiko allowed them to make more anime if we continued to show interest. When we got ahold of the scans for the AniMage and AniMedia magazine scans we could confirm that they have been talking about a sequel since the ending of The Final Act.

In the InuYasha Special Chapter 559 "Since Then" Kagome was living in the feudal era with InuYasha for six months. We have a half year time skip. Life in the Feudal Era so far had been peaceful. InuYasha and Miroku were tracking minor youkai that was released from a seal by a landslide, and discover that the demon actually was originally sealed away by Kikyou shortly before she met InuYasha. So we can say over atleast 53 years ago. The youkai is called Ne no Kubi or Root Head in the official VIZ Media subtitles for the trailer - and it was seeking the Shikon no Tama, not realizing it is already destroyed due to being sealed away for so long. Ne no Kubi attacks Kagome, because she clearly looks like Kikyou, but she wounds its head with a sacred arrow and InuYasha kills it with Tessaiga. During it Sesshoumaru appears to protect the village because Rin is there. We can see shots during the trailer that all take place here from this chapter.

For all those Westerners out their that use the term "canon", yes Yashahime is in Fact "canon" to the original timeline continuity. Rumiko Takahashi has been confirmed to have written the foundation story for Yashahime, and has been working closely over the scripts with Sumisawa. It is officially licensed and in no where near being a fanfiction. Remember, canon was a term that was invented by Westeners because of Christianity. Regardless, this sequel is happening. I have so much to talk about this new trailer that it feels like even after I'm done with this video, more ideas are still going to keep popping up in my head.

Towa is seen fighting another school student. She's known for her martial arts. She kicks this guy in the head. She says "You know, you should take my advice and let me go." Talking about her possible abduction. "Things won't be so hot when my friends get here." I think she's talking to the man in the Feudal Era from the first trailer. That's when Moroha and Setsuna break into save Towa. Then it's talking about Root Head from Chapter 559. However says "Root Head was a demon slain by InuYasha and his friends." I don't know if she's talking after it was slain. But Root Head was in fact originally sealed by Kikyou before she met InuYasha. A possible change or retcon from the Manga considering Rumiko's involvement in this. Sesshoumaru is then saying the same lines that he says from the manga "Root head... A worthless piece of vermin. Except..." If we reference the manga he's actually supposed to say Except, and then "It's too persistent."

Root Head gained the powers of the Tree of Ages (Goshinboku). This is the same Goshiboku that InuYasha was sealed on, seeing the arrow mark. If we slow down this footage you can tell that Roothead is growing in the roots of the Goshinboku. It created a passage from the Feudal Era to present day. Sucked through that passage, Towa was torn from her twin sister, Setsuna, and thrown into the present day.

But I think that is talking about AFTER Root head was slain again from it reawakening after the landslide. My guess is that IF everything does continue on the manga like normal from Chapter 559. But during the time it was reawakened it had already made a portal through a tree tunnel like it describes as in Towa's translated description that a fire happens, and everyone scatters. Even during the livestream from Otakon Kaoru Wada mentioned the fire. Towa goes to escape from the fire and finds that specific portal that sends her to the modern era. Unless they want to push the time skip further than 6 months allowing them time to have the kids. Towa is in Reiwa period, that means it's either 2019 or further making it overall a 20 year time skip since chapter 559. I expect that they have kids in a six year time skip that would make sense since they are all 14. The Tree tunnel is described in Towa's description, that means that we pretty much have a second Well. Considering the well was already made from the same type of wood as the Goshinboku was as it was talked about in the first movie. Now imagine if we had three different eras or even that certain events had changed because of this.

Here we see an Adult Souta and 4 year old Towa when he found her in the Modern Era. They're talking in front of the Sacred Tree. Towa's robe pattern is clearly based on Sesshoumaru's belt.

It looks like Souta wanted to pat Towa on the head, but Towa was scared - Then we see Towa brushing her teeth and Souta's daughter. Who looks strikingly similiar to Hitomi. I hope he married her.

Ten years have passed since the Higurashi family took Towa in. It shows Towa talking to Souta's Daughter in front of the tree. In the next shot, she's wiping the blade from her sword. In the narration Towa says "Don't worry! I can handle this." It shows Towa looking up from the original Trailer, where she's abducted. Wearing that patterned robe and the hint of the Lily flowers in the background. She says "Your big sister's pretty strong!" I think she's talking to Souta's daughter as if referencing herself. She picks up her History book and winks. Now it shows Setsuna and Moroha fighting by a waterfall. This is definitely reminding me of some InuYasha VS Sesshoumaru scenes from the past. "My name is Setsuna. I have nothing more to tell you..." "And the reason you die here." Setsuna's eye glows similar to InuYasha's when they found out he had the black pearl inside his right eye that lead to the Inu no Taishou's grave. Everyone has been trying to figure out if there is a special thing showing in her eye. I'm not so sure but I gave it a try as well. I looked at a few pictures of the gravesite and this one seemed to be the best one.

Though I am skeptical of this. Hosenki's son explained it would take roughly 100 years for him to master the process of making one. When InuYasha had returned to his father's grave for the second time, the pearl was somehow able to give him visions of his troubled past as a way to warn him that he wasn't supposed to be there a second time. Now if we think about it, remember how Setsuna has problems with her memories? Maybe in this moment it is a black pearl, and it's showing her flashbacks helping her remember or perhaps she was given an imperfect black pearl that is causing her memory loss.

Moroha is seen sitting down picking her ear. "With this rouge, I become Beniyasha, Destroyer of Lands!" Moroha has her bow, a good nod to her mother Kagome. "Tremble before the bloodthirstydawn!" Now the rouge doesn't always have to mean lipstick, it depends on the context on which it's taken. The rouge could also mean red, the red clothing that she's wearing. If she is going to be wearing lipstick, it would be cool if they somehow were able to magically bring back the lipstick that was once Izayoi's that was given to Kikyou. I know it was destroyed, but you never know. I like the idea of her having InuYasha and Kagome's locket too from the second movie. In the past I always had the idea of their child having that locket. Maybe she's heard about InuYasha as a story or legend, and is calling him "Beniyasha". So she's pretending to be him in a way, along with the bow on her head representing ears like him.

It shows Towa in the modern era, fighting some guys. She's wearing something on trapped onto her back. Could it be her sword, or something else? My wife mentioned that in Japan, open carry of swords is legal.  So I went to double check.

Yes, this is definitely got to be her sword and that she is wearing a sword bag. It has yellow tassels.

I also noticed that there is a symbol at the bottom of her sword bag. It looks like it could be a pinwheel or the Kagome symbol. There are two different versions of the Kagome symbol. 6 pointed and 8 pointed.

"A new wind blows into the Feudal Era." We can see the Dragon symbol on Moroha's sword even more closely. The Dragon is wrapped around an arrow. During the Otakon Live stream Kaoru Wada stated that all three of the girls are the half-demon princesses. Meaning that Moroha would still be called a half-demon regardless of having less demon blood percentage especially during that era. "The Half Demon Princesses are here!"  Moroha is fighting a Mistress Centipede. Is this the same Mistress Centipede from the beginning of InuYasha, that corpse was already in the well? If we remember, Sango has fought Centipede demons before but they weren't a Mistress Centipede. She would be killed for the third time. The Mistress Centipede shown in the trailer has three eyes, while the original one has two.

It shows Hisui, Sango and Miroku's son in his demon slayer armor while riding Kirara. Throwing Hiraikotsu! One thing that stood out to me was the prayer beads around his left arm.

I don't think he has Wind Tunnel but it seems to be a reference to his father Miroku. Considering Miroku has given Kagome prayer beads to wear before. Maybe even Hisui has spiritual powers as well. It also appears that he has Sango's sword as well!

Kohaku, all grown up and he's exactly how I imagined him. It seems like he has a scar on his nose. Maybe it's from wearing his demon slayer mask or from getting cut in a battle. He has the weapon he gets from Toutousai in the last episode of the Final Act. Moroha and Setsuna are battling. Could this be the same waterfall that Kikyou bathed at?

Moroha and Setsuna running off, Towa watching them. A guy knocked out in the background, Spider Lily pattern on the backwall, and a knocked out guy next to where the wall was bashed in. Just like how it was in the first trailer we were shown on the Otakon Live Stream.

Finally, Moroha is using her bow and yes she indeed has priestess spiritual powers like Kagome does! It looks like she's still fighting Mistress Centipede as you can see in the background. The attack is called "Heavenly Arrow Barrage". Similar name to InuYasha's Adamant Barrage.

It shows Setsuna using her Naginata. The Naginata is the weapon that can control wind as stated in her profile when her colors were announced! Much like InuYasha's Bakuryuha, or Kouga's Cyclone. It also reminds me of Sesshoumaru when he was fighting InuYasha inside the Black Pearl at the Inu No Taishou's Grave.

Feudal Fairytale - Yashahime Princess Half-Demon Towa takes out her sword and charges while saying "Setsuna! I'll save you!" Yashahime - Coming this October. October 3rd 2020

When we look at the image that came with the announcement. A few things caught my eye, Kagome and Rin are not seen in the picture. Sesshoumaru and InuYasha are both by the Sacred Tree. Speculating that maybe they're trapped in another dimension, or between times since Root Head was able to take the Goshinboku's power. I wonder if something like this happens, could this give Kagome the ability to not age? I'm still for my theory that she shouldn't age because she wasn't born yet, the same way her items were unaffected by Kaguya in the second movie when she froze time. People think InuYasha is holding something, no that is his forelocks and the shading on the tree. No, there is no secret image in Towa's blue sword attack. But hey we get a better look at Hisui's prayer beads on his arm.

There is a new character, everyone speculates to be Shippou and unsure of the character's gender. Looking at the HD picture.

The character has green eyes, dark red hair and purple eyeshadow. It sort of reminds me of Shippou or Ayame's possible child with Kouga. I would have said it was Takechiyo in a human form since Raccoons and Foxes are known to shape shift. But Takechiyo has blue eyes. It's not Jinenji, has blue eyes - Though I think it could be a new character. Could be boy or girl. Determining their gender is something I'm on the fence about atleast by the physical sight of it. Their body seems flat and rugged with torn sleeves, but wearing makeup. There's alot of males who wear makeup in InuYasha. Their attire also seems to be the kind that is most commonly worn by males. But Towa also is another character that dresses male. This character clearly has a weapon. More than likely a sword. Something that's interesting about this picture is that Towa's sword is shaped like Tessaiga in the picture when she's doing her special attack. It zig zags upward like a staircase into the sky - as if representing time passed. You notice it when you realize the other characters are actually not standing on something.

Seems like we are all looking forward to October 3rd for the airing of Yashahime.  If you want to see more posts about Official InuYasha News, Artworks, Merchandise, my own personal views and analysis on the series - Be sure to subscribe.

[lauwrite1225]

Broken Crown || Finan x OC || Chapter 5.

Summary :  Since the day he has been enslaved, Finan never thought that he would have to face his origins. But when an old friend made his arrival to Wessex, the Irishman his forced to deal with his past.

Other chapters

(Flashbacks are in italic.)

English isn’t my first language, if you see any mistakes, tell me :)

Warning : Angst and violence (F I N A L L Y  L O L)

05 || LAST MEMORIES

 The next day, the Witan was summoned once more. But this time, the sun was already high in the sky when the Lords took place in the throne’s room. Finan and Uhtred stood behind the chairs, as the eve. Remembering the words of Ailis, the Irishman supposed that today, Edward would announce the agreement he had with her.

The redhead was in front of him. Her hair was carefully braided. He remembered her as a girl, spending hours braiding her ardent lock of hair and sprinkling flowers in it. But obviously, it quickly became a mess when he and his brother came around, daring her to fight them with wooden swords. He smiled at the memories. And maybe she thought about this old time too, because she smiled back at him.

As always, the room shuttered when the King made his entrance. Edward sat on his throne and crossed his fingers together before rising his voice. “I have reunited the Witan once more to tell you about the proposition I made to Lady Ailis. Proposition that she accepted.” All gazes turned to the Irishwoman. But she didn’t shudder. She kept her shoulders straight and her chin a little higher. Her eyes were cold, letting no emotion show through.

At this right moment, she wasn’t Ailis, his childhood friend, but the Lady and warrior. A woman with a sharp mind and a duty to keep.

“She will go back to Ulaid with a letter from my own hand, telling to King Conall that in exchange of a promise of marriage of one of his daughters to my son, I will guarantee him that the Danes won’t attack them.”

“Excuse me Lord King, but why doing such an agreement with a such far Kingdom ?”. Asked an old Lord, rising from his chair.

“Because, if the Danes defeat the Irish, one day they’ll get their revenge and will attack the Danes’ lands in England.” He narrowed his eyes as he answered to the Lord. “We want peace in England. Don’t we ?”

“We do, Lord King.” He admitted, sitting back on his chair. Edward nodded with an appreciative air.

“Lady Ailis won’t go back alone. I would like Lord Uhtred to accompany her. He knows well the Danes way, and I want him to be my voice when negotiations will come.”

Finan’s eyes opened wide. If Uhtred was going to Ulaid, it meant he would have to go too. He felt his guts turned as his last memories of Ireland flew through his mind. Moira’s tears, the guards’ blow, the blood on his hands, the silent crowd and finally his brother’s eyes. A thrill run down his collarbone, giving sudden life to the scars on his back, the pain coming again. His breath accelerates as the Witan continued on other subjects. He tried his best to calm down but when he felt Ailis’ eyes on him, everything stopped.

Her blue eyes were reassuring. They were light like the water of a lake during a hot summer. He didn’t have to speak to Ailis for her to understand what anguish petrified him. She offered him a small smile and he felt his shoulder sag.

She broke their gaze when the King announced the end of the Witan. The two Irish followed Lord Uhtred as he walked out of the room. Ailis briefly put her hand on Finan shoulder, rising an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth timidly rose to assure her that he was good. She silently nodded and joined Uhtred ahead.

“When do you plan to leave?” She asked him.

“Tomorrow morning, we leave Winchester and will ride to Coccham.”

“Coccham?” She frowned. The Dane stopped before going down the stairs and turned to her.

“That’s my land. We will go back there and prepare before leaving for Ireland.” She lightly nodded and Uhtred faced Finan. “You’ll come with us to Ireland?” He asked him on a concerned tone.

Finan was little surprised by the question. He was pledged to Uhtred, he never thought he’d have his word to say about whether he’d want to follow him or not. Even if his guts were screaming him to not go with him, he shook his head up and down.

“I’ll follow you Lord.” He declared, his voice the more confident he could.

“Good.” He patted Finan’s shoulder and walked down the stairs, joining the street. After Uhtred gave him some instruction to prepare their departure next morning, Finan left them to inform Sihtric and Osferth.

 …

 The sun wasn’t yet up when Ailis joined the stables with the little things she brought to come to Wessex.  She wasn’t wearing a dress anymore, but a pants and a shirt. A leather armor was covering her upper body and her sword was hanged at her belt as well as a dagger. She hoped, as she tied her bag to the saddle, that she won’t have to use it until they reached Coccham.

Uhtred told her it was quite a small village, but pleasant to live. They’ll need a day and half of ride to arrive. Ailis didn’t complain, it wasn’t a great detour and spending sometime far from courts and royal affairs could only be good for her.

As soon as they left Winchester, the men started to talk about every subject that came to their mind. Sometimes Ailis would join the discussion, but she would more often just listen to them. Despite knowing them for only few days, she already appreciated them and the joy emanating from them.

Even if their ride was on a cheerful tone, she couldn’t help but notice Finan troubled expression. Sometimes, his gaze was lost on the landscape and she could easily imagine what he was thinking. It was making her nervous as well. Conall won’t be pleased to know about his brother return, that was a fact. But what was troubling her even more was the fact that Finan didn’t tell who he really was to his friends.

She was caught from her thought by the voice of Osferth. “You didn’t tell us how you two met.” He noticed. Immediately, Ailis turned to Finan, hoping for a second that he will tell them the truth.

“She caught me when I was stealing food in the castle’s kitchen.” He lied, avoiding her eyes. She squeezed the reins, quite disappointing but she said nothing. She brightly smirked to Osferth and let a light laugh fall from her lips.

“He can escape from guards but not from a girl.” The three other warriors laughed. She looked to Finan once more. This time he met her gaze, thanking her with a smile. She didn’t give him back, hoping he would understand the urge for him to have a conversation with his brothers in arms.

 …

 Ailis was walking in circle in her room. It was almost night and she couldn’t find sleep. Once more. Angst was overwhelming her body. It had been three days since Conall left the castle to find Finan and Moira. What she feared the most during the last weeks had happened. The two lovers had run away, probably to the south.

Conall was in such anger when he found out. She tried to calm him down even if she understood his ire. She couldn’t bear to see her two closest friends torn apart. Even more because they were brothers.

She let out a long sight, feeling her heart aching. She turned to the door when someone knocked. She quickly opened and stared at the maid outside her bedroom.

“Lady, Prince Conall is back.” She said.

Ailis’ eyes opened wide and she bit her lower lip. She thanked her and started to run into the castle. Several times, she thought she would fall in the stairs, but she fortunately didn’t.

When she arrived in the throne room, she was breathless. There was already a lot of people: Lords, maid, guards… All wanted to know what will happen to the runaway Prince and his brother’s wife. She made her way through the crowd, elbowing to move forward.

Her heart missed a beat when she saw Finan knelt on the floor, a blooding cut running across his forehead and his wrists enchained. His whole body was shaking as he sobbed, looking at his bloody hands. Conall was standing in front of him, not an ounce of pity in his gaze.

Further, Dealla was holding her oldest son, Rohan. Her expression was similar to Conall’s, but Ailis noticed the worry in her look. Finan was still her husband, no matter what was his punishment, it would impact her status. Ailis clenched her jaw, fearing the sentence. Conall would be the one to decide what will happen to his brother. The King was sick for weeks, he couldn’t even get out of his bed and his drunkard son was nowhere to be found. So, the honor fell to Conall to judge his brother for fleeing with his wife.

Ailis searched for Conall's wife, but Moira wasn’t there. That's when she understood that the blood on Finan's hands and clothes wasn't his. Her eyes opened wide in horror as Conall raised his voice.

“My brother, my beloved brother, ran away with my wife.” He explained on a bitter tone. He walked into the circle formed by the crowd. As she was watching her friend, Ailis’ eyes crossed her father’s ones. He seemed sorry. He knew how much the two brothers meant for his daughter and he also knew that what will happen would hurt her. “And my wife is now dead, because of him.” Conall accused, pointing Finan.

“No, that’s not true.” Finan contested, his voice breaking. His brother turned to him. Ailis shivered, she had never seen so much hatred in his eyes.

“It is up to me to choose your punishment, brother.” Finan looked up to him, desperate, waiting for his words. “From this day, you are banished from Ulaid.” The runaway bent his head, not expecting a punition other than death. Ailis sighed in relief, closing her eyes. But when she opened them again, Conall was stepping to his brother, moistening his lips before speaking once more. “And you are no longer a free man. You are now a slave, Finan.”

