#jenny: do NOT let her matchmake

[lillaydee]

One Heart Part 4

Sheriff Joel Miller / Reader

Trying and failing miserably to recover from an inconceivable loss, you accepted your best friend's invite to spend time with her and her family for a summer, hoping for a chance at a new beginning. Little did you know that the new beginning you were stepping into was a little too close to home.

WARNING:

Protective Joel (The Last of Us), Good Parent Joel (The Last of Us), Grief/Mourning, Joel is Bad at Feelings (The Last of Us), Joel Needs a Hug (The Last of Us), Ellie is mentioned, Sheriff Joel, Sarah plays matchmaker, No age gap, Joel is in his 30s, Joel is Trying His Best (The Last of Us), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Cordyceps Outbreak (The Last of Us), Fluff and Angst.

SERIES MASTER LIST

PART 3

---

You and Maria got to the restaurant almost two hours earlier than you needed to be.

Once there, You put your apron on, and began peeling potatoes. You peeled all the potatoes you could peel, and then you peeled some more. You found the carrots next, then the onions and garlic. Peel, peel, peel, slice, slice, slice, chop, chop, chop. You didn’t think. You just did. Maria didn’t say anything – just let you do these things, normally reserved for less experienced chefs, but you needed to do this, some repetition, something you could do on autopilot, breathe through, cry through, quietly, at your station, alone, unbothered.

By the time lunch service came, your mind was blank, your body moved out of your own control, it was as if you had never left the kitchen in the first place, going through the motions, your hands and body working off muscle memory that may be slightly rusty, but you still had it. And work, you found, helped you forget. About Eric, about Ellie, about the look Joel gave you when he was yelling at you. You should have done this when it all began over 18 months ago, instead of wallowing in your sadness and being unproductive in Lennie’s basement. Too late now, of course, but spending these few hours at the restaurant made you realize that you could get over this, if you focus on the work. That’s why you came to this town, after all, wasn’t it?

But once the work stopped, it all came back.

Eric’s still red grave, next to the smaller, freshly dug hole. Your beloved Ellie’s casket being carried towards its final resting place, next to her father’s. Joel accusing you of trying to poison his daughter. You didn’t know why, the gravity of those situations were nothing alike, but at that moment, they weighed the same – Eric’s grave and Ellie’s casket on your shoulders, Joel’s accusation on your head. All pressing down on you, making you feel trapped, spine uncomfortably forced down, your feet heavy, involuntarily trudging along as a result, when mere moments ago you were just gliding around the kitchen, feeling light as a feather.

You didn’t want to go home. You stayed when everyone else took a two-hour break before the dinner prep and service. You didn’t want the chance to run into him. You knew he would be at work, but what if he came back early? Was Jenny mad at you too? You just couldn’t. Knowing your history, having worked with and known you for so long, Maria didn’t attempt to talk you out of anything. She moved around you, letting you process. You’ll come around when you’re ready.

When Sarah calmed her father down that morning, pleading with him to stop yelling at you, bravely defending you, a lady she had met for the first time three days before, you realized your eyes were so close to leaking, and that you didn’t want him to see them. You refused to let him know he got to you. So, you went inside and shut the door. You spent the entirety of your time back in your house crying your eyes out. Did you really cross the line by cooking for Sarah? He accused you of trying to poison her.

You checked the ingredients you used. Eggs, rice, salt, white pepper, and a pinch of your homemade MSG from the jar you brought from home, since you didn’t have soy sauce. You even halved the amount of salt you would normally use, taking heed of what Maria said. You hand squeezed so many oranges because you didn’t have a juicer, wanting to make sure Sarah had freshly squeezed orange juice instead of store bought.

It's your fault. You shouldn’t have presumed. You knew Sarah had a… condition. One that you were really trying not to pry about. And yet you cooked for her. Joel was right to yell at you. You crossed the line. Majorly.

The moment he accused you of trying to hurt his daughter, you shut down. Did he know what happened to Ellie? Was that why he got so angry? He thought you were going to hurt Sarah too? You would rather die.

Maria consoled you, telling you that in under no circumstances did you hurt Sarah. Joel was just being his usual grumpy ass - overprotective to the point of destruction. Jenny sent you a text, telling you to pay Joel no mind. He was just jumpy, still getting used to the new normal when it came to Sarah. Come by after work, okay? We’ll have a nice cup of tea. We’ll lock Joel in the basement.

During the break, an unknown number texted you, Omera, apparently. Jenny gave her your number. She had heard what happened and assured you that you were not to blame at all. Joel was just being a jackass. She will be sure to give him an earful when he comes back from work later. Let’s bake some muesli bars, yeah? Sarah loves them. You must know many great recipes. Tommy apologized for his donkey of a brother, but never you mind, the better-looking, funnier Miller is on your side. Winky face.

You had to admit, these people made you feel better. But no amount of light-hearted jokes and defence against Joel Miller’s wrath that morning could make you face him again that day.

---

That day turned into a week. You didn’t go home at all, except to pack a bag, and that’s only because Jenny assured you Joel was out of town for the day. Sarah hugged you so tightly Jenny had to pry her tiny hands off your neck. You slept in Maria’s office at the restaurant. Joel tried to come see you several times, but the moment you realized he was there, you forced yourself to hide in the office, your heart thumping dangerously fast, overwhelmingly so. You didn’t understand it. You didn’t want to see him, you knew that. But your body gravitated towards him every time he was there, it was like you needed to see him, although your head told you that that would be a bad idea. So, you hid, Maria given the task to chase him out and ban him from the restaurant while you were not ready.

Sarah made Jenny Facetime you at nights before bed. The first time she did so, Jenny was too overwhelmed to speak, hearing her beloved granddaughter calling her Gamma for the first time. She was so inconsolable you thought something bad had happened. On the third night of the call, Sarah told you Jello would like you to sing her a song. And not just any song. THE song. The one you used to sing for Ellie. It was a generic lullaby, but it was Ellie’s favourite. So you did, thinking you would break down in tears after not singing it for so long. But you didn’t. In fact, you felt… warm.

You had to sing the lullaby every night after that.

You only went back to the tiny house when Sarah begged you to, I miss you Lady, Jello miss you too. Her puppy dog eyes should be classified as weapons of mass destruction, complete with tears brimming them, making them seem larger than they really were. How the fuck do you say no to those eyes? So, the following Sunday, after lunch service, you decided you were done sleeping on Maria’s saggy couch, going back to your twin sized day bed. When Maria dropped you off, Joel’s cruiser was there. You froze, not wanting to go out. Maria comforted you, telling you that Jenny had threatened to “take Joel golfing” if he ever raised his voice at you again. So, you’ll be fine. Do this for Sarah, please?

Fine.

Wait, why was golfing a bad thing? Huh. He must just hate golfing or something.

You hoisted your backpack onto your shoulders and walked towards your tiny temporary dwelling. You got to your front door and realized you had placed your keys in the pack, so you lowered it, sat on the small rattan chair by the door and began checking the pockets for them. You heard Jenny’s kitchen door open. You could feel your head freeze. You knew it was him. You could feel his presence. You willed your head to not turn towards him, fingers frantically searching for the keys, your breath quickening. You could hear him shuffle about, putting his shoes on maybe, and you couldn’t help but stand and began throwing things out of the bag to get to the keys. You must have looked like a crazy person.

You could hear him step down from the kitchen when you finally found your keys. You scrambled to open your door, hearing his footsteps got closer and closer, and when you finally got it unlocked, you heard his soft baritone call your name, his footsteps ceased. You stepped into your threshold, and hurriedly closed the door behind you.

You leaned against your door, your heart beating uncomfortably fast. His footsteps had stilled. But you knew he was still out there. You could still feel him. You didn’t dare move. You finally heard him got up to your tiny porch and heard some shuffling and zipping and something placed against your door. Fuck! You left your pack outside! You held your breath. Why the fuck was this place so tiny? There was literally nowhere you could go to escape from this right now. No other room you could storm into and slam the door, be farther away from him, instead of just having this one door to separate the two of you.

You felt something lean against the door from the outside, a small thud followed. You could hear his breathing through the door. Your eyes began to fill with tears, hoping to God he doesn’t say anything, cause deep down, you knew that if he did, you would open the door for him. And the scary part was? You had no idea why. Even during the week you spent at the restaurant, your body wanted to go to him. You were so confused. One part of you really didn’t want to see him again, fearing the chastising and judgments that might come from him, just as it did the other day, while the other wanted to be in his presence so bad, it left your body tingling.

The thud sounded again, the door rattling slightly. You could hear his breathing tremble. “Fuck,” you heard him whisper. And the weight left the door, his feet shuffling for a while, before his footsteps left your porch.

---

You made sure to avoid Joel Miller for the rest of the day. That evening, Omera came knocking, asking you if you would join her, Winta and Sarah for a walk around the farm. It would be nice to get to know the lady that made Sarah open up, she said. You saw no harm in this, really wanting to see Sarah again, but you couldn’t stop looking around at Jenny’s, fearing you would see the Sheriff on his day off.

“He’s not coming,” Omera assured you. “It’s just us. Please?”

You grabbed your light jacket and followed her out. Jenny’s kitchen door opened, and a very bouncy Sarah came bounding out, Lady! Lady! You come back! Jello, Lady is here! She jumped on your left foot, hugging your leg, giving Jello to you to hold. Jenny and Omera joined in the laughter, even you couldn’t stop laughing. Jenny gave you a purple water bottle, in case Sarah got thirsty. As you took it, you saw the curtain in the upstairs window move again, and rather than look, you turned and began walking towards the farm, Sarah still clinging to your left foot.

You and Omera talked, got to know each other better. She was very sweet, and kept the conversation casual, not wanting to pry at all, and in return, you did the same. She’s a single mother, worked at the day care in town. Winta’s father left her when she found out she was pregnant with Winta. Jenny, her late husband Javi and the boys stepped up, helping her out in any way they can. They took her and Winta in and helped raise her.

“They are good people. I don’t know what I would have done if not for them.”

A very handsome, dirty blonde-haired man came out of the stables, not wearing anything except for dark old jeans. Winta and Sarah squealed and took off running towards him. He easily picked both of them up in his very buff arms, showering them both in kisses. He set them down, and they went off to play with the kittens that had just been found in the stables, some older men greeting them to show the kitties. Once he knew they were safe, he turned around and kissed Omera on the cheek. He held out his hand to you.

“Hello there, you must be Lady. Benjamin Miller, another of Jenny's boys.”

“Another Miller? Did Jenny take the whole Miller brood in or something?”

“An unfortunate coincidence. Those two are lucky they’re almost good looking enough to be a Miller,” he said, giving you a cheeky wink. “Heard you performed some kind of miracle with my niece there, Lady. Can’t wait for the day she finally calls me Benny, so far only squeals, giggles and laughter from her, not that I’m complaining.”

“Don’t you mean UNCLE Benny, Ben?” Omera jabbed.

“Nah… I’m young at heart baby! Young at heart!” he pounded on his chest a bit, took his shirt off the stable door and kissed you on the cheek, telling you with an easy wink he’d be seeing you around. “Off to the Gym!” he yelled, before getting on a dirt bike and riding off.

You felt so much lighter. Omera shook her head, telling you he’s a good man, and some lucky lady was going to have the great opportunity to raise him one day. You both howled with laughter. She called the girls over, telling them it’s teatime. The four of you sat at the picnic table by the pond, Omera taking sandwiches and fruit out of her pouch for the girls to help themselves.

Sarah sat Jello down between you and her, eating an egg sandwich. You watched her eat, trying to understand the pull this girl had on you. Omera offered you a sandwich, and watched you take a bite. She warned you the mayo might be a bit underwhelming. It’s Sarah’s special mayo. Huh?

“Joel wouldn’t let us give Sarah store bought mayo, and this one,” she said, rubbing Sarah’s head over the table, “loveeessss them, don’t you?”

Sarah nodded enthusiastically, mouth full of eggs and bread.

“She loves anything with eggs in them. Took Joel a while to reconcile with that fact. Eggs are high in cholesterol, you see,” she said, her eyes looking at you playfully, meaningfully, as if you were supposed to get the joke behind it, which, you found, you did. “See, when she was sick, eating the wrong thing would mean weeks in the hospital. When she first started eating solids, she took some fries from Winta’s plate without us noticing, and this one,” she said, pinching Winta in the cheek, “loves her fries extra salty. Her face blew up within hours. All swollen. Joel freaked out. He came back from the hospital with a long list of things that we shouldn’t serve to her. She was a weak baby to begin with, always struggling to breathe, so we just… followed his orders. I know I would freak out too, if it was Winta.”

“I can imagine.” You thought of Ellie, you were lucky she didn’t have any allergies but if she did, you knew for a fact you would fight whatever and whomever to make sure the allergens never got anywhere near her.

“So, when she got better, we thought he would ease up, you know? What happened with you, had happened with every single one of us before. He almost tore Tommy’s head off for giving her a small bite off his buttered toast. I swear he didn’t talk to me for a week when he found out I gave her a small handful of those Goldfish crackers,” she said, her eyes looking at you earnestly. “Please know, it’s not you he’s attacking. He’s just scared for her.”

You kept quiet. You want to believe her. But the insecurity and hurt was still fresh.

“Joel’s a good guy, Lynn. He was not himself that morning. He was overworked, tired, emotional, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I mean, if it weren’t for him, I don’t know what I would do. He is a good guy. Give him a chance to say sorry, okay? Hear him out when he tries. Please?”

“DADDY! NO! NO LOOK!!!” Sarah yelled.

“YEAH PAPA JOEL. NO LOOK!!!” Winta joined in.

You whipped your head around. Joel was lingering near the fences leading to the farm, obviously spying on the four of you. Omera heaved a heavy sigh. She got up and walked over to him, his features full of guilt. They talked a bit, her more than him, and she placed her hand on his face, and gave him a lingering kiss on his cheek. He took her hand in his, held it for a while, and reluctantly pulled away, walking back towards the house.

Ah... You thought. She was trying to make sure you would give her man a chance. She didn’t want you to think badly of him huh? Well, he couldn’t even trust you enough to be in Sarah’s presence without spying on you, even with his lady present, so why should you hear him out? Or perhaps he thought you were going to poison his other ladies too? Was that why she had to comfort him? The cheek of this guy.

“Sorry about that,” Omera said, sitting back down. “That guy needs to learn to let go of some of his boundaries.”

Sarah began getting distracted by some ducks. So, Winta took her to the water edge, and your conversations with Omera turned light, eyes on the girls.

When you got back, you dropped Sarah off at Jenny’s, Joel opening the door. He watched as Sarah hugged you, as you gave his daughter kisses, gave Jello tickles, a small smile on his face, which quickly disappeared when you got back up to go home, eyes avoiding his, ignoring his muttered thanks.

