#leo: we have to be better prepared for the next one of dad's love children

[dandylovesturtles]

@theplacewhereidumpmyinterests I can't talk about most of them because they're part of an AU verse I want to keep secret until I have the first fic that's part of it written, and idk when that will be (by summer?? HOPEFULLY??), but I guess I can talk about the other one because idk if/when I will write a fic for him (I'd like to but like I am only human)

"more AUs Dandy?" LISTEN all I do is sit around and think about "what if"s, okay?

ok so this started as me being like, hm, we see Lou Jitsu with a rotating door of women, so many he doesn't seem to remember all their names, so it's not totally out there to think he might have gotten one of them pregnant, right?

and thus Marcus (middle name Kyle) was born! literally!

so the story for this is, Lou Jitsu had a fling with a woman in the early 90s, pre-Big Mama. they were both in agreement that the whole thing was casual and it didn't last very long, but oopsie-daisy about six weeks after their last night together she finds out she's pregnant.

she debates what to do for a bit, because, as established, Lou Jitsu is kinda a fuckboi and she doesn't really want a relationship with him. But once she decides she's definitely keeping the baby she feels like she can't just not tell him, right? so she tries!

...unfortunately he's dating Big Mama by that point and she interferes to make sure that Lou Jitsu never meets with the woman and never finds out, because she knows this would get in the way of her plans.

she takes never hearing back from LJ as a sign he just isn't interested in the kid and resolves to single-motherhood. which she is the best at, btw.

she's still considering trying to introduce Marcus to his dad at some point, but unfortunately her kid isn't even 5 before Lou Jitsu suddenly goes missing, with his teary fiancée telling a sob story to the cops. assuming, same as everyone else, that he's dead, she lets the whole thing go, though she does tell Marcus who his dad is once he's old enough to understand everything.

Marcus goes through periods of being obsessed with Lou Jitsu, watching all his movies and consuming every piece of media about him that he can find, and periods where he can't stand to even hear the name. it's up and down. from his perspective, LJ abandoned him and his mom, but he's also dead, so it's not like he can have closure on this ever, right? so it's just a thing he has to deal with on his own.

but he's fine! he's alright. he gets through high school, then college, then accepted into vet school just fine.

then... his mom gets sick and dies.

yeah, that's a hard blow.

but he's alright! he has a few buddies from college he still sees now and then, and he's started his zoo vet residency at the Bronx Zoo (with a particularly special interest in reptiles), so lots of new people to meet that way! he's doing great! he's not lonely at all!

(a few months ago, he was suddenly woken up by a surge of something, like dozens of voices were crying out to him for help, tugging him toward something, saying his family needs him...

yeah, no idea what that was about. he doesn't have any family anymore.)

then the sky opens up and aliens come out.

Marcus is at work, because of course aliens would attack at the beginning of his shift. he spends the day ushering survivors into safe zones within the zoo, using his medical knowledge to handle first aid, and just trying to stay sane as the whole world turns upside down.

and then just as suddenly as it all started... it stops.

in the aftermath, everyone around him is just trying to get home, desperately calling their loved ones and praying for the best. Marcus starts trying to figure out how he's going to get home, because the trains definitely aren't running, and as he looks as his phone for a spark of inspiration, he realizes... no one has tried to call him. his coworkers' phones have been going off all day, whenever they can get signal, as loved ones try to reach them, but... he doesn't have anyone trying to reach him. and as he sits there he realizes he doesn't know who he should be calling, either.

so. that's pretty depressing.

and as he's sitting there, thinking about his life and what led him here, in a now empty vet clinic outside the bronx zoo... he hears a noise. and then, voices.

ah great. looters.

at first, Marcus tries to call 911 - but obviously the call center is swamped. so he decides to take care of the problem himself, going to see who's there and get rid of them...

wait, who is he kidding? he's definitely not paid enough to confront potentially armed looters! he's going to get out of here.

but just as he starts to leave, he hears the voices again - coming from one of the surgery rooms this time. and they're talking about IVs... scalpels... anesthesia...

suddenly he realizes that these aren't looters - they're here to try and treat somebody.

and like hell is he going to let some idiot kill someone trying to do DIY surgery.

so he turns back around and bursts into the room... on two humans, a rat that counts as giant even for New York, and four very big, very injured turtles.

one of whom immediately points a gun in his face. to be fair, that's what he thought would happen.

"Donnie!" yells the biggest one, and, oh, they can talk. huh.

"Relax, it's just a tranquilizer!"

"Donatello!" that's the rat. there's a sound like a whip cracking and the one with the gun makes a startled noise and drops it.

now the rat is in front of him. he's looking up at Marcus imploringly. "Do you work here?" he asks.

"Y-yeah. I'm a vet."

the rat bows very politely. "my sons are seriously hurt, and I don't have the supplies to help them at home. I understand it is a lot to ask, but... we must use your supplies. please, if you could just look the other way."

Marcus looks around at the turtles, especially the one on the table, the one worst off. he looks mangled. he won't live long if he isn't properly treated.

a rat, two humans who look like teenagers, and the turtles. who the rat called "sons". now that he's noticing, they're all pretty short, other than the big one. are they also teenagers?

"...Are any of you doctors?" he asks. the littlest one starts to raise a hand, but the girl grabs it and forces it back down.

everyone else has left by now. he's the only doctor here.

alright. guess he's doing this.

"...okay, everyone make some room. let me get sterilized, and I'll see what we're working with here."

and that's how the son Lou Jitsu didn't know he had becomes primary care doctor to his teenage mutant ninja half-brothers. ^^

(and then a bunch of other stuff happens)

[hotheadrednecksimmer]

You Should Be Here - Struck by Love Legacy Challenge - Season 2, Episode 32

The next few days, Naomi seemed to be more livelier than she was. Extending outside of the nursery, showering, eating, and sitting in the living room listening to classic music.

Leo: I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for us. I really appreciate it.

Maeve: Family shows up. Always. That means for you too. How are you doing?

Leo: Not great, but better now that Naomi is taking care of herself. I'm glad that you were able to reach her.

Maeve: I think she's struggling with the burden of taken responsibility of causing their death. It wasn't her fault and I think she needs to be reminded every so often right now.

Leo: I knew she felt that way but I thought it was like just a one time thing. Not something that she was continually dealing with. I hope we can be close again at some point.

Maeve: It will be, you both are just processing it. Losing babies, kids you will never be prepared for it. Both of you just need to be surrounded in love. Which is why I wanted to ask, both Star and I have loved staying here with both of you. The house is big enough, well, we were wondering if -

Leo: I'd love for you two to move in. Ask Naomi for another opinion, but I don't think she'd mind.

Leo caught Naomi writing a song for Grace and Graham, and named it My Angel Loves.

A week later....

Leo: It's nice having dinner with you, even if your parents are in the next room.

Naomi: It's nice having dinner at a table.

Leo: I need you to know that I love you and I don't blame you for what happened. It wasn't your fault.

Naomi: I know that now. I love you too but I have to tell you something that I haven't told anyone, not even my mom.

Leo: I'm all ears.

Naomi: When we first met, it was just a hook up. I never thought I was going to see you again.

Leo lightly chuckles: Well, I already knew that part.

Naomi: This is the part that you don't, I got pregnant. I wasn't ready to be a parent then either and I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I took care of it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, I was just scared to lose you. Especially when you told me you dreamed of being a dad. If you don't want to be with me anymore, I understand.

Leo takes a few minutes to ponder over the information Naomi shared. Leo took a deep breath.

Leo: I love you Naomi, nothing you could do would ever change how much you mean to me or how much I truly love you. I understand why you did it, I'm not upset. Yes, I would have liked you to share this with me sooner, but I can also understand why you didn't. If you never want children, or if you want to adopt, or use a surrogate, whatever what you want to do. I don't want you to lose yourself in me, I want you to chase your dreams and I will support you in whatever you decide. I love you so much and I don't think I can tell you enough how thankful I am for just you.

Naomi's eyes filled with tears: I love you too. I think I do want children. I wasn't ready with Grace and Graham, but I'm ready now. I know I want to be a mom, I want to be a good mom like my mom was to me. I think losing them opened my eyes to I was ready for them, I was just scared.

Leo: Well, whenever you want to start trying again, I think you should go to the doctor to get cleared and advice if you should even carry. The last pregnancy was dangerous for your health. I'd rather adopt or another way of having a child with you, than lose you.

Naomi: Sounds good to me babe. Thanks for not hating me.

Leo: I could never hate you, unless you keep stealing the covers in your sleep.

Naomi: It's just a ploy to get you closer to me.

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Season 1 | Season 2 First | Previous | Next

[empressofthesunwriter]

The Stick of Truth

Codename: Dovahkiin Part 1!

N.K. is angry at her parents. Not only did they move again, no, but they moved into a snowy hicktown named South Park! She was sure she would hate it there, yet surprisingly she gets to participate in the epic RPG the kids play and falls for the human princess and the elf king. Who is friend, who is foe and which side should she choose?

Main Pairing: New Kid/Kenny McCormick/Kyle Broflovski

Welcome to the semi-last and longest chapter!

We will have a little epilog after that and then start with book two”

I hope you will enjoy it.

Chapter 16: Let’s fighting Love!

The Dark Fortress of Clyde looms in the background as King Kyle and I stand before our people and alias.

This…this is the Endgame.

We all feel it in the air.

Dramatically wind makes our clothes and hair sway as King Kyle speaks: “Today, we are not elves and humans! Today... we fight as ONE!”

“Years later from now on, children will talk and sing about our heroic effort to defeat the Dark Lord Clyde!”, I add. “Let us besiege the army of darkness with the courage of amazons! Let us delve into their dungeon with swords and sorcery!”

“Let us charge our shields and use photon torpedos to vaporize the Klingons!”

A record scratches formally.

I just blink at Kevin Stoley, the one I found the IPad of his dad by the church, returning it to him.

I’m not sure what to say.

For once in a lifetime Cartman interference is welcome. He standing beside Leo, facepalming.

“Kevin, god dammit. Every fucking time, Kevin. God fucking dammit, seriously.”

“I'm sorry.”

“It’s okay.”, I get my bearings back and wave. “Armies of justice and light! PREPARE! Are you ready?!”

I hear loud yeses and agreeing shouts.

“Then... let's kick Clyde’s ass!”

Like an unstoppable tidal wave, we storm the front door of Clyde’s home, while his dad stands beside it, staring at us in confusion.

We enter the garden and the epic battle begins!

It was early on decided that me, King Kyle, Princess Kenny, Lady Tammy, Paladin Leo, Bard Jimmy, and Wizard Fatass would take care of Clyde.

Ranger Stan of course too, but for the moment he helped the Pirates, led by Maplebeard, who is a cute Canadian kid and King Kyle’s brother, get us inside the fortress from outside, while we storm it from the inside.

We battle, we solve riddles, and we climb the tower higher and higher.

Craig awaits us with three Nazi Zombie cows, but we can take away two.

The thief and his cow were nothing.

Ranger Stan joins us now and we continue on.

Clyde has to be in the next room!

But surprise, surprise waiting for us is…

“Dad? What the hell are you doing here?”, asks Stan Mr. Marsh.

“Oh! It's my favorite kid!”, yells Mr. Marsh and kneels down before me. Dude…that’s so not okay to say this when your son is standing right there! “Listen, I found out what they were doing at the women's clinic! They were looking for a candidate to put a snuke into! They're going to nuke ALL OF SOUTH PARK!”

“A snuke?”, repeats King Kyle shocked.

We all feel this too.

That’s so not good at all.

“You boys and girls don't understand. They've put the snuke HERE.”

Even better!

“Who did?”

“Whomever these people are CLAIMING to be Taco Bell! We should've known. We should have known Taco Bell is far too compassionate and caring to be so secretive. The quality of their character, like the quality of their food, should have never come into question.”

“Dad, where is the woman with the snuke?”

“They didn't put it in a woman.”

Mr. Marsh leads us to the person.

It’s Mr. Slave!

He is bonded on a pillar without pants, but thank god his tank top cowers his privates.

Another trauma I don’t need.

“All I remember was that there were these big government guys, and they wrestled me to the floor at my house! And then I remember thinking, well this is fun, but wait, is that a thermonuclear device?”, tells us Mr. Slave what happened to him. “I had some drinks so putting a thermonuclear device up my ass wasn't COMPLETELY out of the question... oh Jesus Christ, how long do I have?!”

“We don't know, Mr. Slave, but it could be a matter of MINUTES.”, answer him, Mr. Marsh.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Pull it out!”

Mr. Slave turns his behind in our direction.

What the fuck?!

It’s not like we can just pull it out of the ass!

But this shows how stupid Cartman actually is because he tries.

TRIES, in big letters, since Kyle slaps his hand away.

“No! We can't just pull it out! Snukes have triggers on them! We have to abort it -- from inside.”

“Oh COME ON! Who knows how to do abortions AND can get really really small?”, counters Fatass.

…I don’t like where this is going.

All beside Tammy have now a thinking face going on, asking who could do this, while we two girls argue non-verbal.

Tammy really wants me to get small, climb in Mr. Slaves’ ass and abort the snuke.

I make clear I don’t wanna do this fucked up shit and if this is so important, she can do it.

It goes like this for a few seconds, till Tammy makes at me the best puppy dog eyes and puckers her lips at me.

…I’m a thirsty hoe…if she really will give me a kiss…oh god…I’m actually doing it!

Gritting my teeth I step forward but grip Tammy by the hand and before she can make it clear that she doesn’t want to join me, I shrink us both.

“Oh, look! The girls are all small.”, points out Mr. Slave.

“Wow, this kid is just FULL of surprises! Quick! Get up there and disarm the snuke! Hurry!”

“No need to tell us twice, Mr. Marsh!”, I call back and formally drag Tammy with me.

“Oh, be careful girls. I might have also put some bats up there the other night.”, warns Mr. Slave.

Tammy gives up and faces her destiny.

She knows without me she can’t grow big again, so she is stuck anyway.

So…yeah we enter a man’s body through his asshole.

Ladies and gentlemen we didn’t reach the Fucked-Up-Meter, we completely obliterated it!

“I hate you so much right now!”, growls Tammy at me.

“Hey, you wanted me to go up this ass! Do you really think I would go alone? Someone has to suffer with me.”, I simply say.

“Fucking shit! Let’s get this over with!”, angry she follows the anal channel? Is it called so? “Next time you take one of your boy toys.”

“They didn’t promise me a kiss.”

I follow after her.

“I regret that too.”

We don’t go far since…a frog with a crown stops us?

What?

What does Mr. Slave put in his ass?

“New Kid and follower, you must find a way out of this place or you will surely die.”, tells us this Frog King.  “The way behind you is blocked by the large sphincter. Make haste to the large intestine! All will be made clear to you then!”

Geez, thanks for that information you strange thingy.

Tammy and I side-eye each other and then shrug our shoulders.

Whatever let’s go.

As we make our way through Mr. Slaves’ ass I could swerve someone is singing a song for me about this adventure.

Maybe I have gone gaga.

After what I experienced these days and now this, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Also, Mr. Slave has a lot of things up his ass.

Like a creepy hand puppet with a Zylinder, corn, and even his own phone.

I don’t have words for all this literary shit.

We kill some Nazi Zombie Bacteria, because of course, why shouldn’t he have this up his ass also, free the bat Mr. Slave warned us, as we encounter another spectral being.

It’s a bird.

“I am the Sparrow Prince.”

A sparrow.

Sure, why not?

I already lost all hope in humanity.

“Like you, I was once used for pleasure as an anal plaything, and thus perished in this place. Now you must defeat my angry spirit in order to move forward. I know I don't really sound that angry, but trust me, I am.”

Of course, we need to battle it.

OF COURSE!

The battle is tough I won’t lie, but Tammy and I are unstoppable together.

We defeat the Sparrow Prince.

“You have proven yourself in combat, young anal plaything. You may journey forth. Find the snuke's trigger and save the outside world. Fare thee met and fare thee well.”

And…he is gone.

Tammy rubs her forehead.

“I will need lots of therapy after this whole shit.”

“Yeah, I was planning an making an appointment next week, wanna come with me?”

Sick of all this we continue on.

Okay, I admit it’s a bit of a surprise finding soldiers guarding Mr. Slaves’ asshole.

“Armed guards? What are they doing here?”, wonders the Frog King.

He and the Sparrow Prince appeared at our sides.

“Whoever seeks to blow up the city clearly doesn't want anyone stopping them.”

“You must get past them, New Kid. Go fuck ‘em up.”

“No need to tell me twice.”

Did I really talk with the two spectral beings?

God, when is this finally over?

Tammy and I defeat the soldiers and finally there is the fucking snuke!

We are so close to ending this!

A new spectral being appears before us.

It’s some kind of fish. Since he lives in a gay man, does it make it a gay fish?

“Hello, New Kid. I... am Catatafish.”

Catatafish of the stomach's cove.

There is again the singing!

“The trigger of the thermonuclear device lies before you. I have tried to solve its riddle, but I have been unable to disarm it.”

Catatafish riddle will soon be told.

“There are only moments to spare. Find a way to disengage the trigger, or all will be lost.”

“Ready to abort this thing?”, ask me, Tammy.

“Let’s get this bread!”

One good thing, aborting the snuke is not as creepy, sick, and disgusting as the other one I did today.

As thank you for the successful abortion Mr. Slave sneezes me and Tammy out of his body.

Well, the mouth is better than the way we came in at least. The three spectral beings who live in Mr. Slaves’ ass appear again, thank me and gift me a crown.

I wait till they vanish to throw it away.

I don’t wanna know where it was and I want to forget all this ever happened.

I make Tammy and myself grow big again.

“Great job!”, praises Mr. Marsh. “You disarmed the snuke. South Park is saved.”

We, girls, give a tired thumbs up.

“Yes. Now let's finish this, bitch. Let's beat Clyde once and for all, and take back the Stick of Truth!”

“Cartman I warn you, my tolerance is really low right now. If you don’t want that I fucking kill you, stop insulting me!”

This shuts him up or maybe my crazy death serious look and our group moves forward to finally face Clyde.

We enter his dark throne room.

Clyde is standing beside a container with the Nazi Zombie goo.

“Fools! You thought you could conquer the Fortress of Darkness!”

“Clyde! Back away from that stuff!”, warns Stan.

“Oh, but I have yet to complete my army! You have come to witness the power of darkness!”

“Stop! Clyde!”, plead King Kyle. “You have no idea what that stuff is!”

“Yeah huh, it's green sauce from Taco Bell. I took it from their construction site.”

“Dude, that's not Taco Bell sauce.”, informs Stan.

“Then why'd I find it at Taco Bell?”

“It leaked out of a UFO, Clyde! It's toxic goo from another galaxy! Think about it! Since when does Taco Bell have a green sauce, dude?”, tells him Cartman.

“Actually, since about a year ago.”, answer him King Kyle, like Fatass asked this really and it wasn’t a rhetorical question.

Me and Tammy roll our eyes as the boys talk about this green sauce of Taco Bell and Clyde being all triumphal since he thinks it’s really this green Taco Bell sauce and not the alien goo.

“Oh my god, can you all stop!”, I shout, losing my nervs. “I crawled up a gay man’s asshole to abort a fucking snuke! I just wanna take a long bad and go to bed and try to forget all this shit. Clyde as the current queen of Kupa Keep give me the fucking Stick of Truth back or I will come over and kick you so hard in the balls that you will talk the rest of your life in a high-pitched voice!”

All the boys make a face at my threat, while Tammy nods in agreement.

“And I will kick too, when she is done!”, she promises.

Clyde is battling for a second with himself, you can clearly see it, but having the Stick of Truth gives him balls.

“You can try, but I have a little surprise for you!”

He lets the green goo flow into a coffin.

…Okay, why didn’t I see it before?

The person who lies in the coffin punches a hole through it and sits up.

It’s a…Nazi-Zombie Chef who sings: “I'm gonna make love to you womannnn...”

All my friends scream, while I just have a WTF-Face.

While we fight him, my friends tell me that he was once the Chef of Elementary School and a good friend of theirs.

Makes me sad for them, that they have to fight their friend.

In the end, Clyde is not happy with Chef’s performance as Nazi Zombie and fucking lits him on fire!

Since I don’t have another choice I send a Dragenshout at him, putting him to rest again.

Now Clyde knows he is fucked and tries to escape, but Fatass blocks him.

“Your eons of torment are at an end, ruler of darkness!”, growls Fatass.

“Um, okay, um, you know what, I'm not playing anymore.”, whines Clyde.

Hah, in the end, he is a little pussy.

“You have broken the rules of the Stick and for that I banish thee. I banish thee...from SPACE AND TIME!”

With that Cartman Sparta kicks Clyde away. He flies off the balcony to the ground below.

Fuck yes, it’s over!

Finally!

“We did it dude!”, shouts Stan happy.

King Kyle turns to me and takes my hands in his.

I blush like a tomato. Doesn’t help that Tammy wiggles her eyebrows at me.

“Dark Magician Queen N.K., your long journey ends here. For all your deeds, and all your time put into this, we all agreed-“

“-Hesitantly-“, calls Cartman in between with a deadpan look, but doesn’t stop it what is happening right now.

“-We all agreed that you shall be the ruler of us all! From now on you will be Dark Magician Empress N.K., the rightful ruler over Zaron and Larnion. Over humans and elves!”

I gasp shocked, while all applaud me, beside Cartman, who just rolls his eyes, but I don’t care.

I don’t care!

They made me Empress, ruler of all the kingdoms!

I can’t.

I look at Tammy and she nods.

Now I know why she said I should bring this along with me…

“Give us a sec!”, tells Tammy, the boys.

We hide together behind a pillar.

Tammy helps me to take off my Dark Magician Girl Cosplay and put on another one.

In my new cosplay I step back to the boys.

All gasp in wonder and I smile prettily.

“Neo Queen Serenity!”, claps Princess Kenny excitedly. “Even with her silver hair!”

Oh god, does this mean, Kenny is a Sailor Moon Fan?! Cool!

I curtesy before my people.

“I will be the best Empress to you and all residents of Zaron and Larnion.”, I promise.

“Quickly, now let's get the Stick back to safety before anyone can do –“

King Kyle can’t even finish his sentence as helicopters appear. From every corner soldiers come…even Eye-Patch-Grandpa is with them!

“We've got her, we've got the Dragonborn.”, shouts Eye-Patch-Grandpa.

Erm…what?

I have suddenly a bad feeling in my stomach.

“The Dragonborn?”, repeats Fatass confused. “What the -- who, what?”

“You can’t run away this time Dragonborn!”, declares Eye-Patch-Grandpa and picks up the Stick of Truth!

“He has the Stick of Truth!”, yells Fatass.

King Kyle turns to me.

“How does this guy know you, Dark Magician Empress N.K.?”

I…I can’t answer him…I’m shaking…I feel like throwing up!

“N.K.?”, whispers Tammy worried, and takes one of my cold hands in hers.

“Dark Magician Empress N.K.? Is THAT what you told them your name was? Why didn't you tell them your REAL name – CODENAME: DOVAHKIIN!”

I…I breath heavy…I’m so…so scarred…flashes are before my eyes…flashes of this man…of these man hunting me!

Even Kyle sees now that I’m ready to freak out and takes my other hand in his.

“N.K., what’s wrong?”

I just grip Tammy and Kyle’s hands tight. I can’t speak! I’m so terrified.

“You don't remember, do you?”, asks Eye-Patch-Grandpa. Well, not really. “How we tried to find you?”

“Look, that Stick belongs with the fighters of Zaron!”, makes Stan clear to him. “Give it back!”

“Fighters of Zaron? Boys and girls what's going on here is much more complex than that. This isn't the first time a UFO has crashed on Earth. You see, in 1947 a UFO crashed in Roswell, New Mexico...”

“Oh, god.”, groans Wizard Fatass.

“Oh, brother, spare us.”, begs Stan annoyed.

“Hang on a sec. A UFO crashed in Roswell and a new government agency was created to investigate the paranormal. Our Agency.”

“Can we skip this? Like, hit the skip button or something?”, wonders Cartman.

“Oh, you don't want to skip this.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Whenever aliens are spotted, vampires run amok, our agency is there and we have never lost a fight. That is...until eleven years ago a certain child was born.”

“Yawn yawn yawn.”

“A child who had an unnatural power inside her. I had been ordered by the President to turn her into an even more powerful weapo, than she already was. So we experimented on her and were successful. The ultimate weapon! But thanks to her parents she slipped through our hands.”

“The government wants the N.K. for her farts?”, say’s Kyle in disbelieve.

“That's dumb.”, adds Stan.

“Her farts? No. Her amazing ability to make friends so quickly on any social network. The day she was born she already had 10 million followers on Facebook. Before she was 5 years old she had 3.2 billion friends on Facebook alone. Do you have any idea the power that kind of gift yields in today's world? It's time to come with us, Dovahkiin. Time to stop resisting and use your gifts for your country.”

“Is he really still talking?”, asks Cartman done with everything.

“Are we really so different, you and I, Dovahkiin?”

“…What about my Magical Girl form?”, I finally found my voice again and…I remember…slowly but surely… ”Is this the result of the experiments you did on me?”

“Ah yes, they are. We wanted you to have extra powers to protect you from any kind of harm. Your social media powers are too valuable to be lost by your early death, so we genetically modified you. It was a success, but instand of using it for your country, you use them to get away from us. You have to do what the government tells you, just like me. We're all just pawns in their game. I'll admit you are fascinating, you have more power than any child I've ever come across. And yet all you seem to really care about... is this.”

Eye-Patch-Grandpa holds the Stick of Truth high above his head.

“It must be very important. What does it do?”

Cartman rolls his eyes.

“Whoever controls the Stick controls the universe, dumbass.”

“Yeah, stupid.”, adds Stan.

“Controls the... but then... I wouldn't have to do what I was told anymore. I could.”, laughs Eye-Patch-Grandpa. “Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha HAAA! I control the universe! Get back. BACK I SAY! ALL OF YOU! I can do anything. ANYTHING I WANT! AHAHAHA!”

Oh my god, he get’s naked!

I throw up a bit in my mouth.

“I no longer need YOU, Dovahkiin... I control the UNIVERSE!”

He runs away and we after him.

Clueless he waves the Stick of Truth around.

“Er ... damn thing! How does it work? Show me how it works!”, Eye-Patch-Grandpa demands.

“Yeah, right.”, scoffs Stan.

“Dovahkiin, why should we be on opposite sides? Join me, Dovahkiin. Rule by my side. Rule... and you can have THIS all to yourself, FOREVER.”, he tries to butter me up. “I can offer you all! Just get me safely out of here, you can rule with this once again.”

“After all you did to me and my family? Hunting us down from one end of the USA to the another?”, I scream and point at him. “You think I would rule with you?! News flash asshole, you can suck my dick and I will stay with my friends!”

All my friends let out agreeing sounds.

Suddenly Princess Kenny steps forward.

Huh?

“Dude, where're you going?”, asks Kyle what we all think.

Princess Kenny just calmly walks up to Eye-Patch-Grandpa and…takes the Stick of Truth from him?!

She lets out an evil laugh.

We all gasp shocked.

“Princess Kenny!”, shouts Wizard Fatass.

“Top Ten most shocking anime betrayals of all time!”, I can’t help but say this.

I’m just…what?

Why?

“At least one of you has some sense.”, says Eye-Patch-Grandpa smugly.

“You'd sell us all out?”, ask King Kyle in a rhetorical fashion.