The crowd remained silent. A horrible silent. Finan slowly stood up, his legs were trembling, but he managed to reach his brother. There was only a small gap between them. Finan’s expression was a mixture of disbelief and horror. “No. You can’t do this.” He tried to grasp his younger brother’s arm but he moved away. Finan’s eyes filled with tears. “Conall, kill me. Please.” He begged, his voice low. But there was no pity in Conall’s eyes.

"Death would be a too sweet punishment for the betrayer that you are.” Finan slowly shook his head as he stepped back, like he would have chance to escape. But there was none. “Take him.” Ordered Conall. Two guards came forward and grabbed Finan’s shoulder. The young man struggled, trying to hit them with his feet and elbows. One stroke him in the stomach, causing him to fall on the floor, gasping for shock. The men took his arms and dragged him out of the throne’s room.

“No! Conall! Kill me! KILL ME!” Finan screamed, his voice breaking more.

While the entreaty of Finan subsided, Ailis ran to Conall. Her eyes were inflated because of her cries. She grabbed his arm, squeezing it hard.

“You can’t do this Conall. He is your brother.” He took her wrist in his strong hand and forced her to let go. He plunged his brown pupils in hers and she froze. He was terrifying.

“He betrayed me.” On those words, he released her and walked out of the room. Ailis watched him leave, unable to move. She wanted to run after him, begging him to change his mind. But she couldn’t. Instead, she fell on the floor. In few minutes, she found herself alone, her cries echoing in the empty room.

A/N : Did I cried while writting this fucking chapter? OF COURSE. I thought about this flashback so many times. I am probably cruel, but I hope you felt as sad as me after this :(. 

Tagged: @geekandbooknerd​ @astral-finan​ @pokeasleepingsmaug​ @ucancallmechlo​ @naihqh​ @queen-manning​ and @kelly-fasel​ <3

[katerinawinters]

The Witcher: No Turning Back Chapter 1

A/N: This is a Geralt/Ciri romance. I imagine them NOT having a father daughter relationship as the game/book/show will depict and I imagine her older. Sooo… that means if you do not agree please hit the back button and return to the wholesome side of the internet and away from my sinful imaginings.

  "Where will you go, witcher?" The old man, Yurga asked as he tore and dipped the shredded piece of bread into the bowl of thick brown stew. "You know the roads to Lidine are full of dangerous ghouls and wolves…" The old man began to prattle on, seemingly forgetting he asked a question.

 Ciri did her best not stare at the large man sitting at her side. She had dreamt of him, and though despite how vivid her dreams felt she was never able to recall his face with any clarity during her waking hours. But somehow that morning she just knew this man--this witcher. Against her grandmother's orders her nanny used to secretly tell her she rightfully belonged to the man whose name was whispered in either reverence or fear wherever he went. That morning everything inside of Ciri tugged her to the forest, a cacophony of whispers sounded in her head pulling her to run to him to find Geralt of Rivia. He was near she knew it, sitting and waiting was not an option. It felt like there were hundreds of fire beetles under her skin--she had to go to him she could not wait.

 When her eyes fell on him, her heart finally slowed and her lungs which seemed tight and constricted from the moment she left Cintra finally allowed her to exhale fully. The comforting embrace was over long before she would have wished it, she was quickly ushered back inside the house by his heavy hand at her back. Once inside, Goldencheeks welcomed her husband with a genuine affection that made Ciri want to turn away in jealousy. It had been weeks since she felt that same love from someone. Weeks since she lost her home and everyone she knew and loved were killed by the dark army. Looking down at her plate, Ciri made a show of eating the last of her soup and ignored how the woman stared joyously at her husband as he rattled on or even worse how the relief shown in the boy, Sulik's eyes towards his father. They were all reunited again and Ciri couldn't help but realize a small horrible part of her hated them for it.

 Silence suddenly passed over the table and Ciri quickly looked up from her wooden bowl to see the pale haired witcher staring at her. Naturally everyone else's followed the man's gaze, looking at her before jumping back to him.

 "Eat up, girl," he spoke deeply. "We leave at first light." Amber eyes stared at her, piercing into her hidden thoughts until she quickly complied, taking a huge spoonful of the thick soup anything to get away from that sharp stare.

 Looking calmly back to Yurga, who had finally stopped talking, Geralt replied to the man's first question. "We will travel towards Rivia."

Seeing that the white haired warrior was not going to say anything else Yurga happily picked up where he left off, filling his family in on his travels and how he came across Geralt.

 Later that night while Yurga and Geralt went to care for their horses and check the house's perimeter, Ciri joined Goldencheeks in the family's small but adequate bathing room. Sitting on a tiny wooden stool, Ciri sat very still as Goldencheeks brushed out her pale wet hair. Raking slowly from her scalp down to the ends of her wet hair that trailed her back, the teeth of the wooden comb scraped gently along its path causing Ciri to shudder.

 "I've always wanted a daughter, you know?" The woman spoke gently behind her, lifting the comb for another pass down from her scalp. "But the heavens decided to bless me with two boys instead, and rightly I cannot complain. I know I have more than most, but having you around for these past few days reminded me of that old prayer of mine," the woman laughed.

 Setting the comb down she gently turned Ciri's shoulders until they were sitting face to face. Both naked beneath the wet muslin cloth, the room around them was steamy and smelt like eucalyptus.

 Giving her a serious look, Goldencheeks grasped Ciri's shoulders. "I know you will be safe with the witcher but if you ever need a place to go if you ever find yourself lost please try and make your way back to me, ok? You will always have a place here."

 Tears stung at her eyes as the pain of guilt ripped through her chest. Pressing her lips firmly together, Ciri nodded emphatically at the kind words, unable to utter a sound as her tears rolled down her cheeks. Hugging the girl, Goldencheeks wiped away her own tears before silently urging her to stand so that they could both quickly dress.

 Wearing a fresh nightgown, Ciri sat at the edge of the narrow bed and stared at the empty bed pressed against the wall on the opposite side of the room. When Ciri first arrived she was told Goldencheeks had two boys, Nadbor, who was currently apprenticing in a nearby village and Sulik. She had slept next to Goldencheeks while it was just the three of them, but now that Yurga was back and Geralt was also here Ciri wondered how they would all sleep. Surely, from the look on Yurga's face towards his wife, he was eager to sleep back in his own bed. Not sure what to do, Ciri began folding the few clothes she was given and began stuffing them into her sack.

 "I'll be glad when your gone."

 Whipping around in her seat, Ciri gave a wary frown to Sulik's scowl who was standing in the open doorway.

 "Once you and that witcher are gone, I can have my family back," he made sure to emphasize the word "my" before continuing. "You should have never been…"

 "Leave, boy." The deep baritone voice behind him fell like a hammer in the room. Looking up over the shocked teen's head, Ciri watched as Geralt's massive form darkened the small doorway.

 "…th…this is my room," Sulik argued weakly.

 "Not for tonight it isn't, now leave," Geralt walked forward forcing Sulik to quickly move out the way or get ran down. Surveying the other narrow bed sitting on the other side of the small room, Geralt let out a low grumbling grunt that Ciri couldn't quite tell meant his approval or disapproval. Looking at Sulik who was still standing by the door with a sullen expression Geralt gave him a cruel smirk. "I believe your mother made you cot by the dogs."

 Stunned, the boy whipped around on his heel finally leaving both Ciri and Geralt alone. Sitting on the narrow bed Geralt ignored the dubious creak the wood let out and began rifling through his own bag. After a few moments of awkward silence on her part as she tried not to stare at the big man, the rustling noises finally stopped. Looking up she caught his amber gaze and stilled under its silent scrutiny. Passing slowly from her head down to her toes, she felt a lot like a mare being considered at the market.

 "I am not sure what to do with you," he finally said.

 And though the words made perfect sense, Ciri could not stop the hot lancing feeling of pain through her chest at that.

 "But it does not matter," he lifted one great shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. "You are mine, and I finally have you and that is what matters."

 The hot pain twisted into a sudden momentary ache of dread, a panic only the vulnerable would feel. Biting the inside of her bottom lip Ciri tried to hush her sudden chaotic thoughts of doubt.

 His eyes sharpened towards her as if sensing the sudden panic within her before softening. "Do not worry, you are safe with me. Have you heard of me or been told by anyone who…"

 "My nanny," she blurted. "Years ago when I still had a nanny, she told me in secret about you and the Law of Surprise," Ciri paused as she remembered the kind woman's words. "She said you were strong and not quite human," she whispered, risking a glance at the large pale man but the hurtful words had the same effect like a small breeze against a mountain side. Encouraged by his silent patience she continued. "But she also said you were honorable. Even Mousesack said…so…" Her words faded away as she thought of the last time she saw her beloved friend.

 "Yes, Mousesack," Geralt mumbled deeply, he too taken with brief memories of the man.

 Shoving the last of his items back into his sack, he sat the cloth bag near the dual swords that were propped along side the wall near the bed. "Get some rest, Ciri."

 Laying down she watched as he snuffed out the candles and listened to the bed creak beneath him as he too laid down. For reasons she could not explain, the simple sound of her name from this man's mouth comforted her. Maybe it was because she hadn't heard her name spoken by another in so long or maybe it was the fact that this man was promised to protect her, to be her family and friend when she suddenly found herself with none. Whatever it was, the sound gave her comfort, for the first time in weeks she felt safe.

[glenncoco4]

First Day Jitters (Ch.25)

A/N: What’s the first day of a new job without a few surprises?

XXXX

He shuts the front door and grabs her extended hand as they make their way to the parking lot. “First day of school jitters?”

“Yeah, what about you?”

“A little, but I know we’re both gonna crush it.”

Once they reach their respective vehicles, holding off leaving a little bit longer. Marty steps up to his wife, wrapping her up in his arms. “I’m really proud of you, baby.”

A grin spreads across her face. The spark in her eyes that he loves so much ever so present. “I’m proud of me, too.” 

Huffing a laugh, a smile of his own spreads across his face. They’ve both worked so hard for what they have and not just their careers, but their relationship. Where others would’ve given up because things got tough, they got stronger. They’re stronger because of each other. He makes her a better woman and she most definitely makes him a better man. “I love you.”

Her smile shines bright at his words as she brings her lips to his for a not so chaste kiss. “I love you more, Mr. Deeks.”

With one last kiss, he gives her an encouraging smile. “Have a good day, babe.”

She squeezes his hand, bidding him a finale farewell. “You too, pumpkin.”

XXXX

She follows him down the hall, taking in all the photos hanging on the wall. A wall of legends as she likes to call it. They turn a corner, coming into an open area with multiple desk. “Guys, this is our newest team member, help her get settled in.”

The only other woman in the room, whose smile is quite contagious makes her way over to the young brunette. “Caitlin Todd. But you can call me Kate.”

Taking her new team member’s hand, she returns a shy smile. Remembering why she hated the first day of “school” so much. Every thing is always so awkward. You’re not really sure what to say and you’re never really sure what not to say either. “Kensi Deeks.”

“Welcome aboard, Kensi.”

“Thanks.”

The two women drift off into conversation, getting a little more familiar with one another when what she can only assume is one of those guys, calls out from behind her. “So are you married?”

“Jeez, Dinozzo, she just got here.”

He shrugs, being chastised by his female colleague. “What?”

She smiles as her mind immediately goes to her husband. She wonders how his first day’s going for him. Hoping that everyone at his new job gets to see even just a glimpse of the amazingly brilliant man she gets to see everyday.  “Yes, I am actually.”

XXXX

The older brunette examines the things on her new colleague’s desk while he introduces himself to the rest of their team. That’s when she notices it. She quickly look back at the shaggy blonde, ready to burst at the seams, but he’s wrapped up in a conversation with a team member. So she patiently waits until just the two of them remain. “Excuse me, Marty?” 

He watches his new colleague picks up the frame on his desk and can’t help the exuberant smile that crosses his face. My love.

“Who is this with you?”

“That’s my wife, Kensi.”

A lone tear falls from the woman’s eye followed by another. 

He finds it odd that the older woman is caressing the photo of him and Kensi, but the look on her face tells him that there’s something more to her peculiar actions. “Julia, what’s wrong?”

“She’s even more beautiful than I imagined.” 

“She…” He trails off as his brain puts two and two together. "Hold on…..are you-“

A familiar smile spread to her face when she realizes that what she’s been wanting to do for years has miraculously landed in her lap. “Yes, it would seem as though I’m your mother-in-law.”

XXXX

He’s not really sure how to go about this. To just drop this news on her. He doesn’t know how she really feels about her mother. He’s asked her a few times about her here and there and the stories she usually gives up are told with sort of a sad happiness if that’s even possible. So he figures that before he can really tell her about what happened today, he should try just one more time. Maybe it could give him a clue as to where her mind set is at. 

“Hey, baby, can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can. You know you can ask me anything, Marty.” 

“If you had the chance to reconcile with your mom, would you?”

She furrows her brow at the sudden topic that’s brought up. “Okay, where did that come from?”

“Can you please just answer the question? I promise I’ll tell you.”

“Yes.” Closing her eyes, the image of her and her mother being reunited once again runs through her mind. Being wrapped in the safety of her arms again is something she doesn’t let herself think about often, but when she does, an old feeling of abandonment fills her. “I would if given the opportunity try and reconcile with my mom. I’m just-I’m just not so sure she would have anything to do with me though.”

“Why do you say that?”

Her eyes glisten at just the thought of her mother rejecting her. “I ran away from her, Marty. I chose my dad over her. I don’t know how to apologize for treating her the way I did.”

“I don’t think she wants an apology. I think she just wants her daughter back.”

Okay, now she’s even more confused. “What?”

The soft touch of his hand on her cheek makes all the dread and worry inside her dissipate. “Kens, you know how much I love you. I mean I would do anything for you.”

“I know. I would do anything for you, too, baby.” Her forehead meets his as they share a longing look filled with complete and utter love. “Marty, tell me what’s going on.”

“There’s this woman I work with and she…..well she came into introduce herself today and saw the picture of us on my desk.”

“Okay?”

“I don’t know why I didn’t put it together before when she introduce herself as Julia. I mean she looks so much like….”

“So much like who, Marty?”

He says it with such gentleness that she almost doesn’t hear it. “So much like you.”

Pulling back quickly almost giving herself whiplash, her eyes go wide with understanding. “Wait. Are you saying that-“

“It’s your mom, Kens.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“What did she say?” She sounds like someone that’s yearning for complementary comments from someone they just got introduced to.

He smiles when he thinks back to his mother-in-law’s actions after finding out the news. “She said you’re even more beautiful than she imagined.” The one thing she asked of him though is something he’s not quite sure he can do. Julia understood of course, but still yearned for the chance. “And if it’s okay with you, she wants to see you.”

The disbelief in her voice sounds like that of a foster kid being told that they’re wanted. “She said that?”

“It’s the first thing she asked after I told her who you were to me. Well besides what you were doing now.”

Nodding profusely, she quickly stands up, jolting her husband a bit and hurries to put on her shoes. “Yes.”

“What?”

“Yes. I want to see her.”

He takes out his phone and sends the message. Can you meet?

Of course. Where?

East Potomac Park @ 6

I’ll be there. Does she know?

Yeah, I just told her.

Okay, good. See you both there?

See you then.

XXXX

She slows her pace when she sees the bench and the person that’s occupying said bench. The woman turns at the startling bark of a nearby dog. Yep, that’s definitely her mother. 

Once they lock eyes, Julia stands up and starts walking hastily towards her not so little girl. 

The young agent doesn’t have the patience to walk so she takes off in a sprint towards the woman she’s missed so dearly. The impact of their embrace is nothing compared to the sobs that both women let out. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too, baby girl.”

XXXX

As the two get reacquainted, Marty stands by watching a light that once seemed to be burned out, ignite once again inside his love. 

The two brunettes share a laugh and look over towards him. Giving him a clue as to what they were talking about. Kensi gestures for him to come over and join them. She scoots over closer to her mother, making room for him to sit. 

“Mom, I’d like you to officially meet my husband, Marty.”

They both play along seeing what the agent is doing. She’s never gotten to experience things like this before and even though they’ve met before, Kensi would very much like the opportunity to do something she never thought she’d be able to do. Introduce her mother to her husband.

Julia stands up, wrapping her son-in-law in a warm embrace. “It’s so very nice to me you, Marty.”

“You, too, Julia.”

When they pull apart, Kensi has tears in her eyes. This is really happening, it’s not just her mind playing tricks on her. 

They both rejoin her on the bench, continuing where they left off. As their conversation carries on, Kensi curls into her husband’s side, and reaches for her mom’s hand, holding on for dear life. 

He almost feels like an outsider looking in, but it’s something beautiful he’s witnessing. For this to happen for her is something he’s always wanted. He’s wanted this for her just as much as she’s wanted it for herself.  

An hour and a half later, her mother bids a farewell, explaining that she had a meeting with one of her clients and couldn’t push it back any longer.

When the mother/daughter duo exchange hugs, he can see the longing in both their eyes. Neither wanting to jump first. Afraid that it might be too much too soon. 

He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not, but seeing weariness in her mismatched chocolate orbs when her mother got up to leave, he decided that it might be best for him to “break the ice” a little more and invite her over to their house. 

Kensi’s shoulders relax when he offers to have her over for dinner the next night. She wanted to herself, but somewhere deep down she guesses part of that abandoned little girl still lives inside her. 

XXXX

He takes a seat next to her on the bench, and the sniffles that can be heard coming from his strong, beautiful wife seems a bit off to him. “Baby, why are you crying?” He scoots over, wrapping his arm around her in a tight embrace.

Once she feels the comforting touch of her husband, she lets the emotions of the shock and revelation of the day pour out of her. “I just-I just missed her so much.”

Pulling her in tighter, he places a kiss to the top of her head. He’s so glad that she’s able to express herself to him. It didn’t start out that way but over the last 3 years she’s steadily let him in and for that he is so very grateful. “I know. I know you did.”

[cascadingpearls]

Make a Wish (or Two or Sixteen) Part Two

Okay, here we go! Part two of what I think is going to be a three part fic.

Enjoy!

Part one here

—

“Hello! We’re here!” Bex calls as they enter the house. 

“In the kitchen,” Cece’s reply is slightly muffled. 

Bowie and Bex head towards the kitchen, while Andi lingers looking around at the dining room set up.

Cece put up lanterns Andi made out of lucky red envelopes. There is a large fruit platter including Asian pears, oranges and- to Andi’s surprise dragonfruit! Dragonfruit is hard to find in Midwest. Cece outdid herself. When Andi notices the extra plate settings she puts the pieces together, Aunt Mei must be coming after all. Oh boy, this was going to be a memorable birthday.

When Andi wanders into the kitchen, she sees her parents have put on aprons and are helping Cece. Bex is at the stove tending to some bok choy and Bowie is carving the duck.

Cece smiles warmly and gives Andi a hug. “Happy birthday, Andi!”

Andi sighs into the warm embrace, squeezing her tightly. “Thanks, Cece." 

