#like sorry but Olivia to me is poison and he was with the woman for nearly a decade and had kids with her | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gretavangroupie · 2 years ago

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Crave (Part 2)

Word count: 8.0k+

Pairing: Josh x Female Reader

Summary: After pushing the girl you love into the arms of your best friend, you're left regretting your choices.

Warnings: 18+ as always, language, drinking, sexual situations, smut, fluff.

Crave Playlist

A/N: Special shoutout to my beta, my co-writer, and my dear friend @gvfjess none of this would be what it is without her touch.

You climb into your car and Josh shuts the door behind you, disappearing back into the bar with a smile and a wave.

He’s such a good guy. What did I do to deserve someone like that in my life?

What the fuck is Daniel doing in there? What was that? Just when I thought we were finally good…

You let out a big exhale and start your car, trying to relax your racing mind. The whole drive home you convince yourself that you’re overreacting and that its harmless.

Danny and I are fine. He loves me. He wouldn’t fuck this up already, we just put the pieces back together.

As you walk into your front door you feel your phone buzz in your purse.

D: Where did you go?

You: You just noticed I was gone?

D: No.

You: I went home.

D: Why? You didn’t even tell me.

You: Are you really asking why I left?

D: I know… I’m sorry.

You put your phone down, unsure of how to respond. You know you are emotional and don't want to say something you don't mean. You flip through movies on Netflix when your phone rings.

“Hello?” You answer.

“Baby, please…. I didn’t know what to do.” Danny begs.

“I don’t know Danny�� the whole thing was weird. You didn’t even notice I left. You immediately ignored me as soon as she walked in.” You say.

“No, I wasn’t! I just didn’t want you to have to be involved with her at all. I swear. I wanted her to leave just as bad as you did. We all did.” He says. You can hear the sincerity in his voice, causing your hardened stance to soften a bit.

“It just felt… not great.” You reply.

“I know, just come over. Come over and let me hold you. I need you. Only you. I promise.” He says.

Your heart flutters at his words.

“Okay, I will leave here soon.” You say.

“Okay, love you.” He replies.

“Love you.” You say hanging up.

You sigh, releasing all the anxiety from your body. Just as you are collecting your things and getting ready to head out the door you feel your phone buzz again.

Jeez, I’m popular tonight.

Josh: You ok?

You: Yeah, everything is fine. I am about to head over to his house.

Josh: Really? After all that?

You: What?

Josh: You let him disrespect you all night, completely disregard your presence, then run right back into his arms as soon as he asks?

Josh: I’m glad you’re happy. That’s all I care about. Have a good night.

You: Thanks Josh.

JOSH POV

Of course. Of course she is running right back to him. You should have known she would. You tried to play it cool about Olivia, but that woman is poison. She always has been. Daniel would be lucky to never see her again, yet here she is.

You always knew should would turn up again just to stir the pot and boy has she ever. You could see the look on Daniel’s face all night. You couldn’t let her know that though. You’re positive the other guys saw it too. It was just how it used to be. Her calling the shots, Danny bending to her will. She knew exactly what she was doing when she took that chair tonight.

You don’t know who you were angrier with. Olivia, for showing up and starting this vicious cycle all over again, with impeccable timing that’s for fucking sure… or Danny. You just can’t fathom how someone could have the chance to be with the most beautiful, amazing, dream of a woman and still act so fucking careless. You would never take her for granted, that’s for sure. Your anger flares up again recalling the events tonight.

Part of the reason you pulled her up to the bar with you was so she didn’t see what was happening under the table. Olivia running her foot up Daniel’s leg, and the shittiest part of it all was that he moved his leg towards her. He wanted it. But you couldn’t be the one to tell her, you couldn’t bear to let her see it either. You did the only thing you could think of in that moment. Take her away.

You wanted to take her away, far away, all the way to your house. You daydream of showing her what it would feel like to be the one that was doted on and loved on day in and day out, with no threat of uncertainty. You could give her that. You want to be that person for her. You think back to the night you finally had the courage to tell her that, painfully reliving her brushing it off. Now knowing why.

When you walked back into the bar after walking her to her car you saw Danny and Olivia getting awfully comfortable in those chairs. His arm thrown around the back of it, both of them staring at each other deep in conversation. You knew what was going to happen next.

God she deserves so much more than this. What the fuck is he doing?

You throw your phone onto your coffee table, sick at the thought of him treating her like this. Ignoring her and flirting with his ex, only to call her over after. It’s disgusting really. If only she knew.

You can’t help but imagine the fallout after Olivia sinks her claws back into him. He will be torn in two directions, and you know which direction he will go. Daniel only has one setting when it comes to choices. Irrational.

You pace around your house, trying to clear your mind and wind down enough to go to bed, but it's no use. She never leaves your mind, she has been stuck there since you met her. Why would it change now?

Maybe some music will help.

You crouch down in front of your record cabinet and scan the weathered cardboard sleeves, hoping one will jump out at you. You stop when you see the album Jake got your for Christmas and decide now is as good of time as any. Something about ‘broadening your horizons’…The cover of the Deftones album, adorned with a white owl, crisp and new, though the album itself is an older release. You slide the record out of the sleeve and place it on the turntable, placing the needle gently on the shiny vinyl.

Turning the volume up louder than it should be, you hear the song begin to fill your home, suffocating the feeling inside of you until all you can feel is the beat of the music in your chest. You check the sleeve to see what song it is that is hitting that spot so good. ‘Sextape’. Of course it is.

Walking down the hallway to your bedroom you grab your notebook and pen off the kitchen counter, knowing you’ll feel better if you can focus on something else for a while. You let the pen and paper have their glorious reunion for what seems like hours, until the clicking of the record player informs you it’s time to flip the album.

You are feeling more relaxed and decide to turn it off and try to sleep. You rid yourself of your clothes and climb into bed, hoping that tonight you can actually sleep. Laying your head on the fluffy pillow you let out a deep sigh of relaxation and finally fall asleep.

HER POV

As you pull into the parking space in front of his house you take a few deep breaths, trying to compose yourself. You step out of your car, grabbing your overnight bag and starting toward the door. After a few knocks he opens it up with a smile and motions his head for you to come inside.

“Hi baby...” he says, pulling you in for a hug and kissing the top of your head.

“Hi.” you reply dryly. You’re still not ready to move past the events of tonight.

He grabs your face his hands and looks into your eyes.

“I missed you all day. All I thought about was you. I just couldn’t wait to see you tonight and then… I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do. It was awkward for all of us, and I’m so sorry you felt like you needed to leave.” He says. All you can do is blink at him, trying to process what he is saying. The words you wan’t to say aren’t coming to mind and you’re already so exhausted.

“Are you tired? Do you want to watch a movie in bed?” He asks, releasing your face and running his hands down your arms.

You nod your head and he leads you to the bedroom. You drop your bag at the bedroom door and he turns on a lamp, grabbing the remote and clicking through the buttons to try and find a movie.

“What do you want to watch?” He asks.

You dig through your bag trying to find your big t-shirt and shorts and respond “oh I don’t know you can pick, I am probably not going to last much longer tonight. I’m still not caught up on sleep and it was a weird day. I’m drained.”

“Baby, I am sorry. I hate this. It was a weird day for me too.” He says crawling underneath the sheets. “Come here and let me hold you.” He gestures for you to crawl into his arms.

You climb into the bed, and he pulls you up against him. You hook your leg over his, fitting perfectly together. He selects a movie and as it plays your mind drifts off, thinking about the night and everything that happened.

“I was scared.” You say, breaking the silence.

“Of what, baby?” He asks, petting your hair.

“I don’t know. I guess just that if you saw her again…that you might want her back. That you might still love her.” You say, honestly. “We just fixed everything, Danny. It still feels so fragile and weak, and tonight felt like a step in the wrong direction.”

“No... Don’t even think like that. Tonight was nothing, I promise. She will be leaving soon and everything will go back to normal. ” He says reassuringly. You decide to leave it at that, not wanting to push the issue further, but you cant rid the nagging feeling telling you that it’s not going to be that simple.

He kisses your head and you fall asleep in his arms shortly after.

As your eyes open you see sunlight filling the room, you roll over and reach out for Danny’s chest but your fingertips are met by the cold exterior of the duvet. You feel a piece of paper crinkling under your hand and pick it up to examine. Blinking your eyes quickly to rid the blurriness, you bring it close to your face to read.

Early day at the studio, left a key for you on the entry table.

Lock up when you’re ready.

xo D

Huh, left me a key?

You pry yourself out of his comfy bed, and make your way to the bathroom, turning on the shower to heat up. You figure you will just get ready here before your shift. You are on a new shift today, trading with Bruce who normally has the lunch time shift. You grab a towel and take off your clothes.

You step into the shower and see water droplets still remaining from Danny’s shower this morning. You wet your hair and body and stand under the steamy spray, letting it relax your tense muscles. You wash your hair, then your body, enveloping yourself in the scent of his body wash that you have grown to love so much. When you are sufficiently pruney you step out and wrap yourself in the fluffy towel.

You quickly dress in the clothes you brought and search his bathroom to see if he has a blow dryer.

Yes. Bless that curly hair routine of his.

You blow out your hair and put on a light dusting of perfume before you pack your bag back up and head to the living room. You have a little time to kill before you need to leave so you lightly pick up the house, refolding the couch blankets and throwing away the trash. All of it reminding you of the first time you ever stepped foot in here, which seems like ages ago. Little did you know you would be spending nights here frequently.

After a pot of coffee has entered your bloodstream you are feeling energized and ready for the day. You scan the books on his book shelf and see a few photo albums, pulling them out and quickly flipping through them.

You see pictures from his childhood and early band days and your heart swells at the sweetness of their young faces. Placing it back on the shelf you grab the next one that is more like a book, and see that it’s not just a collection of random photos like the rest. This one is an album that was made for him by Olivia. Pictures of the two of them through various years and seasons plastered on the pages. You know you should put it down but you cant help but look at every single photo. When you reach the last page a handwritten note from her nearly takes your breath away.

‘We will always find our way back to each other, in this life and the next. I love you, Olivia’

You slam the book shut and place it back on the shelf. You collect your things, the key, and walk out the door, locking it behind you.

As you sit in your car your chest is rising and falling heavily, feeling another wave of panic set in. This uneasiness is beginning to be a pattern.

Thats what you get for snooping. Why does he still have that? Does he still look at it from time to time? Run his fingers over the note, pondering if that sentiment is the truth?

You shake your head, trying to rid those thoughts. As you drive to the bar you cant help but replay the words she wrote in your mind.

‘We will always find our way back to each other…’

Maybe thats why she’s here. She’s finding her way back, and you’re in her way.

Your shift at the bar is just not the same as it usually is without the presence of the guys. Very few people wander into the bar this time of day, so it is relatively quiet.

You make conversation with the people that do come in, and the hours seem to pass quickly. Realizing it is almost time to leave you pull your phone out of your pocket, hoping to see a text from Danny but there is nothing there. Just a blank screen.

Hmmm. Maybe he is waiting to hear from me.

You: See you here soon? I’m about to finish my shift, I can hang out a little while?

He replies fairly quickly.

D: No I think it’s going to be a late night. Sorry

You: No problem, call me when you’re done?

D: Ok

Bruce walks in and relieves you, telling you all about what he did today. You try your best to listen but your mind is unable to focus. After a few minutes you grab your stuff and head to your car, hoping that the guys don’t have too late of a night and you’ll hear from Danny soon.

Once you arrive at your apartment you throw your things down and immediately pour yourself a glass of wine. It seems like a good night to pamper yourself and watch a rom-com. You down the glass in just a few minutes and head to the bathroom to start a shower. As you step into the spray you let all of the anxiety of the past few days wash away, a special thanks owed to that glass of wine. Donning your favorite pajamas, you wrap your hair in a towel and pour yourself one more glass of red before pushing play on the movie.

After a few tears and a few laughs the movie finishes and your heart is full. If only real life played out like these movies.

Maybe it could?

Gathering your wine glass and your towel you deposit the glass in the sink and turn off the lights, heading to your bedroom and placing the towel back in the bathroom to finish drying.

You plug your phone in and see that it’s nearly midnight and you still haven’t heard from Danny.

Jeez, they never stay this late. I hope everything is okay…

You decide to shoot him a quick text.

You: Wow, it really is a late night, don’t work too hard.

A few minutes later you are crawling into your bed and you hear your phone buzz.

D: I’m home now, just got back about an hour ago.

You: Oh, I thought you were going to call me… no big deal. I was going to see if you wanted to come over here, but if you’re already home…

D: Sorry I didn’t call, it was a long day. I would have come over but I am just too tired. I will talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight

You: Goodnight

Oh well, no big deal. You cant imagine the amount of stress they must be under trying to get things perfect and meet their deadline that is rapidly approaching. You set your phone back on the nightstand and fall asleep in the comfort of your own bed.

As the sun rises the next morning you are feeling mostly refreshed from a full nights sleep and maybe just a tad groggy from the wine last night. You shoot Danny a quick text.

You: Good morning, hope you have a good day.

You spend most of your day cleaning up your apartment and running small errands, enjoying some alone time.

You have the night off tonight so you want to get your chores out of the way to be able to do whatever you want tonight, which is hopefully spending some time with Danny.

When 3:00 rolls around and you haven’t heard from him, you start to worry.

What is going on, this is not like him?

Your phone buzzes and your heart stops, hoping it’s him.

Josh: Got plans tomorrow?

You: No, I work at 9 but thats it?

Josh: Wanna get lunch?

Hmm a peace offering… I do miss him.

You: Sure, just tell me where and when.

Josh: Cool, I will.

Well that should be fun.

You like Josh, you like being around him and talking to him. He makes you feel safe and warm. You are looking forward to hanging out with him and taking your mind off of everything.

You can’t help the smile that finds it’s way to your mouth thinking about spending time with him again. You could really use the easy company that he brings.

When the clock strikes 7:00 and you still haven’t heard a word from Danny, the panic starts to set in. You send him another text.

You: Are you okay? I haven’t heard from you all day?

Again, no reply. Hours pass and it’s nearly 10:00 now, so you decide to call him on the off chance he might answer.

The line rings through for what seems like forever when you finally hear his voice on the other end.

“Hello?” He answers.

“Danny, what is going on? I haven’t heard from you all day? You haven’t replied to my texts… I was worried.” You say nervously.

“Oh, yeah I’m sorry. I was really busy today and I am stressed. Haven’t had the chance to look at my phone.” He replies.

Really? You couldn’t take thirty seconds to send me a text so I knew you were okay?

“Okay… well I’m sorry, I was just worried. Do you… want me to come over? I know a good stress reliever…” You say playfully, hoping to improve his mood.

“Ah… I don’t think so, not tonight. I’m just gonna go to bed. I know tomorrow is going to be an exact repeat of today.” He says with an annoyed tone.

“Oh, okay. I just haven’t really seen you in a few days. But maybe tomorrow.” You quip.

“I’m sorry baby, I will see you tomorrow, I promise.” He says sweetly.

“Okay, well get some sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” You say defeatedly.

“Alright, night baby.” He says, melting your heart despite your sadness.

“Goodnight” you reply, ending the call.

Maybe you shouldn’t jump to conclusions. He is fine, he just had a long day. Stop reading into it so much.

You tuck yourself into bed, falling asleep thinking about seeing Josh again tomorrow.

You pull up outside the restaurant and see Josh sitting outside waiting for you with a smile on his face. You have thought about him all day, you even found yourself checking your mirror before you left hoping he would think you looked pretty. Not that it matters….

As you walk up to him he greets you with a hug, the kind of hug that makes you forget where you are for a second. You inhale the scent of him, instantly feeling relaxed by his presence.

“Hi!” You say with a smile.

“Are you hungry? Have you been here before?” He asks, obviously hoping for your approval.

“No, I haven’t but I always drive past it!” You reply.

“Oh its so good, I like to come here on our lunch breaks but usually I’m by myself…” He says, his voice trailing off a bit.

You feel a pang in your chest at the thought of him eating alone.

“Well let’s go then!” You say, walking inside.

You both order at the little counter, Josh insisting that he pay since he invited you. You graciously accept and you both stand to the side waiting for your number to be called. As you wait for your food your mind begins to wander.

It’s so nice being here with him. It’s just so… natural. Every time you’re with him you feel this overwhelming sense of comfort. Like everything is going to be okay.

That word keeps circulating in your head every time you’re with him. Natural.

He is just so easy and fun and uncomplicated. Why doesn’t my actual relationship feel that way?

You chit chat about the weather and make small talk about what’s going on in your lives. You feel a flutter in your chest hearing him laugh out loud. He is so beautiful, and he has the best smile. His lips are so pink and you catch yourself imagining what they would feel like on yours again. You know you shouldn’t be thinking these things, but you cant help but feel something when you’re with him. A warm sense of security, like nothing bad can happen.

Snapping back to reality, they call your number out and Josh steps up. He takes your tray and leads you to a table. Even holding the tray he puts in the effort to pull your chair out for you before sitting at his own. He is so kind, he has the special charm about him that makes you swoon. You divvy up the food and you both start to eat, shocked that you have never been here when the food is so good.

“So, I heard it’s been a crazy few days at the studio?” You asks casually between bites.

“I mean… I guess? Just normal?” He replies with a confused look.

“Oh, Danny said it has been a stressful week…” You reply.

You can see him swallow and a look of questioning concern cross his face.

“Uhh yeah, it's been a little stressful?” He says, unable to hide the hesitancy in his voice.

You give him a suspicious look and push further.

“A few late nights in a row? That has to be hard…” you say.

“Um… yeah, we stayed longer than usual…” He says trailing off suspiciously.

“Josh cut the shit. You’re lying, I can tell.” You say.

He blows out an exasperated breath and runs his hands through his hair.

“How much have you talked to him the last few days?” He asks, dismissively.

“Honestly, very little…why?”

“Has he called you?” He asks, clearly annoyed.

“No… he said he forgot. Then last night I got worried since it had been all day since I had heard from him, so I called him…but he kind of blew me off. Said he was tired from the late night at the studio… why?” You ask nervously.

“Has he been checking in on you at least?” He asks in a harsh tone.

“No… not really.” You reply nervously.

He scoffs and rolls his eyes.

“Look, I don’t know what is going on, but we didn’t stay late at the studio, and things have been normal stress wise. I knew this shit was going to happen.” He says, clearly annoyed.

“So he’s lying?” You ask.

He looks into your eyes. “I think…” he stops, and you can see the frustration on his face. “I think you need to just… step back and take a look at this whole situation and ask yourself what is really going on.”

“I’m sure I am just overreacting. Everything is fine.” You say desperately, your heart rate spiking.

“I think maybe you need to consider it that it might not be…” he starts before you cut him off.

“Why would you say that Josh? Maybe we are both jumping to conclusions!” You say.

“I am not going to sit here and let you continue to question his actions when I know for a fact that if he loved you, really loved you, he would be making every single effort to be with you. All the time, day or night. Had a bad day? The first person I would call is you! You think I would just “forget” to call you? No. Something is up, and you just continue to make excuses for him. I will be damned if I am going to just sit back and watch him treat you like this!” His voice starting to raise.

“Treat me like what?! He hasn’t done anything, I haven’t even seen him in two days! I never should have said anything.” You reply.

“You are just proving my point! You have no idea do you? You are just telling me everything that I already knew would happen! I knew he was going to treat you like shit and you are continuing to let him and I don’t want to hear about it anymore! I can’t. I just wanted to have a good day with you and all we have talked about is how he isn’t treating you even close to how you should be treated. It’s infuriating. I was just trying to help you… I was trying to protect you from this in the first place! From all of this!” he says, pushing away from the table.

“I don't need you to protect me Josh! I don’t need anyone to protect me! I can protect myself! Thank you for the concern, but I can handle it!” You say, your eyes welling with tears.

You both storm out the front door of the restaurant, still in the midst of the argument.

He mutters something under his breath and gives you a half-hearted wave as he gets into his car. He slams the door and starts the car, pulling away into traffic.

Cursing to yourself, you look to the sky, and it is looking as angry as you’re feeling. Perfect.

As you drive home a sense of dread washes over you. You hate leaving things like this, especially with Josh. Who you know is just trying to do the right thing by you as always. You are torn in two. You want to be mad at him, but really you’re not. He has been there for you unconditionally, and this time you may have pushed him too far. Deep down you know he is right about all of it. You are letting Danny walk all over you. You are bending to his will. Maybe you do need Josh. Need him to protect you. Maybe you even want him to…

You find yourself in a weird headspace that night at work. You’re excited to see Danny, you haven’t seen him or really talked to him much in a few days but you’re also uneasy about the fact that he has obviously been lying to you.

I have to talk to him. Tonight. I have to figure out what is going on.

You are also nervous about seeing Josh after your fight this afternoon. Things were tense when you left and you aren’t sure how that is going to translate into this evening.

As you impatiently wait for them to walk in, you busy yourself with a few restocking tasks that Bruce has left for you to complete.

Some time passes and you are finishing up the last case when you hear the bell ring.

You look over your shoulder and you see them walking in. One notably missing.

Where is Josh?

Danny, Jake, and Sam all walk up to the bar. Danny gives you a small smile when he sees you.

“Hey, long time no see…” you say playfully. “Where is your fearless leader?”

“He was in a terrible mood when he came back from lunch, even cut the session short. He said he wasn’t coming and left the studio in a hurry… I don’t know what his deal is.” Sam replies.

You look to Danny who just shrugs his shoulders. He grabs your arm and pulls you in, placing a soft kiss on your lips.

“I missed you.” He says.

“I missed you too…” you reply.

Sam and Jake stare at you with weird expressions. “Um anyways…can I get a drink?” Sam laughs.

“Sure Sammy, what do you want? Jake?” You ask them.

“Just the usual. Thank you!” He says.

You grab the glasses and begin to make their drinks as they walk over to their normal table, leaving you alone with Danny.

“And for you?” You ask, already knowing what he wants.

“I’ll have the gorgeous girl behind the counter…” he says with a flirtatious wink.

“Well well well, you are trying to get back on my good side aren’t you?” You ask with a smirk.

“I am sorry that I have been so busy with work the past few days. How about you come over tonight and I will make it up to you?” He asks with a devilish grin.

“Maybe… I will think about it.” You smile coyly.

You hand him the finished drinks and he walks over to the other guys.

Over the next hour or so they come up once more for another drink, it is noticeably quieter without Josh. You feel a sadness creeping into your chest the more you think about him.

I need to text him. I need to tell him I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. Tell him that he’s right…. Anything that will make him forgive me. All he has done is show me love and kindness and I threw it in his face, pretending that I don’t need him. I know that I do.

Your mind drifts back to the night you spent with him not long ago. Everything was so perfect in the moment. You remember thinking how you wish things could just… stay that perfect. But it didn’t. You pull your phone from your pocket and pull up his contact, your finger hovering over the message button, contemplating if this is the right thing, but ultimately shoving the phone back in your pocket.

Maybe I’ll just wait a little longer. Give him some time to cool off.

The bell on the door rings, part of you hoping that it’s him. But it isn’t. It’s Olivia. Your heartbeat quickens and you feel your body temperature heating up.

What the hell is she doing back here? I thought I had seen the last of her.