From your kitchen window, you saw Joel pass Sarah to Jenny, before leaving his house, walking over to Omera’s.

You were relieved he did not try to come talk to you.

But your heart felt heavier seeing him walk into the nice, beautiful, single mother’s house next door.

---

Monday morning came. The restaurant was closed on Mondays. You took the opportunity to spring clean, do your laundry, and some grocery shopping. When you got out of the store, earphones on, music at low volume, trying to arrange the groceries in your small basket and backpack, his familiar voice interrupted you.

“Can I give you a ride?”

You didn’t know why, you knew it was childish, he was trying, being a gentleman, but you pretended not to hear him. You calmly put your pack on, turned the other way, got on your bike and pedalled out, staying as calmly as you could, willing yourself not to look back. You really wanted to pat yourself on the back for your astounding newfound ability not react at all. At least you didn’t just dump your bike and pack and run off this time.

That evening, you took Sarah out around the farm on your bike, and by that, you meant your one hand on the handle, her on the seat, holding on to your hand, your other hand on her back, while you walked alongside the bike, Jello happily perched in the basket. She was chattering with you about… ticks? Sticks? You had no idea. But you were glad she was at ease enough with you to talk.

By the time you got back to Jenny’s kitchen door, Benny was just leaving it, having just visited his mother. He greeted Sarah like she was his favourite person in the world, which, knowing Sarah, she probably was. This kid was too cute and too adorable to resist. He was talking to her, excitedly checking out your bike as if it was her ‘ride’ as he called it, pretending to ask her about the engines and the horse powers, marvelling at the basket Jello was sitting in, admiring the dump of a helmet you had placed on her cute little head. She took the helmet off, and placed it on his head, the scratched silver thing looking stupidly small on it, and he posed with it for her, gave her his phone, perched Jello on his shoulder and asked her to take a picture. She was giggling like crazy, obviously loving this uncle of hers.

When he turned to leave after covering her face in smooches, her tiny voice shyly said, “Bye Benny.”

The hunk of a man stopped in his tracks. He picked her up, threw her in the air, and hugged her so tight she squealed, her laughter, as well as his loud whoops ringing in the air. Jenny came out to see what was causing the commotion – he proudly told her Sarah called him Benny!!! He set Sarah down, and picked you up in a crushing hug, spinning you around, and planted a big wet long smacking kiss on your lips, his face the definition of glee. “Thank you,” he whispered to you. “Sorry for the kiss. I got excited. Please don’t punch me.”

You laughed out loud, smacking him in the chest a little. When he set you down, you gave him a kiss on his cheek, so happy to see this manchild happy.

You turned around to go home, only to be faced with Joel, carrying a sleeping Winta in his arms, Omera by his side. His eyes left yours to glare at Benny, who was still jumping with glee while skipping back to the farm, unaware of the look of devastation in his brother’s eyes.

---

PART 5

[bluestrawberrybunny]

Before I turn in for the night (should have done so 3 hours ago but shush), have another Schmigadoon AU doodle dump but it’s focused on Schmicago!

Schmicago was definitely a lot darker than Schmigadoon, that’s for sure. Two of these jokes will make absolutely no sense if you haven’t seen the show (and won’t until the end of the Schmicago fic which ain’t coming for a bit).

Close ups and text translations under the cut

Jenny: The name’s Jenny Banks, Darlings.

Mr. Puzzles: Hi Jenny

Mario: Hello!

SMG3 and SMG4: Betsy???

Topher: Hiya Roomie!

SMG3: DANNY??!

Topher: No..? My name’s Topher.

Topher: Who’s Danny??

SMG3: WTF??

SMG4: My… what a… lovely butcher knife you have there…

SMG4: I feel good about this!

SMG3: SMG4… they are feeding the children to BUTCHER and sell them as MEAT

For context because I find it funny, SMG4 is testing out his matchmaking skills so he can get Mario and Mr. Puzzles together and he got the Butcher Dooley and the caretaker of the orphans in town Miss Codwell together. Let’s just say they decided to take care of their problems of not having enough meat to sell and stay in business and too many children to care for with a… singular solution… (they did this in the actual show, I am not joking. The song Good Enough to Eat is literally about that plan)

SMG3: I didn’t even kill her

Don’t you just hate it when you happen upon a body but it’s the 1920’s and the cops want an easy fix so they arrest you instead of the actual killer? Me too.

Anyway, have SMG3 in jail. It’s basically gonna get like the Lawsuit Arc/WOTFI 2022 Rap but SMG3 is on trial and SMG4 is attempting to clear his name while also trying to set up Mario and Mr. Puzzles so they can get the hell out of dodge.

This song slaps. My favorite in this entire season, I listen to it so often. SMG3 accidentally becoming a “cult” leader and Mr. Puzzles becoming the star of the show (he’s wearing sequins, which is why he’s sparkly in the doodle), but both realize that this is just some sick twisted versions of their desires from fame. SMG3 has a bunch of people always around him and who do exactly what he says without question to the point where they can’t even take care of themselves in his absence and Mr. Puzzles being bombarded with fans constantly in the street.

Was gonna add another doodle of Mario being tied up in a wedding dress, but oh well. (That’s right. Mario takes Mel’s spot with that main conflict at the end of the season).

[crazycurly-77]

Two Fools - pt. 4

Your constant sighs meant that Gibbs was close to losing his temper.

He stopped massaging you, said briefly "I'm going to take a shower" and went into the bathroom. He took an unusually long shower and used the coldest possible shower to calm himself down.

When he came back into the bedroom, you had already gone to sleep. He quietly went to the other side of the bed and lay down to rest as well.

...only neither of you could sleep, because sleep was the last thing you both thought about. Because the person you were so in love with was only 1m away from you...and yet so far away. It was torture.

But at some point you did finally fall asleep.

As the night went on, however, you both got incredibly warm, so you took off your shirts. You had also pushed the blanket off the bed, so that you were lying next to each other wearing only your slip and briefs.

In your sleep you moved closer to each other until you were sleeping wrapped tightly in each other's arms. 

You breathed in Gibbs’ very own scent of coffee, sawdust and himself and woke up the next morning from the deepest and most wonderful sleep and dream you had ever had.

You thought it was just a dream, but you were actually lying in his arms and you wanted nothing more than to stay there forever, right by his side and never leave him again.

Your first tentative movements when you woke up woke Gibbs up too and you slowly realized that this was not a dream, but reality.

You were actually both lying close to each other, bare-chested.

Oh my Gosh, what were you going to do? At least not what you both actually wanted to do - or so you thought. That's why it was a pretty uncomfortable situation for both of you and it awakened so many hidden desires that you couldn't take your eyes off each other.

Then you suddenly became fully aware of what was happening and you quickly pulled up the blanket to cover yourself while Gibbs got up and went into the bathroom to give you space to collect yourself.

He stood under the shower, which he had set even colder than the day before. But his thoughts and feelings wouldn't let him calm down.

It was a wonderful feeling to hold you safely in his arms, tightly pressed against his chest and his wildly pounding heart.

He didn't want to fall asleep last night because he didn't want to miss a minute of the feeling of your body against his.

But over time he fell asleep anyway and in the morning he didn't want to wake up.

He just wanted to stay where he was. Lying in bed, with you in his arms and never be separated again.

After all these years he finally felt peace. Peace with his past, peace with other people and peace with himself.

It took him immense self-control to hold back and not just kiss you senseless. But the sight of you waking up next to him, sleepy and bare-chested, was burned into his memory.

The rest of your stay was marked by short laughs and shy smiles to conceal the embarrassment of each other and the tension of being alone with each other.

It was like dancing on eggshells.

Needless to say, you didn't find any drugs. Of course not, because there weren't any. 

Jenny just wanted to help and play matchmaker, because any blind man with a crutch could see that you were both totally in love with each other... only you both didn't see it.

After checking out and driving back to the office, Gibbs confronted Jenny, furious: "That was just an excuse, what was that about? You know I don't like being lied to." Jenny looked at him motionless and remained silent. Gibbs slammed his hand on the table in anger and yelled: “Why?!”

She looked at him and answered in a firm voice: “Because everyone can see that you and Y/N are totally in love with each other and I wanted to help you.”

He looked at her coldly and spat: “Rule number 12, do I have to remind you?!”

Snorting with anger, he turned around and left her office.

Unknowingly, he gave her a new and momentous idea, but it would remove the biggest obstacle.

She “only” had to transfer you to another team. That was her right as director.

Gibbs will freak out that she is tearing his team apart, but then the path to a happy ending between the two of you would be clear.

She just had to transfer you to a position that allowed you to see each other every day. So she told her secretary that she didn't want to be disturbed under any circumstances for the next half hour, leaned back in her chair and thought about what to do.

(To be continued...in the last chapter 5.)

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Here you will find the other chapters of this story.

Masterlist stories - Part 1

Masterlist stories - Part 2

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Tags: @ilovemark1951, @hobby27

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[hexenmond]

op your tags MUST remain firmly attached to this post:

#dead boy detectives #edwin's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard #and he's like 'this is incredibly inconvenient. we must be getting on with our investigations' #charles: is there a convenient sea monster around? that solves all my unwanted guest problems #jenny: nobody expects me to be a queer role model to them right? #jenny: because fuck you all if so #niko: i have so much manga that can do that for you #jenny: … you know what? it's fine. i'll do it #jenny: first things first #jenny: do NOT treat niko's manga as a how to be gay guide #jenny: do NOT let her matchmake #jenny: and do NOT think that means it's fair game to be a bitchy old queen at her #edwin in the background: i would never! niko is a delight and a gift and i'm happy she's here #jenny: because unlike you free-loading fucks niko pays rent on time and in acceptable currency #simon: why are all the cats glaring at me? #crystal: i need popcorn for this #night nurse: [full scottish outrage] why are the lost children multiplying? i sent you to hell not a bloody football pitch

i recognize that simon and edwin meeting and parting in hell is narratively very good and provides closure for all. but imagine if simon had agreed to try and escape with edwin. and charles doesn't have time to really question it, because anybody who likes edwin is aces in his book and it's hell, they need to leave. (edwin, out of courtesy to their third companion, puts his plan to confess on hold until they've escaped.)

suddenly the edwin harem of "supernatural boys who all hate each other but are attracted to that negative rizz" gains another member, and at some point edwin is going to have to mention that simon was the boy who sacrificed him to hell.

the chaos. crystal's bitchy commentary. charles going from friendly smiling to clutching his cricket bat. niko's whispering "200k slow burn schoolboy rivals to lovers" with heart eyes. it'd be chef's kiss good. edwin fleeing to his books and praying that nobody, but especially not the cat king, finds him because there has been SO MUCH emotion already. hysterical.

[my-weird-news]

🔥 Epic Summer, Crazy Love Triangle Obsession Unveiled!