When pull away, Cece tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, and sighs. "You look beautiful. I can’t believe you’re sixteen! Feels like only yesterday you were in diapers.”

“I know,” Bex moans. “Time flies.”

Andi does her best not to roll her eyes, already having heard this multiple times today. “How can I help?”

Cece maneuvers Andi to a stool at the counter. “You don’t need to do anything. You just sit and relax.” Andi and her mother exchange a look… that has never been Cece’s philosophy. “You know, your birthday falling on the Harvest Moon Festival is very auspicious,” Cece continues as she begins chopping mushrooms. “You were born on the Harvest Moon Festival, and here it is again falling on your birthday! It means you find a love like in the festival folklore.”

Andi looks at Bex again. ’What?’ She mouths. Cece had strict anti-boyfriend/relationship rules. Bex makes a face and shrugs. 

“What’s the folklore?” Bowie asks, ending the nonverbal conversation. 

“Long ago, there were ten suns in the sky. All living things were suffering under the immense heat. So Hou Yi, a skilled archer, climbed atop a mountain and shot down nine of the suns. 

“To reward Hou Yi for saving the planet, the Queen of Heaven gave him a bottle of the elixir of life. 

“Hou Yi was very grateful but could not imagine life without his wife, Chang'e. So he kept the bottle at home for safe keeping. 

“One day, one of Hou Yi’s fellow soldiers, Peng Meng, broke into their home to steal the elixir. To prevent Peng Meng from taking the elixir,  Chang'e drank it herself. Becoming immortal, she floated up into the sky. 

“That night, when Hou Yi returned, his maids recounted the events of the day. Distraught,  Hou Yi took his bow and set off to find Peng Meng and make him pay. But as he walked out of his house, he noticed the moon was full and bright. And he saw a figure on the moon resembling Chang'e.

“It turns out, Chang'e couldn’t stand the thought of being so far from Hou Yi, so she chose to live on the moon, the closest being to earth, to watch over her husband.  And once a month, the lovers are reunited when the moon is the fullest and brightest because of their love for one another." 

"Wow, that’s beautiful, Cece.” Bowie murmurs. Andi nods, it’s been a few years since she heard that story. Now that she’s older she appreciates it more.  She understands the power of love, familial, platonic and romantic… well, kind of the last one.

Cece smiles, “It was my favorite folklore growing up." 

"Is that why you’re so calm, even though Aunt Mei is coming?” Andi asks. 

“Mom, you didn’t tell me Aunt Mei was coming!” Bex was just as surprised as Andi. 

“Because she isn't…” Cece said slowly.  “Andi… did she tell you she was coming?” Andi could see panic in Cece’s face… the serene Cece from moments ago was disappearing, fast. 

“No!” Andi exclaimed. “I saw the extra place settings and assumed…”

The room collectively exhaled in relief. Cece waved her hand, as if she was shooing the tension away.  “Oh no! An old friend of mine is in town visiting her family and I invited them over,” she looked over and Andi with an impish smile.  “And she has a grandson who’s about your age. He’s very good looking…”

“Mom, no! Just because she’s sixteen now doesn’t mean you can play matchmaker!”

Cece tried to look innocent. “I’m not… I’m just saying…” she swatted Bex away from the stovetop and began sauteing the mushrooms. 

“Mom, I’m serious,” Bex warned. 

Cece merely shrugged and continued stirring the mushrooms. 

Bex motioned for Andi to leave the kitchen, so she hopped off the stool and headed for Andi Shack.

Andi caught glimpses of her mother and grandmother talking through the window.  They weren’t yelling, but it looked a little heated.

Andi sighed and pulled out her phone.  

Andi [5:16 PM]: Grandmother’s can be so weird. I swear Cece has done a complete 180 today. She told me about her friend’s cute grandson!

BF ❤ [5:17 PM]: I hear you. I love mine but she’s extremely giddy rn… and I haven’t seen her in a few months but giddy is not a word used to describe her.

Andi [5:17 PM]: Grandmas, amirite?

BF ❤ [5:18 PM]: lol. 😂 I gotta go,  we’re leaving for dinner but see you after?

Andi [5:18 PM]: Have fun!

BF ❤ [5:19 PM]: You, too!

After a few minutes, her dad pokes his head out the back door and waves her back into the house. When she returns to the kitchen, Cece and Bex are silently putting together platters of food. “Smells good in here,” Andi says quietly.

Cece lets out a chuckle and wipes her hands clean before taking Andi’s hands in her own. “I’m sorry if I made you feel like you were being set up. I’m just very happy to see an old friend, and we were joking about how we finally could become family if our grandkids got together. But I don’t want you to think I’m forcing you to date or like someone.”

Andi nods and gives Cece’s hand a quick squeeze. “I know.”

The doorbell rings and Cece lets out an excited squeal. “She’s here!” She takes her apron off, fluffs her hair and heads for the door.

Andi looks bemusedly at Bex as they follow Cece, “Do I know who this is?”

Bex shrugs, “Maybe? Auntie Ying moved away a long time ago, but she visits every few years. She can be… terrifying… I think you would remember her.” 

Andi thinks for a moment, “I don’t know if I’ve met her. I think I’d remember terrifying…”

Bex smiles, “Well, you get to meet her now!” 

Cece is checking her reflection in the mirror, when they reach the entryway. Cece looks them up and down, nodding in approval before throwing the door open. “Ying!” Cece embraces the woman on the other side.

“Celia!” Auntie Ying replies. As they pull away from hug, Andi gets a good look at Auntie Ying. She’s a little bit taller than Cece, her long dark hair swept up in an elegant bun. “Your home is lovely as always. And your family is here, Bex it’s good to see you again. And you must be here husband, Bowie. I’ve heard a lot about you. And I’m afraid I’m going to ask you a lot of gardening questions.” Auntie Ying shakes Bowies hand before turning to Andi. 

“And Andi, I haven’t seen you since you were a little girl.” She hooks a finger under Andi’s chin, examining her face. “You’re so beautiful. I heard it was your sixteenth birthday. And to fall on the Harvest Moon Festival, very lucky,” she says pulling out a red envelope out of her purse. “Happy birthday.”

Andi smiles, a little awed, and takes the red envelope, “Thank you.” She usually only receives red envelopes for Lunar New Year. Auntie Ying isn’t that scary. 

Auntie Ying continues by introducing her son and daughter in law, David and Christina. Andi can’t help but notice there’s no cute grandson. If he’s as good looking as Cece claims, he probably already is taken. Besides, she has a cute boyfriend.

There’s a light knock at the door, and Auntie Ying moves towards the door. “That must be my grandson, my sunzi,” she says proudly.

Andi’s not sure why her heartbeat quickens when the door opens. The grandson’s face is partially obscured by a tall orchid. He steps inside and moves the orchid. He bows to Cece and hands her the pot. “Nai Nai said you love orchids, and this one smells so fragrant I thought it would be a nice addition to your plants.”

And can’t stop her jaw from dropping. Is he for real? Cece thanks him and murmurs “I told you so,” to her as she walks by to put the orchid in the living room. 

Andi watches as Auntie Ying introduces Bowie and Bex to her grandson. When he turns towards her, he has a big smile on his face and her heart begins to beat even faster. She’s frozen in place as he approaches with his hand held out. “Hi. Nathan.”

She feels a nudge from behind her - Bex probably- and she snaps out of it. She goes to shake his hand, “Andi.” His hand is big and warm, when it covers her own, and she feels her cheeks flush.

“Andi, something tells me we’re going to have a lot of fun tonight,” Nathan says, eyes twinkling.

“Yeah,” she says faintly.  She doesn’t realize they’re still shaking hands until Bowie clears his throat in a very dad like manner making them jump apart.

“Should we join everyone in the living room?” Bowie asks.  Nathan nods. “After you,” Bowie says gesturing towards the room and Nathan heads in first.  

Yes, this was going to be a very interesting evening.

—

@dancerdramatic14 I hope this answers your question!

[borntobelime]

Shidge Galra/Altean AU

This is another AU I talked with @nicht-vobla but honestly i have something else also in mind to give her as a tribute from our chats .... This one is for  @besh-drawing-stuff  HAPPY BIRTHDAY (so its kinda like a late birthday gift ) (because the idea i had kinda reminded me of your rose Goddess Au (you’ll see why )  I Call It  : Warrior’s Lullaby 

During the destruction of Altea a couple of Altean Alchemists launch a Cryopod into space inside the Cryopod is there baby girl Katie for many many years the pod traveled through the universe until it entered the atmosphere of planet Olkarion the pod crushed into the forest close to the great tree the olkari found the pod and soon discovered what was inside the olkari named Reiner took in the baby under her care and raised her as her own.

Inside the pod she found information that confirmed that the baby was an altean  there was a small video projector on a recorded message  it was too damaged to project the images and the full video  but some of the audio  was not as damaged she made out the important parts of it ….My name is Samuel  my wife Coleen…and……...……………. whoever finds this pod please look after our child Katelyn protect her from what we can not…………….. the galra are taking over we don’t have much time  ………..  .she could only make out those parts she knew very well from history of the destruction of Altea and the race itself fearing for the child’s and her planets safety she gave her a new name …..Your name is Katelyn this your Altean name  it will only be known between us  (reiner would never have kept her in the dark) ….from now on you are one of us dear on  i will give you a second name an olkari name …. Pidge …..Pidge grew up with the Olkari even though she knew only knew very few about where she came from her only clues was her old name stories about a planet  she never seen she wasn’t always feeling alone her powers grew stronger as she grew older been an Altean growing up in the forest her magic adapted differently not only she learned the Olkari  magic  her connection in nature grew so it was able to use nature magic she could make plants grow and move and heal Reiner was very proud of her daughter’s gifts she always tried to find anything she could based on altean alchemy to help her in to learning but  unfortunately there resources were very low to all this lost knowledge , Pidge didn’t had any trouble fitting in but always been aware of she is not olkari   she would use he chameleon like abilities to try and fit in even wear her hood  as to also wear her at first with other kids  but Reiner told her to be herself but if she felt more secure that way she will not stop her from doing so and so she was her passion in tech and knowledge her love for nature 

Commander Takashi Shirogane also known as Commander Shiro or Champion  from the Galra Empire proud of his race he was born raised in in a environment of constant violence

conquered planets in the name of the emperor Zarkon defeated all his enemies or more like executing them wherever in the arena or on a war  learned to live with the words Victory or Death a true Galran warrior

He was sent off on a scout mission quite a boring one for his taste  to planet Olkarion to gather data on the quintencesse there the quintencensse signals were indeed very unique so he hopes he gets the opportunity to invade the planet when he returns with good resorts  but  there was a glitch on the system of his ship and he lost control of it and crushed on olkarion during the night …the crush was hard his wounds were too deep  he was  impaled by parts of  the ship .the last thing he remembers is a figure tearing a hole on his ship’s  ceiling from the outside ……….

He wakes up in a small room his vision a bit blurry and he hurts everywhere and he feels like his is burning with fever the only thing he can tell is  the  figure is trying to treat hi  …and a warm light over his injuries …...a few days he is recovered enough not to sleep out of consciousness and then he meets her or more like grabs her shawl and removes it revealing a beautiful creature …and the last thing he sees is a vine grabbing him and hitting him hard against the wall . Later waking up tied up on a bed and the woman’s glowing  hand on his head after a lot of negotiations of he will not try anything funny she untied him and as his recovery progresses enough for him to stand he gets to know his savior  ..Pidge offers him to show him around the forest …..she understands what his motives are knowing been a galra and what he wants from her planet so she tries to show him the importance of every existence (yes think of it like the avatar(2009 film)  or pocahontas )  …… she gets him a cloak  so he can stay low and for the next days  she shows him around the city how a civilization can grow without wars she shows him the forest and even go on a boat ride and last but not least the great tree (that is a weeping willow like  ) that glows in the night ………..they look at the night sky for once shiro feels something he never felt or knew if he could feel …..Peace is that what it is ?………... she is like i wish i could go around the universe and travel on different places…...for one moment he thinks maybe he could  do that show her the universe but no he is still  royal to the empire and yet why does he feel so confused about it …and so he asks her why you are not an olkari so why do you love this place ….its my home , just because i am not a olkari doesn’t mean this is not my home ...home can be anywhere you want to ..they stay here in silent …they fall asleep under the stars …shiro wakes up finding pidge a few feet away seeing listening to a small audio the recorded message from her lost family she says i know they are not here anymore i never met the never seen them   but what  i know is  they really cared about me and that is all that matters Mama told me this tree is a symbol of everything is connected i come here to think often and sometimes its like i  feel there presence .....she  wanted me to have this to know no matter what i will they watch over me ..do you have someone like that ………….no ...i was raised by the military as long as i remember  ...do you ever wonder about it ? no the galra don’t wonder about things like that she says i asked you not the galra ...then the answer is the same no i don’t or had someone to make me even wonder if i am watched over ….she takes of her necklace  …….now you do she smiles ….......pidge with her abilities tries to rebuild his ship totally nerding out on it and his arm because how different galra technology is ..but  when she finished  shiro offers her to come with him to save her and not her planet she refuses to do so ..he says i  don’t know when they will come if they come but the least i can do is to find a way to open negotiations i can try that when he takes off  a galra armada are starting invading by Sendak they get a message Shiro ordering to  stop the invasion claiming he found on this planet very valuable resources that could be lost during the attack   ….Sendak says denied saying  he has  orders from the hire ups  who ? …. Haggar comes out  she  came to research the data she gathered from shiro’s  last update  they we couldn’t get in contact with so she arranged commander’s sendak’s armada  to invade …..Shiro blames himself  over the fact it was his fault after all  he speed up the invasion .....before he makes a decision to turn back or join sendak he gets a message of the emperor himself to report his absence he has no choice but to follow the order ….meanwhile as the galra attack and destroy the city and the forest …..Pidge tries to fight protect her home but the galra win and so everyone is under their  rule . she tried to make a one last stand but she loses due to the witch Haggar’s powers been far great ...Haggar see her potential and takes her as her prisoner planing to turn her into a druid just like her .

Shiro comes back to the galra everyone welcoming him back after the sudden disappearance it feels like he never left and yet he feels different he feels she changed him …..he soon gets news about olkarion before sendak suggests to drain the planet shiro stops him saying the olkari are more useful alive…fearing for what happened to pidge …...3 months later after trying to research every possible way Pidge could survive maybe she evacuated or maybe she is with the rebels of the olkari...or maybe she is ...dead ? no he can’t think of that ….. he visits Haggar receive a report for a  mission  but Haggar is not there yet he hears a sound coming out he would usually ignore that that but he got curious so he enters the door and so he finally sees her on Haggar’s lab strapped and starting to change … her marks growing her hair turning a bit white and a blue tone starting to slowly spread on her body …...she begs shiro to help her shiro can’t move from the shock haggar comes in and sees shiro …..Beautiful isn’t she …She will make a fine druid to serve the empire…….I tried to see  her memories ….but  she is still strong i can’t read her yet  very well  but it will not matter she will not need them here is the report commander  you may go…..she turns and shiro is about to leave but hears a faint…. Please help me ..Shi..ro….haggar turns did you hear something ? no ma’m ...i must have been imagining things….she turns only to face shiro’s attack it knocks her out  shiro tears the straps off and picks pidge bridal style the alarms start he fights his way through the sentries into a ship for escape   her condition getting worse  but they reach the planet Olkarion and he takes her to the great tree there she  starts to transform back into her old self …..you saved me ….i am never letting you go again …and they kiss ..they know they can’t stay for long on the planet  but they have enough time for pidge to reunite with Reiner

On the day of there departure Reiner asks Shiro to look after her Shiro simply says Always….You have my word .

And so the couple travels around the universe seeing new worlds together and they join the rebellion and the blades in hope of saving Olkarion and  for a better future  

[wlw-with-reader]

Don’t Mourn For Us Mortals

Ship: Diana Prince x Reader

For: @wlw5eva

Diana was drawn to you from the very first moment she laid eyes on you. You were a vision and truly, if there were seven wonders in Man’s World, you were indeed the eighth wonder. Diana thought that it was the will of the gods for her to be graced with your presence, and when you said hello to her, her heart and mind agreed that she was spoken for with you. 

She loved taking you to museums, theaters, lakes, parks, and anywhere else because she was blessed to be able to spend that time with you. You felt the same way. She had explained to you who she was because she didn’t want any secrets between the two of you. Which is why you knew that each time the two of you could go out, you’d treasure every single second. 

___________________________________

“Just because we can’t always be together, I’ll always come back home to you, Y/N.”

“I know, my love. I know.”

The two of you were in bed and cuddling one another. You loved being her little spoon. You felt safe and loved in her arms. 

“Y/N?”

“Yes, Diana?”

“When you’re on sabbatical for a month next week, will you do me the honor of coming home with me?”

“Home? You mean, Themyscira?”

“Yes, Y/N. I want to return and introduce you to everyone.”

“I would love to go home with you, Diana.”

__________________________________

“Diana!”

“Mother!”

Diana ran straight to her mother’s arms after your boat landed on shore. You felt joy in your heart seeing Diana reunite with her mother. 

“And who is this, Diana?”

“Mother, I would like you to meet Y/N. Y/F/N Y/L/N. My heart.”

“Hello, Queen Hippolyta.”

You move to bow, but she stops you.

“You do not need to bow to me, Y/N of Diana’s heart.”

And she surprised you when she hugged you as well.

________________________________

Today was the last day of your one month stay at Themyscira. You were saddened to leave, and you couldn’t imagine just how much Diana was feeling. This was her home. The place where she grew up. And if it had been you, you knew one month wouldn’t be enough. 

Luckily, you were able to ask Hippolyta for her blessing in asking her daughter’s hand in marriage. 

“Y/N, you do not need to ask for my blessing. Diana is an adult. She can make her own decisions.”

“Hippolyta, it is a tradition in Man’s World to ask the parents for their child’s hand in marriage. It is an old tradition. But since I’m not sure when we’ll return, I wanted to ask for your blessing. Who knows? Perhaps the next time we return, you’ll be a grandmother.”

“Y/N, it is not necessary to ask for my blessing because you have it. You have all of our blessings if this is what you want.”

“It is. I hope Diana feels the same way.”

“Oh, Y/N. I could tell on the very first day you two arrived, that my daughter loves you more than she has loved anything or anyone else. She feels the same way.”

____________________________

“I love you, Diana.”

“And I love you, Y/N. I have something to ask of you.”

“I have something to ask of you as well.”

“Then, ask it my love. Ask and I will do anything for you.”

“Will you marry me?”

_____________________________

A thousand years have passed, and Diana continues to live without her heart. Her heart was you, Y/N of Man’s World. And when you died because she wasn’t there to save you, like she had always promised to do, her screams were so loud that it was as though Zeus had cursed her screams to sound louder than thunder. After you had asked her to marry her, she said yes, and you two kissed. That was the last thing that she could remember until she woke up.

“Y/N! Where are you, my heart?”