“But why, Princess Kenny?”, wants Stan to know, like we all.

Suddenly motherfucking Morgan Freeman appears and explains: “Because Princess Kenny was born a half-orc whose entire village was wiped out by humans and elves. You see when humans and elves lived together in the forests of Hollow Falls, an elven queen fell in love with the orc known as Dandar - the first one to possess the Stick of Truth. They loved in secret and had a child, a beautiful little girl, a girl who watched as everyone she loved was killed in cold blood. And that is why she waited... and plotted... all this time. To take the Stick from you. For Princess Kenny is the true heir to the Stick of Truth.”

“Wow, that's pretty cool.”, admins Cartman.

“Just one thing, Morgan Freeman.”, turns King Kyle to the famous actor. “How come every time something convoluted needs explaining you show up?”

“Because every time I show up and explain something, I earn a freckle.”

And there is the freckle he talked about.

Princess Kenny looks at me and holds a hand out.

“Beautiful N.K., join me. We will rule together over Zaron and Larnion as it should be. As powerful queens! Be my wife!”

All gasp, while my mouth meets the floor and I blush crimson red.

If this is not a declaration of love, then I don’t know what else could be.

“H-Hold on!”, intercedes King Kyle and stands before me. He goes down on one knee, taking my hand. “Don’t listen to Princess Kenny! Stay with us! Stay with me! I actually wanted to ask you this in private but…please would you give me your hand in marriage? I know you are already Empress, but nothing would honor me more than be your husband.”

Even more shocked gasps and I turn so red it needs a new name.

“Damn girl, two proposes in one day, you are a legend.”, whisper-shouts Tammy at me with a proud smile.

I send her a look, before I look from Kyle to Kenny and back from Kenny to Kyle.

Oh dammit, what should I do?

They both made clear they want me!

…There is only one way.

I take my hand back from Kyle and step closer to Tammy.

I shake my head.

“I can’t be neither be your queen Kenny or your wife Kyle.”, I begin and look at the floor. Tammy wraps an arm around my shoulders. “And…not why because I don’t like you…the true is…I like you both equally and that’s not fair to either of you…”

After my confession it’s still for a few seconds before Fatass has to say what he thinks: “Thirsty hoe.”

I just look and point at him.

“You got me there.”

Princess Kenny sends me a sad look but doesn’t use the Stick of Truth to command that I shall be on her side. She just turns and runs away from us.

“Princess Kenny, come back here!”, shouts Fatass after her.

We all run after her and Eye-Patch-Grandpa. We conor them on a high platform.

This feels like the true final boss fight.

“Give us the Stick, Princess Kenny. You don't want to go down like this, brah.”, warns Wizard Fatass her.

Our traitor’s Princess just mumbled something we don’t understand and I shit you not we all see an anime opening starring her.

Okay, first Leo with his anime dude power, and now this?!

Where can I learn this shit?

More time to think I don’t have since we all need to kick Princess Kenny’s ass.

Together we beat her easily.

“It's all over, Princess Kenny. The thirsty hoe is too powerful for you.”

“I swerve to god Cartman, you may be right, but stop it, or I kick you in the balls!”

But Princess Kenny is not done with us. Even Stan and Kyle begging her not to do it doesn’t stop her to drink the alien goo turning her into…

“Aaagh! Nazi zombie Princess Kenny!”, screams Fatass.

“Fuck!”, adds King Kyle.

With an angry shout, the Princess storms us.

I don’t know how long we fight.

We kill her, only for her to come back again!

It doesn’t stop!

“She doesn't stay dead! We can't beat her!”, cries Stan.

“Dude, we're fucked! There's no way!”, agrees King Kyle with him.

“There is one way. We're gonna have to break the Gentlemen's Code.”, tells Cartman.

….Oh hell no! I will not do this! Forget it!

Before anyone can do or say something I step forward.

“N.K?”, calls questionly Tammy.

“Let me handle this…there is another way…”

“Oh really and what one Douchebag?!”

“THIS!”, I shout.

I let the energy flow through my whole being transforming me in my Magical Girl form. This time even with music and end pose!

I flick one of my long pink pigtails, pointing at Princess Kenny, while the others, besides Tammy, are in awe.

“Let’s see who is the better anime princess, my lady!”

We both face off against each other.

My golden light attacks hit her strong and fast. They are the perfect weapon against her Nazi-Zombieness.

Again she falls, but before she can revive herself again, I call for my Magical Girl Wand.

It’s actually the Katana I could finally buy from Jimbo, but in my hands, it transforms into a sword-like wand.

“Holy Light Sword Cut Healing Session!”, I shout my attack.

 It hits Princess Kenny!

All geta swarmed over in a brilliant white light. The light heals all the Nazi Zombies and restores all that is broken/destroyed.

Who needs Miraculous Ladybug?

I can with my wand attack and heal in one!

As the sun raises above South Park all is good again….

I’m detransformed, back in my Neo Queen Serenity Cosplay, and hold into Tammy’s arm.

I’m tired and outpowered by this whole fucking night we have lived.

We are with Cartman, Ranger Stan, and King Kyle at Stark Ponds.

The sun’s rays reflected beautifully on the water’s surface.

“You guys sure about this?”, asks us, Kyle.

“There's no other way.”, tells him Cartman.

“It drove our friend to madness and nearly killed us all.”, reminds us, Stan.

I sign.

“Do it Grand Wizard let this be the end of the Stick of Truth.”

I’m surprised Fatass listens to me, he really doesn’t can’t argue with me over that, now can he, and throws the Stick of Truth into the deeps of Stark Ponds.

To be never seen and used again.

This is for the best.

We stand in silence for a few seconds till Cartman asks: “So what do you guys wanna play now?”

“How about Dinosaur Hunters?”, suggests Stan.

“Or Pharaohs and Mummies!”, is Kyle’s idea.

“Let's ask Douchebag!”, surprisingly Cartman says. “What do you wanna play next, bitch?”

Tammy and I stare at them, then at each other, and then back to them.

“…..I think I will go to bed. I’m tired as fuck. Wanna sleepover Tammy?”

“Yes, thank you. Let’s take a bath before we go to bed. I need to wash away this fucking night.”

I nod in agreement and we girls turn to walk away.

With my back to them, I wave at the three boys.

“Bye Kyle and Stan and screw you Cartman!”

I can hear how Cartman says: “Wow. What a dick.”

“To you not to us.”

“Yeah, the Empress likes me and has admitted to having a crush on the king.”

“Screw you guys, I’m going home!”

We, girls, look at each other and shake our heads.

Boys!

Next

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[moonyswriting]

Pride

Happy Pride Month everyone! Whether you queer or questioning, closeted or out, I am so proud of you, you are valid and perfect! Remember that you never have to come out if you don’t want to. You’re not lying to anyone if you don’t. You don’t owe them to come out. Only do it if you want to. Also remember that labels can stay forever or can change and both is perfectly normal. You're fantastic the way you are. <3

So, I managed to write a pride fic for the first day of pride month! yay me. I hope you like it :)

Thank you for the idea @moonofthenight

Characters by @lumosinlove

When Pascal came into their living room it had never looked more colourful, but it had also not looked this messy in a long time. There was tape on all four sides of the table, paper and little paper cut outs all over the floor and in the middle of everything, all his four children, looking like deer in the headlights.

“What happened?”, he asked slowly. There would be a reasonable explanation for all of this, he was sure. Celeste had probably helped and they would clean everything back up in no time, leaving no trace of a mess before the team came over for dinner tonight.

Adele shuffled over looking at the floor. “Um,” she stared before glazing back at her siblings, who nodded at her encouragingly. “So, we decided to make some things for the others. You know, since you’re having that Pride Party tonight? We thought we’d make little gifts for the team.”

Oh, Pascal’s heart was already a puddle. “You-”, he stared, but couldn’t continue. He had questioned a lot if he should have raised his children differently, more open to the rainbow or attractions and genders (or lack thereof) that was out there, but this made him feel like he and Celeste had at least done some things right.

Pascal only realised he hadn’t properly said anything yet when Katie rushed towards him, hugging his hip. “Please don’t be mad. I promise, we’ll clean it all up. Mama said she’d help us!”, the big eyes of his youngest daughter stared up at him, guilty, but hopeful.

“I’m not mad, mon chou.”, picking her up, he turned towards the other three, still standing in front of him. “Not at any of you. This is an incredible idea! The team will love them. Thank you so much, it’s really thoughtful.” Leaning down, he placed a kiss on each of his childrens’ foreheads, including Katie’s before setting her down to get back to the others. Celeste walked through the door the next moment, flowers of all colours in her hand.

“You found our little pride squad then?”she asked, walking past him and into the kitchen, probably to cut off the ends of the stems. “Don’t worry, I’ll help them clean up and we’ll be done before any of your teammates even leave their houses.”

His wife knew him too well. He hated when other people visited them and their house was messy. Of course there had been times where he couldn’t really keep it clean with four toddlers running around, but he still always tried and his family knew that and helped him. It wasn’t really that it bothered him that visitors could see that they were possibly not clean people, it was just the principle. He thought it should that they were prepared and anticipated someone’s visit. He never wanted them to think it was a bad time to visit because he would eventually excuse the mess. He always wanted everyone to feel welcome.

And that’s what tonight would be about. Making his team feel always welcomed and loved and accepted.

Celeste returned back to their dining room without the flowers, kissing Pacal’s cheek and then turning towards their children. “Did you show him what you made already?” they shook their heads but quickly climbed up onto chairs and sorted through the things they had made. “They’re all really cute, I already saw some of them.” Celeste whispered giddily into his ear, as excitement bloomed in his chest and they walked over to look at the crafts.

“Here!” Katie waved a piece of paper in the air and Pascal walked around the table to look at what she had made. SHe beamed up at him as she explained, “This is for Tremzy! And Harzy and Knutty! It’s a card and I drew Lo, Leo and Finn on the front, see!” The man took the card in his hands. There were three stick figures on it, the smallest with brown hair, the next one with bright red hair and the last, taller than the other with yellow hair. In the back there were blue, red and black dots. “Why did you use those colours, ma petite?” He did have an idea, but with the many coloured pens on the table it could have just been a coincidence.

He could see Katie look over to Adele and Marc, before her eyes met his again. “Del and Marc said that those are the colours when you have more than one love and Logan has Finn and Leo, so they said I should use those. They look good together right?” Pascal could see that he wasn’t the only one close to tears after glazing over at Celeste smiling brightly. “Yes, Katie, it looks beautiful. Lo, Leo and Finn will love it! Adele, Marc, thank you for helping your sister. I know that this will mean a lot to Logan.” then as if he couldn’t help but to add, “I’m also very proud of you for looking up pride flag colours. I’m really happy you're informing yourself about these topics. They’re important.”

They all smiled at him. Pascal went over to Louis next. “I made two! This one is a card for Olli and Del and Marc also helped me with colours, so it's black, grey, white and this really nice purple that Katie gave me. It didn’t really match the photo, but I liked it better than the really dark one. Do you think he’ll mind?” The fact that his youngest son actually looked concerned staring down at his work had a tear spilling over. He let out a wet chuckle. “Non, je pense qu’il va l'adorer, c’est parfait. For who is the green one?” Louis pulled it out from under his other one and now Pascal could see it was not just green. There were black, grey, white and purple stripes on it too. “It’s for Reg! See, it’s got these stripes and then I drew this heart above it, cause even though he doesn’t want a boyfriend like Siri, he still gets all the love he needs from me and Siri and you and Re and the rest of the team!” Celeste came over and placed a kiss on his cheek, “He loves you too, mon lapinou. They look amazing.”

He walked over to his older son, he didn’t know if he could be any prouder of them. “ I made one for Kasey, Nat and Alex.” Marc stated as he handed his father one of the cards he had made. There were three heads on it, one with long blond hair and hoop earrings, one with light brown hair to the shoulders and one with dark red hair, freckles filling up more of his face than the light pink his son had used for all their skin tones. Pascal was about to compliment it, when Marc gave him another one. “This one is for Nado and Kuny. I made it full of hearts in pan and bi colours, because you mentioned that once and I really hope it’s right.” before Pascal could even think his next thought a stack of cards was placed in his hands. “And then for some of then we didn’t know, but we didn’t want them to feel left out or asume, so I made some rainbow ones for Pots, Talker, Sergei, Timmers, Cookie, Bluey, Ringer, Volley, Wrangler, Sunny and Foxy.”

Pascal was a bit shaken, not only that his son even remembered everyone of his teammates, without missing a single one, but at him having crafted every single one of them a rainbow card. “They will all love them, I’m sure. They look incredible.”

He saw Adele look down at her cards and moving them slightly out of view. Frowning, he walked over to her, “Did you also make something, ma colombe?” She nodded, pulling out one of her cards and holding it up for him to see. It was beautiful. She had glued blue magazine cut outs on the top of the cards, which got lighter til they reached a white in the middle and to green ones at the bottom. Over it there was a heart which read “Some hockey players marry their PT, get over it” He didn’t know how she had thought of that, but it was true and funny and so Adele, Pascal had no choice but to love it.

“These are all perfect. Thank you so, so much for making them, they’ll all love them I’m sure. We can tell them to all sit down in the living room so you can give them their cards later, sounds good?” They all nodded, seemingly happy with the idea. “Now let’s clean up before they come here and don’t recognize the place, eh?” All of them nodded as they got up, Celeste telling them where to start and how to clean it.

Pascal moved to the kitchen with the tray of now empty glasses Celeste had no doubt gotten them earlier, when he heard something behind him. Once he had carefully placed down everything he turned around to see Adele standing in the kitchen, arms behind her back. He waited for her to speak for only a moment until she did. “So, you saw that we made cards for everyone, because they’re all great and we should let them know we love and support them, right?” Pascal nodded, letting her continue, “But there’s one more card I made,” Pascal had counted before, his children hadn’t forgotten a single one of his teammates, he had no clue what that last card could be for. “because it’s important that they know they’re loved right?” she continued, “that’s a really important part of all of this. So,” she slowly pulled out a card from behind her back, “this one is for exactly that. Just because someone’s not queer or questioning, doesn’t mean they’re not important this month. It’s not the main focus of it, of course, but having allies is a big part of being able to be proud of who they are for some people. I wanted to thank you for that. I could have gotten some homophobic dad like some of my classmates, but I’m really, really glad I got you.”

She handed him the card she had made, similar to the collage of magazines but in black and white stripes with a rainbow A covering it. He couldn’t help the wetness that gathered in his eyes again. And here he had thought the emotional stuff wouldn’t be until the team arrived. He walked forward and hugged his oldest daughter. “Thank you so, so much,” he whispered, since he didn’t trust himself with anything else to come out anywhere close to evenly, “Thank you, ma petite. I am so proud to have you as my daughter. You’re the best children I could have ever asked for.”

[mrsseverussnape]

Love Is You - chapter 28/final

a/n: And we came to the final chapter... I hope you liked the journey with Scarlett. Give her a gift and share your final thoughts about her or the fanfiction❤️🌹🐾

    It has been 7 months since Scarlett and Severus moved into Scarlett’s retirement house in Naxos. Severus has retired after he found out about Scarlett’s illness because he wanted to spend all of his time with Scarlett. Scarlett hasn’t wanted him to do that sacrifice for her but Severus was persistent. When they moved to Naxos in June, first couple of weeks passed with decorating the house; their choice of decoration style was a mix of coastal and Greek. After the decoration was done, Scarlett needed to accomplish her other retirement dream which was buying ducklings! Severus reconciled Scarlett that buying only 2 ducklings is enough. She has wanted more but they ended up buying a yellow one and a Rouen one. Scarlett named the Rouen one “Cookie” since it has dark spots and looked like a chocolate chip cookie, yellow one was Severus’s to name and he named it “Milky” just to go with cookie and milk theme. Luckily, Scarlett’s cat Athena got along with the ducklings and they all became the cutest trio ever.

    Scarlett and Severus had times of their lives during the whole summer in Naxos. They went to swimming, discovered every corner of the island, had long walks and many more; but their favourite activity to do together was sailing with their small boat and reading books middle of the sea. They believed that either island’s weather or those activities helped to ease Scarlett’s illness a bit. She wasn’t having heart aches or pains frequently and she has passed out only couple of times during the summer. She got even better when Carina and Leo came to visit her time to time. Scarlett wanted to spend rest of the year in Naxos too, they went to London for 2 weeks in September for Scarlett’s yearly check-up and to visit her parents and Carina since she was took Severus’s job after him. When they came back to the island, it was calmer than before since the summer season has ended and all the tourists were back at their countries. They liked it better that way and enjoyed the silence of the island. Everything was going good and well until November arrived. Like how trees lose their leaves in fall, Scarlett started to lose her health. Now she was waking up nauseous every morning and the moment she got off the bed dizziness was adding to it as a plus, some days she wasn’t able to eat anything whole day because of that. In addition to this her blackouts became more frequently, and she would faint regularly. Somedays Scarlett would be in such a bad mood and cry her eyes out until she fell asleep. These days were the worst ones for Severus, he would try his best to calm her down and ease her pain but after Scarlett fell asleep, Severus would go by the sea and cry there all by himself.

    Last week of November, Scarlett insisted to invite her children, her parents and Sirius to Naxos; saying that she wants to see them one last time. Those words stabbed Severus in the heart, and they had a small argument over it because Severus wanted her to believe that nothing will happen to her. But in the end Severus sent patronus messages to all of them, explaining the situation a bit. Scarlett haven’t said anything about her illness to anyone still. When they got Severus’s message, all was panicked and couldn’t understand what happened to her so suddenly. Her parents and Sirius apparated there in the same day with the message, Carina and Leo came in the night of the same day. Severus explained them her illness beforehand which did lead to an argument between them, they were angry that Severus hasn’t said anything to them until this day even in secret from Scarlett. But in the end, they all realized that arguing won’t help anything and it was time to see Scarlett. She wasn’t able to get out of the bed, so all went to see her in the bedroom. She was sleeping in the dark blue sheets which made her to look even paler than usual, her hair colour was the only lively thing on her at the moment.

Ricardus went over to his only daughter and woke her up by kissing her cheek softly. “Wake up princess...”

“Dad...” Scarlett looked at him sleepily and tried to sit up. “You came.” When she realized all the people she wanted to see was in the room, her sad eyes sparkled with happiness. “You all came!”

“Of course we did mummy!” Carina jumped on the bed to snuggle her.

“Be careful Carrie.” Leo warned her, he was extremely tense since he found out about his mother’s condition. Leo was the mummy’s boy since birth and he adored Scarlett in every way. Possibility of losing her was killing him.

“It’s fine Leo, come join us baby.” Scarlett held a shaky hand out for Leo who happily accepted it and snuggled into his mother too.

The air of the room was unexplainable, everybody’s eyes had a sad expression when their lips were forced into a smile. They were trying to have a cheerful day just to make Scarlett happy but deep down all of them was crying internally. Especially Sirius, he was very silent. He was blaming himself for what happened to his Scarlett, he has put so much stress and pressure on her because of the fuckery they have been through. He had one job; protect his family and keep it together but he has failed terribly. Sirius shook these thoughts off and turned his attention back to Scarlett. They all took some photos together and talked for hours. Scarlett hasn’t been that happy for a long time, she even ate some food with them. Her happiness calmed everybody down for a bit.

    The twins and Sirius have taken couple of days off from work so everybody would stay at the island. Severus was helping them to make the beds in the living room and the guest room, their house wasn’t that big so Ric and Aurelia would stay in the guest room while Sirius and the twins were sharing the living room. While they were on this, Scarlett wanted to talk with Sirius privately. Sirius went back to the bedroom where Scarlett was and sat next to her; silver eyes met with the forest green ones for the first time in a while.

“Siri...”

“Yes kitten.” He smiled softly at her.

“I want you to promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“When... when i am gone, please take care of Carina and Leo also yourself. I want to make sure that you all will be just as fine even i am not with you here no more...”

“No no no, don’t say such things. I don’t wanna hear those, Scarlett.” Sirius held her hand tightly and kissed her knuckles. “We will see our kids’ weddings and have grandchildren; we will be the coolest grandparents! Where do you think you are going without doing any of these!?” Sirius joked but his eyes were filled with tears, he was having hard time while trying not to cry.

Scarlett’s lips trembled while the tears were running down on her cheeks. Her heart broke thinking that she won’t be able to see any of these events Sirius just said. “Don’t buy little motorbikes to our grandchildren for their first birthday.” Scarlett joked trying to change the mood.

“Ah damn, i was just thinking that!” Sirius laughed but shortly his laughter turned into sobs. He snuggled into Scarlett who was halfway laying, she wrapped one arm around him while playing with his hair with the other hand. This was the way how Sirius copes with sadness, he would rest his head on either Scarlett’s chest or lap and let her to play with his hair until he was calm again. But this time Scarlett cried with him too, they poured out all the sadness they held inside.

“My lawyer will give keys to each of you when i d... you know; i prepared 4 trunks with the things i want to give you, the twins and Severus. They are in the basement of my house. When the time comes, take them okay...?”

Sirius didn’t answer her question but instead he held onto her even more. Scarlett sighed but knew he would do what she asked him to do. She looked down at Sirius who was laying next to her, head rested on her chest. “I want you to know that, i was so happy with you and i didn’t have any regrets. I think our friendship and marriage were more than just decent, they were perfectly splendid. I loved you very much Sirius Orion Black, i still do.”

Sirius finally looked up at her face, his cheeks were wet from the tears he shed; he sat up slowly. “Scarlett Serafina Rose, i love you more and always will. You are the best thing ever happened to me. I am so so so sorry for all the times i made you sad, none of them were intentional... You are my one and only.” Without a thought, Sirius closed the gap between their faces and pressed his lips into hers. Familiar feeling of 26 years filled them but this kiss was different; it was a farewell kiss and both of them knew it. Their tears mixed into the kiss and Sirius couldn’t take it anymore; he run out of the room crying.

Severus came to their bedroom soon after he saw Sirius run outside. “How are you Scar?” He asked while changing into his pyjamas.

“Good, i guess...?” She had a weird feeling whole day since her loved ones came but she couldn’t understand what; it was like she was cured in a day.

Severus turned off the lights before came to bed, but Scarlett turned on their bedside lights immediately. Severus raised his eyebrows, Scarlett hated to sleep in a lighted room even it was just a tinniest light. She noticed his confusion and explained. “I wanna see you...”

“Why is that love? Did you miss me?” Severus hugged her and kissed her tear-stained cheek.

“I will miss you...”

Severus was about to ask her what she meant but before he could, Scarlett kissed him passionately. This took Severus by surprise; since Scarlett’s illness got worse, the only intimate moments they shared were soft and slow kisses. She slowly pulled away and whispered into his ear. “You are my first, my last and my everything. I will keep your love evermore, Severus. I love you.”

Severus was used to Scarlett’s regular farewell talks by now and he hated them because they just hurt him even more but that felt different. When Scarlett looked into his night-like eyes, he got lost in hers; Severus always loved how big and meaningful her eyes were.

“Tell me you love me...” Scarlett’s whisper brought him back to reality.

“I love you more than anything in the whole wide world Scarlett, you know that. You are my luck.” Severus kissed her one last time. Scarlett rested onto his chest then he started to sing their song “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” to put her to sleep while playing with her hair. Her eyes closed slowly and she dived into a peaceful sleep.

    The next day a shriek woke everyone up; it was raining cats and dogs with loud thunders. The weather simply reflected everyone’s feelings about today. They were planning to stay couple of days more but they changed the plan and took Scarlett to London with them. London days weren’t any different, they were gloomy and smothery. Severus wanted to turn back to Naxos for Scarlett’s birthday, they have decided on celebrating it there this year and he wanted to make it happen.

    Severus was listening to a slow music from the record player and drinking some wine when his eyes caught the window, it was snowing for the first time this year in the island. Severus smiled happily thinking that Scarlett’s usual birthday wish was happening. Since it was midnight and officially her birthday, he ran up to their bedroom to wake her up and let her know about the snow. When he walked into the room, Scarlett was already awake in their bed. She was looking like a snow angel in her white satin sleeping gown, Severus grinned at her while moving the curtains aside.

“Surprise! Just how you wished for your birthday, love.”

“I haven’t wished for snow this year, i have only wished to be able to celebrate it...”

“We can start celebrations right now if you want, it passed midnight. Happy 56 my love!”

Scarlett didn’t respond to him; she was staring at him rather sorrowfully. He leaned against the wall behind him to support himself.

“I am not here, all of this happening in your head Severus...”

Severus shook his head while whispering “no” constantly.

“I died that night in your arms... It was your scream to wake everyone up in the following morning... You all took me to London for my funeral...”

“STOP! Please stop...”

Severus cried out while sliding down on wall to the floor. He buried his face into his palms and cried his heart out. When he calmed down, he kissed Scarlett’s promise ring which he was wearing on his pinkie now.

“I love you Scarlett... We will meet again…”

A/n: ahhh this final chapter always makes me cry😭 i don’t know why i wrote it like that…

Taglist:

@snapefiction @lizlil @elizabeth-baelish @misselsbells06 @mais-e @lunnybunny12 @anfre109 @entirelymesmerising @wolvesofwinter13 @mrssnivellussnape @mestin-writes @echoofawind @pamelalur15 @myamortentia

If you wanna be on my taglist, let me

[kaitycole]

Two Worlds Collide

Summary: Liam and Luke talk, Liam visits his mother’s actual resting spot and Liam goes back to Walker Ranch.

Word Count: 2014

Pairings: Drake x Riley, Jackson x Eleanor

Warnings: Mentions of character death, loss of a mother, 

A/N: Just a reminder, here’s a link to my character profiles if you’re interested. You learn somethings about a few that won’t be written directly in the series: here.

Song Choice: n/a

Part 18 of WP. To catch up, read here.

It doesn’t take Luke long at all to find Riley on social media. It also didn’t hurt that she seemed to lack privacy settings. He was a bit shocked at how quickly she replied and gave him the information he inquired. So here he sits, a foreign number on his phone waiting to be filed. Call or text? Most people his age text; the thoughts of holding a verbal conversation was just anxiety inducing.  However, would a king text? Just thinking like this caused Luke to short circuit. He decides to leave the decision up to his older brother.

Luke: It’s Luke, can we talk? (8:40 am)

Liam scrunches his face when he hears his personal cellphone start to buzz. There were only a handful of people who had the number and only a few of them actually used it. He almost ignores the unsaved number but doesn’t.

“Uhm, excuse me.” Liam stands up from the kitchen table, leaving the breakfast Riley has prepared and steps outside.

He starts typing before deleting it and starting over. He does this a few times before giving up momentarily. He really wasn’t someone who enjoyed texting, there was too much left unknown about tone and meaning. It was usually only Riley that he’d even humor texting back half the time, but he wasn’t sure about Luke.

Liam: What would you like to talk about? (8:51 am)

Luke is pacing around his room, worried he might have offended his brother. Maybe he should’ve asked Riley, or maybe she had sent him another message and he missed it. Quickly switching back to the social media app, he scrolls but finds no message detailing whether or not he should text or call Liam.

Part of him wants to just go back in time and not have sent the message, but when his phone finally buzzes, he feels relief.

Luke: There’s somewhere I’d like to show you. Are you free? (8:54 am)

Liam looks at his screen, sitting down on the back-porch steps. He really wasn’t ready to go back to the ranch or to even see Jackson. Drake had just barely forgiven him for punching Jackson and he’s sure if it wasn’t for Riley, Drake wouldn’t have been so understanding.