Summer Lovin' and Brotherly Beef: The Wild Ride of Love Triangles, Starring Belly and the Bros Oh, buckle up, my friends, because we're diving into the world of love triangles, and boy, is it a doozy! 🎢 We're venturing into the land of Jenny Han's young adult trilogy, "The Summer I Turned Pretty," and its TV adaptation that's got us all glued to our screens, "cause what's better than a classic love triangle, you ask? One with more twists than a pretzel factory! So picture this: we've got our teenage heroine, Belly (played by Lola Tung), sandwiched between two brothers - Conrad (played by Christopher Briney), who's got that whole "mysterious and emotionally distant" thing going on, and Jeremiah (played by Gavin Casalegno), the blond Abercrombie model-esque boy next door who's all bubbly and affectionate. But wait for it, in a season-one plot twist that could rival any telenovela, Belly makes out with Jeremiah while her heart was still doing the cha-cha for Conrad! 😘💔 Now, hold on a second. I'm a fan of love triangles, but this one's taking it to a whole new level. We're talking about this messy romantic circus happening while the boys' mom is on her way to the great beyond. And to top it off, Belly's mom is besties with the dying mom, which basically makes the whole situation feel like a soap opera crossed with a family reunion gone wrong. 🎭🏡 But oh, my dear readers, that's not all. It turns out that there's gold in them thar love triangles for writers and showrunners! It's like a treasure chest of endless sequels, TV seasons, and movies, and let's be real, who doesn't want more of those? It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet of drama and ship wars. Ahoy, mateys! 🏴‍☠️ According to some smarty-pants at Vanderbilt University, love triangles are like the secret sauce of forming fan communities. You know, those folks who can argue passionately about whether they're Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? It's like the Twilight era all over again, and you remember what that did to our shopping habits, right? Nordstrom's Twilight fashion line was both a blessing and a curse. 💍🛍️ But here's the thing: love triangles aren't just about choosing between two hotties. They're like comfort food for our storytelling souls. Readers and viewers love that debate, that clear divide, and the conflict that keeps the story chugging along. It's like being part of a team, but with more drama and fewer uniforms. Go Team Edward, am I right? ⚔️ Now, let's not kid ourselves. Love triangles are like a roller coaster for our emotions, and sometimes they make us scratch our heads and go, "Wait, what?!" But hey, at least they keep us on the edge of our seats, wondering who's gonna win the heart of our darling Belly. But before we dive too deep into the romance abyss, let's acknowledge that love triangles are like a guilty pleasure snack. They make us feel like the center of the universe, and who doesn't love that attention, right? 🍕 And let's not forget about the quirky side characters. I mean, Belly's brother Steven and her BFF Taylor duking it out over who's the better brother, that's like watching a cat and a dog in a heated debate. 🐶🐱 Now, let's zoom out a bit and look at love triangles through a Jane Austen-flavored lens. Apparently, this whole "choosing between two dudes" thing has been around for ages. It's like Austen was the OG matchmaker, setting up her heroines with a virtuous choice and tossing in some moral dilemmas for extra spice. Who needs Tinder when you've got Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham, right? Swipe right on that bonnet! 👒💃 But hold your horses, because love triangles might not be as innocent as they seem. You know, there's something about them that tickles our narcissistic fancy. It's like a competition, a conquest of hearts, and we're the shiny trophy they're after. Move over, Miss Universe, we're the star of this show! 🏆🌟 And don't you dare forget about the power dynamics! Love triangles are like a seesaw of emotions, where one lover's rise is the other's fall. It's like a Shakespearean tragedy with a modern twist. Romeo and Juliet with a side of "It's Complicated." Oh, and the pressure, my friends, the pressure! Susannah, the mom who had her own love triangle agenda, piled on the expectations like it was a Thanksgiving buffet. Belly, you're "destined for one of her boys," she said. It's like someone handed her a script for a reality show and said, "Here, make these kids squirm." 🍗🥧 But let's not forget about that grand old house by the sea. It's like a character in its own right, pulling the strings in this dramatic love puppet show. Save the house, marry a brother, it's like a real estate and romance combo deal! Buy one brother's heart, get a beach house for free! 🏖️💞 But hold the phone! It seems like marginalized folks might be gravitating towards love triangles for a deeper reason. You see, it's like a chance to experience desire in a world that sometimes tells them they're not worth it. Who needs society's beauty standards when you've got two handsome hunks fighting over you? 💃💅 Alright, let's wrap this up like a love triangle with only two guys left standing. Love triangles are like that addictive drama series that you just can't stop watching, no matter how much you cringe. They're like the roller coasters of our emotions, taking us on a wild ride of passion and perplexity. But here's the real confession: I'm a sucker for love triangles, and no matter how messy they get, I'll be right there, popcorn in hand, ready for the next emotional loop-de-loop. 🍿🎢 Now, off you go, my dear readers, into the tangled web of love triangles, armed with a newfound understanding of their wild dynamics. And remember, in real life, it's probably best to leave the love triangles to the fictional realm. Embrace love, live free, and if you can, dodge the drama! ✌️🌈# Summer Lovin' and Brotherly Beef: The Wild Ride of Love Triangles, Starring Belly and the Bros Oh, buckle up, my friends, because we're diving into the world of love triangles, and boy, is it a doozy! 🎢 We're venturing into the land of Jenny Han's young adult trilogy, "The Summer I Turned Pretty," and its TV adaptation that's got us all glued to our screens, "cause what's better than a classic love triangle, you ask? One with more twists than a pretzel factory! So picture this: we've got our teenage heroine, Belly (played by Lola Tung), sandwiched between two brothers - Conrad (played by Christopher Briney), who's got that whole "mysterious and emotionally distant" thing going on, and Jeremiah (played by Gavin Casalegno), the blond Abercrombie model-esque boy next door who's all bubbly and affectionate. But wait for it, in a season-one plot twist that could rival any telenovela, Belly makes out with Jeremiah while her heart was still doing the cha-cha for Conrad! 😘💔 Now, hold on a second. I'm a fan of love triangles, but this one's taking it to a whole new level. We're talking about this messy romantic circus happening while the boys' mom is on her way to the great beyond. And to top it off, Belly's mom is besties with the dying mom, which basically makes the whole situation feel like a soap opera crossed with a family reunion gone wrong. 🎭🏡 But oh, my dear readers, that's not all. It turns out that there's gold in them thar love triangles for writers and showrunners! It's like a treasure chest of endless sequels, TV seasons, and movies, and let's be real, who doesn't want more of those? It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet of drama and ship wars. Ahoy, mateys! 🏴‍☠️ According to some smarty-pants at Vanderbilt University, love triangles are like the secret sauce of forming fan communities. You know, those folks who can argue passionately about whether they're Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? It's like the Twilight era all over again, and you remember what that did to our shopping habits, right? Nordstrom's Twilight fashion line was both a blessing and a curse. 💍🛍️ But here's the thing: love triangles aren't just about choosing between two hotties. They're like comfort food for our storytelling souls. Readers and viewers love that debate, that clear divide, and the conflict that keeps the story chugging along. It's like being part of a team, but with more drama and fewer uniforms. Go Team Edward, am I right? ⚔️ Now, let's not kid ourselves. Love triangles are like a roller coaster for our emotions, and sometimes they make us scratch our heads and go, "Wait, what?!" But hey, at least they keep us on the edge of our seats, wondering who's gonna win the heart of our darling Belly. But before we dive too deep into the romance abyss, let's acknowledge that love triangles are like a guilty pleasure snack. They make us feel like the center of the universe, and who doesn't love that attention, right? 🍕 And let's not forget about the quirky side characters. I mean, Belly's brother Steven and her BFF Taylor duking it out over who's the better brother, that's like watching a cat and a dog in a heated debate. 🐶🐱 Now, let's zoom out a bit and look at love triangles through a Jane Austen-flavored lens. Apparently, this whole "choosing between two dudes" thing has been around for ages. It's like Austen was the OG matchmaker, setting up her heroines with a virtuous choice and tossing in some moral dilemmas for extra spice. Who needs Tinder when you've got Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham, right? Swipe right on that bonnet! 👒💃 But hold your horses, because love triangles might not be as innocent as they seem. You know, there's something about them that tickles our narcissistic fancy. It's like a competition, a conquest of hearts, and we're the shiny trophy they're after. Move over, Miss Universe, we're the star of this show! 🏆🌟 And don't you dare forget about the power dynamics! Love triangles are like a seesaw of emotions, where one lover's rise is the other's fall. It's like a Shakespearean tragedy with a modern twist. Romeo and Juliet with a side of "It's Complicated." Oh, and the pressure, my friends, the pressure! Susannah, the mom who had her own love triangle agenda, piled on the expectations like it was a Thanksgiving buffet. Belly, you're "destined for one of her boys," she said. It's like someone handed her a script for a reality show and said, "Here, make these kids squirm." 🍗🥧 But let's not forget about that grand old house by the sea. It's like a character in its own right, pulling the strings in this dramatic love puppet show. Save the house, marry a brother, it's like a real estate and romance combo deal! Buy one brother's heart, get a beach house for free! 🏖️💞 But hold the phone! It seems like marginalized folks might be gravitating towards love triangles for a deeper reason. You see, it's like a chance to experience desire in a world that sometimes tells them they're not worth it. Who needs society's beauty standards when you've got two handsome hunks fighting over you? 💃💅 Alright, let's wrap this up like a love triangle with only two guys left standing. Love triangles are like that addictive drama series that you just can't stop watching, no matter how much you cringe. They're like the roller coasters of our emotions, taking us on a wild ride of passion and perplexity. But here's the real confession: I'm a sucker for love triangles, and no matter how messy they get, I'll be right there, popcorn in hand, ready for the next emotional loop-de-loop. 🍿🎢 Now, off you go, my dear readers, into the tangled web of love triangles, armed with a newfound understanding of their wild dynamics. And remember, in real life, it's probably best to leave the love triangles to the fictional realm. Embrace love, live free, and if you can, dodge the drama! ✌️🌈 Read the full article

[womenswin01]

Trailblazing Asian American Female Comedians in the Entertainment Industry

In recent years, Asian American Female Comedians have been making significant strides in the entertainment industry, captivating audiences with their wit, charm, and unique perspectives. In this blog post, we will celebrate the trailblazing Asian American female comedians who have paved the way for others, leaving an indelible mark on comedy. We will explore their achievements, impact, and contributions to the ever-evolving landscape of humor and entertainment. Join us as we delve into the world of these remarkable artists.

1. The Rise of Asian American Female Comedians

Asian American Comedian Female have risen to prominence in the comedy scene, challenging stereotypes and providing fresh perspectives. They have harnessed the power of stand-up comedy, showcasing their talent on various platforms, including live performances, television, and digital media. Their ability to infuse humor with their experiences as Asian American women has garnered them recognition and admiration from diverse audiences.

2. Trailblazers and Icons 

Several Asian American female comedians have blazed trails and become iconic figures in the entertainment industry. From Margaret Cho, who fearlessly tackles social issues and identity in her comedy, to Ali Wong, known for her bold and unapologetic humor, these comedians have shattered barriers and achieved remarkable success. Their talent, resilience, and ability to connect with audiences have made them beloved figures in comedy.

3. Asian Female Comedians List: Celebrating Diversity 

The Asian Female Comedians List continues to grow, with talented artists continuously making their mark in the industry. The diversity within this group of comedians is vast, showcasing the richness of Asian cultures and experiences. From the sharp observational humor of Awkwafina to the insightful storytelling of Jenny Yang, each comedian brings their unique voice and perspective to the stage. Celebrating this diversity is essential, as it highlights the richness of Asian American comedic talent.

4. Breaking Stereotypes and Challenging Expectations

Asian American female comedians have played a pivotal role in breaking stereotypes and challenging societal expectations. Their comedy often tackles issues such as identity, race, gender, and cultural nuances. By weaving personal experiences into their routines, they offer audiences a fresh lens through which to view the world. In doing so, these comedians humanize their stories, dismantle stereotypes, and promote understanding and empathy.

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5. Impact and Empowerment 

The impact of Asian American female comedians extends beyond laughter. Their presence in the entertainment industry has empowered aspiring artists and provided much-needed representation. By seeing themselves reflected on stage and screen, audiences, especially young Asian American women, are inspired to pursue their own dreams and passions. The influence of these trailblazing comedians can be seen in the growing number of diverse voices in comedy today.

Conclusion

Asian Female Comedians have carved out their space in the entertainment industry, breaking barriers, challenging stereotypes, and leaving a lasting impact. Their talent, authenticity, and willingness to address important issues through comedy have paved the way for future generations. Let us continue to celebrate and support these trailblazers who have brought laughter, joy, and empowerment to the world of comedy.

[castle-dominion]

c3x11 Nikki Heat

When I first watched this episode in my family watch I was appalled. Nikki Heat should not be blonde or quite that sexy but Castle did write her as kinda slutty. It makes me think “ew castle come on” but at least when he’s watching this show he’s kind of mad that she is not a complex character.

What happened to the gal who slept with castle to get the part?

RC: She’s going to hate the idea of natalie rhodes *flashforward to becks inviting her to shadow* AC: Pick up dad, a murder will make you feel better

Ryan is so excited. LMAO CASTLE ACTING AS IF RYAN IS PROPOSING TO HIM (clipping this) Reggie the chopper pilot.

Oh no it’s a marriage heavy episode with Ryan getting married & the murderer being about a matchmaker (3x11 it is proposal, 4x11 it is marriage, 5x11 is joey malone, all three have good episodes at #11)

Love ryan’s outfit & tie, love esposito’s detective trench coat, hate his lack of hair. KR, abou tto propose to his gal: Gosh, you don’t think a married person killed the woman who gave them such happiness, do you? (They all give RYAN looks that say they all clearly do think that) Yeah, I'll start on bringing them in. (Exit RYAN)

Ooh the music

(espo where is ur hair?) JE: Holy smoke (singular) that’s Natalie Rhodes She’s tall, & willing to come to a crime scene, I respect that... but she also has that sexist bimbo look & is played off to look that way...  Let her follow Beckett! I think it’s great! JE: *Casually checks her out* Poor castle, she isn’t at all pleased to meet the author of the book her movie is based on? Oh no Ryan XD XD XD this is so sad & silly & sweet & he’s such a dork & she’s so intimidating...  B’y keep in mind you’re about to propose. RC: Hello, I’m your creator

People are staring, awww brought his kid... She just dumps her coat on him

Aw Beckett gets to work with both a writer she liked & an actor she likes. Nice Castle she’s there specifically To Be nikki heat, it doesn’t make her nikki heat & that’s why she is following Beckett! Casually complimenting Beckett through his character based on her RC: Yes, I can; when it’s MY book! Castle how self aware are you? YOU ARE A CIVILLIAN TOO BOY Beckett casually drops HER coat too.

KR: “Nice to meet you miss rhodes,” how hard is that to say? Now she probably thinks I’m an idiot Me: You are /lh JE: Yeah probably KR: & she’s on my freebie five too Me: YOU MEAN LIKE NICKY HAD IN AFTG? A LIST OF CELEBRITIES YOUR SPOUSE IS OK WITH YOU SLEEPING WITH? Oh no hon, this really is a relationship heavy episode... KR: Jenny even knows JE: I wouldn’t worry about it (could clip)

Girl why are you the one writing the movie?

I love Ryan & his notebook

Castle being offended that rhodes isn’t taking down his lines but hun she’s there to research Beckett.

It would be WAY too long to write with your thumbs on a phone. You need a keyboard, voice to text, or one of those courtroom things. 

“excuse me” to take a call <3

KB: You said you wanted something back Brad: My dignity lmao (also man had a nice shirt)

My first watch through I had asked if maybe this actress had auditioned for Beckett back in s1 & didn’t get the part.  NO THAT’S SO SAD, THE SCREENPLAY IS GOOD BUT ALSO READ THE BOOK MY DUDE, POOR CASTLE “Original” not “real” bud Girl you didn’t want to confuse the character in your head but you are shadowing Beckett???

Mmmm baklava castle you & I are the same Found a key; Lol the “key” to unlocking the mystery XD He’s going to be mad that she is using the coffee machine he bought for them Love the music. Also, wow, boobs. 

RYANNNN MY MARRIAGEBOUND BABY (wow at first I thought season 3 had way MORE rysposito vibes in it than s2 but apparently ryan is getting married). But one question: Why r u asking castle? bc he’s been married twice? Both times failed bud!

Natalie is actually a people person, she picks up on people, I am surprisingly starting to like her.  Yeah idk why Beckett wears heels. She shouldn’t. If she must wear heels, make them thick, not stilletto or thin & hard to run in. Lmao esposito coming in & then looking in confusion at the two women taller than him. (clipping that)

I didn’t notice the two month reoccurance castle, but then again I’m not that smart He’s an author, he writes he doesn’t put his face on the big screen. (they don’t see his face, they hear his name.) People would more recognize his name than his face. & gurl? You need to TIE UP THAT DANG HAIR. It doesn’t matter if you put on sunglasses & a hat, what you need to do is tie up your hair, not only as a disguise but also bc it seems like an occupational hazard. Oh & btw castle loves getting recognized. 

Lol I like this Duke fellow.  (hate him tho. Also castle PI license) Nature of the ass-biting? Wow banging your neighbour. Real classy.

Hey natalie is being modest actually... She’s really flattering castle (& beckett) here. A month-- HEY MUM CALLED IT

I’m glad to see beckett unsexily open the jukebox (the key’s going to be a regular ch751 or smth, c415a, something that opens filing cabinets & jukeboxes

That’s why if you’re poor you don’t steal good bags & resell em. If you’re poor you go to the food bank or smth. Sometimes it’s good to have a richgirl with you ig.  BECKETT NO SHE PROBABLY OWNS ONE ...Or the whole line... awkward... But she takes it in stride. (won’t clip)

Hey I’m warming up to her! She wants to read the book now, she takes the “what idiot” line from beckett, she’s actually growing on me.

That’s creepy... Lol the boys agree: so uncanny, spooky (clipping that?) RC: sexy NR: When I’m done, I’ll do you better than you! It’s like a caricature artist, they take your features & exaggerate them

(horrifying, & then beckett doesn’t know how to hold herself anymore)

Wow this gal is surrounded by lawyers That was NOT a good beckett. Better than me ig but the cadence was slightly off & the tone was definitely off, like the pitch. Actually upon listening again that wasn’t bad.  KR: Yeah almost creepy-great! Not that you’re creepy, just great (not clipping y’all don’t need the cringe)

Hey Castle is warming up to her too! Nice! The more she learns about beckett the better she will be. Alexis you naughty kid! Remember when you cried bc you fare-dodged? (not clipping) Also your voice sounds not-at-100%, r u ok? It sounds like everybody in my area bc we are getting wildfires bc it is summer & the ecosystem has been damaged so much by corporate greed

Working on beckett’s handwriting? Hey Rhodes is actually pretty good at this KB: SHE TOOK MY COFFEE, CASTLE (castle, offer beckett yours) RC: It’s just coffee KB: WHAT’S NEXT, MY SOUL? EVERYTHING I DO, SHE DOES (clipping this for sure) (at least she’ll do you well in the movie...) Ryan talking to them? Natalie is going to notice & feel excluded. hey another two month thing! KB: Castle we aren’t here to look at dirty photos RC after beckett leaves: Do you have copies of that file? KR: Oh I copy everything (smart man)

Captions there were weird... bud you’re the one who ruined your life by cheating Bro don’t say you would have killed people, don’t say you would kill more people...