Diana was perplexed that you weren’t in bed next to her. 

“Oh, wife!”

Diana couldn’t wait to officially be able to say that to you.

_____________________________

And then she woke up again, and this time, she was surrounded by the Amazons.

“Y/N!”

Diana was starting to get frightened. You weren’t answering her cries. Her mother appeared before her, and Diana knew something was wrong.

“Mother, what is it? Where’s Y/N? Where is my heart?”

“What is the last thing that you remember, Diana?”

“Y/N. Y/N proposed to me, Mother. I said yes. We kissed. And here I am.”

Hippolyta’s face fell. How could she explain to her daughter that you had perished in your sleep? You merely went to bed and didn’t wake up the next day. None of the healers knew what had happened. Perhaps, it was a Man’s disease. But when Diana saw you she shut down, not willing to believe that your second visit ended like this. So every so often, she would wake up and think you were alive. 

Sometimes, if she was on the beach or near the water, she could hear your voice. She could hear her heart once more. She could feel like she could breathe again and do anything possible because you were there. Her heart was with her. And she would hear you talk and speak about the number of children you would make out of clay and how you would hope they would inherit everything about her. Yet she would say she would want them to have everything from you. 

“Y/N, come back. Please.”

She would beg and plead the gods and goddesses. 

She can’t help but recall the day the two of you were in bed, and you had said you felt pity for the gods. She asked you to explain.

“Diana, the gods are to be pitied for they are the ones who must live for eternity. And should they fall in love with a mortal, whose life is always fleeting, then they have set themselves to fail. Loving a mortal only ends mourning for that mortal. And I apologize for the day I must leave you.”

“Y/N, you’re not going anywhere. I’ll do what I can. I’ll join you in death. Please don’t ever leave me. I will go mad without you. I will not last without you. Please.”

“I never want to leave you, Diana.”

“Then, you will stay here with me. Can we talk about something else, Y/N? Please, my love? I don’t want to think about you not being here.”

You kiss her and change the subject. You knew she didn’t want to think about a future without you, but you knew it was inevitable. Mortals simply did not live long enough like the gods. And your girlfriend was already 5022.

___________________________

Diana wakes up again and sees you next to her. 

“Y/N! You’re here!”

“Of course, I am, Diana. I put our children down for their nap.”

“Our children. Thank you, Y/N.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“For loving me. For not ever leaving me. For making children with me. For sharing these moments with me.”

“Oh, Diana. I should be the one to thank you. I never once thought it was possible to be so in love and to be loved and all of this. My life didn’t start until you, and my life will cease to be full of life, laughter, love, and joy when you are no longer here with me.”

“I will never leave you, Y/N.”

___________________________

Diana wakes up and realizes that these fleeting moments where she wakes up and you are still here, give her only a small comfort. If you cannot be here with her, at least, she has these dreams of you, where the two of you grow old together and have children and do everything the two of you had planned on doing when she said yes to your marriage proposal. 

“How long, Mother?”

“How long what, Diana?”

“How long must I live without my heart?”

“I do not know. But one day, you will wake up, and you will see her. You will think it is all a dream, but it is not. You will be able to hold her, and there, you will spend eternity with her.”

“I wish it was now, Mother.”

___________________________

“What took you so long, Diana?”

You couldn’t help but ask as she slowly opened her eyes. She wasn’t sure where she was. 

“Y/N, is that you?”

“Yes, Diana.”

Diana slowly went to touch you. 

“Y/N! My heart, is it truly you?”

“Seems as though the gods have granted you your wish. That is, if you still wish to spend eternity with me?”

“YES! YES! YES! Y/N, yes.”

And Diana never woke up again because she was finally with you again. 

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

The Biggest 'Grey's Anatomy' Cast Exits

Grey's Anatomy has had its fair share of goodbyes.

As the 14th season winds down, ABC's long-running medical drama has gone through significant cast changes in front of the camera and its fair share of on-set drama and scandals. While Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr. are the only remaining members of the original ensemble who have been with the show since its March 2005 debut, many of their colleagues have come and gone -- some in tragic fashion and others with hopeful beginnings.

With Sarah Drew and Jessica Capshaw's exits looming ahead of the 15th season, there promises to be even more transitions for the veteran series. From T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl to Sara Ramirez and Patrick Dempsey, ET chronicles the history of Grey's' biggest and most dramatic cast exits over the past 14 seasons.

Dr. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington)

ABC

Washington was one of the original doctors on Grey's when it debuted in 2005. He was fired in 2007 after the third season, following an incident where Washington allegedly used a gay slur in reference to T.R. Knight during an on-set argument and clashed with other co-stars. The actor eventually returned to Grey's for a 2014 episode to help kick off Sandra Oh's exit.

Dr. George O'Malley (T.R. Knight)

ABC

Knight was the first major cast departure for Grey's, leaving in tragic yet heroic fashion at the end of season five. In his final episodes, his beloved character, George, ran in front of a bus in an effort to save a woman but was hit himself -- still one of TV's most shocking moments -- resulting in being completely unrecognizable to the doctors when he was rushed in. He would later die from his injuries, which became the topic of early season six, as his former colleagues mourned his death and attended his funeral. One of the original interns on Grey's, George was a puppy-eyed doctor whose close friendship with Meredith, fumbling romances with Izzie and Callie and adversarial dynamic with Alex made him even more relatable to viewers.

Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)

ABC

While Morgan only appeared in about two dozen episodes, he remains one of Grey's most memorable characters, playing Denny, a patient-turned-love interest for Izzie in the second and third seasons. Though the heart transplant Denny came in for was successful, he died suddenly after a stroke -- but not until after he'd proposed to Izzie and she'd accepted. Later, Izzie used the money he left her to open up the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic. In season five, Morgan returned for a new arc when Izzie began hallucinating Denny around the time she discovered she was diagnosed with cancer. 

Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl)

ABC

One of the original Grey's stars, Heigl left midway through season six after playing the bubbly, upbeat intern-turned-surgical resident Izzie for over 100 episodes. In her final episode, Heigl's character discovered she was cancer-free, attempted to reconcile with her ex, Alex, and turned down an offer to get her job back after getting fired, opting to move on for a fresh start. Heigl, who won the Emmy for her Grey's role in 2007, memorably took her name out of consideration in 2008 because she didn't feel she "was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination," a reference to her reduced workload that year.

Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh)

ABC

Addison's introduction on Grey's at the end of the first season is still one of the most memorable moments of the series. Still, she left after season three after deciding to have a baby and visiting her friend Naomi, a fertility specialist in California at Oceanside Wellness Group, making the move to the Golden State permanent. Walsh's spinoff, Private Practice, debuted in the fall of 2007 and ran for six seasons, but she would pop back in and out on Grey's through its eighth season.

Dr. Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh)

ABC

Meredith's half-sister Lexie entered the picture in season three as part of that year's new class of interns, but became an integral part of the fabric of the series when she was upped to series regular at the start of season four. She became romantically involved with Mark in an on-again/off-again romance, and the two eventually reunited not long before they were both victims of a horrific plane crash at the end of season eight, during which she was the first to die. "My experience on Grey’s Anatomy is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I want to take this time to say thank you to the fans," Leigh told TVLine. "Your unconditional love and support have made these last five years very special for me. I look forward to my next chapter and I hope you will continue to follow me on my journey.

Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane)

ABC

The "McSteamy" to Patrick Dempsey's "McDreamy," Dane joined the ABC drama as a recurring guest star in the sophomore season before being promoted to series regular in season three, and his character, Mark, was immediately dubbed the ladies' man of the hospital. His presence at the hospital caused more wrinkles than it stabilized the staff, with spicy affairs with Derek's estranged wife Addison, Callie and Lexie -- the latter a relationship he grew to embrace. Dane was written off in dramatic fashion; after Lexie's death following the eighth season finale plane crash, Mark succumbed to his injuries. 

Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh)

ABC

Oh was one of the original cast members on Grey's when it debuted in 2005 and was on the show for 10 seasons until she left in 2014, when Cristina made the leap to relocate and start anew in Zurich. As Meredith's "person," Owen's on-again/off-again love and a star surgeon, Oh's character was one of the most beloved of the series and speculation of a potential return has permeated ever since her departure. "I've gotta tell you, those rumors, I don't know who starts them but it really is tough," Oh admitted to ET Canada in 2016. "No, I have no plans to return to Grey's any time soon." But Oh did say in a 2014 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she'd be game to return for the series finale. 

Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey)

ABC

Dempsey's exit in season 11 was one of the most shocking moments in the history of Grey's, as his character, also known as "McDreamy," was one-half of the main couple on the series alongside Ellen Pompeo's Meredith Grey. In his final episode, Derek was rushed to the ER after a large semi truck struck his car and the team of under-trained doctors were unable to save him in time, forcing Meredith to pull the plug. “Derek Shepherd is and will always be an incredibly important character -- for Meredith, for me and for the fans. I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our 'McDreamy.' Patrick Dempsey’s performance shaped Derek in a way that I know we both hope became a meaningful example -- happy, sad, romantic, painful and always true -- of what young women should demand from modern love,” creator Shonda Rhimes said in April 2015. “His loss will be felt by all.”

Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez)

ABC

Ramirez announced her decision to leave the show after 10 seasons of playing one of TV's groundbreaking bisexual characters following the season 12 finale. In Ramirez's final episode, she and her ex, Arizona, agreed that they would co-parent their daughter together. “I’m deeply grateful to have spent the last 10 years with my family at Grey’s Anatomy & ABC but for now, I’m taking some welcome time off,” Ramirez wrote in her note in 2016. “Shonda been so incredible to work for, & we will definitely continue our conversations!”

Dr. Stephanie Edwards (Jerrika Hinton)

ABC

Hinton joined the medical drama in its ninth season, staying on for five seasons as Stephanie, one of Grey Sloan's surgical residents, and leaving at the end of the season 13 finale after suffering devastating burns following a fiery explosion in one of the hospital wings. Her near-death experience was enough for Stephanie to change course, and she made a declaration that she wanted to live her own life now. Hinton revealed to ET in February that she pitched a version of Stephanie's final episode where she died. "My heart grows to think that I did get a hero's end -- that I got to go out in a way that was not just incredibly human and honest, but also inspirational."

Dr. Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson)

ABC

Though Henderson's time as Riggs on Grey's was relatively brief -- he joined midway through the 12th season and left early on in season 14 -- he made his time on the series count. An Army doctor who had a friendship and deep history with fellow Grey Sloan doc Owen, he grew to become Meredith's main love interest following Patrick Dempsey's departure, but Riggs and Meredith's romance was cut short when he was reunited with his former love, Owen's previously presumed dead sister, Megan. In the end, the pair decided to move to Los Angeles together.

Dr. April Kepner (Sarah Drew)

ABC

Drew, who has played April since season six, was written out of the show at the end of season 14 and she got her happy ending, walking down the aisle in a surprise wedding with an old flame, Matthew, with her ex-husband Jackson witness to the happy day. She also decided to leave Grey Sloan to do God's work, helping homeless communities in Seattle. But there was some worry that she wouldn't survive the season. Things weren't looking good for the devout Christian doctor in the penultimate episode as she was seen unconscious and barely clinging to life after being in a car accident. Thankfully, she made it out with barely a scratch. Whew. Ellen Pompeo hinted to ET in May that Drew's character would not meet a horrific end -- and thankfully, she was right. "You only get killed off when your behavior is bad. If you're a nice actor, you die nice. ... But, yeah, these endings aren't tragic."

Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) 

ABC

In the penultimate season 14 episode, details of Capshaw's departure from Grey's were revealed: She was moving to New York City to be closer to the daughter she shares with her ex, Callie, and helping Nicole Herman open up a new clinic. In the finale, it was hinted that she and Callie may also be rekindling their romance. The announcement in March that she would be leaving after playing one of TV's few LGBTQ characters for 10 seasons was a shock to the system for fans. "I am sad to see her go, but I am consoled by the idea that she will continue to live on and on in all of our consciences and our imaginations," Capshaw wrote at the time.

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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[butsomeofusarelookingatthestars]

Could u do an imagine where the team find out that Luke is married??? Maybe even has a child

Thanks for the request Anon! In the end, I decided on just doing Prentiss as the one who finds out about Luke being married and having a child because it just flowed more naturally. If you do want the other members included or their reactions, I’d be happy to do some headcanons or potentially a follow-up.

Pen Lines

Fandom: Criminal MindsPairing: Luke Alvez x ReaderPrompt: Request

Description: Emily discovers the reason why Luke is so keen to get home on time.

It had been a surprisingly slow week at the BAU. Apparently, serial killers had decided to take some time off. So, the entire team had made the most of their lull in active fieldwork to finish up any outstanding case reports and finally get home on time.

Strangely, Alvez had been particularly keen to take advantage and had been leaving in the late afternoon, racing past them all as he bid them goodbye. They had all noticed his peculiar behaviour, but chalked it up to him just wanting relax after the stressful few months the BAU had experienced recently.

Garcia had even suggested that perhaps it was Roxy he was rushing home to. After all, he loved his pet a lot and probably just wanted to make the most of the free time he could spend with her. Prentiss had raised her eyebrows at the blonde’s insightful comment, but her instincts had told her something else was at play.

It wasn’t until the Friday when she finally realised why Luke was so eager to get home.

He was handing a case file over to her in the bullpen, requesting her signature, when she glimpsed the colourful lines on his hand. It wasn’t like Luke to end up accidentally drawing on himself, so she had quickly guessed the explanation behind the pen marks.

“How old is she?”

The confusion in his eyes was almost laughable. Had he really expected to keep a secret as big as this from a team of profilers?

“Your daughter.”

He looked completely stunned by her words, coughing to clear his throat as he glanced down at his desk. She had rendered him temporarily speechless. Emily had made the astute assumption as the other week she had caught a glimpse of what had looked like a Disney Princess cup falling out his bag. Luke had brushed it off, murmuring about how his niece was visiting for the weekend.

“She seems like a talented artist.” She told him, smiling softly as she nodded towards his stained hands. Luke’s eyes followed her gaze and his lips curved upwards into a gentle smile.

“Mia’s five.” He replied quietly, a slight smile playing on his lips as he looked up at Emily. “She’s got a thing for trying to draw Roxy at the moment.”

Emily chuckled softly, handing the signed file back over to him.

“My wife thinks she’ll be an artist.” He grinned as he thought about the lighthearted conversations they had already had over their daughter’s future. “Mia definitely got her creativity.”

Emily smiled at him kindly. “I’m not too sure Alvez, I’ve heard you can do a makeshift sundial.”

He chuckled softly leaning back into his seat before he looked up at her.

“It’s not a secret. It’s just that I don’t usually tell many people about them.” He felt like he had to explain why he hadn’t told the team about his family. “My wife tells me I can be too private sometimes.” He admitted, a sheepish smile on his face.

His hand subconsciously traced the outline of the ring he carried around his neck, hidden by his shirt. He had never displayed it, especially not in the Fugitive Task Force, seeing it as a potential weakness for others to exploit. He had always promised himself and his family that he would keep them safe. It almost felt like paranoia sometimes. But, he had always made sure to keep his wedding ring close to his heart.

Although, it only took him a short while to settle into his new environment. Trusting people and opening up to them had never been particularly easy for him, especially after the Rangers. He also liked to compartmentalise his emotions and keeping his personal life separate from his professional one had just become a habit.

He had started to rethink his approach after he saw how amazingly well JJ managed to juggle her parental responsibilities. But, he just hadn’t been able to find the right time to tell the team about his home life yet.

Emily outstretched a hand to gently pat him on his shoulder. “It’s okay. I get it, we all get it. But, you should never be worried about opening up to us.” She smiled at him widely. “After all, we are all family here.”

He returned her smile, appreciating the sincerity in his voice. It was true. His colleagues had always been there for him since he had joined the BAU. Maybe it was time to introduce them to his other family?

“We’ll be here when you’re ready.” Prentiss told him as if reading his thoughts. “We would all love to meet them. I have a feeling Garcia will be particularly smitten by a sweet five-year-old who loves dogs.”

He laughed softly, knowing full well that his little girl would adore the bubbly blonde. He nodded in agreement at Prentiss’ words, smiling at her appreciatively as she began to walk back to her office.

“Alvez?”

He looked up to see her smiling at him across the room, frowning as she gestured towards the clock. It was 4pm.

“Shouldn’t you be heading home? I’m sure there’s someone there who would love to see you.”

He grinned at her, mouthing his silent thanks as he threw his go-bag over his shoulder. It was time to be reunited with his three favourite girls again.

[aion-rsa]

The Best TV Episodes of 2020

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Sometimes it feels like there’s not much of a distinction left between “television” and everything else. As major media conglomerates hold investor presentations in which they present their upcoming streaming wares as “multiple-hour movies,” how is a beleaguered television fanbase supposed to distinguish TV shows from the dreaded, amorphous concept of “content”?

By episodes, of course! Episodes are one of the last remaining hallmarks of what makes the entity known as television distinct. Though we largely watch all our entertainment on the same kinds of screens nowadays, it’s television that lays claim to distinct episodes and distinct seasons as part of their larger gestalt. The Best TV Shows of 2020 deserve our commendation (and they will receive it very soon), but so too these smaller stories and pieces within them. The Best TV Episodes of 2020 are just as important to our appreciation of the medium and its long-term health.

Gathered here are 25 of Den of Geek’s favorite episodes of television in 2020. Voted on by our contributors, and arranged in alphabetical order, these are the half-hours, hours, and more that inspired and thrilled us in this most challenging year.

Better Call Saul – “Bagman”

In a season packed with memorable moments and 5-star episodes, Better Call Saul’s “Bagman” takes the cake as season 5’s finest hour and one of the absolute best episodes of television of 2020. Directly recalling Breaking Bad’s season 2 highlight “Four Days Out,” returning director and Breaking Bad auteur Vince Gilligan pulls out his old playbook and pumps “Bagman” up with high-octane shootouts, tense face-to-face showdowns, and his penchant for dark comedy. 

As notable as it is to restage and one-up “Four Days Out,” “Bagman” also finally bridges the gap between Jimmy McGill’s new “friend of the cartel” world and that of his straight and narrow girlfriend Kim’s, a moment Better Call Saul fans have been anticipating and dreading with equal measure. Seeing Kim interact with Lalo, perhaps the best villain yet in the Breaking Bad/BCS universe, is a trip. Between Lalo’s cackling over the news of the burnt down Los Pollos Hermanos, surprise at Kim being “Mrs. Goodman,” and his lack of concern for “la cucaracha,” Lalo is a pure delight, even when he’s being stomach-churningly awful. 

A desert twist on The Sopranos’ “Pine Barrens,” “Bagman” is a thrilling, highly consequential installment that is as equally introspective as it is explosive. I tend to bristle at episodes that so clearly ape Breaking Bad’s style and rhythms, but with Vince Gilligan at the helm, “Bagman” is purely undeniable. This is the moment that the show’s separate storylines began collapsing in on each other and truly feels like the beginning of the end for Better Call Saul. 