But at the same time, he really doesn’t want to disappoint his brother.

Liam: I don’t think I should be around Jackson today. I am sorry. (9:02 am)

Luke figured that would be the case which is why he has no plans on them being at the ranch, to be honest he doesn’t want to be around his father himself.

Luke: Good thing where we are going isn’t near the ranch, eh? Wanna go? (9:06 am)

Liam: Where should I pick you up? (9:07 am)

Liam shakes his head with a laugh, if looks didn’t prove they were related, the clear evidence of this mother’s laidback attitude surely would.

*                      * “It’s just up here, around this corner.” Luke says to Bastien as they drive silently. Shortly after Luke had given Liam the address of the corner store he had been waiting at, he was picked up and the two brothers started their journey.

The ride, for the most part, is silent, the directions Luke gives the guard being the only ones spoken, but it’s comfortable. There’s something about being around each other that both Luke and Liam enjoy.

“This is it. We can walk from here.” Luke says, rushing to take his seatbelt off and jump out the door just as Bastien pulls the car to a stop.

“Walk? Are you sure about this, Your Majesty?” Bastien doesn’t even try to mask his hesitation; Liam had refused to allow the guard to do any investigating/background checks on his younger brother, though the king already knew he had them waiting if he ever wanted them.

“I’m not going to take him out in a cemetery, how morbid.” Luke teases and Liam fails at holding in a chuckle; Bastien just glares.

“It’s fine, Bas.” Liam rests a calming hand on the guard’s shoulder before looking at Luke, “lead the way before you give my best guard a heart attack.”

Luke tilts is head to the right, “this way.”

They share a brief amount of small talk, mostly about things they recall about their mother. Luke has more memories but they both just find comfort in hearing about their mother, Luke asks a little about this Leo he heard about the other day.

“He seems like the opposite of you.”

Liam laughs, “I hear that a lot. But he can be a really decent guy when he wants to.”

“Here we are.” Luke points at the freshly cleaned gravesite. Liam feels a knot form in his throat as he tries to swallow it, his heart drops.

When he learned his mother had left Cordonia, he felt a relief when he went to her grave in the royal cemetery. To be completely honest, he had felt silly for all the years of going there to talk when in reality he was talking to an empty casket. But here, now, this was it. She really was here, there was no more hopeful thinking that she was still alive somewhere, this casket was full.

Liam feels himself get uneasy, his legs act as if they might give out, causing him to extend a hand to press it against the tree nearby. He’s not sure why, but he feels sick and he for a brief moment regrets not begging Olivia to accompany him; he knows it’s wrong to put that emotional burden on her, but in this instance, he needs no one but her. Luke clearly picks up on him unease and reaches out for his brother.

“I’m sorry, if it’s too much, I can go get Bastien.”

“No, no I’m fine.” He clears his throat, “I just realized that she’s really here. At home, it’s empty, but this one isn’t.”

It finally dawns on Luke that all the years that he had Eleanor, Liam grieved her. Liam didn’t get birthdays and holidays with his warm and loving mother, but instead he only had the comfort of what he thought was her resting place. He knows that Liam already told him that he doesn’t blame him, that the decision was between their parents, but how can he not feel guilty in some way? How can he just not feel as if he’s part of the reason his older brother grew up without a mom, how his other brother and sister grew up with their dad.

“I’ll uh, give you some time.” Luke waits for Liam to nod before he walks a little bit away, stopping when he sees Bastien walking towards him.

“How is he?” Bastien doesn’t look at Luke, rather his gaze is trained on Liam. It hurt him to see the King like this, he’s known him for years, watched him grow up, and Bastien himself had also mourned the loss of the Queen and guardsman. He’s been trained in various fighting styles, both offensive and defensive types, but he didn’t know anything to help the King right now.

“Better than I would be.” His voice cracks which gets Bastien’s attention, “I don’t know how he doesn’t hate me or maybe he’s just that good at lying.” “King Liam doesn’t lie.” Bastien’s voice is steady, his words clear and concise. “He’s a fair person, so if he said he doesn’t hate you then he simply doesn’t. There’s no reason for him to, is there?”

“It’s my fault he lost his mom.”

“Children often end up carrying the burdens of their parents’ decisions. Liam understand that more than most.”

Luke looks at the black-haired man in a suit, feeling an odd sense of relief even though his words were a bit riddle-like. He stands there next to Bastien, silently, allowing Liam the time to actually finally grieve.

*                      * “I’ve been doing this for years, but this time it feels awkward.” He laughs, looking at the tombstone with his mother’s name. This time is different than all the times he visited her so-called grave in Cordonia, this time she was actually here which makes him feel suddenly self-conscious about talking to her. Not to mention he knows Bastien and Luke are close by which just adds to the anxiety.

“I know I couldn’t possibly understand what you went through, how scared you must have been especially of Constantine. But that doesn’t mean I’m not mad at you because part of me is. You just left me, left me with him all alone and came here to raise your new family.” Tears start to slip down his cheeks, part of him hating the fact that he’s mad at the one woman he’s always held up.

“I won’t understand why you made the decisions that you did nor can I judge the ones you made, but I’m struggling to give that same curtesy to Jackson. You would probably tell me to judge you both equally since you were both involved in the decisions made, but I can’t. Everyone says that I was born to be King and a fair ruler,” he trails off, “oh yeah, I’m the King, Mom. Leo abdicated.”

“But how am I fair when I can’t be fair in a personal matter? Though you’d probably tell me that it’s normal to not think clearly when personal feelings are in play, that there’s councils for those moments, but where’s my council for this? I don’t want your memory tarnished in Cordonia, but other than Olivia, I have no one to talk to at court that I trust with this.”

Olivia expressed hesitation on him even coming, which is why he’s avoided calling her. Riley also didn’t care for Jackson, so she wasn’t exactly as third party as he needed nor was Drake who in Liam’s opinion was too caught up on the fact his dad was alive rather than what his dad did all those years ago.

Liam starts crying, not really caring to hide it. He wasn’t in Cordonia, he isn’t King right now, he doesn’t need to appear strong when he’s falling apart inside. He raises his hand to place it on the top of the tombstone, dragging it down slowly to trace the engraved letters of her name. His voice breaks as the sobs wedge their way in between his words, “I needed you…I need you, Mom.”

He leans his head back, letting out a deep breath and taking one in, trying to calm himself. He realizes that he never really cried at her grave in Cordonia, only ever at her portrait and maybe some how he knew, but he thinks it’s mostly because kings don’t show their emotions in public. Standing up, he pats the tombstone, realizing who he really needs to talk to about all of this, who can actually give him the answers that he needs.

*                      * “You know, today’s been pretty emotional, you can always come back tomorrow.” Luke tries to reason with Liam, mostly wanting the chance to talk to Jackson before Liam does. Though Luke can’t be sure if Jackson would even be telling the truth if he talked to Luke separately or all of them together.

“As much as the idea of a lengthy stay is ideal, I do have a country to run so I can’t drag out these things.” “Oh, yeah.” Luke is still struggling to comprehend his eldest brother’s life and title. Maybe he was being selfish, but all he really wanted was to sit down and just chat with him, like brothers do, right?

Liam smile, patting his younger brother’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, regardless of the continent I plan on being a good big brother.”

Luke looks away, cheeks blushing before he shakes off Liam’s hand, “I wasn’t worried.”

“Luke, where on earth have you been?” Jackson comes rushing out the front door, ruining the small moment between the brothers before his eyes land on Liam and he stops. “Liam.”

“Jackson, I think we have a lot to talk about.”

[imthequeenofcordonia]

Coming home

This is my contribution to @emceesynonymroll​​​​​​​​ wacky drabbles. The prompt is: I’ll be home in an hour. 

 I’m also using prompt 15 of @choicesfebruarychallenge​​​​​​​ hosted by @bi-cookie​ and @cxld-play the prompt is Heartbreak. Sorry this is day late. 

Paring: Drake x OC (Lily Rys)  

Word count: 5, 792 (I went a tad bit over 1,000 words) 

Warnings: Car crash, angst. 

A/N: All characters belong to Pixelberry other than Lily.

Permatag: @desiree---1986​​​​​

Drake and lily tags: @addictedtodrakefanfic​​​, @msjr0119​​​​ @drakewalker04​​​

Masterlist 

Lily was roused by her slumber by that god awful, high pitched, screeching alarm blaring from her phone. She felt Drake also stir next to her, she grumbled some profanities under her breath and rolled out of Drake’s embrace to pick up her phone off the bedside table. 

She quickly pressed the button to turn the horrible thing off then went into the alarm app to disable the alarm altogether- there were much better ways to wake up. 

She yanked and turned back on to get side to look at her fiance. “Can you believe we’re getting married in two days?” she asked, with the biggest grin on her face she had ever had. 

“What between the interviews and preparations? Yeah, I can.”

“Bit early for sarcasm,” she teased. 

“It’s never too early. I can’t wait to marry you either, soon to be Mrs. Walker.” 

“Lily Walker,” she said, “I like it.” 

Drake nodded, “Good. That’ll be your name in the next forty eight hours.”

“I can’t wait,” she grinned. “We better get up,” she told him, “There’s a lot to do today.” 

“Are you still going to Liv’s tonight?” 

“Yep,” she nodded, “I’m going to come back late tonight though. There’s a few things I want to do tomorrow and I won't have time to do them on our wedding day,” she explained, throwing the covers off of her and climbing out of the bed. 

Drake and Lily both took a shower, got dressed then headed down to the dining room for breakfast. 

When they arrived her brothers and Regina were already sitting at the table having a conversation over breakfast. They all looked up at her when they ended the dining room. 

“Morning,” Lily smiled. Her eyes widened when they set hers on her eldest brother. “What are you doing here?” she asked. 

“As if i’d miss my little sister’s wedding,” Leo grinned, as he got to his feet and pulled her into a hug then turned and greeted Drake. 

After the pleasantries were done with the couple and Leo sat down. 

She turned to Leo. “I wanted to ask you something” 

“Oh yeah?” he joked , his eyebrow raised. 

She took a deep breath, suddenly very nervous. “Erm...I- Because Dad isn't here anymore,” She started, feeling the tears starting to well. 

“I’ll do it,” Leo smiled at her, knowing what she was asking him to do. 

“Really?” she asked. 

“Of course,” he nodded, “It’s either me or Liam: i’m obviously the better choice.” 

She shook her head at him with a grin.

“Good,” she said, clapping her hands together and ignoring her brother’s comment. “At least that’s sorted but there’s still so many things to do and-” 

She felt Drake put his hand on her arm which made her stop rambling, “Chillax a bit,” he advised, “It’s all going to be fine.”

She twisted her head to look at him, glaring she said, “You say that now but what if it doesn't go all according to plan? There’s so many things that can go wrong…” 

“Lil,” Leo said, prompting her to look at him, “Get a grip.” 

She scowled at him and then nodded. “So, what are you guys doing tonight?” 

Lily knew for Drake’s bachelor was going to be having a drink with Liam and the rest of his friends but she assumed that because Maxwell had planned the evening it was going to be a little bit more exciting than that. 

“What are you doing?” Leo asked. 

“Going to Lithikos to see Liv and some friends from school.”

Leo grimaced, “Yeah, your rich, stuffy, noble friends.” 

She smirked at him, “At least I have friends.” 

He stuck his tongue out at her. Regina shook her head, taking a sip of her tea then placed the cup back onto the saucer. “Must you two behave though you are children?” she asked. 

The siblings face’s fell. “Sorry,” Leo mumbled. 

“I’m sorry too. Of course you have friends,” Lily apologised, “They’re just imaginary,” she mumbled under her breath.

For the most part, the rest of breakfast went smoothly. They all changed meaningless small talk with one another, trying to stay clear of talking about the wedding because they were all very, very aware of  how stressed the princess was over it. 

After they had finished they each went their separate ways. Lily had a engagement to read to some kids at a library so she headed to the boutique, deciding on a floral dress and some black high heels to match. After she was all ready she headed out to the waiting SUV. 

This would be the last engagement she would be having before her wedding in two days time and for another two weeks after. 

The entire Cordonian public and beyond were ecstatic about the wedding. The couple were getting so much support from worldwide. It seemed to be becoming a very common thing amongst royal families across the world, for the prince or princess to marry a commoner. There was some backlash about Lily marrying a commoner, but that was inevitable. She was sure even if she was marrying somebody of nobility there would be some negative comments. Lily loved Drake and really that was the only thing that mattered.

Lily’s job was to support her people, to listen to them, above all else. She was to do her duty and put it above any other desire and she had spent many, many years putting the country first but now it was time to put herself first. 

Anton made out that her brother having emotions, feeling love and empathy and all the rest of it made him weak, but lily had started to learn that having someone to fight for makes you all the stronger, makes you fight harder. Without it because what’s the point of fighting, especially if you don't know what you’re doing it for? 

The couple had been dating for a long time now, nearly six years, because she didn't want to drag him into the royal life if he wasn’t ready. She wanted to give him a chance to leave if he wanted but he didn't. 

Lily arrived at the place. She looked out the window as the car pulled to a stop at the crowd behind barriers and the cameras flashing. Her door was opened and she stopped out, being immediately greeted with people screaming and cheering and camera after camera clicking. 

She gave the onlookers a smile and a wave then headed in- her bodyguard, Mike, trailing a respectful distance behind her. 

She met with the owner who thanked her endlessly for coming to do this. Lily thought she was a sweet woman, she had met her when she was a child when her mother, Queen Eleanor, took her and Liam to the library. 

Lily had told the woman it really was no problem and she was so very happy to do it. The children that were there were from a school in the capital and were learning all about Cordonian history. 

Their teacher knew Lily. She had worked at the all girls school that Lily attended growing up. Miss Murphy was her favourite teacher she ever had and when she asked very nicely if Lily would come and read with her class, she agreed. 

She could have easily said ‘no’ given she was forty-eight hours  away from her wedding but Lily always put people first.  

Lily had seen all the hard work the children had been doing. They were asked to make a poster each about The Royal Family,  which Lily thought were amazing. One girl, Liliana, had drawn a picture of Lily which was incredible. She was taken aback just by how talented that little girl was. 

Lily had also agreed, with the her brother’s blessing, to go and visit the other schools  after the wedding and everything had settled down so it would be fair. 

The kids didn't know who was coming to see them. 

Their mouths dropped when they saw the princess make her way in, greeting Miss Murphy then the TA’s from the class and took a seat, picking up the book the class had selected. 

“Hello,” Lily smiled, giving the class a wave who all still looked quite unsure of themselves. “I promise i don't bite.”

Liliana stood and curtsied to the princess. The girl stood there and looked around at her friends, “She’s a princess, you have to curtsy to her,” she told them. 

“Liliana, isn't it?” Lily asked, prompting the girl to look at her. She nodded, gulping. “It’s amazing you know the proper protocol but you don't have to. You can sit down.” 

The girl looked at Lily and she nodded. With a nod of her own she took a seat back down on the floor. “How do you know my name?” She asked. 

“I know all of your names. I wanted to learn them before I came to see you all,” Lily explained. 

“Do you know what my name is?” A little boy asked. His cheeks flushed red when Lily turned to him. 

“Rupert,” She said. In fairness there were only fifteen children in the class but Lily wanted to know their names. She always prepared for engagements. She was viewed as one of the most hardworking royals. 

“You’re getting married soon,” A little girl with pigtails and freckles called out. Lily turned to her, trying to remember her name. 

“That’s right, Jane.” The girl’s mouth widened. “I told you I knew all your names. Now, I said to Miss Murphy before I read I would answer some questions, so go ahead, but remember to put your hand up and wait your turn.” 

All the classes hands shot up. Lily pointed to a little girl with red hair and wearing some rectangular framed glasses. “What’s it like to be a princess?” she asked. 

Lily smiled, “I’ll tell you all a secret: being a princess is amazing but it comes with a lot of responsibility and you have to work hard.”

Jane smiled and Lily turned to a black haired boy sitting in the front row, “Rhys?” 

“You really do know everyone’s names,” the boy gushed. “I wanted to know how many rooms are in the palace?” 

“That’s a hard one,” Lily said, thinking over the question,”There are about 743 rooms- I think. Don't quote me on that, although I've only been in an fraction of them, not even that. The palace is huge, if you wander around you run the risk of getting lost,” she explained. 

Next Lily called on another boy, who looked as if he was bursting to ask his question. “Were you scared when the bad people broke into the palace?” 

Although the smile stayed on Lily’s face that’s no longer how she felt on the inside. Flashes of her father dying crossed in her mind. Miss Murphy was about to jump in but Lily answered, “Yeah, I was,” she nodded, “I was very, very scared but i had lots of guards to protect me.” 

“Don't you think that is kind of selfish? Having people risk their lives to save yours?” A boy, who spoke rather posh asked. She turned to him, watching him pushing his glasses back up his nose. Suddenly with the Princess’s eye’s on him he seemed to become quite nervous. 

“Yes,” she nodded, “I would, of course, prefer nobody to risk their lives to save mine, but I also think they are very, very brave to do something like that. I’m not sure if I would be brave enough. What the guards do is formidable and I don't think we appreciate them as much as we should. Take Mike for example,” she said, nodding to her guard, “He risks everything to protect me, he’s brave, honourable and is generally a very nice guy. The guards appear tough and everything else but at the end of the day they’re human, they are amazing human beings to do what they do-” 

“Drake saved the queen,” a girl called out.

“He did. Drake is brave. He didn't have to do that, he didn't need to push the Queen out the way but he did it because he is selfless, because he is willing to do whatever he needs to do to protect people he cares about and i think that is one of the most phenomenal qualities people can have,” she explained, “Now let’s have one more question and then we’ll read and if we have time, we can have some more at the end.” 

The group's hands all shot back up. Lily this time turned to Liliana. The girl smiled and nodded gratefully, clearing her throat.  “Most people go through their lives with only one monarch but that all changed when King Liam was crowned. You, Princess Lily, have lived through quite a few things that will go down in history, Prince Leo abdicating, Prince Liam becoming the King, I wanted to know how differently you think the new king will reign. I know we’re nearly seven years into his reign but i wanted to know what you think he’s doing differently to King Father Constantine?” The girl asked. Lily was taken aback by the question, by how well spoken the girl was. 

“I think every Monarch takes something from their predecessor but it’s up to them how they wish to rule. My brother is kind, where my father was cruel, he’s loving but my father was not. What you have to understand is that no one waits around to become King or Queen, it's not a job people want but that person takes it in their stride and rules to the best of their ability. It’s like an art in a sense or any skill, it takes time to master, it takes attempt after attempt, failure after failure, until you learn what works and what doesn't, but it’s something you have to master quickly because it’s people’s lives you’re playing with, this is where you take the things you learned from watching others rule and adapt it to your own rein. I’m not a monarch, nor will i ever be  but i watched two extraordinary men take on the reigns of being king, of ruling this country and I know my father did everything he could and like i know my brother will too,” she explained, receiving an applause from the adults and children alike in the room. 

Lily looked down at the book- it was the twits by Roald Dahl. She grinned down at it, she loved this book when she was a kid, she wondered if she and Drake would end up pranking each other. 

Lily read through the entire book, the children jumping in now and again reading parts of their own. After they had finished the book Lily answered some more questions. They were just mostly about what it was like being a princess and growing up in the palace, how many balls there are in a months, what her favourite ball gown she had ever worn and trivial things like that. 

After she was done, Lily and Mike headed back outside to the waiting SUV. The driver, Graham, who was an absolutely lovely man opened Lily’s car door for her, with one last sweet wave at the crowd she climbed into the car and buckled up her seat belt. 

They were on the way back to the palace when Mike turned to look back at her, “I really appreciate everything you said back there, Your Highness.” 

Lily smiled at him, “We’ve talked about this, Mike. You can call me Lily. We’ve worked together for a long time, I think we’re okay to be on a first name basis, don't you?” 

The guard nodded and turned back to face forward. 

Soon they arrived back at the palace and Lily headed straight to her quarters to get changed for her night with Olivia. 

She went straight to her closet looking at her dresses. For a princess she didn't actually own many dresses, she really didn't like wearing them if not for a public engagement or ball, but her bachelorette party definitely called for one. 

She pulled down a simple little black dress, a Gcui belt and some shimmery black heels and matching clutch. 

She laid her outfit down on the bed then headed to do her makeup. 

Yes, getting changed after doing her makeup ran the risk of her messing it up but she had learned if she was wearing black it was for the best she got changed afterwards. She was messy and it was a nice dress. 

Lily soon got changed, nearly having an argument with  her zipper that she couldn't  quite reach, but other than that the process went off without a hitch. 

By the time she had arrived back at the palace it was late afternoon, so she needed to hurry if she was going to stick to the schedule Olivia had made and she had learned it’s best not to piss Olivia Nevrakis off. She was scary and owned a lot of daggers that she didn't really want to be impaled with. 

With one last look in the mirror and running her fingers through her golden locks, she headed on out and down the grand staircase. 

Answering the kids questions earlier that day really had made her realise how incredibly fortunate she was. She really was lucky, not just because she was a princess but because she had an incredible family, her job was phenomenal- she loved helping people and she was marrying the love of her life in less than forty-eight hours, it just couldn't get much better than that. 

She knew Drake, her brothers and their friends were in the dining room and she wanted to say bye before she went, so that’s where she headed. 

She was confused when she arrived at the open doors and could only hear Leo’s voice   coming from inside, “...hurt her and I will kill you…” 

She headed in, glaring up at her brother, “Touch him and I’ll kick your ass,” she smirked up at her brother. 

She walked over to Drake who wrapped an arm around her waist as she leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips, then pulled back. “I was just coming to say bye. Where is everyone?” 

Leo shrugged, “Li is finishing up a meeting, Maxwell said something about an incessant amount of alcohol, Ri is god knows where and Hana is getting changed- apparently she threw a drink at Neville and he threw one back at her.”

Lily let out a laugh,” Seriously?” 

Drake nodded, “Yeah, it was funny. Serves him right for being a prat though. Who knew council meetings were that fun?” 

“Why was Neville there?”

“He was pitching something, I think. It’s either that or he wanted to annoy everyone. Maybe both,” Drake pondered. 

Lily looked down at her watch and Drake actually looked at her since she came in, noticing just how beautiful she was. Just then- Mike came in, greeted the boys and turned to Lily. 

They exchanged a quick conversation and drake continued to stare at her. Leo stepped closer to him, “That’s my sister.” 

“My fiance,” Drake said, smirking up at the oldest Rys sibling.  

“Fair enough,” Leo mumbled. Lily finished her conversation with Mike, who quickly retreated out the room and she turned back to her brother and fiance. Leo unexpectedly pulled her into a hug, she tapped him on the back. 

“What’s this for?”

Leo pulled back, looking down at her, “What a guy can’t give his sister a hug now and again?” 

“What have you done?” She asked, looking up at him seriously. 

He rolled his eyes at her.

“Nothing, i’m just happy for you.”

Lily grinned at him and turned to look down at her watch, “I need to get going. So ‘bye’ to Li and everyone for me?”

Leo nodded, “Yep. Go, you don't want to piss Liv off.” 

After giving Drake one last kiss and giving her brother another hug she headed out and into the waiting SUV.

She arrived in Lithikos later that evening, after a nearly two hour drive, making her way out the SUV quickly and into the warmth  sanctuary of Olivia’s imposing yet stunning home. 

Olivia answered the door and welcomed the young princess into her home. Mike and Graham, since they were not needed headed to a local pub for a meal while Lily had some fun. 

Olivia and Lily walked into the drawing room where three other women were already sitting drinking. They all halted their conversation and seemed to perk up at seeing Lily. The three of the stood up and hugged Lily. 

The women had all attended Lily’s school. Leo had a point when he called them rich and stuffy- they were but much less pompous than Neville. 

Lily turned to a blonde woman wearing a purple off the shoulder dress. Her name was Mira, they got along well and they were in all the same classes with each other. They met in preschool, hitting it off almost immediately and they had been friends ever since. Lily smiled and said hello. 

The next woman she turned too was a brunette haired woman with her hair tied up into a bun, wearing a black pantsuit and some matching heels. Her name was Veronica, but preferred Ronnie. 

The third was a red haired woman wearing a royal blue shiny knee-length, off the shoulder dress with some matching heels. Her name was Catherine. They had only met during Lily’s final year of school, when Catherine’s family moved to Cordonia, when her father was offered a job. All three women came from very wealthy and respected families. 

The five women took a seat and Ronnie topped up her, Catherine, Mira and Olivia’s glasses of champagne then poured Lily a  fresh one. They all clinked their flutes together. 

“To Lily!” Mira, Catherine and Veronica cheered.

Veronica turned to Olivia, noticing she didn't join in. “Liv you have to”

Olivia sighed, turning to the princess, “To Lily,” she said, holding up her glass before taking a sip from it. 

Lily smiled and gave her friend an appreciative nod.

The rest of the evening went smoothly, the women all caught up and talked about the upcoming royal wedding.

A few hours and a lot of alcohol later, Mike came back to inform the princess of the time and that they should probably leave then if she didn't want to get back to the palace too late.

 Lily said goodbye to Mira, Catherine and Veronica saying she’d see them tomorrow as the three of them were to be her bridesmaids at Applewood where the ceremony was going to be performed. It was a little unethical and against royal tradition but that place meant a lot to Lily and so her brother allowed it. She already had some many memories there and this was just going to add to them. 

An hour later,  Lily and Olivia sat in the back of the SUV giggling Graham and Mike exchanged a look as the princess and duchess continued their laughing fit. 

Lily unclipped her seat belt and leaned forward, “Mike,” she said, her voice slurred. 

He turned to face her, “Yes?” 

“Where’s my phone?” She asked, leaning forward on her elbows. 

“It’s in your purse,”he told her, “I think you should put your seat belt back on,” the guard advised. 

“Yeah,” she nodded, tapping him on the nose then leaned back, struggling to clip her belt back into place. She huffed when she couldn't do it letting it go and reaching for her purse, unclipping the buckle and rummaging for her phone instead. 

“What are you doing?” Olivia asked. As Lily shook her phone trying to get it open, the duchess laughed, taking the phone from her and grabbing Lily’s thumb pressing it down onto the home button.

“Oh,” Lily mumbled, “That’s how you do it.” 

Lily took the phone back from Olivia tapping the contacts button but it didn't open straight away. She started tapping at it with more force getting frustrated. “It’s broken,” Lily slurred, looking to Olivia for help. 

Olivia sighed and took the phone back from her again, “Who do you want to phone?” 

“Drakey,” Lily said, giving her friend a smile as Liv cringed at the nickname. She scrolled down to Drake’s name and pressed the call button. She held it against Lily’s ear, not trusting her not to mess it up. 

“He’s not picking up,” Lily mumbled. 

It rang a few more times until Drake answered. “Lil?” 

“Hello Drakey,” She said, Drake not missing how her voice slurred. 

“Hello,” Drake said, trying to hold back his laughter as he put his phone on speaker. 

“I’ll be home in an hour.” 

“Two hours,” Mike corrected. 

“Two hours apparently,” Lily said, glaring at her guard, “According to erm…” 

“Mike?” Drake suggested, recognising the man's voice in the background. 

“Yeah, that's it,” Lily yelled, pumping her fists into the air, “You’re so clever!” She heard Drake start to chuckle and her brother’s in the background.  “What are you doing?” Lily asked, once again slurring her words. 

