#m!a: an (out of date) addison again

[thebigshotman]

The day after Christmas. A rough day for any Addison or salesperson, given that the day was almost exclusively taken up by people returning their gifts and forcing them to shell out money instead of making it. If you didn’t sell anyone anything for Christmas, though, you had nothing to worry about and had a relaxing, normal business day.

That was what Spamton was going through for most of the day today, trying to restock his shelves now that most of them weren’t clipping through the floor. He might be able to reopen soon! And with that he’d have to leave Eileen. A lump in his throat formed at that thought. He didn’t want to do that. What could he do to prolong doing that?

His thoughts were derailed by the lump in his throat bubbling into a gentle hiss of static that transitioned into the screeching of dial up.

Startled, he stumbled to the floor and onto his side, smashing the S. POTION he was carrying onto the floor. He could feel his skin hardening; it hurt like hell. They didn’t say this was going to happen going back, too!

If they had he might not have chosen to be affected by their magic at all!!

*HeaVEN, this hurts…Eileen!! Saff!! An YONE!!!!

His voice was on the frizz underneath the dial up, once again transitioning between throat and voice box. His teeth were growing, that stupid dumb award-losing smile stretching back onto his face whether he liked it or not. How wide he was smiling hurt. His teeth growing hurt. His hair falling out again, the black and white clumps piling up in front of him, were humiliating. His clothing itched.

Someone help him. He screamed beyond the static, only for it to cut off halfway with a startup noise.

He couldn’t feel his thumping, pounding heart anymore. Glitches split his vision now as his glasses became solid frame once again. He squinted his eyes shut, that last bit of moisture trickling off of them as they became simple decoration once again. His plastic hands flew to his head. It was throbbing as the noise and static and voices returned, mocking him.

*[[A]] [[A]] [[A]] [[A]] [[A]]

It was about all the noise he was capable of making at this point as the pain and humiliation built to a fever pitch. Why couldn’t he frown and scream and beg like a normal person could, maybe someone would be able to help him and make this all just go away-

Not like they’d be able to. They’re not real. Like you.

Your angel’s not real, either. Why are you so attached to her?

His eyes flew open.

*…SHUT UP.

He muttered to everyone and no one, for the shop was empty as always. Like a bad nightmare, the pain had passed, as horrific as it had been, and he was back to himself. He was dissociating somewhat as he touched the ground but couldn’t feel the shattered glass, grumbled but in a voice that wasn’t his own. That would pass, too. At the end of the day, no matter how powerful the magic, this was the state he returned to.

…But. He would always make the most of the magic when it was given to him. No matter what the consequences or catches.

*SHE 1S REAL. SHE HAS TO B3. I’D GO [[*cuckoo clock noises*]] IF SHE W4SN’T. SHUT UP.

He slicked back his black hair in annoyance, once again fake and once again layered with an inhumane amount of gel and grease. He hadn’t felt it returning. Probably because it wasn’t real hair that grew, not anymore.

He checked all of his systems now that he was back to normal. His mini-Spams were okay, he could access his Inventory, and his cherub wasn’t in pain anymore! If nothing else, those were pluses. The only other thing was his voice…but what else was new?

That was when he got up without another word, except for a bright, eerily positive-after all that just happened, anyway-confirmation noise leaving his mouth, and went into the back of the shop to check on his mini-selves. Some customers had wanted one, right?

Back to business.

[thebigshotman]

He doesn’t notice any of Eileen’s pain at first, instead squeezing her tightly with almost plush silicone arms that won’t hurt (as opposed to plastic ones that definitely would). Remembering the motion to pucker lips and kiss and practicing it for a moment as he picks up his rambling again.

*A customer made me an Addison again!! Sure-sure, there’s all these buggy side effects cause they didn’t do it right, but I’m here!! I can talk right! I can kiss you right!! I can-

He cuts himself off the second he hears her groaning. Something isn’t right. He looks up to see her face covered by her hand, and immediately the instinct to protect shoots through his body. He slowly lets go of her and tries to soothe her somehow, trying to figure out what’s wrong.

*…Eileen? Is everything okay? You seemed alright until I-

*…Hold on, is my lagging affecting you, too?!

And he immediately steps away a few feet, tears pricking at the sides of his eyes. Of course that would end up being the case…of course he dared himself to hope he could give Eileen a real, normal kiss while he was like this…

@thebigshotman cont. x - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Years of adapting his vocabulary to fit the wide range of informercials has finally caught up with him , albeit his semblance of normality doesn't quite match to code . Parts of him lag between steps , even more when he makes a beeline towards the girl .

Among conversation from locals entering the building— she looks up . Eyes locking on the Addison as his voice cuts through whatever topic others had been talking about before , his endearing nickname being reason for her attention . Spau—

However , Spaul's ramblings would be met with silence . A delayed reaction on her part given how fast he was moving , well more than usual . His name barely slips before arms lock around her— weight tilting her back causing her to awkwardly slump against the synthetic brick .

Immediately she felt it , the pressure building in the back of her head , her vision blurred as lights from various buildings were dwindled into abnormal shapes . Whether it came from him or some other element she couldn't see quite clearly , barely making out the eager Addison as he retained his greeting . The static has returned .

❝ Spaul ? What's— ❞

Another twinge brought a hand towards her face , groaning . Terrible timing for one of these to start up . While the migraines didn't last for more than an hour , they were still incredibly painful .

[apupp3tw0-strings]

The Trouble with Ads

Date: October 31st, 2131

After searching and calling out for quite a bit, rolling around Castle Town on my skates, I failed to notice when I wandered into Addison Alley/the shopping district until I accidently bumped my way into one of Spamton's old friends, Flash (the yellow one). Pretty much since my first interaction with the Addisons, any time I've found myself running into Flash, he's been constantly asking me about Spamton. Which like, isn't a bad thing. I'm glad at least one of the Addisons is concerned enough to try and keep tabs on the situation but, when it happens every time I run into this guy, it starts to get awkward. That's why I've, um, kind of been avoiding the shopping district and Flash as much as possible. (I'm not exactly proud of it! But like... There's not a lot I can tell Flash. Not to mention anytime I'm with Spamton and he spots Flash or any of the other Addisons, he jumps into my inventory pockets or some other hiding spot! ... Same deal with the Swatchlings too actually. Gyeeeeeeh...)

Of course Flash had heard me calling for Spamton and asked what was up, it's not like I was being all that quiet. (I mean, how would I expect Spam to hear me if I was?)

"He's not missing, is he?" Ooooh boy. I didn't not want to be in this situation. In fact I tried to escape it a bit... But also I couldn't just pretend like everything was alright. They had heard me calling for him!

"Gyeeeeeeeeeeh..." I tried to turn around, maybe it I was lucky I could still skate off the other direction before they asked more questions. "Well, um, m-maybe. He wasn't in his room in the castle when I got off school."

"Tch." Another, pink, addison piped up from a nearby tea stand. "Of course he has a room in the castle." The more I got to know Click, the Pink Addison, the less I liked her. He might've been the one who I promised I'd bring Spamton to talk to all of them eventually, when he was ready, and the one who said they wanted to apologize, but Click is a bit of a jerk! I've seen how she acts sweet to customers and stuff, but anytime Spamton comes up in conversations she's not even part of, she'll always make some rude comment. (I'm kind of ashamed how much Click's behavior reminds me of Taffy...)

After shooting a glare Click's way (thankfully I wasn't the only one who found his behavior rude), Flash turned back to me. "Did he leave a note or any other thing saying where he was going?"

I shook my head. "Jevil said he went out to look for some place to read in peace but other than that, I don't know." I honestly should've just said no and left there. I don't think the Addisons needed to know all the details. ... But then again, they WERE his friends, at one point, and Flash at least seemed genuinely concerned. Not to mention, I'd been searching for at least fifteen minutes to half an hour with no luck and I didn't want to leave Papa waiting in the school parking lot forever.

At that point, the Askers also chimed in with questions, trying to provide some help at narrowing the places Spamton might be down. I didn't exactly want to mention to the Addisons that some of places Spamton tended to hang out before Papa and I brought him in or before I got Remie to make him and Jevil rooms in the Castle were dumpsters and alleyways (I'm not sure if Spamton would've also wanted to hide that from them, or would've gladly told them in an attempt to get them to feel guilty), but when the Asker asked if there were any like, libraries or bookstores nearby, I mentioned the closest to that might be the Cafe.