– Nick Harley

BoJack Horseman – “The View From Halfway Down”

BoJack Horseman was never going to actually kill off its titular horseman. Though the depressive former ‘90s sitcom actor had been courting death for much of the series with addictions to booze, pills, and self-loathing, the show was always destined to end with him giving things another shot – again and again and again. That’s the point. It never ends. You’re stuck with yourself, flaws and all, and you’ve just gotta keep trying. BoJack indeed gets his umpteenth chance to start over in the series elegiac series finale, “Nice While It Lasted.” Before that, however, the show’s penultimate episode gets to vividly imagine what the end would look like for BoJack Horseman, and it makes for one of the series’ best episodes ever.

“The View From Halfway Down” picks up with BoJack drunk and at the bottom of a pool, slowly drowning. Meanwhile his consciousness takes a trip to a gaudy mansion where he enjoys dinner and a show with all the dead people he knows. Sarah Lynn, Corduroy, Crackerjack, Herb Kazzaz, and Beatrice are all there to enjoy their last meals (a single lemon for Corduroy, hospital food for Beatrice, and a pile of pills for BoJack) and then have one final sendoff before entering the infinite. This is where BoJack’s father, Butterscotch (incognito as BoJack’s hero Secretariat) turns up and delivers one of the most startling, affecting poems in TV history: “The View From Halfway Down.”

Near-death experience episodes are not uncommon on television (none other than The Sopranos may have had the definitive version with season 6’s “Join the Club”) but “The View From Halfway Down” somehow injects life (or rather dripping sludge of black death) into the stale  concept. This might not be the final episode of BoJack Horseman, but it’s likely to be the one most people remember. It’s a discomfiting exploration of ego death…and death-death. 

– Alec Bojalad

The Boys – “What I Know”

The Boys season 2 had its ups and downs, and a couple of episodes early on felt very low on action, but in the end, Amazon’s ultraviolent hit series managed to build towards a sophomore season finale that was so goddamn satisfying it felt almost illegal.

In “What I Know”, Karl Urban’s Bill Butcher finally faces off against Homelander and escapes with his life, while paying a devastating price. Hughie finds a way to drag himself up from a pit of despair and start a real relationship with Starlight. Kimiko and Frenchie get closer by working through their trauma together. Mother’s Milk is reunited with his family. And Stormfront? Well, that Nazi bitch gets what she deserved.

In fact, “What I Know” wrapped up most of The Boys’ ongoing plotlines so tidily you’d be forgiven for thinking that the action-packed episode was a series finale, not a season finale. Of course, The Boys had one final twist in store, but even if “What I Know” had been the last we’d seen of the show, it would have been just about enough to keep any anguish at bay. TV writers should study “What I Know” for future reference, cuz that’s how you do a season finale. 

– Kirsten Howard

Dark – “Life and Death”

Since Dark knew that it was ending in its third season, there were plenty of mind-blowing episodes leading to a very poignant finale, but one episode that stood out was episode 305, “Life and Death.” This was not an episode that directly explored the deeper time travel mythology of the show nor did it feature the characters that were normally center stage. Instead, it shocked us with two acts of brutality by minor characters.

One involved the discoveries of Katharina, the much maligned wife, daughter, and mother who conducted a solo journey through time in search of her husband, Ulrich. The violence between Katharina and her mother provides surprising insights despite its unexpectedness. Meanwhile, another brutal act in the apocalypse of 2020 sheds light on how young Elisabeth evolved into a hardened warrior of the future. 

– Michael Ahr

Dave – “Hype Man”

FX’s Dave was a bit of an odd duck from the get-go. Developed by and starring real life rapper Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd, Dave sought to encapsulate the strange contradictions of its title character. Dave is a comedy rapper…but he’s also kind of sincere? Dave is probably kidding about his malformed penis and all the trauma it’s caused him…but he’s also not? Dave is Lil Dickey…but he’s really just Dave? It was a tall order for a novice storyteller to work through, even with the help of Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Jeff Shaffer as showrunner.

But roughly halfway through its 10 episode-run, Dave…and Dave figure themselves out and start to string together a series of truly quality episodes. The turn starts with “Hype Man,” the show’s fifth installment and perhaps its best. “Hype Man” follows Lil Dicky’s real life (and also fictional) friend GaTa. After Dave makes the decision to install GaTa as his hype man, viewers are entreated to bits of GaTa’s past where his untreated bipolar disorder leads to public disruptions and even a heartbreaking moment with his mother while tied to a hospital bed. In the present, GaTa can’t quite figure his new dosage of meds out and it leads to a decidedly less-than-hyped hype man.

That’s when GaTa reveals his diagnosis to his new friends. As the tears stream down GaTa’s face and as his new crew gracefully accepts him, just as he is, it’s clear that it’s a cathartic moment for all involved that goes well beyond just the confines of television. 

– Alec Bojalad

Devs – “Episode 8”

Perhaps no show in 2020 was as beguiling or intriguing as sci-fi maestro Alex Garland’s first TV effort Devs. From its first episode which featured a mysterious murder and the introduction of an awe-inspiring machine, Devs promised a truculent sci-fi television experience. Of course, as is often the case with these things, the impact of the show hinged on how it chose to wrap up the story of Amaya’s secretive Devs program. 

That ending, in “Episode 8”, succeeds because it knows the precisely correct ratio of answers to non-answers it needs to provide. This finale deftly articulates the show’s vision of determinism and leaves open the question of just how much of our fate resides in our own hands. It’s also downright Biblical at times with striking imagery, allusions to Christ, and even something resembling an afterlife. 

Above all else, it provides one of the most charming bits of title trickery on television this year. “I’ll tell you a secret, Lily,” Forest (Nick Offerman) says to his fated counterpart. “I’ve been wanting to tell someone for awhile. The name of the project is not Devs. The ‘v’ is Roman…so actually a ‘u’.” Deus. Lily can only laugh – another tech CEO who thinks he’s God. It’s just that…this one happens to be right.  

– Alec Bojalad

Doctor Who – “The Haunting of Villa Diodati”

“The Haunting of Villa Diodati” isn’t the only example of Doctor Who taking on the haunted house genre, but it may be its best. In this season 12 episode, the science fiction series pays homage to the arguable birthplace of the sci-fi genre: the Swiss villa where Mary Shelley was inspired to write Frankenstein. There, the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and her fam meet Mary, baby William, Lord Byron, John Polidori, Claire Clairmont, valet Fletcher, and a missing Percy Shelley. With such a large guest cast, you’d think it would be hard to get three Companions in on the action, but first-time Doctor Who scriptwriter Maxine Alderton manages to do so, making good use of Ryan (Tosin Cole), Graham (Bradley Walsh), and Yaz (Mandip Gillip) especially, as the group gets split up while investigating the very real ghosts that seem to be haunting the villa.

With its literary in-jokes and honest-to-goodness scares, “The Haunting of Villa Diodati” would have easily been one of the highlights of season 12 if it was simply a standalone mystery. That it all ends with a third-act Cybermen twist that ties the episode to Doctor Who legacy and kickstarts the high-stakes, season-ending plot raises this installment from “good” to “great.”

– Kayti Burt

The Good Place – “Whenever You’re Ready”

Between BoJack Horseman’s “The View From Halfway Down” and The Good Place’s series finale, “Whenever You’re Ready,” it was a banner year for half-hour comedies addressing cosmic oblivion in 2020. While BoJack’s exploration of death is dark and spooky, The Good Place’s interpretation is one almost of celebration – a reward for a life, and many afterlives well-lived.

However one feels about The Good Place series finale, it’s hard to argue that the concept at its core isn’t ingenious. Our human protagonists Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahani, alongside their otherworldly friends Michael and Janet, spend almost a literal eternity grappling with the inequity of the afterlife’s rewards system. Then, in the final stretch of the show’s last season, the gang fixes the system once and for all and arrives at the actual Good Place. There’s only one problem: the occupants of The Good Place are shambling emotionless zombies whose dopamine receptors have been reduced to mush from eons of wish fulfillment and immediate satisfaction. That’s when Eleanor and Michael realize the afterlife’s missing piece: death. 

This is not only a fascinating philosophical concept but it sets up a finale filled with goodbyes that all these characters so richly deserve. One by one our heroes decide when they’re ready, and then step through a door to enter the unknown. And of course it all culminates in what might be the best sitcom sign-offs ever from Ted Danson’s Michael: “I’ll say this to you, my friend, with all the love in my heart and all the wisdom of the universe: Take it sleazy.”

 – Alec Bojalad

The Haunting of Bly Manor – “The Altar of the Dead”

Perhaps the only thing harder than pulling off an honest-to-goodness serialized horror TV show is doing so twice. But that’s exactly what Mike Flanagan was able to pull off this year with his Netflix followup to The Haunting of Hill House. Like Hill House before it, Bly Manor is based on the works of a classic ghost story writer, in this case Henry James. Unlike Hill House, however, Bly Manor takes a few episodes to really find its rhythm. 

Once it does, though, there’s virtually no stopping it. And it’s all thanks to midseason installment “The Altar of the Dead.” It’s clear from moment one that something is off with Bly Manor’s housekeeper Hannah Grose (T’Nia Miller). This is the episode that finally begins to fill in some of the blanks in her story, and subsequently the story of the rest of the house. Much like Billy Pilgrim before her, Miss Grose has become unstuck in time. As Hannah jumps back and forth between her history at Bly Manor, the sinister nature of the property becomes clear. Through Grose’s eyes, we’re treated to the courtship of Rebecca Jessel and Peter Quint. Then we’re taken through all the way to Peter Quint’s death, subsequent possession of Miles, and Hannah’s eventual murder. 

It’s not just that “The Altar of the Dead” clarifies the plot of The Haunting of Bly Manor so much that it damn near reveals all of it. And the show is all the better for it. Every episode after “Altar” is able to move forward with a confidence and assuredness that can come only after a masterfully executed setup. It’s all perfectly splendid. 

– Alec Bojalad

How To with John Wilson – “How To Cook the Perfect Risotto”

How To With John Wilson’s charms come from the ways that the titular socially awkward documentarian highlights the surreal, funny, perplexing little moments that so frequently occur in public spaces. However, that surreality is turned up to 11 in “How to Cook the Perfect Risotto” as we watch the coronavirus pandemic slowly transform New York City from a bustling, odd metropolis full of characters that are more than willing to invite a complete stranger into their home for a cooking lesson, into a quiet ghost town filmed from the safety of Wilson’s apartment.

Wilson attempts to make his elderly landlord the perfect risotto as a way of thanking her for her kindness, which includes doing Wilson’s laundry, watching Jeopardy with him and delivering him delicious meals. Simultaneously as he’s trying to quit smoking, Wilson is comically frustrated by the endless variables that cause his risotto to not quite live up to his lofty expectations. As he tries to improve his cooking and keep his sanity during nicotine withdrawal, COVID-19 hits the city and causes Wilson’s perspective to completely change. It’s relatable, poignant stuff that sneaks up on you and offers a look at what life has been like in this pandemic in a way that no other piece of art has yet to capture. 

– Nick Harley

I May Destroy You – “Ego Death”

‘Ego Death’ was a transcendent half hour. The conclusion to Michaela Coel’s autobiographically inspired drama about surviving sexual assault, it was as probing and inventive as the rest of I May Destroy You. 

In the episode, Coel offered viewers three alternative endings. Her character Bella played out fantasy confrontations with the man who, a year earlier, had drugged and attacked her. One is a kickass heist riffing on movie sisterhood and rape revenge. Another is an anti-climax that offers scant closure. Another is gentle, romantic and utterly disorienting. Allowing for multiple interpretations and perspectives, they all happened, and none of them happened. 

The climax comes with Bella’s realization that her trauma wouldn’t leave her unless she made it leave. The finale ends with a growing garden, a book reading and an inhalation of breath. With dogged commitment to honesty and no easy answers, it achieved in 30 minutes what some dramas struggle to say in a whole season.

 – Louisa Mellor

Killing Eve – “Are You From Pinner?”

Killing Eve has been celebrated for its depiction of the cat and mouse game between its star characters Eve, the former MI6 agent played by Sandra Oh, and Villanelle, the assassin played by Jodie Comer who shares with Eve a mutual obsession. Season 3 experimented with different points of view and delved deeper into the mystery of The Twelve, but it was the backstory of Villanelle (formerly Oksana) in episode 5, “Are You from Pinner?” which really showcased Comer’s depth and the character’s complexity.

The beauty of the episode was the way it lulled the audience into a sense of comfort. Here was Oksana’s long lost family, and they seemed to be happy, fun-loving people who might even welcome their damaged prodigal daughter home. However, even after a joyous carnival, it becomes clear that her mother’s abandonment hides a deeper secret, and the resulting violence and moments of mercy heighten sympathy for the assassin like no episode before or since.

 – Michael Ahr

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts – “Real Cats Wear Plaid”

That title alone would earn this episode a spot on the list but its story is even better! “Real Cats Wear Plaid” is the perfect combination of everything that makes Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts so unique and wonderful. There are giant cats who not only wear plaid, they carry axes, have giant yarn balls in their trees, sing ramblin’ folk songs, and love eating pancakes. Kipo has to find their leader named Yumyan Hammerpaw, whose namesake song is easily one of the best in the series, to get the cats’ help.

Watching Kipo not only break her friends free from the cats but slowly win over their trust gives us a good look at how she’ll overcome a lot of obstacles throughout the series. She doesn’t go with the simple solution; she uses her brain and her desire to make friends to win the day. Throw in some absolutely gorgeous visuals and you’ve got a warm, comforting, and totally unique piece of television that only this show could pull off. It’ll make a die-hard Kipo fan out of you, guaranteed. 

– Shamus Kelley

Legends of Tomorrow – “The One Where We’re Trapped on TV”

“The One Where We’re Trapped on TV” was the high point of a season full of them for Legends of Tomorrow, showcasing everything this series is capable of. We got three note-perfect parodies of shows – Star Trek, Friends, and the funniest one, Downton Abbey –  with wildly divergent tones; A+ workplace comedy and lightning fast plot propulsion; and a cast (especially Caity Lotz and Dominic Purcell summarizing and savaging The Wrath of Khan in 35 seconds, and Matt Ryan beautifully jamming parodies of four different Downton characters into one bit) visibly having the time of their lives. All of that was mixed in with serious, genuine, character growth and emotion. 

It’s amazing that Legends went from a forgettable side jaunt in the Arrowverse to a stoner workplace time travel sitcom that culminated one season with a Voltron Tickle Me Elmo. Even more amazing is that Season 5 actually topped it, and “The One Where We’re Trapped on TV” was this season’s peak.

– Jim Dandy

Lovecraft Country – “Sundown”

Lovecraft Country was television’s most ambitious show in 2020. Playing with horror and science fiction tropes while mixing in history lessons and comparing the racism in 1950s American with the civil unrest of today, Lovecraft Country took bigger swings than Jackie Robinson clobbering an alien with his Louisville Slugger. Not every episode or moment of Lovecraft Country was successful, but premiere episode “Sundown” is one of the most self-assured, confident debuts of a series in recent memory, a mission statement that establishes characters and blazes through plot points that most shows would have spent a season laboring over.

Our hero Atticus “Tic” Freeman (Jonathan Majors) returns to Chicago to reunite with his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) and old crush Leti Lewis (Jurnee Smollett) to go off in search of his missing father Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams) in Ardham, Massachusetts, a location similar to Arkham, which is prevalent in the stories of H.P. Lovecraft, the favorite author of both Tic and Montrose. In Ardham, the gang find horrors both fictional and painfully real. The hour-long episode feels like a miniature movie. Its best moment is a montage of the trio traveling through segregated America set to a James Baldwin monologue. It’s little touches like that that makes Lovecraft Country so unique, gripping, and grounded even with all of the supernatural elements on display.

 – Nick Harley

The Mandalorian – “The Jedi”

Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian was an unexpected midseason payoff for everyone wondering if the story of Din Djarin and “Baby Yoda” would pootle along for a good while longer without answering many questions or tying their adventure into any past Star Wars mythology. This installment threw one game-changing piece of info after another at viewers.

We learned that the adorable green sprog had an actual name (Grogu), that he had been suffering from PTSD so severe that he mentally blocked out a lot of his past before being rescued by Mando, and that he would need to seek out a Jedi to train him to walk the path he might be destined for. Ah, and we also got to meet the live-action version of Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson in a very deliberate and self-assured way. After we spent a few minutes with Ahsoka, it was clear that Lucasfilm still had bigger plans for her character beyond The Mandalorian.

Putting aside the many other wonderful Western and samurai influences visually blessing “The Jedi”, the episode formed an important step toward a very different version of Grogu who may develop in future seasons, and as Tano infers, we might not like who he becomes if the darkness creeps in, which only strengthens the bond between Din and The Child, and our investment in the story itself. 

– Kirsten Howard

Mythic Quest – “A Dark Quiet Death”

Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet was one of 2020’s most pleasant surprises. Apple TV+’s comedy about a videogame studio running a successful MMORPG, worked for all the reasons one might assume. The core showrunning team of Rob McElhenney, Megan Ganz, and David Hornsby (all of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) had a solid handle on the show’s concept and characters, and they also clearly did their research on the videogame industry. 

Still, in addition to all of that “expected” stuff, Mythic Quest excels in pulling off concepts that viewers might not anticipate from a nine-episode, half-hour sitcom. The ultimate example is “A Dark Quiet Death,” a fascinating installment of television that falls halfway through the show’s first season. “A Dark Quiet Death” completely abandons the show’s main plotline and takes viewers back to the ‘90s where two game developers, played by Jake Johnson and Christin Milioti, meet, fall in love, and decide to build something together.

Soon, however, the two designers are confronted with questions about commerce vs. art and must figure out how many compromises they’re willing to make. In the process they lose themselves, each other, and the art itself. Mythic Quest eventually brings things back tenuously to the present to reveal that Ian Grimm and the Mythic Quest team now occupy the warehouse studio space they once did. Refreshingly there isn’t much of a lesson to be learned from this adjournment other than: all of this is very hard and you’ll want someone by your side to help…but even that’s pretty hard too. 

– Alec Bojalad

Outlander – “The Ballad of Roger Mac”

Outlander season 5’s long-awaited battle between the Regulators and Governor Tryon’s militia delivered the sudden and gut-punching loss of one of its fan-favorite characters, Duncan Lacroix’s Murtagh, and also did the impossible in the same episode – made viewers genuinely invested in whether the guitar-strumming Roger Mackenzie lived or died. Even if his past behavior hadn’t covered him in glory, no one wanted to see Bree’s beau go out at the noose-end of a redcoat’s rope.

But the real heart of the episode was the final scenes between Sam Heughan’s character, Jamie Fraser, who didn’t have much time to celebrate his 50th birthday, and his father figure Murtugh, a stubborn-but-loyal man that had saved him countless times since birth, as he unexpectedly passed the patriarchal torch on once and for all. As Jamie fell apart during “The Ballad of Roger Mac” so did we, and a standout episode in Outlander’s middling fifth season was forever etched on our memory. 