“Are you drunk Lil?” 

“No,” she insisted, shaking her head even though Drake wouldn't be able to see it. “Maybe you’re drunk.”

Drake laughed, “Maybe a little bit,” he agreed. “You’re on the way back?” Lily hummed her answer. “I’ll see you soon.” 

“I love you Drakey.” 

They were driving along narrow country lanes, making all the twists and turns as rain pitter-pattered against the car, making the journey along the road more treacherous, the headlights being the only thing to light their way as they went. 

“I love you too,” Drake said after a second.

 Lily heard her oldest brother in the background saying ‘awww’ and laughing, then heard Drake tell him to shut up. 

Lily leaned back, taking the phone from Olivia and holding it against her own ear. “I can’t wait to marry you.” 

“I can't wait to marry you either,” Drake replied, Lily able to tell he was smiling as he said so. 

Graham rounded a sharp bend, the right back wheel clipping a pothole sending the car out of  balance and set it careering towards a grass embankment . He fought with the wheel to regain control but the already wet roads made that nearly impossible as soon as the wheel clipped the embankment it through his hands off the steering wheel with an extremely jarring force. Lily screamed, dropping her phone as Graham continued to fight for control, grabbing the wheel and turning it with all of his strength, somehow managing to get it back onto the road and not take it over the railing that was separating the road and the 60ft drop on the other side. 

The car skidded back onto the tarmac as another car came around the next corner heading straight for their car but he managed to swerve out of the way slamming into a nearby tree. 

The force from it sent Lily straight through the windscreen narrowly missing Graham and Mike as she slammed through the glass and falling down a hill, feeling thorns scratch her skin and the cuts all over her body sting. 

Finally she stopped rolling, tangled in roots and thorns, laying unmoving. Her whole body hurt. She tried to move but couldn't.  She could hear the horn blaring from the distance but soon that faded into nothing as her eyes closed. 

Meanwhile, Drake was starting to panic, he had heard Lily scream...then nothing. A million things were racing through his head. He looked up at his friends- his soon to be brother in laws, everyone having an equally worried expression on their faces. 

“Drake?” Riley asked, stepping toward her friend. 

Drake turned away from her, his heart hammering in his ear as he ran out the dining room, yelling for Bastien. He rounded a corner, stopping in his tracks when he noticed tears running down his cheeks. 

“Drake?” 

“S-something’s happened. I- I don't know what-I- Lily- She and then….” he stuttered, he looked up meeting Bastien’s steely grey eyes.  

“It's okay,” Bastien told him, “I’m going to go and find out what happened okay?” Drake nodded and then the guard took off, presumably  heading to his office. 

Drake turned around facing all his friend. 

“I’m sure she’s okay,” Maxwell said, trying but failing to reassure his friend. Drake glared at Maxwell telling him now wasn't the time. 

Riley stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder, surprised when he didn't shrug it off. “We’re supposed to be getting married in two days,” Drake whispered but Riley heard. 

She pulled one of her best friends into a hug. They all heard Lily scream and then some kind of thud then, like Drake had said, nothing. 

Nearly half an hour later Bastien returned. The guard could hide his emotions well but not this time. Drake stopped pacing to face him. Bastien struggled to meet his gaze. 

“I think you should all sit down,” Bastien advised. 

Leo stepped forward, “Bas, what are you trying to say?” 

“I really think-”

 “JUST SAY IT!” Drake bellowed, “Just- just tell us. Please,” he begged. 

“Okay,” Bastien nodded, “Lily’s car was involved in a collision.”

“And?” Liam encouraged. 

“And I don't have all the details yet. Graham, Lily’s driver is talking with the police now.” 

“Is she okay?” Drake cut him off, “Is my fiancee okay?” 

“It’s believed she wasn't wearing her seat belt but that’s yet to be confirmed as i said, Graham is speaking with the police currently.” Drake looked at him with pleading eyes. Bastien chose his next words carefully, knowing that the news was going to change Drake’s life forever. “Lily was thrown from the vehicle when it hit a tree. She was found a little way down a nearby embankment. The paramedics announced her DOA,” he explained. 

Drake shook his head, “No,” he mumbled, turning back to glaring at Bastien. “No! You’re lying! Please, please tell me you’re lying Bastien.” 

“I wish that I were,” Bastien said calmly.

“W-we’re getting married! We’re supposed to spend the rest of our lives together!” Bastien stepped towards Drake but he stepped back. “Please.” 

“I’m sorry, Drake.” 

Maxwell looked up at Bastien, tears falling down his cheeks, “How’s liv and Mike? You said Graham was talking with the police?” 

“Yes,” Bastien nodded, “Duchess Olivia has refused to be treated at the scene and has requested a car to bring her back here. Mike, however, is on his way to the hospital as we speak, he was unconscious when the medics arrived. Graham too is on his way to the hospital to get checked out and hopefully continue to give a statement to the police.” 

“I want to see her,” Drake demanded. 

“Drake, I really don't think that’s such a good idea. From what i’ve been told-” 

“I DON’T CARE!” he interrupted, “I want to see her.” 

Bastien looked at Liam who was being held up by his wife. This was his little sister. Liam nodded, taking in a breath, “Let him see her.” 

“Okay,” Bastien nodded, turning to glance at Leo then back to Drake. “Are you sure about this?” He nodded. 

He knew he’d never be ready but this was something he needed to do. 

Soon Drake, Liam, Leo and Bastien made the drive to   Lythikos general where Lily’s body was being taken too, along with Mike and Graham but Drake didn't really care about them. 

He was angry at Mike, his job was literally to protect her and he failed to do that. Failed to keep the love of his life safe. Deep, deep down he knew it wasn't his fault but...he wanted someone to blame.

The four men were led in through the back entrance. None of them were exactly inconspicuous and they really didn't want the press to be getting involved. They all knew that the people deserved to know but they all deserved time to mourn their family member. 

Once they were in they were led to the chapel by a lovely nurse that only Bastien acknowledged but she understood they were grieving. 

Everyone decided that Drake should be the first one to go and see her. It was only right. 

He hesitated to open the door. This wasn't right in less than forty eight hour she was supposed to be walking down an aisle to him and that’d be the start of their happily ever after. Their life together. 

Bastien stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You don't have to do this.” 

“I know.” Drake took in a deep, steadying breath and pushed the heavy wooden door opened, letting it fling shut behind him. 

He kept his eyes on the floor, scared of what he might see, scared to look at her. He was still holding on to the tiniest bit of hope that there’d been a mistake, that it wasn't his Lily laying on the table in front of him. 

Slowly he looked up, his chocolate brown eyes landing on her lifeless body. He choked out a sob as he made his way towards her. As he got closer he could see cuts and bruises scattered across her bare arms. He found himself wondering what was beneath the white sheet covering the rest of her if just her arms looked that bad. 

He hadn't looked at her face yet. He couldn’t. Just her arms looked as if they’d taken a hell of a battering. After he’d braced himself he glanced up at her beautiful face except it wasn't like it was earlier that day. All the blood had been cleaned from the multiple deep lacerations on her face. He could tell she’d gone through the windscreen head first, lets just put it that way. But beneath all of that, beneath the cuts and bruises it was her. His lily. The love of his life. 

Drake let out another sob as he grabbed her hand, it feeling colt in his grasp. She’d been dead for nearly three hours now. He thought that he’d have felt something, maybe and ache in his chest when she died but he didn't. He felt nothing when she was taken from him. 

He gripped her small hand in both of his, willing it to warm up, to squeeze his hand back. He let go of it with one hand, stroking his hand through her hair, noticing that she had lacerations on her head too as he tried to avoid them. He knew she wouldn’t feel it but...it made him feel better. 

“It’s okay, Lil, I’m here now,” he whispered, “It’s all going to be okay. I’m here.” 

[gcldveins]

OK HERE IS .. headass number two, francine howards !! i rlly do love her doe <3 definitely above sully but maybe that’s partially because it’s crystal reed.. ALSO disclaimer before we get started .. these next two intros will not be as neat and extensive as sully’s because 1) they’re newer muses and also 2) i had sully’s bio ready from a roleplay a looong time ago so just a warning !! anyways, let’s get crackin’ !!!

overview

✎⌠crystal reed. cisfemale. she/her⌡❝ — well, look who’s just arrived ! if it isn’t the one and only francine howards. though, around here they’re known as the spitfire. don’t tell ‘em i said this but the thirty-five year old medical examiner kinda has a reputation of being critical and domineering. but y’know, they can be loyal and passionate too. typical leo. anyways, welcome home and stay safe frankie ! ❞ 

statistics

full name: francine marie howards

nickname(s): frankie, if you call her anything else prepare to get merked

date of birth: august 15th, 1985

hometown: mystic hollow, connecticut.

gender identity: cis gender

preferred pronouns: she/her

sexual orientation: pansexual

hogwarts house: slytherin

aesthetic: label makers, button-up shirts, the smell of freshly printed paper, blazers worn with jeans, fine jewellery, three cups of coffee before noon, colour-coded files, messy hair, black loafers, worn out books

distinguishable characteristics: almost always looks pissed dfnijsn

pinterest board: here

their song from the sigh no more album bc i love this album and it makes me Sad™: thistle and weeds

background: cancer tw

— born and raised in misty hollow, frankie grew up helping raise her two younger brothers while their mom worked long hours as a nurse at the local hospital. their dad had left them a few months after the birth of their youngest child, frankie was only seven years old but she remembers the day clearly.

— so because of this, frankie had to grow up a lot faster than she needed to, taking on household and familial responsibilities that most children shouldn’t need to. which is why she became known as a sort of stickler throughout her childhood.

— she became your typical over-achiever in high school, always wanting to make her mother proud as well as, deep down, wanting to make her dad regret ever leaving them — even though he was no longer in their lives. as a kid frankie would dream about the day he came back, begging for them to take him back. kinda .. fucked up, i know.

— anyways, frankie never took her eye off the prize. competitive and conscientious, she graduated high school as the class president, valedictorian, as well as the captain of their rugby team. she had left zero time for friends, whatever free time she had left was put towards volunteering at the hospital where her mom worked at.

— she got accepted into harvard for a bachelor’s in honours biology, she went into this program thinking she wanted to become a surgeon but changed her mind half-way through. frankie just didn’t enjoy the idea of working with .. live people all day. but she still really enjoyed the subject of biology and so she decided that becoming a medical examiner might be a better fit.

— so after her bachelor’s degree she went the whole nine yards, she stayed at harvard for their medical school and then went to john hopkins for he residency. after she earned her fellowship, she moved to new york for a job opening and has stayed there up until recently ( maybe a few months to a year ago )

— frankie’s mom was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer so she came back to take care of her. while frankie’s not ecstatic about it — she was the type in high school to have that mindset of “ i’m gonna get the hell out of here and never come back ” — she would do anything for her family. 

— on the bright side ! misty hollow’s own medical examiner just retired, so she’s still able to do what she loves, kind of. not as exciting as the stuff she sees in new york, but it’s better than nothing.

personality

— she is... a little bit on the freaky side, not gonna lie. she’s really passionate about her job and loves her work, a total workaholic, but seeing as her work involves hanging around dead bodies all day, that can come across a bit weird to some people.

— it doesn’t help that she’s also really into gory, horror films and sits there at the worst parts with a fascinated grin. and if you try to open up to her she’ll probably hit you with a Fun Science Fact.

— has a zero tolerance for bullshit, very frank ( ha.. h a... ) and tells things how it is. if you need an honest opinion, frankie’s definitely got your back. maybe a little too well.

— a little aggressive and rough around the edges. she grew up around brothers so she always had to fight for her spot at the dinner table. but frankie is also used to bossing them around too so .. that side of her shows up pretty often.

— kind of a control freak, always thinks she’s right.. and unfortunately she usually is so that just kind of reinforces that behaviour.. but yeah, she’s very opinionated and isn’t afraid to speak up for what she believes in

— anddd frankie’s still kind of a new muse, so this is all i really have so far rip

wanted connections

someday.. i will submit this to the main but ! atm, if anyone’s interested, frankie does have two younger brothers !!

enemies pls .. just someone she totally clashes with and whenever these two are in a room together, it’s like cats and dogs. 

people that she works with possibly ? either in the medical or law enforcement field !

close friends ! once you’ve wiggled your way past frankie’s walls, she’s a very loyal and protective friend. will definitely mother you — asking you if you’ve eaten yet, drank water, etc. 

messy exes !! like a high school sweetheart or whatever else. frankie’s not good with this sort of stuff so she could’ve been the one at fault.

a close friend that’s the complete opposite of her ! someone that’s just a lot softer and friendlier and overall nicer gknskdn and these two just click somehow. honestly like grace and frankie but in this scenario she’s grace ksdfsk

drinking buddies ! this could even be the type of friend that tries to get frankie out of her comfort zone to do more fun things, since she’s really more of a homebody.

casual relationships ! hateships ! these are always so fun as well. frankie is the type of woman that knows what she wants and goes after it. she knows she doesn’t do well in relationships so she would probably .. have a few of these

people from her past that are also from misty hollow ! we can discuss the details of this thru plotting <3

i’m honestly down for anything, so if you have any ideas feel free to send them my way. but again, if we can’t figure out a plot between the two of them, we can just do throw them at each other in a random thread and see what happens !!

[aion-rsa]

How The Walking Dead: World Beyond Expands the Zombie Universe with Its Unique Teen Characters

https://ift.tt/3kB7pU3

After its premiere was delayed by several months due to COVID-19, the two-season The Walking Dead spinoff series The Walking Dead: World Beyond finally makes its debut this week. The story expands the TWD universe in a unique way, taking place 10 years after the zombie outbreak and focusing on a predominantly teenage cast of characters. Unlike the battered groups of survivors from The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, these teens have been sheltered from walkers (or “empties,” as they’re called on this show) within the walls of a university in Omaha, Nebraska, a thriving colony that has afforded them a relatively normal, safe life post-outbreak.

But, as fans will learn from the very first episode, the Campus Colony (as it’s referred to) does have a seemingly precarious arrangement with the Civic Republic Military (CRM), whose ominous helicopters act as a narrative thread that ties the three shows together. It’s safe to say you’ll learn way more about this mysterious faction in World Beyond than ever before.

The show primarily centers on sisters Iris (Aliyah Royale) and Hope (Alexa Mansour), who leave the safety of the University in search of their father, brilliant scientist Dr. Leo Bennett (Joe Holt), who they’ve learned is somewhere in New York. Joining them on their mission are fellow student Elton (Nicolas Cantu), a resourceful scientist and historian (who also happens to know karate), and school janitor Silas (Hal Cumpston), a soft-spoken social outcast whose murky past has earned him a questionable reputation on campus. The teens are tailed by battle-tested adult guardians Felix (Nico Tortorella) and Huck (Annet Mahendru).

Last fall, I visited the show’s set in Richmond, Virginia, where filming was underway for episode 7 of the show (alas, there were no CRM helicopters in sight). The location was an old waterpark called Hadad’s Lake, which was appropriately creepy-looking. The abandoned facilities looked dreary and greyed-out under the looming rainclouds — the juxtaposition of a children’s park rotting in a post-apocalypse seemed to fit the show thematically as well.

Huddled around a table with other members of the press under a tent that sheltered our equipment from the occasional drizzle, we were joined by the cast members one by one to talk about their respective characters and what fans can expect from the show. Here’s what we learned:

Iris

“Iris is smart and caring and loving and doesn’t have a selfish bone in her body,” Royale says of her character. “She really wants to make sure that every single person that she encounters is taken care of and has what they need. At some point she realizes maybe it’s time to start doing things for herself and when she makes that switch, it is a roller coaster of events.”

Serving as the beating heart of the show, Iris is an overachiever on campus and a compassionate leader amongst her peers. She’s got a tight bond with Hope, and while Iris is generally viewed as the more straight-laced, level-headed of the two, the absence of her father compels her to make the drastic decision to venture out beyond the University walls for the first time.

“The mission for Iris is: where’s my dad at?” Royale explains. “I want my dad back. The other side of that is, Iris is following in his footsteps. She’s super involved in science, biomedical engineering, all of those things that her father’s brain is being used for…that’s exactly the path that she’s going towards. Saving the world.”

At the University, though the majority of students haven’t encountered empties, they’re trained by instructors like Felix to defend themselves against the dead, including with a weapon called an S-pole, a staff with a retractable blade at one end. Iris is a fast learner, although she quickly discovers that no amount of training can actually prepare her for the horrors that await in the real world.

“She’s got a lot of information stored up here,” Royale says as she points at her head. “But the minute that she encounters the first walker, it’s this just absolute fear. As much as you learn, as many books as you read, you could never feel [that fear] until you’re in that moment. You’ve got your four best friends next to you, and it’s you or the empty.”

Hope

“She doesn’t give a shit about anything,” Mansour says of the rebellious Hope. “She lives for today and I mean, realistically, she doesn’t think she’s going to live tomorrow. She’s pretty sure she could die at any moment and I don’t think she really cares. So she gets herself in trouble, doesn’t care what people say, and is always doing the opposite of what Felix tells her to do. It’s kind of ironic that her name is Hope because she really doesn’t have any of it.”

Hope and Iris have a tight bond despite their polar opposite temperaments and outlooks on life. “They’re complete opposites,” says Mansour. “Iris is the one that will be off studying until four in the morning while Hope would probably be partying until four in the morning. But they love each other. I think they really do balance each other out. Iris will bail Hope out whenever she is sneaking out and doing stuff that she should not be doing, and Hope would take a bullet for her sister.”

As for Hope’s lack of, well, hope, in human beings and their future prospects on the planet, Mansour made it clear that this speaks to a pressing real-world issue of mental health that affects teens everywhere. As someone who was bullied for her ethnicity (she’s half Hispanic, half Egyptian), she feels World Beyond and the platform it’s given her will allow her to help teenagers who are struggling like she has.

“I really hope they realize that they’re not alone,” Mansour says. “I think it’s important for kids who are watching this to take away that it’s okay to be open about what you’re feeling and it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling and it’s not the end of the world, it is going to get better.”

Felix

“Felix is the head of security detail at the university,” says Tortorella, who also reveals that his character identifies as queer. “He is kind of an adopted son to the girls’ dad. He had a troubled childhood dealing with his family coming to terms or not coming to terms with him being gay. He’s very much a hero. He protects the people around him in a way that’s contradictory to the stereotype of like what a gay character usually is on television. And that’s why I was really excited to play this role.”

Tortorella, who identifies as genderfluid, felt drawn to the show and the The Walking Dead franchise for its strong representation of marginalized communities. “The diversity was a huge thing coming into it, you know? We have people from all walks of life on this show. Genders, sexualities, race, religions. It was a no brainer for me.”

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Hope and Iris’s father took Felix in as family after the outbreak, and Felix’s made a promise to take care of the girls at all costs. Unlike the sisters, he and his partner Huck have seen action outside the Campus’ walls, which makes him a formidable fighter. When Iris and Hope escape the walls of the colony, Felix and Huck quickly give chase.

“Yeah, he’s in full dad mode all the time with these kids,” Tortorella explains. “I think that like after the first episode, the stakes are at maximum levels in terms of our safety and our fight for survival. And Felix is the one that has the most training in terms of any sort of military background that we know of.”

Huck

Huck is Felix’s right hand, dear friend, and confidant. She sports a sizable scar across her cheek, which all but confirms she’s been through some tough shit.

“Huck comes from a Marines background,” Mahendru says. “When you first meet Huck, you just know the scar. There’s a story [behind it]. She is an independent thinker. She’s really tough, but she’s really hopeful and really positive and warm and is adamant about bringing the world back to what it was. She wants as many people to live as possible.”

As for Huck’s relationship to the sisters, Mahendru says that she has a deep connection with Hope, who she sees herself in. “She was a bit of a rebel when she was young, [too]. They have a big/little sister relationship, and I train her how to fight. I want her to survive out there. I mean I’m going to send her out there and so I’m responsible for her. I really believe in her potential and I feel her pain. I’ve gone through the same similar things.”

Elton

“Elton is a very intellectually curious child,” Cantu says. “He has been sheltered from the world outside with a bunch of horrible, horrible things happening out there. So he’s kind of trying to understand the world for what it is and how nature is changing along with most of humanity. He’s on a journey to analyze and document and just see what this new world is about.”

A classmate of Iris and Hope’s who offers to join them on their quest to find their father, Elton admits that the outside world isn’t exactly foreign to him.

“Elton has been outside of the walls before because he does a lot of experiments outside,” Cantu explains as he motions to the mustard-colored, corduroy suit he’s wearing. “It’s bite proof, which Elton learned through controlled experiments. So he kind of has a little bit of a glimpse as to what the outside world is. But once he steps out there, it’s intense.”

Cantu says he sees a lot of himself in Elton. “I really do relate to Elton. I mean, he’s kind of got this view of the world where he’s very blunt with it. He knows a bunch of the threats out there. He realizes stepping outside of those walls is going to be a life changing thing. The world is brutal and he has just come to accept that. So if it’s coming down to survival, he’s ready, he’s prepared, he’s got everything on lock. And I feel like if I was in an apocalypse, I would prepare similarly to Elton.”

Silas

“He’s been shunned by the particular community they’re in. People refer to him as a monster or just completely shun him. It’s like a Boo Radley type of character,” Cumpston reveals about the quiet Silas. “No one knows his exact story, you know what I mean? When kids hear something then they exaggerate and that type of thing.”

Cumpston, a young Australian actor and filmmaker also feels he relates to Silas. “Yeah, everyone’s felt like an outcast. There’s definitely been situations where I’ve felt like an outcast. I’d be a funny kid at school. I joined a soccer team and there’s already these different funny personalities [on the team] and I’m just sort of like the quiet kid who’s also not good [at soccer]. I’m like, ‘Oh, fuck. I need to make up for it by being funny but there are no opportunities.’” 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Unlike his three teenage counterparts, Silas isn’t a student at the school, and he’s got little excuse not to join the others on their quest, seeing as he hasn’t got much going for him at the Campus.

“He’s just a janitor who no one speaks to and everyone refers to as a monster,” Cumpston says. “When he walks past people on campus, you can hear that people don’t have very nice things to say about him. He catches wind that there’s an [opportunity] to prove to himself and these other people that he’s not a monster.”

The Walking Dead: World Beyond premieres on Oct. 4 at 10 pm ET on AMC.

The post How The Walking Dead: World Beyond Expands the Zombie Universe with Its Unique Teen Characters appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[camillemontespan]

the history of us [drake x camille] [part three: 11th July- make it up to her]

Part Two  if you want to catch up.

Warnings: NSFW. Feelings.

@jovialyouthmusic @pug-bitch @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @sirbeepsalot @moonlightgem7 @dcbbw @notoriouscs @emceesynonymroll @burnsoslow @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @sawyeroakleyscowboyhat @iplaydrake @drakewalkerisreal @moneyfordiamonds @cordoniasmost @gardeningourmet @katedrakeohd @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @rainbowsinthestorm @drakesensworld @ccolz88-blog

Drake sat on the sofa two hours after opening Camille’s diary.  He felt numb; so numb. He hadn’t realised Camille kept a diary and documented everything so religiously. He was seeing himself from her eyes and the view was not pretty. Sure, they had had amazing moments the past four months, but a lot of it had been.. dark. 

He was knocked out of his overthinking by Olive. The corgi nudged Drake’s leg, asking for attention. Olive adored Drake. Maybe it because he always fed her more dog treats than he should, or maybe it was because Olive just loved being around humans, but she always followed Drake everywhere. 

Cheddar was more of Camille’s dog; Olive was Drake’s. 

Drake picked her up and she settled down on his lap, licking his fingers. ‘I’ve fucked up, Olive,’ he whispered, stroking her ears. Olive looked up at him. He swore she had a sad look in her eyes. 

‘Let’s watch some TV, huh?’ he suggested. He turned the TV on and as usual, it settled on the news. Drake swiftly turned it over to a chat show. It was a panel of women who were drinking cocktails and cackling. 

Well, it was better than the news who always reported on Drake and Camille.

The women sipped their cocktails. ‘So,’ one of them said, ‘the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria. What do we think is going on there ladies?’

A brunette downed her drink and leaned forward. ‘If I speak candidly,’ she said loudly, ‘I think there’s been trouble in paradise for some time. Have you seen those paparazzi pictures whenever they’re out together? They look so withdrawn from each other. Bear in mind, only last year photos always showed them holding hands and smiling at each other. Now, it’s different.’

Drake smirked. What did this bitch know? Sometimes, photos were taken when they weren’t smiling - that was normal. Nobody was happy 24/7. 

The blonde panel member spoke up. ‘I know what you mean. It’s like their chemistry is off. Then we have Camille attending royal events alone.’

‘That is the red flag right there,’ another of the witches piped up. ‘She gets all dressed up for these events, sometimes has Lily with her, but never Drake. They used to be inseparable.’

Drake had to turn it off. He couldn’t take any more of their theories and venom. They were discussing his private life on national TV over fucking cocktails. What show was this? He brought up the information screen. 

‘Cocktails in Cordonia.’ What trash. 

Drake sighed and glanced at Camille’s diary. He needed to read more, as she wanted. He didn’t know what she was hoping to achieve. Make him feel shit?Show him what a bad husband he was?

Camille wasn’t vindictive though. She wasn’t petty and she didn’t bear grudges. She had to have a reason. 

He turned to the next page and prepared himself for another trip down memory lane. 

11th July 2023

It’s the Summertime Ball tonight. Liam holds the ball every year and it’s become a highlight of the social calendar. I’ve got my gold dress all ready and I bought Lily a beautiful pink chiffon dress with silver stars embroidered on it. She looks like the sugarplum fairy in it and she twirled around the kitchen, asking Drake to tell her she looks pretty. 

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

‘Tell me I look pretty, Daddy!’ Lily cried, twirling around the kitchen. Her pink dress blew out around her and she looked so pleased with her outfit. Camille had arranged her dark hair into a ballerina bun and Lily had insisted on having her nails painted a glittery pink. 

Drake picked her up and pressed a kiss on her forehead. 

‘You are the prettiest girl in the world!’ he told her. Lily beamed and snuggled into his chest, a lazy smile on her face. To her, Drake was her world and that was all that mattered.

Camille was watching them, her eyes shining. This was all she had ever wanted. A family. Her own little family. 

Drake placed Lily back down and he grinned at his wife. ‘You look incredible.’

Camille blushed. She was wearing a long gold halterneck dress made of silk. It skimmed her curves and showed off her caramel skin. Camille stepped forward and ran her hands down his chest. Drake was wearing a new suit; Camille loved it when he made an effort. 

‘We should get going,’ she told him. ‘Cordonia society awaits!’

She took Lily’s hand and the two of them left the kitchen to the waiting car. As the door opened, Drake heard Geoffrey say, ‘Lily, you look like a fairy princess!’ 

Drake chuckled but his smile soon faded. Another Cordonian ball. Their first since they had come back from Texas. He knew they would be interrogated by the other nobles. How was Texas? Why were they away so long? How is Valtoria? Is Lily still eating McDonalds? 

The thought filled him with dread. 

He poured himself a double measure of whiskey and downed it. He needed liquid courage to get him through the evening. 

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

Maxwell had descended on Lily as soon as he saw her. ‘You look so pretty!’ he shrieked, picking her up and twirling around. Lily laughed and stopped when she saw Maxwell’s bow tie. It was a squid.  She reached out her hand and gently touched it, whispering, ‘wow...’