"But... I don't think Spamton would head there."

"Why not?" Flash asked in response.

"He has an erm... Complicated relationship with Swatch."

"Jeez, has he been able to maintain ANY good relationships?" Click chimed in again, uninvited.

This time I was the one to shoot her a glare. "I mean, I'd hope my friendship with him is a good one."

The ad just took another swig of his tea before making another un-welcome remark. "Sure kid, keep telling yourself that." ... If I wasn't already focused on locating Spamton, I would've punched Click in her stupid pointy nose.

Shortly after that, another Asker commented how'd it'd be a shame if someone here knew where Spamton might've been, before mentioning a can. I took Click bringing up the tin can sticking out of Flash's pocket before the gears finally turned in the yellow ad's head and they remembered it. Click face palmed and shook his head.

So, apparently some time earlier, Flash got a spam call on this literal tin can that they thought was some other addisons from a different division but actually turned out to be Spamton. (... Of course Spamton would spam call people even on a tin can and string phone.) Though it turns out after figuring out it was Flash on the other end, Spamton got cold feet before abruptly hanging up once an Asker pointed out to Flash that it was actually Spam on the other end. (This guy is as oblivious as Blane... Maybe more so.)

After the reveal that Flash had a direct line to Spamton this whole time, we started following the string. I would have preferred Flash not come with, but I guess now I was stuck with him since he had the can phone and was already coming with me. (At least Click was staying at his stand. It would've been even more tense and awkward if she'd tagged a long.) There was maybe like, a minute of awkward silence before Flash tried to break the ice.

"So um... It's Halloween up in the Light World tonight, isn't it?" I wasn't even aware Darkners knew what Halloween was. I mean, I know they don't celebrate it and Jevil sure didn't know about it when CK and I explained it to him and Spamton a couple weeks ago. I guess maybe some of the Cyber World citizens know about it because literally the internet?

"Hmm? Oh um. Yeah." I replied. I still didn't exactly want to talk to Flash. I barely wanted him to even be there. So much awkwardness...

"You going Trick-R-Treating, kid?" I guess it does make sense for an advertising Darkner to know about holidays like Halloween. How else are they expected to advertise stuff around it?

I nodded before responding. "I was actually gonna get ready for it after I picked up Spamton. Thought maybe I could use it as a chance to introduce him to my friends."

"And yet you keep him from his own, huh?" That caught me off guard. Flash had a point, was it selfish of me to want to introduce Spamton to my friends while his own hadn't seen him in years?

"G-gyeh!? I-I'm not doing it on purpose!"

"Hey, hey, relax kid, I was joking!"

"Gyehh... It's just... I don't think he's ready yet." It wasn't a lie. I'm still not sure he's ready. "Any time he sees one of you, he hides. He never likes talking about you all and... If my Papa is right... I think he's scared." ... I'm not sure he'll ever be ready.

"Scared? Why would he be scared? I know he had some serious social anxiety back in the day but, he knows us." Flash paused for just a moment, looking at me in a bit of concern. "We were his friends." ... Was he trying to convince himself of that statement?

"... I don't know. There's probably multiple reasons." I tried to keep walking "... I guess, when I think about if I was in his situation. If I got super popular and my friends sort of left me, even when I really needed them... I'd be scared too." ... I... Ever since meeting Spamton, since learning his story, I've thought about that scenario more than I can really count. Even if it may be incredibly impossible, I'm still scared of it. Of everyone leaving me for something so stupid. Of not getting the help I need when I need it most. ...

It feels less impossible after what happened a couple weeks ago.

Flash paused, perhaps confused, perhaps concerned. I couldn't exactly tell. I was still trying to follow the string. "... Do you actually think your friends would leave you?

"Maybe? I dunno. I don't... Sometimes it feels like I don't fit in with them." Why was I pouring my heart out to this random Darkner I barely knew? Was it just because I wasn't thinking? ... Was it the odd sense of familiarity? Was it just because they were Spamton's former friend?

"Psh. What? You seem to fit in fine with that other Lightner kid." Right. Flash only knew about CK because CK was the only other Lightner to come here asides from Kris. And I mean, Flash wasn't wrong. CK and I catch on like a house on fire. (Sometimes literally with CK's magic.) We've been like that pretty much since we were babies.

"CK's different. He's my cousin and we live in different towns. My main friends... They sorta remind me of you guys?" It is eerie how much the Addisons remind me of my friends. When I first met them, I thought it was just the colors, but since having more small interactions with the ads, no. No it's more than that. There's these subtle little quirks and things that both parties seem to share. Little mannerisms and behaviors that I'm not sure anyone else would really notice. ... It's weird.

"Huh? ... That meant to be a good or a bad thing?" ... Was it meant to be a compliment? Was it an insult? I... I don't know. I feel if anything it might be making me see my own friends in lights I really would prefer I didn't see them in. Lights I don't want to think about because of what they might imply. ... Yet lights that are getting too bright to ignore.

"... I'm not sure." At that point, we reached a point where the thread led into an alleyway before stopping with the other can, laying near the wall across from a dumpster. I turned to Flash. "You remind me of my friend, Blane, though. Good and bad." ... Blane's always been one of my more... interesting, friends. He often goes too fast for me and is constantly getting into trouble, often roping me into it with him, but I still wouldn't trade him for the world. He can be a dunce and a jerk, but I still think he's a genuinely caring person who has my back. ... At least I hope he does. ... I hope they all do.

After that, I headed into the alley, Flash did too, though I had hoped maybe at that point they would leave. ... No. No he wouldn't. Which proved things a little more difficult when I did find Spamton after hearing the lid of the dumpster slam close after calling out for Spam. Upon opening the dumpster, I found Spamton holding his nose in pain (I'm guessing he caught it on the lid when trying to close the dumpster), before I could exclaim his name though, Spamton was quick to try and pull me into the dumpster and cover my mouth.

"[Sound off] KID !!" He hissed while gripping the handkerchief tied around my neck before I tried to wriggle my mouth away from his other hand. (It smelled like garbage, unsurprisingly.)

"W-what? Why-?" I asked before Flash piped in from the background asking if I'd found Spamton. The look Spamton gave me, that pleading, begging look... Yeah it was probably a very bad idea to have brought along one of the Addisons. A very, VERY bad idea. But also... This might be one of the only times I'd be able to get Spamton to confront his past. Even if it was through a bit of force, when else could I get him to talk to them? If he was just afraid, there was no way he's going to just get over that unless forced to face them, right?

... But then again. Was it really my place to make that call?

Either way, if I kept standing with my head in the dumpster, eventually Flash would come to investigate anyways. In a panic I stood up and tried to hide Spamton behind me, one of my hands holding the lid mostly closed. I probably should've said something after that but... Once I locked eyes with Flash again, I froze. The Askers kept pressuring me to just tell Flash the truth but... at that point I think my anxiety was starting to spiral. I couldn't stop sweating as I ummed and "well"ed while trying to avoid eye contact with Flash.

... I was lucky that eventually Flash got the message that Spamton had no interest in seeing them and I was just nervously stalling to try and not hurt their feelings.

"He still doesn't want to see me, does he?"

I gave a sheepish nod, still trying to avoid eye contact.

"Ah, well... As long as he's alright, I guess I'll get going." And with that, Flash left. ... I feel even if I had tried to convince Flash to stay, Spamton still wouldn't have changed his mind.

After a few moments and Flash had long since gone, Spamton finally popped back out of the dumpster.

"IS HE [Going going gone!]"

"Yeah" I sighed before taking Spamton back home, making sure to avoid the shopping district this time.

Can someone tell me when I signed up for this? And more importantly, where I can fricking unsubscribe?

To Be Continued.

[cadybear420]

Cadybear's MC-LI couples: The Ultimate Crash Course Masterlist (NOTE: List is subject to frequent updates)

As a corollary to my MC Crash Course Masterlist, I've decided to make a comprehensive list of all of my official MC-LI couples in Choices. I might also make some "profile/intro pages" for each of my couples, we'll see.

"Canon" Couples

The Couples that I have done official playthroughs for (or am well into a playthrough for) and are part of my personal canon. These are the main couples that you will see me post about the most.

DLS: Dick Ryder (m!MC) x Peg King (Hispanic Charlotte King)

Important Notes: - Dick and Peg marry after the DLS timeline, Dick happy to be the (step)dad to Yvette (and, of course, officially a DILF).