– Kirsten Howard

Pen15 – “Opening Night”

At its core, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle’s brilliant coming-of-age comedy Pen15 is all about capturing feelings. This show, featuring Erskine and Konkle deftly embodying their middle school selves (all the while surrounded by actual middle schoolers), understands the feeling of your crush smiling at you, or the best sleepover ever, or the summer of infinite possibilities. Its season two finale “Opening Night,” is perhaps the best example of what the show does so well yet.

Much of “Opening Night” takes place after opening night of the school play, where Maya was the star and Anna was the tech queen. The girls and their families retire to a perfectly acceptable local Italian restaurant where Maya and Anna live out the copacabana scene from Goodfellas and just generally feel on top of the world. 

Of course, in adolescence, nothing gold can stay. While “Opening Night” captures the thrill of a “best night ever” it also subtly, devastatingly presents Anna having to deal with the reality of her parents’ incoming divorce and Maya being rejected by a boy once again. Pen15 draws much of its comedy from the novelty of its core duo experiencing every new life event as the Biggest Deal Ever (™).  “Opening Night” proves that that’s where the show draws its pathos from as well. 

– Alec Bojalad

The Queen’s Gambit – “End Game”

For being one of the best shows of 2020, not much happens in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit that could be considered surprising. True to Scott Frank’s limited series sports movie (or bildungsroman) format, chess prodigy Beth Harmon displays preternatural talent, suffers some setbacks, and then comes out on top again. What makes the show excellent, however, is in its execution of that formula. 

Nowhere is the show’s execution more acute and satisfying than it is in the finale, “End Game.” This final hour finds Beth finally heading to Moscow to take on her only real rival one final time. The outcome is never really in doubt, but the journey is a supremely satisfying one. There are no shortage of fist-pumping moments, from Beth winning the admiration of her chess idol, to all her friends jumping on the phone to pre-game her final match. It’s the final coda that lingers most pleasantly though. Now on top of the chess world, Beth heads outside to find several Russian citizens playing some exhibition matches. The challenge is over, the day is won, and now all that’s left to do is to keep playing. Not for anyone else but herself. 

– Alec Bojalad

Schitt’s Creek – “The Presidential Suite”

The sixth and final season of Schitt’s Creek had a lot of loose ends to tie. The saga of the Rose family, who lost everything but the town Johnny Rose bought for a joke took us on a redemptive journey, not just for them but for town as a whole. It would be easy for the sake of this list, then, to select “Happy Ending” the glorious, hyperbolic finale which includes David and Patrick’s wedding and Moira’s greatest ensemble yet as the best ep. Instead though, it’s this lower key episode from season we choose to celebrate for it’s pitch perfect mix of hope, humor and humanity. This is Alexis and Ted’s episode. While David and Patrick’s romance and nuptials dominate the later series of the show, in “The Presidential Suite” we see Alexis and Ted’s relationship come to a close.

Ted has been offered his dream job in the Galapagos Islands. Alexis’s career as a publicist is starting to take off. He’s travelled back to spend a long weekend with her but his plans got derailed due to some dodgy airline milk. So now the two have just one evening together, and it turns out it’ll be spent saying goodbye. In possibly the most devastating scene in the whole show the two have a private dinner at the Cafe Tropical, where they reflect on how the relationship has helped them both grow. It’s understated, it’s grown up and it’s deeply moving, with gravitas given to characters who are generally speaking not taken very seriously.  It’s perfect. Elsewhere in the ep, the second Rosebud motel is almost ready to open and the Roses and the Schitts are competing to christen the best room for the night, while Patrick’s spray tan results in photographic hilarity. There are plenty of great gags – Patrick’s face being one of them – but “Presidential Suite” belongs to Alexis and Ted.

 – Rosie Fletcher

Solar Opposites – “Terry and Korvo Steal a Bear”

“Terry and Korvo Steal a Bear” deserves a spot on our best-of list due to title trickery alone. The synopsis of Solar Opposites season 1’s penultimate episode reads “Terry, Korvo, Yumyulack, and Jesse team up to steal a bear from the zoo” but of course: precisely none of this happens. In reality Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan’s excellent animated comedy for Hulu plays a truly wonderful sleight of hand. 

The entirety of this episode takes place inside young alien Jesse’s bedroom terrarium where she has imprisoned dozens of shrunken human beings. The show picks up with the goings on “inside the wall” several times throughout the season, but this episode devotes the entirety of its running time to the stories of Tim, Cherie, and all the other people inside this shockingly complex political ecosystem. 

Perhaps the best thing any installment of television can do is to make us care deeply about something that we weren’t even aware of to begin with. And that’s the real strength of “Terry and Korvo Steal a Bear.” Though all of this is happening on a truly small scale, it’s hard not to get swept up in the drama of Tim’s fight against The Duke or perhaps even shed some tears at the loss of a very sweet mouse named Molly.

 – Alec Bojalad

Ted Lasso – “The Hope That Kills You”

Any sports fan can tell you that it is indeed “the hope that kills you”. Hope is one of the most dangerous things to have in any endeavor you truly care about. After all, how can expectations lead to anything other than disappointment? Defying expectations, however, is Apple TV+’s sports comedy, Ted Lasso, which builds up a lot of hope through its first nine episodes, and then delivers on that hope in a truly satisfying way for the finale. 

The Jason Sudeikis and Bill Lawrence-produced Ted Lasso has the sports movie beats down pat. American football coach Ted Lasso gets an English football coaching job through some truly ridiculous circumstances. His team, AFC Richmond, naturally struggles on the pitch but begin to flourish off of it thanks to the relentless optimism of their new gaffer. This remarkable finale is where the rubber finally meets the road. Can AFC Richmond win one game to avoid relegation and fulfill their coach’s hope in them? The answer, somewhat surprisingly, is no. 

But the real accomplishment of “The Hope That Kills You” is that it finds hope and victory in defeat all the same. 

– Alec Bojalad

The Umbrella Academy – “743”

The penultimate episode of The Umbrella Academy’s second season provided a hefty amount of buildup for the finale, but it was also distinguished by several major reveals and sacrifices, some of which have yet to be fully realized. In the space of a single episode, the apocalypse is averted (again), Hargreeves reveals his true nature (sort of), and the time travel cops of the Commission prepare for a war that perfectly sets up the finale.

The most poignant sacrifice is made by Ben as he explores the depths of Vanya’s mind to keep her from using her powers to start a third world war, but he was technically already dead and has taken a new form of sorts by the end of the season. But other sacrifices put this episode over the top, including the inevitable death of Kennedy and the destruction of the briefcase that could have taken Five and his family home.

– Michael Ahr

What We Do in the Shadows – “On the Run”

Imagine getting none other than Mark Hamill to guest star as a white-haired vampire named Jim upset about a rental agreement on your show. And then imagine not pursuing that rich vein of comedy in favor of having one of your other vampire characters don a “human” disguise and then hit the road merely to avoid paying off some bed and breakfast debts. Well you don’t have to imagine such a scenario if you’re the folks behind FX’s hilarious and brilliant What We Do in the Shadows. This TV adaptation of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s classic mockumentary film remained as bold and experimental as ever in its second season. Nowhere was it bolder, however, than in the instantly iconic “On the Run.”

“On the Run” exploits one of the tried and true rules of comedic storytelling on television: give Matt Berry the ball and let him cook like LeBron James. Berry has the time of his life in this half hour as Laszlo flees his Staten Island home and heads into hiding in Pennsylvania as Jackie Daytona, normal human bartender. It’s just remarkable to watch Laszl…we mean Jackie Daytona have the time of his life as a pillar of the community and major booster of the local girls high school volleyball team. Of course, the piece de resistance, is everyone’s shocking inability to recognize him as an undead bloodsucker. Even Hamill’s Jim the Vampire doesn’t recognize his foe until Laszlo pulls the signature Jackie Daytona toothpick out of his mouth.

“On the Run” may be pound for pound the funniest episode of television to air this year and all we normal humans are better for having experienced it. 

– Alec Bojalad

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[unfolded73]

The Nonlinear Property of Time (1/4)

A Season 7 AU story with time travel. Eventual Explicit rating; this part rated G. 

This fic is dedicated to @allrightfine -- you finally wore me down.

A few important notes:

1. I came up with this fic before 7x02 aired based on a lot of the speculation going on in fandom, and even after it was no longer consistent with canon, I couldn’t resist writing it. It just became more involved to fully describe the time travel scenario. Anyway, the point is Wish Hook isn’t in this. But that does not mean I’m anti-Wish Hook -- surprisingly, I’m pretty psyched for that story now. So please don’t compliment this fic by slamming that character and his storyline, because I don’t really want to see that.

2. This story is going to eventually have a present-Killian/future-Killian/Emma threeway. If that’s not your thing, this fic might not be for you, and that’s okay!

3. This whole scenario turned out to be way more angsty than I anticipated going in. (No wonder the Doctor is such a big mope.) Which I love but also it makes me glad this isn’t what happened canon.

Hyperion Heights, Present Day

The curse broke with a kiss, as these things so often do.

Killian blinked away the prismatic flash and gasped as centuries of memories crashed into his mind in a millisecond. Henry (gods, his stepson) and Jacinda’s lips parted, and he could tell that it was hitting them too, the fact that they’d fallen in love years ago in another realm, the fact that Lucy really was Henry’s daughter after all, just as she’d been telling them all along. Killian sat down heavily on the chair behind him and put his head in his hands while everyone else enjoyed a happy reunion.

He struggled to put the pieces of his life together in his mind, but he had lived so many years, it was like a 5000 piece puzzle had just been dumped out on a table in front of him. Fragments of memories flashed before his eyes: Smee clapping him on the shoulder, Liam issuing a command from the helm of the Jewel, his father hitting him hard enough to knock him to the floor, Milah laughing over a dice game, crossing dulled practice swords with a younger Henry, waking up in bed with his wife. Emma. He gasped as his worst fear struck him. Emma was back in Storybrooke, and he wasn’t with her.

“Grandma!” he heard Lucy say, and he looked up to see her run into Regina’s arms. The touching sight brought to mind more recent years in the realm where Henry and Cinderella’s story had begun, years when he had longed for Emma and yet somehow had not been worried that she was alone. Shaking his head in confusion, he struggled to remember when he’d left Storybrooke, and why.

Then it hit him, and if he hadn’t already been sitting he probably would have collapsed. The other him. He could remember coming to Henry’s rescue and being confronted with another version of himself.

“Do you remember?”

Killian looked up to see Henry had come over to check on him.

“It’s… I fear my memories are playing tricks on me, lad.” His voice was hoarse.

“Yeah, you told us that you would have trouble piecing it together, right before it was time for you to go back to Storybrooke.” He smirked. “Rude of your future self not to mention that we were all going to get cursed, though.”

“That… that was real? I met myself… from the future?”

Henry nodded, his eyes full of compassion, and sat down next to him. “It was real. A decade ago, you and my moms came through a portal because I needed help, and…” He paused, his eyes closing briefly as something like guilt washed over his face. “And then not long after, future you showed up and told all of us that he would have to return to Storybrooke with Emma, while present you would have to stay here.”

“Why? I haven’t seen my wife in ten years just because of some…”

“Time travel paradox? I know.” Henry’s hand settled on Killian’s back in a comforting gesture. “But if you hadn’t been with us… Remember when Lucy was born? It took everything you and Regina had to keep us safe. I’ll… I’ll never be able to repay you for everything you sacrificed for us.” Killian’s eyes followed Henry’s gaze over to Jacinda and Lucy.

“Repayment doesn’t enter into it when it’s family.” He could remember a little more now — could remember the certainty that he would willingly sacrifice anything for Henry’s safety, even his happy ending with Emma — but much of it was still fuzzy.

“So how do you get back to Mom?” Henry asked.

Killian clenched his jaw, still feeling anxious even though he remembered now that if things went according to plan, Emma wouldn’t have to be without him the way he’d been without her. “I haven’t the foggiest.”

“Well, we should probably talk to Grandpa, then.”

“I assume you mean Rumpelstiltskin and not Charming,” Killian said, even as he was internally reeling once again. All of that time he’d spent with Weaver, not knowing what he really was. What their history really was. It was enough to drive a person completely mad.

“Yeah.” Henry looked over at his family again, his expression full of longing. It was obvious that he was torn between his desire to reconnect with his wife and child and an obligation to help his stepfather reunite with his own family.

“Go be with them,” Killian said. “I’ll find the Crocodile.”

“Wow, I haven’t heard you call him that in a while.” Henry’s face once more swam with guilt. “I can come with you; it’s the least I can do.”

Killian shook his head firmly. “You need to be with your wife and daughter right now.” He clapped his stepson on the back. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Okay, just… don’t do any time traveling without saying goodbye, all right?”

“I won’t, my boy.”

“I haven’t heard you call me that in a while either,” Henry said with a smile. “I missed it.”

~*~

“I wondered when you’d turn up,” Rumple said, sitting at the bar and swirling dark liquor in a glass. A half-full bottle of whiskey sat at his side.

Killian walked forward. “Why am I not surprised you broke into Roni’s when it was closed?”

“I don’t think Regina will mind.” He tipped the remaining contents of his glass into his mouth. “Join me for a drink?”

“I’ll pass, thanks all the same.”

Rumple spun around on his barstool and regarded him impassively. “Ah yes, I suppose you’ve got no time to waste, eh? You’ve got a time loop to close.”

“I was hoping you would know something about that, Dark One. How do I do it? How do I get back in time to meet Emma when we came through the portal to help Henry all those years ago?”

Rumple’s eyes widened, and then he threw back his head and laughed.

Killian felt a sharp pain in his jaw as he clenched it. “What’s so bloody funny?”

Just as quickly as he had laughed, Rumple’s face dropped back into a sneer. “What’s funny is that you somehow stumbled into a way to not be separated from your wife and to help your stepson simultaneously, and you don’t even know how you did it. If that’s not textbook Captain Hook, then I don’t know what is.”

“Are you implying that my life has been easy?” Killian said, narrowing his eyes and clenching his fist.

“I’m implying that you’re far too stupid to have lived as long as you have.” He turned back to the bar and refilled his glass. “In any case, I haven’t the slightest idea how you traveled in time in the first place, only that you did. I locked off Storybrooke, and lo and behold there was one Captain Hook there, and one in the realm where Henry met his bride. As if one of you weren’t more than enough.”

“What do you mean, you locked off Storybrooke?” Killian said, stepping up to the bar next to his old enemy.

Rumple raised an eyebrow at him. “This curse really scrambled your brain, didn’t it, old man? Or was it existing in two places in this realm at once that did it? In any case, yes, when I realized the dark power that was rising, thanks mostly to my grandson’s taste in women, I locked Storybrooke off. No portal passage, no mirror messages, no magical sea shell telephone calls, nothing. Not until that dark power was defeated.”

Killian slammed his fist down on the bar. “So the reason I’ve had no contact with my wife in a decade is because of you?”

“I’m fairly certain you are the architect of your separation from your wife. And if I hadn’t protected Storybrooke, then everyone you know and love there would have been destroyed. So you’re welcome. Not to mention, every moment you and your future self exist in the same realm destabilizes the universe. It’s a miracle you didn’t cause a paradox that resulted in everything just winking out of existence. But yes, by all means, blame me.”

“I apologize,” Killian forced himself to say, his throat constricting as if to keep the words in.

“You aren’t the only one with a family in Storybrooke. And unlike you, I don’t get to travel back in time and experience all the things with my son that I missed.” Rumple blinked balefully at him.

Killian felt sudden sympathy for the Crocodile, which was a foreign emotion when it came to this man. “You could come with me.”

His glass slamming on the table, Rumple stood up. “No, I can’t. I can’t, because I didn’t. Don’t you get it? You being in Storybrooke for the last few years may be in your future, but it’s in my past. I can’t be there because I wasn’t there.”

Running his hand over his face in frustration, Killian exhaled sharply. “Well, I can’t be there either if I don’t figure out how it works.”

“And that will create a paradox that will tear apart the realm. You must have left yourself a message. Instructions. A magical object. Think. Is there something in your apartment here in Seattle? Something you couldn’t identify while you were cursed?”

He thought about the sad little place that Detective Rogers had called his home. “No, nothing.”

“Here you are, finally,” Zelena proclaimed as she marched through the door. “I’ve been looking all over for this place.” Regina was following close behind her. “Imagine my surprise, running into my sister on the street and finding out she owns a bar!”

“I was cursed,” Regina muttered, glaring at the two men. “You’re gonna pay for what you drank.”

“Since when does the Evil Queen care about a little bit of cheap booze?” Rumple said.

“Can we focus, please?” Zelena interrupted. “Hook, I have something for you.” She held out a wooden box that sparked a memory of the Jolly Roger. He could almost smell the salt air, looking at that box.

“Where did you get that?”

“You gave it to me in Storybrooke. Along with a date and a location: Roni’s bar, in a little neighborhood called Hyperion Heights in Seattle, Washington. Robyn and I decided to make a cross-country road trip out of it. I have to say, Mount Rushmore was a bit of a let-down. Too many dicks on the dance floor.”

“Zelena, can you please get on with explaining what brought you here?” Regina said.

“There’s not much else to tell.” She took a deep breath. “Hook came to me several weeks ago in Storybrooke. He had this box, which was locked, and asked me to bring it 3000 miles and deliver it right here, right now. Said that the fate of his family and possibly the entire realm depended on me doing this.” She squinted at Killian. “So are you a clone? An alternate universe version of yourself? Or did you take an airplane here just to fuck with me?”

“He’s the same person, just earlier in his timeline than the one who gave you that box in Storybrooke,” Rumple supplied.

“Ah, that explains the other thing you told me, which was that when I got to Seattle, I was not reveal anything about Emma or… anyone else in town. I suppose you were afraid it would muck up the timeline if you knew too much.”

“Can you unlock the box?” Regina asked him.

“It's keyed to my hook, which I don't have,” he said, looking down at the functional prosthetic hand he'd worn when he thought his name was Rogers. “Oh, right, I have that too,” Zelena said, snapping her fingers and reaching into her handbag. She rooted around for a minute before finally producing the shiny metal appendage. Taking the hook from Zelena, Killian turned it around and slid the key in the base of it into the keyhole on the chest. Giving it a ninety-degree turn, the lock clicked open.

“That’s a handy trick,” Zelena commented as he opened the lid.

Everyone peered inside.

“Is that the Black Fairy’s wand?” Regina reached in and took it out.

“That it is,” Rumple said darkly, staring at it. “Taken out of my shop, I’d wager.”

Killian was already reading the instructions that were also in the box, written out in his own careful handwriting. “You’re welcome to keep it, once it gets me where I need to go,” he said, his eyes on the page. Once he’d digested the directions, he passed them over to Regina to read. “Think you can handle it?” he asked her once she’d also read them.

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” She eyed him. “How much do you remember about that day you’re returning to?”