Bertrand came over to greet Camille and Drake. ‘Camille, you look stunning as always,’ he told her warmly. ‘How was Texas? I’m sorry you had to come back early.’

Camille smiled. ‘Texas was amazing. Just lazy days, lots of family time. We needed it, didn’t we Drake?’

Drake nodded. ‘Definitely. So good to get a break.’ 

Liam wandered over with Hana, Olivia and Leo in tow. The group were now reunited and Hana pulled Camille in for a hug, excited to see her best friend again.  

Maxwell put Lily down and she skipped over to the group. She needed to see her Aunt Olivia. She adored the 5′11 redhead with high cheekbones, straight posture and icy blue eyes. The infatuation had began about a year ago when Lily had cast her eyes on the many ruby rings Olivia wore. Lily was a magpie and loved anything shiny; when Olivia let her wear a ruby ring that was far too big for her small fingers, Lily fell in love.  

She fell hard for her Aunt Olivia after that. Olivia found it a little strange at first, not used to being adored,  especially by children god forbid, but she soon began to enjoy it whenever Lily asked to see Olivia.  It showed the child had taste. 

‘Aunt Olivia, do you like my dress?’ she asked shyly. Olivia’s eyes ran over the dress. Drake prayed she would be kind; he knew pink was not Olivia’s favourite colour by a long stretch.

‘I think you look gorgeous, babe,’ Olivia said honestly. ‘I love the stars.’

Lily giggled. Because Olivia loved the dress, she wasn’t planning to take it off for the next week. 

The live band began to play a jazz number. Lily looked up at Drake. ‘Daddy, dance with me.’

Camille nudged Drake, who picked up his daughter. ‘Come on, show me your best moves,’ he said, carrying her to the dance floor. He set her down and took her by her hands; his hands were gigantic around hers. Drake had to bend to dance with her, twirling her around. 

This was the only time when Drake was really comfortable on the dancefloor. When he danced with Camille, he felt calm, knowing the steps, but he still felt a little out of place no matter how hard she tried to convince him that he was a good dancer. But when he was with Lily, he forgot about everyone around them. It was just him and his little girl, dancing together. They didn’t need to do the moves, why would they? She was four. Instead, he twirled her around, swung her up in the air so her dress flew out, making her a fairy in flight. There were no rules or etiquette needed for dancing with Lily. It was just fun. It was free. 

Drake picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he bobbed around in a circle. Camille and Hana watched them together. 

‘He’s such a good dad, isn’t he?’ Hana whispered. 

Camille nodded, smiling. ‘He really is. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us.’ 

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

‘So, Drake, how does it feel being back in Cordonia?’ Lord Stanley asked. Drake plastered an artificial smile on his face. ‘It feels good! It’s nice to get back to normality.’

The lie came out of his mouth so easily.

‘We heard that you’re thinking about sending Lily to a regular school?’  Lady Victoria probed. ‘That’s a different choice. Every other noble child has gone to boarding school.’ 

Drake fought back the urge to tell her to fuck herself. Instead, he cleared his throat. ‘Well, as myself and Camille were born commoners, we want Lily to have the same sort of childhoods that we had. We want her to make friends with kids who aren’t noble so she can see there’s other ways of living.’

‘Other ways of living..’ Victoria murmured, her eyes wide. 

‘Surely though she will inherit the duchy of Valtoria?’ Stanley asked, struggling to keep up with Drake’s modern way of thinking. ‘If she doesn’t go to boarding school with other nobles, she won’t know how to support her people!’

Drake cast his eyes around the room, searching for Camille. He needed his team mate. 

‘Well, Lily might not want to inherit the duchy,’ Drake said casually. ‘We want her to see the world, learn other cultures, just be grounded and more openminded.’ 

The two nobles were staring at Drake as if he had grown three heads.

‘Besides, we can teach her how to support the duchy if needed,’ Drake went on. He was trying to justify his parenting decisions to these people and he had no idea why. What he and Camille chose to do for their daughter wasn’t their business.

‘But it could be good for her to meet other noble children?’ Victoria suggested. Drake ignored her and his eyes found Camille’s.

Camille excused herself from talking to Liam and she came over to help Drake. 

‘Ah, Lord Stanley, Lady Victoria! How good to see you both again,’ Camille said. 

The lie came out of her mouth so easily. 

‘Duchess Camille, you look glowing!’ Victoria said, taking her by the hands. ‘What’s your secret?’

‘Creme de la Mer,’ Camille deadpanned. Victoria blinked. 

‘Uh, so Drake was just telling us that next year, you might be sending Lily to a regular school?’ Stanley said. 

‘Not might,’ Drake corrected him. ‘We will be.’ 

Camille looked at Drake and his eyes bore into hers. She knew without speaking that he been getting interrogated. She took Drake’s hand and placed her hand on his chest. 

‘Yes, we’re so excited for Lily to go to a school with normal kids. More relaxed, she can meet all kinds of people and think for herself!’

Victoria frowned. ‘Are you saying our children can’t think for themselves?’

‘Welllll..’ Camille shrugged. ‘Anyway, so lovely to see you again. We need to circulate, there’s so many people we haven’t spoken to yet.’ She dragged Drake away. 

‘Jesus, they’re horrible,’ she muttered under her breath. Drake smirked. ‘Glad you think so. Who honestly gives a shit about what we do? It’s our life.’

Camille bit her lip. ‘I think because we’re already so different from them, they want to see how we run things. Clearly, sending Lily to boarding school was an expectation that we have yet again not met.’ 

‘We’re not sending her away,’ Drake ground out. Camille looked up at him and gave his hand a squeeze.  They both looked out at the dance floor to see Lily dancing with her Uncle Leo and Uncle Maxwell, who were showing her how to do the robot. 

‘I promise that’s not going to happen. She’s ours.’

She kissed him gently. ‘I’m going to continue my conversation with Liam. Want to join?’

‘In a moment,’ he told her. ‘You go ahead.’ 

She left him to it. Drake went to the bar and ordered a glass of whiskey, double measure. He sank the drink then gestured to the bartender for another. 

He studied the nobles around him. Aside from his friends, he hated everyone in the room. The way they spoke to him and Camille so patronisingly grated. They always looked like they felt sorry for them. Like Drake and Camille knew nothing. Like they were going to destroy Valtoria with their inexperience, despite the fact that they had been Duke and Duchess for four years. 

Fuck them. 

Drake sipped more of his whiskey and watched his wife burst out laughing at something Liam said. She looked at home here. She was certainly more regal than Drake. He sometimes worried he held her back, but he never told her that. He knew she would get upset if she knew the thoughts that went through his mind. 

But he knew she hated the nobles too. They would bitch about them while having drinks on their balcony. Camille was just better at hiding it. 

Drake signalled for another drink. 

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

They got home around midnight. Lily had fallen asleep on Drake’s lap when they had been sat at the table in the ballroom, which called for them to head home. Once Camille set her down in bed, she kissed her forehead and left the bedroom door slightly ajar; Lily was scared of the dark and felt better when she could see the hallway light. 

Drake’s head was spinning. Usually, he was a heavy weight but with each drink he had drank tonight, he had asked for double measures. Silly idea. 

He fell back onto the bed, still dressed in his suit, and looked up at the spinning ceiling. He heard Camille enter the bedroom and shut the door. 

‘You okay there, champ?’ she joked. She hadn’t realised how much Drake had drank, instead thinking he had just drank whiskey on an empty stomach and that was why he was conked out on the bed. 

She got on her knees and crawled towards him, suspending her body over his. He smelled of whiskey.  Drake looked into her eyes and reached out to twirl a lock of her hair around his finger. 

‘You’re beautiful,’ he whispered.

Camille smiled. ‘You’re drunk.’

‘Yeah. You’re still beautiful though.’

Camille leaned down to kiss his neck, enjoying the groan that escaped his lips. She began to peel off his suit jacket and unbutton his shirt, exposing his broad chest. She loved how broad he was; how manly he was. 

Kissing down his chest, she stopped when she heard him snore. 

Oh well. He would just have to make it up to her tomorrow. 

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

Drake did make it up to her the next morning. He had a memory that she had tried to make a move on him last night but he had been so drunk, he’d fallen asleep. His face flamed red when he remembered this. 

Her alarm had gone off and she slipped into the bathroom to shower. Drake followed. His head may have been aching but he wanted to make it up to her. 

Drake knocked on the shower door. Camille turned to open the door and she looked out at him, her hair slicked back from the water. Drake’s eyes roamed her naked body hungrily. 

‘You coming in?’ she asked, looking up at him from under her eyelashes. Drake gave her a wolfish grin and stripped off his clothes. He let himself into the shower. 

His hands slid down her wet body, slick from the water and shining. He kissed her neck and moved down to tease her nipple with his tongue. Camille gasped and closed her eyes, focusing on the sensations. 

Drake gently pushed her up against the wall and lifted her by the ass. She wound her legs around his waist, crying out when she felt his cock enter her.  He wasn’t taking his time; he wanted to make it up to her. 

‘Fuck Drake..’ she breathed, digging her fingernails into his back. Drake began to drive into her, keeping her body supported as he did so. His hips bucked against hers, grinding into her deeply, not wanting to stop. Drake wanted to make it up to her. 

As he bucked against her, he placed his finger on her clit and began to circle. She let out a groan as he teased her, feeling her core begin to come alive. Their bodies moved together, desperately now, as Drake began to increase the pace. He was relentless. He wanted to make it up to her.

Their mouths found each other and their tongues twisted, dancing. Drake could feel Camille’s fingernails digging into his back, probably scratching his skin but he didn’t care. 

He could smell the coconut shampoo she used and he inhaled her scent. She was his own personal paradise.  

‘Drake, I’m gonna cum,’ she breathed. Drake continued to drive into her, keeping up momentum. 

‘Cum for me,’ he growled in her ear. 

She let go, crashing over the wave. Her body jerked against his and she wrapped her legs around him tighter. Drake followed after, crying out her name into the crook of her shoulder. 

‘I love you,’ she whispered. Drake kissed her neck, then her cheek, then her lips.

‘I love you too.’

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

Drake stopped reading the diary entry. Camille hadn’t written about the shower sex but she had written about the ball and about the stuffy nobles. 

They’re so judgemental, I’m sick of it. But I can’t say anything to them otherwise I’d cause a riot, so instead I plaster a fake smile on my face and act like Duchess Camille. Who even is Duchess Camille? She’s not me. She’s elegant and knows etiquette and how to smile. She can curtsey and knows how to use the correct cutlery at dinner. Her fake laugh is fantastic, it sounds so genuine. But she’s not really me. She is a part I play. 

Sometimes I wish I could just be normal Camille. The one who wears denim shorts and oversized sweaters. I’d love to go to a football game with Drake and eat hotdogs and not have to worry about anyone bothering us. I’d love to take Lily out to the park without needing a bodyguard.

But we signed up for this life when we became Duke and Duchess. It was always going to be hard. I just want us to try and be as normal as possible and that includes sending Lily to a normal school. I’m so happy Drake and I share the same values; we’re a good team. As long as we have each other, it’s going to be alright.

Drake swallowed a sob.  His breath became haggered and his head began to swim again. His vision began to blur and that was when he realised he was crying. 

Drake had only cried three times in his life.

When he was told his father was dead.

When he saw Camille walking up the aisle towards him on their wedding day.

When he held Lily in his arms for the first time. 

This was the fourth time in his life Drake cried. How could he have fucked up something so good? Something that made him happy? How could he have pushed away the one person who truly saw him for who he was? 

Drake wiped his eyes roughly and looked through the box again. He came across a photo of him, Camille and Lily playing rock paper scissors while sat at a table during one of the palace balls. His memory flashed back and he remembered that Maxwell had taken the photo of the family. 

They looked carefree. They didn’t care what people thought of them. 

Drake sniffled and put the photo down, picking up the diary again. He needed to keep reading. It was what Camille wanted him to do and he was sick of letting her down. 

He turned the page. 

[fanfic-inator795]

RotTMNT/Baron Jitsu fanfiction: Dating… With Children - BONUS DRABBLES

(Also available to read on AO3)

((Just decided to post both drabbles on one post even if they don’t relate to each other since they’re pretty short. Also, just as a Heads up: The first drabble gets pretty PG-13. (Though it's probably about as far as I'm ever going to go with my writing, since I'm not really a fan of writing smut). So yeah, enjoy!))

There were very few things in this world that were more satisfying than spending a warm Sunday afternoon in the arms of the person you loved. That's what Lou thought anyways.

The boys were currently over at April’s playing with some new video game console that her father had bought her, leaving the house quiet and peaceful. It was actually Draxum that had suggested laying down and stretching out some, after the two of them enjoyed a light lunch together. But while Draxum had assumed they'd be doing this on the loveseat, but with enough coaxing Lou managed to lead him upstairs instead.

“After all, the bed is much comfier,” Lou had told him, “And much more ‘tall-person friendly’.”

“I'm only about a foot or so taller than you,” Draxum lightly argued back as Lou had continued up the stairs, “and I'm within the average male height for men of my characteristics. You're the one who's a bit on the short side.” Lou’s light laughter echoed down the hall, unbothered by this fact at all.

Still, Draxum couldn't exactly argue with his boyfriend, the bed was indeed more comfortable than the small couch, as well as more private. One kiss led to another, and another, and a few more for good measure as they held each other in their arms. As they got a bit closer, each kiss being deeper and longer than the last, Draxum could feel Lou start to tangle his fingers through his hair, undoing his ponytail with little concern. It was an action that was quickly starting to become familiar to Draxum, yet it still managed to send shivers of pleasure up his spine.

Smirking a bit, Draxum decided to return the favor. Moving away from his boyfriend’s lips, he began to kiss his neck, one of his hands gripping Lou’s shoulder. Lou moaned, squirming at each touch and kiss.

Each time they caught each other’s gaze or saw the other smile, it just seemed to lead into another kiss. They hadn’t yet said it out loud, but there was love between them. Physical (obviously), emotional, platonic, romantic - you name it, they had it. And they wanted to enjoy every second of it. At some point during their makeout session, Lou had unbuttoned his shirt - or, maybe Draxum unbuttoned it? Neither one of them could really remember, nor could they care too much. All they cared about in that moment was each other.

However, love or no, they had a while to go before they made that big next step in the physical part of their relationship. Still, they accepted this, being more than alright with what they had and willing to be patient and take their time. But as momentary lust began to settle some and their kissing began to slow down a bit, Draxum remained comfortably on top of him, their arms staying tangled around each other. One of Lou’s hands was under Draxum’s shirt, rubbing his warm back a bit. Draxum pressed his forehead to Lou’s, and Lou hummed as he returned the gesture, lazily smiling at his boyfriend as he did so. “See,” he mumbled, “Told you it was more comfortable up here…”

Draxum sighed, rolling his eyes as he smiled back at him. “Yes yes, I know, you were right…” Lou chuckled, and lifted his chin slightly for another kiss-

His ears picked up on something - something close by. It was subtle, but still somewhat noticeable. The light thud of fast feet going up stairs, the slight squeak of the old floor, the voices of- Lou gasped. In one shift motion, Lou shoved Draxum off him (and, in his haste, completely off the bed) and sat up, forcing a ‘normal’ grin onto his face as the door opened.

“-Pop?” Raph asked as he and Leo poked their heads in, “Hey, what-?”

“AH! Yes!” Lou nodded, “Hello boys! Uh, a-aren’t you two supposed to be at April’s? You know we don’t like you kids walking around outside by yourselves!”

“We all started gettin’ bored with the video game she had and wanted to come play over here instead since we’ve got the bigger yard,” Raph explained.

“And her mom walked us over, so we can’t get in trouble for it,” Leo added, “Anyway, can we have an ice cream cup before we start playing again?”

“Oh. Uh, yes, that will be fine,” Lou nodded, “I will come down and get them for you.” After last time (the ‘frozen food avalanche’ incident as dubbed by his sons), he wasn’t going to trust his boys with the task. “A-Anything else you two need?”

“...How come your shirt’s unbuttoned?” Raph asked, tilting his head a bit as he pointed at his father’s open chest.

Right. Ignoring the heat now in his cheeks, Lou answered the question as he began fumbling over his buttons. “W-Well, heh, I-I was feeling a bit warm, you see? So I thought an open shirt would cool me down. But I am feeling much cooler now so now I am just going to button it back up before I catch a cold.”

“Okayyyy… And how come Draxum’s on the floor?” Leo asked, leaning over a bit to get a better look at the two feet that were sticking out from behind the bed.

“Oh. That. Well, uh-”

“I was doing sit-ups,” Draxum explained as he stood up, shooting his boyfriend a flat look before continuing, “I forgot about my workout this morning, so I figured I would at least get part of it done here. Exercise is important, after all.” With how even his tone was and how natural his words seemed, Lou might have actually believed him himself if he didn’t know the truth.

“Oh yeah! Our gym teacher at school tells us that too!” Raph agreed. His brother in blue took a bit longer to convince, not quite believing the explanation if his face was any indication.

But eventually, Leo just shrugged it off, deeming it not important. “So, ice cream?”

“Yes, I will be down there in a moment.” The boys accepted this, and as soon as they left the room, Lou breathed a sigh of relief.

“...Did you really have to push me off the bed?”

“I panicked, okay?!”

“...So, do you really think that’s what they were doing in there?” Raph asked as they went back downstairs, “Dad watchin’ Draxum do sit-ups?”

Leo shook his head. “Nah, they were probably just kissing or somethin’ and wanted to keep it a secret. Which is weird ‘cause we already know they’re boyfriends and kiss and stuff. ...Grown ups are weird.”

“Heh, yeah,” Raph agreed, the two brothers then sharing a laugh. Grown ups were DEFINITELY weird.

()()()()()()()()()()()

()()()()(()()()()()()

()()()()()()()()()()()()

“-It's just that, they don't always get it, you know?”

He didn't really, but Draxum still nodded.

Donnie paused, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he turned a couple screws. “They don't make fun of me because I like science, but I know when I try to teach them science stuff, they get super bored…”

Draxum nodded again, giving a small hum to let the boy in purple know he was still listening.

Donnie glanced up towards the kitchen window, where he could see his father and brothers playing outside. “I know Dad says it's okay that we all like different things, an’ even if I don't always like playing their games or doing what they like, there are still things we all like to do and play together, so that's good. Pliers, please.”

Draxum handed him the pliers. “It is good. Make sure there's enough room on each wire to avoid any short circuiting.”

“I know.” He carefully cut each wire, attaching them with precision. “Still, I guess sometimes I wish they liked the same stuff as me… They call my experiments cool, but they never really wanna help with the ‘boring’ parts that you gotta do to lead up to the cool ending. ...They don't say it's boring, but I can tell that's what they think.”

Donnie could feel a sympathetic hand on his shoulder now. “Unfortunately, some people can't always appreciate that there's a process to things,” Draxum told him, “You can't skip ahead to experimentation without the proper research and preparation.”

“EXACTLY!” If it weren't for the fact that he was trying to install the last few parts, Donnie would’ve thrown his hands up in relief that SOMEONE finally got it! ...In fact, Draxum got a lot about him, and he was very much thankful for that. “Oh well… At least I'm not the only one in this family who likes science stuff anymore. So… Thanks for that, Dr. Draxum.”

Draxum smiled back at him. “Of course. Now, it looks like you're about ready for the ‘eyes’.” He gestured to the small pile of Christmas lights light bulbs that he had brought over. “Which color?”

“Purple, duh!” Donnie answered, confident that there was no other ‘right’ answer to that question.

Draxum chuckled. “‘Duh’, indeed.” He handed Donnie the lights, and watched as the boy installed them. A few more adjustments to the circuitry, and it was ready to go.

The building of the little robot had been an easy enough process, and with Draxum’s help and the teaching from a ‘Koding of Kidz!’ site, Donnie had been able to write a simple code for the bot too. “Here we go,” Donnie mumbled. He adjusted his glasses, took a deep breath, and pressed a button on his tablet.

The little bit moved forward towards the salt and pepper shakers. Another press of a button, and the bot’s arms widened. Donnie pressed the button again, and the tiny arms closed around the salt shaker. He was grinning now as he directed the robot to take the salt over to an equally pleased Draxum. “It actually works! I did it!”

“Yes, you did,” Draxum nodded, “And it's working very well at that, no bugs or need for adjustments as far as I can tell.”

Donnie nodded, agreeing. Maybe he’d try to add more functions later, make the robot a little more exciting and cool. But for now, despite its simplicity, it was still a success. It was still his .

“So, what are you going to call your invention,” Draxum asked, figuring it would be christened with some creative name that only a child could come up with, like the Salt-Transporter 2000 or the Condiment Bot or-

“I think I'm gonna call him Shelldon,” Donnie answered after a moment, driving the bot back towards him.

“Shelldon?” Draxum repeated.

“Yeah, it seems like a good name for him, don't you think?”

Amused, Draxum had to agree. “Alright, Shelldon it is. So, are you ready to show it- Er, him to everyone then?”

“Yeah!” Donnie carefully gathered both the bot and his tablet into his arms before racing outside to his family, with Draxum right behind them, both of them confident that this likely wouldn't be the last time the two of them built something together.

[hrhduchessoflancaster]

Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Fox Protocol - Part One

A/N: Thank you all so much for your comments! They really brighten up my day. xx Bea

Disclaimer: see Prologue.

__________________________________________________

The next months into the Summer were turbulent. The immediate shock of the news had faded but the bitter aftertaste still hanged on both Harry and Elle’s mouths, specially the way it was handed to them. After the Christening, the couple, baby Arthur and Sir Lancelot had moved to South Hartfield for the time being. Until the media and the government knew what was going on and even after that, Sussex would be their safe heaven away from the public eye. There, they could spend some quality time with baby Arthur, watching him change and grow.

“ Darling, come and look! He’s said something!”, shouted Elle from the living room. Harry came running and saw his wife sitting on the floor with Arthur on her lap as Lancelot played fetch with a tennis ball that Elle would throw at him. And every time he dashed across the room, Arthur would giggle. He sat down beside her, making Arthur turns his head and give his dad a toothless grin.

“ Come on, little bear. Say it again for daddy to hear it.”, urged Elle. The baby watched his mother then his father for a moment before giggling as Lancelot dropped the ball, anxiously waiting for it to be thrown again. Harry took it in his hand and prepared to throw it.

“ Lancelot… fetch!”, he shouted and soon the Jack Russel was running after the ball. Arthur squealed in delight as the dog came back with the ball and clapped his hands.

“ Good boy, Lancelot!”, said Elle, caressing the animals head.

“ Ya! Ya!”, babbled Arthur, making his parents look at him.

“ You did it! You said it again!”, exclaimed Elle grinning. She looked to Harry who was stunned and had a huge smiled plastered on his face.

“ He said something! He did it!”, he said to her. "You said something! You said your almost first word!”, he then said to baby Arthur, picking him up and and lifting him in his arms, making the boy giggle.

“ Although I can’t believe it was our dog’s name…”, he said to his son shaking his head. Arthur didn’t seem to understand his father so he giggled again, making it seem as if he did. Elle smiled and chuckled, walking towards the duo and kissing both of them on the cheek.

“ My boys…”, she said lovingly, hugging Harry’s waist, resting her head on his shoulder as she caressed Arthur’s back.

In a matter of days, a routine had been stablished in the estate and baby Arthur was thriving. The staff and RPO’s were besotted with him. The little boy had captured every one’s hearts. John had come back from his commanding position to reenforce the security around the estate alongside Leo, Alfred and Ingrid. They, of course, knew about the handover process which was, for the next two weeks, a need to know information.

Out of the records, William had already left the line of succession and moved to Norfolk, where he, Kate and the children would remain until everything was properly settled for them in Wales where he’d resume his work as a helicopter pilot. Meanwhile, Harry had begun filling his brother’s shoes as heir to the heir presumptive. The handover process was being called by the Prime Minister, the Privy Council and the security teams as The Fox Protocol.

However much the Queen tried to make amends, Harry’s relationship to William and Charles was strained. They hadn’t talked for weeks. And while Elle understood where her husband was coming from, she also knew that although a little selfish, her brother-in-law was thinking about what was best for his family, as Harry would too had he been in the same situation. Only now, of course, he was. And even though he wanted nothing more than to do exactly what William had done, he wouldn’t back down from this challenge. His mother had taught him as much. As had his grandmother. Albeit reluctantly, he took the task that was handed to him, as did Elle.

“ I know you didn’t sign up for this but I guess that’s our reality now.”, he had said to her one night, after apologising once again for getting her into the mess that was his life.

“ For better, for worse darling. We’re in this together.”, she had replied, taking his hand into hers and squeezing it.

“ I know, my love. But I’d never want our family to be in the centre of attention as it’s about to be. That’s the last I want to do and you know it. I want Arthur to have a somewhat normal childhood.”, said Harry.

“ Of course, darling. And I understand it. But… don’t you think that… considering how it’s going to be from now on, it’s best if we try to adapt and maybe rethink the way we view the media?”, said Elle and Harry gave her a confused look, ready to protest what she was saying.

“ Just hear me out, okay?, she said and he nodded his head.

“ I’ve seen, time and time again, how the media seeks the Royal Family out whenever they can. Now, I may be wrong but I believe that happens because we’re not more open to them and the public. Take the Swedish Royal Family for example. They make documentaries, televise their celebrations, are more transparent with their meetings. And the media doesn’t hunt them down like they do here. I know, I know that the proportions are different but think about it, Harry. Maybe if we have them closer, we could better control them. And they’d wouldn’t need to chase us so badly.”, said Elle.

Harry looked at her for a few moments and pondered over her words. What she had told him was true, as much as he hated to accept and admit it. “Maybe you’re right. But let’s say we try this. Won't we lose our privacy? Our child’s privacy?”, said Harry.

“ We start small. Baby steps, my darling. We can release some pictures and small videos os Arthur and the Christening. Maybe we should have an Instagram account. That’d help. We can talk to Ronald, Daniel and Lisa about that.”, said Elle.

“ I don’t know, Elle. I’m not sure I feel comfortable with that.”, said Harry. She looked at him sighed and caressed his cheek.

“ I know you’re scared, my love. So am I. But we have to think of the future now and how we’re going to manage it. I don’t want us to have to hide or fear paparazzi constantly transpassing our backyard for a picture when we could offer that to them. If we gave the public what they want, and made a deal with the press, we can protect those around us.” said Elle.

“ I need to think about this, okay?”, said Harry and Elle nodded her head. She really hoped he would.

**********

Elle’s parents, brother and Valerie had been nothing but supportive of their current situation. They were, however, concerned about her and her family. After a quick trip to Scotland, Rupert, Victoria and Edward had come for a little stay in Sussex, along with Valerie.

“ I can’t believe this is happening…”, said Victoria as they sat together in the garden, watching Rupert, Edward and Harry walk and play with Arthur.

“ To be honest, it’s been hard to process it, mama.”, replied Elle. “ Will has always been so committed, so focused on his duty and his family that it shocked us all when he told us. None more than Harry.”

“ I can’t imagine what he… what you both have been through. How are you holding up?”, asked Valerie. Elle sighed and looked ahead of her to see Harry giving a smile to Arthur. Nowadays, those smiles were rare and he reserved for Arthur and her.

“ As good as we can.”, she replied. “ We’ve done our best to distance ourselves for a while and focus on Arthur. Meanwhile our staff has been working with the Queen’s and Clarence House’s household to work out the political, social and public process of handover and proper address of the matter.