She looks over to you with a piercing glare, prancing right over to their table and pulling up a seat right next to Danny. Making a point to dramatically throw her arm over his shoulder.

“Olivia…” Sam says with an eye roll… “How…lovely to see you again.”

She snaps her head to Sam and glares at him before turning to Danny.

“Daniel, thank you so much for letting me borrow this last night. So sweet of you. Just thought I would come return it to you.” She says, handing him a shirt.

I know that shirt. Thats the shirt Danny always gives me to sleep in… I would never forget that shirt. What the hell is going on?

“Oh.. yeah thanks…” he says nervously.

Borrow it last night? Last night? But he…he said he was tired…he was going to bed…

Oh no. This is what Josh meant… How could I be so stupid?

Your heart drops into your stomach and you feel your eyes fill with tears as Danny whips his head around to you. You immediately turn away and walk into the back room, grabbing a paper towel and quickly blotting away the tears about to spill over.

He has been lying to you. Not only that but he was with her. She was there with him as he talked to you on the phone. Wearing his clothes….

The stock room door opens, surprising you. It's Danny, standing in the doorway.

“Hey….” He says cautiously.

“No. Get out.” You say pointing.

“Just let me explain.” He begs.

“No, you lied! About last night! About her! About all of it! Just go!” You yell.

“No! Just…. Just listen!” He yells.

“Daniel Wagner do not make me kick you out of this bar again, because I will do it!” You say.

He recoils and stares at you, shaking his head before walking out of the room.

You compose yourself and try to steady your shaking hands walking back out to the bar.

As you come out you see Danny sitting back at the table. To your surprise Jake is standing at the bar, leaning into it.

You swallow back the lump in your throat.

“What can I do for you Jake?” You say faking confidence.

“I don’t need anything, but you can pretend to make something if you want to. I just want to talk to you.” He says quietly.

“About what?” You pretend to be unaffected.

“You know exactly what.” He says.

You brush it off.

“Where is Josh? Why isn’t he here?” You ask him.

“I think you know the answer to that, too.”

The ache in your chest is growing bigger, all you can think is that maybe all of this wouldn’t be so bad if he was here. He could at least help you feel better in the moment.

If you could just talk to him…

“This whole thing is fucked up Jake…” you ask, a tear slipping over the edge.

“Ahhh….” He mutters out, shrugging his shoulders.

“I don’t know what to do. This is usually the part where I talk to Josh. He would know what to do.” You say.

“Why do you think that is, you suppose?” He asks. “Why is he the one you turn to?”

“Because… because he… he listens, he cares and he knows how to make me feel better. He always knows what to say.” You reply.

“And why do you think that is? Why does he always know exactly what to do? Exactly what to say?” He presses.

“I… don’t know.” You quickly reply.

A lie. You know exactly why. You don’t know that you’re ready to admit it yet.

“Ahh, but I think you do know. I think you are trying to convince yourself you don’t. I think you are letting your head rule over your heart. Maybe you should do a little searching. I bet you’ll find your answer.” He says, raising his eyebrows and walking back to the table.

How does he know all of this? Why is he right? Damn that twin intuition.

You shake out your arms, ridding the uneasiness from your body. You look over to the table and you can see that Danny is mad, his jaw is tense and his body is stiff and rigid.

Olivia is gathering her bag and begins to say her goodbyes, her hand lingering on Danny’s shoulder just a bit too long. You roll your eyes at her desperate attempt.

She walks past you out the door, giving you a fake and malicious half smile as she passes. You look over to the table to see Sam absolutely chewing Danny out, purposefully not listening to what he is saying.

It is getting close to time to close up for the night, and you pour 4 shots. One for you and 3 for them, nodding to Jake to come collect them. He comes up to the bar and smiles at your peace offering.

“Jake…. Thank you.” You say.

“For what?” He asks.

“I think you know the answer to that.” You say playfully.

A real smile crosses his face, and damn if it doesn’t look just like Josh’s. Your heart swells at the realization. You feel your phone buzz in your pocket.

D: Please come over after work.

You look up to see him looking at you and he mouths the word ‘Please’ to you.

You nod your head in agreement, and you notice his lips turn upward almost into a smile.

As you clean up the bar and get ready to close for the night you do a little of that searching Jake was talking about.

You think about Josh and Daniel and you think about how you ended up in the mess to begin with.

If this was the perfect scenario how would it play out? Who would you be with?

The guy who has always been there for you, a constant sense of peace, someone who cares for you and comforts you. The one who makes you feel like you’re the only person in the room? Or the guy who lights your body on fire, engaging you in an intoxicating cycle of highs and lows. He tells you he loves you, but do you feel it in his actions?

The answer seems pretty clear, but is it the answer you want?

You know this is going to end badly for one of them. But who do you want to be with when the fallout happens?

Again you reach the same answer.

Maybe you’ve always known the answer.

You lock up the bar as the rain pounds down into the pavement, shitty weather for a shitty day.

You pull your hood over your head and run to your car, getting absolutely soaked on the way.

Once inside the vehicle you turn the heat on full blast and try to wipe the water off your face with your wet hands. You are shaking with nerves as you drive to Danny’s house.

You park, grab your purse, and jump out of the car running to the safety of his covered porch. With a deep breath you begin knocking on the door.

“Oh gosh you’re soaked, hurry come in.” He says taking your coat.

“This rain is just the cherry on top…” you mutter.

“Do you want a drink or….” He asks awkwardly, you can tell he is nervous.

“No, I think we just need to talk. No alcohol.” You reply coldly. “I want to hear it from you. Tell me what is going on Daniel, and don’t you dare lie to me again. I haven’t talked to you or seen you in days, only to find out… actually just… start talking.”

“I don’t know, I have had a rough couple of days. I didn’t know what to do, or what to say… it was just easier to not say anything. I didn’t want to risk this…” he says gesturing between the two of you.

“I called you, I asked you if I could come over…. Was she here?” You ask.

He lets out a groan.

“Answer the question Danny.” You demand.

“Yes.” He replies. Tears well in your eyes.

“But it wasn’t… it wasn’t like that okay? I swear.” He begs.

“So what was it like? Because to me it looked pretty bad. Wearing your shirt? You know, the one that you had me wear after spending the night together… Where did she sleep Danny?” You ask.

“I had just gotten home from the studio, I was about to call you, I swear I was, and the doorbell rang. I opened it hoping it was you, but it was her. She came in and I don’t know, we were just talking and then it was late and you called and I didn’t know what to do so I shut you out and told you I was going to bed. I didn’t want her to have to Uber all the way back to downtown so I told her should could stay, and sleep on the couch if she wanted. She agreed and so I just gave her whatever was in the dryer to sleep in. I was just trying to do the right thing, but now it just seems so wrong.” He says.

“But did she? Did she sleep on the couch?” You ask.

He stares at you for a long minute before casting his eye to the floor. “No.”

“Did you sleep with her Danny?” You ask, not sure that you want to hear the answer.

“No, we just slept, I swear.” He answers.

“Do you love her?” You ask, tears streaming down your face.

“What?” He asks.

“You heard me, do you love her? Do you still love her Daniel.” You demand.

“I…..I don’t know.” He says finally shaking his head.

“I knew it.” You reply wiping your face.

“No! I love you too. Please… I don’t know what to do! We have a lot of history, her and I. It isn’t easy to just shut that off. I am trying to figure out my feelings, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any. I’m just confused.” He sighs outwardly.

“Well that makes two of us. I think we both need to just… take a break and figure it out.” You say.

“You want to break up?” He asks, almost scared.

“I think we have to Danny. We have tried to make this work over and over and every time I think we have found our footing we slip and fall again. I can’t keep getting hurt. We both can’t. This isn’t what love is supposed to look like. It shouldn’t have to be this hard.” You cry.

“Is this what you want? Are you sure?” He asks.

“No, of course it’s not, but it I think it has to be this way.” You say. “We can’t be together if you still love her, and it’s clear she still loves you.”

“But I do love you, I promise I do.” He says.

“I know, and I love you too, but sometimes we can love things that are bad for us.” You say placing your hand on his.

“I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen.” He says.

“I know you didn’t.” You reply.

You reach into your purse and pull out the shiny silver key he gave you a few days ago.

“For your next house sitter…” you say with a smile.

You see a tear fall from his eye as he takes it from your fingers.

Seeing him so emotional makes your own tears fall faster, your heart breaking into a million little pieces.

This is not how your story was supposed to end but it feels like it’s over. Love isn’t this painful, this confusing. I’m sure of that.

As you stand to leave you wipe your tears on your sleeve. He stands too and pulls you into his arms holding you against him, wrapping you in his arms for a hug. You breathe in deeply, the smell of him filling your lungs one last time.

When he releases you, you make your way to the door. The sob that is ready to pour out of you begins to creep its way up your chest.

“I’ll see you at the bar?” He asks, hopeful.

You nod your head in response and pull his door shut behind you. As soon as you step onto the porch the tears begin falling, heavy like the rain from the sky.

You run to your car and get in quickly, letting the sob rack from your chest as you lean on the steering wheel for support.

The only clear thought in your head is Josh. All you can think of is him, you need him right now. Need him to tell you everything is going to be okay. That you did the right thing. But you cant, because you told him that you didn’t need him. You hurt him, for no reason.

You pull your phone out of your purse and try to regain your composure, thinking maybe he might answer your phone call.

You call him and the phone rings and rings until you hear his voicemail.

Josh, please….

Your trembling fingers type out a text instead.

You: Josh, please I am so sorry.

As you sit and stare at the tiny screen, you pray he will answer you. You’re met with the notification that he had read it. You hold your breath and wait to see his response but nothing ever comes.

You: I was wrong, I need you.

Again, read but no reply.

You know Josh, you know that he would never want to have this conversation over the phone, let alone a text. He would want to talk in person. So you decide that you’re going to drive straight to his house and tell him everything. If he still doesn’t want to talk to you you’ll accept it, but you have to try.

As you pull into his driveway your heart is pounding in your chest so hard you think you might pass out. The rain is coming down so heavy that you can barely see in front of your car. You see a light on inside and you know he is still awake.

Prepared to get soaked you fling your car door open and run to the porch. The rain falls heavily onto the hood of your jacket and you are dripping wet as you knock on his door. So overcome with your emotions your tears begin to fall again, only adding to the wetness. A minute passes and nothing.

Please answer….

You begin to cry harder at the thought of losing him too. There is no way you can handle that.

You hear the lock spin and the door knob turn and you are met with the sight of him. You can see in his face that he is sad. You can’t help but feel relieved that this is affecting him as badly as it’s affecting you. Even with bloodshot eyes and disheveled hair he looks just as handsome as ever. Seeing him makes everything hit you all over again, remembering why you are here in the first place. The wave of emotion that had been building up finally washing over you as your tears stream down your face.

“Josh…I'm so sorry, I know I fucked up. I should never have said the things I did. You were right, about everything. You've been right! I do need you. I’ll always need you.” you sob and look up to meet his gaze under your wet lashes.

The rain is coming down so hard that you almost miss the heave of his chest as he releases a deep sigh.

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that-one-pretty-bitch · 2 years ago

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what about reader who was isekaied in the agriche family along with roxana? so while she had jeremy and dion do her bidding, the reader tamed charlotte and gotten closer to grizelda?

𝒪𝒻 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒 <𝟥 𝐼𝓈𝑒𝓀𝒶𝒾𝑒𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝓉𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓅𝑜𝓅𝓊𝓁𝒶𝓇 𝓁𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝓁𝓂𝒶𝑜

𝒮𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝑅𝑜𝓍𝒶𝓃𝒶 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒟𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓇 𝒥𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓂𝓎 𝓈𝑜 𝓃𝒾𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓎/𝓃

ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

E/c eyes gleamed with delight, sadistic delight as she watched her soul sister Roxana devour a guard with her newfound weapon, the poisonous butterflies. You went up to her and complimented the young woman with her work as she smirked. You were Y/n Agriche, Roxana’s half sister and the most beautiful woman in the entire mansion. Roxana had adored you from the start because of your caring, affectionate yet intimidating and sadistic personality. It was just balanced out so perfectly, you were the perfect balance between good and evil. Jeremy had admired you from afar but never made any effort to speak to you, which was fine. You were not interested in a siscon brat anyway. ( I'M SO SORRY FOR THIS BUT THIS IS JUST THE READER’S PERSONALITY ) Dion had blushed, whenever you had been around but that was just creepy, he followed you around but once again never talked to you. Fountaine however was a whole different story not only did he have the courage to speak to you, he would also shamelessly flirt and catcall you. He was even worse than Dion Agriche. Watching from the corner of his eye as you danced, oh you were so flexible… you know the kind of things he could do with you? He could have you underneath him begging to fill you up but that was just his disgusting fantasy. You wouldn't even look his way in reality. Expressing your disgust with a scoff whenever he was around but today in particular he decided to get a little handsy, he placed his right hand on your chest and left hand on your exposed thigh because your dress was a thigh slit dress. He was standing behind you, body to body, the only thing in his way were the clothes. You felt absolutely disgusted and threw a jeweled dagger his way, stabbing his shoulder.

“This is a warning, Sir Fountain i’m a respectful woman so don’t let this happen again,” Y/n threatened

Meanwhile Grizelda who was walking by took an interest in the evil beauty,

“My~ y/n you truly are even more beautiful than what people describe you,” Grizelda sighed admiring you

“Thank you, I truly admire your eyes, they remind me of roses,” Y/n smiled, making eye contact

“Hmm.. Y/n would you care to join me for tea? Perhaps we could talk about that new novel that came out or some gossip going around in the mansion?” Grizelda asked

“Of course sister, I'll bring your gift first,” Y/n motioned for the maid to go get a gift from the pile she kept in her room just in case she was invited to a party out of nowhere.

The maid came back holding a dress pin of a gold beetle studded with rubies, it was a very beautiful piece. Y/n handed it to Grizelda and both girls made their way into the garden

“Giving me a gift like that out of nowhere~ hmm.. Now I have nothing to give you Y/n,” Grizelda sighed and you could smell her fresh minty scent.

“No need to worry about that Grizelda, after all you were the one that invited me,” Y/n huffed taking a seat

“By that new novel series, did you mean the novel ‘Lady Olivia’s dark secret’?” Y/n asked

Grizelda nodded, “Yes, that series is so well written! I love horror books and that series has to be my favorite,” Grizelda exclaimed blowing on her tea

“Ohhhh, that's my favorite series as well! I especially loved the part where she found the victim in a loose floorboard dismembered under the staircase,” Y/n blew on her tea as well

“Right?? Those books give me so many wonderful ideas~” Grizelda laughed sadistically

“Hmm..perhaps we should try some of them out on a servant?” Y/n inquired sweetly

“That's a wonderful idea, not only are you a beauty but you are also incredibly intelligent!” Grizelda laughed

“You flatter me too much,” Y/n blushed ( ITS PLATONIC )

“Nonsense, I never flatter anyone,” Grizelda sighed

“Have you heard that Lady Maria had a crush on Miss Sierra?” Y/n giggled

“What? Is that why they are always together?? How cute!!” Grizelda giggled

“Yes, I saw lady Maria kiss lady Sierra very close to her lips the other day!!” Y/n squealed

“Whatttttt??? I want to know what father thinks of thisss~~ hehe~~” Grizelda whispered

“He thinks they are just really good ‘friends’,”Y/n swatted her hands

“They were very fruity from the start! There isn’t any way that they aren’t in love with each other!!” Grizelda exclaimed

The tea the girls had in their hands had now been abandoned, while they took a walk around the garden whispering gossip from around the mansion into each other’s ears and giggling like schoolgirls with a crush.

Eventually it had gotten dark and both girls had to go back, exchanging a hug both girls left reluctantly. They were definitely SOUL SISTERS.

The next morning Grizelda had come over to greet y/n, when she saw a young woman fast asleep covered in silk sheets. She opened the blinds and shook y/n awake.

“There's DRAMA~ in the living room~~” Grizelda laughed

This made Y/n shoot up from bed and change into a gown within the span of a minute as she made her way into the living room.

Grizelda and Y/n noticed a young teenage red haired girl fighting with another purple haired boy around her age. Y/n and Grizelda took a seat by the couch to watch how this would go down and sure enough, Charlotte won.

“Congratulations darling, you are a true Agriche~” Y/n cooed

“You played it out well, just control you anger a little dear~” Grizelda smiled

It felt good to be praised and recognized for your effort,

“You are an Agriche right miss, how come I have never seen you around?” Charlotte asked y/n

“Uhm, you most likely have seen me around, I just usually wear a mask because I don’t like meeting Fountaine,” Y/n said sheepishly

“Hmm that's understandable, I hate everyone here!” Charlotte grumbles

“Evennnn meeeeee?” Y/n asked

“Yeah even you,” Charlotte said

What a tsundere, honestly

“We were going to the market to get accessories, want to come along?” Grizelda asked Charlotte

“Eh? Me? Why?” Charlotte asked

“Because you might like something too,” Y/n said

“Okay…” Charlotte said

“Great!!” Y/n exclaimed as Y/n and Grizelda grabbed each of Charlotte’s hands and ran towards the Carriage

Meanwhile Roxana couldn’t help but feel upset that Y/n hadn’t visited her in days, because she was always with Grizelda or Charlotte.

#wtptflob #way to protect the female leas older brother #grizelda agriche #charlotte agriche #roxana agriche #dion agriche #jeremy agriche #sierra agriche #maria agriche #manwaha x reader #webtoon x reader #agriche family x reader #agriche fanfic

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alj4890 · 3 years ago

Note

Hello dear! I have an ask I just recently read TRH book 1 what if we get Liams POV when Riley goes into labor and when he has to make that awful decision. What are his thoughts when Riley passes out and there’s no doctor? Maybe we can find out how they got the door open?

I replayed TRH book 1 & 2 recently, so this ask couldn't have come at a better time 😂. I wonder though if anyone else thinks it was odd that Godfrey was put in charge of installing new security at the Palace. I mean, why wasn't Liam and his King's Guards handling that? I don't know, but those chapters of Riley giving birth are some that hurt me, and only because the poor woman is denied an epidural 😂 I would have Godfrey strung up by his thumbs for causing that and allow Olivia to torture him to her heart's content. But enough of my revenge ideas, let's see what I can do with this for you.

@gkittylove99 @krsnlove @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @yourmajesty09 @mom2000aggie @ofpixelsandscribbles @twinkleallnight @lodberg @amandablink @neotericthemis @mm2305 @sfb123 @iufilms

Masterlist

The Decision

It was too much to comprehend.

One moment, Liam was confronting the man who killed his mother and the next was nothing but chaos and darkness.

Screams rent the air as flashing red lights revealed steel enforced doors dropping down over the ballroom's doors and windows.

Liam knelt beside his wife when he realized she had been knocked down by a panicking guest.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, gently brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Only my pride." She tried to smile but a painful tightening around her middle struck.

Her eyes widened when she felt a wetness between her legs.

"Liam!" She gripped his arm. "My water broke!"

"What?" He searched through the crowd for their friends. "Now?"

She nodded while breathing through another contraction. "We have to get to the hospital."

"We will." He helped her up. "Let's get you somewhere more comfortable while we get a door open."

"Liam!" Riley doubled over. "I don't want to have our baby in a ballroom filled with people."

"Is there a problem?"

The couple stiffened when they heard Isabella's voice. Her husband Bradshaw smiled at them.

"Our guards would be more than happy to help with the door situation," his smile held a hint of smugness, "as long as your child is betrothed to one of our twins."

Olivia arrived at that moment followed by their other friends.

"Are you saying your guards won't help rescue you without a betrothal?"

"We're in no immediate danger." Bradshaw explained.

"In fact, we're quite comfortable waiting for your pitiful little guards to find a way out." Isabelle added. "No need for us to cross international lines and damage delicate feelings with our more than capable personnel."

"Delicate!" Olivia heaved a deep breath. "We don't need your help to get out of this."

"We don't?" Maxwell asked. He let out an oomph when Olivia elbowed him. "I mean, yeah we don't! This isn't the first time we have been faced with a challenge."

"No steel door will ever convince us that their baby should be forced to be with one of your twins." Drake added.

Olivia beamed at him before turning her fury on the visiting monarchs. "I'll have it opened in no time."

"Yeah!" Maxwell cheered. "Go Nevarkis Ingenuity!"

She rolled her eyes while going to examine the metal door that covered the double doors into the ballroom.

"Oh!" Riley eased back down into a chair. She raised her eyes to Liam's. "They're getting stronger."

He gently rubbed her back. "Have you had any pains this evening?"

"It was all in my back. I thought it was from being on my feet most of the night." She took deep breaths to calm down. "But now--"

The flashing red lights and alarm stopped. The couple turned to see a proud Olivia slip a strange looking quartz bladed dagger back into a garter under her dress.

There was a square shaped hole cut within the wall with numerous wires exposed.

"That's going to be difficult to repair." Maxwell muttered.

Liam could not have cared less about the damage. If Olivia wanted to tunnel underground to get them out, then he would gladly rip up the marble tiles himself.

Riley cried out as a strong contraction struck.

"I need a distraction!" She puffed through the pain.

"How about some music?" Hana asked. "I composed a new piece recently."

"Or we could sing." Maxwell offered. "Any song you'd like."

"We could?" Drake shook his head. "Sorry Brooks, but that's not happening."

"You would deny her a song when she's in labor?" Maxwell's jaw dropped.

"I doubt our singing would help her any." Drake replied. "Might even double her pain."

While his friends bickered, Liam found his thoughts drifting back to the secret chamber they had unearthed less than an hour ago. He slipped his hand into his breast pocket to touch the letter he had discovered.

His mother's words about how much joy he had brought her echoed in his heart. He wished she could have lived to see the type of man he had become. He had tried with everything within him to live up to her expectations. Would she have noticed? What would she think of him as king now? What would her opinion have been on this choice he and Riley were given for an arranged marriage for her grandchild? Would she approve of them wanting to give their baby the right to choose his or her own spouse?

He wished he knew. He wished she was here guiding him in not only capturing her killer but in also knowing what to do for his wife and unborn child. He would have given anything to have her wise counsel once more.

"Hana!" Riley yelled to stop the argument between her three friends. "Please play whatever you like." She glared at Drake. "Someone's voice is getting on my nerves."

Hana hurried over to a piano and began to play a soothing song.

"I'm going to check on the door situation." Liam pressed a kiss to Riley's cheek. "I'll be back in just a moment."

"Hurry, please." She pleaded.

"I'll watch over her." Maxwell promised.

"I'll go check on the door with you." Drake added.

Liam made his way through the crowd, pausing here and there to reassure everyone that they would be out soon.

"Give me a boost." Olivia ordered.

Drake squatted down and linked his fingers together.

Olivia slipped her heels off and placed her foot in his grasp.

"One...two..." He heaved her up in the air, "three!"

Olivia steadied herself and quickly studied the mechanism that had allowed the door to drop. A lock had formed thus causing them to be unable to lift it up.

After poking and prodding with one of her stilettoes, she noticed the thin metal holding the lock in place.

"Bring me down." She ordered.

Drake grunted as he brought her back down. "Next time, stand on my shoulders."

"Did you figure out how to get it open?" Liam asked.

"I think I might be able to weaken the lock with heat and one of my daggers. Once we destroy that, we should be able to lift it." She explained.

"Can't we hotwire it?' Drake asked, gesturing toward the exposed wires.