“Almost nothing. It’s like…” He tried to remember it again, tried to force his mind to go back and imagine it, facing another copy of himself, and he squeezed his eyes shut at a sharp pain in his forehead. “It’s like every time I try to think about it, my mind slides away. Trying to force myself to remember makes my head hurt.”

“Probably a side effect of time travel. Or of meeting yourself. It’ll be interesting to see how your mind processes it once you’ve experienced it from the other side,” Regina said, her curiosity clearly piqued.

“Well, I suppose you can ask me yourself, if you’re going back to Storybrooke,” he said to her.

She didn’t respond to that, consulting the spell instructions again. “Are you ready to do this?”

“I need to see Henry again first,” he said, his heart pounding in his chest. “I won’t be able to see any of you for a long, long time, and…” He could hardly process what he was feeling, impatience about finally being with his wife again but a deep sadness that he’d be saying goodbye to his stepson.

“Call him,” Regina said, her eyes full of sympathy. “We can wait.”

Henry came barreling through the door of the bar only a few minutes later with Lucy on his heels.

“It’s time?” he asked Killian.

“Yeah.” Killian pulled Henry into a hug, squeezing as hard as he could. “I’m going to miss you, son.”

“You’ll see me in the past, before you return to Storybrooke with Emma. As I recall, it takes a day or so for the portal to Storybrooke to reopen.”

Killian digested that information. He honestly couldn’t recall what had occurred on that day. “I’ll need to keep my distance, though, lest I reveal anything about your future,” he said, tilting his head down toward Lucy.

“Good point,” Henry conceded.

“Will you bring the family to Storybrooke soon? Your mother will have been missing you terribly. And she’ll want to meet your family.”

“I promise, I’ll see you soon,” Henry said, his voice raspy from barely restrained tears.

“Bye, Grandpa,” Lucy said, and Killian bent down to hug her.

“Bye, Petal,” he said, the nickname he had for her prior to the curse coming easily to his tongue. “From your perspective, you’ll see me again in no time.”

“Finally I’ll get to visit Storybrooke!” she said excitedly, looking up at her dad. “And I’ll get to meet my aunt or uncle, right?” she said.

At the mention of his own child, Killian turned to look at Zelena, but she turned purposefully away. He wasn’t going to get even a hint about his future out of her, it seemed. “After I’ve gone, Zelena can tell you if it’s an aunt or an uncle,” he said cheerfully to Lucy, ignoring the nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him that it might be neither. Emma had only been a few weeks pregnant, and any number of tragedies might have befallen his family. There might not be a child at all. He wanted to grab hold of Zelena and shake her until she at least told him if his baby had been born. Instead, he gave his granddaughter a kiss on the cheek and stood up.

“I’m ready, Regina.”

~*~

Storybrooke, Years Ago

“I’m afraid to tell people,” Emma whispered, her chilled hand resting against the open V of his shirt. She kept her eyes trained on the flames dancing in the fireplace. Killian reached down and adjusted the afghan over their legs with his hook while he pulled Emma closer with the arm wrapped around her. He returned his hand to stroking her hair. “We don't have to tell anyone until you’re ready, my love.” “I have a feeling it’ll be obvious way before I’m ready.” To him, it was obvious already. He’d seen the small swell of her belly that morning as she stood before the closet in her underwear, and the sight had been so arresting, it had made him stumble over his own feet. “I just know the minute I tell people, something will go wrong,” Emma sighed. “Nothing will go wrong. The doctor said everything is fine.” “She said that last time too. A few weeks later…” Emma didn’t have to remind him what had happened a few weeks later. The way she’d started to bleed, and how by the time he’d gotten her to the hospital, there was so much blood that Killian had been terrified he’d lose them both. But Emma hadn’t been in any danger, the doctor had told them, even as she had broken the terrible news that the pregnancy was over. These sorts of miscarriages likely indicate that something was wrong with the fetus, she’d said. This is a common occurrence, and it doesn’t mean you won’t get pregnant again and have a healthy baby.

But it had taken them so long to conceive in the first place, and as Emma had sobbed into his chest that night, she’d expressed the fear that was in his own heart: that they weren’t meant to have a child of their own. Seven months later there was another positive pregnancy test, and a tentative, terrified hopefulness bloomed between them as they contemplated the future. “Everything's going to be fine, love.” He ran the flat of his hook over her abdomen. “We're going to have a baby.” “Yeah.” Emma sighed heavily. “I just—” There was a knock on the door. Killian looked over his shoulder and glared at the painted wood, wondering who was disturbing their peaceful evening, while his wife untangled herself from him to go and open the door. “Henry needs us,” Regina said without preamble, marching into the room with little concern for niceties. “What do you mean?” Emma asked. “He sent one of your bottle messages.” She pulled the clear, glass bottle out of her purse and uncapped it. “Help, I’ve been captured by Lady Tremaine,” Henry’s voice projected from the bottle clearly. “Send Emma, Regina, and Captain Hook!” Emma was already reaching for her jacket. “You stay, love. Regina and I can go.” He opened an end table drawer and pulled out two iridescent beans, tucking one in his pocket for later. At least eight others were nestled in the drawer. Once nearly impossible to come by, the restored crop of magic beans was finally flourishing, and he had collected a nice cache of the tiny passports that allowed them to cross realms. “Why wouldn’t Emma go?” Regina said indignantly. Killian met his wife’s eyes, trying to think of an excuse, but Emma just rolled her eyes.

“I’m pregnant, and Killian’s being overprotective,” she explained. “Because of the miscarriage.”

Regina’s eyes softened; she’d been a surprising source of comfort (albeit her own brand of pragmatic, analytical comfort) when they’d lost the baby. “That’s wonderful, Emma.”

“We don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into in Henry’s realm,” Killian said.

“All the more reason to go in with as much firepower as we can,” Emma replied.

“Regina and I can handle it.” The thought of his wife rushing into danger right now made him sick to his stomach. “If I don’t have to worry about you, then I can focus on Henry. Please, love.”

Emma groaned. “Way to guilt trip me. Okay, fine. But hurry, please?”

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m sure we’ll make all haste, darling.”

“Just don’t tell Henry yet, okay? Especially about… you know. What we’ve gone through. I don’t want him worrying and rushing back here just for me.”

“He’ll want to know he’s going to have a sibling, Emma,” Regina pointed out.

“I know, but I’m not ready to tell him yet.”

“I promise, not a word to Henry,” Killian said, cutting off any further protestation from Regina as he went to stand beside her, hastily buckling on his sword belt. “Are you ready?”

“Don’t open a portal in here,” Emma said, collapsing on the sofa and covering herself up with the afghan again. “It’ll blow everything around and make a mess. “Go out in the yard. And be careful! And tell Henry I love him!”

~*~

A Fairy Tale Realm, Years Ago

“I still think it’s a mistake, not telling him the truth about why Emma didn’t come with us,” Regina murmured to him as they followed Henry through the forest to his cottage.

“She’s feeling superstitious about it. As you recall, it wasn’t long after we’d announced the pregnancy to everyone that she lost the baby. She just hated…” He scraped his hook against a tree trunk. He wasn’t sure if he’d need to find his way back to the location where their portal had opened up, but he wasn’t taking any chances. “She hated people looking at her with pity. That’s why she valued your friendship during that time so much. You didn’t look at her that way.”

“That’s just my cold, standoffish nature,” Regina said with a sardonic smirk.

Killian chuckled. “Whatever the reason, she found it helpful.”

They moved in silence for a while. “So…” Regina drawled. “Henry’s fallen in love with another version of Cinderella?”

“Looks that way.” He scraped a mark in another tree trunk.

“I’m not sure I approve.”

“I’m not sure your approval matters, love. He’s a man grown, leading his own life.”

“I don’t approve of that either,” she said with another smirk, “especially in a realm without modern contraceptives.”

“Do I need to have a man-to-man talk with him about potions now? And here I thought I’d finished with all of that.”

Regina laughed, causing Henry to turn around and glance at them. She lowered her voice again and whispered. “You’re having a baby, remember? You’re starting it all over again. Perhaps with a daughter this time.”

Killian groaned.

“Here it is,” Henry called as he broke through into a clearing up ahead. “Home, sweet home.”

Regina and Killian emerged to see a small, rather run-down hovel. ‘Modest’ was probably the most charitable way it could be described.

“It’s… nice,” Regina said, visibly trying not to recoil.

“Come on in, I’ll get you something to drink and we can talk about what to do next.”

Before they could act on his invitation, a spinning golden portal opened up in the clearing, and Emma Swan rushed through it, her hair in disarray and her red jacket askew on her shoulders.

“Sorry, I couldn’t wait,” she said as the portal closed, and looked at Henry. “Oh my God, you’re so tall!” She ran into his arms.

“Mom!” Henry said, grinning widely and hugging her back. “I thought you were fighting a swarm of tiny dragons.”

Emma pulled away and eyed Killian. “Is that what you came up with? No, Killian wanted me to rest and I thought I could, but I had to see you.”

“Why did you need to rest, are you okay?” Henry asked.

“Yeah, I’m great.” She glanced at Killian and Regina, then back at her son. “I’m pregnant.”

“Oh, Mom, that’s fantastic news!” He hugged her again and then glared at Killian. “You weren’t going to tell me this?”

“Emma asked me not to!” he protested.

“Sorry, sorry, I did,” Emma admitted. “We’re not telling people yet, but…” she paused, giving her son a grinning shrug. “I missed you, kid.”

“I missed you, too.”

Before they could hug each other again, or go inside Henry’s hovel for a drink, or strategize about how to handle Lady Tremaine, another portal opened.

And another Hook stepped out of it.

Chapter 2

[csstorybook]

4x15 Poor Unfortunate Soul    

Heart and Soul

 A collaborative story written by @flslp87   @hellomommanerd   @hollyethecurious   @winterbaby89   and artwork by @hopeandbeans   .  Thanks for stepping up girls.  

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

A deleted scene that starts just as Ursula stops Emma and the others from saving August. Rating -K

Emma gritted her teeth in frustration. You would think that fighting on the side of good would make things go your way.  The plan to rescue August had started out smoothly enough, with Snow getting the jump on Cruella, and August, adult August, being released to put an end to whatever Gold had up his sleeve. But no. Ursula appeared and Emma’s heart sank.

“No one is going anywhere,” Ursula said, and her tone sent a chill through Emma’s spine.

This could not be happening. Killian had told Emma he was sure he could help Ursula with whatever the problem was that put the sea goddess on the side of the villains, but now she was here and he was not.

“Where the hell is Hook?” Emma demanded. “What did you do to him?” Multiple scenarios flashed through Emma’s imagination, and none of them had a good outcome. That pirate was so sure, so confident that he could survive anything, and all Emma could think was that once again, he’d marched right into danger.

Ursula sneered at her. “Sorry, sweetheart, your boyfriend is shark bait.”

No. NO.

The witch grabbed her mother, winding her tentacles around her neck and the meaning was clear. She’d taken Killian and now she was going to take her family. Panic and rage surged through Emma, and she raised her hands, willing to do whatever her magic allowed to defend them.

But Ursula was having none of it. “Drop those hands or your mother here is going to need gills to breathe.”

Every ounce of her being wanted to lash out, but Emma knew the other woman had power. If what she said was true, then Hook… Hook was. No, she couldn’t give into that, and so she dropped her hands and tried reason, telling Ursula that she really didn’t want to do this. Hook and Regina had wanted to change, and maybe she could convince this woman, too.

~~~CS~~~

Killian closed his eyes and breathed in the familiar sea air. It had been far too long since he’d stood on the deck of his ship, feeling the motion of the water and the sound of the breeze in the sails.

He could hardly believe his luck that Ariel had turned up for him at the exact right time, and with the exact right talent for what he needed.  It was taking longer than Killian had wished for Ariel to retrieve the Sea King, but he was grateful for her assistance nonetheless. After everything he’d done he still couldn’t believe the mermaid had agreed to help him, much less save his life. He couldn’t help but smirk as he touched his cheek, remembering her enthusiastic greeting as he’d woken up earlier. Aye, he deserved that slap, and the others the mermaid had bestowed on him over the past year, just as he had deserved his dunking in the sea that Ursula had given him today.

After giving Ariel the sincere apology she had coming, Killian had laid out his plain, and she had been willing to do whatever he needed. He supposed some of that was gratitude for being freed from the bottle that had once contained the Jolly Roger, but, in truth, he knew it was because she was a hero who had always been open to doing the right thing.  The other mermaids most certainly hated her for that, and his chagrin over his past betrayal of her rose a notch.

On that thought, he heard a loud thump on the deck behind him, and turned to see the pretty red headed woman and an angry, glowering Sea King. Poseidon was on board, and Killian was well aware as he watched Poseidon raise his trident that he was undoubtedly about to be killed.

~~~CS~~~

Emma could not give into her emotions, not when there was so much saving to be done, but nothing was going right. Ursula would not be reasoned out of her rage. What had the woman done to Killian? Could she really have drowned him? It didn’t seem possible that a man who had survived hundreds of years and was constantly rushing into danger could be gone just like that, but she pushed the thoughts aside again. It was just too much to deal with, that she could somehow lose him. There had to be a way out of this mess.

Panic had even taken hold of her father. David’s hand kept twitching, wanting to use his sword, but afraid of losing his wife if he fought back. How could these villains keep using love as a weapon? Did being the Savior mean that she would never have love in her life because it made her weak?

She couldn’t accept that.

~~~CS~~~

Once again, Killian owed Ariel his life, for Poseidon had lifted his staff as a formal, if reserved, greeting. Before bringing him to the Jolly Roger, she had gone so far as to inform the sea king that Killian’s intentions were pure in his desire to unite him with his long-lost daughter. “You have my thanks,” he told her.

She smiled at him. “Any time, captain.” And with a soft splash off the port bow, she was away to be reunited with her prince.

As the men hastened toward the cabin to try and locate Ursula, Poseidon informed Killian as to why they’d been unable to extract the voice from within the shell, and assured him that he was more than ready to help right the wrong for which they were both culpable.                                                            

As they approached the cabin Killian could hear the raised voices. First Emma’s, and then Ursula’s, and then silence. Poseidon’s expression grew grim, and his hold on this trident tightened. Killian raised his hand and they stopped.

“Let me go first,” Killian suggested.

Poseidon didn’t seem convinced. “If Ursula decides to act against them, you won’t be able to stop her.

Killian nodded his understanding, but he had thought this through. “You and I both know that she doesn’t want to do harm, she’s just in pain, and with you here, I can help with that.” Poseidon stepped back, granting his approval.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” he heard Ursula argue as he approached the door. “I can’t have him leave with you – not when the Author is the only one who can give me what I want.”

Killian pushed the door open. “That’s not true,” he called out as he made his way into the cabin. Emma turned anxious eyes toward him, and her shoulders dropped as she released the breath she’d been holding. The shift from tension to relief at his appearance a palpable transition that seemed to ripple through the room.

“How are you still breathing?” Ursula exasperated, drawing a smirk from his lips.

He spared a quick glance Emma’s way, wanting to go to her, but knowing that right now that couldn’t be his priority. He was here to make things right. “I’m good at surviving, or you’re bad at killing. Either way, you don’t need the Author to get what you want.” He approached her, knowing that at any time she might choose to end him for good this time. Best to be on about it. “I know why you couldn’t release your voice from that shell. Only the one who enchanted it can do that.”

“Wait, you don’t mean…” Ursula whispered in hopeful hesitancy.

“Aye,” he confirmed and her father made his entrance.

Killian stood transfixed at the sight before him as father and daughter reunited and lay to rest the misery he’d had a hand in causing. Overwhelmed by the knowledge that he had restored another’s happy ending, he glanced over and caught the eyes of his. Emma. The happy ending, he never thought he’d find, the happy ending he wasn’t sure he even deserved.

She moved over to him, tucking herself against him, and he pulled her closer, resting his hook against her hip. He couldn’t help but take a moment to enjoy how good it was to hold her and feel how thankful he was to be with her, again.

All too soon they had to deal with the realization that one of their quarry had slipped away, and a silent nod of gratitude from Ursula, the team of heroes hurried themselves in retreat from the cabin, but Killian found himself unable to join their ranks. He may no longer be a villain but he was far from a hero, and now more than ever he felt haunted by the words Regina had spoken at the helm of his ship.

Villains don’t get Happy Endings.

~~~CS~~

Emma had never been a touchy-feely person, but here she was holding onto this pirate, half afraid that if she let go she would lose him again. Something had changed inside of her and it didn’t matter that her family or anyone else was around to see how she felt about being reunited with him. She let her hand drift over his chest and the leather of his jacket, still feeling traces of dampness there that let her know Ursula hadn’t been bluffing about his fate.  She could sense that Killian was still uneasy, could feel the tension in his body as he held her. Despite the happy turn of events, he wore a look that she could only describe as brooding as he walked away from her. The feeling of loss was immediate. Emma Swan, who had spent her entire life building a shell around her heart so that she couldn’t, wouldn’t ever rely on anyone else, had become a woman who needed people in her life – Henry, her parents, and this man.

She finally let her guard down and let what had just happened wash over her; the fear and the anger and the panic and the sheer relief and happiness that it was over and that he was still safe. Killian, though, didn’t seem happy or relieved at all. She moved to him, not understanding. “Hook, what’s wrong? You gave Ursula everything she wanted.”

“But I almost didn’t, love.” His words were soft, but honestly was in every syllable. “I was so desperate to figure out what the Crocodile was up to, I almost became the man I used to be. You have no idea how easy it is to fall back into the darkness.” She could hear the venom laced with despair in his voice as he spoke, and though it wasn’t aimed at her, it still sent a chill down her spine. It’s wasn’t until he’d almost finished speaking that he finally turned to look at her.

Filled with the overwhelming urge to reassure him, that he was a hero, Emma got as close as she possibly could to him and stated with confidence, “Whatever mistakes you made with Ursula, you fixed.”

“Aye, but it’s a stark reminder of something.”

At the ominous tone of his comment Emma’s defenses piqued causing her to take a step back, as she questioned, “What?”

“With all this talk of authors and the book, we’ve never discussed one fact. I was a villain.”

Relief surged through her at his statement, because she had already determined that this was something that she could assuage his guilt on, by saying, “But you’re not anymore.”

“Neither was Regina, but she still lost her happy ending. If we are to believe the rules of the book, then It’s only a matter of time before I lose mine.”

She really hadn’t known what he was going to say, but hearing that this was about his happy ending took her by surprise. Killian had been through so much, and had given up so much that had meaning to him. He’d left his life in the Enchanted Forest, his crew, and even his ship. He loved the sea, and yet here he was in a tiny town, talking about losing something that was precious to him. “Wait, if you’re afraid of losing your happy ending, that means you found it. What is it?”

She could see the tears beginning to form in the corner of his eyes as he confessed, “Don’t you know, Emma? It’s you.”