“ But it’s been hard…”, she continued, bowing her head down and sighing deeply. “ Harry hasn’t really been himself. I know how much this has taken a toll on him. How much he feels betrayed by his brother and father. People he has admired and looked up to his whole life. I also know how much he wants to prove himself…. to prove that he’s capable, that he’s worthy, that he can step into not only into William’s shoes, but also the Queen’s. And that’s a lot to take in.”, she finished with a sigh.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Elle silently walked to Arthur’s nursery. She had heard him wailing through the baby camera and rushed to his side. The little boy was red faced, throwing his arms up and down.

“ Shhhh… mama is here…shhhh….”, she whispered to him as she picked him up and held Arthur close to her body. She fed him and sang him back to sleep, gently rocking him. Elle held him, watching ad her son slept without a care in the world. She pondered, as she looked at the baby in her arms, at all that had happened in the last year. She had been married, found out she was pregnant, been attacked, her life and Arthur’s life had been put at risk, Colin had been killed in front of her, she and Harry welcomed their baby, they found out Kate had also been a victim of the attack that put her life in danger and finally, William removed himself from the line of succession. Indeed, she could say it had been one hell of a year.

Lost in thought, she didn’t hear or notice Harry entering the room and reaching for her. Once he touched her arm she flinched but sighed, looking at him and smiling.

“ I’ve been looking for you…”, he said, his tone sleepy and worried. “ What’s wrong?”, he asked, sitting on the floor beside the armchair where she currently sat.

“ Nothing, my love. Arthur was crying…”, she replied, making Harry sigh.

“ You had that look on your face when I got here.”, he told her, gently caressing Arthur’s head.

“ What look?”, she asked.

“ That worried, trying to figure out things, look. One that I’ve seen a few times in the last couple of years whenever things get tense.”, he said to her. Sighing, Elle bowed her head and closed her eyes.

“ Hey… hey… look at me.”, Harry said, urging her. “Please, love. Look at me and tell me what’s been bothering you.”

“ I know I've told you I’m here for you and I’ll always be. That we can face this together. But Harry… I’m scared. I’m so scared…”, she said, little teardrops falling from her the corner of her eyes.

“ Oh my love… I am too…”, he confessed, hugging her close to him. “ But we can and we will face this. Where’s my brave wife?”, he said, making her chuckle. Harry kissed her cheeks, wiping away her tears, and gently caressed them.

“ I know with you by my side we can do this. We’re partners, friends, lovers… we can do it. Together.”, he said.

“ You can be so cheesy…”, Elle said chuckling, to which Harry replied with a snort.

“ But you wouldn’t have me any other way.”, he said and she nodded her head smiling at him. They rested their foreheads against each other and sighed. For a while, they remained like so, in complete silence, listening to Arthur’s soft breathing.

“ I’ve given some thought at the media proposal you’ve told me about.”, Harry said breaking the silence.

“ And…?”, she asked.

“ And… I think we can give it a go.”, he said and she smiled. “ But we’ll have to run this through my grandmother, Clarence House and our household first.”

“ Agreed.”, she replied.

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

Over the course of the next few weeks, their staff had met with the Queen’s and the Prince of Wales’ staffs to discuss the handover. It was decided that, by the end of August, Buckingham Palace would officially release an announcement about Prince William’s role and their decision, followed by a nationwide televised message from him. Elle and Harry had two more weeks of peace until then to fully digest what was going to happen. With the Queen’s and Clarence House approval, their household had travelled from London to Sussex to prepare them for the handover, as well as revise the plans for the media proposal Elle had given to their secretaries. Ronald, Lisa and Daniel, along with the key personell in their staff had gathered at South Hartfield to define the details and guidelines of their new policies.

“ Thank you all for coming to Sussex.”, said Harry. “ As you all know, my wife and I will be taking over new roles from now on and we need your support and work to make the process of handover go as smoothly as it can possibly be.”, he continued.

“ That being said, we’ve proposed new guidelines and polices regarding our social media accounts and the public view over our lives. Ronald, Lisa, Daniel… please.”, said Elle.

“ Thank you, Your Royal Highness. It’s been decided that as Their Royal Highnesses will now that seniority over the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge due to Prince William’s removal of the line of succession, new conducts will be set forth.”, Ronald began.

“ Firstly, for the handover of roles and consolidation of the new establishment of Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their heirs, there shall be a meeting at Buckingham Palace where a document will be signed by all senior members of the Royal Family, including her Majesty the Queen, as well as the Privy Council, the Prime Minister and all secretaries of State and ministers of the Crown.”, he continued.

“ Secondly, it’s been decided that there shall be more openness about their daily lives and meetings. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wish to give the public and the media more transparency in order to avoid chaos and an overflow of paparazzi. Photocalls will be held every summer from now on, as well as during major life events, such as when Prince Arthur starts school. Their Royal Highnesses understand that a certain amount of access goes a long way, especially in keeping the press, and paparazzi on your side.”, Lisa said.

“ With that in mind, Their Royal Highnesses will release a public statement concerning our thoughts and new roles, followed by an interview with Alastair Bruce. All of which, have been approved by the Buckingham Palace and Clarence House.”, said Daniel.

“ Finally, new security protocols have been issued by Buckingham Palace. Sergeant John Morris will resume his post as Head of Security. Sergeants Leonard Jackson, Ingrid Chambers and Alfred Thomas will also resume their services as Royal Protection Officers under his command and will be with the Duke and Duchess at all times in pairs.”, complete Ronald.

“ As of today, this Household will be looking after the future monarchs of the United Kingdom.”, said Ronald.

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

“ You have to talk to him.”, Elle urged Harry as they began packing their things to head back to Kensington. In three days time, the document would be signed, the news would be released and William’s speech would be aired.

“ I… can’t bring myself to do it, Elle.”, said Harry, sitting on the bed and running his fingers through his hair.

“ But you have to.”, she said taking a seat by his side and running her hand up and down his back. “ I know it’s hard. I know you’re still hurt. But he’s your brother. And he’s been going through a lot too. Please, darling… you have to talk to him…”, said Elle.

“ He’s been through a lot? How can he have been through a lot when he had been conspiring for God know how long to throw this bomb over my lap!?”, exclaimed Harry. Elle sighed and shook her head.

“ I’ve been talking to Kate. She said he’s barely sleeping properly, Harry. He feel so guilty for doing that but she said he couldn’t cope anymore. The pressure of being the heir was getting to him. If you think about it, it’s been there his whole life.”, said Elle.

“ Some people aren’t born for this life, my darling and you know it. Was this the best way to opt out from it? No. But I don’t see how William could have done it in any other way. You both never had the choice. Not really. But now, he’s choosing and I think that’s brave of him. To leave all of this behind. You, my love, you could choose to leave it too.”, she said, caressing his cheek, making Harry look at her.

“ But we both know that it has never been an option to you. Backing away is not in your character. It’s part of that duty of a soldier that’s been ingrained into you. And it’s one the reasons why I love you so much. You’re determined and driven to do what you believe is right for the greater good. And that’s why I know you can do this. You can step into your brother’s shoes, and you can make them fit you better. But for God’s sake, you need to talk to him before this goes public. You need to make amends.”, she finished, putting a mobile in his hand.

“ Call him. Please.”, she said, before stepping out of the room. Harry sighed and looked at the phone on his hand. He stared at it for a few minutes before unlocking the screen and pressing William’s contact on the speed dial. It rang a little before he heard his brother on the other side.

“Harry? Harry is that you? Please talk to me… oh God I can’t believe you called…”, William began.

“ Hi Will.”, Harry said.

“ I’m so sorry, Harry… you must know I’ve never meant to cause you any pain… I just…. I just wanted to keep Kate and the children safe…”, William rushed as he spoke.

“ Will…”, started Harry.

“ And I never meant to put you and Elle on the spotlight like that… I… I just need to be out of this… I can’t keep living like this, Harry. It’s too much… too bloody much. And - ”, continued William before Harry cut him.

“ WILL!”, he exclaimed. “ I know. I know why. I understand why. I don’t like how you did it. But I understand it.”, said Harry.

“ Ohhh thank God… thank little brother…”, said William, sounding relieved.

“ However…", said Harry. “ That does not mean I forgive you or will ever forget what you and Pa have done.”

“ I… I understand.”, said William sighing.

“ I’ll support your decision. Elle too. We’ll smile and greet you in front of the cameras. But it’s going to take a while before I can properly see you again. Before we can be a family again. I’m not even sure if we’ll ever be able to be how we were.”, said Harry.

“ Harry I… I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you. Somehow. I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I will. We all will. I’m sorry, Harry. And please, take care.”, said William.

“ I will. See you in London.”, said Harry.

“ See you then.”, finished William. Harry pressed the red button turning the conversation off and put his phone to the side. Sighing, he looked around the room and walked over to the window. Outside, he could see his staff and Elle, who was holding Arthur in her arms, moving a few suitcases and boxes to the cars. This is it., he thought. This is when everything starts to change.

[eternallyyoungjustice]

Wherever the Winds Take You: Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry I skipped a week guys. Life’s been hella chaotic with school and the new pupper and I just didn’t have time to write or publish. But without further ado, here we go. Not super happy with this one, but c’est la vie.

Deléson, France

July 6

15:00

Deléson is known by few as a rural pearl amongst a city oyster. Sprawling farmland for as long as the eye can see, one’s sight line only obstacled by the patches of large trees and small cottage-esk houses, a calm river twisting through the town that was commonly accompanied by groups of children playing. All this in a decently short distance from the beautiful and bustling city of Paris. So although the community of Deléson was close, and more than happy to trade resources with one another, anyone could easily go to the neighbouring capital to pick up anything they couldn’t get locally.

This was one upside that the Dubois family took advantage of quite often, especially the middle child amongst them.

Evangélina Dubois was quite familiar with the road that lead in and out of Paris to Deléson, and for good reason. For one, the school she had been going to for the better part of two years was located just at the border. And although that particular building was far from her favorite, it was definitely a staple in her life. But then it came to her legitimate favorite building in the city: the Martín Dance Studio.

As much as her ‘extracurriculars’ helped her move on from her accident, it was the dance studio that kept her sane. When Lina woke up from her coma and was forced into a normal civilian life, or as normal as it would be with the aforementioned extracurriculars, she found one of the biggest holes in her life, save for her mother, was her act. When she effectively became a simple girl from a simple French town, she could practically feel her muscles cry to her every minute to be pushed to their full potential. To fly through the air without the Winds. To fly with only her own strength, endurance, and maybe a little chalk.

Meeting and befriending her only friend outside of her second life helped fix that. It gave her a reason to bike into Paris every day. It gave her free access to a dance studio for an hour, maybe two if she really begged.

And the beautiful fresh air Lina was exposed to on that hour-long one-way bike trip, plus the gorgeous scenery that still managed to catch her by surprise after years of living in it, was more than a fair price to pay for a sense of pseudo-normalcy.

So yes, it was safe to say that whenever the Dubois family was in need of something that they couldn’t simply trade one of their many friendly neighbours for, Lina was often the one to volunteer to go into town and get it.

Even if she often dreaded the final stretch, having to balance a load of full paper bags into the house by herself since nobody on the property bothered to answer to her call for help.

So much for a loving family.

Upon giving up on trying to twist the handle herself, Lina resorted to kicking on the yellow wood of the house’s front door.

“If any of the seven people that sleep on this plot of land would be so kind as to simply open a door, it would very much appreciated!” Lina shouted for good measure, a tone of underlying annoyance in her voice.

A moment and lots of muffled shuffling later, the door swung open to reveal a pale, slightly wrinkled, dirt-covered face.

“Sorry Miss, didn’ hear you pull in.” The thick Cockney accent of Travis Jones rushed as he gave the much younger girl a lop-sided grin which accented his missing teeth.

Huffing in a deep breath, Lina tightness her grip on her bags and waddled into her family home. “Not a problem Travis, I wasn’t angry at you. Thank you for getting the door though. Do you know if my brothers are here and alive?”

Travis ruffled his dull red hair, which released a couple specks of dirt from the strands. “Pretty sure they’re both upstairs Miss, and breathin’ last I heard.”

Lina dropped the bags onto the kitchen counter, which sat just by the front door, and exhaled deeply. “I swear those two...you’re our field-hand, our friend. Not our butler. I feel bad that you had to get the door, and for yelling.”

“Like I said Miss, no problem. Happy to help, I am. I was just heading out anyways, just finished lunch y’see. All of us did, including your Dad. I think he’s back out in the fields, you want me to get him for you? Or I could help put away some of them there bags if you’d like.”

“That’s really not necessary Travis, but thank you.” Lina smiled. “And don’t worry about my Father, I’ll see him at dinner, as I presume I’ll also be seeing you?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way Miss.” Travis said, nodding his head in farewell before ducking out the door. Sighing once more, Lina went to putting away her recent purchases. But not before letting out a loud, strong “Boys!”.

There was a number of thumps, some colourful words in various languages, more thumps, and then the patter of socked feet running down the wooden steps that connected the two levels of the house. Those feet, Lina was not surprised to see, were accompanied by a tall, well-built body and a head of golden blonde. However, that body was missing something very important.

“Calvin,” Lina frowned at her older brother, “where is your shirt?”

The eldest of the Dubois siblings looked down at his bare chest, then shrugged. “I was warm.”

“So you decided to go around half-naked?” Lina’s eyebrows furrowed even further.

Calvin seemed to think for a moment, then nodded. Lina, used to her brother’s antics by now, simply shook her head in disbelief. Unzipping the thin pullover that she had been wearing, one that had been his a few months back, she threw the article of clothing at the blonde.

“Ah, so I finally get this back then?” Calvin asked, smirking as he slipped the pull-over on.

“For now.” Lina smirked back. Her remark was quickly followed by the frantic footsteps of much lighter feet. Once the footsteps had made their way to the bottom of the stairs, a very flushed and disoriented-looking Leo made his appearance. The barely thirteen year old snarled as he directed his eyes to Lina, but pointed an accusing finger at Calvin.

“He shoved me into upstairs closet and locked the door! I had to pick the lock to get out!” The young boy exclaimed, causing Lina to glare at Calvin. The eldest simply shrugged.

“What?” Calvin said nonchalantly, switching to English. “We all know he’s ‘in the closet’ already.”

“Calvin!” Lina exclaimed.

Leo was left massaging his temples in annoyance as he took a seat next to Calvin. “‘Come out to your family’, they said. ‘It’ll make everything some much easier’, they said.” He mumbled under his voice, interweaving French and English as he spoke, something he did when he was thinking.

After taking a moment to rub the bridge of her nose, Lina focused back on her brothers. “I'm making a late lunch, have the two of you eaten?”

Both boys shook their heads, and Lina sighed as she began her cooking. As she prepared the meal, conversation flowed easily among her and her siblings. They spoke of the students Leo had volunteered to tutor during the summer holidays, Calvin's new girlfriend, Lina's new team and their adventures in Cadmus, and a new film they all wanted to see together.

When he was a boy, Calvin's blonde hair had always been cut short as to remove any possible fire-hazard. His face had always been chiseled and fairly attractive-looking as a young man, from the age of 16 he'd picked up quite a talent for flirting with female audience members. A long nose, bushy eyebrows, strong jaw, and-as was rampant amongst the Dubois family- lots of freckles. These past few years however, Calvin had let his hair grown so it nearly brushed his chin and fell into his eyes-the same eyes as his sister's. He had achieved a sort of American surfer look with his naturally wavy hair. He'd also filled out a bit which had gained him a fair amount of muscle mass. But what always concerned Lina was the growing number of little scars that would occasionally pop up on his face every once in a while. Nothing so major as to alarm suspicion, but enough to catch Lina's attention.

Leo however, had done very little to change in appearance these past few years. While Calvin and Lina had both taken up certain physical exercises that had led them to become bigger (moreso Calvin than Lina, much to her dismay), Leo had become more studious and dedicated to reading and indoor activities. Although the rapid growth spurts that came with puberty had made him fairly tall, taller than his sister at the absolute very least, and he was lanky and almost skeletal-looking. A marvel in fact, as the boy would eat as much as some of the family's pigs. To add to the contrast between him and his brother, Leo had strictly kept his hair shortly trimmed in an almost buzz-cut that showed off his pointed featured and elf-like ears. His eyes, wide and hazel much like their mother's, were framed by large, circular glasses which took up more than its share of his face.

As Lina gazed at her brothers, a sense of love and pride filled her chest and a small smile pulled her lips thin. Every single one of the family members had taken the accident hard, and who could blame them? Losing their mother, having one of the children fall into a coma that she may not have ever woken up from, having to leave the circus their families had been a part of for 5 generations and their friends/family because of the ghosts that lingered. It was terrible. But slowly and surely, they were each recovering.

Sure, Lina thought, Markus had driven himself head-first into his work, Calvin had become an adrenaline junkie and would disappear to Goodness-knows-where for hours at a time, and Leo isolated himself into his schoolwork and books. But they were recovering, and they were together. At the end of the day, that was what mattered.

Lina's thoughts were interrupted by her phone buzzing in her pocket. Placing the lid on the pot she had been stirring, she took out the device and opened it to see that it was simply a text from her friend.

Hey Lina,

Sorry to hear I missed you at the studio this morning. I have a new CD I've been meaning to hand out to you, you'll love it. I think there's one song you would really love to dance to. I'm working the closing shift tomorrow if you want to drop by and pick it up.

-Q

“A message from a lover?” Calvin asked, tipping his head forward.

“Quinn, actually.” Lina responded, quickly typing out ‘yes, absolutely!’ and pressing send before placing her phone back in her pocket.

“Boring.” Leo hummed, a mischievous smirk pulling at his lips.

“Indeed, for a moment I thought you were actually going to be exciting, Evangélina.” Calvin smirked as well.

Lina frowned at her brothers. “I'm a hero with superpowers.” She argued. “What more do you want from me?"

Both brothers just shrugged and fell back into their previous conversation. Lina simply rolled her eyes and finished preparing the meal, scooping the thick liquid into a trio of bowls once it was complete.

“Smells delectable.” Calvin smiled as Lina placed the bowls in front of the two of them.

“Boeuf bourguignon?” Leo asked, and Lina nodded as she began to spoon into her own bowl.

“A cheap version. We had some leftover beef and vegetables that I thought I should use.”

“Definitely no complaints here.” Calvin laughed as he dug in.

As the three ate, they continued to speak to one another. Except this time, the conversation was more disjointed and they bounced from random topic to random topic, jokes and laughter thrown in at points which would make the occasional person almost choke on their meal. But sadly, their conversation was cut off by someone walking through the door. A strongly-built middle-aged man, in his mid-40s, with a weathered face full of wrinkles, bright freckles, salt and pepper hair, and blue eyes.

“Ah, so the rumors are true.” Markus Dubois smiled happily. “All three of my children are home and together for once. I'm surprised nobody's bleeding on the ground yet.”

“Eat first, then fighting to the death.” Calvin laughed, lifting his spoon towards his father before bringing it to his mouth.

“Lina made boeuf bourguignon, if you'd like some.” Leo offered.

“Thank you, but I already ate.” Markus said, patting his stomach as he walked over to where his children sat. “Besides, eating too much of Lina's cooking will make me even fatter.”

Lina rolled her eyes as her brothers snickered, Markus simply placed a leathered hand on his daughter's head before walking away.

“I'm just here to pick up something in the back. Keep the fighting to the death to a minimum, alright? I don't need the house being thrown up into the sky, or my walls painted in blood.”

“Yes sir.” The trio of teens said in unison as their father disappeared into the back of the house. Once the man came back and left to go through the front door however, he seemed to freeze, then turn back to Lina.

“Ah, Evangélina, it's for you.”

Frowning, Lina stood and walked over to the door only to find a tall, strong-looking, blonde woman standing there clad in a pair of fishnet stockings, shorts, a corset, a leather jacket, and a stern look.

“Black Canary, it's nice to see you again.” Markus nodded, slightly apprehensive towards the woman.

Dinah Lance gave off a strict ‘I can kill you with just a look’ vibe, even in a fairly small uniform. Strong, defined muscles from years and years of tough training and even tougher mentors, scars littering her pale skin like sprinkles on a cake, and a cold grey gaze that could freeze many people more than most ice-themed heroes or villains. To say that you didn't want to mess with her would be an understatement. But after two years of knowing her, Lina knew that there was a much softer side in her. Especially around the French girl herself, Roy, or her long-term boyfriend Ollie AKA Oliver Queen AKA Green Arrow.

“You too Mr. Dubois, it's been too long.” The blonde smiled back, then focused on Lina. “Hey kid.”

“Hey Dinah.” Lina replied, sheepishly smiling.

“Sorry to interrupt Markus,” Dinah smiled, turning back to the older man, “but I was wondering if I could steal Lina away for an hour or two? We have some things I'd like to discuss.”

Markus sighed, but remained smiling. “Of course not, as long as it's okay with her.”

Lina smiled to her father and nodded. “I'm not really very hungry anyways.”

“So much for all three of us being together for once.” Calvin snorted loudly from back in the kitchen.

“Too good to be true!” Leo added, chuckling just as loudly.

“In that case, best to get some training gear on Girly.” Dinah said, sharp gaze meeting Lina's much softer one. “We've got some grounding to do.”

Lina let out a small, quiet, whine of anxiety and woe as she made her way upstairs.

“I'll be home in time to make supper.” She called from to her family from the stairs. “Although whether or not I'll able to move, we'll have to wait and see…”

“Have fun being grounded.” Calvin called back.

“Don't get too bruised up.” Leo added. “Or else how will you handle our fighting to the death?”

Grant’s Gym

June 6

12:23

Lina felt the air rush out of her diaphragm as she plummeted onto the hard floor below her, her body seizing for a split-second in reaction to the sheer force.

“I'm not saying you guys were wrong.” Dinah argued as she paced slightly over Lina's fallen body. “Just that you should have taken more precautions. What if you guys had died down there? We never would have known!”

“I’m fairly certain you would have figured it out.” Lina gasped, barely spitting out the words as she tried to regain her breath. “Also, ow.”

“You’re getting good at using your opponent's strength against them, which is good. And your defense has definitely improved.” Dinah nodded. “But you need to up your offense, I know you can do better.”

Lina took a deep breath and picked herself up, taking another fighting stance as Dinah did the same.

This time, it was Lina who made the first attack; lunging forward with a strong punch, which Dinah easily blocked and countered with her own. Following suit Lina blocked the punch, but followed it by latching onto the older woman's arms and using them as leverage hold the woman and kick Dinah in the stomach, using the attack as a spring-board to flip over, landing in a crouching position as Dinah staggered back, winded but safe do to the armour in her corset.

“Better?” Lina asked.

“You're still using mostly defense-strong attacks, you need to learn how to simply attack your opponent as well.” Dinah explained, coming at Lina again. Grabbing onto her shoulders, Dinah moved to force Lina onto the ground but the younger girl rolled; causing the two to summersault until Lina could push her legs up, kicking Dinah off of her and using the momentum to kick-up to a standing position. However, Dinah seemed to plan for this, and from her position on the floor where Lina had kicked her to, she spun her body around and knocked the younger fighter's legs out from under her. Once again, Lina found her body hitting the floor.

“If your opponent realizes early on that your a defensive fighter, they'll try to overpower you and get the upper hand. You need to be able to adapt and switch between offensive and defensive when the time comes in order to keep your opponent on their toes.”

Lina let a few curses, varying in language, escape her lips as she ran her wrapped-up hands over her face.

“I'm a dancer Dinah, an acrobat. I'm agile and fast. Not strong. I'm no Superman, I'm not able to take a missile to the chest and still punch out an army.” Lina groaned, sitting up. “I get that I'm being 'grounded’ but isn't this a little much? We've been at it for hours!”

Although she usually didn't mind Dinah's tough-love during sparring, two hours of getting slammed into Ted Grant's gym fighting rings’ floor was making Lina irritable.

“It doesn't matter that you're not Superman, Lina.” Black Canary spoke calmly as she walked over and offered Lina a hand. “I know you and your potential. I know you can do this. And I know that no matter who or what you are, as a hero: you need to be able to survive in a fire fight.”

As Lina took Dinah's hand and the woman pulled her up, the famous Black Canary fell back into her fighting stance. “Now,” the blonde woman tossed a little bit of hair that had fallen over her shoulder away, “let's try this again.”

“Please!” Lina heard a voice plea. “Use us! You will certainly win the battle if you summon us!”

Lina shook her head. This was a strict fist-only battle. No Winds, no Canary Cry.

She was going to win this one, and it was going to be by herself.

Taking a running start, Lina made to give Dinah a strong right hook, which was once again blocked. The younger of the two didn't wait for a counter attack however, as she went to knee her trainer in the stomach. Dinah must have sensed this however, as the woman swiftly took her free hand and used it to push Lina to the side by the head. Realizing that if she didn't act fast, the battle would be over; Lina swung her head around Dinah's hand and, while the older woman was distracted, directed a strong punch into her corset-covered side. This caused the blonde to not only release Lina's arm, but also to stagger to the side. Not wasting a moment, Lina straightened up and, after running at Dinah again, put all her strength into delivering a left hook. This time, the punch met its mark, and Dinah was dazed enough for Lina to knock her feet out from under her with an easy lower roundabout kick.

As Dinah fell onto her forearms and hands, she watched as Lina unclenched her fists, took a deep breath, and released the tension in her body.

“Now that was better.” Dinah smiled.

“I, uh…” Lina massaged her arm, where her muscles were still tensed. “I guess something you said struck a chord with me.”

“Like I said, you have the potential in you to be a fairly ferocious fighter. We have to work on really unlocking that. For now though…” Dinah spoke as she kicked-up, “Let’s take a break, we've been at it for a while.”

Dinah walked over to the side of the ring and jumped over the railing, but Lina stood there; still rubbing her arm with a dazed-over look in her eyes.

“Kid?” Dinah asked, looking back at her trainee.

Snapping out of her gaze, Lina whirled around, looking startled.

“Pardon?”

“You alright? You looked like you spaced out there for a second.” Dinah asked.

Lina paused, going to nod, but then hesitated and looked down at her first. “It's just...I thought of something from Cadmus...Something that happened when Blockbuster-Desmond was trying to clone us…”

Lina suddenly shook her head, shaking the thought away. “Nevermind, it's nothing.”

Dinah raised an eyebrow, and watched cautiously as Lina flew over the walls of the ring and landed beside her. “Alright then, if you say so…”

The two women took drinks of water in silence for a moment, the elder watching the younger carefully before deciding to break the silence.

“So…about Roy.”

Lina pulled her water bottle away from her lips, turning her gaze to the blonde woman that stood in front of her. Dinah crossed her arms, leaning back against the ring in front of the young brunette.

“I've texted him a couple times.” Lina answered. “He only said that he's safe and still living in his apartment.”

“That's good.” Dinah sighed. “The same thing as Kaldur, and it's better than anyone else has managed to get out of him. Then again, that's not really a surprise. You guys have always managed to get him to at least somewhat listen.”

Lina shrugged. “He doesn't listen to anyone, let's be real.”

Dinah chuckled lowly, nodding. “Yea, but he'll at least hear the two of you out.”

Lina smiled, but then noticed Dinah's tone and her smile faded to a look of understanding. “You want me to hunt him down.”

“Just to check on him!” Dinah assured. “You know how he gets when he's determined, and without any of us to make sure he takes care of himself…”

“I won't try to change his decision.” Lina said, narrowing her eyes. “I may not agree with him, but he's made his choice to go solo. I'm not going to be used to manipulate one of my best friends.”