"Not since I had to cut so many to get the alarms to turn off." She remarked. "I wouldn't be surprised if there is some emergency failsafe in place for an enemy's attack on the wiring. It might even drop another door on us."

Liam ran his hands over his face. "Do whatever you can to get us out of here."

"Good." Olivia nodded towards the bar. "Drake, we will start with the brandy to use for fuel."

Liam shook his head at her plan to start a fire of sorts. He hoped she didn't end up hurting herself in the process. Honestly though, he couldn't seem to focus on what he could do to help get the doors open.

"Your majesty! I don't think I can breathe in here another second!" Penelope grasped his arm while hyperventilating. "I don't do well in enclosed spaces."

"When will we get out of here?" Another noble demanded.

Questions began to be thrown at him as the crowd closed in a circle, trapping him directly in the middle.

"Is Olivia trying to burn us up in here?"

"We're going to die!"

"What are the guards doing to save us?"

"Auvernal's guards will have us out in minutes, if your king agrees." Bradshaw yelled out over the crowd. His smile was the final straw to break Liam's barely restrained temper.

"Enough!" Liam roared. "We are not going to die in here. The guards are doing all they can and Olivia is graciously assisting." His eyes zeroed in on Penelope. "Go sit down to try and calm your breathing. You're in the same ballroom you have danced in for years." He then turned to Auvernal's king. "As for your assistance, it isn't needed at this time."

Bradshaw shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal, but his eyes held a deep seeded anger as he looked upon Liam. "If you think your guests wouldn't prefer to get out of here as quickly as they can, then I suppose there is little we can do."

Murmurs rose once more around him. Liam clinched his fists then pushed his way through when he heard Riley call out for him.

Will this night never end?

It was becoming too much for him. The whining of his people, his wife in pain and in need of medical care, his own innate need to chase after Godfrey and make him pay for poisoning his mother...he needed it all to stop for a minute to allow him to think.

"Liam!" Riley had tears falling down her cheeks. "We need to go to the hospital now!"

She gripped his hand as Hana finished the last few notes to her song.

He knelt before her chair. "Olivia has found a way to open the door. We'll soon have you out of here and--"

The sound of metal screeching had everyone turning toward the double doors.

Seeing the steel door go up caused Liam to scoop his wife in his arms and rush toward the exit.

Their friends and guests spilled out after them to only stop short.

Godfrey had installed these same safety measures on every window and exterior door along the first floor.

"Liam?" Riley puffed through another contraction. "What are we going to do?"

"I found a way out of there." Olivia boasted. "I'm certain I can--"

Bradshaw clucked his tongue. "This isn't the same type of door, your grace." He smirked at her. He knocked against the thicker steel door. "My guards could find a way outside to open it, but only if you sign this."

He produced a betrothal contract.

Riley whimpered as she looked at it and then her husband.

"Get. That. Out. Of. My. Face." Liam ordered.

He turned on his heel to take his wife upstairs to their chambers. Once he reached the first step he spoke over his shoulder. "Olivia, we trust you to handle this. Hana, please call Riley's doctor and ask her to meet us here instead of the hospital."

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

The hours dragged on as they waited. Olivia appeared periodically to vent her frustrations with getting the door to open. Drake, Maxwell, and Hana attempted to keep Riley's spirits up as she endured the ever increasing contractions.

Liam felt absolutely useless. He didn't know what to do to help his wife. He didn't know the first thing of helping a woman give birth. What if there was a complication? What about their child? What if he couldn't clear the baby's airways? What if--"

"Liam?"

He focused on Riley, weakly gripping his hand. "Yes, my love? What can I do?"

"I feel...odd."

Maxwell nudged Liam out of the way to check her blood pressure.

"Where did you find a blood pressure kit?" Drake asked.

"I know it's hard to believe, but Bertrand has high blood pressure." Maxwell winked at his friends. "I can't imagine where his source of stress comes from."

Riley tried to smile at his teasing. She could feel whatever it was pulling her under making every movement feel like it she was wading through quicksand.

Maxwell's smile disappeared. He studied Riley's flushed cheeks and stepped back.

"What is it?" Liam whispered as his friend pulled him away from her bed.

"Her blood pressure is really high right now." Maxwell glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know if that's normal for a woman in labor, but I do know that this is when I would be calling an ambulance if it was Bertrand with this reading."

Liam rubbed his hands over his face. This entire night was one nightmare after another.

"Riley?" Hana shook her by the shoulders. "Riley?!"

Liam rushed back to the bed to see his wife passed out. He took a cold rag and wiped her face, hoping it would bring her back to them.

"Riley?" His voice cracked. "Please, wake up." He looked around at their friends. "What should I do?"

"I don't know." Drake draped his arm along Hana's shoulders when she began to softly cry.

"Keep talking to her." Maxwell jogged out the room. "I'll see about the door!"

Liam turned back toward Riley. He placed his hand on her stomach and could feel the tightening of contractions along with the faint movements of their child.

Riley opened her eyes.

Liam gently cupped her cheek.

"What happened?" She asked.

"You blacked out." He explained. "Your blood pressure--"

Maxwell returned with a frustrated Olivia.

"...short of dynamite, I don't know how I'll--" she stilled when she saw the color drain from Riley's face.

"I think it's happening..." Riley became unconscious once more. Her head dropped back on the pillows.

"We have to get that doctor here now." Liam looked up at Hana. "Any word from her?"

"She is right outside." Hana explained. "And so are Auvernal's guards."

Liam took off out of the room. His long, deliberate strides had him at the balcony overlooking the entryway where the Auvernal monarchs stood talking to some of the guests.

His friends had to nearly run to catch up with him.

Bradshaw looked up and curved his lips. "Trouble, King Liam?"

Isabella snickered. "I hope Queen Riley isn't suffering unnecessarily."

Liam launched himself at the smug king when he brought up the severe pain Riley must be in at this moment.

Shouts from his friends, guests, and the King's Guards drowned out him telling Auvernal's monarch to have his guards break down the door.

"No." Bradshaw's easy smile grew into an evil smirk. "I don't see any reason to have my men do anything like that to help a woman who isn't a part of my country nor one who wishes to ally herself with mine."

"You bastard!" Liam jerked his arm back. His fist formed as he prepared to beat this man within an inch of his life for denying his Riley a doctor.

It took Drake, Maxwell, and Bastien to hold him back from starting a war with Auvernal with a single punch. Olivia and Hana got between the two kings while Isabella merely looked on in glee.

"My wife and child are going to die if I don't get that doctor in here now!" Liam shouted. "And you stand there refusing to--"

"Not refusing!" Bradshaw snapped. "I'm trying to help you." He snapped his fingers and was handed the engagement contract by a nearby Auvernal guard. "Sign this and my men will have your doctor in here within five minutes."

Liam felt all the adrenaline that had rushed through his veins when he tried to punch the man leave his body. He felt not only weak but utterly worthless. He couldn't see any way out of this. He couldn't lose his wife. He couldn't lose the child they had eagerly waited for.

He couldn't get the damn door open without the very people he had grown to loathe these past nine months.

"Liam," Olivia whispered, "it's the only option we have now."

"We'll find a way to break it." Maxwell whispered.

"Yeah," Drake patted his shoulder. "Right now, you need to just accept the deal to get Brooks and the baby some help."

Liam glanced over at Hana to get her advice.

Tears filled her eyes. "I--I know this isn't what you want, but we have no choice."

Liam swallowed and snatched the paper from Bradshaw's hand. He signed the cursed document and tossed it in his face.

"There! Now get that doctor in here before it becomes null and void."

Bradshaw quickly gave the orders for his guards outside to break down the door with a battering ram.

In three minutes, Dr. Ramirez was following Liam up to the royal chambers.

She helped rouse Riley and then guided her through the delivery.

Liam watched in awe as his wife produced the most perfect baby girl he had ever seen.

Tears of joy and immense relief trickled down his cheeks as he held his daughter for the first time.

"I think we should name her Eleanor," Riley said, watching him kiss their little one's forehead, "in honor of your mother."

His eyes practically glowed as he looked upon his wife. "Thank you, my love."

She snuggled her head on his shoulder as they both gazed down at their own miracle.

Liam knew he needed to tell Riley what had happened with Auvernal yet he didn't want to ruin this first moment of them as a family.

He silently vowed as he held his daughter that he would somehow find a way to save her from an arranged marriage.

#choices the royal heir #king liam #liam x riley #trr drake walker #trr olivia #trr maxwell #trr hana lee #choices trh

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noyashighlight · 4 years ago

Text

The Villianess who lived

Chapter one

“ And for the crimes of trying to harm another noble not only in public but in the vicinity of the royal family I summon you to death Y/n Villarreal.” The executioner’s voice boomed through the crowd of people gather in town square.

The one accused of the Horrendous crime was nothing more than a young girl, but not just any girl the daughter of Duke Villarreal who had just been beheaded this moment in an attempt to save his beloved daughter. Though she was vain and jealous of the baron's daughter for managing to steal her love the first prince, poisoning tea wasn’t her thing. Speaking of her beloved first prince, Tooru Oikawa was the one who sentenced her to this harsh death. He loved Maryanne Barlowe and not y/n, only being engaged to her for political advantage to be the crowned prince. He watched from his seat a daunting smirk on his face, his hatred for the girl ran deep to the point where the announcement of her death made him chuckle.

Next to him stood his best friend and personal knight Hajime Iwaizumi wearing his usual poker face. Though she was annoying with her unexplained love for the one he served and her cruel attitude towards women, the knight didn’t believe she deserved this punishment.

And on his other side sat Maryanne Barlowe the eighth and youngest child of the Baron, known as the sunflower of high society thanks to her friendly attitude she used to social climb. No one saw her as a threat due to her title, but now she would be the future empress. Soon she would reveal her true self as this was all an act for her, from pretending to be nice and weak to poisoning her own drink at a tea party Y/n hosted.

Y/n’s eyes shook with rage, hatred soared. Everything was taken from her, she was an accused villainess whose only real crime was falling for the wrong man who thought of her as a disposable object. “Any last words Lady Villarreal?” Tooru said standing from his seat, making sure he could get a good view of her in her last moments.

“ I hope that in my next life, I’ll be the one to place your head on a stick and parade it around the capital.” She still held her head high as if she wasn’t who just defamed the future self-proclaimed king.

He let out a loud chuckle that would send chills down anyone’s spine, “ Those who have sinned don’t get a next life, I hope the heavens forgive you my dear.” To think the only time he called her my dear was in a sinister setting. He nodded his head as cue for the executioner to do his job, “ May your damned soul find peace in the after life.” He whispered before swinging the sword down.

Her throat felt cold and burned as she shot up in her bed holding her throat letting out a scream of terror. “ My Lady are you okay?” Her personal maid Olivia burst through the double doors of her room. Y/n looked around horrified, she was back in her room. And Olivia was alive and well? This couldn’t be, the maid had died after taking the fall saying she had poured the tea thinking it would save her master.

“ I-I’m fine, how old am I?” It all felt too real to be a dream, was she given a second chance? Or was this the peacefulness of the afterlife being with the ones she loves? “ You’re about to turn 17 in a week, are you sure that you’re okay? You look pale and sweaty my lady.” The maid worried checking her head for fever or any signs of one. She was interrupted when Y/n pulled her down into a hug.

“ I’m fine Liv, I’m just happy to see you that’s all.” The young girl was never this gentle on any subject but that prince. Ah, that bastard who dared to cross her after devoting her life and body to him. She had a year until her death so she hadn’t done anything stupid yet. But to change her fate she had to change the future. “ What’s my schedule for today?” She hummed, if they wanted a villainess she would play the part but for her own benefit.

Olivia looked at y/n like she had lost her mind, “ You’re having tea with the first prince, you had to wait a whole month to get him to agree since he said he was busy.” Ah, that was right Tooru did all he could do to ignore and shun his betrothed. What a cowardly man, she thought getting out of bed.

“ I want to wear a light orange dress today, the more innocent the better. I’ve got a crow to catch.” She smiled to herself as sat in front of her vanity. Her maid was distraught by the sudden change of dress. “ But my lady! You’ve had that revealing aqua dress you were planning to wear since it’s Prince Tooru’s favorite color.” Maybe her mistress had finally lost her mind.

Y/n couldn’t help but laugh, love was such a blind curse. “ Throw it out, and anything else that color it makes me was to puke. Now pick me out something simple for breakfast so I can have breakfast with father. The maid nodded and quickly got her ready.

“ Father!” Y/n hugged the stern Duke, his face automatically softening. She hadn’t clung to him like this since he told her that he got the king to accept her engagement to Prince Tooru. “well hello to you too sweetheart, what did I do to deserve this?” He was curious, he hadn’t brought her anything over the past few days due to him being gone.

She couldn’t believe that her father was standing before her alive and well. “ Nothing I’m just glad to see you, now let’s have breakfast together before I have to go to the palace. “ she clung to his arm as they walked to the table together, she was going to make sure her father didn’t die in vain this time.

“ And we're finished, you look gorgeous Lady Y/n. No Lady’s beautiful rivals yours, the prince will definitely fall in love with you this time.” Olivia gushed at her handy work, as y/n stared at herself in the mirror astonished at her reflection. “ Olivia I will reward you when I come back home, now I must go I don’t want to be late.” She smiled making her way to her carriage, it didn’t matter if she was late or not because the prince would always arrive an hour late just to show the true distance between them. In this hour of free time she would set her plan into action.

“ Lady Villarreal.” Her knight Wakatoshi Ushijima said, holding out his hand to help her on to the carriage. “ Toshi I told you not to be so formal when no one is around, I get enough of that already.” She giggled at him taking his hand and getting on. Not only was he the best knight of the Duke but also her childhood friend.

“ My apologies lad- y/n, I’m used to you always having one of the noble ladies with you.” Those ladies weren’t here friends only using her for her high status, in the past, she was just too dumb to see but now it was clear as day.

The second she arrived at the palace she told wakatoshi to wait for her, as she wanted her alone time with the prince. Aha if only they knew which prince she was talking about. Y/n was headed to the crow garden, where the second prince Tobio Kageyama would be since it was a garden dedicated to his late mother. Once aprincess from another kingdom before becoming the empress while Tooru’s mother was only a queen. Sadly Tobio’s mother died at a young age, this palace was deadly yet somehow he was still alive. She was taking a real gamble coming here trying to meet him, it could even cost her life but whether she dies now or a year later made no difference.

The garden was filled with orange and black flowers that seemed almost otherworldly, the girl looked like she was a part of the garden with her dress blending into the flowers. No sign of the second prince at all, maybe her plan was going all to waste. The girl crouched down gently touching a flower. Just then she felt a cold sword on her shoulders threatening to cut her neck. “ Your highness prince Tobio has forbidden anyone from picking the flowers. Stand up slowly and turn to state your name.” Y/n gulped as she followed instructions meeting eyes with Shoyo Hinata, the orange-headed prince’s guard. He usually wore a playful smile but when ordered to can become deadly in seconds.

“ Lower your sword, I’m very aware of who she is. Though I have no idea why you’d show your face in this part of the palace.” A low voice ordered from behind Shoyo. prince Tobio finally came into the picture, but he didn’t look too happy.

Y/n bowed after the sudden shock, “ Glory to you your highness, may you prosper.” She spoke humbly, he was almost taken aback that she was bowing in his stead. Yes, she was in a lower position than him, but rumor had it that the duke’s daughter thought of herself as a prince who would only bow below the king and her beloved. “ You may rise, Lady Villarreal, why have you come here?”

He was itching to find out why she was here of all places, was she sent by his brother to kill him? Tobio had never formally met Y/n only the rumors that she was an evil being. There was no evil being that stood before him just a lovely woman who looked innocent. “ I’m sorry that I’ve intruded, I’ve heard about this garden since I was little but was never able to come. Also I heard that you would be here.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, with Knight Hinata still here she couldn’t reveal her true plan yet.

She came here for him? What business did she have him with anyway? Maybe he had done something to offend her, Shoyo often told him that his face was scary and made ladies cry. “ Why would I be interesting enough for the lady to come all the way here just to see me? Does my brother know that you are here?” He and everyone else knew Tooru didn’t love Y/n but if he knew one thing about his brother is that he is possessive. Just knowing that his fiancé came to see him would drive him crazy.

“ Ah I can’t say, your guard is scaring me.” She lied straight through her teeth, Tobio took the bait nodded his head to dismiss his knight. “ Now you may speak freely.” This whole encounter was strange for him and what she was about to say was even stranger.

She took a deep breath, worse comes to worse she would be sent to jail for offending royalty. “ I’m going to cancel the engagement with the first prince.” She looked up to meet his eyes that just went wide with concern and confusion.

“ Why would you do that? And why would you be telling me this as if it mattered to me?” He questioned as his eyes narrowed with suspicion, maybe she wasn’t as weak as he had thought when he saw her.

Y/n smiled as she had just won a prize, he was asking questions which was a good sign. “ Well, it’s clear that Prince Tooru doesn’t love me, and is only with me for ties to the Villarreal Dukedom. Without me lowers his chances of being king, being with Maryanne Barlowe who can’t give him a status raise will be his downfall.”

“ You know speaking of a future king while the current one is still alive is a crime right, yet you refuse to bite your tongue. Go on and continue, I’ll decide by the end of this if you’ll end up in the dungeon or not.” Tobio advised causing her to gulp, she must not falter to his empty threats.

“ My birthday ball Tooru will bring lady Maryanne instead of escorting me, excuse me but that bastard is going to embarrass me for that woman publicly. I do not wish to stay by his side, I do not wish to love anymore. So please be my escort to my birthday, I will back you and make you king. Just don’t let me die.” Her eyes began to water and gloss over which she didn’t intend to happen, the thought of repeating the past scared her.

Tobio was taken back by the sudden emotions she held, she was shaking like her life was in danger. How was her fiancé being unfaithful going to end in death? His brain swirled with theories and answers but nothing made sense. This offer was too good for him to decline also too risky in the same sense. “ Keep your word that you’re going to cancel the engagement, then I’ll send you a message on what my answer will be.” This was the only acceptable answer he could give fearing this could all be a trap, something in her eyes was crying for him to help. If Tooru did become king he was as good as dead since he had hate for Tobio. With that he left without another word, he couldn’t take in any more information at the moment.

Y/n sat in the indoor garden sipping on her tea, she had been here for two hours, her fiancé was running extra late today not that she minded. It gave her time to practice speaking calmly instead of jumping over the table and brutally murder him for the trauma he had caused from her death. When the door opened Tooru arrived with Hajime, this tea was informal as ever how did y/n of the past look forward to meeting this rude man.

“ Sorry for being late, I had some stuff to take care of. “ he sat down expecting her to whine about how she had waited so long to see him. “ I didn’t mind, I was enjoying being in my own company. I’m starting to prefer spending time with myself instead.” She said calmly not even bothering to look up from her tea.

He smirked at her attitude, he wished she was always like this instead of drooling all over him. “ Your birthday is next week, I’m guessing you’re here to ask me to escort you? I’ll be wearing blue so you have to match me.” He loved toying with her emotions and getting her hopes up, yes he would agree to go but not with her.

Y/n hated the way he was so cocky and sure of himself, “ You don’t have to worry about us matching, I’m not wearing blue at all.” She simply stated finally meeting eyes with him. “ Is this your way of telling me that you want us to wear a different color? How rude you know I love blue.” If she wanted to wear a different color he would comply since it wasn’t his party but usually she agreed with whatever he said.

“ No not us, I will be wearing a different color since you won’t be escorting me.” She dropped the bomb on him even making his knight flinch at her harsh words. Tooru most definitely thought she was playing hard to get now. “ Why wouldn’t I be? I’m your loving fiancé aren't I?” He wore a playful smirk on his face, she was going to cave in if he played the part of a lover.

She chuckled at his ignorance, he just wasn’t getting it was he? “ Prince Tooru we both know you don’t love me, and I’ve decided to stop loving you now. So why don’t we do each other a favor, and stop this? I y/n Villarreal am annulling this engagement.” She stood up from her seat shucking the prince who could only grind his teeth. Lowering herself she got close to his ear, “ Why don’t you ask Maryanne Barlowe to be your betrothed, or you might be better off marrying a commoner.” Y/n stood up straight as she made her way to the door.

Tooru could barely react in time, “ If you leave right now Y/n, I will never take you back no matter how much you or your father beg me.” He stood up quickly making his chair topple over with a slam, their was no way this weak-minded girl changed overnight.

“ Your highness please refer to me as Lady Villarreal in public from now on, I don’t want people to get weird ideas.” She smiled politely before exiting, leaving the prince to flip over the tea table in anger. Though she had escaped from that death doesn’t mean she escaped from death completely.

A/n: it took me awhile to place the characters! Thank you to everyone who submitted stuff, I’m sorry if I didn’t get to use the character you wanted but I’ll be making some headcannons for the ones y’all sent. P.s I don’t hate Oikawa at all but you can’t tell me he doesn’t play his part well lmaooo. See you next time <3

#haikyu x reader #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu!!#iwaizumi hajime #aoba josai x reader #oikawa tooru #oikawa headcanons #kageyama #kegayama tobio #karusuno #reincarnation #kegayama x reader #revenge #the villainess who lived

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thatesqcrush · 4 years ago

Text

Drinks & Theories

Rafael Barba x Olivia Benson. This was for the Barson Valentine’s Exchange on Twitter and I made it work for my VDay bingo. Using “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star.

CW: some kissing, mostly fluff

WC: 2.8k

Much to her surprise, his kisses tasted sweet and not at all like what she expected. Sweet and slightly minty. In all honesty however, the night in its entirety wasn't what Olivia Benson had expected.

All she knew at that very moment was that she enjoyed the way Rafael Barba kissed. Olivia also enjoyed the feel of his hands on her, especially the way they cupped her ass, pulling her flush against his chest. The heat that radiated off him sent chills down her spine.

Olivia also quickly realized that she didn't mind the feel of his stubble against her cheek as he continued to assault her lips with his own. She moaned quietly and felt him pepper her neck with kisses. Rafael sucked a mark into her neck, eliciting another moan. His tongue was warm and wet, and he soothed the bruise that formed. draw her even closer. Olivia attacked his kisses with her own, feverishly pressing kisses down his jaw line before kissing him fully on the lips once more.

"Liv…" Rafael quietly rumbled against her ear.

Liv nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. Letting out a small giggle, she finished his thoughts for him. "Perhaps we better take this elsewhere then?"

Rafael pulled away and gazed at the brunette woman in his arms with heated eyes. "I like the way you think."

Liv couldn't help but smirk in response and she leaned into his ear. "By the end of the night, that won't be the only thing you'll like."

Rafael cocked an eyebrow, his own green eyes sparkling with desire. "Let's test that theory then."

Hours earlier…

The day had started innocently enough. Or so it seemed at the time. Rafael had joined Olivia on a routine trip to GreenHaven to press Yates on more information about the washed up bodies. The meeting with Yates went as well as it could have - meaning, leading nowhere. Olivia did not want to have to come back up with Amanda, but it seemed that the Georgian was the only one who could get into Yates head.

The ride back to Manhattan was going well. The trip was ninety minutes if they didn’t stop and traffic was on their side. Rafael had plans for a Harvard Alumni speaking engagement later that night and Olivia was hoping to relieve Lucy and get some quality time with Noah.