HSS Prime: Jordan Price (f!MC) x Julian Castillo

Important Notes: - Jordan does not start to feel attraction for Julian until much later into/after the HSS Prime timeline. Prior to this, she dates a prep boy named Danny who later moves away. - Jordan and Julian begin to date at the end of OG HSS Book 3. She's stayed in touch with the rest of her friends after she graduated, and confesses her feelings for him when she asks him to prom. - Their relationship definitely lasts a long time at the very least. They most likely do not get married, but do remain a couple.

HSS OG: Evie Ayana (f!MC) x Aiden Zhou

Important Notes: - Evie and Aiden share their first kiss at homecoming and confess their love for each other at prom. - The two maintain a very strong relationship following the OG HSS timeline. They get married after they both graduate college, it being an open marriage, and they eventually have kids. - There also exists a AU parallel universe in which Evie joined band and got even closer with Aiden while developing a talent at sax-playing.

HSS:CA: Cher Lee (f!MC) x Ajay Bhandari

Important Notes: - In Book 1, Cher did not have any romantic interest in Rory or Ajay. She saw Rory as a friend and didn't care much for Ajay. Rather, she had a bit of a puppy crush on Erin. - Cher does not take an interest in Ajay until the timeline of HSS:CA Book 2. - Sometime during Cher's sophomore year/Ajay's senior year, the two break up on amicable terms due to uncertainties about their relationship following Ajay's graduation. - However, they do maintain a strong friendship through the years. When they're a bit older and wiser, they start dating again and eventually marry and have kids.

ILITW: Jo Hunter (f!MC) x Lucas Thomas

Important Notes: - Prior to ILITW timeline, Jo has slept around with a handful of other guys in a series of one-night stands. But she's never had a committed relationship before. - Jo and Lucas date after the ILITW timeline, and maintain a long distance relationship while Lucas is in college. - They eventually get married, having become engaged by the end of ILW. It's an open marriage. They probably will not have kids though, maybe one at the very most.

ILB: Harper Addison Vance-Fisher (demigirl!MC) x Tom Sato

Important Notes: - Harper and Tom stay in an official relationship post ILB timeline, but they do not marry. They just live together in an apartment as a couple and the proud parents of Boo Boo, AKA the giant teddy bear that Harper won for Tom at Lake Day.

ILW: Cedric Zhao (m!MC) x Jocelyn Wu

Important Notes: - Cedric and Jocelyn start out as a friends-with-benefits relationship that eventually gains a romantic element too. - This relationship might get replaced with Cedric x Amalia, or maybe even an open/poly relationship where Cedric can be with both Joss and Amalia.

MAH: Peggy Stone x Tyler Woods (White)

Important Notes: - Peggy and Tyler begin dating with an open relationship by the end of MAH. - The two maintain a strong relationship post MAH timeline. Whether or not they marry is uncertain, but they do share a home after they both graduate. They most likely will have kids.

ROD: Adelaide Zhou (f!MC) x Colt Kaneko

Important Notes: - Addi and Colt have some romantic and sexual attractions for each other, but the relationship is nothing more than a brief fling and they do not become an official dating couple. They may or may not reunite years later, though.

RWB: Atticus St. James (m!MC) x f!Drew Young (White)

Important Notes: - Drew in this universe is pansexual. - Their relationship lasts for a couple of years, but I haven't fully decided their endgame.

WEH: Sage Amin (f!MC) x m!Dakota Winchester (East Asian)

Important Notes: - Sage and Dakota's relationship does not last, for obvious reasons. :(

Parallel Universe "Canon" Couples

The couples that are for my secondary MCs and are part of my personal canon for parallel universes. These are also couples I may post about a lot, albeit maybe not as frequently as their main-universe counterparts.

HSS OG: Alan Parke (m!MC) x Emma Hawkins

Important Notes: - This relationship might get replaced with Alan x Maria, or maybe even an open/poly relationship where Alan can be with both girls.

WIP Couples

MCs and Couples where I've more or less decided their romantic route/endgame, but they are still awaiting a playthrough before I can officially incorporate then into any aspects of my personal canon. I might still share with the occasional headcanon I come up with here and there, but I'll need more time doing their actual playthrough first in order to develop them better.

ATV: Jax Elara (m!MC) x Kepler

Important Notes: [None yet]

AME: Jamie MacLeod-Noor (f!MC) x Carson Stewart

Important Notes: - Unfortunately, Carson is not a LI option in the canon game. So in my playthrough, Jamie will end up engaged to either Adam or Derek, but then ditch whoever it is at the wedding for Slater. This will translate very differently in my headcanons. - Jamie has some attraction to Adam/Derek, but not enough for a committed relationship. She half-thinkingly accepts the proposal, but quickly realizes she does not want this marriage. - But when Slater flirts with her, she starts to figure out a way to get out of the wedding and snag Carson instead. She plays along with the wedding to reap the benefits of it, and leads Slater on in order to better plot her way out. - At the wedding itself, she ditches the groom. But much to the disappointment of Slater, she does not confess feelings for him. Instead, she finally confesses her feelings for Carson. - She and Carson then begin dating, and have a TV wedding for the fun of it. They live together in the fancy beach house (and there may or may not be a queerplatonic relationship with Jen too), and they might get married some years later.

BaBu: Jayden Cassidy (bigender!MC) x Myra Dixon

Important Notes: - The two definitely stay together after getting married. I haven't yet decided the names of their kids though.

BB: Jasmine Yin (f!MC)

Important Notes: - She's probably going to have relations with Adrian (white), Jax, and Kamilah. She might also develop some queerplatonic attraction to Lily. Whoever she will end up closest to is still being decided, but there's definitely gonna be a poly endgame. - She may also hook up with Drac and Priya. - In my headcanons, she will also have relations with Nikhil. - In my first playthrough, Jax is the one who died at the end. IDK how this will play out in my upcoming more official playthrough. But whatever the case, I might change it in my headcanons so that Adrian is the one who dies– both Adrian and Kamilah should have been eligible too, and I feel like it's more fitting for Adrian to die. IDK yet.

ES: Emilia Harris (f!MC) x Raj Bhandarkar

Important Notes: - Unfortunately, Raj is not a LI option in the canon game. In my official playthrough, I might have Emilia be a bit flirty with Jake, and maybe even get handfasted to him just to see what the route is like. But in my actual headcanons, it doesn't go past flirting and she instead gets in a relationship with Raj. - Her relationship might not last, because I will most likely be choosing the Vaanu ending for her.

ES: BJ Kingsley (m!MC) x Estela Montoya

Important Notes: - I might have BJ choose the Endless ending, meaning that his relationship with Estela should be able to last.

HSS OG: Violet Jones (f!MC) x Michael Harrison

Important Notes: [None yet]

HSS OG: Samara Al-hakim (f!MC) x Caleb Mitchell

Important Notes: [None yet]

TH:M: Otto

Important Notes: - She has had feelings for Ansel for a long time, and in my headcanons, she'll get to have hate sex with him in that scene in the wine cellar. Her official endgame however is still being decided. I'm considering a possible friends-to-lovers with Rye, but it's not certain yet.

TPA: Jane Bond (f!MC) x Callum "Booty Galore" Grey (Indian), m!Rowan Salazar, m!Lou Belrose, m!Alexis Reid

Important Notes: - Unfortunately, Alexis and Rowan die in the canon storyline. I may or may not rewrite this.

TRR: Lew [Last Name Pending] (f!MC) x Liam Rys (East Asian)

Important Notes: [None yet]

(Possible) AU Couples

Parallel universes in which MCs that already have endgame LIs in my personal canon end up pursuing different LIs. In some cases, if I like the AU couple better than the original planned couple, I might switch and make the AU couple the canon one.

HSS OG: Evie Ayana (f!MC) x Michael Harrison

Important Notes: - This will definitely not be taking the place of Evie x Aiden in my personal canon, but some of it will still be incorporated in the Evie x Aiden canon. Evie and Aiden do have an open relationship, so Evie will sleep with Michael every now and then. - In the AU parallel universe where Evie pursues Michael, their relationship might be more queerplatonic.

ILITW: Jo Hunter (f!MC) x Andy Kang

Important Notes: - This will likely not be taking the place of Jo x Lucas in my personal canon, but some of it will still be incorporated in the Jo x Lucas canon. Jo and Lucas do have an open relationship, so Jo will have some relations with Andy, Connor, maybe even Dan and Noah too. However, the relationship with Andy would definitely be the strongest of the outside relations.