She finishes beckett’s sentences like castle but not in a good way yk? it’s awkward somehow Ryan’s walk omg So she’s getting mail here too now? Lol the delivery guy is enamoured to see her

What cop was there a couple days ago????

HOLY CRAP OK THEN... But she does look like Beckett... She dyed her hair tho?? Still, wow that’s like... Ew castle shut up that is gross af Lmao Velazquez gave Rhodes the file & called her Beckett (Also even tho she’s a cop velazquez looks real fine) It is not normal, you’re right beckett,  KB: Until she steals my boyfriend & kills me in my sleep (clipping this; actually only the entry scene)

Castle is so dumbfounded rn, he’s totally going to sleep with her Oh wow she’s able to read a book in a night too! I used to be able to do that, but then I became a teen & hormones messed with my adhd & also yk growing up & all that.  *Gulp* She really is seductive Pushing him against the wall, “I gotta feel the heat” she’s good Castle you’ve RPed with the previous nikki heat actress before...

Clipping this Ah it’s his “I just got laid” voice (yay LT “Scott” Tolliver! The little greetings make my day, it humanizes the people around) Oh no Jenny! She’s so short & cute & running away & oh no Ryan chasing after her,, that little *holds up finger politely to caskett* & then he continues chasing her, & then sees the tall natalie rhodes... Natalie! Not the time to exclaim how dramatic that was! KR: I left my phone at home & she brought it to me, while she was here she asked javierre how darts was. RC: Ohh your cover story for seeing her parents JE: You should have told me bro!!! KR: & then she found out I was working with *turns to rhodes* You NR: What’s wrong with me? KR: You’re on my list... GIRL DON’T BE MUCH MORE SPECIFIC THAN THAT KR: *continues* KR: & I should probably stop talking now.... I should call her is what I should do (Although this opens up great realm for fanfiction...)

Clipping this too JE: *looks at the two becketts before walking away* RC: I’m going to go check on ryan NR: Can I ask you a question KB, previously enamoured now put-off: Sure NR: Is castle gay? (He looks like he could be gay tbh, the only issue is he’s too carnal with women) KB: *spits out coffee* What why? NR: He said “no” to me Well hun isn’t he still with Gina?

Wow NR really is a people person, she sees right through both castle & beckett, explaining them like they really mean it... NR: I need to sleep with him in the name of research. Beckett cannot give permission bc they are not together tho

KB: Do I really do that? RC: Yes & it’s adorable Way too meta you say, but you RPd with an actress you pretended to be married to on TV & she was auditioning for Nikki Heat & you two slept together & then she pointed a watergun at your head in bed while you called her Nikki Heat. XD XD Ryan: We should have a codeword to know which beckett to kill if the clone army strikes.  (clipping this) RC: Jenny still not picking up? KR: No, KB: Don’t worry you’ll be laughing about it soon enough RC: We are KR: ts, thanks KR: *talks about the case, divorce, then abour marriage & cheating & he’s trying to propose to his girlfriend* KB: Ryan KR: Sorry. *continues with the case normally* JE: What are we doing? KR: Hiding from Creepy Beckett It’s just hilarious to me that it goes from just one of them to all four of them

Obv both of them are not cheating

The hardest thing to do as an actor is stay still Like all those dead bodies. Poor them.  (becks has popcorn)

Called it, both didn’t cheat Wait nvm. Lying about who you were with, just like Ryan!

Why are you pointing a gun at him like he is threatening his own death he wins either way Oh she’s going to quote the script Wow I was right

Oh she is back to blonde! Hun I prefer it without the beat, or maybe with a beat but not nearly as long. Is she taking home someone else’s bag?? JE: & I thought it was cool working with you, castle. (Esposito thinks it’s cool? Nice. I thought he didn’t read lol.)

(clipping this? how much. I mean ppl already have these clips on youtube probably.) JENNY!!!!! SHE’S SO SHORT & CUTE  RYAN HUGGING HER SHE’S SO SMALL NEXT TO HIM HE JUMPS SO SHOCKED-LIKE IS BECKETT FILMING ESPOSITO WHY ARE YOU LITERALLY RIGHT THERE (& then walks away lookin sad) (But that could be fanficcy in a different way) RYAN RUNNING TO HIS DESK LIKE A CAT SCRABBLING TO GET UNDER THE COUCH HEKJEHJKH THAT’S A LONG NAME EEEE THAT WAS BIG AND INTIMATE YAY FOR BOTH CASTLE & BECKETT & EVERYONE DOGPILES THEM WITH HUGS OK IDC IF IT ISN’T FANFICCY ENOUGH FOR ME THIS WAS THE CUTEST THING EVER

(K I think I’ve gotten the clips I want)

[blight-magic]

Amity probably shouldn't do it. But...

Well, it was kind of flattering even being asked. She'd never been part of any of Ed or Emira's schemes before. And as far as schemes went, this one was pretty harmless. She liked Jenny anyway. Spending time with her wouldn't like, be a chore or anything. And if Jenny mentioned something about getting back together with Ed, then hey, it was a win win for both parties! She'd be like, a matchmaker. Like fanfic, but real life.

So Amity slowly nodded. "Yeah, okay-- I'll do what I can. But I'm not like, gonna force her to talk about you or anything, okay? I'll just let you know if anything comes up."

Research Required {Amity & Edric}

[hungbucks0]

"Impress You - Wheeler Yuta"

pairing: og character x wheeler yuta

summary: Jennifer always loved teasing new upcomer, Wheeler Yuta, but just hours from his big match against Jon Moxley, he finally gets one over her.

warnings: fluff, slight curse words from Mox

word count: 563

Jennifer began to finish tying her ring boots, standing up to get a feel. 

“Looking good, J!” Jon Moxley called from where she was, she shot him a look before laughing, ‘You scheduled to wrestle tonight?” She called. 

He jogged over to where she was, “Yeah, got a match against the kid.”

Jennifer nodded understandingly, “I might have to stay the whole show then. Seems like an instant classic.”

“Yeah right, you only want to stay because you like messing with him.” Jon lightly tapped her shoulder, “You’re a terrible person.’’

She gasped, “I am not… he’s just really cute when he’s flustered. I swear I don’t even have to do anything!” She batted her eyelashes innocently, “Maybe you can help him talk to me.” 

Jon looked at her weird, “I’d rather eat shit.” Laughing at her expression, “I got better things to do than play matchmaker.”

Jennifer threw her head back, “You’re no fun-“

“Mr.Moxley!” William Regal strutted his way to where they were. A bashful Wheeler Yuta not far behind. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Hello, Jenny.” Regal tilted his head in her direction, causing her to smile. “Hi, Regal…hi Yoots!” She gave him a smirk, as he bit the inside of his cheek. 

“Hey, Jennifer.” He mumbled, making her give a look towards Moxley. Jon groaned, “Uhm… Yuta. Why don’t you tell Jenny here, who inspired your new move?” 

Regal looked at them, amusement in his face. Wheeler’s eyes widened at Mox, silently cursing up a storm at him. Jennifer looked at him with major heart eyes, “Is it me?” She asked, letting a smile crack through. 

“Yeah it was, thanks Mox.” Wheeler gave him an unwanted smile, making Jon click his tongue, “Come on Regal, let’s let the children conversate.”

William nodded his head understanding, “Oh yes, it was nice to see you Jenny.” He gave her a wink, before leaning down to whisper in Yuta’s ear.

“Be a gentleman,” He firmly patted him on the back, letting Mox drag him down the hall. 

Jennifer swayed her weight from one foot to the other, waiting for Yuta to look up at her. 

“So… are you ready for your match tonight?” She broke the silence. 

“I…I think so,” He walked closer to her, “Regal really has been a lot of help. Jon is no joke.” 

Jennifer laughed at that, “He’s definitely not someone you would want to mess with either”, she teased making him laugh, “But I definitely think you could take him.”

His head perked, “Really? You don’t think he’ll kill me?”

“Eh…he knows you’re just trying to prove yourself to the fans. He’ll go a bit easier on you than most.” She lightly punched his shoulder, “You deserve this spot, Yoots.”

A grin escaped his mouth, “I…I like when you call me that.” He turned a bright shade of pink, “I usually hate that nickname, but when you say it… it sounds good.”

It was her turn to become a blushing mess. She awkwardly laughed, “I-“

“You did get one thing wrong though,” He cut her off. He finally looked into her eyes,”I never wanted to prove myself to anyone else… I just wanted to impress you.” He looked down at her lips, then back at her, “I’ll see you after the show.” He smiled, before walking away from her to find Moxley and Regal.

[renee-writer]

A Little Change in History Chapter 16

AO3

Jenny made her way up to the attic and to the chest where her mam’s wedding dress is stored. She lifts it out and carries it down to a unused guest room. It is in pretty good shape but needs some cleaning. That will be done when and where no one else will see, not until Jamie talks to her, at least. He will, given time. She soothes the dress out and smiles. All her matchmaking and a Sassanch won his heart.

Jamie walks furiously towards the surgery. How dare his sister question him! He knocks and Claire opens the door, with a smile. She steps back to let in him and then closes and bolts the door herself. Her hand goes to his cheek. “Welcome home, my warrior.” The tension drains out of him. How does she do that? He smiles and leans in for a kiss. Their foreheads touch.

“I have missed you, mo chalman geal.”

Claire, who is learning Gaelic from both him and Jamie, replies, “I am your white dove now. I shall be whatever you wish, my warrior, or is it mo ghaisgeach?”

Jamie laughs and then kisses her hard on the mouth, pressing her against the wall. As he comes up for air, he tells her, “ I went to see the solicitor, Ned Gowan. He says I need to send a letter to King James of Scotland to have you freed.” He can’t resist the lure of her neck and places kisses there.

“How long,” a gasp as he hits a sensitive spot,” before you can do that?”

“A year. I shall properly court you, out in the op, after speaking to Jenny. You shall be Lady of Lallybroch, a grand healer but, I think you should let Jenny continue to run the house.”

“Yes my Laird.” There is a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. Jamie has to play a bit, with her.

With a look of mock anger on his face, “You laugh at your lord and master?”

Claire giggles and nods. She slips out of his embrace and runs to the settee in her only other room.

He walks over to her. “And you run from me?” He was going to grab her at this point but, there’s a knock on the door.

“Claire, healer, there has been an accident.” A female voice cries out. All the levity leaves. Jamie walks out her back door to join whoever is in front. Then she opens the door to Sarah. “Mr. Fraser, Claire, Frank has been hurt in the stables. Please hurry!”

Her bag is fetched by Jamie and the follow a frantic Sarah to the stables. Frank lays on the ground, his eyes closed. Claire does a quick exam and finds he has two broken ribs. “Frank, can you hear me?”

[lillaydee]

One Heart Part 9

Sheriff Joel Miller / Reader

Trying and failing miserably to recover from an inconceivable loss, you accepted your best friend's invite to spend time with her and her family for a summer, hoping for a chance at a new beginning. Little did you know that the new beginning you were stepping into was a little too close to home.

WARNING:

Protective Joel (The Last of Us), Good Parent Joel (The Last of Us), Grief/Mourning, Joel is Bad at Feelings (The Last of Us), Joel Needs a Hug (The Last of Us), Ellie is mentioned, Sheriff Joel, Sarah plays matchmaker, No age gap, Joel is in his 30s, Joel is Trying His Best (The Last of Us), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Cordyceps Outbreak (The Last of Us), Fluff and Angst.

SERIES MASTERLIST

PART 8

---

***SMUT ALERT***

It was not even four yet when you got home. He had to wake up for work in a few hours. But neither of you wanted to say goodbye, hovering in front of your front door, making plans to see each other more during the week. When it was time to say goodbye, you unlocked your front door, and leaned in for one more kiss. When your lips touched this time, your knees almost gave way. You didn’t want to stop kissing him. You grabbed his shirt, hoping to God he wouldn’t think you were being too forward, and opened your mouth slightly, hoping he would get the hint.

He did.

With a growl, he licked into your mouth, lifting you up, pushing his way into the house, kicking the door shut behind him. He laid you down on your daybed, lips never leaving yours. His hands slipped under your shirt, grabbing at your back, wanting to feel you. Your mind went blank. You canted your hips up to his crotch, the heft of what you felt making you swoon, earning a long groan from his chest. He rutted against you, still fully clothed, and you reciprocated eagerly, chasing that delicious friction that was causing you to climb higher and higher. He finally let go of your lips, tracing his lips, teeth and tongue along your jaw to your neck, biting and licking as he went along, and you crested, his name a wail on your lips as you shuddered uncontrollably, sobbing in his arms. He continued his grinds on you as you rode your high, before finally going still, grunting and whimpering into your neck, your name a breathy chant on his lips.

It took a while for the both of you to be rid of the ringing in your ears, the whiteout from your eyes, and the heavy breathing. When Joel finally lifted his head from your neck, he had tentative look about his face, worried that he had gone too far. You haven’t even been on a date. But you hushed that worry away, smiling at him, biting your lips, and pulling him down for a long and tender kiss.

The two of you laid there for a bit, still fully clothed, bodies entwined with each other’s, whispering and planning, before finally falling asleep.

---

You blinked awake, feeling lax and pliant, your body warm and comfy, Joel’s arms around yours, your face buried in his neck. You were practically sleeping on him, the day bed nowhere near big enough for the two of you to lay side by side. You nuzzled your face into his neck, taking in his smell, wanting to commit it to memory. He stirred, arms tightening around your body, head turned towards you, turning you over slightly, giving you a kiss on the forehead. He opened his eyes, intending to kiss you properly, when his whole body stiffened, his eyes staring behind you. You turned around to see.

Sarah was standing by your bedside, a toothy grin on her face.

“Goomorning Lady, goomorning Daddy!”

The two of you sat up like a shot, glad you were fully clothed.

“Morning BabyGirl,” Joel said, his voice rough from lack of use. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

She giggled, and went to the kitchen window, slipping Jello out before going out herself. You and Joel waited until you hear Jenny’s door closed before huffing an unbelievable laugh to yourselves.