Rafael was bored in the car - he was never a good road trip companion. He was fiddling with the radio, and playing drums with hands on the dashboard, or chewing Liv’s ears off with random trivia. Olivia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she pulled up to the light.

“Are you alright?” Rafael asked, looking at Olivia. She appeared tired and stressed. Rafael wanted to do nothing but reach over and squeeze her thigh reassuringly, but he wouldn’t dare. He had been secretly harboring feelings for Olivia for quite some time. He had been hurt years prior and he didn’t want to risk his friendship with Olivia by telling her the truth. He’d rather be her friend than be alone.

“Tired.” Olivia confessed as the light turned green. “I just need some coffee.”

Rafael looked out the side of his window. “We just passed a sign for a rest stop two miles up. Want to check it out?”

Olivia looked at Rafael and smiled. “That’s a great plan and I could use a break to stretch my legs.”

Rafael gave her a small nod and looked at the window. Olivia glanced towards him and let out a small sigh. She wasn’t sure when she fell for Rafael, but she had. And to anyone else, his behavior in the car would have been downright annoying, she found it endearing. Time always seemed to be against them - prior relationships got in the way or if she became suddenly available, Rafael was not.

Olivia pulled into the rest stop which had a small diner and a gas station. “I’ll get us two coffees.” Rafael shook his head. “No thanks.”

Olivia laughed. “You are such a coffee snob.” She got out of the car and walked away and Rafael felt his cock twitch at the sight of her hips swaying and most perfect ass.

He played back what Olivia said - coffee snob - and decided in that moment to get a cup of coffee after all. He didn’t notice the car keys on Olivia’s seat and just shut the door behind him, but not before hitting the side lock.

Rafael found Olivia pouring an obscene amount of creamer in her coffee. “I got you one anyway - black - just the way you like it.” She smiled, handing him the coffee.

“Thanks.” Rafael replied sheepishly. “At least let me pay for the coffee.”

“Sure thing counselor.” Olivia winked as she led the way back to the coffee counter. Rafael felt his cheeks burn and he was glad she couldn’t see his reaction.

Rafael paid for the coffee and they walked out back to the car. Olivia pulled on the car handle but the door didn’t budge.

“Can you open the car?”

“Why would I open the car? You have the keys. Don’t you?” Rafael replied slowly as realization washed over him.

“You didn’t bring the keys in with you? Oh fuck!” Olivia swore. She put the coffee on the roof of the car and peered inside, seeing the keys on her seat. “Way to go Barba.”

“Who doesn’t take the keys with them when they go inside a store?” Rafael protested.

“You were in the car genius! I didn’t think I needed to.” Olivia snapped, running her hand through her mane. The sky above them rumbled and Olivia looked up as a large raindrop splashed onto her face. “Ah, shit.”

The sky darkened and thunder began to rumble. There was a small crack of lightning and the wind began to pick up, swirling and pushing loitered trash.

Rafael and Olivia huddled under the awning of the store just as the sky opened up and rain began to pour down.

“I can’t believe you locked us out. We’re in the middle of nowhere, how the hell are we going to get someone to come up here?”

“You’re a cop; can’t you just break in?” Rafael asked.

Olivia turned and glared at him.“No - not if I want to ruin my own car.”

“Then do you have another plan?”

“Excuse me - do you need help?” A voice interrupted Rafael and Liv’s quarrel. It was an elderly woman and her husband.

Liv gave the woman a sympathetic smile. “We’re locked out of my car.”

“Well,” the elderly man began to speak. “There is a motel one mile down. We can give you a ride there that way you don’t have to stay in the rain.”

Rafael began to protest but the woman interrupted him. “Now, now, that is not the gentlemanly thing to do. You and your wife are going to catch pneumonia.”

Liv nodded, not bothering to correct her. “That is so kind of you; thank you.” She and Rafael followed the couple to their car, getting soaking wet in the process and off they went.

“Well, we can’t get someone up here to unlock the car tonight.” Liv replied as she hung up the phone in the motel lobby. “We’ll have to stay overnight.”

Rafael groaned. “Okay, so we should get a room then.”

The woman at the front desk was busy gossiping on the phone, filing her nails. Rafael drummed his fingers on the counter and cleared his throat which caught her attention.

“I have to go - I have a customer. Later, baby.”

Both Rafael and Liv tried their hardest to not roll their eyes. After getting some basic information, Rafael and Liv were informed that there was only one room left - and that room only had one bed.

“We’ll take it.” Rafael replied, sliding his credit card over. The woman smiled and finished the transaction before giving him his card back along with a key that had a rabbit’s foot attached.

Rafael muttered something in Spanish and Liv tried her best to keep a straight face.

They settled into the room - which fortunately wasn’t as drabby as they thought would be. It had a retro feel to it with matching carpet and drapes, but it was clean. And for the night, it would do.

“There is a bar on the other side.” Olivia announced as she used a towel to wring out her hair. “Want to join me?”

“In a bit. I have to send a few emails and the wifi here is a crapshoot.” Rafael replied as he tried angling his phone by the window.

“See ya in a bit then.” Olivia replied. “Make sure you take the key this time.”

“Ha, ha, very funny.” Rafael called out as Liv left the room.

As she nursed her whiskey sour, she found herself lost in thought, drowning out the noises of the crowded bar. Olivia had become so wrapped in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Rafael had arrived at the bar and had taken a seat beside her.

"Liv?" Rafael snapped his fingers multiple times in front of her. "Earth to Benson."

Olivia looked up startled and her cheeks turned pink as she realized that she had been caught. "Oh! Rafael! Sorry…I didn't see you. It's been one of those weeks and today was just the cherry on top of a crappy sundae."

The dark haired man grunted in response.

"Yeah, same here," Rafael replied with a sigh. He motioned to the drink in her hand. "What's your poison of choice?"

"Whiskey sour, my mother’s favorite drink for times like these," Olivia replied, grimacing.

Rafael ordered a scotch and once in hand, he raised it to her. "Cheers."

Olivia raised her glass as well and they toasted to each other. They quickly fell into polite conversation, mostly about the latest happenings. However, as more and more drinks came their way, however, their conversation began to take a turn. Innocent conversation became heated and Olivia found herself flirting with great fervor. Rafael obviously didn't mind as he placed his hand on her thigh. Leaning closer to Rafael, she felt his thumb begin to rub in circles.

Shivering, Olivia licked her lips. "What exactly are you playing at Rafael Barba?"

"You’ll see.” He winked. “Let's dance.”

Olivia sat up sharply, causing her to wince. "But there's no music," she protested.

As if on cue, a cheesy love song began to play and a small smile began to tug on the corners of Rafael's lips. He outstretched his hand to hers and Olivia took it, allowing him to take the lead.

Strong arms wrapped around Olivia protectively as they began to dance. Rafael's hand traveled south to her lower back and Olivia nestled against his chest. The sexual tension between the two of them was about to crack, thanks to the alcohol that was currently pushing them in the right direction.

Rafael looked deep into Olivia's eyes, and he brought one hand to caress her cheek before tracing the outline of her lips with the pad of his thumb. And without any other word passing between them, Rafael dipped his mouth to hers.

Olivia's heart did a flip flop at the feel of Rafael's lips on hers. "Rafael…" she breathed in between kisses. Rafael began to nip on her lower lip and Olivia let out a soft moan. "Jesus."

That earned a chuckle from Rafael. "Thanks for the compliment."

Olivia swatted him playfully before kissing him back. Rafael pulled her closer again with one hand resting on her back while the other cupped the back of her head gently. Olivia's tongue playfully probed Rafael's mouth and by the deep rumble in his chest, she knew Rafael enjoyed it immensely.

“I think it's strange you never knew how I felt about you.” Rafael murmured against Olivia’s cheek.

Olivia moved her face to look into Rafael’s eyes, sparkling with desire. “I look to you to see the truth.”

Only one thing mattered at that moment and Olivia quickly answered when Rafael questioned her. "You have the key right?”

The next morning Olivia woke up in a tangle of sheets. Memories of the night before flooding her thoughts and she felt her cheeks turn pink before smiling to herself. Looking over to the spot next to her, she watched Rafael sleep. She chewed on her bottom lip as she eyed the bite mark under his nipple that she had left during their interlude.

The clock read 6:15 A.M. Olivia decided that it was way too early for her to get up. Olivia lay back down in bed and snuggled next to Rafael who instinctively wrapped his arm around her.

She was about to close her eyes when she heard Rafael speak. "Morning,"

"Good morning," Olivia replied. "How'd you sleep?"

"For the first time in my life, better than ever. I'd like to think that was because of you though," Rafael replied honestly.

Olivia smiled and pressed a small kiss on his lips. "No regrets then?"

"None at all," was his reply. Olivia snuggled once more against his chest, letting the sound of his heartbeat wash over her.

"I do have one question though," Olivia announced after a few minutes had passed by.

Rafael moved to prop himself on his side. "Oh?" he questioned as he stroked her arm with the tip of his index finger.

"Wanna test that theory again?" Olivia searched his eyes and she mentally did a victorious dance as she watched his eyes light up.

"Hermosa, I thought you'd never ask."

FIN.

****

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

#barson #rafael barba x olivia benson #thatesqcrushvdaybingo

44 notes · View notes

vxlkyrie · 5 years ago

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bittersweet - iii

pairing: spencer reid x reader, jay halstead x reader, sonny carisi x reader

genre: angst, fluff

warning: cursing, violence, graphic crime details, mentions of rape, mentions of death, fighting, mentions of kidnapping, mentions of alcohol

word count: 4.2k

summary: a huge case calls for the bau, intelligence, and special victims, causing you to cross paths with your ex – that no one in your team knew about

other parts: one, two

a/n: ahhh it’s the final part! again, thank you to everyone who has supported this mini series (and all of the asks i’ve gotten about bittersweet has me hollering). also, i used one part of this fic from another one of my fics – how unoriginal of me but idc lol i hope you guys like this ending!

“i have to go after him!”

“i know you do sweetie,” penelope held your arms, trying to calm you down. “but this is urgent. i promise you can talk to spencer soon.”

“but-” you cried.

“y/n, he’ll be fine.” olivia said, patting your shoulder. you breathed in, trying to slow down your anxious heart.

spencer walked back into the squadroom a few moments later. you tried to approach him as everyone gathered around penelope, but was met with a cold glance from him as he distanced himself from you. you exhaled, turning your attention to the tech analyst.

“go ahead garcia.” hank said.

“i did some research on the 10 girls and nothing came up. they all continued on with their lives or went through recruitment again and happily joined other chapters. they’re all model citizens.” penelope explained.

“okay, go on.”

“and so i did some digging on the sororities themselves, and apparently one of the chapter’s presidents was kicked out a few years ago after being caught hazing new members and was even arrested.” she said, pulling up the article.

you grimaced, thinking of what horrible thing she could’ve possibly done to those girls.

“melanie clarkson, sigma phi kappa.” emily read out loud from penelope’s screen.

“what did she do to the new members?” olivia asked, penelope’s eyes quickly skimming through the article.

“oh god. she laced their drinks with small doses of rat poison and later sodomized them.” penelope said. you were starting to get a sick feeling in your stomach. jj and kim rushed over to you, rubbing your back in order to calm you down.

“so she’s our unsub.” rossi stated.

“she’s had most of her m.o. already before she escalated to killing.” jay stated.

“what’s the connection between her and the other two chapters?” sonny asked as penelope typed away.

“her two younger sisters,” she said, pulling up several files. “lea and hailey clarkson, both 20. they went to two different colleges – one in richmond and one in chicago.” she gulped.

“let me guess, kappa alpha delta and delta xi?” hotch asked for confirmation.

“bingo. there’s medical records going back two years ago of the two sisters coming in the er, both reported to have been raped. sodomized to be specific.”

everyone sighed. you especially cringed to yourself.

“you okay?” emily whispered to you, patting your back.

“yeah,” you weakly nodded. “i can’t believe that these women would do that to each other. it’s so fucking cruel. sororities are supposed to be about sisterhood – not trying to hurt each other.”

“and you are definitely not one of those girls, y/n.” jj reassured you.

you nodded at her, thanking her for her empathy.

“it looks like they were the only ones from their sororities to report the rapes.” penelope continued.

“so they were probably the only ones who were raped?” kevin questioned.

“the news of a melanie being arrested ruined her sisters’ legacy of joining sigma phi kappa so they joined different chapters,” you thought out loud. “everyone must’ve heard about what she did to them, so they targeted her younger sisters as payback.”

“did the sisters file a police report?” olivia asked.

“yes,” penelope answered. “it said that their chapter executive board were in on the attacks.”

suddenly, a light turned on in your head.

“wait, can you pull up everything you have on our past victims?” you asked.

“why?”

“the president from sigma phi kappa told me that our two recent victims were on their exec board.” you explained.

“all of the victims were on their chapter’s executive boards during their last year.” penelope clarified.

“there’s our victimology.” rossi chirped.

“where is melanie now?” derek asked.

“she’s 25 now. released on good behavior after serving for two years and got off probation a year ago.” penelope said.

“her sisters’ attacks were the stressor. waited until she was off probation and then started killing throughout this year.” jj added.

“her financials show that she flew to chicago and richmond during the times of the murders.” penelope called out.

“good job babygirl.” derek patted her back.

“anything else you can get on her, give it to carisi.” hotch ordered, penelope quickly nodding as she continued typing.

“hey guys!” one of the officers shouted, catching everyone’s attention. “we got a call about an intruder at the sigma phi kappa house at hudson.”

“it must be melanie,” hotch clarified. “alright everyone, let’s go.”

everyone prepared, strapping on their vests.

“burgess, ruzek, prentiss, you’ll ride with me.” hank stated.

“rollins, reid, and morgan, you’re with me.” olivia ordered.

“l/n, jj, halstead, looks like you’re riding with me.” hotch said.

“the rest of you are riding with me.” fin called out.

everyone nodded their heads.

as soon as you got yourself ready, you walked up to spencer.

“spencer, can we talk about this?” you pleaded, his eyes not meeting yours. “spence, please-”

before you could even finish, he walked away, joining the others as he walked out. you bit back tears as you took a deep breath. jay gave you a sad smile and a light pat on your shoulder.

now’s not the time, get your head in the fucking game.

you stared straight ahead of you as hotch drove to the house. you felt a hand grab yours. you turned your head to see jj giving you a sympathetic smile.

“everything’s going to be fine, y/n,” she said. “spencer loves you too much just to give up on you two because of a misunderstanding. you remember last time that happened.”

you and spencer walked back to your apartment in silence.

“y/n?” he said, pulling his hand away from yours.

“yeah babe?” you tilted your head at him. he visibly swallowed.

“are, are you cheating on me?” spencer croaked. you raised your eyebrows at him.

“what? babe, no! where did you get that from?” you shook your head.

“you’ve been sneaking off and being quiet lately. you won’t even let me into your apartment for the past couple of weeks. please be honest with me y/n, are you cheating on me?” his eyes became glossy.

“i’m not! it’s not what you think.” you tried to explain to him.

“y/n, please spare me the pain and just break up with me if you don’t love me anymore.”

“spencer!” you yelled. “i love you and only you, okay? i’m sorry i’ve been secretive lately, but it’s definitely not because i’ve been cheating on you.”

“i-it’s not?” spencer blushed, feeling guilty for accusing you of such a horrible act.

“no.” you said, grabbing his hand and quickly walked to your front door.

the moment you two entered your dark apartment, the lights turned on, revealing the rest of your team.

“happy birthday spencer!” they cheered. spencer’s jaw dropped.

this explains everything. shit-

“happy birthday spence.” you sadly smiled at him, looking at your feet. spencer scooped your into his arms, holding you tightly.

“oh my god i’m so, so, so sorry y/n. i should’ve trusted you. i can’t believe i would even think for a second that you would do such a thing. i know you would never do that to me. i’m so sorry-” he cried in the crook of your neck.

“spencer! it’s okay! i forgive you!” you exclaimed. he pulled away from you, looking into your eyes. he then quickly leaned in, practically smashing his lips onto yours. you immediately kissed back, molding your lips together.

“whoa there kids, there are people here!” derek shouted as the rest of the team screamed.

you laughed as you both let go of each other.

“i love you.”

“i love you too.”

you chuckled at the memory.

“yeah.” you whispered.

moments later, you felt the car being put into park.

as soon as everyone arrived, hotch chatted with the responding officer.

“what do we have?”

“no gunshots reported yet, door’s been broken into, there must be at least 50 girls in that house with the intruder.”

“okay, everyone listen up,” hotch shouted, gathering everyone’s attention as they were arming up. “benson and voight, your groups will get as many people as you can out of the house. those who rode with me, we will go in and find melanie. l/n, you will try to talk her down.” he ordered.

you nodded your head at him.

your group entered the house first, the others soon following and silently walking throughout the house and scattered into the different halls.

you watched as girls exited their rooms in a panicked manner, the team leading them out the front door.

where the hell is she?

you suddenly remembered the room maria showed you when you and jay asked for their rosters. your feet found themselves picking up the pace as you walked towards the study, the rest of your group trailing behind you. you noticed the door had already been opened, immediately walking in gun first.

you entered to see a woman holding a gun to maria’s head. the woman’s eyes filled with anger.

“melanie clarkson, fbi! drop your weapon.” you shouted as everyone aimed their weapons at her.

“these girls have ruined my life! they ruined my sisters’ lives!”

“no, melanie. you ruined your lives when you decided to hurt those girls.”

“is this your way of talking down someone?” melanie spat.

“is this your way of getting revenge for lea and hailey? maria didn’t hurt your sisters. let her go.”

“she didn’t, but she hurt me.” melanie cried.

“how did she hurt you?” you calmly asked.

“she-she was the one who had me arrested! she made me lose my position just for her to take it years later!” she shouted.

“i’m sorry!” maria yelled as tears ran down her face.

“shut up, bitch!” melanie pressed the gun further into her temple.

“melanie! put the gun down! think of your sisters – think of lea and hailey. they just got you back.”

“it doesn’t matter, i’m going back anyways.” melanie scowled.

“would you rather go back or be dead?” you asked.

melanie glared at you, removing the gun from maria’s head to aim at you.

“i don’t know, what do you think, madam president?” melanie snarled. you gave her a confused look. “don’t give me that look. i saw you in an article and did my research on you. y/n l/n – alpha chi delta alumnae. i was proud to see successful women who were in greek life. then i read that you were the president your last year.”

“what does that have to do with anything?” you furrowed your eyebrows.

“tell me, how did you haze your new members?” she smirked, placing her finger on the trigger. you mirrored her actions, ready to fire at her if necessary.

“i didn’t.” you stated.

“is that so?”

“yes. i’m not some psychopath who enjoys torturing innocent people. is that what gets you off? poisoning them and then sexually assaulting them?” you spat back.

“you bitch.”

the rest of the team stayed back as soon as they had the girls outside of the house.

“do we have everyone?” olivia asked the big group of girls who were shivering from the cold.

“no! where’s maria?!” one girl shouted, catching the captain’s attention.

“we have one girl missing.” olivia spoke into her radio.

“visual on suspect. she’s holding a girl at gunpoint. we have y/n talking to her right now.” vanessa responded.

the mention of y/n over the radio caught both derek and spencer’s attention, snapping their heads up as they looked at each other.

“i gotta get back in there.” spencer said.

“you can’t. they’re gonna be fine.”

“what if something happens to her?” he furrowed his eyebrows in worry.

“y/n will be fine. let her do her job.” morgan said as he placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders, trying to hold him still.

spencer breathed in and out slowly, but can’t fight the horrible feeling of something happening to his fiance – and he wasn’t able to do anything about it.

bang! bang!

spencer’s breath hitched as he saw the medics ran passed him. he tried running into the house, but was pulled back by derek.

“let me go!” spencer yelled as he tried to fight out of derek’s arms.

“take it easy kid!” the older man shouted.

“y/n!” he cried.

“i feel cold.” you whispered as spencer pressed his hand onto your chest, trying to stop the bleeding.

“shhh, be quiet, you’re gonna be fine.” he said, letting out a small sigh of relief when he saw the medics run in. he pulled away as they worked on you.

“hey kid, she’s gonna be fine. she’s a fighter.” rossi said.

the bleeding looks really bad. he thought to himself as he bit his lip.

“i know she is. i can’t help it, you know? what happens if she doesn’t?” spencer sighed.

“spencer! spencer help! help!” he heard you yell as the medics try to hold you down. he rushed over to you, a terrified look painting his face as he saw you thrashing around.

“y/n?!”

“spencer! spencer! spencer!” your shouts grew louder. he jumped back to see everyone looking at him, shouting his name over and over again.

he felt his body shaking.

“spencer!”

his eyes suddenly opened as he quickly sat up, gasping loudly.

“spencer!”

he turned his head to see you looking at him with worry. he pulled you towards him, circling his arms around your middle.

“oh thank god, you’re okay.” he cried into your neck. your arms wrapped around him, rubbing circles on his back with one hand.

“shhh, i’m right here. everything’s okay. i’m okay.” you whispered, running your other hand through his hair.

spencer pulled away, cradling your face with his big hands.

“y-you were bleeding out on the floor and t-the medics couldn’t do anything. you were yelling. you were in pain.” he spoke as tears rolled down his cheeks.

“it was just a nightmare sweetie,” you said as your thumbs wiped his face clean. “i’m right here. i’m never leaving your side, ever.” you reassured.

“promise?”

“promise.”

“y/n!” spencer cried out once more, choking on his sobs. he saw most of your group walk out – but there was no sighting of you.

no, not like this. please.

he saw a gurney with a body bag on top being wheeled out of the house and thought his heart stopped beating.

“where is she?!” spencer roared. derek’s grip on him loosened. he hurried past several people towards the front door, only to stop in his tracks.

there you were, walking down the steps as you wrapped a jacket around maria.

he loudly sighed in relief, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to keep himself up.

you walked maria to one of the ambulances.

“i’m sorry it had to end this way,” you apologized. “no one should have to go through this.”

“i thought i did the right thing years ago. did i cause this?” maria asked as a medic checked up on her.

“you did the right thing, maria,” you emphasized. “you did not cause this. melanie chose to murder those women.” you comforted her.

“thank you.” she smiled at you.

“i still meant what i said earlier. if you need anything, call me.” you smiled back, patting her shoulder as you walked away.

you approached everyone as they were all conversing with each other.

“great work today l/n.” hotch nodded at you, olivia and hank smiling at you.

“let’s all go out for dinner!” adam exclaimed.

“i’m down for anything that isn’t chinese takeout.” kevin quipped, high fiving adam as everyone else shouted in agreement.

“thank god you’re okay, y/n,” rollins hugged you. “you had us worried once we heard those gunshots.”

“yeah, melanie shot at me. luckily, she missed,” you let out a sigh. “where’s spencer?”

“he’s sitting by one of the ambulances.” adam answered.

“why? what happened? is he okay?” you articulated quickly.

“calm down kid, he’s fine,” derek laughed. “he was the most worried out of all us when we heard shots. he’s just catching his breath.”

you felt a wave of relief rushing through you.

“go talk to him,” emily said. “he might’ve been pissed earlier, but he still loves you, you know?”

you nodded as you broke away from the group.

you carefully walked up to spencer who had his head down.