ILW: Cedric Zhao (m!MC) x Amalia de Leon

Important Notes: - This couple has the possibility of replacing Cedric x Joss as the main route and endgame for Cedric. Though if possible, I would like to maybe go for a poly endgame.

Unserious Couples

The MCs and couples where I just did not take them seriously and really only exist for fun.

TNA: Eh IDC (f!MC) x Samuel Dalton (White)

Important Notes: [None]

Rewrite Couples

The MCs and couples that exist solely for me to rewrite their stories in my personal canon because their actual canon story is in my shitlist tiers.

TBB: Alyssa Larson (f!MC) x Cole Stone (Native American)

Important Notes: - These characters exist in my headcanons for the sole purpose of headcanoning that the baby is rescued from this awful couple and adopted by Evie and Aiden. I have yet to decide the name of the baby though.

[openheartfanfics]

Newly Added Fics

Sep 17 - 23, 2022  

🎭 Angst  |  🦚 Angsty Fluff  |  🛸 AU  |  ☁ Fluff  |  ♥ NSFW  |  📚 Series  |  📷 Edit  |  📱 TextFic  |  Ⓜ Mature

BRYCE X M!MC

Late Nights - @mydemonsdrivealimo  ☁

Jensen leaves his keys at home after a night of drinking, but that's not going to stop him from getting into Bryce's apartment. [Drunk]

ETHAN X F!MC / F!OC

Checking In With The Ramseys - @genevievemd 📱

A quick check in with newlyweds, Ethan and Gen -- and it’s date night! [Social Media]

Drunk - @lem-20 ☁

Cecilia's had a little too much to drink. [Drunk]

Fever - @ofmischiefandmedicine  ♥

After an evening full of temptation, Ethan Ramsey must face the inevitable truth – Laura Levchenko is a woman impossible to forget. [Racy Thoughts]

Holding You Close - @potionsprefect  🦚

In the aftermath of the attack, Ethan doesn’t want to leave Victoria alone. [Hurt/Comfort]

I’m Yours To Tame - @txemrn  ☁ Ⓜ

While Tatum heads out for the evening, Ethan sorts through his own thoughts and feelings about his new relationship with an old friend. TW: Excessive alcohol consumption; unwanted sexual advances [Drunk]

Inebriated - @mysticalgalaxysstuff  ☁

Ethan’s reaction to a drunk Marissa saying “I have a boyfriend” when he tries to hug/kiss her. [Drunk]

In My Veins - @genevievemd 🎭

Ethan finds himself in a bar, trying to get Genevieve out of his head. [With Someone Else]

Hot Ones - @cariantha ☁

Your MC is on Hot Ones (the show)! How’s their spice tolerance and what are their preferred hot sauces? And best of all, what "spicy/ridiculous/personal" questions would they get asked?

Jane's Theory of Everything - @inlocusmads  ☁

It is Jane's first day as the newest addition to the diagnostics team and she's already missing in action. [2.1]

Once [A Nanny Affairs/Open Heart Crossover] - @peonierose  📚🛸

[mini: wip] Addison has stage four ovarian cancer. So Sam and Addi seek a consultation with Dr. Ethan Ramsey at Edenbrook. Will they make it in time? TW: Illness, cancer, mental health Feat. Ethan Ramsey

Part 1

Second Impressions - @liaromancewriter​ 📱📷 ☁

It’s Cassie’s first day as a Junior Fellow on the Diagnostics Team.  Feat. OH Gang [2.1]

Spooky Trip - @peonyblossom 📷 ☁

Ethan and Sadie go on a day trip to Salem.

Take Me Home Tonight - @the-pale-goddess  ☁ Ⓜ

Tiffany doesn’t go on a bender often. But when she does, it’s always a wild ride—especially for a certain grumpy doctor. [Drunk]

The Best Nights Are With You - @takemyopenheart  ☁

Ethan deals with his drunk girlfriend. [Drunk]

The Boyfriend Excuse - @cariantha  ☁

Ethan’s reaction to MC saying “I have a boyfriend” when he tries to hug/kiss her or something because she’s way too hammered. [Drunk]

The Question - @liaromancewriter ☁

Ethan has an important question to ask Max, but what follows is a heart-to-heart.

Try Again - @trappedinfanfiction  ☁

Two instances where Celia says she has a boyfriend, two quite different outcomes. [Drunk]

With and Without - @alwaysmychoices  📚

[extended: wip] Dr. Charlie Greene doesn’t have Ethan Ramsey. But when Charlie’s life feels like it’s out of control, she finds herself on Ethan’s doorstep. They promise each other that it’s just one night, but once they’ve broken all their rules, they can’t go back to normal…

Ch 36: Old Wounds

ETHAN X M!MC

Checking In - @peonyblossom  📱 ☁

Ethan and Sydney check in on each other during the day. 

ETHAN X TOBIAS

Clearing the Air - @coffeeheartaddict2  🦚

Whilst in Hawaii for a colleague’s wedding, Ethan and Tobias have a frank discussion about their past. [Platonic]

Unlikely Allies - @potionsprefect  ☁

A tragic event bring two former enemies much closer. [Platonic]

PLATONIC

Bowling Blues - @liaromancewriter  📱 📷

Cassie and her friends go bowling to blow off some steam on a weekday. Feat. OH Gang

TOBIAS X F!MC / F!OC

An Introduction - @a-crepusculo  ☁

A night at Donahue’s took an unexpected turn.

The Big Secret - @jerzwriter  ☁

Casey and Tobias are trying to figure out what they are to each other; when she calls him to meet her at Donahue's, does she let it all out?

_

SUBMIT OPEN HEART FICS & WRITERS HERE

[rainieclown]

DEADLY OBSESSION

michael myers x reader - chapter 4: another chance

michael grabs the test, offering it to you. "what do you think?" he asks softly, and you take the box from him. "i might still need some time, but i will happily try again." you smile, and michael smiles back.

tags: theres smut here, comfort, impreg, creampie, kissing, a lot of it, secret pregnancy

warnings: smut, impregnation

miss burnham had come back, and she practically refused to leave your side. being your main caretaker, she had heard everything that had happened whilst she was gone, and she wanted nothing but to comfort you. she had even brought you one of her hoodies to wear, which michael disliked as it wasn't his. luckily, miss burnham had warmed up to michael after hearing about how much he helped you, and tried to protect you. she treated him fairly, yet he didn't trust her niceness. "relax.." you mumble to him as miss burnham leaves to go get some food for you and michael.

"she cares about you too, i can tell." you smile softly, kissing his cheek. "i don't know.. she switched up so quickly." he replies, pulling you close to him. "because of how much you help me." you explain, but he's still a bit off put by her behaviour. you roll your eyes at his behaviour, giving his jaw a soft kiss as you rub his shoulders gently. "does she know about the plan..?" michael asks softly, "no. not yet... doctor addison is supposed to be telling her soon, though." you reply, one of your hands finding his hair as you gently pet his soft locks. michael hums softly, leaning his forehead against yours.

the door clicks open, and miss burnham steps into the room with a tray of plates, there's even one for her. "so, um. addison told me the plan." she starts as she closes the door. "honestly, despite the rules, i think it's great. i need to stop being protective of you one day." she chuckles, giving you a plate and leaving michael's on the bedside table for when he wanted his. "thank you.." you smile, leaning against michael as you ate. "michael, i honestly have no problem with you dating y/n just... treat them right." she sighs, eating a forkful of mac and cheese. michael glares at her, tightening his arm around you. "he does, don't worry." you smile, leaning your head on his shoulder to ease him as you ate. he gives your head a soft kiss as miss burnham hums softly. "alright... but if you do hurt them-." she starts, but you cut her off. "miss burnham, please trust me." you sigh, and she smiles. "alright, alright. fine. but you'll be in a lot of trouble if you hurt them." she states, and michael growls slightly.