“Is she gonna be okay? She literally saw us about to make out,” you asked, suddenly worried you might have scarred her.

“We’re fully clothed, nothing happened, right?” he said, pulling you into his arms, leaning in for a kiss. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” you mumbled against his lips. “What if she’s not happy about this?” You were suddenly worried she might feel left out, having had her Daddy all to herself all this while.

“Okay, you know the helmet incident?”

“Yeah…”

“The mastermind just left through your kitchen window. Sweet-talked her Gamma and her ex-military uncles to help her out.”

“WHAT???”

“So, you don’t have to worry about her being unhappy about this. It was her greatest wish, apparently. Oh, and it was Jello’s idea,” he said, giving you a meaningful, serious look, his pointer finger on his lips, making sure you understand the confidentiality of this matter.

You pretended to zip your mouth shut, locked it, and threw away the key.

He laughed, pulling you in for another kiss, laying you back down, deepening the kiss, his hands starting to roam about your body.

“Daddy! Gamma said work!”

You both jumped up, Sarah’s gleeful little face in your kitchen window.

“We need to get that damn window fixed.”

---

You couldn’t stop smiling for days. Joel decided you still needed to be driven to work, even though you now have a shiny new helmet to wear. That first morning, you were halfway to work on your bike when he stopped on the roadside, got out, folded your bike, placed it in his trunk, and made you get in the passenger seat.

You didn’t even argue, fully admitting you just wanted to spend more time with him. The two of you took walks after work, fingers interlaced, telling each other about your days, before making out like a couple of horny teenagers at your place.

He fixed the latch on your kitchen window that Sunday, telling Sarah, who was watching with a sulk on her face, that she had to knock to enter. You could see the little wheels in her brilliant head turning as she watched; you had to wonder what plans she was brewing up there. You two took Sarah out for a bike ride at the park that day, Joel on his own bike, with Sarah in the extension seat behind yours, Jello in the basket, of course. Joel got her a cute pink helmet, with purple flowers, to match yours. She was over the moon, not wanting to go home, begging Joel for a bike of her own by the time you were back in the car. Joel kept saying no, you are not big enough, but you can clearly see his resolve wavering. That little girl had him wrapped around her little finger even before she started speaking, and you suspected Joel will be making another visit to Frankie’s very soon.

---

You sat in your daybed watching TV after dinner, the lights turned off. Joel had taken Sarah home for her bedtime routines. You were watching some cooking show, looking for inspiration for a new recipe, when your phone rang.

“Hello neighbour.”

“Hello. Someone looks comfy. Is that what you look like when you’re alone at home?”

You looked up, seeing Joel at his window, looking right down at you. Shit, you left the curtains open.

You only had a tank top and panties on.

You smiled, making sure he can see you; you got up, went to the window, and closed the curtains.

And then you hung up.

You unlocked your front door.

And you waited.

In less than 30 seconds, the door flung open.

He shut the door behind him, his hungry eyes looking you up and down, before he pulled you to him, spun you around and pinned you to the door, his mouth descending on yours, hungrily licking into your mouth, stealing the very breath from your lungs. His hands went from your back to your waist, before pulling your tank top off your body. He took in your naked torso, lifting you up, your legs automatically wrapped around his waist, his thumbs caressing your exposed nipples, before wrapping his tongue around one, flicking it pebbled, looking up at you.

“This looks familiar,” he said, smiling cheekily at you.

You didn’t have the time to be shy, as he took the entire nipple into his mouth, groaning hungrily. You threaded your fingers through his hair, unable to stop yourself from moaning, his name escaping your mouth in a breath. He let go of your nipple, pinching it with his thumb and forefinger, before turning to the other one.

“Hello, nice to meet you,” he said, “I only met your sister the other day.”

You laughed out loud, calling him a dork. He laughed with you, taking you off the door and laid you on your bed. He kissed you nice and slow, his hips rutting into your centre. He went back to your nipples, his hand caressing one, his mouth laving on the other, giving you goosebumps all over.

“Wanted to do this that first morning I saw you. Thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“I would’ve punched you.”

“I would’ve let you. Fuck, I want you so bad.”

“You have me, Joel.”

You pulled his shirt off, and pulled him back down for a long, passionate kiss. He trailed kisses to your ear, nibbling at it until you were writhing beneath him, before going down via your neck, tracing his tongue down to the sides of your breast, your tummy, dipping his tongue down in your belly button, before taking your panties down with him with his teeth. He pulled it off you, placing your legs on his shoulders, taking the time to look at your core. “Fuck,” he breathed, before descending on you.

You felt him everywhere. This man had a magic tongue. And magic fingers. You were trembling in no time, his name a prayer on your lips. Your fingers, originally threaded through his curls, were full on pulling on them now, earning you a satisfied moan from him, his eyes fixed on yours, his mouth latched onto your core, his tongue and fingers doing unspeakable things beneath them, the hand he was holding you down with searched for your other, prying them off the sheets, threading his fingers with yours, as his tongue doubled its speed, launching your back off the mattress, pushing you off a cliff, leaving you euphoric, your mouth open in a silent scream, your eyes rolling to the back of your head.

Your entire body was buzzing, shaking, jolting every time he flicked over you again and again, before you found feelings in your fingers and pushed him off you gently. He climbed up to you, kissing you gently, letting you calm down, holding you close until you stopped trembling.

You pushed him off you until he was flat on his back, you seated between his legs. “My turn,” you whispered, as you lowered his sweatpants, pulling it off him. You swallowed visibly at the sight of him. He was already trembling with need. You bent down, taking him in your hand, giving him feather light kisses and kitten licks all over until he was writhing and babbling beneath you. Just as you were about to take him in your salivating mouth, he stopped you, pleading with you not to, not right now, please, I won't last. I need you so badly, please… Something in you took pity on him, and you hesitated, and the next thing you knew, he had gotten up and flipped you on your back, hovering over you, kissing you stupid.

He reached down for his sweatpants, pulling a long line of condoms from its pocket. You stared at it for a second, trying so hard to keep yourself from giggling, not wanting spoil the mood.

“Someone’s ambitious.”

“Hey, I was in a hurry. I had no time to tear up condoms before I left. Consider it a miracle I didn’t bring the box. I haven’t had sex in a long time, and I had a half-naked lady to meet,” he said defensively, his own face looking like he was trying not to laugh.

The two of you lost your battles with a ridiculous fit of the giggles, your bodies entwined with each other’s before he started kissing you chastely between giggles. Before long, the kisses turned passionate, him rutting his gloved length into your folds, and suddenly, nothing was funny anymore.

The two of you fit like two pieces of a puzzle, no part of your bodies not touching, moving together in unison, nice and slow, stuttered breaths shared between you, your lips never leaving each other’s skin, his arms underneath you, pulling you close to him, your legs locked on his, your hands clutched onto his back and the back of his head. He felt so good, so right, the whole thing brought tears to your eyes. Before long, your movements became desperate, your sensations heightened, his movements quickened, hitting you in the right spot over and over, and you trembled and shuddered under him, pulling him as tightly as you can into you, until he grunted in your ears, his body shaking from release, joining you in blissful nirvana.

You laid in each other’s arms for a long time, not wanting to move, feeling too comfortable, lazy, sated, but just as you were about to doze off, a thought came to your head.

“We should put some clothes on.”

“What? Why?”

“What if Sarah peeked through the window?”

“Darling, I have dreamt of tonight since I first saw you. I am not wearing clothes sleeping with you tonight. I want you all pressed up to me, naked,” he tightened his grip on you, wiggling his body to mould better unto yours.

You laughed, smacking him on his shoulder.

“I’m serious, what if Sarah peeked?”

He thought about it for a second. “There’s the loft.”

The two of you climbed up to the loft, Joel throwing sheets and blankets and pillows up there before letting you climb up, joining you right after.

“Oh, wow, it is low up here. No wonder you don’t sleep here.”

The two of you haphazardly laid the sheets and pillows on the mattress before lying down, careful not to hit your head on the beam right above the mattress. You snuggled up to him, his arms wrapped tightly around you, and you both heaved a long, satisfied sigh.

You traced your fingers on his chest mindlessly, him doing the same on your arm.

“So, you’ve dreamt about this, huh?”

“You have no idea. Kicked myself when you were not talking to me. Could’ve asked you out a lot sooner.”

“Hmm… I should’ve given you a chance to talk sooner. I was being hardheaded.”

“I like you hardheaded.”

You both laughed.

“The condoms.”

“What about them?”

“How old were they? Did you check the expiry date?”

He pinched your sides playfully.

“Hey, I just got them. I swear the clerk at the store looked at me funny. Felt like a teenager again buying condoms for the first time.”

“Really? When was the last time you bought condoms?”

“Before Sarah.”

You shot up. His hand flew to the back of your head, not wanting you to bang it on the beam. He pulled you back down, turning to face you, an embarrassed smile of his face.

“You hadn’t bought condoms since before Sarah came?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“I told you; Sarah took up all my time and attention. Plus, I wasn’t interested. Until you, that is.”

“But you did buy them a lot before Sarah?”

“Hey, I wear a uniform, and someone told me I’m hot,” he said, a teasing smile on his face.

You smacked him on his chest again, he laughed and pulled you into his chest, kissing the top of your head, wrapping his arms around you. The two of you laid like that until you fell asleep.

---

Joel felt like he was on top of the world. He had his dream lady in his arms, sleeping soundly, all pressed up to him, your legs entwined with his, your face all snuggled up in his chest, partly covered by the blanket, your hair all over his face. He didn’t mind, he wanted to be surrounded by your smell. He took a deep breath, breathing the top of your head in, reluctantly knowing that he had to get up soon, and leave your warmth to go to work. He didn’t want to leave. You were all warm and comfy to wake up to, your breath tickling his chest, his foot…

Wait, what?

He lifted his head slightly to see what that was all about, and saw his little girl peeking up the loft, Jello placed at the end of the mattress, touching his right foot.

“Sarah, what are you doing?”

He sat up quickly, worried his daughter might fall off the ladder, and banged his head hard on the beam.

“Daddy, no!”

“Sarah? Joel?” Tommy’s voice came through, before some scrambling can be heard. “It’s okay, I got her, she’s okay,” he said.

Joel’s vision went spotty. You were up like a shot, the blanket falling off your bare chest, Joel’s hand reflexively went out to protect your head, not wanting you to go through what he just did. You heard a pitter patter of footsteps retreating, before hearing Tommy’s voice calling for Joel again, asking if he’s okay, nearer this time, and his head suddenly appeared at the loft entrance, worried something bad had happened. You screamed, covering your chest, Joel pulling the blanket off to cover your modesty, exposing himself in the process.

Tommy’s eyes widened, before his head disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

“Holy fuck, sorry! Sorry! I didn’t see anything! Erm… I’m gonna wait outside …Hope you’re okay brother!” and the sound of the front door slamming followed.

“Baby, are you okay? Shit! What happened?”

Joel blinked hard a few times, your face coming into focus, looking so worried, your hand rubbing his head, the other, his arm. A noticeable redness can be seen on his forehead.

“I’m alright, I’m okay,” he said, laughing softly. “It seemed a locked window couldn’t stop Sarah from breaking in.”

You were mortified.

Joel was still laughing, pulling you in for a hug, kissing you on your head, before his laugh got louder and louder, his whole body shaking, unable to believe what just happened. You couldn’t help it. You started laughing too. He peppered you with kisses, telling you he should get ready to go to work soon.

The two of you carefully made your way down, you put your robe on quickly, before going to the fridge to get him some ice for his head, wrapping them in a kitchen towel. You held the pack up to his forehead, and he wrapped his arms around you, kissing you sweetly.

“Good morning,” he murmured against your lips.

“Morning,” you said, your face still full of worry. “Are you sure you’re okay? That was a loud bang.”

“I’m okay. I’ll watch out for signs of concussion, okay? I should go check on Sarah.” He kissed you on your nose, before finding your lips again, and opened the door, holding the icepack to his head.

The two of you were greeted by the grinning faces of Tommy, Will and Benny, and the worried faces of Jenny, Omera and Maria – although their worries quickly turned into approving smiles once they saw the state the two of you were in.

Sarah was standing on the kitchen steps, Jello in her arms as usual, her face the definition of happiness, looking like she’d won something.

Joel gave you another chaste kiss, making you blush, and walked over to Sarah, getting congratulatory pats on the shoulder by his brothers. He picked Sarah up, asking her if she was okay, and she nodded gleefully, telling him she’s sorry she made him hurt his head. He shook his head, kissing her on her cheek, taking her inside with him.

You breathed a sigh of relieve that Sarah was okay.

The crowd turned to look at you, shit-eating grins on their faces.

You did the one thing you knew to do in situations like this. You straightened up, tightened the tie on your robe, told everyone there was nothing to see here, and shut the door.

---

You and Joel celebrated your one-month anniversary as a couple by staying in bed all day, that initial box of condoms he bought long gone, and Joel had become a regular at buying them again, no longer feeling awkward as he did that first time. You took the Sunday off work, spent the whole day with Joel and Sarah at the waterpark, and Joel took Monday off, staying in with you, that one door and windows firmly locked, the newly installed blinds shut.

After the incident with Sarah and Tommy that day, Joel had fitted a deadbolt on your door, and triple checked all the windows to ensure they lock, making sure his overly excited daughter could not break in unannounced, even with Jennie’s alarmingly large keychain of keys, which was how she got in that morning. He installed blinds and tinted films in all the windows, making sure no one can peep inside. And most importantly, he swapped the daybed to one that can pull out into a king-sized bed, space be damned, so neither of you would bang your heads on the damn beam in the loft again. You could live with the coffee table pushed to the side at night. You tried to protest, not wanting him to spend his money on you like that, seeing as you were only supposed to be there a few weeks, but he wouldn’t hear it. He was not having you go up that loft again. He certainly will never go up there again. He didn’t tell you he was hoping you would change your mind about leaving. The last thing he wanted was to pressure you into staying, even if it would break his heart into pieces.

You and Joel were practically inseparable. The whole town knew Sheriff Miller was taken, that he was besotted with the new chef in town, the one who used to ride to work on her purple bike. He drove you wherever you needed to go, unwilling to separate for you when he didn’t need to. He delayed his lunch hours so he could have lunch with you after lunch service, woke up at 2 am to drive you to the market, just wanting to spend as much time with you before you leave.

He couldn’t handle the thought of you leaving, but he knew this coming in. And yet, he still went ahead and started a relationship with you. He couldn’t help himself. He fell hard and fast for you.

So, he was going to let this go where it may take the two of you, and hope for the best.

---

PART 10

[mymelodyheart]

Miles Between Us Chapter 9 ~The Mediation~

Previously in Light Vs Dark ...