“spencer?” you quietly called out to him. he locked eyes with you, jumping up and wrapping his arms around you. you melt under his touch.

“i’m sorry, y/n. i’m so fucking sorry.” he sniffed as he placed his head on your shoulder.

“it’s okay, i’m sorry too.” you said, crying as you held him in your arms.

“i saw you and jay hugging and i just lost it. i know you wouldn’t cheat on me or ever do anything to ruin our relationship, but i couldn’t help but feel broken at the thought of losing you. then you went and tried to talk down melanie. when i heard shots being fired, i thought the earth had stopped spinning. i thought that i lost you forever and the last memory you had of me was me acting like a jerk to you. i should’ve trusted you more. i’m so fucking sorry.” spencer rambled quickly.

even after all of these years of hearing him talk, you still managed to catch every word that left his mouth.

“baby, it’s okay, you have nothing to be sorry for,” you cooed, cradling his face in your hands as you wiped his tears away. “i’m the one who should be sorry for ever making you doubt our relationship. that hug between me and jay could’ve been interpreted differently to anyone. but i swear to you, it was just a friendly hug after he apologized for everything. i can assure you, nothing will ever happen between me and him. he’s finally moved on.”

“god, i love you so much y/n.” he smiled at you.

“i love you too spence.” you smiled back.

spencer pulled you in for a deep kiss, leaving you dizzy afterwards. everything felt right again.

“come on,” you smiled, grabbing spencer’s hand and dragging him away from the ambulance. “i heard we’re having a big dinner tonight.”

after getting ready at the hotel, you and spencer arrived at the restaurant. you were escorted to the patio, walking up to the long table hand-in-hand under the small lights that decorated the exterior.

“our couple is back, and better than ever i may say!” rossi shouted as he raised his glass. cheers erupted from everyone, even jay was clapping with joy.

you and spencer blushed as you two walked to your seats that was placed between emily and jay. you assumed the seat next to jay was yours, until you see your fiance sitting next to him.

“hey jay.” he started.

“hey man.” the other said, facing him.

“i just wanted to apologize for earlier. i went too far and was an asshole to you. i don’t think you’re an egotistical, meat-headed, jealous ass.” spencer recalled, making jay chuckle. you, along with the rest of the table, had shock painted all over your faces.

“don’t sweat it. i’m sorry for being an asshole too,” jay laughed. “i acted out of jealousy, but now i realize that she’s moved on, and i have to move on as well. i can see you make her very happy.”

“thank you. i accept your apology.”

“yours as well, and congratulations on the engagement you two,” jay gave you both a smile. spencer nodded, giving him an awkward smile in response. “come on, bring it in man.” jay smirked, pulling spencer in for a hug.

“kid, that’s not how you give a bro hug!” derek exclaimed, causing everyone to laugh.

dinner continued as normal. everyone shared their own stories, talked to you and spencer about wedding details, and even making toasts to you two.

soon, everyone fell into their own worlds, having their own separate conversations.

amanda turned to sonny who was looking at you as you leaned on spencer’s chest.

“that could’ve been you, you know?” she mumbled to him. sonny lightly jumped at her voice.

“what?” he turned to her.

“come on, we all know you liked her right before she started dating halstead.” amanda smirked.

“was it that obvious?” he asked, earning a nod from the blonde. he looked down. “i messed up years ago.”

“i know.” amanda sighed.

“have you asked out y/n yet?” amanda, smirked, leaning on sonny’s desk as he went through his paperwork.

“uh, no.” he shook his head.

“and why not?”

“because i told her i liked you so she didn’t think i had a crush on her.” sonny muttered softly, not making eye contact with amanda.

“you what?!” she exclaimed.

“i-i told her i liked you.” he spoke a little louder.

“and why would you do that?” amanda’s eyes widened.

“because she doesn’t like me like that? she’s way out of my league.” sonny exclaimed.

“that doesn’t even make any sense! are you an idiot? she’s had feelings for you for the longest time.” amanda rubbed a hand against her forehead.

“she does?” sonny furrowed his eyebrows.

“yes! when did you tell her that?”

“like a few weeks ago.”

“no wonder she didn’t feel like hanging out with us during that time,” she sighed. “she’s been trying to get over her crush on you.”

“well, what am i supposed to do now?”

“tell her how you really feel when she comes in.” amanda said, giving the tall man a stern look.

as if on cue, you walked in with a smile on your face.

“someone’s unusually happy this morning,” fin chirped. “care to share with the class?” he said, making you laugh.

“well, you know that one detective, jay halstead?” you raised an eyebrow.

“that one hot guy from chicago intelligence? yeah, what about him?” amanda asked.

“we went on a date last night.”

“oh?” amanda chirped, giving a quick look at sonny.

“h-how did it go?” he asked, trying to act normal.

“it was magical. he asked me to be his girlfriend.” you beamed at him, ignoring the blush that tinted your cheeks.

“oh my god, congratulations!” sonny laughed, hopefully the sound of his cheers covered the sound of his breaking heart.

sonny pulled out his phone as soon as he heard it rang.

y/n calling facetime...

he happily pressed the accept button, watching your face pop up.

“sonny!” you grinned.

“y/n! how’s it going in d.c.?” he asked.

you would facetime sonny and the rest of special victims any time you had some free time after working on multiple cases. he was there to comfort you when you broke up with jay, and even flew out to d.c. with you to help you settle into your new apartment.

“it’s great! everyone here is so nice.” you said as you told your best friend about the different people of the bau.

“they all sound amazing! is that everyone in the bau?” sonny asked.

“there’s one more! uh, spencer reid.” you smiled to yourself.

“what’s with that face y/n?” he teased.

“nothing! it’s nothing.”

“tell me about spencer.” sonny pushed.

you inhaled.

“well, spencer, he’s really smart and kind. he can be a bit awkward sometimes, put that’s part of his charm.” you chuckled.

“it sounds like you have a little crush.” he smirked.

“yeah, about that,” you nervously scratched the back of your neck. sonny raised an eyebrow at you. “i’m dating him – i’ve been for a few months already, actually.” you confessed.

“what?!” sonny almost yelled, jumping from his seat. “and you didn’t tell me?”

“i’m sorry! i’ve been busy!” you blushed.

“even a text saying ‘hey best friend, just wanted to tell you, i’m dating someone’ would’ve been fine.”

“i know! i’m sorry! i just wanted to facetime you when i told you, but then i kept getting called in for cases and you know how i tend to forget things-” you pouted.

“i’m just teasing you y/n,” sonny laughed. “i’m happy for you.”

“really?” you said, eyes filled with hope.

“yes, you deserve to find love after jay.”

“aw, thank you sonny, that means a l-” you said, suddenly stopping when you got a notification.

“another case?” sonny asked.

“unfortunately,” you frowned. “i’m so sorry.”

“don’t be, it’s your job. we’ll call again when you can, okay?” he said, earning a nod from you. “and tell that spencer guy i said hi.”

“of course. i love you sonny!” you said goodbye. sonny nodded, knowing that you meant it platonically.

“i love you too y/n, stay safe!” he smiled back, hoping that it didn’t falter as you hung up – your face suddenly disappearing.

“guess i was just too late.” sonny shrugged.

“i’m sorry.” amanda said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“it’s fine. as long as she’s happy, i’m happy. and that’s all that matters to me.” sonny sighed, taking a sip of his drink as he watched you slapped spencer’s chest, laughing at something he said.

hopefully the alcohol that burned his throat distracted him from that bittersweet feeling.

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds x y/n #jay halstead x reader #jay halstead x y/n #chicago pd x reader #chicago pd x y/n #sonny carisi x reader #sonny carisi x y/n #law and order svu x reader #law and order svu x y/n

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milquetoast-on-acid · 3 years ago

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Milquetoast watches SVU: The people versus Richard Wheatley.

SVU: 23x9 Part 2

Love Quadrangle pt 2

Man, they give us some wonderful reactions to Angela. Being in love with Elliot. We get both Olivia's reaction and Wheatley's. Olivia is obviously not stupid and knew there was something between them. She just didn't know the specific details. I think. It's still got to be hard for her to hear that in the courtroom in public. And of course his kids heard that too. That right after their mother was murdered he was off kissing this woman.

Which still makes me think that it's a very big possibility that she manipulated his grief and used it to put him in a vulnerable position. We're not only she could get information out of him, but also to make their endgame hurt more. I think the thing that both Angela and Richard didn't anticipate was Olivia.

This is Richard's way of putting a wedge between Elliot and Olivia. And order for her to not trust. Trust Elliot because he's telling her he loves her telling her that's just them in a parallel universe. And then on the other hand, he's messing around with Angela Wheatley.

Richard's volatile reaction to Barba going after Angela in the courtroom. He has another reason why I think that they might possibly be in on this together. Because he does love her and he did call her the love his life. So did he really poison her? Is he that much of a psychopath that he would poison her and then be upset about what happens to her? Oh it's just kind of hard to tell where he's at where his head is.

Richard is of course upset because she might possibly have feelings for Elliot and he was always that number one man in her life. So that is definitely another motive for him being very upset at this. So I'm not really sure. Did he poison her? Did she fake it? Did they fake it? She is obviously faking the symptoms. So what is really going on here?

So who is the person off camera? Dissuading Richie Jr. From testifying the truth against what happened with his dad? It could very well have been Dana who went to go see him? Or was it some thugs that Richard hired to try and kill him?

I love how they're like Elliot. Don't get mad up there. He's going to push your buttons and Elliot's like okay. I'm cool. But then the next thing we know Elliot gets so upset. They put him under contempt of court. But then we come to find out that it's just all rues just to get to Richard to testify and then they can flail him on the stand.

Because they know they don't have a leg to stand on but if they get him up on that stand then they can get his true colors to come out and to show everybody that he's not just this guy that was framed.

How come no one says to Elliot? What was that event that you were going to? Because he was on his way to see Olivia get an award. I just find interesting that it's not discussed.

I love how Barbara tells Elliot how sorry he is about the loss of Kathy. And I do believe him. I do think that he is sorry about what happened. But then he looks to Olivia before he lays into Elliot. She looks back at him with an intense look in her eyes. This right here is what splits them. And Barba maybe feels it coming because he has to lay Elliot out in order to get Wheatley off.

There is this parallel here that I'm just now seeing and it's that when Barba interrogates Angela on the stand Wheatley has a volatile reaction to it. Likewise, when Elliot is on the stand and Barba is interrogating him, that is the final straw that breaks the camel's back so to speak regarding their relationship.

In this episode of SVU actually features a dick measuring contest. I never thought that I would actually see the day that this would be something on a Law& order show. Those whole entire episode is three men and the women in between them. It's a love square?

I love how Wheatley not so discreetly besides to check Elliot out like what!? I also love how Wheatley sees right through Elliot trying to get to him but then Elliot does end up getting to him. And it wasn't so much on a stand. But what goes on between the two of them here. And which? Elliot flaunts Angela and Olivia in Richard's face. Because just in the way that Elliot is Olivia is blind spot. Angela is also Richards blind spots.

Elliot is not stupid. He knows that Olivia knows that something went on between them. He doesn't really know the details of what. But he knows that she'll still stick with him no matter what he did with Angela. That is something that he has absolute faith in and I do love how he rubs it in Richard's face.

It's also interesting that when Richard brings up Angela and Elliot's feelings to Olivia, he hopes that it will split them apart. Knowing that Elliot fooled around with her. But he doesn't know. Know Olivia, although I think he's starting to understand that even though she's rattled by it, it's not going to knock her out onto the road and off Elliot.

Like this woman was left by this man for 10 years and here she is right by his side. So Elliot and Angela's feelings for each other and what went on between them will hurt her but it's not going to turn her off of him and the way that Richard probably hoped that it would.

He's been trying to cut Olivia off. Elliot for a while now with the car crash. Whoever is responsible for that with texting her and then possibly having her be killed by Morales. And then here he brings up emotional stuff when death didn't work.

Which also brings up the fact that because Angela is Richard blind spot, she could be playing him. Who knows. There isn't nearly enough information to draw any kind of conclusion as to what she's really up to. But I do love speculating on what she's going to do and where her character is going to go.

I love how Elliot tries to get under Richard's skin by flaunting. Angela and him and his face. Then Richard is like. Oh she was just playing you and Elliot is like. Yeah I'm aware of that. The interesting thing is that what they say to each other is somewhat mixed in with the truth and lies. So Elliot is playing Richard's game manipulation is what Richard does best and now Elliot is doing it to him.

I love how Barba is like. Okay Case is done. We've a one. Let's put it to bed. And then Richard plays right into Elliot's hands and is like I want to testify. As everyone knows when You're on trial for a crime. The last thing that you should do is go up on that stand. And even Barba is like this is a terrible idea. But Richard with an ego the size of a yacht can't help himself, puff himself up for Angela.

The fact that the Barba looks so hurt over Olivia bringing Angela Wheatley in is very interesting to me. It's clear that Olivia has chosen aside and it's not with him. But I do hope that they can mend their fences. Fences. I don't see why they wouldn't eventually.

I think maybe with Angela appearing. I think he knows that Richard was set up by Elliot to testify on the stand. That Olivia is making moves behind the scenes that he doesn't know about and probably feels left out. But the thing is Barba is representing Wheatley so why would he know something like this?

So here Richard is defending Angela and telling them that all of this was on backer not on. Angela. Which is something that suggests that either. A he's trying to get back in her good graces trying to win her back. Or b. This is something that they masterminded behind the scenes. The week ex-wife of the suspect who had somewhat of an affair with the detective who is accusing? Richard of murder. It sounds like Elliot is going after Richard because he wants Angela. So for them to come up with this idea is definitely plausible. And now this is him trying to get her off. I don't know, but it'll be interesting to see where it all goes in the end.

I don't know if Angela is working behind the scenes to bring Richard down. And then with what Richard had said in that bathroom to Elliot was that Angela would be back by his side. I kind of feel like that might be foreshadowing. Just in a way that Elliot and Olivia's bond goes bone deep. You wouldn't be surprising to me that Richard and Angela's bond is just that deep. Especially considering that they are supposed to be the bad EO.

And it brings me back to why exactly did the Wheatley's divorce? They make it like she didn't know who he was when they got married and then found out and then she divorce him over it. But I think it's more likely that Angela knew exactly who she was marrying. She was all over his books. Books she had access to his inner castle. And Angela smart and she was his partner in a way that his current wife never was.

I think that it's more likely that because Richard doesn't seem the kind of man to be faithful to a woman. That is the reason why they divorced. And of course the other reason for them being a divorced couple is because they are supposed to be the bad EO. EO's relationship was quite often compared to a marriage during their partnership and so when Elliot comes back, their relationship is a very much as if two people divorced but love each other deeply. So it is very much supposed to be a parallel.

So we all think that we know that Richard was the one to kill rafique but maybe he didn't actually kill him. So who even knows what is the truth anymore? Because I am not sure.

It is also very interesting that Wheatley says if I wanted somebody dead they would be dead. So that means if Richard had poisoned Angela with the intent to kill her then she would be dead. Which does beg the question. Are they working together? Or was this him getting back at her for getting with Elliot?

Out of all of Richard's murder attempts or the ones that we think he attempted. The ones that we know are dead are Kathy Stabler, Isaac Becker, the bomber and also Gina.

I love how they play on Richard's base. Instincts and get him to threaten karisi and open court. So that's really the only way that they were going to win their case was to show Richard's true colors. And that he's not some innocent bystander that they were trying to frame.

Barba saying that Stabler coming back has made things more complicated. Which is another reason why I think his true motives are in fact jealousy. I think another reason is that everyone sees Elliot as this destructive force and Olivia's life. All of the people that Olivia has gotten close to since he's gone that don't actually know who he is.

It is also interesting when he says the problem with being an empath is that is too easy to lose yourself when other people need you. When I first washed the episode I thought he was talking about himself but he is in fact talking about Olivia. And how he thinks that she's losing herself and Elliot by helping him.

Elliot certainly is a flawed individual. He can be shortsighted. He can be selfish and he definitely hasn't been there for Olivia and the way that he asks her to be there for him. But that's not all he is and it's not all who he is to Olivia. I think that Olivia laying out Elliot in this episode is a big wake up call for him.

When I first saw the promos for this episode like many people, I wondered why he was taking on this case. So now it really seems much more likely that yes jealousy is a big factor. But also I think that he thinks that Olivia is losing herself and Elliot. And that he's just kind of sucking away at her. But there is a big part of her that's come alive in a way that we haven't seen since he left. That doesn't seem to be ever acknowledged on SVU.

Elliot certainly needs to step back and take a look at how his behavior is affecting Olivia and other people. But overall he isn't this bad guy that character SVU seems to want to paint him as. I think that Barba is suspicious of Elliot's motives on why he came back and this is kind of his way of looking out for Olivia. He was trying to show Olivia that he had her best interests at heart, even if she couldn't see it. The thing that he doesn't anticipate is just how deep Olivia's bond with Elliot goes. I don't think that he thought that this might possibly break them, but now he is deeply regretting haven't taken on this case.

This case cracks me up. The jury has been deliberating on a murder case for less than a day!? That is not enough time for a jury to be deadlocked on any kind of decision. Welcome to the fun world of television that's just not realistic.

I love the show of Richard turning to Elliot and spitting on the ground at him. This is a game between the two of them and not over yet.

#svu #law and order svu #svu: season 23 #oc #law and order organized crime #olivia benson #elliot stabler #richard wheately #rafael barba #Angela Wheatley #richard wheatley

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argylemnwrites · 4 years ago

Text

Fight or Flight - Chapter 9: Intel

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Heir (canon divergent from the end of book 2)

Word Count: ~4500

Rating: R (language only)

Summary: Nearly five days since The Walker Absconding

Author’s Note: This series follows the Walkers, their friends, and Cordonia as a whole after they flee the country with their daughter during Barthelemy Beaumont’s attempted coup. To catch up on this series, check out it’s masterlist. (link can be found via my bio - sorry, Tumblr is once again not putting my posts with links in tag searches)

Riley glanced around anxiously, taking in the handful of other people in the park. She didn’t like it. She felt so exposed anytime someone even made eye contact with her or glanced at Bridget. It seemed like they could tell she didn’t belong there, that she and Drake and Bridget stuck out like a sore thumb, that the fact that she was a wanted fugitive was obvious. It was hard to relax when every single person in the area was a potential threat, someone who could turn her in and make it all fall apart.

She and Drake had hemmed and hawed about making this trip out. Ever since warrants had been issued for their arrest, the risk of being spotted felt so much more threatening. It had almost felt surreal, sitting on the bed with Drake on Sunday evening, sharing a pair of headphones and staring at his phone while Bridget slept, curled up against her side, watching as Ana de Luca covered Rashad’s brief statement, discussing their family’s disappearance and the lack of evidence of foul play. It had been his first public appearance as king-regent.

Monday night had been the same, this time with an announcement of formal charges of kidnapping of the monarch and treason, resulting in the loss of their titles and lands. The social season was delayed with everything unfolding, but that barely seemed to warrant a mention by any of the reporters or pundits. Olivia was sending them links to several news stories every day - footage of their estate with intelligence agents filing out with box after box, all to be poured over for evidence of any further crimes. Rashad visibly uncomfortable in front of the palace as he requested anyone who knew their whereabouts to step forward. A “tell-all” interview with Barthelemy that was an infuriating clip they only made it part of the way through.

There were clips about Liam and the results of the no-confidence vote as well, even though Liam’s last public sighting had been his arrival at Olivia’s keep on Sunday after the last court hearing. Other than his speech the night before Rashad was sworn in, Liam had not made any statements related to his title or their disappearance. Riley knew Drake was unsettled by that fact. Liam had always known his calm and gentle, yet confident demeanor was an asset and had never shied away from using public statements to sway hearts and minds in the past. Now, when he needed to rally support as he campaigned to regain the throne, he was silent.

Drake had spent all of his time scraping up every news segment, article, op ed, or social media post he could find related to their family, Liam, or Barthelemy. It concerned Riley that he was so hyper-focused, but with everything so fresh and constantly changing, it was hard to blame him for it. Bridget grabbing him or calling for him was about the only thing that could distract him. Riley honestly wasn’t sure if he was sleeping at all.

They hadn’t left their rented room since their arrival on Sunday morning, at least until this morning. Yesterday had been rough, with Bridget throwing fit after fit. She was bored, that much was clear. They had very few toys for her, and their bare bones hotel room was not exactly a stimulating environment. At Valtoria, she spent time exploring different rooms or parts of the grounds with them everyday. She didn’t like the change in the routine, to say the least.

When they finally were able to get Bridget asleep last night, hours after her usual bedtime as she wailed and cried, overtired and cranky beyond belief, they had decided that they needed to chance a trip outside with her. Sure, it was a risk, but so was keeping a screaming 10 month old in a hotel with thin walls. The last thing they needed was the police called for a noise complaint. They decided first thing in the morning would probably be their best option, with hopefully fewer people around. Anything to reduce the chance of getting recognized.

So, they had brought Bridget to a little park, hoping that a change of scenery might help her mood. So far, she was content, sitting happily near them, running her hands over the grass and pulling some up by the blades intermittently. The same couldn’t be said for her and Drake. He looked as wound up as she felt. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his eyes kept darting between Bridget and random people around them. A young mother or nanny ran past them earlier, chasing a school-aged boy down, and Riley thought Drake was going to knock her to the ground. To say they were both on edge was the definition of an understatement.

The tension radiating off them was probably why Bridget was so content to just sit near them. Normally, she would be crawling everywhere, checking out every leaf, flower, and bug in her path. But she kept looking at Riley and Drake, a frown on her little face when they weren’t encouraging her to move and explore. At this rate, Riley wasn’t sure this stressful little trip was going to do her any good.

At the moment, she had found a little flowering tree that was dropping all it’s blossoms, and she was entertaining herself by picking up the pink petals on the ground. Riley was about to ask Drake how long he wanted to stay when she saw Bridget move to put a tiny fistful of the flowers in her mouth.

“Drake, can you stop her from eat-” she started, since Drake was sitting closer to Bridget, but before she could even finish her sentence, she saw Drake’s eyes widen as all the color drained from his face in a second. She turned her head in the direction he was looking and saw a woman who was maybe 50 years old running towards them, pointing at Bridget, calling something out in Greek. Her throat felt tight and her heart started racing as she twisted back towards Drake, but was startled to find him already standing over her, grabbing her arm and yanking her to her feet with one hand, Bridget already scooped up in his other arm.

“Get to the car,” he rattled off, shoving Bridget into her arms before he started fumbling through his pockets, slipping the keys into her shaking hands.

Riley clutched Bridget close to her chest, turned around, and started running as fast as she could. Feet pounding over the grass, Bridget bouncing in her arms. Sound was distorted in her ears, hollow and thin. She ran, past a jogger, past a couple holding hands. All towards the edge of the park. Towards their car parked just around the corner.

At some point, Bridget started crying, twisting, trying to escape from her arms. Riley tried to keep a tight hold on her, but it was hard. She was slipping. She stopped, trying to readjust. She spun, looking for Drake, but he wasn’t there. Why wasn’t he right behind her?

“Drake?” she cried out as she spun around, frantically searching for him. Her voice was shaky, weak. “Drake?” He wasn’t anywhere. She couldn’t think. Where could he be? He could outrun a middle-aged woman. So why wasn’t he there?