She was overwhelmed by feelings she wasn’t ready to name as well as how this man constantly wore his heart on his sleeve for her.  And as she listened to him tell that nothing, in all the years of his life, meant more to him than she did, caused the tears that she had been holding at bay, to spill from her eyes.  For the first time in her life, she was hearing words that she had never expected to hear.  In that moment, she knew that she felt the same way.  That this man was in her blood and the thought of ever having to go on without him was terrifying.  

Unable to fathom a response, she closed the distance between them and kissed him, slowly and tentatively, the tears still spilling down her face. She savored his taste and the soft touch of his breath on her skin. Deepening the kiss, she tried with her actions to show him how she felt, even without words.  As she went in for another kiss, she could finally feel some of the tension ease out of Killian’s demeanor, just as they were rudely interrupted.

Poking his head back in through the open door, David cleared his throat and said, “Uh… guys. Not to ruin the moment, but Gold is probably already on his way back here… we should really get going.”

“Your father is right, love,” Killian said, his voice still low, but rough his emotions – their emotions. “We should depart before the crocodile comes back.” Holding onto his arm, they made their way through the front door, and down the porch steps.  She should probably go back with her parents, but couldn’t seem to let go of her time with Killian. “I guess we should go to the loft,” she said, reluctantly.

He seemed to feel the same way, as he added, “I do need to go check on the Jolly, I only had moments with her.”

Emma paused mid-stride.  “Wait, the Jolly is back?” She turned to gauge his reaction as she asked her question.

A beautiful smile bloomed taking over his handsome features as he responded with a wistful, “Aye.”

~~~CS~~~

As they left the cabin and began walking toward the docks, Emma kept replaying the last few hours in her mind, and the ones that played over and over again were that Hook almost didn’t come back to her and his confession.  Essentially, he had bared his soul to her and what had she done?   Slammed up those walls on the words just like she always did and kissed him.   Not told him how she felt when Ursula had said he was shark bait.   And more importantly, not given him the words that were swimming in her head when he told her she was his happy ending.   Something told her she needed to remedy that and now.  

“Killian,” his name still felt new on her lips even though she had thought of him that way for quite some time. “We need to talk.” She stopped walking to wait for his answer.  

“Aye, love.  We can talk on the Jolly Roger.”

Emma watched him take a few steps before realizing that she hadn’t followed, but it felt wrong somehow to talk on the ship. They needed to go somewhere alone, other than the Jolly Roger or his room at Granny’s, and the loft was where they were taking August, “No, can we go somewhere else to talk?”

He tilted his head staring intently into her eyes, making her feel as if he was seeing inside her soul and pulling all those emotions that she was keeping close right out of her.  “Sure, Swan,” he finally answered his voice sounding perplexed, “lead the way.”

When he answered, his blue eyes were swirling with things that in the past, she would have chosen to ignore, but tonight, her goal was to find the words to take away any questions that he might be having.  She was in this with him and he needed to know that.  

~~~CS~~~

As he walked beside Emma with her hand in his, he wondered what she wanted to talk about, because in his experience when a woman said they wanted to talk, it usually wasn’t a good thing. Had he said too much?  And did she understand what he was really saying to her?   That he loved her but that he knew she wasn’t ready to hear those three words yet.   She hadn’t said anything back to him, but he hadn’t really expected her too, after all he was sure she was worried about August and her mother.  

Perhaps he should have waited to tell her, but in that moment, he couldn’t hide anything from her. There had been too much of that already.

He recognized the terrain, and that she was taking him down to the bench by the water, a place that he personally thought of as their bench. It was where she’d run to before they’d been pulled into the time portal, and he knew it was where she liked to be alone. This might indeed be a conversation that didn’t bode well for him, in spite of her soft kisses and their loosely linked fingers.  He waited for her to sit, and then settled beside her, careful to not crowd her.  She reached over to run her fingers along the curves of his hook and looked uncertainly into his face.

“It’s okay, love. You can tell me.”

“I…”  

Emma’s voice trailed off and Killian waited, not knowing if her next words would break his heart or send it soaring.

“I like kissing you,” she said.

His heart was amused.

“What I mean to say is,” she continued, with a light blush on her cheeks and her gaze rising to look at him, moving from his eyes to his hair, glancing across the scar on his cheek, and finally settling on his mouth, “sometimes it’s just easier for me to show you how I’m feeling instead of, you know…”

“You aren’t much for illuminating conversation, Swan.”

“Not my strong suit,” she admitted.

Her hair shone in the late afternoon sunlight, and he reached out to feel the softness of it, letting it fall between his fingers. She seemed to relax at his touch and he let his thumb trace across her cheek to her mouth and linger on her bottom lip. “I rather like kissing you, too, Emma.”

The corner of her lips hitched upward, and she tilted her head at him, wryly asking, “Even if I’m doing that instead of telling you what I’m feeling?”

His thumb drifted down to the cute little cleft in her chin. “You will tell me when you’re ready,” he said.

“What if I’m ready now?” she asked.

Killian had always had the knack for reading people, something that had saved his neck a multitude of times over the past few centuries, and yet Emma had always been somewhat of an enigma to him. He would be lying if he said that it didn’t intrigue him.

~~~CS~~~

As his hand drifted along her cheek, Emma’s heart was racing so fast that she wasn’t sure it would stay in her chest.  The words to tell him what was in her heart kept running around in her head but getting her tongue to articulate them was another story.  They welled up inside but then as soon as she opened her mouth, they dissipated into thin air.  

Trying to relax herself, she picked up his chains and fingered the charms hanging around his neck, “Tell me how you got the Jolly back,” she finally asked, thinking if they talked about something else for a bit, the words she wanted to say would return.  

His smile told her that he knew exactly what she was doing but then settling back in the bench and stretching his legs out in front of them he proceeded to spin a tale about what had transpired earlier in the day, glossing over his treatment of Ursula and subsequent dunking in the cold waters of the sea.  

When his tale had wound down, Emma gave him a sideways grin, “So, not only did you help return Ursula’s happy ending today, but you also helped return Ariel’s too.”

He looked taken aback for a minute but returned her smiled, “It was the right thing to do.”

“It was.” She agreed, her nervous fingers playing over the leather of his jacket sleeve while trying to decide what to say next.  “Killian?”

“I’m here, love.  You can say anything to me.”

How can he just sit there so calmly, she wondered, as she looked into the blue of his eyes, not seeing any signs of impatience or frustration?  She took a deep breath, “When Ursula told me you were shark bait something inside of me shifted, Killian.  I realized that perhaps what you had been saying to me was something that I really needed to ‘listen’ to and not just hear.”

He tilted his head, giving her a little smirk, “And which one of my prodigious statements resonated with you at that moment, Swan?”

“The one where you said perhaps I should start living my life during the crisis, or I might miss it.” Twisting on the bench toward him, she gently touched his face.  “I don’t want to miss it any longer, Killian.”

Killian clasped her hand with him and rubbed his thumb back and forth across her knuckles, “I’m happy to hear that, Swan.”

“And,” she took a deep breath, ready to plunge into uncharted territory, and his quirked eyebrow gave her the last bit of encouragement that she needed. “And you, this thing we have and me being with you,” she looked into his eyes, “it gives me hope that I can have something I never thought I could. The idea of losing that…”

This time, he was the one who kissed her, letting her know without words that he understood.  He had told her she was his happy ending, and those words had filled her heart because almost losing him had shown her that her happy ending would not be possible without him.  She melted into him, and this time, when their lips finally separated, there were no tears.

“So,” she said, “about the Jolly Roger…

He gave her a soft smile and straightened, putting a small distance between them. “I do need to go back. There is some information Ursula is going to share with me about what the Crocodile and the others have planned, and she needs to get away before they find her.”

Once again, he seemed to understand what she needed without her telling him. “And I need to get back to my parents and check on August.”  Some time with her family would help her come to grips with what Killian had come to mean to her.  There was one thing that she knew for sure, though – she was done hiding the fact that he was in important part of her life now.

She watched him leave, appreciating the view and the fact that he was hers.

[traceyaudette]

Gone

Requested by @homicidalteenagedream said:can you do a request for Jax and reader? something heartbreaking but happy ending? thank you! love your writing

Trigger Warning: Thoughts of suicide

I looked out the window of the prison I’d been kept in for the past three years. I closed my eyes, thinking of my husband  Jax. I could still imagine how he looked  when we first met.  He was offended when his panty dropping smile didn’t impress me, and he had to work to get my attention.

I made him chase me, I played hard to get, I told him that if he had to put the effort out to get me; then he’d put the effort out to keep me. It was hard for me to trust him with my heart, but when I finally did, ut was one of the greatest rewards.

I remembered our wedding day, how handsome he looked, how he looked at me as I walked towards him. It was a beautiful day, spent with family and friends. 

Nine months later, we welcomed our beautiful daughter into the world Talila. I wonder if he’d moved on, I wouldn’t have blamed him. He would need help raising our daughter, Gemma was great, but he’d need more.

My eyes filled up with tears every time I thought of Talila. I wondered who she looked like now, was she still my mini me, or was she Jax’s. Maybe as she grew she became the perfect mixture of the two. She’d be almost four now, I hadn’t seen her since she was six months old.

My heart broke wondering what she was told about me? I prayed she was told that I loved her very much, that I was taken away against my will. The thought of her and Jax, is what kept me going at first. I was hopeful of being reunited with them,

Then one year, became two, and now it was three, I was slowly giving up hope at being found by the club or any of it’s friends. Hell I didn’t know who had me, or where I was. 

The only interaction I had was with the person that shoved food through the slot in my door. Then it was only one or two word commands, today I was at my end. 

I was ready to give up all hope because I knew I wasn’t going to be found, I wasn’t going home. Jax had moved on, Talila had no idea I was her mom, to them I was dead.

I laid down on my cot, closing my eyes, knowing that this was where I would spend the rest of my life. My prayer was that I would find a way to end it quick so I wouldn’t have to suffer too many years.

XXX

Jax sat at the end of the table, Chibs sitting to his left, looking distraught. Jax knew his pain, he was going through the same thing three years ago when (Y/N) left him. 

She left Talila in their bedroom closet sleeping, and disappeared without a trace, he never got over that pain. He was still searching for her, he wanted answers. The note she left, didn’t leave any answers, it was typed. 

Dear Jax,

          I woke up this morning, and realized I can’t! I’m sorry.

(Y/N)

Chibs’ wife left with their newborn son, there was no note left, just a stripped nursery. Jax placed his hand on his VP’s arm. “We’ll find them.”

“They were taken Jackie, she wouldn’t have left me....she wouldn’t have taken my son.”  The Scotsman started to weep, laying his head on the table. Jax didn’t want to say anything, but he use to think that way about (Y/N) too.

That she wouldn’t leave him, but then she did. Jax looked over at his friend, placing his hand on his back. “Whatever it takes, we’ll bring them home.”

XXX

The door opened, I was jerked from my bed, and dragged down the hall. I could hear a baby crying down the hall. “Where are you raking me? What’s going on?”

The man said nothing, he opened the door, and shoved me into the room. I fell to the floor, I looked over to the bed, seeing a women sobbing, the baby crying next to her.

 “Hello? My name is (Y/N) Teller. Can I help you?” The women’s head snapped up, I gasped. “Anna?”

I rushed over to the bed, staring down at the baby, a smiling breaking out on my face. I knew who the daddy was, by just one look. “Where are we (Y/N)?”

I picked up the baby, and started to sway back and forth, trying to comfort the baby. “I’ve been here three tears, and I don’t know. Boy or girl?”

Anna smiled at me. “This is Gavin Tomas Telford.”

I felt the tears forming in my eyes. “Hello handsome.” I kissed his forehead. “Jax? Talila?”

She smiled sadly at me. “They miss you. Talia is healthy, smart, and beautiful. Looks exactly like you, still your mini-me. Jax is the devoted father and president.” I could tell she was keeping something, but I didn’t want to push it.

XXX

It was late that night before Jax had gotten intel on Anna and Gavin’s location. She was being held in a compound on the out skirts of town by an Irish group wanting to make a name for themselves.

Happy and Tig scouted the location, and now the rest of the club was on their way out. According to Happy and Tig, there were only two men guarding the compound.

Sneaking over the grounds, they climbed the walls, entering the building. Jax and Chibs heard Gavin crying, they headed in that direction. The rest of the club searched for the two guards.

XXX

I was rocking Gavin, trying to get him to calm down for the night. I was sure that being in a strange place, and Anna being stressed out was causing him to be tense.

I started to sing to him. 

And be a simple kind of man Be something you love and understand Be a simple kind of man Won't you do this for me son If you can?

(Lynyrd Skynyrd)

The door was kicked in, I jumped up from the rocker, and ran towards the bed. Two men came running into the room, Anna sat up, letting out a scream. I felt one of the men, trying to pry the baby from me.

I would die before I handed this precious baby over. “Give us the brat or else!”

“Piss off!” I felt something strike the back of my head, there was a gunshot, Anna screamed. I was eased to the floor, my head throbbing, the face above my wavering, I tried to keep my eyes open, but I failed.

XXX

I was laying in a bed, the familiar scents of the club house, surrounded me.  I hadn’t smelled them in three years. My head was throbbing, I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, I was afraid to, I knew when I did, I’d still be in my same prison.

That the familiar secants, were probably just a dream. That if I was laying here I had failed to protect little Gavin and Anna. I felt hands touching my face, I jerked away.

“When is she gonna open her eyes daddy?”

“Be patient Ladybug. Mamma has an ouchie on her head.”

“Is she for real my mommy? I’ve missed her for so long!”

I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to open my eyes and end this dream. I slowly opened my eyes, blinking them. Jax was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding this beautiful little girl.

I reached out to touch them both, letting out a gasp, “You’re both really here? You’re not a dream?”

Jax smiled at me, taking my hand. “We’re really here. Welcome home...”

“Hi mommy...” Talia looked at me shyly.

“Hello baby...I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you both so much.” I pushed myself up, wanting to hug my family.

“Easy (Y/N), you’ve been out for a while. We’ll come to you.” Jax gathered me in his arms, Talila wrapped her tiny arms around us,

“I love you both, so much. I thought of you every day I was gone.” I let out a sigh. “Anna and Gavin?”

Jax laid me back down. “At home with Chibs, both healthy and happy. I love you too....”

“I love you mommy!”

I reached up, caressing Jax’s face. “Take me home, so we can be a family.”

“Let’s take mommy home Talila!” The little girl smiled and nodded her head. I slowly sat up, I was ready to forget the last three years, and look towards the future,

THE END

@realpowertwix @anarchyrenegade @lolsthecat@soafanficluvr1@fortheloveofthesoa @khyharah @redwoodog@chaosmieu@thegoodthebadandtheempty @jade770 @supernaturalanarchy @lolsthecat @soafanficluvr1@fortheloveofthesoa@khyharah @redwoodog @chaosmieu @thegoodthebadandtheempty@jade770 @realpowertwix @supernaturalanarchy  @mrsirishboru @lolsthecat @soafanficluvr1@fortheloveofthesoa@khyharah@samcrolivesforever @redwoodog @ineedthesons @jade770@realpowertwix @supernaturalanarchy @hauntedduckdefendor @cherieann2001@mwesterfeld1985@clairese1980 @small-townwaywarddaughter  @winchester-negan-one-shots@mrsirishboru @undeadprincess2005 @come-join-themurder@ouijaboardmystery @chaosmieu @girl-with-no-faith-in-medicine @ineedthesons @id-rather-be-high-and-fucked@charmingsrisingson  @readerinsertimagines  @sweetchaosturtle @im-gay-for-chibbs-juiceyandtiggy

[hope-adon]

Travel Ban: An Inside Look

A colleague and I were talking the other day and she said something along the lines of, “It’s weird to see people on Facebook posting normal things and going about their lives.”

I agreed with her, because for those of us who work closely with refugees, everything changed the day the president signed the executive order. Well, maybe not exactly on that Friday, since most of us at work walked away from the coverage of the live press conference in one of our ESOL classrooms confused and wondering what exactly he’d signed, but by Saturday we all knew. The news wasn’t good.

The days that followed have been a whirlwind of mixed messages about the travel ban, last minute arrivals who were given one final chance, and worry as we tried to imagine what the next four months (and most likely the next few years) would look like for us and for the refugees who were facing long years of waiting before being given a chance at a new life.

There’s no worse feeling than telling someone “Your wife is going to join you in America very soon” and then telling him a week later “Sorry, your wife isn’t coming anymore.” It’s raw and painfully personal, something I doubt that those in charge have ever been unfortunate enough to experience. I’m sure it’s a lot easier to make blanket statements and laws about groups of people the size of ants in your perspective, and a whole different feeling when you have to stoop to their level and work up the courage to look them in the eye as you destroy their futures.

I’m going to try to dispel some falsehoods.

1)     Contrary to what the president and his supporters have been insisting, there already is a rigorous vetting process in place. It involves several agencies and departments (UNHCR, IOM, and USCIS to name a few) conducting interviews and doing background checks that last years. I was speaking with someone just today who had gone through the whole process over the course of 12 years from the moment the UN granted his family refugee status at a camp in Kenya. The next time someone says the vetting process isn’t enough, ask them this: What is the process? Most people don’t know that refugees are even vetted.

2)     People aren’t going through the refugee resettlement process to come here and blow stuff up. Refugees are registered with the UN because of just that: they are refugees. They’re escaping war and hunger. They’ve lost children and parents and siblings. They wind up in neighboring countries where they spend years in camps just existing from one moment to the next, desperate for a way out of their misery. To them, being resettled in the US is a distant dream that will most likely never happen. And when it does, it’s surreal and overwhelming. The love most of these people have for this country is unparalleled.

3)     This ban is just the tip of the iceberg. My agency welcomed its last refugee arrivals on Thursday. For everyone else who was scheduled to arrive on Friday and this coming week, their flights have been cancelled (although this latest development in the travel ban saga has made some of us hopeful that we’ll squeeze in a few more refugee families). They’ll be on standby for the next four months, but there is no guarantee that IOM will immediately fly them over. Their documents will expire. They might have to start the process over, which means more years of background checks and health screenings await them. Not to mention that the current administration isn’t just going to open its doors after these next four months. They’ve asked for changes in the vetting process—a process that works. They’ll never be satisfied. This isn’t an attempt to keep the country safe. It’s to keep refugees, immigrants, and Muslims out. Bannon’s appointment only serves to highlight this.

On the brighter side of things, I think that this travel ban has brought out the best in this country. People banding together to protest the ban, appointed officials sticking their necks out to combat the executive order, lawyers camping out at airports to fight for the rights of those affected by this (including people who are lawful residents of the US who ended up caught on the other side of the figurative-for-now wall).

I comforted a Somali mother and father separated from their daughter, who is in a camp by herself, struggling to juggle her education and her safety, with these words: There are thousands and thousands of people out there marching in the streets of America for your rights.

And you know what? They said that it helps. That it eases some of their pain knowing that complete strangers support them. It also gives them hope that, if enough people care, something might change. Their daughter might be given a new travel date soon and reunite with her family.

It’s wonderful to see that there’s so much good in this world. I only wish the circumstances were better.