Tears streamed down her face as he grabbed his phone and keys and made his way out. He couldn't get out of the cottage fast enough. His heart hammered, his ears started to ring, his lungs squeezing out the last air. He'd hurt her. He'd seen the bruises with his eyes, and now she's crying because of him. He needed to get out fast to clear his head.

She followed him closely behind. "Please tell me where you're going, Jamie. At least give me that," she pleaded.

He couldn't stand to see her tears anymore or hear the plea in her voice. He was doing what's right for her because he loved her too much. He wasn't even sure where he was going or if anyone would be safe in his presence. All he could think of was how frightened his sister had looked at him and the bruises he'd inflicted in Claire's arms. He needed to get as far away as possible, away from the people he loved.

He got into his car, slammed the door, and started the engine.

Claire banged on his window, her face wet with tears. "Don't do this, Jamie. We can fix this together. Please don't go. I'm begging you."

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The sun blazed through the windows, but instead of feeling delighted with the promise of a beautiful day, Claire felt hollow.

Earlier, moving on autopilot, she'd numbly climbed out of bed, showered and gathered all the will and strength she could summon and prepared to face the day. Though a part of her would rather curl into a ball under the duvet until Jamie returns, she made a Herculean effort to stay positive for sanity's sake. It should have given her comfort knowing Jamie was safe after Willie had informed her he'd been spotted at three in the morning at Lallybroch's driveway in his car and was now resting in his childhood home. But her eyes would prickle with tears every time she stood still and stared into space. So Claire kept herself busy, feeding Jamie's pets, letting them out of the house, doing a bit of laundry and setting up her work station for the day on the dining table. Currently, there were things that needed attending to, like her own work, and anytime soon, Willie would be arriving.

She was just about to open her laptop when there was a knock on the kitchen's back door.

She knew it was Willie. "Door's open," she croaked.

Willie walked in and stopped. A line formed between his brows, reminding her so much of Jamie she felt the beginning of tears welling up. "Hey, how are ye?" he asked.

With more enthusiasm than she had in her, she gave him a small smile. "I'm hanging in there. How's Jamie?"

"He's asleep ...last time I heard from ma."

"How about you? You look like you didn't get much rest either."

"Knackered," he replied, shoving his hands into his jeans' pocket. "The bloody git sent us on a merry chase. And now he gets to sleep the whole day while I'm left to pick up the slack at work."

Claire knew Willie was trying to make light of things. Needing to move, she stood and made her way to the kitchen, having the sudden urge to keep her hands busy. It would have been easier if she'd asked Willie to take her to Lallybroch. But there had been a reason for her decision to stay put. She needed to remind herself, there's a probability her presence could make Jamie's condition worsened after having seen his reaction to her bruise last night. Even if in the light of day, nothing seemed good enough excuse to be separated from him.

"Would you like something to drink? Coffee or tea?" she offered. "I could use a strong cuppa."

"Coffee would be grand."

Conscious of Willie watching, she went through the motion of taking out cups and switching on the coffee machine. When she opened the fridge to retrieve some milk, she accidentally nudged one of Jamie's magnets on the door, sending a post-it note to slip down. Automatically bending down, she picked up the piece of paper from the floor.

As she turned it the other way round and read it, a cross between a sob and a laugh broke passed through her mouth. It was a note Jamie had written to her just the other day.

Gone to work. Bought some croissants, and they're in the bread bin just in case Adso gets his grubby paws on it first. Can't wait to see you later. Missing you already. Love you. X

"Oh, damn it." Claire leaned over the countertop, pressing the note with one hand on her chest. "I-I can't do this."

Willie came up behind her and touched her elbow, gently turning her to face him. "Ye cannae do exactly what, Claire?" he asked, a look of concern etching his face.

"Pretend Jamie is fine." She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, she let out a lungful of air. "When we first met, he was in a good place. And I have this strong feeling that I am making his condition more frequent and worse."

"No, Claire ...dinnae speak like that."

She glanced down at Jamie's note, and when she felt prickles behind her eyelids, she slipped the piece of paper in her jean's pocket and shook her head. "How can Jamie and I be together if I'm the one triggering his nightmares and anxiety? Before I came along, his episodes were a rare occurrence. And now here I am making that classic mistake of attempting to fix a man." Her breathing suddenly became laboured, like she'd raced ten miles. "I wish I could be by his side. I know it's selfish wanting to be with him right now when I'm the reason for his distress. But I do. On the other hand, logic tells me, it's probably a good thing all those memories he hasn't dealt with are finally coming to the surface, so at least we have something to work on. I just wish there was a less unpleasant way for Jamie to handle all of these." She glanced out the window, unseeing the beautiful view in the sun.

When the silence dragged on for too long, Claire turned to face Willie and was surprised to see him smiling. "Cannae ye see it yet, Claire? Ye are not making Jamie's condition worse. In fact, ye have been helping him heal all this time."

She frowned. She was confused. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

Willie took the portafilter and began filling it with coffee for her. "Ye said it yersel'. The suppressed memories are coming to the surface." He shrugged as he worked the coffee machine. "Meaning, after all these years, Jamie can finally confront them head-on, deal with it and lay it to rest once and for all. Isn't that what his dreams are trying to tell him? He's forgone dealing with grief and issues that it had nowhere to go to except present itself as this monstrous nightmare and panic attacks. And then ye came along, and somehow, ye've extracted more out from him than all his therapists put together."

A nervous laugh gurgled from her throat. "I might have been able to do that, but at what cost? Jamie could've hurt himself last night." She'd worried at the speed he'd taken off, thinking if anything grievous had resulted from it, she would have been so utterly devastated, she'd blamed herself. "He needs professional help, Willie. It can't go on like this."

"He does," he agreed, pressing the button on the coffee machine. "But Jamie needs you too, more than ever ...even if he believes he's a danger to ye."

"But he didn't hurt me."

He pushed the stop button on the coffee machine. "May I see the bruise?"

"Of course." She rolled up her sweatshirt sleeves. "I told him I bruise easily. I have an iron deficiency which I'm taking supplements for."

Willie studied the markings on her arms. "They're not that bad."

"No, they're not. I tried to convince him, but he won't listen. I only need to pinch my skin, and I bruise. It's a symptom of being anaemic."

Willie sighed. "Jamie won't be easily convinced, though. Weel ...at least not until he's calmed down."

"He used to have a therapist. Why isn't he seeing one now?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "I know he's against taking pills for his condition, but surely talking to a professional would help him a lot."

"He has nothing against seeing a therapist ..." he replied matter-of-factly as he handed her the coffee. "...just a particular one."

"Oh!" She took the cup from Willie and watched him make another one for himself. "May I know why?"

"Her name is Geneva Dunsany. She's the only available therapist in Broch Mordha. She took over Jamie's former therapist after he left for England." He paused to look at her. "Ye see ...a few years back, my da remortgage Lallybroch and then when the recession came, our family was hit hard financially and had trouble paying the bank. To cut a long story short, Jenny, our meddling sister, knew Geneva was infatuated with Jamie. Since Geneva comes from a well-off family, Jenny thought by playing matchmaker, she would solve everyone's problems single-handedly. Ever since then, my sister has been trying to get them together. So when she heard Jamie's therapist left for England, she encouraged Geneva to take the job even though she already had one in another town. Jamie is quite perceptive, though and knew what our wee sister was up to. Hence he refused to see Geneva."

"That's a bit sneaky."

"Ye can say that again. Geneva might have a wee crush on Jamie, but I dinnae think she's aware of Jenny's meddling, even though they're friends. Jenny thinks she's doing Jamie a favour by finding him a lass who lives here and can help him with his condition. Jen is practical like that."

"I've met her, actually. The therapist that is. We were introduced ...just before I went back to London," she explained, thinking back to the day when she first met Jenny and Geneva. And she's beautiful too, she thought grudgingly. Although Jamie had never given Claire reason to feel jealous before, every muscle in her body had gone rigid, hearing Willie's account on Jamie's would-be therapist. Jealousy continued to roll in like a lick of a flame as the image of Jamie pouring his heart out to a beautiful woman burned hot in her guts. The sudden urgent need to see him made her want to sprint out of the cottage at full speed, but a dose of decorum kept her rooted on the spot. "So, Jamie wasn't interested, huh? Not even the teeny, tiniest bit?" she squeaked, annoyed at the sudden change in her voice.

She thought she saw a muscle twitched along Willie's jaw, but she must have imagined it. Looking like he was sucking the inside of his cheek, he shook his head. "No. Never. And ye have nought to worry about, Claire. Jamie only has eyes for ye."

She swallowed the bitter taste of doubt. "Not worried," she lied, sipping her coffee. But in the true sense of the word, she already felt loads better after the enlightening conversation with Willie. It had taken the edge off her worry over Jamie's condition, even though she still couldn't erase the thought of Jenny pushing Jamie towards Geneva.

"Maybe ye should attend a therapy session with Jamie ...at least initially," he suggested, eyeing her closely as if trying to read her thoughts. "That way, it would put Jamie at ease, and Geneva would realise he's taken already."

Claire slowly placed her cup on the countertop. "Why do I get the feeling this meddling thing is inherent in your family?" she asked, feigning disapproval.

Willie put his own cup down. "Not inherent, Claire. I have my own selfish motive. Ye're the best friend of my Annalise, and I wouldn't be helping my cause if she finds out I've done nought to help ye." When Claire gasped, he grinned. "Kidding aside, even if Annalise wasn't my girlfriend, I want ye to know, I really like you for my brother."

Claire could barely see through the tears she hadn't been aware that was building up. "You sound so sure."

Willie placed his hand over hers and squeezed it. "Are ye sure about my brother?"

"With all my heart," she whispered.

"That's all I need to know."

..........

Jamie slowly opened his eyes and took in the familiar surroundings of his old room. His heart throbbed when he realised the last time he'd slept here had been on New Year's eve, with Claire tucked snuggly on the crook of his arm. Bracing himself up on his elbows, he heard his mother talking to Jenny and his da downstairs. They were probably in the kitchen discussing his state.

He rubbed his face with one hand, feeling the beginning of a day-old stubble, exhaustion washing over him in waves. A mixture of self-loathing and guilt rose within as he replayed the incident from the night before. He couldn't decide what pained him the most, the bruises he'd inflicted on Claire or the fact he'd left her in tears standing in his driveway.

When he'd taken off from his cottage, his heart had been heavy and thoughts dark, not having had any clue what he wanted to do or where to go, only determinedly pushing himself to get as far away from Claire as possible. A few hours later, he'd found himself parked outside his childhood home after Willie and Murtagh had woken him up in his car. So far, he'd only talked to his older brother Willie, and he hoped it would be enough to keep the rest of his family's questions at bay.

Sitting up, he realised he was still in his clothes. He searched for his phone and found it on the nightstand. Swiping the screen, he saw he had a few missed calls from clients and a voice message from Claire. Willie must have switched his phone to silence.

I should call her, he thought. It wouldn't be that difficult. Her voice would soothe him, and her lack of judgement would make him feel like he's on solid ground. He could show his worst, and he knew she'd still be there, smiling and soothing him with words, just like last night. Every hour that passed without seeing her or hearing from her put him a little more off centre, and he could see how too reliant he was becoming on those breaths of fresh air that sprung from her. He shook his head. She was too precious to be with someone who had this nonstop ugliness embedded in the insides of his head. It would only be a matter of time before he dragged her into his hell. He couldn't do that to her.

He was about to tap on Claire's voice message when he was alerted by a double knock on the door.

"Jamie, are ye awake, son?" It was his father.

"Come in," he answered, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

The door opened, and he saw his mother walk in first with a mug of tea. "My darling boy," she smiled, placing the hot brew on the bedside table. "I thought ye could use a bit of something warm in yer belly. How are ye feeling?" She stooped down and kissed him on the forehead.

Jamie scooted back to the headboard to make space for his mother while his father took the chair. "Exhausted," he said honestly. Although he'd slept all morning, it hadn't been a restful sleep.

His father, Brian, cleared his throat. "So ... what's going on with ye, lad?" he asked, cutting to the chase as usual.

Ellen sent her husband a warning glare before refocusing her attention back to Jamie. "Whenever ye're ready, darling," she reassured him, patting his thigh. "Willie vaguely told us what happened, and Jenny is beside herself thinking she triggered yer panic attack yesterday. And Claire ...ye never told us she's here. She's worried sick about ye."

Jamie sighed. "What's there to tell." He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "It wasnae Jenny's fault. It's just the same old, same old. The only difference this time is, I made a stupid mistake getting Claire involved with me. And I'm hurting her in the process."

Ellen briefly looked at her husband. "I find that hard to believe, Jamie. Ye're such a gentle soul, ye could never ever hurt a fly even if it's bugging ye to bits. Did ye two have a fight? Did Claire say ye were hurting her?" she asked Jamie gently.

"No. I just know I am."

"Oh, darling ..."

"So that's it ..." Brian raised his hands in the air before letting them drop to his sides. "Ye're giving in to this condition ye've fought hard against all yer life when the chance for happiness finally present itsel' to ye because ye THINK ye are hurting Claire. Is that what ye're trying to tell us? Because believe ye me, we didnae raise a violent or abusive son. So enlighten us ...where in heaven's name is this all coming from?"

"Brian!"

"It's a futile fight," Jamie blurted before taking a deep breath. "Trust me ... I'd like to have what ye both have. But at what cost? Look at the state of me. Is this the kind of man Claire deserves? She's willing to turn her life upside down for me, and for what? Only to find out later she'd saddled herself with a mentally ill man. So perhaps it's for the best she lucked out early before its too late for either of us."

His mother moved closer to his side and took his hand. "So let me get this straight. Ye're staying away from Claire because ye like her a lot, and ye're afraid to hurt her." Pain clenched tight on his vocal cords, incapacitating him to answer, but she interpreted his silence as a yes. Even though it's far more complex than that. "Oh, sweet lord, how youth is so wasted on the young," she clucked.

"Aye, perhaps." He rubbed a hand behind his neck. "But trust me, I ken fine what the problem is."

"Oh, is that so?"

His father's sarcasm wasn't lost on him, but he ignored it in favour of the pressure sinking into his chest. "I ken I hold back a lot from everyone, and I ken too that's wrong. When things get too much, I keep my mouth shut. And I dinnae realised at first that suffering in silence damages, instead of helping. Though it's easier said than done, I'm working on it. All I ever wanted was no' to be a burden or be the cause of anyone's pain. Claire deserves more."