“He’s trying to give you time to get away.” The thought shot through her, and she knew it was the truth in an instant. Stupid, self-sacrificing, noble man. On instinct, she started sprinting back into the park. She wasn’t leaving him behind. Not when they could get out of this together. It was one woman. They could outrun one woman.

She was so hellbent on getting back to drag Drake out of there, she almost didn’t see him, briskly walking toward her. He did a double take when he noticed her, but then held up his hands in front of his chest and shook his head.

“We’re fine!” he called out. “It’s all fine.”

It took her half a second to process his words, but when she did, she slowed her pace, jogging the last few steps to him and tugging one arm free from Bridget to wrap tightly around his neck.

His arms slipped around her waist, holding her close. “We’re fine,” he murmured into her hair, “She didn’t recognize us.”

“Then why was she running at-”

“The flowers. Those were oleander petals. She was worried Bridget was going to poison herself.”

Riley let out a shaky breath as she leaned back slightly, looking Drake dead in the eye. “I thought-”

“I know; me too.” And with that he pulled her and Bridget tight against him again. She tried to calm herself, feeling the rise and fall of his chest, but her heart was still racing. It had all felt too close, too real.

Bridget was still crying, so after a moment, Drake dropped his arms from Riley’s waist and moved to take Bridget, bouncing her on his hip, clearly trying to calm her down. Between her continued tears and screams and the mad dash Riley had just made through the park, they weren’t exactly keeping a low profile.

“We should probably not hang around here after the scene we just caused,” she murmured. Drake nodded briskly, tucking Bridget fully against his side and grabbing Riley’s hand with his free arm. He set a rapid pace as they walked out of the park, not saying anything more until they were all secure in the privacy of their car.

“Drake, what are we doing?” she asked, watching Drake’s shoulder’s sag as he finally seemed to catch his breath. His knuckles were tense as he clutched the steering wheel.

“The best we can, Riley.”

“We couldn’t even spend an hour in a park without making a mess. How are we going to get by?”

He shook his head and let out a sigh. “Well, we’re just going to have to figure it out, aren’t we?”

A wave of guilt washed over her. All of this was her fault. She had no right to express doubt about it now, not after her decision got Drake named a traitor to the Crown. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, running her hand over her face.

“For what?”

“This is all my fault, isn’t it?”

“Riley,” his voice was quiet and his hand slid over onto her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Riley, look at me.”

She twisted in the passenger seat to face him the best she could. She could hear Bridget kicking against the car seat and starting to fuss, clearly expecting the car to be moving at this point, but Drake made no move to start the car.

“This is fucking Barthelemy’s fault.” He stared straight into her eyes as he said it. He looked so earnest that Riley almost believed him. But deep down, she knew that was a mad over simplification of the issue. Maybe he brought it all to a head, but she and Drake had put themselves into a position to have their parenting called into question by assholes like him in the first place.

Still, she knew what Drake was trying to do. He was trying to make her feel better about the whole mess. How he was able to worry about her when he was obviously frazzled and sleep-deprived himself was nothing short of a miracle.

When all she was able to muster was a weak little smile, Drake kept going. “Remember how shitty we both felt those first few weeks home with her?”

Shitty was an understatement. Bridget had been horribly cranky as soon as she wasn’t right in that newborn period. Colicky and loud, she’d cried constantly, often for no apparent reason. She’d fed poorly, slept in tiny little bursts, and didn’t seem to soothe unless she was held, walked around, and all the stars and planets were aligned. Riley had felt like a failure as a mother time and time again. “Yeah, that sucked ass.”

“Right. Both of us had no idea what the hell we were doing, and we were so scared we were gonna be complete garbage at it. But we figured it out, right? There was just a learning curve. This is gonna be the same way.”

“Drake Walker, are you giving me a ‘practice makes perfect’ pep talk about being a fugitive?”

He blushed, just slightly, and gave her a little shrug. “I didn’t mean it to sound so cheesy.”

“No, I think it’s sweet,” she said, grabbing his hand on her knee and threading their fingers together. “But I think we need to start thinking for the long term here. Spending days locked in hotel rooms and then freaking out when we step out in public is not going to work forever.”

He nodded at her. “I’ve been thinking about this, and I think we need some aliases and forged documents. We have no way to earn any money at this point, and if we get asked for our papers, we’re done for right now.”

Riley bit her lip. She knew he was right, and she had an idea of how to go about it. She just wasn’t sure if it was a smart move.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, watching her face carefully.

“I think we’re going to have to find a way to get in touch with Amalas.”

Drake let out a huge sigh at that, so Riley kept going. “I don’t like it either, but if someone we know is equipped to make believable forgeries, it’s her.”

“What is she going to want in exchange, though? She’s an opportunist, and right now we have nothing to offer her.”

Riley shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Drake opened his mouth to say more, but Bridget’s patience ran out at that point, a massive wail echoing through the car.

“To be continued? When she’s not trying to burst our eardrums?” Drake asked, sliding the key into the ignition and starting the car. Riley just nodded. They didn’t have to decide their next steps this moment, but soon, they were going to have to, and Riley had a feeling that no matter what they chose, it was going to feel like the wrong call.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Olivia scowled a little as she dug through her desk drawer. Her emergency ibuprofen was supposed to be in this drawer, and her head was killing her. She really should start taking meds before her meetings with Maxwell. He had left her office maybe twenty minutes ago, and just like every meeting she’d had with him since this whole mess began, she was now dealing with a migraine.

To be honest, having to listen to Maxwell’s rambling, inefficient accounts of what was going on at Ramsford was just the last irritation that put her over the edge. Having Maxwell, Liam, and now Leo living at the keep, as well as Bertrand and Hana making frequent appearances was just a lot. She was used to her privacy, and the constant activity and bustle in her home was all a bit much to handle.

Leo had arrived Monday, and she’d tasked him with providing Liam emotional support. It was the only thing she trusted him to do, really, and even that was pushing it. But she was busy, managing the press, trying to buy off employees in Portavira to get some dirt on Landon and Emmeline, and providing statements to Bastien regarding her conduct in the days between the initial vote and her reporting Drake and Riley’s disappearance.

Hana was the only one she felt like she didn’t need to keep on a short leash at this point. She was staying at Valtoria to make sure Barthelemy’s people couldn’t gain unauthorized access, and she seemed prepared for her meeting with Rashad tomorrow. Olivia and Hana weren’t exactly sure what Rashad wanted to discuss with her, but they’d reviewed their stories prior to having their official interviews with law enforcement earlier this week, so whatever questions he had, Olivia was confident Hana would have acceptable answers.

But Bertrand was in a tizzy, staying at Ramsford in an effort to prevent his father from forcing him out as head of house, Maxwell was a scatterbrained go between who alternated between forgetting key pieces of info to share and recounting conversations down to the last detail, and Liam seemed to be sinking into a deeper pit of depression every day, leaving her to believe Leo’s efforts were lackluster. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could let these men flounder along before she stepped in and took control.

On top of everything, she still had her typical duties as the Duchess of Lythikos, and reviewing some tax records was her planned task for today. She couldn’t really neglect it any longer, but her migraine was making it difficult to focus on the spreadsheets in front of her.

She finally found her pill bottle and popped three tablets, massaging her temples and hoping the relief would come soon. But before she could return to the task at hand, a knock on her office door interrupted her. She let out a massive sigh and rolled her shoulders back before calling out, “Come in.”

Leo poked his head around the door and grinned at her, striding into her office and sitting down across the desk from her. “How are you today, Liv?”

“Annoyed. What do you want?”

“What, can’t I just come in to chat with my favorite duchess in Cordonia?”

“Not when I am busy putting out seventeen different fires. What. Do. You. Want?”

“I was hoping to talk to Lady Hana.”

Olivia squinted at Leo. He was so predictable. “Absolutely not.”

“What?” His eyebrows flew up almost comically at her response. “Why not?”

“She’s far too nice for the likes of you.”

That little smirk, the one he used to get away with everything, started forming. “Hey, I like nice.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Are you saying you aren’t nice, Liv? I remember you being plenty ‘nice’ to me in the past.”

She shook her head at him. He was far too charming for his own good. “No one in their right mind would call me nice. Besides, this isn’t about a mistake from nearly a decade ago.”

He clutched his hands over his heart, like her words wounded him, but he was openly chuckling. “A mistake? You are indeed a cruel woman, Olivia Nevakris.”

“I’m actually being very kind to you here, protecting your ego from taking a beating when she inevitably rejected any… advances from you.”

“What makes you so sure I am going to seduce her if I speak to her?”

“Well, you wouldn’t be successful, but when was the last time you didn’t try to get into the pants of a pretty woman?”

“Do our conversations not count?”

“I’m not young enough to find that line anything but cheesy.”

“Can’t blame a man for trying. No, but I really was hoping to talk to Lady Hana. Where are her quarters?”

Olivia cocked her head and frowned. She didn’t know how often Hana and Leo had interacted, but it clearly wasn’t all that often if he kept using her title. What he could possibly want from her was a total mystery.

“What do you want to talk to her about?” she asked.

Leo gave a little shrug, “She lived with Drake and Riley, right? Well, I figure she might have a way of getting in touch with them.”

Olivia was careful to keep her face still. She didn’t think Leo was likely to be working for Barthelemy. It wouldn’t make any sense, and his disdain for the way Constantine had ruled had never seemed to apply to his brother. Besides, he’d thrown away his chance at being king, so it’s not like power or glory in a coup would be very tempting to him. But she couldn’t think of a reason why Leo was looking to talk to the Walkers, and after the past few days, she wasn’t taking any chances.

“Why would you think she would be able to get in touch with them?” There, a good opening question that would hopefully get him talking.

“It would make sense that the person they live with is someone they trust the most, right? And her family isn’t caught up in all of this political shit, so she seems like a safe option in that regard, too.”

“Why are you looking to talk to them?”

“Liam seems pretty torn up without Drake here. I thought maybe if I-”

Olivia couldn’t help it, a chuckle of shock and disbelief shot out of her, interrupting Leo.

“What?”

“You had one job - cheer Liam up, and your method of doing so was to attempt to convince Drake and Riley to come back? Gee, why didn’t I think to try that?” she replied, rolling her eyes at the end.

“Ah ha, so you are in touch with them!” he cried out, leaning back in his chair, a smug, shit-eating grin etched across his face.

“Bastard,” Olivia grumbled, shaking her head.

He just grinned wider at that. “It’s alright little Livvy; your secret’s safe with me.”

“Don’t call me ‘little Livvy’ ever again,” she said, leaning across her desk and staring him down, “But even if… theoretically there was a way to talk to Drake and Riley, you won’t be able to convince them to come back. You wouldn’t have been able to a couple of days ago, and you certainly won’t now that warrants have been issued.”

“I’m quite persuasive, you know.”

“You can keep telling yourself that, but I think Drake Walker might be immune to your… charms, particularly when he and his wife are going to lose custody of their kid if he gives in.”

“Fair enough. Not even worth a shot, then?”

She shook her head. “Honestly, them returning at this point will just be another fire I have to try and put out. Them on the run is easier to deal with than them in prison.”

Liam nodded, swiping his thumb along his jawline. “Alright then. Say there was a theoretical way to get in touch with them. Would someone be able to get them some money?”

Olivia blinked several times as her brain tried to follow this unexpected shift. “I’m sorry, I think I must have just had a stroke. I thought I heard you ask about getting money to them.”

“I’m serious. They can’t use their credit cards, right? All of their funds are frozen, I would assume.”

“Since when are you mister charitable?”

Leo bit his lip, not willing to answer right away apparently. “This stays between us, alright?” he eventually said, his blue eyes wide and earnest. All Olivia could do was nod.

“I know Liam is not exactly thrilled with them. And I get why, and obviously my first choice would be for them to be here.”

“Noted,” Olivia said dryly. She had no idea where this was going, but for this amount of build up, it had better be fucking fascinating.

“I like that they just kind of said… ‘fuck it,’ and left. It’s sort of admirable, isn’t it? That sort of courage and disregard for all rules of courtly conduct?”

Olivia rolled her eyes again. “You just are happy you aren’t the biggest scandal this century in Cordonia anymore.”

“Nah, I’m just thrilled that Drake Walker is suddenly a whole lot more interesting. And what can I say? I always like to take a risky gamble.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “Unless you can give me a real reason you want to help them, I am not adding another person to this mess. Particularly one who likes to run his mouth after a few drinks at the craps table.”

Leo frowned at that. “I’m not as heartless as you make me out to be, you know. I’ve known Drake basically his entire life, and I don’t want to see him suffering, particularly since I understand the type of pressures placed on his kid. And… when my mother left my dad, she couldn’t take me. I had to stay in the palace, and you know how that turned out. But if those two found a different way to do things… good for them, I say.”

Olivia stared at Leo, trying to assess his sincerity. He seemed to mean his words, but she wasn’t ready to hand him a bunch of confidential info, not just yet. She would need to talk to Hana first, but Leo might be a nice resource. He traveled all over constantly, so it wouldn’t really seem suspicious for him to head to another country. He might be their best chance to get Riley and Drake their most essential belongings.

“Hana’s gone back to Valtoria, but we can’t have you seen there. She’ll be back Friday.”

“So, I have your permission to talk to her then. My, I am honored.”

“You can talk to her if you actually get Liam to stop wallowing in his quarters, just reviewing ancient law books.”

“Like I said, if you just let me take him to the casinos-”

“For the fifth time, Leo, he cannot be seen gambling after losing his title! Are you fucking stupid?”

Leo grinned widely. “No, but watching your face turn as red as your hair never gets old. He’ll be fine, Liv. He’s just a little weirded out by actually having some time off for the first time in years. Don’t worry, I’ll have him relaxing like me soon enough.”

“Leo!”

“Like I said, it never gets old,” he said, pointing to her face and winking at her. Before she could get a serious answer out of him, her office phone started ringing.

“Oooh, saved by the bell,” he said, popping out of his chair. “I’m getting Liam drunk, so swing by later if you get a chance.”

“Are you fucking serious, Leo?”

“You’ll have to find out later. Better answer that.” He pointed to the phone before ducking out the door with a cheeky little wave.

Taking a calming breath, Olivia picked up the phone. Only official governmental business came through on this landline.

“This is Olivia Nevrakis.”

“Duchess Olivia, it’s Queen Amalas.”

Olivia’s mind raced, trying to determine why she was calling her. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I have some information for you, and I was wondering how valuable it is or isn’t to you at this point.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know the location of the former Duchess and Duke of Valtoria and the Queen-Regent of Cordonia.”

Permatag: @walkerswhiskeygirl @riley--walker @bebepac @ravenpuff02 @oofchoices @octobereighth @drakewalker04 @kimmiedoo5 @mfackenthal @thequeenofcronuts

The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir: @ao719 @mskaneko @katedrakeohd @jovialyouthmusic @marshmallowsandfire @axwalker @kingliam2019 @sirbeepsalot @texaskitten30 @princessleac1 @ladyangel70 @dcbbw @yaushie

Drake x MC: @no-one-u-know @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @iplaydrake @gibbles82 @drakewalkerisreal @notoriouscs @drakesensworld @drake-colt-lover-99

Fight or Flight: @masterofbluff @burnsoslow @bobasheebaby @shz256 @iaminlovewithtrr

#drake walker #drake x mc #trr au #trh au #trr fanfic #trh fanfic #trr au fanfic #trh au fanfic #olivia nevrakis #roe leo

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teamdoubleoh · 5 years ago

Text

Boothroyd was Q’s Grandfather

vaguely (sorry) based on this post by @tamquamm and @spiritofcamelot s request. Also infused is @caffeinatedflummadiddlebutmerlin s gender fluid merlin, though I didn’t ask If I could use the concept, sorry.

pt. 1/2 wordcount: 3533 unbeta:ed (And written by someone who can’t spell for shite in any language.)

Q has heard all about MI6 from his grandfather, Gregory, also known as Major Boothroyd. Bond’s predecessor as 007 used to annoy Boothroyd to no end so when Q meets Bond he finds himself unable to resist making one or three references to his grandfathers work at MI6. The older Minions are in on it, the younger ones think it’s hilarious and Bond thinks Q is very pretty when he smiles so he won’t ask what the hell is going on, as long as it makes Q happy.

TLTR: Q is a Holmes, the Minions treat quotes from Boothroyd like vines, Eve is a genius and Bond is in love. They get drunk, and Bond learns about Q and his family.

(This developed from a 500-word Drabble to a 3.6k monstrosity. Also Q is a Holmes and has a fourth sibling.)

When Bond had first met Q he’d still been unaccustomed to the name Q in reference to the Quartermaster. For as long as he’d been an agent the Quartermaster had been Major Gregory Boothroyd, who had been referred to by most agents as Major Boothroyd.

This had made calling the new Quartermaster Q very easy, and even though Bond liked to let of snarky remarks about Q’s age, he was well aware that Boothroyd would have never appointed anyone as R who wasn’t perfectly fit to take over as Quartermaster at any given time. And yet James had thought that this new Quartermaster would be someone who wasn’t used to the antics of agents or at least the double-oh’s and thus easier to irritate. He was wrong.

At First he had thought it coincidence.

Q had sat next to him in the national gallery, made a comment about the inevitability of time and handed him his equipment. Then, just as he was about to leave, he had reminded Bond to return the equipment in one piece.

There had been something in his eyes Bond couldn’t quite place - but it came close to a look he know from his missions - something in the eyes of someone who had just fooled everyone in a game of poker to go all in, only to reveal a royal flush.

James had dismissed it, had thought he’d interpreted too much into a single look. He should have known better, of course there had been something. Saying these words had meant more to Q than the pride of being the Quartermaster of MI6 could rectify. He had smiled his tight little smile and his eyes had shone with pure mirth.

It had happened again and again; pieces of dialogue between him and Q that seemed to light the Quartermaster up.

Once he had been going over the speed limit while on mission; not an irregular occurrence, sure, but for some reason Q had seemed delighted when he reminded Bond that he had a licence to kill, not to break the traffic laws. Bond had hesitated momentarily and answered that, yes he was aware. The pure satisfaction Q had radiated when he said »Good!« Had been clearly audible over com. So had been R’s snort in the background.

Another time they’d been standing in Q branch and Q had begrudgingly handed James a ›class four grenade‹, whatever that meant. James had been delighted to find that it looked very much like an ordinary pen and made a witty comment about how the pen was mightier than the sword. Q had smiled as he reminded Bond that that was now in fact the case and that James had to thank Q for that. James had smiled flirtily. »Did you just make joke Q?«

Q just shook his head in something that seemed to be a combination of genuine distress and mirth. »I never joke about my work 007.«

At least two senior minions had trouble to stifle their laughs while one of the new ones working nearby just grinned for the remainder of Bond’s stay in Q-Branch.

Since it was common knowledge that basically anything in Q-brach was deadly - including any and all personnel - many of the A-list Agents and most of the double-oh’s were very careful when it came to touching things. The only double-oh who seemingly forgot this every time he appeared before and after missions was, of course, 007. He had the potentially fatal habit to pick up whatever was in his reach to twirl it around or trow it in the air.

One particular time he’d just put down a poisoned ring when he’d set eyes on a brown paper bag that looked innocent enough to him. When he went to pick it up Q turned around, lightning fast, and pulled the bag from his hands exclaiming loudly, »DON’T TOUCH THAT! That’s my lunch!« to the obvious amusement of everyone in the vicinity.

Whenever James said something remotely illogical, immature or not well thought out, Q immediately quipped »Oh, grow up 007«. After three weeks of this the phrase had become something of an inside joke between the minions and Bond, and even he could appreciate it, even though he didn’t quite understood why it was that funny.

Bond only figured it out after Eve had invited him to one of her and Q’s monthly movie nights, though there was more drinking than movie watching.

***

They’d met at Q’s flat because it was located more or less exactly between Bond’s and Moneypenny’s. It was cozy and reasonably small, but not cluttered. The living room was not very lived in, which made sense to James when he considered Q’s working habits, but well furnished.

There was a worn couch that could hold all three of them if they squeezed, as well as an armchair and a wooden coffee table. Next to two bookcases there was a drawer that was probably supposed to hold silverware and tablecloths but the bottom drawer was pulled open and filled to the brim with scraps and bits of old tech.

Much more interesting was what Q had placed on top of the drawer. There were photos. Photos of the Quartermaster, some of him alone with different diplomas, some together with others or groups of people.

To James’ amazement one showed Q standing next to Mycroft Holmes. Bond had been introduced once, by his M, who hadn’t actually mentioned what Holmes did - only that he was basically everyone’s superior and also on speaking terms with the Royal family.

Another picture displayed a black door adorned with golden letters, telling the passing crowd that this was number 221b. In front stood an old lady with two younger men behind her. One of them was Sherlock Holmes, Bonds realised, the genius detective who’d killed himself a few years back. The other, Bond recognised from his army days as one lieutenant John Watson. Next to the old lady there was the Quartermaster, bespectacled and wearing one of his cardigans.

One photo, at least twenty years old, displayed a younger version of M, Olivia Mansfield, next to a stern looking woman in a emerald green gown, that looked like it came straight from the late 19. hundreds, a woman that could only be described as ›motherly‹ and the woman from the picture with the detective.

The most recent picture was probably the one of the royal wedding. Bond remembered reading about it in a paper he’d nicked from a minions desk on his way to the airport. The crown prince Arthur Pendragon had caused a worldwide uproar when he’d announced he was not only bisexual but also planning to wed one Myrdinn Holmes.

The picture that stood in the very front showed a younger version of Q and Major Boothroyd. Q was standing behind Boothroyd’s motorised wheelchair in the old Q-Branch, the one that Silva had blow up, and both were smiling brightly at the camera.

Bond turned to Q who was setting down glasses on a small couch table.

»You and Boothroyd. You were close, weren’t you?« James asked softly.

Q hesitated before stepping next to Bond. He picked up the frame and showed Bond the backside where someone had written ›Q and Q - the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’

James turned to look at Q. He know how the Quartermaster looked, he had spent enough time staring at him when Q wasn’t looking but only now he noticed how similar Q and Boothroyd had been, both in complexion and behaviour.

»He was your grandfather. I’m... sorry for your loss« James stated.

»Who?« Moneypenny asked. She had appeared in the doorway to the small kitchen, holding a bottle of some alcoholic beverage in hand, which she had apparently opened already.

»Boothroyd.« James answered quietly.

Q smiled, the nostalgia in his voice barely concealed »He used to tell me stories about MI6, when I was little. About his work and the agents.«

»Did he tell you about what a great agent I was?« Bond smirked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

»By the time you were a double-oh I was already working for MI6, unofficially I mean. He told me about 007 - your predecessor that is. It was a joke between him and me, you know? The ›grow up 007‹. We would make wagers about how often he could get away with saying it to 007 before he got suspicious.«

Moneypenny snorted a little.

Q smiled his brilliant smile at her, melancholy all but forgotten now. »He told be about you, too. Said you were brilliant. He always wanted to make a bet about how you would be M some day. I never accepted because I knew he was right.«

Moneypenny put her head to one side. »I was still an agent back then…«

Q only shrugged. »He said you were too good to be an agent.«

Moneypenny blushed lightly and smiled happily. »Sounds like he was a good grandfather.«

Bond grinned. »Sounds like he was just like Q.«

Q turned to the coffee table to pour three glasses of what appeared to be Bombay sapphire and gave James and Eve one each. »You’re both right. Now, what movie shall we get drunk to?«

***

Three hours later they were sprawled on top of each other across the seating accommodations.