you pat his arm softly, kissing his chest as he rubs your hip gently, urging to have him eat a bit of his food. "right, i've gotta go, it's passing curfew." miss burnham says as she takes your plate, checking with michael if he was done as well. he hands her his plate gladly, not wanting to eat much. you hum as you kiss michael's jaw softly once she leaves, closing the door behind her. he smiles, giving you a soft kiss. "so, the plan.." he mumbles, planting his hands either side of your lap as he leans over you to give you another kiss. your arms snake around his neck, pulling him closer. falling back onto the bed, you let michael move over you, wrapping your legs around his hips. "please..?" you mumble, kissing his neck as he quickly removes your pants. you hum softly, shuffling to grind against him. michael hums softly, grabbing your hips to hold you in place as he suckles a hickey onto your neck. 

you hum softly, grabbing his hands as he kisses the hickey. "michael, please..!" you try to roll your hips into him, and he chuckles. "alright, alright. fine." he grins, tugging himself out of his pants to gently rub your clit with his head. you make a small noise, thighs tightening around his hips. "please, i need you..!" you whimper as he continues to tease you. "yeah?" michael chuckles, licking a stripe up your neck as he pushes into your cunt slowly. "o-oh! michael!" you moan, wrapping your arms around his shoulders as he buries himself into you. "fuck, you're so tight." he grunts, slowly pulling out as best he can with your legs wrapped around him. you moan as he pushes back into you suddenly, picking up the pace quickly.

michael fucks into you, grabbing your thighs and bending your legs up so your knees almost pressed against the bed. you cry at how deep he thrusted into you, your abdomen bobbing with each swift stroke. "fuck- you feel so good." michael groans, kissing the side of your leg softly. you arch your back, your hands squeezing his tightly as you flutter around him. pulling his hand from yours to rub small fast circles on your clit. "mike- oh!" you wail, fingernails digging into his shoulders. michael grins at your reaction, slowing his thrusts yet pushing just as hard. "aah! michael.. hold me..?" you ask shyly, making grabby hands at him. michael smiles, grabbing your hands and pulling you up into his lap instead. you sieze up, moaning at the new position as michael grabs your hips to help you ride him.

"ah! feels good!" you whine, cuddling close to him as he fills you up. "m-michael!" you gasp, cumming unexpectedly, your fluids dripping down his cock. michael hums, pleased with the way you squeezed his shaft tightly, it never failed to make him cum. "fuck- y/n!" he moans, filling you with his seed. unsatisfied with just cumming in you, he lays down with you, keeping your cunt stuffed with his dick. you hum happily, cuddling close to his chest. "tired?" he mumbles softly, kissing your head gently. "yeah.." you reply, resting a hand over your overfull stomach, gently grabbing the bulge his oozing tip made. michael groans softly, shuffling in you as you rub his tip lovingly. "awh, does that feel nice?" you tease with a tired smile. "stop.." he mumbles, face tinted red. "aw i'm sorry, baby." you grin, kissing his flustered face softly. "y/n.." he warns, letting you kiss him. "alright, alright. sorry, i just like seeing you flustered." you giggle, giving him another gentle kiss. michael only hums softly, pulling you closer to him. your hand stayed on your stomach, protectively, and michael's much larger one covers yours as he kisses your forehead.

"get some rest." he practically orders, and you nod, circling your free arm around his torso as you settle down for a snooze. michael gives you one last kiss before letting his own eyes close to doze off into a light slumber.

[iliumheightnights]

Yolo FroYo! | Wyatt Lykensen x Male Reader

Fandom: Zombies Pairing: Wyatt Lykensen x Male Reader Summary: M/n takes his boyfriend out for a treat. …

“So where are we going exactly?”

M/n chuckled at his boyfriend’s question. “You’ll see! We’re almost there.” M/n and Wyatt had been dating for a few weeks now and life couldn’t be better. 

Well life COULD be better because Wyatt was a werewolf and Seabrook’s antimonster laws STILL aren’t abolished. Sure it was getting better with humans becoming more accepting and realizing zombies and werewolves weren’t monsters, they were people.

Perhaps that’s why Wyatt was so shocked when his crush M/n, a human, asked him out on a date. He was more surprised because M/n was a boy too and Wyatt hadn’t really seen two boys dating in Seabrook.

“Tada! Surprise!”

M/n opened his arms, motioning to the FroYo stand in front of them. “I remembered you said you wanted to try FroYo so I figured we could get some today.”

Wyatt’s face broke into a large grin and he quickly ran over to the stand. He looked over the multiple different flavors that were available. M/n couldn’t help but smile as he watched his boyfriend, he looked like a kid in a candy store. It was adorable.

“Mint chocolate chip. S’mores. Cotton Candy. Cookie Dough Bones!” Wyatt read all of the names aloud and got excited with each of the flavors. If M/n was seeing it correctly, Wyatt even seemed to be drooling a bit.

“Someone's Excited! I just stocked the cart this morning!” Coach said with a grin.

“Yep. It’s Wyatt’s first time trying FroYo. So he’s pretty excited.”

The boy in question smirked before licking his lips and looking at the choices again. Finally he made up his mind. “Can I get the Cookie Dough Bones please?”

Coach quickly got to work in getting both boys their desired flavors. “Here you go. On the house for your first time trying FroYo!” He said with a rather chipper smile and sending a wink to M/n. M/n wasn’t exactly sure what the wink was for but brushed it off.

“Thanks coach we will!” The boy said with a smile.

“Oh for sure!” Wyatt said, already eyeing his bowl like he was about to devour the thing whole. Which he probably could.

As the boys walked off with their frozen treats, Coach called out to them. “Also hope you have a good date! You make a great couple!”

Both boys seemed to choke on their treats, blushing madly. It wasn’t long before both of them were laughing.

The two of them sat down on a bench that overlooked the water. Both sitting sideways so that they could use the free space of the bench as a table for their FroYo. For a while they just ate in silence, but the moment their eyes met both boys couldn’t help but giggle again from what Coach said.

“I still can’t believe he figured it out.” M/n said with a chuckle.

“Are we really the obvious? I honestly thought we were pretty chill, especially since we’re not like Addison and Zed. Those two are like the poster children for lovey dovey couples.” Wyatt said with a smirk, taking another bite of his treat.

“Uugghh. You’re right about that. They’re...disgustingly in love.”

“What if we-”

“Nope. Not going to be us.”

“That’s what you say now. Boop.” Without missing a beat, Wyatt booped M/n’s nose leaving a smudge of Frozen Yogurt on him. “You got something right there.”

“Jerk.”

“You know you love me.”

“Do I?”  M/n smirked and lent in, Wyatt following along. As both of their faces came closer, M/n quickly brought up his hand and dabbed Wyatt’s face with some Yogurt. “Payback!”

“Oh it is on!”

M/n quickly got up and booked it as Wyatt started chasing after him. Both of them completely forgetting about both of their half eaten bowls of yogurt still sitting on the bench.

[maxie-pallet]

Notice for Eviction Part 3: I Hardly Know ‘Er!

“…Mike? Who’s Mike?”

Spamton froze. Swatch had never seen Spamton so… terrified. His eyes looked panicked, Swatch swore they heard static buzzing.

“Mike?… [EAHA, I HARDLY KNOW ER’!]” Spamton laughed nervously. Swatch could see sweat forming on his brow. Spamton turned away and started heading back in the direction of the car.

“WHY DON’T WE HEAD TO THE NEXT [Chore]! DON’T WANT TO [2 Hour Delay] THE QUEEN!”

Swatch sighed but followed after Spamton reluctantly. The two walked around town, finding the people who asked for requests from the Queen and got the tasks done. The tasks ranged from menial things like directing traffic and cleaning graffiti off walls, to more complex tasks like helping a family of Poppups take care of their Maus invasion. By the time the two got back to Spamton’s car, they were worn out.

“How in the cyber world can the Queen handle all of this on her own…” Swatch huffed. “I know hard work, but this is just ridiculous.”

“I… NEED A [Little Generosity]…” Spamton wheezed, trying to catch its breath.

“Why can’t you just do that thing you did with the Virovirokun… that healing thing?” Swatch asked.

“YOU THINK I CAN [F1] WHEN I’M THIS [All Tuckered Out After Crying]?”

They couldn’t argue with that logic. The two spent a minute catching their breath before getting back into the car to go back to Queen’s Manor.

“LET’S GET THIS [Show On The]-“

“Spamton?”

Before they could leave, a pink fellow dressed rather dapperly seemed to have recognized Spamton. Swatch wasn’t surprised, considering how popular Spamton was, but this guy didn’t seem very happy.

“Ah… HELLO, [Old Friend.]” Spamton muttered. The pink fellow seemed even more annoyed by Spamton’s use of the word friend.