Ellen sighed. "Jamie ...Jamie ... ye're never a burden. Ye're a delight, and we're so proud of ye. Ye need to understand, ever since ye were a wee bairn, ye've always needed a purpose, like fixing everyone's problem because it gave ye satisfaction to see ye've righted someone's world. Whenever someone was hurting, ye're always the first to reach out." Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. "I thought it was endearing at first until it began to take over yer life. The trauma you've gone through only amplified yer true nature to a point it wasnae healthy anymore. And the guilt that came with it when ye can do nought and thought you've failed ...almost destroyed ye every time." She shifted on the bed. "Jamie ...ye have to stop denying yersel' a chance for happiness because ye're afraid of hurting or failing someone. Pain is part of life. It's inevitable. Though it's good of ye to think of others first, sometimes, it's also good to let others carry that burden for ye and help ye. Running away because ye're afraid of hurting someone is no' gonnae to do anyone any good. Ye'll only end up hurting yersel'. And when that happens, who's going to help ye?"

His mother's logic made sense, but the chatter in his brain continued to hold its ground. "Claire's been through a lot, ma."

"And so have ye, son," Brian interjected, firmly.

"But what if I make things worse for both of us?"

"Oh my sweet boy, what if ye end up happy together?" Ellen smiled. "I ken a crystal ball would come in handy right now, but because we dinnae have one, the only way to find out is to take the risk and hope for the best. Just like what Claire is doing."

Jamie shut his eyes for a while and pictured them together. Every fibre in his body was screaming to get in his car and drive back to Broch Mordha and start making it up to Claire. But his mother was right ...he needed help. He didn't want to put Claire through all that misery again, so he decided right there and then he would start attending therapy afresh. It was the way forth, and he'd held off attending therapy for too long, which might have worsened his condition. But first things first. He needed to be in the right headspace to start doing anything.

"Fine, I'll call the clinic later for an appointment but do ye mind if I rest some more. I'm still feeling a bit off."

The chair scraped the wooden floor as Brian stood up. "Aye, of course. Ye look worn to a frazzle."

Ellen reached out and pulled Jamie into her arms and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be downstairs if ye need anything." She got up and ruffled his hair as if he was still a wee boy. "And I've made leek and tattie soup in case ye're hungry."

"Thanks, ma."

His parents were just about to walk out when Jenny strode in. "Hey."

Jamie rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "Jenny, can we talk later? I'd like to be alone for a bit."

Brian and Ellen gave his sister a warning look as they left the room, but she just shrugged. "I promise this willnae take long. Please, Jamie?"

Jamie waved a hand. "Fine. What is it?"

He watched his sister retrieve something from her jeans' pocket. "Mrs Fitz from the Airbnb gave me this. One of her clients staying over her place left an Oxford Mail newspaper a couple of weeks ago. As she was browsing through it, she came across Claire's name." She handed him a newspaper clipping. "Looks like yer wee girlfriend is an heiress."

"What? Let me see that."

Jamie skimmed through the short article about some property in Fox Lane, Boars Hill in Oxford. It said it was formerly part of the Berkeley Castle Estate. The original part of the house had been designed by the celebrated architect Sir Ernest George for Lord Berkeley, a family ancestor from her mother side. The house had apparently garnered loads of interest among the local rich after being recently vacated by a local MP. It mentioned the original owners' name as Henry and Julia Beauchamp, deceased, and the heiress as Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp.

Was this the South Lodge property Claire had been talking about she'd inherited from her parents? He hadn't really given it much thought ever since she'd casually mentioned it. This was a far cry from the cabin in the woods he'd envisioned.

"Three million pounds for a house!" Jenny broke through his reflection. "Doesn't it make ye wonder what else she inherited?"

Jamie looked at the paper again. That's what the house is worth? Ach, Christ! Even the Oxford gossip found its way to Broch Mordha. He knew Claire would be mortified if the news of her assets became everyone's favourite topic of conversation.

Folding the note, he handed it back to his sister. He saw Claire a little differently now. All that money in the world and all she only ever wanted was a place to belong to. Suddenly he felt awful for leaving her last night. He shook his head at his sister. "Not a word about this to any of yer mates!" he warned her. "Or else ..."

Jenny's eyes widened. "What do ye take me for?"

"A babble merchant," he ribbed, unsmiling. "Now, let me be."

"Ye're no' angry at me still, are ye?"

"No," he sighed. "I'm just exhausted."

"Can I do anything for ye?"

He puffed out a breath. Jenny was looking at him earnestly, and he knew she only wanted to reach out. "Aye, in fact, ye can. Ye can arrange that appointment with the therapist for me."

She smiled, seemingly happy to please. "Right on it. If ye need anything else ..."

"Aye, aye, I'll let ye know."

Jenny left, and somehow, he felt a little less heavy in the heart than he did when he woke up earlier. Grabbing his phone, he tapped play on Claire's voice message.

"Hey, it's me. Just letting you know how much I miss you. I felt a little sad earlier, so I wandered into a cafe in the village centre after Willie left. They had this upbeat music playing in the background. It's an old song. Probably from the eighties or nineties, I'm not quite sure. It's pretty cheesy, but it brought a smile to my face. And now I can't get the music out of my head. Maybe if you listen to it too, it will bring a smile to your face. It's from Rick Astley, Never Gonna Give You Up." There was a pause before she spoke again. "Right, I'll let you rest. Willie told me that's what you've been doing. I'm going to take Rollo out for a walk now and try to get some work done. I'll text and send you a voice message later. I love you."

Ah, Sassenach! He swiped the screen to phone her, but his phone beeped and died. Ah, shite! He wanted to go and see her now but stopped. He had to take steps to make himself better first. He needed to put in the hours to help himself. She deserved the extra time he would put in because she's not getting half-arsed from him again. But for now ...

He scrambled out of bed and opened the bedroom door.

"Ma!" he called out.

"What is it, dear?"

"Do ye still have all yer old music from yer university days?"

"Anything in particular?"

He cringed inwardly. Ah, fuck! "Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley?"

He thought he heard females sniggering downstairs.

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for your patience with the previous chapter and, mostly, the feedback and beautiful comments. I hope this latest update felt a lot lighter to read. I'll keep this short as I'm drained today; nevertheless, I wish you a great weekend.

Looking forward to reading what you think of this update. Take care always, and keep those love vibes rolling. Much love. X

[nicos-archive]

A normal get together

Jennifer grins as she lifts her sunglasses and lets them sit on top of her head. 

“And how are my two favorite sluts doing tonight?” She asks, not bothering to even open the car door. The top was down, so she simply jumps over the door and situates herself in the middle seat. Janne doesn’t waste another second to start driving.

“Well, I’m not sure about him but, this slut is pretty sick of waiting on your fat ass to get ready.” Janne is the first to respond, not bothering to even spare her a glance as he focuses on the road. His passenger on the other hand fully turns to face her.

“Out of all the girl stereotypes you have to live up too, why is this one?” Grey sighs. If she were anyone else, she would be disgusted by his bad breath but, considering they’ve known each other for years now? She’s grown used to it. At least his breath didn’t smell nearly as bad today as it has in the past. Being a zombie, no matter how well he took care of himself, he could never get rid of the stench of death on his person or the rotting smell on his breath. At least the top was down and also lessened the stench coming her way. 

“Call it payback for all the times you two suddenly ditch me.” Jennifer defends herself. Granted, it didn’t happen often but, there was also the times the two forgot she was there and got to… personal. A risk one takes when hanging out with a couple. 

The two in question simply look at her and roll her eyes. “Sounds like someone doesn’t want to hear about how the anniversary date went” Grey looks away from her.

“Wait! No, I wanna hear about it!” She begs while grabbing his arm and ‘lightly’ tugging on it. She often forgets to hold herself back, being so comfortable around him. Which isn’t necessarily a problem, as reattaching a limb is no big deal for him. The real problem is someone seeing that as they were in public. 

Even though she’s already listened to Janne’s side of the story, she was eager to hear Grey's side. As the matchmaker of the two it’s her right to be informed on such things after all. After he’s done filling her in, they take the time to catch up on other things and the conversation stays light. Video games she missed out on, inside jokes, even the little everyday things that he thought she would like to hear.

It was their first time seeing each other since she left the country. Months ago now. He doesn’t have much to fill her in on, as he spends most of his time in his house. Something of a neet. A term she’s picked up on her travels and happily boasted about. Only to get lightly teased by Janne for finally being ‘cultured’. Either way, it was nice to catch up. 

“So, what should we do to celebrate the gang getting back together!” Jennifer yells over the wind. 

“Hu? Isn’t speeding enough for you adrenaline junkies?” Grey responds.

“You say that like you aren’t the one who starts the street races.” Janne is quick to respond.

“That’s right, kid. Yer one of us now!” She adds in, her grin larger, than life. 

Grey just rolls his eyes at the two. She wonders if they can get him to roll his eyes hard enough they pop out of his head again. Probably not the best thing to do at this moment. It would be a bitch to find his eye on the road. Before she can think more on the scenario, Grey speaks up.

“How about a movie?”  

“Oh! My friend just got done with his latest snuff film. It should be showing at that place now. What do you think?” Janne turns to look at the two. Grey shrugs in response.

“Sure! I didn’t see any when I was in the states, so this film better be really good to make up for it!” Jennifer said. 

“Yeah, no offense, but, the last one you showed me was faker than Jenny's American accent.” Grey adds.

“Hey! It actually sounds authentic now!” 

Before the two could start a back and forth, headlights blind them. Janne had been speeding the whole time, not like anyone in the car minded but, as he tried to weave in between cars, he had gone into incoming traffic. Not the first time this had happened, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last, as he could only be described as a reckless driver. Currently, there were in position that left them no choice but, to get in a head on collision as there was also a car to the side of them. 

Everyone in the car laughs as Janne speeds up. They car they had passed suddenly stopped for no reason. Causing a crash. Good thing that had nothing to deal with them.

The truth was, before they could crash, she had ‘teleported’ the car to be right behind the truck. To anyone who could’ve possibly seen it, it was like a tick of the eye. One second the car was there and the next there was never a car on the wrong side of the road. Why would that even be?

“Should we eat first or nah” She suggests. 

“Hmm, if we don’t get arrested, sure.” Grey speaks up right before police sirens start to screech.

“As if.” Janne scoffs.

Yep, it was just like any other get together they had. She really did miss this. Though next time it would be her turn to drive.

[lottie--1234]

The Song is Ended But The Melody Lingers On

Muriel wandered down the stairs of her small teacher’s cottage. She sighed, thinking of the dream she had last night. Dreams like that frequented her mind. She dreamt of Jonah. Again. Not that it was bad, it just made her miss him all the more. It was living a dream, only to wake up and live the nightmare over and over. He was gone. And he was never coming back.

The teacher knelt by Jonah’s old chest and opened it up. It was filled with letters they had sent one another, old clothes she couldn’t bear to throw away and other relics from her past. Inventions, his stethoscope, the like. She fished out a small jewelry box and opened it. Her rings were still sitting inside, as usual. She smiled to herself, remembering the day he had proposed to her. They had been walking to a friend’s house for dinner when the heavens opened up and it began hammering down with rain. The pair began to run when Jonah had stopped suddenly. He turned around and got down on one knee. Right then and there. It was a moment filled with laughter and happiness, even though everything was soaked through by the time they got to dinner. Jonah had later explained that he waited until the moment he didn’t feel nervous anymore. The ring was simple and he had made it himself, they didn’t have much money to spare. But she thought it was beautiful. Silver wire wrapped around a moonstone. She had told him that it looked enchanting. And he had replied that she looked enchanting.

Her wedding band was inside the box, too. And his was on a necklace that she hadn’t taken off since the day he died. She had insisted for Jonah to be buried with the ring but the mortician had refused. He said it would make a good keepsake for the children. The nonexistent children. She couldn’t bear to correct him.

Muriel pulled a large red sweater out of the trunk and pulled it over her blouse. It was one of the few sweaters that still smelled like him after a year. She remembered the Christmas he wore that sweater underneath his whitecoat as he worked in the busy clinic. That clinic, she remembered well. It was run-down and the roof was full of leaks. They lived upstairs as the clinic was open twenty-four hours a day. Luckily their friends worked there, too. Jennie, Emily, Lucas. This reminded her. She had letters to send later on. They included the daily letters she wrote to Jonah. A friend would take them and put them under a rock by Jonah’s grave. They would remain unread. Or else, she’d jam a fishhook down their throats.

A rap on the door broke Muriel from her stance. She quickly got up and opened the door a crack, not wanting whoever it was to see the open chest and the items that were now taken out. “Muriel, that sweatshirt is far too big for you. Honestly. Now, let me in. It’s positively freezing out here. Come on! No one’s getting any younger.” It was Rachel Lynde. The short, stocky figure barged past Muriel, letting herself in.

“Um- Good morning, Rachel. To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you so early?” Muriel asked, directing the lady away from the mess in the living room. She poured a cup of tea for herself and for her visitor and brought out a plate of biscuits. At least she had breakfast now.

“I was just here to tell you that Mr.Gillis’s nephew is in town. I’ve taken the liberty of telling him about you and he seemed very interested indeed. I must say, this matchmaking business is rather bracing.” Rachel nattered. Muriel sighed. She was in no mood for this. She hardly ever was in a mood for this. It had to end now.

“Rachel, stop. This has to come to an end. I’m completely fed up. There are things you don’t know and quite frankly- it’s none of your business. But since you’ve made it a mission to insert yourself into my business, I’ll tell you. I’m a widow. I was married to a wonderful, adventurous man named Jonah Stacey and he died of tuberculosis at the young age of 26 a year ago because he was a doctor and caught it from a patient.” Muriel blurted out. This took Rachel by surprise and all she could do was stutter. “This sweater was his. This was his wedding ring.” Muriel said, pulling out the silver wedding band on a chain that hung around her neck. “These are all inventions we made together and this is what he looked like.” the teacher told the lady, pulling various black and white images of her late husband out of the trunk. “This is a beach in a box. He made it for me when we visited my hometown in Cape Breton because he knew I missed the beach when we were living in Toronto.” the blonde explained, opening a tin box to reveal seashells and a tiny love note buried in the sand. “He was kind, level-headed, stubborn and annoyed the life out of me at times but I miss him every day. He was my soulmate and while my birthday was last week, I turned twenty-seven but he never will. So next time one of your suitors graces my doorstep, I will jam my walking stick so far up his-”

“That’s quite enough, Muriel. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Rachel interrupted. She was devastated she had been so insensitive.

“You should be sorry. You know, we thought we were going to grow old with one another. Like you and Mr.Lynde. But it’s over. The song is ended but the melody lingers on. Every day.” Muriel said, wistfully.

[anoutlandishfanfic]

The Alaskan Endeavor: Ch2 - Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

So, again, this chapter update (can I call them PUPdates? they’re now PUPDATES) is in celebration of another race that finished up yesterday morning -- the Kuskokwim 300 aka The Kusko300, which is one of if not THE most competitive middle distance race in Western Alaska. We’ll get to the pups and more about racing in the next chapter but HERE WE HAVE THE MEETING Y’ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.