The only source of light was a small lamp, standing atop the drawer, which emitted a warm, candle like light.

Eve had called dibs on the armchair ages ago, eying Q and James with barely hidden mirth.

After two hours of drinking she’d picked up the framed photo of the royal wedding and waxed about the beauty of the crown princes sister, while Q and James smiled, already too intoxicated to mind the terrible puns and metaphors comparing the duchess’s hair to the night sky and her eyes to stars. In a final motion of grandeur she’d remarked that the lady looked like she could kill anyone, just by staring them down.

After half an hour she’d put the frame back and hadn’t said a thing for at least thirty minutes before exclaiming in a fit of something that Q could only call euphoria, »R is Q’s second in command because R comes after Q in the alphabet!«

Then she’d closed her eyes and started snoring softly.

Q, who had given up trying to keep his distance from James on the tiny couch and instead had now sprawled out on top of the other man like a drunk blanket, had only murmured »Bloody hell« before refraining from saying anything more and staring at the ceiling in silent contemplation instead.

Bond was silent. There was a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest that could have been caused by alcohol as much as by the adorable idiot that had chosen him as his mattress and was now studying the ceiling.

Bond turned his head, slowly, as not to disturb Q, to look at the picture of Q and Boothroyd - Q’s grandfather - on the drawer next to the couch.

»Did you know M? Olivia Mansfield?« He asked softly.

Q turned his face towards the drawer too. »Why else would I keep her picture?« His answer had been barely a murmur but the voice was right next to James’s ear.

James snorted softly. »You can’t tell me you know everyone in these Photos Q.«

»You’re adorable.«Q smiled lazily against Bonds chest.

Bonds heartbeat quickened the slightest bit. »Q. You do know there is a photo of Mycroft Holmes on your drawer.«

Q wiggled a bit so he could see the frames without rearranging his vertebrae and frowned slightly. »Why wouldn’t I know Mycroft?«

Bond wanted to shrug, but Q sounded like he was almost asleep. » M - my M - introduced me once. Told me he was her superior. Said he was friends with the Royal family.« He paused for a second, before continuing »She also told me to never, ever, piss him off.«

»She knew you well, huh?«

»S’pose so.«

»Granperé told Mycroft about you too.«

»Boothroyd told Mycroft Holmes about me?«

»’Told him about all agents.« Q corrected.

Bond smiled about the absurdity. »Your Grandfather spied at MI6 for Mycroft Holmes?«

» ’course. So do I« Q slurred, before snuggling closer to James’ chest.

»Why? He’s Mycroft Holmes. ’s not like he needs outside support now, does he?«

»Outside?«

»Y’know, not family.«

»Boothroyd was Mycroft’s family, Bond.«

James chocked on air. »You’re related to Holmes? What, s’ he your uncle?«

»Don’t be daft Bond, I’m not related to a Holmes- «

»Could you stop calling me Bond all the time?«

»If you stop interrupting me I will. I’m not related to a Holmes, I am a Holmes.«

» You’re a Holmes… Mycroft Holmes is your cousin.«

»Brother.«

»…Ah.«

Q found that he was almost asleep, which was a feat in itself, considering where he was currently located.

Then James spoke up again. »That’s how you now the royal family then? Through Mycroft?«

»Why the royal family?«

»You have a picture of the royal wedding framed Q. Although I s’pose keeping a picture of your brother and your former Boss is slightly different from keeping picture of the Pendragon family, even if you were introduced. Hadn’t taken you for a royalist, Dear Quartermaster.«

»My former Boss?«

»M, Q. Olivia Mansfield?«

»Oh yeah. I don’t keep her picture because she w’s my boss.«

» ’Thought you only kept pictures of people you knew.«

»Actually not true. ’only keep pictures of Fam’ly.«

»You’re related to M?« Bond had known M had had children, but not much else.

»My mothers sister. One of the four Ms.« Q giggled like he’d made a formidable joke.

»Your’ aunt’s and mother’s names all start with M?« James asked, a smile on his lips.

» ’course not, James. You know M’s name was Olivia. They all grew up to be M though.«

Q reached out to grab the picture displaying M and what apparently were her sisters but failed.

James picked it up and handed it to Q, who turned so he faced the ceiling again and pointed at M to explain.

»You know Olivia Mansfield, born Holmes, who was called M for her position in MI6.«

He pointed at the woman who James had dubbed ›motherly‹ upon first glance a few hours back. »This is my mother. Her name is Violet Holmes. She kept her last name when she married my father but no one calls her Violet of even Mrs. Holmes. Everyone just calls her Mummy. Mycroft started it when we were kids and it stuck. This is her older sister, Minerva,« Q pointed out the stern looking woman. »She’s Headmistress in a… private school up north… well. And this is Martha, the youngest. She got married too, but Mr. Hudson did some illegal stuff on the other side of the pond and got himself on death trail. Martha asked Sherlock for help, of course. Now she lives in London again. Thus the four Ms; Minerva, Mummy, M and Martha.« Q trailed off.

James picked up the photo of the woman he now knew as Martha Hudson in front of the door and showed it to Q, pointing out the short man standing behind her left shoulder. »John Watson, right? I know him. Used to know him, I mean, in the army.«

»Hasn’t been a Watson in some time though. Goes by John Watson-Holmes now. ’S my brother in law.«

»Mycroft is married?« James asked softly. ›Mycroft is gay?‹ went unsaid.

»He’s married, alright. Not to John mind you, but Lestrade. His first name is Greg, but everyone ’cept Mycroft calls him Lestrade. Gregory Lestrade-Holmes is quite a mouthful, so we collectively decided to go with the easier option.« Q grinned lazily.

James blinked a few times. Now Q had lost him. »’Thought you said John was you brother-in-law?«

»I have more than one sibling, James. John is married to Sherlock, my second brother.«

» Thought I lost you back there for a mo’. How are you related to the Pendragons then? You in line for the throne or s’mthing?« James joked.

Q laughed for a few glorious seconds before catching his breath. » Yes, very funny James.«

»You said you only kept photos of your family Q,« James answered with fake outrage. »And now I have to find out you’re not actually related to Royalty?«

»Don’t be silly James, I know what I said. And technically I am related to them, though only by marriage. Hand me the photo of the wedding and I'll show you.«

James complied happily. »I have to say Q. After the confusion with your brothers I am now genuinely interested how you could possibly complicate this further.«

Q let out a stifled groan. He pointed out the few familiar faces out of the crowd of nobility behind them. While the nobles kept in the back the King stood in the middle of the picture, right behind the happy couple. To Arthurs right there was his sister, smiling happily at her brother, who only had eyes for his husband. »It’s not that bad. Let me show you. This is the king, as I hope you realise. These are his children Morgana also known as Eve’s long-time crush and -.«

»I know you think me a fool Q, but I do recognise the King of the country I have sworn my life to.« James smiled while shaking his head in disbelief.

Q groaned. »Oh shush James. If you’re so knowledgable, why don’t you tell me who these people are and save me the effort, hm?«

James mentally shrugged. There were only four people in Britain who were actually royals at the moment and he knew their names. After all, he had legally died for one of them.

He pointed at each person as he went along. » This is, as you have so graciously explained dear Q, the King, Uther Pendragon, whom I coincidentally happen to have sworn my life too. Then there’s the crown prince, Arthur Pendragon, who I will pledge my life to should I mysteriously manage to outlive the King. This one is the lovely lady who Eve has the undeniable crush on. Huh.« He pulled the framer closer. »She really does look like she could kill me. Name’s Morgana Pendragon, illegitimate daughter to the king. I believe she a duchess but I couldn’t tell you her title if my life depended on it.«

»If it’s any consolation, I don’t know it either.« Q quipped.

James rolled his eyes fondly. »I thought you wanted to save your breath, Q.«

Q only let out a ›tsk‹ noise, so James returned to his explanation. »And that is the crown prince’s husband, of whom I only know because I nicked a newspaper from Q-Branch on my way to the airport. Should both Uther and Arthur die before me I would pledge my life to him too, I suppose.« James mused. »His name is Myrdinn Pendragon. I’m sorry to admit I don’t know his title though.«

»He goes by ›prince consort‹. Now, you see who that is standing in the far left corner, right behind the lady so-and-so?«

»Is that…Mummy?«

»Hm hm. That next to her is my father. If you squint you can even see me, right next to Mummy. I was wearing a suit, you know. Mummy confiscated all my cardigans. To my left there even are two of my siblings and their husbands.« Q seemed genuinely upset about the fact that he hadn’t been able to wear a cardigan to the royal wedding.

»Two of your siblings? You have a sister?«

»Occasionally. They’re gender fluid.« Q frowned up at James, scrunching his nose. »You do know what gender fluidity is?«

»I’m an agent, I know about people. You have another sibling then?«

»’s male that day. Name ’s Merlin. He’s right there.« Q murmured, eyes fallen shut from fatigue.

James brought the picture to his face, trying to make out another figure in the crowd he now recognised as the Holmes’.

As if sensing his confusion Q looked up. »In the middle, James.«

James’ eyes darted back to the middle where the royal family stood.

For a moment it was silent.

»Q« James asked gingerly.

»Hm?« Q’s eyes had fallen shut again.

»Are you telling me your brother is married to the crown prince?«

»Sibling. Yes.«

»…Alright.«

It was quiet for another few seconds.

»Who used to be your favourite?«

»Hm?«

»You said Boothroyd used to tell you about the agents. Who was your favourite?«

»Moneypenny.« Q answered deadpan.

»Awe, you hurt me dear Q.« James put the pile of picture frames on the floor next to the couch, then he wiggled to make himself more comfortable and slung his arms around Q. »Who’s your favourite now?«

»Oh, grow up 007.« Q murmured, face pressed against Bonds chest. For a few seconds he was silent. Then Q spoke up again. »James?«

»Q.«

»Would you mind putting out the light?«

»Not at all. If you could do us all the favour and introduce Eve to your sister-in-law.«

»I’ll invite you both for Christmas at the palace.«

»You are lovely, you know that.«

»So are you. Now shut it.«

#007 fest 2020 #team00 #00q #pre relationship #merthur #johnlock #mystrade #but all ships are pretty background-y #so don't get your hopes up #eve moneypenny #drinking #005.Vi

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one-shot-plus-size · 4 years ago

Text

Home is where the heart is. Part 2.

Imagine : Clayton Cardenas meets Olivia Mazru, who is on vacation in the USA for the first time.

Chapters: 2/10

Each of the 7 chapters will cover 3 days of Olivia's vacation, and 3 chapters will cover the time after returning home.

Part 1

💬Blue Haired: I'm already there

💬From Blue Haired: I just took a shower, give me 30 minutes. I'll eat something quick and go.

💬To Blue Haired : I got ready today and I have something to eat. So come before it gets cold.

Clayton glanced at the net next to him, smirked.

💬From Blue Haired : But you don't want to poison me?

💬To Blue Haired : So funny, come on over 😁

He pulled the hood over his cap and lit a cigarette. After 15 minutes, she parked the car next to him.

- Now you look like a murderer with a hood on your head.

Clayton rolled his eyes but finally smiled.

- If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already - he handed her the bag of food. - You have a choice of fast food or Chinese food

- Chinese food, of course - She smiled and pulled out the wrappers and chopsticks.

- So there is a burger for me - he smiled.

- You don't look like fast food - She put the box on the hood of his car and opened it.

- You see - he smiled - appearances can be deceiving. I like to knock my teeth into good fast food.

She nodded, grabbed the wrappers, and looked at the contents.

- Woman I did not poison it - rolled his eyes - pasta with shrimp.

- Well, I'm not saying anything - she laughed.

- But you watch it as if you don't know what was there - he snorted to himself.

She frowned at him and looked back at her food. She stuck the chopstick into the food and tasted food from a stranger for the first time. The pasta is perfectly cooked and then probably fried. Perfectly seasoned prawns, Olivia let out a long groan. Clayton almost choked on the food in his mouth.

- Sorry - she covered her mouth with her hand - but this is great.

- I'm glad - he smiled broadly.

- What are your plans for tomorrow? he was looking at her.

- Tomorrow is still here, and then I'm going to New York for a few days.

He stopped the burger on the way to his mouth, she was leaving. He felt his heart squeeze slightly.

- Oh please - he smiled - Will you come back?

- I'm not planning - she shook her head - I'm only here for three weeks and I want to see as much as possible. I don't know if I will have the opportunity to come here again. That is why I rented a car with the possibility of return throughout the country, because I do not know where to go.

- Pretty cool idea, actually - he nodded.

- I have been gathering myself for a long time to come here.

- Why?

- I was afraid, but it is quite an expensive and demanding journey. You know, it's not like I make millions, it took a while to get the money for it all. Coming here is something I've always dreamed of.

- Why did you want to visit this country so much?

- If you were in my country at least once, you would understand. USA for me is an icon of freedom, freedom. I know that it probably is not so, that it is only appearances, but I wanted to come here anyway. Here I am.

- It's nice that you make your dreams come true.

- I try - she smiled broadly - you have to fulfill yourself in life.

- Can I ask you something? - He looked at her blushing slightly.

- Sure - she looked at him.

- I was just thinking that maybe if you agreed, of course ... - he stumbled over his own words.

- Hey - she grabbed his arm lightly - take it easy, just let it out.

He smiled slightly, meeting her eyes.

- Maybe I could accompany you on your trip?

- You have no obligations at work?

- No, we're not recording - he shrugged - If you want to, of course, I don't press. I know we only know each other one day at night, but I'd like to spend some time with you.

He looked in her direction, bit his lower lip, and she stared at the ground. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, he wanted to kiss her.

- Okay - she looked at him - if you want to go out with a stranger in the country, cool for me.

- Great - he grinned from ear to ear - so when do we go?

- I don't have a specific plan yet, in the sense of being spontaneous. Ultimately, I'd like to go to New York

- Give me a few hours - he scratched his chin - I'll take a nice route.

- Can we set it together well?

- Ok, he nodded - I will cover the route and send you on whatsapp and if you want, you will modify it.

She nodded, and they sat together until almost three in the morning. They talked, laughed and had a nice time. They left, she went to the hotel and he to his house. Clayton threw himself on the bed and grinned stupidly. Olivia put her things in two sports bags and took a shower. Her vacation was getting better and better than she could say no to a man as handsome as Clayton Cardenas. In the morning, Olivia took a long bath, when she received a text message from the tour from Clayton, she sat down at the computer.

💬To CC - You made an effort 😁

💬From CC - I tried 👻

💬To CC - I guess I will not change anything. It depends entirely on you.

💬From CC - I appreciate what time do you want to start?

💬To CC - Let's say at 1 pm?

💬From CC - Will you come for me or should I come to you?

💬To CC - Don't tell me where you live. Arrive at Hotel Figueroa, 939 S Figueroa St,

💬From CC - OK, I'll come.

As soon as Clayton arrived at her hotel, they packed into their rental car and headed for Las Vegas. He wanted to show her the city at night and its charm. As soon as they arrived in town, they went to the hotel.

- Two rooms in the name of Cardenas - Clay smiled at the receptionist.

The receptionist smiled and rummaged at the computer. However, her eyebrows frowned with every moment. She looked up and smiled uncertainly.

- There is a reservation in the name of Cardenas for one room with a double bed.

- But clearly I booked two single-bed rooms yesterday - he breathed and clenched his fists.

- Relax - she touched his hand - is there any free room behind it?

- Wait a minute - she looked back at the computer.

Clayton shot Olivia an apologetic look, not how it was supposed to go. She shrugged and gave him a soft smile.

- I'm sorry, but the hotel is fully booked.

- Maybe we'll find another hotel? he breathed.

- No need - she rummaged through her hair - let this room be, we'll manage somehow.

- For sure ? - he looked at her.

- We're adults, we'll be fine.

The receptionist handed them the keys to the apartment. They went to their place for the next two nights.

- I'm sorry it turned out that way - he breathed.

- Nothing's wrong, she patted his shoulder, it's okay, don't worry.

- Maybe I'll check the rest of the booking - he pulled out his phone.

- Maybe you can relax a little - she went out onto the terrace - look view is beautiful city.

- You say I have to live for a while? - He stood next to her.

- Yes - she looked at him and smiled.

He pushed himself off the railing and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her against her back. She paused for a moment, but finally relaxed. She felt the warmth of his body as she gently slid her hands under his clasped over her belly.

#clayton cardenas #mayans mc #mayans fandom #Olivia #love #las vegas

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alj4890 · 4 years ago

Note

I got an ask? What if we get Liams POV when Riley is with Olivia at the family vault? How did he even know the game doesn’t really tell us anything about how he found out.

A/N Hmmm. Interesting. You're right. How did he know where they went? Olivia took Riley through a secret passageway to avoid bumping into Mira and anyone else lurking in the hallways. Let's try and figure out how Liam did this without the use of x-ray vision or telepathy, LOL!

@krsnlove @gkittylove99 @texaskitten30 @kingliam2019 @yourmajesty09 @mom2000aggie @ofpixelsandscribbles @twinkleallnight @lodberg

Masterlist

Down to the Wire

Lythikos...

Time rarely seemed to be on Liam's side. The more obstacles he encountered, the more he realized that everything he attempted only succeeded at the last possible second. His having to choose Madeleine at the final moment to protect Riley. Riley and their friends finding Tariq right at the moment before all hope to end his engagement was met. Drake diving in front of Riley to save her from being shot. His father pushing him out of the way from being crushed.

Everything in his life came down to a handful of finite seconds that held the very fabric of his fate.

He didn't particularly care that this was how his life would be. He wanted to be able to plan, have time to study every possible scenario and discover a way to combat the problems that could occur. Fate it seemed thought otherwise.

Olivia's festival was in full swing. As he walked around with Riley, it seemed that the horrors that had befallen Cordonia had yet to touch this wintery corner of the country. Madeleine's poisoning the night before wasn't spoken of. The few snatches of conversations he heard from nobles centered around the freezing temperatures and Lythikos ale.

Did no one care what was going on in the shadows?

When Riley left his side to try and draw the enemy out, he had to fight every single aspect of his personality to remain behind. He had come so close so many times in losing her, that the thought of placing her in this type of situation hurt horribly. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

"I'll be fine." Riley had pressed a tender kiss to his lips. "I promise that nothing will keep me from marrying you."

He had hugged her close, almost wishing he could command her to remain in the safety of his embrace. Yet he knew that he never would demand such from her. His love was a brave, intelligent, and independent woman. He didn't want to destroy any part of her personality just to assuage his fears.

"Stay safe for my sake." He pleaded, kissing her once more. He raised a gloved hand to her cheek, eyes tracing the features he adored. "And knock Drake down with a snowball."

She laughed while hugging him tight. He watched her walk off toward the areas where snowy fields awaited those seeking a moment away from the crowd.

If that didn't draw their enemy out, he honestly didn't know what would.

Deciding to walk around alone and enjoy the merchant tents set up, he happened upon a heated conversation between Olivia and Lucretia.

"Humph. Your mother and father would have rather died than bow and simper before the king and court." Lucretia spat.

"They did die for not showing deference." Olivia snapped.

Lucretia glared at her for such a flippant response.

"To think that their only child would roll out the red carpet for our enemies is beyond disgraceful. Where is the Nevarkis blood? Why does it not boil with hatred toward Constantine and his progeny?"

"This Nevarkis blood does boil with hatred toward my enemies." Olivia responded. "Constantine might have been my enemy in the end but Liam never has. He's the best man I have ever known. He earned my respect and devotion years ago. I--"

"Spare me your lovesick musings." Lucretia waived off Olivia's compliments for the new king. "You've allowed this school girl crush to dilute what was once the pride of the Nevarkis name." Her lip curled in disgust. "To think our line depends solely on you."

Olivia's hands fisted over the insults. "Feel free to leave anytime you wish. That's all you've been good for."

Lucretia opened her mouth then paused at the set down she was about to give her niece. A slight smile formed on her thin lips.

"Still too scared to go to the family vault and see what your name, your very makeup, is, aren't you?"

Olivia's brow furrowed somewhat. "What does the vault have to do with--"

Lucretia held her hand up to silence her. She turned around and started to walk away. "The vault is no place for cowards. If I were you, I wouldn't dare step inside."

"I'm not a coward!" Olivia snapped at her aunt's back. Blinking back angry tears, she spun on her heel and disappeared in the opposite direction.

Liam stepped out from behind the tent he had been hidden. His eyebrows drew together as he thought over the unusual turn in their conversation.

What did the vault contain that Lucretia so desperately wanted Olivia to discover?

Wishing Bastien was here, Liam was forced to call Mira.

"Meet me over by the ice sculptures with schematics of Lythikos." He whispered.

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

Olivia's home...

In an empty room, Liam studied the layout of the bottom level of Lythikos. His jaw clenched at what could be turned into a deadly trap.

"There appears to be only one way in and out of the vault, sir." Mira pointed out.

"Appearances can be deceiving." He told her, eyes narrowing at the lack of secret passageways marked on the blueprint. He knew from his visits here that it was similar to most of the castles in Cordonia. Each one had numerous hidden doors, hallways, and secret rooms.

There had to be at least one that the Nevarkis ruler would have used in the past to reach their treasured possessions.

"We'll watch from here." Liam tapped on an old storage room. "We will be well hidden and can easily see if anyone approaches the door." His eyes narrowed. "If Lucretia tries anything, we can stop her without anyone getting hurt."

"What about Lady Olivia?" Mira asked.

Liam didn't hesitate. "She is not the one attacking Cordonia."

"But, her parents--"

"She is innocent." He snapped. "Olivia has been my friend since she was five years old. She would never betray me."

Mira bowed her head. "Sorry sir."

He wished Bastien was here. He would have at least offered something more than accusations. "Once the court has retired for the night, we will take up our post."

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

A little after 2 a.m.

It took all of Liam's willpower to not step out of his hiding place.

The sight of Olivia and Riley appearing out of the wall to calmly enter through the locked door leading down to the vault had made his muscles tense in anticipation.

Mira had silently questioned if she should save their future queen. He held his hand up to stop her. He could tell that Riley was not a prisoner. She had come willingly down here, most likely in support of Olivia.

It wasn't long though that he noticed Lucretia with a man that he knew too well.

"Is that--" Mira whispered.

Liam nodded.

He had finally found the link to every attack in the palace: Justin.

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

"You should have stayed in New York, Riley." Justin said. "Why did you have to accept Liam’s proposal and come back?" His lips twisted in a bitter grimace as he leveled his pistol on her chest.

"Shoot her and get it over with." Lucretia snapped.

"No!" Olivia cried out trying to move in front of Riley.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Liam ordered as he and the King's Guards fanned out as much as possible in the narrow hallway.

Justin shook his head in frustration. "It is my time! I am the king Cordonia needs."

Lucretia maneuvered between Justin and Liam. Her evil smile formed as she pretended to stumble against the stone wall.

"If Olivia will not take her rightful place as queen, then she too must die with the rest of the filth."

Liam heard an ominous click as the entire bottom floor shook. His eyes widened at the charges exploding around the vault.