“Spending too much time with your new “Big Shot” friends to visit your brothers anymore, huh?” The fellow spat.

It was then where Swatch remembered the identity of this fellow. The Addisons were a family of well known salesmen around the city. Spamton was one of them. But Spamton found its own opportunities and grabbed them by the strings. The Addisons didn’t seem to have taken that very well.

“WELL, NOT ONLY THAT, WE’RE JUST-“

“Taking a fancy little ride around town?”

“NO I… I WAS DOING IMPORTANT [Business]!”

“Which we could have been doing together if you weren’t so selfish!” The Addison lifted Spamton by his collar, prompting a glitched yelp from the small man.

“Hey!” Swatch yelled. “You set him down this instant.”

The Addison just laughed. “And you got yourself a nice little bodyguard too! Maybe the two of you need a pair of dating shoes to get around town!”

Swatch’s face turned serious as they approached the Addison.

“I’m sorry sir, but that wasn’t a request.” Swatch loomed over the Addison, instantly destroying their cocky attitude. “My associate and I are doing important business for the queen. Whatever grudges you have will have to wait, because I’m sure the queen will be royally pissed if we’re late to get back. And if not her…” Swatch cracked their knuckles. “Then I will be.”

The Addison let out an awkward laugh and dropped Spamton, who then scampered and hopped back into the car, scrambling to start the car and leave.

“Thank you sir. I hope we never have the misfortune to meet again.” And with that, Swatch got back into the car and the two sped off, leaving the Addison behind in the dust.

The ride was relatively silent, Spamton focusing a little too hard on the road. Swatch let out a sigh and decided to address the elephant in the room.

“So what happened between you and your brothers?” They asked. Spamton kept silent. “You seem to have a lot of tension between you.”

“THEY JUST CAN’T HANDLE THE FACT I’M A [Big Shot] AND THEY ARE [Little Worms],” Spamton muttered. “THEY’RE JEALOUS [Mike] CALLED ME AND NOT THEM.”

“There’s that name again,” Swatch sighed. “Who even is Mike? You said you didn’t know them.”

“…Mike…” Spamton sighed. It seemed reluctant to talk about this ‘Mike’, but it gave in. “Mike is… [An Angel]. WITHOUT HIM I’D BE [Living In A Goddamn Garbage Can]. HE HELPED ME BECOME A [Big Shot]! SALES [Going Up]! DEALS [Going Up]! MIKE IS A [G O D]!” Spamton’s eyes lit up talking about Mike. It was strange to Swatch to see Spamton so excited about someone. “But… lately he’s… stopped calling.” Spamton’s expression grew distressed. “If he isn’t around to help me then…”

“Spamton,” Swatch interrupted, “With or without this Mike, you… admittedly… are very good at what you do. You have a charming personality, an appealing appearance, the ability to persuade people to buy what you’re selling. Mike merely helped you get yourself off the ground. I have full confidence that you will be a big name for years to come.”

Spamton’s mood seemed to improve, hearing Swatch’s compliments.

“YOU ARE… A [Cheesy] [Little Sponge], AREN’T YOU?”

“Spamton, I sacrificed my dignity saying that!!” Swatch yelled, flustered. Spamton just laughed it off, the serious mood disappearing completely.

…

“Master Swatch, Queen will see you now.”

“EXCELLENT!” Spamton started to walk ahead but was stopped by the Swatchling.

“Not you. Only Master Swatch.”

“W-WHAT? BUT I DID JUST AS MUCH [Hard Labor] AS THEY-!”

“Queen didn’t express interest in seeing you.”

Spamton’s face was practically glowing red with anger, but it faded after Swatch put a hand on his shoulder.

“I will tell you everything that happens. And I will make sure to credit you and your work.”

Spamton huffed but eventually calmed down. “FINE. I’LL BE IN MY [Trailer].” And he walked away. Swatch felt sorry for the little guy, but they can’t change what Queen commands. They entered Queen’s room to the unusual sound of laughter.

“Oh My You Sure Are A Comedic Genius. I Haven’t Laughed That Hard Since I Saw That Funny Cat Playing The Keyboard.”

“Nothing but the most high brow humor for a Queen.”

“Indeed,” She laughed again then turned to Swatch. “Oh Swatch Dearest, You Have To Meet My New Friend.”

“The Knight.”

FIRST | LAST | NEXT

[13-reasons-ideas]

Can’t Go Back Part 17

A/N: This chapter is pretty fluffy. We get a glimpse at how they are moving forward in their relationship since their fight. I’m planning on uploading a part from Monty’s perspective about what he’s doing Friday after school tomorrow or sometime this weekend. I hope you enjoy. Feedback is appreciated as always and much love. -Em 

I spent the next week actively not checking my emails. I was too afraid to even consider if I would get emails about schools yet.  It had only been a week. But you never know. In an attempt to keep my mind off of the fact that my entire future was now completely and totally out of my control, I tried to fill my time with normalcy. Things I normally did. Things that Monty and I normally did. That normalcy now included carving out an hour and a half for Monty’s physio three days a week, but we made it work.

I tried to get back into my routine. For the most part, I went to bed at the same time every night. Some days Monty went with me, other days he stayed up and did stuff for a while. But he came to bed every night. I went to the game Friday night. Scott and Charlie came over for brunch on Saturday. Justin came over to see his new best friend, I mean me, on Sunday because he picked up a shift Saturday morning. Monty and I did our own things together in the evenings during the week. I pretended to read while he played video games one night. Secretly, I was just watching him. For some reason watching people play video games was highly entertaining. We just did normal things.

We also went grocery shopping Saturday. “Are you sure you want to come with me?” I asked again.

“Yes, I’m sure Addison. Besides, we are over halfway to the store. It’s a little late to change my mind now.”

“Okay. Remember the list please.”

“I know. There’s a list and we get what’s on the list.”

“Exactly.”

At the store, I grabbed a cart and dug through my purse for the list and my pen. Monty took the cart from me without asking. I feigned an affronted look. He smirked back. Cocky bastard. I can already tell this is going to be so fun. I opened my mouth to speak when we got inside. “List, I know. And yes. I remember you’re going to make us get vegetables.”

“And you have to get at least one that you like.” He pouted. “You like carrots.” I offered.

“Fine.” He muttered. We are in a dramatic mood today. It was so peaceful when I went by myself. But I missed this. Monty went and put exactly five bulk carrots in a bag. Not wanting to fight him on carrots, I didn’t say anything. As usual, I was in charge of the rest of our vegetables.

The aisles were an easier task. There were no evil scary vegetable that I would have to force him to eat. I quickly scanned down the list as we entered each aisle. Carefully, everything was placed in the cart just so. “We need this.” Monty said, grabbing a box of cheese its.

“Is it on the list?” In response, he plucked the list and pen from my hand, and scribbled it on.

“It is now.” I rolled my eyes and grinned as he handed it back to me. His cheeky grin made me blush. I turned my back and pretended to look at something when we got to the fruit snack aisle and ignored the telltale thud of a box, make that two boxes, of fruit snacks being chucked in the cart. He didn’t write them on the list.

We both cringed at the price of meat, as usual. But we needed it so there wasn’t a whole lot we could do. I crossed things off that had been missed as we were filling the cart. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like the store was out of anything. “Oh, we need butter.” I muttered.

“Is it on the list?” Monty smirked. Like he had done earlier with the crackers, I quickly wrote it down.

“Yes.” I grinned. He grinned and stopped to kiss me on the cheek.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Now let’s get this done so we can go home and do nothing.”

“Your wish is my command.” There was even a dramatic wave of his arm to accompany his attempt to woo.

“You are so fucking cheesy. I’m telling the guys about that one.”

“Ah, come on Addison. You love it.”

I went to grab a couple of pounds of butter and decided I could trust my adult husband to get some bread and jam on his own. When I found him in the bakery with our cart, I remembered that I married an overgrown child. There was bread. And there was jam. And also, cookies. Four different kinds of cookies. And a thing of strudel. Which, to be honest, I wasn’t that upset about because it’s like the best pastry. But the point is that it was there.

“I asked you to get bread and jam. Not half of the baked goods in the store.”

“But cookies are delicious Addison. And you like their chocolate chip cookies. And for some reason I still don’t understand, plain oatmeal cookies. Don’t even lie and say the strudel was a bad idea.”

“So, the sugar cookies and M&M ones are just to look pretty on the counter?”