You can find chapter one here or over at AO3!!

Claire That evening

The Murray’s residence wasn’t far from my flat above the Abernathy’s garage — nothing in this tiny hamlet was — and I decided to walk the four blocks, taking in a remarkable summer’s evening.

Joe had warned me that the shift in daylight hours was more extreme here in Kozebue — twenty-six miles above the Arctic Circle — than where we’d reconnected on Kodiak Island… and I had to admit he was right. I’d made good use of the black out curtains that were installed in the bedroom, shutting out the sun that insisted on shining well into the night and starting up again ungodly early in the morning. I knew I’d have no trouble making my way back on foot after dinner.

It would still be broad daylight.

I rounded the final corner and scanned the lane for my destination…

“It’s a blue house with white trim… second on the left,” Joe’s wife Gail had easily informed me, for the Abernathy’s and the Murray’s were old friends.

Gail’s eyes had held the same suspicious twinkle that Jenny’s had when she’d invited me for dinner and I had a sinking suspicion that I was about to be set up on a blind date, hosted by Jenny Murray herself. My new patient had mentioned she had a brother when she was in earlier and if I were the betting sort, I’d place my life savings on him being the man in question.

How on earth did you let yourself get roped into this, Beauchamp? I sighed ruefully to myself as I spotted the abode.

Crossing the street, I took a few deep breaths, trying to steady my pounding heart as I got closer to the Murray’s front door. It was no use, of course, for it had firmly lodged itself in my throat about a block and a half back, and I was left trembling slightly as I mounted the front steps.

Wiping sweaty palms on my pants, I lifted my hand and knocked. Once — twice — three times.

… Jamie

“Can you get that?” Jenny shouted from the kitchen, the usual clamor of my nieces and nephew interfering but not obscuring her words.

Passing the youngest back to her father, I stood and answered, “Aye, I’ve got it!”

I wiped at the deposit of crumbs that wee Katie had left behind on my shirtfront, tugging at the hem in an attempt to flatten out the wrinkles pressed into it by the same. I shook my head and gave it up, knowing it was useless and that it shouldn’t really matter anyway.

Rolling my eyes at the ridiculous concern for my own appearance, I turned into the front hall and padded quickly down the plush rug to the door.

I turned the knob and pulled — then stopped dead as the door opened.

Christ, she was beautiful.

Her pale cheeks were slightly flushed, which made the small smattering of freckles across her nose stand out like brilliant stars. The curls were coming out of a plait that was draped over one shoulder and it gave her a delightfully adventurous air. She was a brunette like Jenny, but not nearly quite so dark. The light streaming in from behind her set brilliant copper highlights aglow as she flipped the thick queue away, making it disappear behind her.

One perfectly arched brow rose in question of me — and I knew I was staring — but the ability to form coherent speech left me entirely as her eyes locked on to mine.

Brown would be a woefully inaccurate word to describe such a hue as hers. They were rich like a fine whisky, a deep amber that all at once soothed and pierced your soul.

Pull yerself together, you clotheid.

I cleared my throat, trying to regain some semblance of composure and took a step back, sweeping a hand to usher her in.

“You, ah, must be Dr Claire,” I stammered, my lips still not completely able to do my bidding. “I’m Jamie, Jenny’s brother.”

Comprehension lit her eyes and she chuckled softly.

God, that sound.

It sent shockwaves up and down my spine and stood the hair on the back of my neck on end.

What I wouldn’t do to make her laugh like that again.

“Tell me, Jamie,” she kept her voice low, a conspiratorial gleam sneaking into her eyes. “Have Jenny and Gail been playing matchmaker with us?”

Raking a hand through my hair, I confessed dryly, “They’ve been trying to set me up for years.”

She tipped her head back and laughed outright and freely at my confirmation, commenting, “I thought so, but then I’d only met your sister this morning.”

“I’ve known her my whole life,” I grinned back at her. “Once Jen gets an idea in her head, it’s best to let her have at it ‘til it peters out on its own... unless it involves that wee fiend of hers.”

Delicate, slender fingers lifted to her lips as the color deepened in her cheeks, amusement still high in her voice, “Are you talking about Roger?”

“Right! Yes!” It was my turn to laugh. “You’ve met the numpty yourself.”

She grinned, “I’ve had the pleasure, yes.”

“Did she tell you he’s a service dog drop out?” I shook my head in mock derision.

Her eyes grew as big as saucers, nearly dropping the bag in her hand as she burst, “No!!”

“Oh, aye!” I scoffed, but my smile crept back in and betrayed my amusement at the whole ordeal.

“Too friendly… and easily distracted.”

“Are you two done bletherin’ out here?” My brother in law Ian stuck his head into the hallway, succinctly interrupting us with a knowing look.

“The food’s gettin’ cold!”

… Claire

Tucked between Jamie and his seven year old namesake, dinner was far from a dull affair. Jenny proved to be a remarkable cook and the table conversation ranged in topics from a nuanced detail of racing — that is, mushing — to my favorite animal.

“Do you mean in general,” I tested the waters, assembling another forkful of roast and potatoes, “or in a specific class or order?”

The little boy’s eyes lit up and I knew I’d found a topic that he particularly enjoyed… which was a stroke of luck for me, being that animals and their care was my field of expertise.

Thank God it wasn’t dinosaurs.

“Mammals!” He eagerly narrowed the field, then zeroed in even further, “What’s your favorite African mammal?!”

“Oh, that’s easy! A giraffe!” I supplied, my smile matching his. “I got to see them in the wild, you know… in Tanzania.”

This caught the attention of the rest of the table and began to field questions left and right about my time on the Serengeti. I didn't mind, as they were happy memories, and soon won over both the younger Jamie and his five year old sister Maggie with tales of elephants and zebras and all of the animals they’d only read about in books or seen on television.

“Did you see any lions?” Little Maggie’s voice dropped into what I supposed was her version of a whisper — as if one were right beside us — and she nearly vibrated with excitement as she asked again, “Did you see any lions, Dr Claire?!”

I heard Jamie, the elder and my supposed date for the evening, chuckle beside me and I wondered just what sort of mischief this little one could get into when she set her mind to it.

“I did see lions too, Maggie,” I assured her, taking on her affected stage whisper. “We went in a truck at night and had big flashlights and saw them getting a drink of water.”

“Dey sirsty,” two year old Katie informed the table proudly, making all of the adults grin.

I bit my lip to keep from chuckling at her innocent attempt at being involved in the conversation, but agreed, “They get very thirsty.”

“How’d ye wind up in Alaska, then?”

This turn in conversation came from Jamie’s father, an older man by the name of Brian.

“I went to university with Joe Abernathy in Seattle,” I supplied. “We went separate ways after graduation but I ran into him again when I was visiting my uncle on Kodiak Island… Joe offered me a position at his clinic and I couldn’t refuse.”

“He’s done a lot of good wi’ that practice of his,” Brian commented. “Been a dream of his for some time now.”

Nodding, I smiled at the memory of Joe’s eager rants and rails, “He spoke quite a bit about it in school. I knew how much it meant to him and was eager to help him in his cause.”

“He almost worked himself to death before you came along,” Jenny snorted, then shot me an apologetic look. “Bein’ the only vet in the Northwest Borough made for long hours an’ no rest.”

“That’s why I wanted to come… to ease the burden a bit.”

“Well, then you’re a saint, Dr Claire,” she sighed, surmising with a shake of her head.

“No,” I assured her quietly. “I’m just plain old Claire Beauchamp.”

… Jamie. After Dinner.

“Wait just a minute,” I protested. “You walked here?!”

We were at the front door again, this time in full control of my faculties, but the woman before me was quickly turning out to be more of an complexity than I ever imagined possible.

Her brow furrowed at this, as if she hadn’t thought of the incongruity of her walking the mile from the Abernathy’s to here on foot.

“Yes… why?”

“Well, it’s… it’s just that…'' I stammered, flummoxed. “Don’t you have somethin’ to drive?”

“Of course,” she looked at me as if I’d sprouted five heads from my shoulders. “I have a perfectly good vehicle, but why drive it four blocks when it’s beautiful outside and I can walk?”

I opened my mouth to respond to this and found I didn’t have a reasonable answer. She found great amusement in this and crossed her arms, waiting for me to respond.

Shaking my head, I gave it up and couldn’t help but smile as I offered to walk her home.

This took her by complete surprise and her jaw dropped, “Why?!”

“Well,” I pulled at the back of my neck, trying to come up with something and shrugged helplessly, “like you said… it’s a beautiful evening.”

Her brows nearly rose to her hairline, not buying this for one moment.

“Look, it’s the polite thing to do, aye? I know you live at the Abernathy’s because Joe told me… I’ll leave just as soon as you’ve made it to the front door, I promise,” I insisted. “Nothin more.”

She contemplated this, then clarified, “Just a walk?”

I dropped my hands, swinging my hands away from my sides in a clearing motion and then against them again with a soft pat.

“Just a walk.”

[angelsswirl]

American Style

Chapter 2: Vegas Lights

Wrd Cnt: 1k+

Rating: M

The lies and affectations. Sensation. We're winning 'til the curtain's coming down.

"You'll never believe who I met at work last night?" You threw your rather expensive purse down onto the sofa next to your roommates.

You kicked off your shoes near the front door then threw yourself across said roommates lap's. One of them let out a grunt, but otherwise didn't say anything.

"Lisa Manoban, Park Rosé, and Bae Irene?" Doyeon answered easily. She yanked her arms from underneath your thighs.

"How'd you know?" Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion. You normally didn't tell either of your roommates about your clientele out of respect for their privacy. There's no way that Doyeon could have just gotten that on the first try.

"It's all over twitter." Ryujin, her other roommate, handed her phone to the woman laying across her lap.

This was the routine, you would get home, normally around 5:00 a.m., maybe pick up breakfast for the three of you, then get back to the apartment, and hangout until Ryujin and Doyeon left for the day.

Ryu had been right, there were a few paparazzi photos of the three of them entering the building, none seemed to depict them leaving, however.

"Ugh, Jeremy's going to be in so much trouble. Normally, he does a way better job of keeping those vultures away." You handed Ryujin her phone back with a tired sigh.

"So, whose mind did Royalty blow into a million horny peices?" Doyeon asked with a smirk encompassing the whole of her face. She even muted the television none of them were watching for extra assurance.

"I wouldn't say I blew her mind, but I gave Lisa Manoban a lap dance because it's my job." You made sure to point those last words at Doyeon. For some reason, Doyeon's been in perpetual matchmaker mode since you met, and that was when you were all 14.

"If you didn't blow her mind, where's your bra?" Ryu asked with a suspicious raise to her eyebrow.

You scoffed loudly, "How did you even notice that?!"

"I notice everything."

"Fine! I may have stuffed it in her pocket as a parting gift." You crossed your arms over your chest protectively, a small pout forming on your now plain lips.

"Oh my God! You did blow her mind!" Doyeon shouted, an accusing finger pointed in your direction.

"You're into her." Ryu's revelation is way softer in execution, but just as accusatory and astonished.

"Why? Just because I stuffed my bra in her pants pocket?"

"No. Because you took off your bra in the first place." Ryujin answered smoothly. Doyeon nodded along slowly. They all knew the implications but know one seemed keen to elaborate.

You rolled your eyes and huffed, "Fine. You win again. I might be a tiny bit into her, but it doesn't matter."

"And why doesn't it matter?"

"Hello, Shin Ryujin. My name's Y/N Y/LN. Would you like a copy of my business card? Yes, I know it says Royalty, but don't worry, that's my stage name. I'm a stripper. Nice to meet you."

"No. You're an exotic dancer. Say it with me. 'Exotic dancer'." Doyeon spoke slowly. You promptly ignored her.

"That's only a problem because you're making it a problem." Ryujin said softly.

You shook your head, "She was so sweet and nervous. She seemed to be genuinely interested in me. Not Royalty. In me. But she doesn't even know my actual name. I'm never going to see her again. I'm fine with that." You shrugged harshly.

"Why do you insist on lying to your best friends?"

You don't answer.

"And she does know your name."

"What?" You sat up, your eyes zeroing in on Ryujin. She winced at the elbows digging into her thigh.

"I sew your name into all of your lingerie so those bitches you work with can't steal it. So, assuming she's smart enough to look at the tag, she knows your name." Ryujin's face suggested she thought this was completely normal.

"You sewed my name into my bras and panties? She's going to think I'm a narcissist. Good going, Ryujin." You plopped back down, this time groaning into your hands.

"That's our Jinjin. Always looking out for her besties!" Doyeon patted Ryu's shoulder placatingly.

"Now, you can wait for her to find you and then you can fuck into the sunset or whatever."

"Or just finish what you started back at the club. Or did you already finish?" Doyeon giggled at her own joke. Ryujin didn't giggle, but she did want to know the answer.

"Doesn't talking about your fellow singer like this make you uncomfortable?" You asked pointedly.

Doyeon rolled her eyes, "That would imply we actually get a deal soon."

An odd look passed over your face. Ryujin eyed her best friend with a sympathetic frown, "You could get a deal soon too. So people can see you. You're still good. Still better range and rhythm than Doyeon."

"Hey!"

You only shook your head. It was just too late for you.

Lisa had been trying to fight off this headache since she had woken up that morning.

She had tried fighting it off during breakfast, during their morning meeting where Jungwook yelled at them, (Well, Jungwook had mainly yelled at Irene, and she seemed more mad that they had gotten caught than anything else. It was safe to say that Jisoo was still Jungwook's favorite), during rehearsals, and now when she's alone, save for her snoozing roommate.

Her memories from the previous night hadn't helped soothe the throbbing in her temples. In fact, they had did the opposite, and not just to her head. To her entire body.

Royalty did things to her entire body. They had spent maybe a total of 15 minutes together, and yet that had been enough time for Lisa to memorize every last one of the woman's dips and bumps and ridges and curves.

Really, it's no wonder that Lisa still has a hangover, because thinking about Royalty makes her feel a bit drunk.

It's something she's got to get over quickly. They're going to leave after their benefit concert the next day, and there's going to be little to no room for insignificant crushes on women she doesn't know.

And yet, Lisa still feels like she's got unfinished business. Lisa still feels like she's got to find this woman and at the very least talk, with all of their clothing on, over a cup of coffee.

She sat on the edge of the hotel bed soflty. Her suitcase, placed haphazardly in the corner, stared back at her.

Lisa reached over to it. Her hand finding its way into one of the small pockets on the side. She yanked out the peice of fiery red lace. A glance over her shoulder tells her Jenny is still asleep.

Maybe she's holding it differently then she had last night. Maybe it's fate. Who actually knows. Whatever it is pulls the tag of the garment free from its confines.

Property of Y/N "Royalty" Y/LN.

So, that's what she was supposed to do with a stripper's bra.