Dinah kept Lina's gaze, cold metallic silver burning into bright azure. “I won't ask you to.”

Star City

June 7

00:35

Roy Harper entered his small studio apartment through the window, ducking under the window sill and being sure not to apply too much pressure to his left wrist, which was in pain and possibly sprained.

Pulling off his quiver and throwing it and his red compact bow on the couch, the almost 18 year old walked over to his kitchen in order to get his first aid kit, but was promptly stopped by the sound of something dropping onto the floor.

Freezing just outside of the doorway, the redhead strained his ears towards the kitchen to listen for anymore noise from the other side of the wall. When he heard muffled whispering, he jumped into action.

As quietly as possible, Roy dashed back over to the couch. Picking up his bow and hurriedly shouldering his quiver, the archer notched an arrow and quickly, but being aware of any of the creaking floorboards, strolled back over to the kitchen. He put his back to the wall separating him, and the trespasser on the other side.

Listening closely again, he deduced the intruder couldn't be very big by the sound of their feet against the old kitchen tile. Probably just reaching 120ibs, and by the sound of the person's muttering they were probably female.

“Somewhat rare for a cat burglar”, Roy thought, “but not unheard of”.

As the sound of metal being unsheathed, the redhead straightened up. He knew that sound all too well, the sound of someone drawing a knife.

Pulling back the string of his bow, Roy whipped around the corner and aimed the arrow at the intruder's chest. Glaring at the figure, it took a moment before he recognized who it was.

“...is that an arrow pointed at my chest, or are you just happy to see me?”

Exhaling out all the tension in his shoulders, Roy relaxed his arms and bow. After giving the adrenaline a moment to get out of his brain, he looked back up at the tiny brunette standing in his kitchen, holding a knife in one hand and an apple in the other. She looked mildly surprised, but not the usual fear one would have upon having an arrow ready to fire at their chest.

“Lina, I swear to God I was ready to shish kabob your tiny ass!” Roy growled. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

“You gave me a key, remember?” Lina asked with a raised eyebrow, dropping the knife to dig into her bra and pull out a ring with a couple keys hanging on it. One in particular had ‘R’ written in red nail polish. “Last year...when you bought this place? And you told me I was welcomed anytime.”

Roy took another deep sigh, dropping his bow and quiver again, leaning them against the wall.

“At the time I didn't think you'd break into my apartment.” He huffed. “And do you care to explain why you're in my kitchen? Isn't it early morning in France right now?”

“Technically it's not breaking in if you have a key given to you by the owner.” Lina shrugged, then motioned to the food surrounding her on almost every one of the kitchen's surfaces. “And I brought food, hence: kitchen.”

Roy furrowed his eyebrows and stepped into the kitchen, eyeing the food cautiously. From what he could tell there was some kind of soup cooking on one stove element and some vegetables steaming on another, there were a few bags of dried fruit in a basket on top of the microwave, a casserole in the oven, fresh bread in a basket, and rice pudding in a bowl in front of Lina.

“You brought a buffet.” Roy corrected, shaking his head. “Lina, you didn't have to-I have food.”

“Oh yeah, I dropped by late last night to see what kind of food you had. You were still out on patrol.” Lina pointed a quick finger as she strolled over to his fridge and opened it to reveal it's near-empty shelves. “A pizza box with a single piece inside, several sauces that have been here since you moved in, a nearly expired carton of milk, and some dried up spinach. Not including all the old, stale, and moldy things I threw out earlier.”

Lina whipped back around to Roy, planting her hands on her waist. “And so, I got up early this morning, got some old stuff from my fridge, plus some extra things from yesterday's pickings, and made you some actual food that won't go bad for a month and that you can eat as you like. De rien.”

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose, dumbfounded. “Lina, I appreciate all this. I do. But...you're not my mother! And you have a family of five to feed, plus farm hands, plus trading goods.”

Lina stepped towards Roy, looking him dead in the eye. “You're my family too Roy, and if you're going to be going at this alone then I need to make sure you're going to do it as healthily as possible. It's summer, harvest time. My father, brothers, farm hands, and I have more than enough.” Lina, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet, raised a hand and peeled off Roy's domino mask, revealing the dull blue eyes underneath looking right back at her. “Besides, Dinah told me to check up on you. So technically, I'm like your substitute-mother.”

Roy sighed yet again, but this time in resignation, and then gave Lina a small smile. “Thank you.” He finally admitted, and Lina smiled back at him.

“Much better.” She chirped, then she caught sight of the limp wrist at Roy's side. Immediately, she gently took hold of it and turned it over. Roy cringed at the twinge of pain that shot up through his arm, but it was dampened when the soft but calloused flesh of Lina's hand clasped over the joint. She began petting the bone as if she were scanning it, blue eyes carefully looking over his skin. "What happened?"

Roy sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to brush it off with her. "A guy I was fighting hit it with the butt of his gun. Just a sprain though, nothing to worry about."

Lina sighed, then her eyes squinted as her hands changed their grasp. Roy was about to ask what she was thinking, but then she grabbed onto his elbow, twisted, and a larger spike of pain shot through his bone and into his shoulder-blade. The archer bellowed out curse words and pried his hand away to cradle it as Lina walked over to the first aid kit that sat in a nearby cabinet.

"What the fuck was that for?" Roy yelled.

"It wasn't a sprain, it was dislocated." Lina explained as she walked back and methodically took his wrist back into her own. "Can you move your fingers?"

After a moment in which he pathetically pouted, Roy raised one finger in particular. "Looks like it."

Lina rolled her eyes, but couldn't help a small smirk that itched at her lips as she began to wrap the wrist in the bandage she had collected from the first aid kit. "Smartass." She mumbled.

"You love me anyways." Roy smirked back.

"Somehow." Lina stuck out her tongue as she finished tying up her friend's appendage. After she was finished, she turned away and floated back over to the bowl of pudding and the apple on the counter. “Now, go shower and get rid of that terrible excuse of facial hair on your face and we'll eat and talk together, c'est bien? You have to be careful with that wrist, but it should be good in the water.”

“Yes, mother.” Roy laughed and walked back out of the doorway, picking up his weapons on the way out. But at the last minute, he turned back around. “Hey Kid?”

Lina turned around. “Oui?” She asked.

For a moment, Roy thought hard. But then he finally spoke. “I'm sorry for the way I acted the other day.” He explained. “Not for quitting or confronting the League, but…for what I said to you guys. You guys are ready, more ready than I ever was at your age. You four...you're the good eggs.”

Lina smiled, then nodded. “Yes, we are.” Then, the girl turned back to the apple she was cutting. “And you are more than forgiven, by all of us. Now go! You smell of sweat, and that horrible 5 o'clock shadow really does look terrible.”

Laughing, Roy shook his head and continued down towards his bathroom; leaving Lina to finish her preparation.

Translations:

‘Boeuf bourguignon’: A French stew, typically made up of tender meat and vegetables

‘De rien’: You’re welcome

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 177: Scrutiny

Snow rested her head against David's shoulder, as they watched their kids play a game. It was a familiar scene to them, but one sorely missed as of late. Their plates had been taken away a while ago and dessert was shared, as they enjoyed being together again. Rogers had stayed for a while and ate with them, but then opted to go home, for they had court in the morning and he wanted to go check on Tilly.

They tried not to laugh, as they watched their sons stare each other down with two of the worst poker faces they'd ever seen. They could help but chuckle to each other, as Bobby's tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth. It meant he thought he had a good hand and they could see their older son grinning at the younger for it.

"Well...let's see it," Leo said, as Bobby showed his cards.

"Three of a kind," he announced, thinking he was going to be winning the pot, which consisted of gummy worms, Oreo cookies, and more than enough sugar to keep him up all night.

"Don't even think about eating all that junk tonight, young man," Snow warned, making David chuckle as he got the same pout on his face that she did.

"Don't worry Mom...I'm the only one that's going to feasting on this jackpot tonight," Leo said, as he showed his cards.

"Full house kid...better luck next time," he said, preparing to scoop his winnings toward him.

"Um...not so fast there," Eva said, as Summer put her hand down, revealing four aces.

"What?" Leo protested.

"Sorry...I win," Summer said, as now both boys wore identical pouts.

"That's my girl...I taught you well. Better luck next time, boys," Eva boasted, as she congratulated her little sister in her victory.

"You know, coaching her isn't exactly fair. There's no one better at reading people than you," Leo complained. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't need my ability to read you two. You two wear your emotions all over your faces," she retorted.

"She's got you there," David agreed.

"Mmm...and they get that from you," Snow agreed too and he didn't deny it. His emotions were always prevalent in his mood and expressions. Emma chuckled at their antics and stole a gummy worm.

"Not to change the subject to more serious things...but I need a favor from you," she mentioned to Eva.

"Of course," the dark haired young woman replied.

"Killian...Rogers…" she said, correcting herself.

"Rogers and I found this in Tilly's boxcar earlier," Emma said, as she pushed the evidence bag over to her.

"Is that golden dust?" David asked, looking at it.

"Yep," Emma replied.

"Like...golden dust from a certain flower?" Snow asked. Emma nodded.

"I'm pretty sure…" she replied.

"Then she's been in Tilly's boxcar," David surmised.

"I think so...but that's not all that was in Tilly's boxcar," Emma replied, as she swiped through some photos on her phone of the drawings on Tilly's wall.

"Tilly drew these?" Snow asked. She nodded.

"If I had to guess, then she's probably been having episodes or moments of clarity that she's not even aware of," Emma replied.

"Emma...do you think these are drawings of the future?" Snow asked.

"I don't know...but I think Gothel is looking for the resurrection amulet. I already told Regina that we need to find a way to wake Zelena up so we can get it first," Emma replied.

"If Gothel gets the amulet...then all she needs is our star seeds," David mentioned unpleasantly.

"Which is why I'm going to get it first. I won't let her get it first," she promised. Snow clutched her daughter's hand.

"We know honey...but you won't fight her alone," she assured.

"I know...but you two have got to be careful. You're in more danger than I think you realize," Emma stressed.

"We promise we won't take any chances," David tried to assure her. But Emma knew her parents. The danger to them was significant, as usual and Emma feared that there wasn't much she could do to prevent any of the dangers to them.

"We have court in the morning, so I better go pay the check," David mentioned.

"Yes...and you have a recital tomorrow night, honey. So you especially need to get to bed," Snow responded.

"Mom...I'm not going to my recital," Summer refuted. The raven haired beauty frowned.

"Why not?" Snow asked and her daughter gave her an incredulous look.

"Uh...reporters are trying to follow you and Daddy everywhere and there are way more important things going on right now," she refuted.

"Oh sweetie...I don't care if a mob of reporters are waiting for us at the school. Your father and I would never miss one of your recitals. You love dance and we are not going to let anyone deprive you of that," Snow admonished.

"She's right peanut...we can't wait for your recital. You're the lead, as usual and you know we never pass up the opportunity brag about one of our amazing kids," he added, humbling her a bit, as her mother smiled and kissed her father's cheek, before resting her head on his shoulder. All the reporters and attention from other parents would be uncomfortable at best, but they were gladly going to brave it all for her and without question.

"That reminds me...we need to charge the camera tonight," she mentioned and he nodded, as he settled their bill. Emma smirked and squeezed her baby sister's hand. It was almost like being back home and that gave them all hope, for her parents always managed to give them a bit of normalcy, no matter what was going on around them. They were always first to their parents and that had never wavered, even when they had faced down some of the worst situations imaginable. David pecked her on the lips, before getting up to go pay the bill.

"Thanks again, Joe. We'll get out of your hair now," he promised.

"Nah...this is family. Stay as long as you want," he replied, as the song changed in the jukebox and happened to be one of Snow's favorites. He grinned back at her.

"Well...maybe one dance," he said, as he held his hand out to her and she swooned, as he swept her into his arms.

"This song is so cheesy," Leo complained.

"And like thirty-years old," Eva added.

"It is both of those things...but somehow, it just works for Mom and Dad," Emma said, as they all shared a smile.

"I think we're embarrassing our children again," Snow whispered to him, as they swayed and danced together. He chuckled.

"Probably...but what else is new?" he joked, as he kissed her tenderly. She giggled and then mewled into his kiss again. Which quickly dissolved from dancing into just making out.

"And now they're making out," Leo deadpanned.

"As usual," Eva added.

"It's not new, but still embarrassing," Emma agreed. Snow and David shared a smile at their usual commentary and they decided it was time to go home. As much as they wanted to stay, they had the unpleasantness of court to deal with early the next morning.

~*~

After a tumultuous dinner, the two couples returned to Roni's bar for a nightcap. Robin seemed to get along with Chad well enough. Regina knew she wasn't going to like whatever defense her sister's fiance would be mounting the next morning in court, but she definitely felt that he wouldn't be doing so maliciously. Still, she knew he would be painting Snow and David in a light that she wasn't happy about. Such was the job of a defense attorney, but she still didn't have to like it. Add to that, she still had to figure out a way to get Zelena to remember. She needed to find that amulet before Gothel. Everything could hinge on who possessed the amulet, but that was only part of the battle. Court in the morning was likely to be another and she hated that her family was even having to go through this. And all because of that damn doctor they had originally encountered in New Orleans when Isaac had sent Snow to his facility in a twist he wrote in as an insurance policy if they managed to defeat his narrative. They had, of course, and when the former author's twisted narrative had ended, he made sure to get in a final dig at Snow and Charming.

They had journeyed to the bayou and rescued Snow, of course, but not before making Dr. Ivan Facilier their enemy and initiating his need for revenge on them. And she had to give it to Facilier's vindictive grandson. He had crafted an unorthodox, but very effective revenge. Shining such media attention on Snow and David was not only the last thing they needed, but it was quite possibly the worst thing he could have done. Having normal people focus on them in the scandal he had crafted for them was so intrusive and exhausting. They didn't need or want the attention and it had complicated everything. The doctor that she had dismissed as a non-threat had proved her wrong in a devastating way. Being embroiled in this court battle was just a forced distraction they didn't need. It was almost like he was trying to ensure that even if they did manage to break the curse that there would be either no escaping this new reality or at the very least, it would prevent them from ever leaving Storybrooke again even if they did make it back. Somehow though, she knew Snow and Charming wouldn't mind the latter and neither would she. If they did make it back, she knew it wouldn't matter to any of them if they never had to leave Storybrooke again. In fact, she welcomed that and knew they did too.

"Nice try Facilier...but this family will endure," she muttered, as she did a shot and glanced at her sister, who was leaving with Chad for their hotel.

"I know that look…" Robin mentioned.

"I got a text from Emma...she thinks Gothel was poking around Tilly's boxcar," she said, her face troubled by this.

"The amulet...she's looking for it," he realized. She nodded.

"We think so and the only one that knows where it is…" she trailed off.

"Is Zelena," he finished.

"We need to get to that amulet before Gothel," Regina said, as she went in the back room and started fumbling around.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"I don't know...maybe she hid it here somewhere. Before the curse took us, Zelena assured me that it would be safely sealed away. That means that it might be here," she replied.

"Then we'll find it," he assured, as he started helping her look.

~*~

Snow kissed him deeply, as they lay entwined beneath the bedclothes, sated and glowing the in the after effects of their powerful, incredible lovemaking. They panted together, as their lips parted and they pressed their foreheads together, gazing soulfully into each other's eyes.

"I love you so much," Snow whispered, as she continued to kiss his neck

"And I love you, my beautiful Snow…" he rasped, as he spooned her against him and she settled in his arms. She noticed his pensiveness though.

"What's bothering you?" she asked, for not even their euphoric lovemaking had eased his tension.

"I just hate that you have to go on the stand tomorrow and relive what that psycho doctor did to you," he lamented.

"I know, but I'll be fine, my love, because I know that you'll be there with me," she reminded, as she kissed his cheek.

"You're my hero...never doubt that," she added, as they settled and slowly drifted off to sleep.

~*~

When David opened his eyes next, he was startled at first, because Snow was no longer beside him, but he was dressed in the exact clothing he had been wearing when he awakened Snow from the sleeping curse. He looked around and instantly recognized the meadow as the one from Neverland.

"Snow?" he called, but somehow knew she wasn't there. Snow had told him about her dream and he noticed that their tree was there. He could tell it was theirs, because of the blanket of snowdrops growing all around it.

"I'm sure you've figured out that though this is a dream...it is very real," a male voice said. David turned and found a tall, dark haired man before him. He was wearing a formal black and gold coat, pants and cape that indicated his royal station.

"You're King Endymion," David stated.

"And you're Prince David...we meet at last," he replied kindly.

"Snow told me about her meeting with Serenity and I think that's what is confusing me. Aphrodite made is sound like neither of you survived your battle with the Black Fairy," he said.

"We sacrificed ourselves to save our people from the darkness. Then two of our guardians sacrificed themselves to the resurrection stone to bring us back. Serenity and I were not happy about others sacrificing themselves for us, but it was their duty to see that we survived for our Kingdom," he explained.

"And then Gothel came along," he surmised.

"Yes...the Kingdom was lost then, but we were able to save most of our people and settle again near Olympus," he explained.

"Snow and I don't like the idea of anyone sacrificing themselves for us, especially one of our children. Emma's heart is already poisoned and I know we'll do anything to cure her," he said. He smiled.

"And I'm hoping I can help with that," he said cryptically...

~*~

The next morning, the District Attorney managed to sneak Snow and David in the back way again, avoiding the mob of press outside the courthouse. Clayton arrived after them, having actually enjoyed the attention of the cameras and even had the audacity to do a shameless plug for the grand opening event of his new exhibit debuting that very evening.

"Mr. Stavros...do you think this trial will affect the attendance to your event tonight?" one reporter questioned. He smirked smugly.

"On the contrary...I expect a packed house for the event," he said, as he looked over at Snow and David.

"There is no hard feelings here," he said, gesturing grandly toward them.

"I'll even extend an invitation to Detective Nolan and his lovely...Snow White to attend," he said, making some of them chuckle, at least the reporters that seemed to always eat him up. David clenched his fists, as they were essentially making fun of the woman he loved again, but she put both her hands on his fist and looked him in the eyes.

"Baby...it's okay. It doesn't matter what they say," she whispered.

"I just hate this...they're going to drag you through the mud today on the stand," he lamented.

"I know...but I'll get through it, because all I have to do is look at you the entire time. With you here, I can get through anything," she assured.

"The court will come to order," Judge Cabot stated, as the press was locked out of the courtroom and opening arguments began.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We're here today, because this man, the defendant, Clayton Stavros participated in a dastardly scheme. He assisted the late Dr. Franklin Samdi in a plot to enact revenge on a beautiful little family," Amara stated.

"Their reasons for wanting revenge are not clear, but what is are the deeds the defendant committed against David and Margaret Nolan, as well as their children. Clayton Stavros assisted the Doctor in his kidnapping Margaret Nolan and her son Bobby," she continued.

"Doctor Samdi kept Margaret Nolan against her will, made a false diagnosis in order to keep her locked up, and forcibly medicated her. Mr. Stavros provided forged papers, stating that he was Margaret Nolan's brother and stating that her name was Mary Blanchard. He used these falsified documents to have her committed and take custody of her son, all while allowing her husband to believe them to be dead," she explained.

"I know what these allegations must sound like to all of you. This plot sounds like something out of a movie or crime novel, but I assure what these men did to this family was very real. One is no longer with us to pay for his crimes, but the other still is and I believe after you have seen and heard our testimony, that you will come to one conclusion and one conclusion only. That this man, Clayton Stavros must be punished for his actions accordingly. Thank you," she concluded her opening argument, as Chad stood up and buttoned his suit jacket, before approaching the jury.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I think we can all agree that the late Dr. Samdi's practices were questionable at best, but the details in his memoir are hardly substantial proof to back up these allegations against my client. But there are facts that I can provide you with," Chad stated.

"I think we can all agree that my client did not do the right things when it came to Mrs. Nolan and her son. But I assure you that I can make the argument that he did the things he did out of concern for a young boy, whose mother is mentally ill," Chad continued.

"Margaret Nolan was correctly diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder and has three identities that we know of," he explained.

"But rather than get his wife the help she deserved, Detective Nolan chose to rather indulge her delusions by playing along with them and indulging her in a very unhealthy way. Meanwhile, his constant investigations into my client bordered on harassment. He was obsessed with trying to find some imagined mis-dealings and illegal actions that he was convinced my client was committing. But despite never finding definitive proof of anything, Detective Nolan refused to stop pursing his outlandish investigations into my client's business transactions," he added.

"Mr. Stavros' only tried to get Mrs. Nolan the help she deserved and give young Bobby a more stable home. He did it the wrong way, but I think by the end of this trial, you will agree that leniency in this matter should be considered. My client was trying to help in all the wrong ways. That deserves community service and a fine, but not jail time. And I think you'll soon agree," Chad finished, as he sat back down.

"He can't be serious," David growled under his breath.

"We knew they were going to go this route," she reminded.

"The state may call their first witness," the Judge stated.

"Thank you, Your Honor. The state calls Margaret Nolan to the stand," Amara announced. David squeezed her hand and she went to the witness box where the bailiff swore her in, before District Attorney Pearson approached.

"Good morning, Mrs. Nolan," she greeted pleasantly.

"Good morning," Snow replied.

"Can you please describe what it was like during your time in Dr. Samdi's care?" she asked. Snow got a haunted look on her face, as she remembered those nights.

"Dr. Samdi kept me locked in a small cell and his orderlies would force me to take pills. When I struggled, they would hold me down and even slap me. I had bruises and marks on my body most of the time," she confessed.

"Did Dr. Samdi ever tell you why you had to take these pills?" she questioned. She nodded.

"He said I was a sick woman and that I was a danger to my family when I said I wanted to go home," she replied.

"And what role did Mr. Stavros play in this?" she asked.

"He had custody of my son and said that my husband believed we died in a horrible accident. He said it was for the best," she replied, recalling all the nights she had cried for David.

"That must have been terrible to endure," Amara stated.

"It was...I cried for my husband every night," she confessed, as she gazed at him. It brought tears to his eyes too, for he hated all she had gone through and he had not been able to protect her.

"Objection, Your Honor. This is not a therapy session," Chad interjected.

"Sustained. Move on with your line of questioning, Ms. Pearson," the Judge ordered.

"Mrs. Nolan...there have been allegations that you have multiple identities. Is this true?" Amara asked.

"No...I only started to believe I might be this Mary Blanchard after I had been forced to take medication for months. The drugs caused those problems. I was very malleable when I was medicated," Snow replied.

"So it would be safe to say that Dr. Samdi easily controlled you while you medicated and the meds made you believe anything he told you, is that correct?" she asked. Snow nodded.

"Yes," she answered.

"Mrs. Nolan...do you know why Dr. Samdi would do this to you or why Mr. Stavros would want to participate in such a scheme against you and your husband?" Amara asked.

"I can't be sure, but I know Mr. Stavros wants revenge against my husband," Snow answered.

"Why?" she asked.

"Years ago...David was responsible for keeping him from illegally acquiring some ancient artifacts that he was desperate to add to his collection," Snow replied.

"Objection, Your Honor. My client was never convicted of any crimes, despite Detective Nolan's attempts to catch him with his baseless accusations," Chad objected.

"Sustained. The jury will disregard Mrs. Nolan's mentions of any unsubstantiated charges," the Judge ordered.

"Did Mr. Stavros allow you to see your son? The son that he illegally took custody of thanks to forged documents?" she asked.

"Sometimes...he would let Bobby visit once a week. Most of the time though, Bobby had to sneak away from Clayton to come see me," she replied.

"That had to be hard on your son. To be cut off from his real parents and kept away from his real father," Amara stated.

"Is there a question here, Your Honor?" Chad interjected.

"I assure you there is, Your Honor," Amara replied.

"Then ask it, Counselor," the Judge stipulated.

"Can you tell the court how your husband finally discovered that you were alive?" she asked. Snow smiled.

"That was our little Bobby. He managed to sneak away from Mr. Stavros long enough to find David. Then David came and found me," she answered. Amara smiled.

"Thank you Mrs. Nolan. Only one more question. Do you believe Mr. Stavros abused your son?" she asked

"Objection! This is not family court!" Chad protested.

"Withdrawn, no further questions," Amara replied, as she took a seat, while Chad got up and approached the witness bench.

"Good morning, Mrs. Nolan," he greeted.

"Good morning," Snow responded curtly.

"Is it true that you also go by Miss Blanchard?" he questioned.

"Mary Blanchard is the woman the doctor told me I was when I was medicated," she answered.

"I see...have you ever seen this book, Mrs Nolan?" he asked, as he held up a white paperback copy of Henry's commercially published version of the original book.

"Yes...it's my son's favorite book," she answered.

"Did you used to read to him from this book?" Chad questioned.

"Objection...of what relevance is this?" Amara questioned.

"I assure you that I have a point, Your Honor," Chad argued.

"Overruled. The Witness will answer the question," the Judge ordered.

"I still read to him from it. So does my husband," she answered.

"Then you are aware, that according to Dr. Samdi's memoir, that the reason Clayton Stavros sought to have you committed was because you began to believe that the stories in this book were real. That you think you are the Snow White in this book," he stated.

"No," she answered. She knew it wasn't really the truth, but for all intents and purposes, she was legally Margaret Nolan in this world.

"Then your son doesn't think that you and your husband are Snow White and Prince Charming?" he asked. She smiled.

"It's my son's favorite story and when he was younger, he liked to think we were. He has a very vivid imagination and we will never discourage that," she answered.

"Then if it is your son that is the only one that thinks your husband is Prince Charming, then why did Dr. Samdi document that you would constantly cry every night and call out for your Charming?" Chad questioned. But Snow was ready for this question.

"Charming is a nickname that I coined for my husband on the day we met. I have affectionately called him that since we met. I was heavily medicated by the doctor and probably was calling out for him by that name," she answered. He smiled at her and she smiled back across the room.

"A nickname? Is that really what you are expecting us to believe, Mrs. Nolan?" he questioned.

"Objection...argumentative!" Amara argued.

"Sustained," the Judge ordered.

"I apologize, Your Honor. I'll rephrase. Perhaps you can tell us why we should believe that," he reiterated. She smiled at David.

"Because anyone who has met my husband knows what an amazing man he is. He has always been my hero...my Prince Charming. He is an incredible husband, a wonderful father, and a dedicated police officer, who puts monsters in prison. Anyone that knows him isn't surprised that I nicknamed him that," she said proudly. Chad didn't look too happy about her answer, but conceded with a nod.

"Fair enough. I think we can both agree that Dr. Samdi was an evil man, but why should we believe that this translates to my client?" he asked. She looked at him incredulously.

"He stole my life from me and my family. He let my husband believe we were dead," she responded.

"Dr. Samdi stole your life. My client's participation is purely speculative," Chad argued.

"He had custody of my son using forged papers!" Snow cried out in outrage. Chad smirked and pulled some papers from his briefcase.

"The defense would like to introduce defense exhibit A. These are the papers in question. Mrs. Nolan...is that not your signature as your alter, Mary Blanchard, signing over custody of your son to Mr. Stavros?" he questioned. Snow was stunned. She knew the papers were a fabrication of the curse, but she also knew how it would look to a jury.

"I was under the influence of a lot of medication. When drugged...Dr. Samdi could have made me do anything he wanted," she responded.

"Blaming the medication again. Seems a bit convenient," he said skeptically.