"Get out of there!" He screamed at Riley and Olivia.

He pushed his way through the guards rushing to stop Justin and Lucretia from escaping through yet another hidden door. His hands reached out towards them, praying he could reach them before they were trapped in the vault.

His mind refused to contemplate them being crushed to death by the heavy stones.

Riley grasped Olivia's hand and pulled her out. She went directly into Liam's arms, closing her eyes tightly as shouts filled the hallway and the floor finally stilled.

Olivia waved her hand through the dust in an attempt to see if they had caught the two who were behind this new wave of treachery.

Lucretia was handcuffed and held down on the floor by a guard while Mira cursed.

"Justin escaped." She told them bitterly.

Liam's arms tightened around Riley when he felt her tremble.

"At least now we know who our enemy is." She said, clutching him to her.

Liam placed a kiss on top of her head. "Yes, and he will never have another chance to harm you again."

Finally, he was given the precious time he needed to set into motion a plan to protect those he loved the most.

#choices the royal romance #king liam x riley #liam x riley #liam trr #choices trr #trr olivia #trr riley #the royal romance #trr #requests

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bbrandy2002 · 5 years ago

Text

My Love

Chapter Six-Monsters

**So I needed a bit more time than I thought to figure out a change I made to this story. Thanks @dcbbw for talking me through my last minute idea and convincing me to go for it. And OMG @burnsoslow who spent soooo much time editing and working her magic and just for always being an amazing tbff.

Warnings: Attempted murder by beating, rape, mention of infanticide, mental breakdown and god only knows what else. EVIL!!!

I have been working on this plot twist for two weeks. Just remember, I told you it wouldn’t always be sad.

*********

Amanda lay restless in her bed with a head full of secrets and a heart full of dreams. While staring blankly at the midnight time of her alarm clock, lit brightly in a reddish glow, she thought about the close call with Liam she had not more than 20 minutes ago. She didn’t lie to him; Riley did give her the key to their quarters. Did she also fail to mention to the king that it was the very same key she used on the night of his wife’s death? Of course. Did she also forget to mention to him that plans have been in place for months to procure certain outcomes in the lives of the Cordonian royal family to benefit others? Absolutely.

Amanda wasn’t here of her own doing. This virtually unknown young woman, who started her life as an orphan and found herself related to a queen, was hopeful that she could complete the mission she was sent here for. If everything worked according to plan, tomorrow would set in motion a series of events that was sure to change not only her life, but that of several others.

Thinking about the busy weeks ahead and a princess that was sure to wake for her feeding soon, Amanda rolled away from the illuminating light of her clock and closed her eyes. She fluffed her pillow and nestled further into it, attempting to clear her full mind for now and get some rest. Just as her body became comfortable and started to relax, she heard the voice of the king speaking through the baby monitor. She opened one eye, wondering why he was still up at this hour, then immediately opened the other when she heard him call out for Riley.

Several seconds passed, and she heard him frantically speaking out for his wife again. The sound of a door swinging open and his shuffling about the nursery stirred her from a pending slumber. Amanda pushed the blanket down to her waist and sat up in the bed, listening closer for any clues as to what the hell he was doing. She didn’t hear the baby crying, but curiosity was getting the better of her when she heard what sounded like Liam doing just that. Amanda rolled her eyes and shook her head while thinking about the utter insanity the King of Cordonia had been over the last month. She hoped that this plan would be worth it in the end, because she had grown tired of the weeping and depressive state he seemed to be stuck in. In her home country, a spouse, and often the offspring, were considered something of objects -- disposable ones at that. Amanda was surprised by his behavior and inability to just get over his wife’s death already.

The former personal assistant who was now serving as Ellie’s nanny, was living proof of what being unwanted and unloved entailed. It was possibly why she didn’t mind being used for this assignment. Being manipulated for the betterment of others was just the price she had always paid to be included and feel needed. It was too bad. Riley never treated her this way; poisoning the queen, who had been so kind to her, was one of the most difficult things she had ever done.

Ellie’s soft cries began to make their way through the baby monitor and Amanda groaned sleepily, knowing the King had undoubtedly woken her up with his emotional breakdown and commotion. She sighed and tossed the rest of the blankets back, swinging her feet to the floor.

Still tying her robe as she entered the nursery, an apologetic Liam was picking up his wailing daughter from her crib. Amanda backed out of the room quietly and planted her back against the wall beside the nursery door. His ass woke her up, he can get her back to sleep.

It was nothing personal against Ellie - she had grown quite fond of the baby. The consequences of Liam’s decisions, however, necessitated these uncontrite and acrimonious feelings toward him. How she would ever be able to pretend to love and care for a man that she loathed had been inconceivable, but she was confident she had played her part well enough - without anyone batting an eye - that she would continue to get away with it.

Amanda stood motionless and silent outside the room while she listened intently to see if she would be needed to assist with Ellie,intrigued to find out why Liam was calling out for his late wife in his daughter’s room.

Liam shifted Ellie from his arms to his shoulder while he rubbed soothing circles over her tiny back. He nuzzled his cheek over her featherlike blonde hair and paced about the room in an effort to lull her back to sleep. Still reeling from the voice of his wife - that he knew he clearly heard - his startled baby’s cries gave him pause.

“I’m so sorry, my princess.” he whispered tenderly. “Daddy never meant to scare you.”

Ellie’s small fist clenched and shook vigorously against his chest, which only enhanced his guilt and remorse. Eyeing the rocking chair next to her crib, he slowly walked back across the nearly dark room while bouncing rhythmically and methodically.

Lowering into the chair, he kissed the top of his daughter’s head and ran his thumb across her cheek to dry the red-hot tears that were streaming down it.

Liam closed his eyes as he moved back and forth with the rocker, continuing to calm his daughter’s fears.

Amanda listened as he spoke to Ellie about hearing her mother’s voice singing and how it elicited a reaction in him he was sorry for. She turned her head away and covered her mouth to stifle her laugh. He told me he was a little paranoid … my ass ... he is freaking losing his mind. She bit her lower lip with exuberance and prowled back to her room in time to hear that the baby’s cries had ceased. Amanda pulled her phone out of the drawer next to her bed and sent a series of text updates before she crawled back into her bed and fell asleep moments later.

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

Bright and early the next morning, Liam sat alone at the helm of the conference table while he awaited the arrival of the council. He had no desire to attend this meeting, especially on this first day of resuming his official duties since Riley’s murder.

Leaning back in the chair and tapping his fountain pen nervously against the notebook before him, he muddled through the events of the prior evening. He knew what he heard last night. Liam heard Riley’s voice so clearly and distinctly that there was no doubt in his mind that it couldn’t have been his imagination. Her sweet voice was all he had wanted to hear for weeks, and when she wasn’t in the nursery, it shattered him. That brief moment of hope over the prospect that everything since her death had just been a bad dream was swept away like a mighty tidal wave when she wasn’t there. It felt like losing her all over again with a heart that was already swollen with grief beyond what it could bear.

He dropped the pen on the notepad and rubbed his heavily tired eyes; that old familiar sting behind them from weeks of insomnia made it difficult to keep them open. Liam’s secretary refilled his coffee mug while members of the council began to file into the room. Each one offered their condolences or a sympathetic nod as they passed by … with the exception of one.

As the council settled into their places around the table, all eyes looked to Neville for an explanation of this impromptu meeting.

Liam took a sip of his coffee and nodded to the future Earl of Cormery Isle. “Lord Vancouer, you called this meeting. Would you please enlighten the council as to what is so important that it couldn’t wait until later in the week?”

Neville straightened in his seat and plastered on a smarmy grin.

“Your Majesty, it has been over 30 days now since the passing of the Queen. The citizens of my island are becoming concerned that there are no plans in place yet to replace Her Majesty.”

Drake let out a sardonic laugh. “You have got to be fucking kidding me. Tell me you’re joking.”

Hana placed her hand on Drake’s arm and eyed Neville with a wicked glare. “I’m wondering the same thing. What are you trying to do, Neville?”

The members of the council broke out into uproarious chatter while Liam dropped his head and remained outwardly calm and silent. He knew what Neville’s counter would be; it hit him like a ton of bricks at that very moment. Liam knew the law better than anyone in that room; he also knew from personal experience with his father what Neville was about to say.

Neville loudly cleared his throat and drew the attention of the council back to him. “I shouldn’t be surprised by the lack of knowledge of our political system by the people who surround me - especially you, Mr. Walker. Need I remind all of you of the Cordonian law that states that a social season should take place within 60 days to replace a vacated monarch’s position? Here we are, on day 31 since Queen Riley died, without any plans finalized to do just that.”

Once again, all ire fell on Neville as shouts in his direction took over the room.

Olivia slammed her hand on the table and quickly stood, drawing silence and recognition from everyone. “Lord Vancouer! Now let me remind you of what else the law says. The bylaws in section 2709C state that unanimous assent from the council can prolong the social season for up to a year. I see no need at this time to carry out a social season while this country is still mourning the death of its very popular queen!”

“I agree with the Duchess.” Bertrand exclaimed, followed by shouts of conciliation.

Madeleine closed her binder and glanced over to the far end of the table where Olivia was taking her seat again. She crossed her arms and let out a small sigh. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Olivia. There are enough women in this room who can fill in for the duties of the Queen … I understand if I can’t be one of them after what my father has done; however, I’m willing to help out in any way I can.”

Every member of the council had their chance to speak about their concerns, and each member was satisfied that there were enough people willing to step in to ensure that the stability of the crown and country would remain intact.

Drake leaned back in his seat and rested his hands behind his head. “Satisfied now, dickhead?” He grabbed the pen laying on the table before him and clicked the end of it to release the head from its casing. “I say we vote now.”

Neville smirked across the table from Drake while pompously steepling his fingers together. “Yes, Mr. Walker. I’m ready to vote as well. Remember you need unanimous consent from the council, and you have yet to convince me to change my mind. Thank you for not drawing out the inevitable.”

“How about I draw out your throat and shove it up your ass, you useless piece of shit!”

“Drake.” Liam held up his hand and finally spoke out for the first time since the meeting began, having heard enough. He knew Drake could handle Neville, and he usually found it rather entertaining, however, his life literally lay in the hands of the lord from Cormery Isle. It was obvious that the entire council, which also included Hakim, Landon, and Maxwell, was fine prolonging the social season for one year. Even at that time, Liam knew he wouldn’t be ready to marry another woman. There was no one who could replace Riley and he would concede there never would be, He would deal with that issue when the time came and not when he was completely caught off guard.

“Lord Neville,” Liam stated, twisting his wedding band anxiously. “You’ve heard the rest of the council, now I’m asking you to hear me. Your reasoning for holding a social season and having me marry again is no longer valid. It benefits no one in this room, nor Cordonia, and I’ve heard nothing of these concerns you speak of from the people of Cormery Isle. Also, I need to remind you of my infant daughter, who has just lost her mother, and doesn’t need the only parent she has left traipsing around the country when she needs me.” Liam looked pleadingly at Neville, revealing his vulnerability at that moment, hoping to garner sympathy from him. “Can I count on you to do what’s right for Cordonia, Neville?”

Neville fidgeted with his coffee mug, staring at it while he mulled over the king’s words. He looked up, his dull brown eyes looking straight into the bright blue, weary eyes of the leader of his country. He shrugged his shoulders and let out a heavy sigh. “You can count on me, sir.”

Liam nodded in approval and let out the breath he was holding. “Thank you, Lord Vancouer.”

Liam’s secretary passed out default ballots that the council only had to write a simple yea or nay for. Once everyone finished voting, she collected the ballots and handed them to be read by Bertrand.

The Duke of Ramsford stood from his seat and read each ballot’s vote aloud.

Liam glanced over at the empty seat next to him, the placard of his wife still mounted to the table before it. The room seemed to drift away with each vote read, all in his favor, yet he couldn’t believe he was even having to entertain that blowhard’s idea of marrying right now. His eyes met the back wall where the royal portrait of his late wife adorned the golden frame next to his. Her smile, her poise, her confidence gave him strength. Even in such a regal photo, he could see her love for him. God, I miss her so much.

Liam diverted his eyes away from the photo to peek over at Bertrand who was standing, slack-jawed, holding the last ballot in his shaky hand. The look of astonishment on the Duke of Ramsford’s face caused Liam’s heart to sink further into his chest.

He knew in that instant he had been betrayed.

“Bertrand?” Maxwell questioned.

Bertrand looked down at his brother to acknowledge him but quickly turned his attention back to the ballot.

“The last vote …” he stammered, “... is nay.”

With those words, Liam felt like a hand had reached around his throat and started to strangle him.

All glares turned to Neville, who played off his innocence. Chaos and disorder took over the room as members of the council shouted their displeasure at him while he maintained his position with a satisfied smile. That smile only fed into Drake’s anger and disdain for him.

“Motherfucker!” Drake jumped up from his chair, climbed across the table, and lunged at the man who once challenged him - and lost - in a duel. Neville’s chair fell backwards with Drake still taking swings at his face, both men falling into heaps on the floor. The King’s Guards were summoned into the room to quell the violent commotion that had ensued.

Liam’s fate had been sealed by one person: his Judas. The man who moments ago looked him straight in the eyes and assured him he would not do what he just did. The chaos in that room, the betrayal, the thought of having to endure another social season so soon after losing his wife was too much.

Completely dazed, he pushed his chair away from the table and silently walked out.

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

Liam returned to his office, a shell of himself, and rifled through weeks of paperwork and memos awaiting his return. He wanted to forget what just took place. here was no way in hell he would remarry, and certainly not right now. He ran a hand down his face and grabbed the first file from a stack in front of him, hopeful that if he immersed himself in work, it would take his mind off everything.

It didn’t.

He thumbed through the file momentarily before tossing it back onto his desk. What Neville did was unconscionable and only served to fester his anger. In 29 days, a new social season would start. A new barrage of women would throw themselves at him. He would be expected to plaster on a smile, dine and dance the night away with them, listen to their breakdown of qualities that made them perfect to become his wife - his queen. He would look around a packed ballroom and be constantly reminded that the love of his life was not in attendance, that she was ruthlessly taken away from him, and he would be expected to carry on as if none of it ever mattered.

That was the life he thought he would have before Riley, but she was a game changer. Before her, Liam was prepared to shoulder the duties and responsibilities of the crown, to give up his life to serve Cordonia.

As he stared at the stockpile of paperwork, he processed what the crown had cost him and realized he no longer wanted that duty. He ran a trembling hand through his hair and contemplated his abdication. He believed it was the only course of action left.

He shook his head as he suddenly became aware of the fact his daughter was now next in line, and that was not something he wanted to burden her with. If he gave up the throne, he could serve as King Regent until her 18th birthday, but he couldn’t put her in that position at such a young life. He wanted her to experience life and be able to make that decision for herself when the time came.

As his heart pounded and his breaths became labored, Liam placed both hands on one end of his desk and clenched his jaw before ferociously sweeping his desk clear of everything upon it.

“We have to get out of here.”

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

Amanda had received a text from Neville following the council meeting that requested she meet with him. After telling one of the maids she had an emergency, she grabbed her purse and phone and left the baby in their care.

Stepping cautiously into a secluded area of the local park, Amanda stretched her neck looking for the man she had met there several times before. The area was surrounded by trees and brush, and it was a place they could discuss their plans without the watchful eye of bystanders or cameras.

Leaning up against a tree, she pulled out her phone to check if he sent another message telling her he was running late. Feeling annoyed by his unusual tardiness and no text, she began absentmindedly pulling pieces of bark from the tree while stewing in her thoughts.

No one knew she was Amalas’ cousin, nor that she was sent there by her to take on the personal assistant job for Riley. Amalas wanted the alliance and marriage pact between her child and that of the then-heavily pregnant Queen of Cordonia. Amanda was to get in her good graces, report updates back to Monterisso, and help influence Riley’s decision to look favorably upon their country.

Liam’s reluctant decision to enter into an alliance with Auvernal changed everything.

A new plan was put in place, one that was never intended to be deadly. Still, Amalas felt it was a small price to pay to get what she wanted. With Riley out of the way, the Black Widow of Monterisso reached out to Neville, whose ruthless reputation was unprecedented. He agreed to host Amanda during a social season he would push for. Amanda would volunteer saying she knew Riley and had been taking care of Ellie since her birth, feeding on Liam’s sympathies and loyalty to his child. If she could marry Liam, she could funnel money, get favor for Monterisso, and force him to break the marriage pact between Bradshaw’s son and Ellie.

The rustling of brush drew Amanda from her thoughts as she looked up to see Neville plowing through, cursing at the tiny branch that smacked his already-battered face.

Amanda scrunched up her face when she took in his black eye and busted lip. “What happened to you?”

Neville pulled out his handkerchief and swiped away the dirt and broken leaves on his brown suede jacket. “Never mind that,” he replied with a growl.

He proceeded to tell her the social season was a go, and that he had already filled a very-pleased Amalas in on the drive over.

“That’s great! So when do we get started?”

Neville dabbed at the sore on his lip and checked his finger to see if there was still blood. Damn that Walker.

“Don’t get too eager just yet, Miss Talbert.”

Amanda furrowed her brow. “Why? Everything is going our way.”

He pulled his handkerchief out again and tried to control the slight bleeding from his lower lip. “Amalas has one more thing she wants you to do before the social season starts. One more thing to ensure her position and standing with Cordonia.”

Amanda averted her eyes from Neville, feeling queasy after he licked the blood from his wound. “What?”

He smiled devilishly. “Kill Princess Eleanor.”

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

Liam stormed out of his office and yelled for Bastien, trailing behind him, to have the jet ready. He returned to his quarters, not questioning or caring why the maid was caring for Ellieat that moment. He had hit rock bottom and reached a level of misery that he could no longer sustain. His behavior was erratic as he entered his bedroom closet, pulling out two suitcases and plopping them down on the bed.

He grabbed handfuls of clothes as he raced back and forth between the closet and the bed to stuff them inside his luggage. There was only one thing left he knew to do, and that was for he and Ellie to get the hell out of Cordonia.

With sweat pooling around his forehead, he grabbed what was needed from the bathroom and tossed everything inside with his clothes.

“I’m coming, Liam!”

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

Amanda whipped her gaze back to Neville, shocked by his statement. “She wants me to kill the princess? Absolutely not!”

Neville laughed with amusement. “Silly girl. You act like you have a choice in the matter. With the princess gone, it breaks the marriage pact with Auvernal. Once you are able to seduce the King and secure the next heir, you will convince him an alliance with Monterisso is in Cordonia’s best interest. Besides, it's not the first time you’ve taken out a member of the royal family … the baby should be a breeze compared to poisoning the queen.”

Amanda turned away from Neville. She had followed her role with precision; she had deceived Riley, and she did murder her. Ellie was different. Despite her evil ways, Amanda did care for the baby, and she hoped to fill the mother role in her life.

Neville placed a commanding hand on her shoulder. “Miss Talbert, are we clear?”

Amanda shook Neville’s hand from her shoulder and turned around to face him. “No,” she answered assertively.

He cocked his head and creased his brows. “Did you just tell me ‘no’? Need I remind you who you are dealing with, and what you have already done for her?”

“I don’t care! Ellie is off limits!”

Amanda quickly brushed past Neville. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She tried to twist and turn out of his tight grasp, but he wouldn’t release her.

“Let me go!”

She was becoming increasingly panicky by the struggle and his menacing laugh. With one swift kick to his groin, Neville let go of her arm and doubled over in pain. “You are dead, bitch!”

Amanda took off through the thick brush while Neville limped steadily behind her. Everything went in slow motion as she swiped away at the sharp thickets covered by thorns and tattered sticks. Her breathing and heartbeat increased with each step, while tiny cuts from the bristles scraped across the palms of her hands.

Just as she was nearing the edge where a clearing to the park was visible, she felt the painful thud to the back of her skull.

Amanda dropped face down on the ground while blood poured like flows of lava from the open wound.

Neville looked around to see if anyone was nearby before dealing a series of continuous blows with a large, broken branch, to the near-lifeless body that lay at his feet.

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

Liam stopped what he was doing when he heard the invisible voice.

“Riley?”

His eyes darted around the room. Hewanted so badly to believe she was speaking to him.

“I’m losing my mind, Ri! I’m losing my mind!” he wailed while clasping fistfuls of his hair.

Liam’s vision blurred, and he literally felt his blood pump through every vein in his body. His legs wobbled, his hands went numb, and a crushing pressure took over his chest. A sudden knock on the bedroom door caused him to wrench.

“Li! It’s Drake. Let me in, buddy.”

Liam focused on the locked door handle that was jerking wildly as his best friend tried to open it. His body began to sway as the room started to circle around him. He stumbled to the side and placed both palms on the bed to catch his balance.

“Go … away ... Drake!” he yelled weakly.

The doorknob continued to twist, the room continued to spin, his vision became spotty and dark. A cold sweat broke out over his body and sent a shiver down his spine.

“Liam! I’m going to break down the goddamn door! Let me in!”

Liam never heard Drake’s threats. That desperate craving for peace he had longed for finally gave in as he collapsed to the floor.

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

Neville arched his back and grunted quietly when he finished his climax. He pulled himself out of the woman he had just beaten, removed the condom, and tossed it away from the scene.

He grabbed Amanda’s phone, stuffed it into his jacket, and checked around him for any incriminating evidence he might leave behind. Once Neville was sure the area was clear, he eased out of the thickets and made his way down the path that led out of the park. There was still one more thing he needed to do.

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

Bastien was able to break down the bedroom door that Liam had locked.

“Your Majesty!” he shouted and ran to assist his King, who lay on the floor unconscious.

The head guard placed two fingers on Liam’s cold neck and waited impatiently for signs of a pulse. Bastien’s eyes widened in horror and looked to Drake, who hunched beside him. “Call an ambulance, now!”

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

A park ranger was in the middle of chest compressions on Amanda when emergency technicians arrived on the scene. He moved out of the way and watched helplessly as the young woman he found beaten and exposed in the brush received the first of several shocks by a portable AED device. As it scanned for a pulse, another technician worked to control the bleeding that seeped from her head wound.

“We have a pulse! Let’s go!”

Amanda was strapped to a stretcher and rushed to a nearby awaiting ambulance. As the siren blared and monitors were connected to her chest, the woman’s eyes began to flutter open, much to the surprise of those who worked on her.

Confused by her whereabouts and what was happening, she attempted to speak and lift her head that was already restrained to the stretcher.

“Ma’am, don’t try to move.”

“I … I …” she muttered and tried to gasp for air.

A male EMT looked down into her brown eyes and wiped away the blood that had cascaded into them. Another worker placed a nasal cannula into her nostrils in an effort to deliver supplemental oxygen.

“I … need … Liam.” Her voice was weak but came out assertively.

She could feel the tightening of the blood pressure cuff around her arm and winced in pain. There was so much urgency around her and the pain she felt was unbearable, but there was only one thought on her mind.

“Liam!”

As the tip of a sharp needle pierced into the vein of her frail hand, she blinked back tears. She had no idea what had happened nor where she was, but one thing was for certain -- she knew exactly who she was when asked.

“Brooks … Riley Brooks.”

#liam x mc #liam x riley #choice trh #the royal heir #trr #bbrandy2002 #My Love #rape #beating #attempted murder #king liam

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