“No. Those ones are for me.”

“I married a fuckin’ child.” I muttered softly. We turned when we heard a quiet chuckle behind us. A cute little old couple was watching our interaction with giant smiles.

“Mine still does the same thing dearie.” The woman said to me.

“Remember, we don’t grow up. We just get bigger.” The man smiled.

“I’m beginning to realize.” I laughed.

“See. I told you.” Monty smirked. As if to prove the point they were making, we watched as the man grabbed a container of lemon rolls and placed them in his cart. The woman gave him an exaggerated, exasperated look.

“Wait, how long have the two of you been married?” I asked when they passed us.

“Sixty-five years.” They said together, smiling fondly at each other. Wow. That’s amazing. I was still smiling when we got to the till and checked out.

Our normal routines continued for the rest of the week. School, physio, make dinner, sports, spend time together. The normalcy of it was refreshing.

“You’re scratching.” Monty said offhandedly, without looking up from his notes.

“Am not.”

“You stopped typing five minutes ago Addison.”

“I’m thinking.”

“And scratching.” I rolled my eyes and didn’t respond. I started typing aggressively loud to try and get a rise out of him instead. He didn’t respond at all. Not even an annoyed muscle twitch. We aren’t there yet. Okay. Monty’s phone buzzed on the coffee table beside me. I ignored it. It buzzed again. And then again. Before I could reach for it, he had hobble run over and snatched it out of my reach. I looked at him quizzically. He was trying to think of a reason to be hiding his phone from me. What is going on?

“It’s guy stuff. Jamie is having… girl troubles.”

“Girl troubles.”

“Yeah. His girlfriend but not girlfriend or something is doing stuff.”

“Something and stuff.”

“Yes. So, uh. I’ll be over… over there.” He motioned back to the kitchen table. “You know, dealing with girl troubles.”

“Right.” That was weird. Also, he’s going to pay for the movement in the morning. I went back to my writing and not scratching quietly. Occasionally I would look up over my laptop at Monty. He seemed to be very engrossed in his notes.

“Hey Addison?”

“Hmm?”

“Since the game got cancelled some of us are going over to Jamie’s place tomorrow after school.”

“’Kay.”

“Because girl troubles.”

“Yeah.”

“And stop scratching. You’ll only make the rash worse.”

The next morning, I skipped a shower. Cuddles were too enticing. It was a Friday so I didn’t feel like I had to look all cute. While Monty made himself a smoothie, I grabbed one of his shirts to wear because it was loose enough that it wouldn’t irritate the rash. It finally started to clear up. But now it itches. As though he could hear my thoughts, he called from the kitchen, “stop scratching.”

“Bite me.” I called back.

“If you don’t stop scratching, I will.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?” He looked up when he heard me come in the room.

“I was going to wear that today.”

“You have like… fifty more in your half of the closet.”

“I know mum is a history professor, but dad is a businessman. I know he taught you fractions. What I have is not half of the closet.” I merely shrugged. He waved towards the bowl beside the blender. “Chunky monkey with smooth peanut butter.” I sat and took a bite.

“Yum. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Don’t worry about washing the blender. I’ll do it after school.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

School was pretty boring. It was the middle of November, so we were in the awkward not quite midterms but not quite ready for a new unit time. I met Monty at my locker after the last bell. He was waiting for me with Justin and Jamie. “Hey baby.”

“Hey babe. You guys have fun tonight, okay?”

“Yes Ma’am.” Jamie saluted. I shuddered. Monty tried to stifle a laugh.

“Jamie. Do me a favour and never do that again.” I placed a couple of textbooks in my locker. “I’ll see you at home. Can you stop and grab baking powder on your way home tonight?”

“Sure.”

“Why can’t you stop? You’re going straight there.” Justin asked.

“I have a date with a bubble bath.”

“Ooh la la.” Jamie laughed.

“I guess. Didn’t shower this morning and a bath is better for my itching.”

“Oh?” Justin asked.

“I’ll explain later.” I muttered. He furrowed his brow and looked at Monty. I kissed Monty goodbye.

At home, I went to wash my face so I could do the expensive face mask I had been saving for a night alone. I did an exfoliating treatment first and ran my bath. A few scented candles were set on our master bathroom counter and I poured myself a glass of raspberry juice. The book I had been meaning to get around to reading was sitting on the toilet for easy access. Okay fine. One of the books I had been meaning to read. It was very relaxing. I had to dig in the cabinet for my body scrub but found it behind a backup pack of deodorant from Costco. Luckily, the bubble bath was also right there. I poured some in to give it time to foam.

With my face mask done and washed off, I undressed and settled in the tub. The water was boiling hot, just the way I liked it. I sighed and sipped my juice, enjoying a night alone. When the husband is away, wife will pamper. The hot water helped to calm my itching skin. The scrub made my legs nice and smooth before I shaved them and exfoliated a second time. Once the necessaries were taken care of, I could start to relax. Picking up my book, I settled in for the foreseeable future. My book was so interesting and immersive, I completely lost track of time. I was still in the tub when Monty got home. “Addison?” He called when he didn’t find me in the kitchen.

“I’m in the bath.” I called back.

“Okay.” He was opening and closing drawers in our room. He poked his head in the bathroom. “Do you want a glass of water or anything? How long have you been in there?” I paused for a moment to consider. How long had it been?

“What time is it?”

“Almost seven.” My eyes widened.

“Really? Then yeah, I’ll take a glass of water. I’m going to get out right away.” He shut the door behind him and I threw my book across to the door so it didn’t get wet when I got out of the tub.

Once dry and moisturized, I left the bathroom in search of my husband. I found him on the couch scrolling aimlessly through his phone. “I missed you.” I bent behind the back of the couch to kiss his cheek.

“I missed you too. You look very cozy in your fuzzy pyjamas.”

“Why thank you.” I curtsied. He laughed happily. Settling next to him, I laid my head in his lap.

“How was your bath?”

“Amazing. Very relaxing. Oh! And I exfoliated and shaved my legs.” I grinned and lifted my pants leg. “Feel!”

Again, Monty laughed and shook his head. He still reached out and rubbed my leg though. “Very soft and smooth.”

“How was girl problems?”

“I think they’re resolved. It wasn’t as major or as difficult as we thought.”

“That’s good.” I peeked at his phone. He was watching football injury videos. Oh Sweetie. “Hey, how’s your knee?”

“It’s okay. Physio has been helping.”

“I’m glad.” He seemed to realize then that I wasn’t just asking for an update on his progress.

“Oh. I’m just watching this because some of them are funny.”

“Funny?”

“Yeah.” He restarted the video and adjusted his position so I could see too. He was right. Some of them were pretty funny.

It was family brunch Saturday the next day. Scott, Charlie, and Justin all came over. As usual, the four young men were more than happy to eat relatively work free. Monty did have to help me reach a few things and our guests helped set the table. But for the most part, I did the work. It was relaxing for me. Monty still felt a little uncomfortable having me do most of the work in the kitchen, but I didn’t mind. It was my choice to do it. I enjoyed it. And it made things much smoother when I was working solo.

Since it was just a casual pancake breakfast this week and just the five of us, I didn’t really feel a need to shower before they came over.  As such, I was still in my pyjamas most of the morning. They didn’t mind. We hung out for a while after brunch together. By the time everyone was getting ready to leave around two, I decided it was time to shower and make myself feel like a human again. “I’m running Scott’s place for a bit. We have a couple of things to go over with Charlie for next week’s game.” Monty explained when I was going to shower.

“No problem. I’ll just be here writing or reading or something.” From the bathroom I could hear him putzing around our room. I didn’t think too much of it. He was probably looking for a playbook or something.

After my shower, I wrapped my towels around me, fully prepared to throw on a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater for the rest of the day. Instead, I was puzzled to find a large white box in the centre of the bed. There was a bow and a single pink Post it note stuck to the lid. It simply said wear me on it in blue ink. I frowned in confusion but opened it anyway. Nestled inside was a classic, Hepburn-esque little black dress. I gasped and covered my mouth in shock. Gently lifting the dress out of the box I held it out at arm’s length to examine it. It was beautiful. This man is full of surprises. Not wanting to wrinkle the dress, I carefully set it on the bed while I grabbed a hanger.