"Objection! He's badgering the witness," Amara protested.

"Withdrawn. No further questions," he responded.

"The witness may step down," the Judge ordered, as Snow did so and rejoined David on the bench behind the district attorney's desk.

"You were amazing," he assured, as he kissed her tenderly.

"We will break for lunch now and return in one hour," the Judge ordered, as she slammed the gavel down and dismissed them. And David knew it would likely be his turn in the witness box when they returned.

[mrsseverussnape]

Love Is You

characters: Scarlett Rose(oc), Severus Snape, Sirius Black, Carina Black(oc), Leo Black(oc), Scarlett’s parents

word count: 2239

Love Is You -> Chapter 29- FINAL

    It has been 7 months since Scarlett and Severus moved into Scarlett’s retirement house in Naxos. Severus has quit his job because he wanted to spend all of his time with Scarlett after he found out about her heart illness. Scarlett hasn’t wanted him to do that sacrifice for her but Severus was persistent. When they moved Naxos in June, first couple of weeks passed with decorating the house; their choice of decoration style was a mix of coastal and Greek. After the decoration was done, Scarlett needed to accomplish her other retirement dream which was buying ducklings! Severus reconciled Scarlett that buying only 2 ducklings is enough. She has wanted more but they ended up buying a yellow one and a Rouen one. Scarlett named the Rouen one “Cookie” since it has dark spots and looked like a chocolate chip cookie, yellow one was Severus’s to name and he named it “Milky” just to go with cookie and milk theme. Luckily, Scarlett’s cat Athena got along with the ducklings and they all became the cutest trio ever.

    Scarlett and Severus had times of their lives during the whole summer in Naxos. They went to swimming, discovered every corner of the island, had long walks and many more; but their favourite activity to do together was sailing with their small boat and reading books middle of the sea. They believed that either island’s weather or those activities helped to ease Scarlett’s illness a bit. She wasn’t having heart aches or pains frequently and she has passed out only couple of times during the summer. She got even better when Carina and Leo came to visit her time to time.

    Scarlett wanted to spend rest of the year in Naxos too, they went to London for 2 weeks in September for Scarlett’s yearly check-up and to visit her parents and Carina. When they came back to the island, it was calmer than before since the summer season has ended and all the tourists were back at their countries. They liked it better that way and enjoyed the silence of the island. Everything was going good and well until November arrived. Like how trees lose their leaves in fall, Scarlett started to lose her health. Now she was waking up nauseous every morning and the moment she got off the bed dizziness was adding to it as a plus, some days she wasn’t able to eat anything whole day because of that. In addition to this her blackouts became more frequently, and she would faint regularly. Somedays Scarlett would be in such a bad mood and cry her eyes out until she fell asleep. These days were the worst ones for Severus, he would try his best to calm her down and ease her pain but after Scarlett fell asleep, Severus would go by the sea and cry there all by himself.

    Last week of November, Scarlett insisted to invite her children, her parents and Sirius to Naxos; saying that she wants to see them one last time. Those words stabbed Severus in the heart, and they had a small argument over it because Severus wanted her to believe that nothing will happen to her. But in the end Severus sent patronus messages to all of them, explaining the situation a bit. Scarlett haven’t said anything about her illness to anyone still. When they got Severus’s message, all was panicked and couldn’t understand what happened to her so suddenly. Her parents and Sirius apparated there in the same day with the message, Carina and Leo came in the night of the same day. Severus explained them her illness beforehand which did lead to an argument between them, they were angry that Severus hasn’t said anything to them until this day even in secret from Scarlett. But in the end, they all realized that arguing won’t help anything and it was time to see Scarlett. She wasn’t able to get out of the bed, so all went to see her in the bedroom. She was sleeping in the dark blue sheets which made her to look even paler than usual, her hair colour was the only lively thing on her at the moment. Ricardus went over to his only daughter and woke her up by kissing her cheek softly.

“Wake up princess...”

“Dad...” Scarlett looked at him sleepy and tried to sit up. “You came.”

When she realized all the people she wanted to see was in the room, her sad eyes sparkled with happiness. “You all came!”

“Of course we did mummy!” Carina jumped on the bed to snuggle her.

“Be careful Carrie.”

Leo warned her, he was extremely tense since he found out about his mother’s condition. Leo was the mummy’s boy since birth and he adored Scarlett in every way. Possibility of losing her was killing him.

“It’s fine Leo, come join us baby.” Scarlett held a shaky hand out for Leo who happily accepted it and snuggled into his mother too.

    The air of the room was unexplainable, everybody’s eyes had a sad expression when their lips were forced into a smile. They were trying to have a cheerful day just to make Scarlett happy but deep down all of them was crying internally. Especially Sirius, he was very silent. He was blaming himself for what happened to his Scarlett, he has put so much stress and pressure on her because of the fuckery they have been through. He had one job; protect his family and keep it together but he has failed terribly. Sirius shook these thoughts off and turned his attention back to Scarlett. They all took some photos together and talked for hours. Scarlett hasn’t been that happy for a long time, she even ate some food with them. Her happiness calmed everybody down for a bit.

    The twins and Sirius have taken couple of days off from work so everybody would stay at the island. Severus was helping them to make the beds in the living room and the guest room, their house wasn’t that big so Ric and Aurelia would stay in the guest room while Sirius and the twins were sharing the living room. While they were on this, Scarlett wanted to talk with Sirius privately. Sirius went back to the bedroom where Scarlett was and sat next to her; silver eyes met with the forest green ones for the first time in a while.

“Siri...”

“Yes kitten.” He smiled softly at her.

“I want you to promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“When... when i am gone, please take care of Carina and Leo also yourself. I want to make sure that you all will be just as fine even i am not with you here no more...”

“No no no, don’t say such things. I don’t wanna hear those Scarlett.” Sirius held her hand tightly and kissed her knuckles.

“We will see our kids’ weddings and have grandchildren; we will be the coolest grandparents! Where do you think you are going without doing any of these!?” Sirius joked but his eyes were filled with tears, he was having hard time while trying not to cry.

Scarlett’s lips trembled while the tears were running down on her cheeks. Her heart broke thinking that she won’t be able to live any of these events Sirius just said.

“Don’t buy little motorbikes to our grandchildren for their first birthday.” Scarlett joked trying to change the mood.

“Ah damn, i was just thinking that!”

Sirius laughed but shortly his laughters turned into sobs. He snuggled into Scarlett who was halfway laying, she wrapped one arm around him while playing with his hair with the other hand. This was the way how Sirius copes with sadness, he would rest his head on either Scarlett’s chest or lap and let her to play with his hair until he was calm again. But this time Scarlett cried with him too, they poured out all the sadness they held inside.

“My lawyer will give keys to each of you when i d... you know; i prepared 4 trunks with the things i want to give you, the twins and Severus. They are in the basement of my house. When the time comes, take them okay...?”

Sirius didn’t answer her question but instead he held onto her even more. Scarlett sighed but knew he would do what she asked him to do. She looked down at Sirius who was laying next to her, head rested on her chest.

“I want you to know that, i was so happy with you and i didn’t have any regrets. I think our friendship and marriage were more than just decent, they were perfectly splendid. I loved you very much Sirius Orion Black, i still do.”

Sirius finally looked up at her face, his cheeks were wet from the tears he shed; he sat up slowly.

“Scarlett Serafina Rose, i love you more. You are the best thing ever happened to me. I am so so so sorry all the times i made you sad, none of them were intentional... You are my one and only.”

Without a thought, Sirius closed the gap between their faces and pressed his lips into hers. Familiar feeling of 26 years filled them but this kiss was different; it was a farewell kiss and both of them knew it. Their tears mixed into the kiss and Sirius couldn’t take it anymore; he run out of the room crying. Severus came to their bedroom soon after he saw Sirius run outside.

“How are you Scar?” He asked while changing into his pyjamas.

“Good, i guess...?” She had a weird feeling whole day since her loved ones came but she couldn’t understand what; it was like she was cured in a day.

Severus turned off the lights before came to bed, but Scarlett turned on their bedside lights immediately. Severus raised his eyebrows, Scarlett hated to sleep in a lighted room even it was just a tinniest light. She noticed his confusion and explained.

“I wanna see you...”

“Why is that love? Did you miss me?” Severus hugged her and kissed her tear-stained cheek.

“I will miss you...”

Severus was about to ask her what she means but before he could, Scarlett kissed him passionately. This took Severus by surprise; since Scarlett’s illness got worse, the only intimate moments they shared were soft and slow kisses. She slowly pulled away and whispered into his ear.

“You are my first, my last and my everything. I will keep your love evermore, Severus. I love you.”

Severus was used to Scarlett’s regular farewell talks by now and he hated them because they just hurt him even more but that felt different. When Scarlett looked into his night-like eyes, he got lost in hers; Severus always loved how big and meaningful her eyes were.

“Tell me you love me...” Scarlett’s whisper brought him back to reality.

“I love you more than anything in the whole wide world Scarlett, you know that. You are my luck.”

Severus kissed her one last time. Scarlett rested onto his chest then he started to sing their song “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” to put her to sleep while playing with her hair. Her eyes closed slowly and she dived into a peaceful sleep.

    The next day a shriek woke everyone up; it was raining cats and dogs with loud thunders. The weather simply reflected everyone’s feelings about today. They were planning to stay couple of days more but they changed the plan and took Scarlett to London with them. London days weren’t any different, they were gloomy and smothery. Severus wanted to turn back to Naxos for Scarlett’s birthday, they have decided on celebrating it there this year and he wanted to make it happen.

    Severus was listening to a slow music from the record player and drinking some wine when his eyes caught the window, it was snowing for the first time this year in the island. Severus smiled happily thinking that Scarlett’s usual birthday wish was happening. Since it was midnight and officially her birthday, he ran up to their bedroom to wake her up and let her know about the snow. When he walked into the room, Scarlett was already awake in their bed. She was looking like a snow angel in her white satin sleeping gown, Severus grinned at her while moving the curtains aside.

“Surprise! Just how you wished for your birthday, love.”

“I haven’t wished for snow this year, i have only wished to be able to celebrate it...”

“We can start celebrations right now if you want, it passed midnight. Happy 56 my love!”

Scarlett didn’t respond to him; she was staring at him rather sorrowfully. He leaned against the wall behind him to support himself.

“I am not here, all of this happening in your head Severus...”

Severus shook his head while whispering “no” constantly.

“I died that night in your arms... It was your scream to wake everyone up in the following morning... You all took me to London for my funeral...”

“STOP! Please stop...”

Severus cried out while sliding down the wall to the floor. He buried his face into his palms and cried his heart out. When he calmed down, he kissed Scarlett’s promise ring which he was wearing on his pinkie now.

“I love you Scarlett... We will meet again…”

taglist: @fific7

[deviantconnorarmy]

Details: Chapter 1--Family

AN:  I’ve been itching to write some DBH fanfic for days now and I finally got an Idea I felt was worth putting out into the world (That was more than ‘I wanna write about Connor or Markus’) So here you go!!!  (Just tell me if you want tagged!)

Characters: Cecilia Manfred, Markus, Carl Manfred, Leo Manfred

Pairing: Connor x OC

Warnings:  Language.  Oh, and no Connor yet--that should be a warning, too, haha.

Word Count: 3349

Masterlist    Next Chapter --->

Classical music played softly throughout the first floor of the lavishly decorated house, one of its occupants asleep upstairs while the other was at worked cooking a breakfast for two in the kitchen.  She didn’t hear the music, though, because she’d chosen to listen to her own, headphones on and playing songs from roughly two decades ago while she cooked.

Cecilia didn’t have to cook--Markus was her father’s caretaker, but she wanted to help, and this way she could get breakfast ready while Markus went to pick up an order for Carl.  It was more efficient this way.

Once the eggs and bacon were finished, she dished them out onto two separate plates--the over easy eggs with the crisp bacon went on her father’s plate, covered to keep it hot until Markus returned, while Cecilia put the over hard eggs and still chewy bacon on her plate, waiting for the coffee to finish.  She was turning to pour the morning necessity in her father’s fancy silver tumbler and almost collided with a familiar figure in the process.  He was the one who prevented the crash, effortlessly reaching out and stopping her from running into him before coffee could end up everywhere.

Cecilia squeaked, turning off her music and removing her headphones so she could hear.  “Markus!  Don’t scare me like that!”

“I’m sorry, Ceci--I was about to try and get your attention,” Markus apologized, letting his hands drop away from her arms to take the tumbler out of her hands and set it safely on the counter.  “I wanted to tell you I’m back before I wake your father up.”

“All right, well, now I know.  I’ll go get all this set up while you go get him,” she said, gesturing towards the partially prepared breakfast tray.

“You don’t have to do that, I’ve got it,” Markus started to protest, but Cecilia waved him off.

“No, no, I’m capable of taking this to the table, you don't have to do everything by yourself, Markus.  Go wake up Dad, I’ve got this covered.”

Markus gave her a small half-smile, like he’d expected her to tell him no but had asked anyway, turning to head back into the hall.  “All right, we’ll be down in a moment.”

The automatic door slid shut behind Markus, and Cecilia finished getting her father’s breakfast put onto the silver tray, taking it out to the dining room before returning to fetch her own food.  She could hear movement upstairs, and then voices coming closer as she brought her food into the dining room and sat across from where her father usually sat.  Her heels clacked against the floor, apparently announcing her presence since she distinctly heard her name spoken as Markus and her father approached the dining room.

She’d only been sitting down a few moments when her Markus reappeared pushing her father’s wheelchair into the room, the old man’s face being graced with a rare smile as his gaze settled on her.

“Cecilia--what a lovely surprise,” Carl said warmly.

“Hi, Dad,” she returned with a smile of her own.  “I thought I’d stop by this morning before heading to work, see you, help out a little.”

“And get a free meal, too, apparently,” Carl said pointedly as Markus wheeled him into view of the table.  Cecilia chuckled.

“That’s just an added bonus.  If I don’t eat here, I’m going to miss breakfast altogether.”

“Maybe you should get up a little earlier.”

“Says the man who gets up at ten in the morning.”

“I’m old enough to stay in bed as long as I please,” Carl stated, pausing to thank Markus for serving his food.  “You on the other hand, have a job to attend to.”

“I also have flexible hours.  It pays being an independent journalist.  I could have worked out of my apartment if I really wanted to.”

“You’re office at the Stratford Tower is a lot better than your apartment.”

Cecilia waved her fork at her father.  “And I’m going to stop you right there, Dad, cause I already told you, it’s what I can afford, and I’m not taking your money to upgrade to a house or something that I can’t afford yet.  I am a self-sustaining child, thank you.”

Carl chuckled softly under his breath, looking up at Markus, who was standing at ease next to him with hands clasped in front of him.  “Why don’t you find something to do while we finish our breakfast, Markus?”

“Okay, Carl,” Markus said pleasantly, disappearing behind Cecilia as he wandered deeper into the living room.

Piano or chess, Cecilia mouthed to her father, a silent bet.  Carl smirked.

Piano, he returned, and Cecilia cursed.  That was going to be her guess.  So much for that--she’d just keep her money.

Her father chuckled softly, and a few moments later they heard the music start to play through the room.  It wasn’t a regurgitated, to the letter classical piece--not that there was anything wrong with that, Markus played the piano magnificently and it was always a joy to listen to.  This time it was something...intimate.  That was the only word that Cecilia could find to describe it.  Something with deep emotion that was pulling her in.  As soon as she was finished she stood as quietly as possible, coming around the table to retrieve her father so they could both go over and listen to Markus play.

Carl stopped somewhere near the piano bench while Cecilia leaned on the grand piano, watching Markus’ fingers glide across the piano keys and simply...listening.

When the music finally came to its last note, Markus looked up at them, Cecilia recognizing a contemplative look on her father’s face.

“Something has changed in the way you play,” Carl noted.  “Sometimes I think you have more humanity than most humans.”

Cecilia’s eyebrows rose, a slight bob of her head showing her agreement.  Desensitization was real, and it was rampant in humanity from what she could see.

“One day I won’t be here to take care of you anymore.  You’ll have to protect yourself, and make your choices...decide who you are, and wanna become.  This world doesn’t like those who are different, Markus.  Don’t let anyone tell you who you should be.”

Cecilia stared down at the glossy surface of the piano.  She wanted to pipe up and say she would take care of Markus, but the truth was, she didn’t need an android.  If he came to live with her, he wouldn’t have anything to do, really.  She did most of her stuff herself, there wasn’t anyone that needed almost constant watching in her household because it was just fully functionate her.

But she also knew her father was getting older, and wouldn’t be around much longer.  And Markus...well, she didn’t exactly want to see him reset and shipped off somewhere strange, or worse decommissioned and thrown away. When it came to that...if she was being honest with herself, she’d probably end up taking in Markus anyway.  They’d figure something out.

After a few moments of the reflective silence the three of them had fallen into after her father’s words, Carl spoke up again.

“Let’s go to the studio.”

Markus rose from his seat at the piano, moving to steer Carl’s wheelchair while Cecilia walked ahead of them into the studio.  As she entered, all of the lights came on and the curtains drew back, revealing the gorgeous view of the gardens that her father’s art studio had.

She loved it out here, for the view if nothing else.

“Let’s see where we left off--remove the sheet!”  Carl commanded, falling into painter’s mode as Markus did as he was asked and revealed the giant, very blue painting her father was currently working on.  As Carl got to work continuing his project, Markus started to clean up the studio, Cecilia trying to make a move to help him.  She was quickly intercepted.

“No, you’ve got your work clothes on, I’ll clean up in here,” Markus told her patiently.

He had a point.  She didn’t want to accidentally get paint on her work clothes, she needed to look nice, being in media and everything.  So she relented in this instance, stepping back to watch her father put the finishing touches on his painting, then wandering over to his spot on the wall filled with sketches from when he was young and a few amateur drawings from his children.

Cecilia had not inherited her father’s painting skills--her talents lay in other areas.

Markus came to stand by her when he was done cleaning the studio, and she turned to give him a small smile that he returned.  it was then that she finally noticed the tear in his clothes, and a smudge of dirt and dust here and there that indicated he’d been on the ground.

“What happened there?” she asked with a frown, gently touching the rip in his clothes.

“Oh, there were protesters in the street.  It’s nothing, I’m fine,” Markus assured her, turning to head back towards Carl, though the move was partially to get her hand off of the affronted material.  Cecilia’s frown deepened.

“Assholes,” she muttered, reaching over to dust off the smudges.  She couldn’t do anything about the tear.  “Sometimes I really hate people,” she finished with the shake of her head.  Carl was coming back down from his painting by that point, so their conversation ended there.

“So...what’s the verdict?” Carl asked, not looking away from the now completed painting.

Cecilia tilted her head to the side.  “It looks pretty cool, Dad--and no, that’s not a joke about all the blue,” she told him, leaning down to give her father a kiss on the cheek while he rolled his eyes.

Markus was looking at the painting much closer, a thoughtful look on his face, LED blinking yellow to show just how much he was thinking about it.

“Yes, there is something about it...something I can’t...quite define...I guess I like it,” Markus finished with a slight smile.  Carl sighed.

“The truth is, I have got nothing left to say anymore.  Each day that goes by brings me closer to the end.  I’m just an old man clinging to his brushes...”

Cecilia felt a pang go through her at her father’s morbid words, and she placed a hand on his shoulder, fighting the urge to give it a squeeze.

“Carl...” Markus said softly, shifting uncomfortably.  Carl turned his chair to face Markus.

“But enough about me--let’s see if you have any talent!”  Markus stared at Carl, looking a little surprised.  “Give it a try!  Try painting something.”

“Paint, but what would I--painting what?”

“Anything you want!  Give it a try,” Carl encouraged.  The smile that lit up Markus’ face made him look like a kid at Christmas, and Cecilia had to hold back a small giggle, though she let her grin show as Carl handed Markus his palette.  Markus took up position in front of the easel in the corner, casting his gaze around the room for a moment.  His gaze flickered momentarily over Cecilia, among other things, before he turned his attention to the canvas propped up on the easel and started to paint.

Cecilia had to bite on the inside of her cheek to try and hide her initial disappointment as the movements he was making instantly reminded her of an old-fashioned printer.  She’d been hoping for...well, she didn’t know.  What did she expect, he was an android.

Sometimes she forgot that.  It seemed her father did, too.

When Markus finally stepped back it was to reveal an unnervingly accurate painting of Cecilia.  She stepped forward, very conscious of the fact that, as the subject, her opinion was going to have a lot of weight.  She studied the replica of herself on the canvas, accurate to every slight crease in her red blouse and black pencil skirt, the reddish chestnut of her hair, currently pulled up in a bun, was almost captured by the paints--though hers was a color that was probably impossible to replicate with paint, Markus came very close.  Or maybe he was spot on and her human eyes just didn’t know it.  But he’d even managed to get the small mole along her cheekbone, close to her temple, and she was pretty sure she was seeing a reflection of Markus in her hazel blue green eyes.

“That’s extremely lifelike,” Cecilia commented, the surprise starting to wear off as she reminded herself he was an android.

Carl didn’t hold back in expressing disappointment, wheeling forward with a heavy sigh.  “That is a perfect copy...of reality.  But painting is not about replicating the world, it’s about interpreting it, improving on it, showing something you see,” Carl corrected him.  Markus hesitated, looking at Cecilia’s father with doubt in his eyes.

“Carl I don’t...think I can do that, it’s not in my program...I..”

“Go on, go, try, grab that canvas,” Carl interrupted, gesturing Markus towards a fresh canvas.  Cecilia stepped out of the way, curiosity on her face.  She was wondering if Markus was about to get the same painting lesson her father had once tried to give her when she was younger.  Markus gazed at Carl for a moment before doing what he’d asked, standing now uncertainly in front of the blank canvas now that he’d found out his first attempt had not been right.

Carl sighed.  “Do something for me, close your eyes.  Close your eyes.  Trust me,” Carl stressed when Markus still hesitated.  Markus stood facing the canvas, slowly closing his eyes as Cecilia’s father had asked.  “Try to imagine something that doesn’t exist, something you’ve never seen.  Now concentrate...on how it makes you feel.  And let your hand drift across the canvas.”

Markus stood very still for a few moments, and Cecilia had a sneaking suspicion that his LED was going wild out of their line of sight.  For a few agonizing moments all he did was stand there, but Cecilia knew that was all part of the process.  Then, finally, the hand holding the brush rose to the canvas, and Markus began to paint.  This time, even his strokes were different, wide and short, dotting and sweeping, swirling, actually painting in the movements of a human artist instead of that of a printer.  Just like when she’d watched him play, Cecilia was spellbound, fascinated by the transformation happening in front of her, the creativity and emotion that seemed to now be leaking out of the being that 95 percent of the population would say was just a hunk of metal or plastic.

Markus...was different.  An exception to the rule.  Or at least the first sign that such assumptions were wrong.

When Markus finally stepped back, Cecilia couldn’t stop staring.  She could see a bit of her father’s style in the painting, but overall, it was entirely Markus, completely original.  And it was impactful.  An all black background with two pairs of cupped hands in the center, both exactly the same, except one pair was glowing blue, the other red.  It wasn’t that far of a leap to realize the blue hands were belonging to an android with blue blood, the red hands to a human with red blood.

Exactly the same except for the blood.  Understanding, reaching out, equality.  Something in Cecilia’s heart ached, and she thought she felt a burn in her eyes as her gaze shifted from the painting to Markus and back.

“Oh my God...” Carl breathed.

They didn’t get the chance to ask Markus what he’d been thinking about as he drew this, what he intended it to mean and if their impressions were right, no one got to say anything beyond her father’s breath of surprise.  A fourth person had entered the room.

“Hey, dad.”

And instantly, all eyes were on Cecilia’s older half-brother.

“Leo...I didn’t hear you come in,” Carl said in surprise.  Cecilia’s expression puckered as if she’d tasted something sour, out of sight behind her father.  Markus’ posture was cautious, his movements slow and careful.  Cecilia didn’t have to study her half-brother long to see the obvious signs of...well, either a withdraw or he was high, though considering Leo was here at the house it was probably the former.

She wasn’t on good terms with her half-brother, and for good reason.

“Ah, I was in the neighborhood...I though I’d stop by,” Leo said, fidgeting a little excessively.  “It’s been a while, right?”

“You all right?” Carl asked.  Markus was very carefully putting down the palette he’d been holding, like he was readying himself for a confrontation.  Cecilia was, too.  “You don’t look so good.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Leo said dismissively.  “Hey listen, uh...I need some cash, Dad.”

And there it is.

“Again?  What happened to the money I just gave you?” Carl asked.  He was officially showing close to the same level of wariness Markus and Cecilia weren’t bothering to hide.

“Uh...well, it jus-it just goes, you know?”

Carl gave a humorless laugh.  “Yeah...yeah, you’re on it again, aren’t you?”

“No...no, no, I swear, it’s not that.”

“Ah, don’t lie to me, Leo--”

“What difference does it make?  I just need some cash, that’s all!” Leo shouted, finally snapping.  A heavy silence fell over the room.

“I’m sorry.  The answer’s no,” Carl answered firmly.

“What?  Why?”

“You know why!”

Leo’s gaze flickered towards Markus.  “Yeah...yeah, I think I do no why.”

Oh, hell no.

“You’d rather take care of your plastic toy here than your own son, eh?” Leo taunted, gaze now riveted on Markus.  Cecilia let go of the back of her father’s chair, slowly walking towards Leo as Leo stalked closer to a still Markus.

“Tell me, dad, what’s it got that I don’t?  It’s smarter?  More obedient?  Not like me, right?” he spat, venom in his words.  Markus stood calmly, LED blue, but judgement in his eyes.  “Buy you know what?  This thing is not your son.  It’s just a fucking machine!” Leo shouted, shoving Markus back.

“Leo, that’s enough!”

“Hey, back off, now!”

Carl and Cecilia both yelled at the same time, though Cecilia got between Leo and Markus, shoving Leo back from Markus.  She was on heels, and she was no athlete, but she was still going to put herself between Leo and Markus if Leo was going to get violent.

“Enough,” Carl repeated with finality, fixing Leo with a stern gaze.  Leo scowled, gaze flickering to the painting Markus had just finished.

“You don’t care about anything except yourself and your goddamn paintings.”

Actually, that one was Markus...quite the compliment, though, under any other circumstances, mistaking Markus’ painting for Dad’s.

“You’ve never loved anyone.  You never loved me, Dad.  You never loved me.”

On that harsh note, Leo finally left.  Markus, Carl, and Cecilia were quiet for a moment before they finally moved, Carl bending over in his chair with a sigh and Markus looking on worriedly.  Cecilia bent down in front of her father, a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you all right, Dad?” she asked in concern.

“I’m fine,” he said heavily, shaking his head.  “You should get going--you’ll be late for work.”

Cecilia wanted to argue on principle, but he was right--she had work she needed to get done, especially since she planned on attending the cocktail party later with her father.  She was going to write a short little piece on the party to balance out some of her more serious topics on her news website and radio show.

Cecilia gently squeezed his shoulder.  “All right...I’ll see you later, Dad.  I love you.”

Carl gave her a tight smile--he was well aware she was putting emphasis on that last part because of Leo’s outburst, but she didn’t care--he needed to hear it right now.

Before she left, she paused next to Markus, giving his shoulder a squeeze as well, and flashing him a small smile.  Then she left, her thoughts buzzing with Markus’ painting and Leo’s intrusion.

Next Chapter --->