Once it was hung up, I put on a pair of sweats and an old pyjama shirt. In the kitchen, I found another note next to the coffee machine. This one was on a yellow Post it, also in blue ink. No coffee. Look up. I frowned again. Why no coffee? Looking up on the underside of the cabinet, I found another yellow Post it. This one had an arrow pointing towards the living room. There, yet another Post it. This one was blue. There was another arrow pointing at the coat closet. A green Post it was stuck to the closet door. Be ready at 5:00. Wear your matching black pointy shoes. Now I was even more confused. Well, it says be ready. I shrugged and checked my watch. It was just past two. I rolled my eyes at the coffee note and made myself a cup anyway. I wouldn’t need to be up all night, but note be damned. I wanted coffee. I savoured it while I let my thoughts run wild of what could be in store for my night. At home fancy dress dinner? Going out for dinner? A walk in the financial district in the city? Hmmm. By two forty-five, I had finished my coffee and started getting ready.

I carefully put on the dress after I had washed my face again. I decided to curl my hair in tight ringlets so that when I brushed them out, they wouldn’t fall flat immediately. I let them set while I did my makeup. So, I didn’t get makeup all over my dress, I draped a towel around my neck to cover it. The simple black cat eye and blue red lipstick paired wonderfully with the classic, timeless style of the dress. A neutral blush and light bronzer added colour and balance to complete the look. I carefully brushed out the curls into nice waves framing my face. Using a decorative bobby pin, I pulled my bangs away from my face. Exiting our room after putting on my tennis bracelet-a birthday gift from my Gran a couple of years ago- I looked at the clock on the stove. It was four fifty. I had ten minutes to spare. Slipping on my heels, I went through my wallet and took out my ID and credit card. I had assumed that we would be going out and Monty usually kept my cards in his wallet.

The sound of a car pulling into our driveway pulled me from my thoughts. I opened the door when the car door shut. Monty was walking up to the house in a very familiar white dress shirt and black slacks. Damn, he cleans up good. I thought it every time he dressed up, no matter how often I saw it. His eyes widened slightly, and he stopped to take in my look. I stopped him in his tracks. I blushed and did a little twirl. He whistled through his teeth. “You look. Absolutely amazing.”

“You look incredible. Have I ever told you, you clean up really well?”

“Once or twice.” He shrugged. I smiled widely. He finished his walk up to the house and took my hands in his, really taking the time to take me in. “You really do look beautiful Addison.”

“Thank you.” I blushed again. My engagement ring sparkled in the setting sun. Monty’s black tungsten ring felt cool in my hand. Together, we walked to the car. We took my car, but I let him drive. It’s our insurance. “Are you going to tell me where we are going?”

“Nope.” He said as he pulled out of the driveway.

“Okay.” We chatted quietly on the way to our mystery location. Given the time, I assumed we were going to a restaurant. When we got closer to the county limits, I realized we were going into the city for dinner. I watched the cars speeding past us on the highway in the other direction. People were eager to be getting home from spending their days shopping or running errands.

I tried to figure out where we were going once we got to the city based on the turns Monty made. I was familiar with most of the downtown and financial districts due to visiting my dad at work when I was younger. I was a little surprised when he pulled in the parking lot for the new Italian place that opened last month. I wasn’t surprised because I was concerned about cost or anything like that. We just weren’t really fancy restaurant people very often. It was a pleasant surprise.

When he parked, we walked hand in hand to the door. He was a perfect gentleman and held the door not only for me but for the couple behind us. I smiled at him while we waited to be seated. He squeezed my hand. We were seated at a more secluded table, closer to the back of the restaurant. The table was lit by candlelight and dim recessed lighting in the aisle. It’s beautiful. Our waiter came by and introduced himself as Anthony. I ordered a cranberry juice with ice and Monty got a Coke. Anthony gave us a few minutes with the menus. As soon as I saw traditional carbonara on the menu, I had made a firm decision. Monty and I sat in comfortable silence while we perused the menu. Even though I knew what I wanted, it never hurt to look at the other options.

After we ordered-carbonara for me and lobster ravioli for Monty-Anthony left us to our evening. “This is really nice.” I said, after a sip of my juice.

“I figured we deserved nice. Or rather, you deserved nice. After everything… and I know you’ve been stressed about school. So, I figured you could use a night off.” He left the obvious tension between us and the cause for it unsaid. We both knew the reason.

“It’s still nice. And we do deserve it. This dress is beautiful by the way.”

“I thought you would like it.”

“When exactly did you acquire it?” I asked, with a sly raise of my brow.

“About yesterday…” Montgomery began, “Jamie wasn’t having girl troubles.”

“I kind of figured. Have they even decided if they have anything to have troubles over?”

“No. They’re still not together. But they go places together and buy each other things. And have sex. Apparently, there is a lot of sex.”

“But they aren’t dating.”

“No.”

“Maybe he is having girl troubles.”

“Maybe.” He chuckled. Anthony came by with our orders. Unsurprisingly, the food was delicious. Mouth wateringly delicious. My eyes widened in ecstasy. So did Monty’s after he took a bite of his own food. We each shared a bite with each other and smiled. So good. So so good.

We spent the rest of our evening talking and enjoying being with each other. It was very nice. We hadn’t gotten to do the whole going out and just being together thing in a while. I pushed the last of my carbonara around on my plate. I wasn’t bored exactly. I was having a wonderful time. “Hey. Where’d you go?” Monty reached across the table to take my hand.

“Oh. Nowhere. I was just thinking.”

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“This is really nice.” I paused.

“But…?”

“I would honestly much rather be at home in sweatpants watching the new episodes of Law & Order from the other night.”

“Me too.” He giggled. I couldn’t help but giggle along with him. He motioned to our waiter for the bill. The black holder was placed in between us. Monty placed some cash inside and set it down without so much as a glance at me. He helped me with my coat and took my hand after he put on his own. As soon as we got out of the restaurant, I stopped and turned to him.

“Race you to the car.” I grinned before taking off like a bat out of hell. I heard him bark out a laugh behind me. I didn’t look back. Nor did I turn when I heard his footsteps. He wasn’t running because of his knee. They were getting closer though. Even without running, he was able to gain on me because of his gait.  Running in heels was not the easiest thing in the world but I managed to beat him to the car. When he arrived with the keys, I was grinning at him, triumphantly from the passenger’s side. “I won.”

“Yes you did.” He was grinning back at me.

When we got home, the two of us changed into our comfiest sweatpants and t-shirts. I threw on my old Tigers hoodie and popped a bag of popcorn in the microwave after taking off my makeup. Monty pulled up the recorded episodes. I couldn’t tell if he wore his grey sweats on purpose or not. We got comfortable on the couch and hit play. From the get-go this episode of SVU had both of us on the edge of our seats. The popcorn was mostly untouched. I teared up multiple times. When it was over, I ripped the remote from the coffee table and scrolled up to the new episode of Organized Crime. I couldn’t stand to wait any longer than strictly necessary. Our eyes were glued to the screen for the whole hour, minus the fast forwarding through commercials. By the end, we turned to each other in shock. “Wow.” Was all I could say about it.

“The new theme song is pretty great.”

“Yes. I don’t know how to process any other thoughts about it though.”

“Me either.”

“Very worth the wait.” Monty only nodded in response. I yawned and stretched. It was getting pretty late. The afternoon coffee I had wore off a while ago.

“Tired Bookworm?” I yawned again and nodded. Monty carried me to bed and tucked me in. I cuddled up beside him.

Before falling asleep I mumbled, “thank you for tonight. Was really nice. Ni’ night.”

[thebigshotman]

*…How are the others ta-taking it? Y’know…that I’m spending the holidays with Eileen this year…

*I myself wasn’t entirely surprised, although the others were certainly taken aback. Navy most of all; he’s worried you’re abandoning us again.

*I’m not!!

*I know. But you did ask.

Spam falls silent, turning back to his chamomile tea that Saffron just brewed for him. Although the other Addisons have taken the day off for Christmas, Saffron is expecting a few customers picking up flower arrangements for their loved ones today. While waiting for them he’s more than happy to chat with him, even if things are a little awkward at the moment. Saffron finishes taking a sip of his own tea before continuing to speak.

*Coral just hopes you’re okay. And Clem…I’m quite worried about her. She locks up whenever anyone says your name, but it’s not like before. It’s like she doesn’t know whether to go check on you or leave you to your own devices. Call it wishful thinking, but I have a feeling she’ll be coming around next.

*Coming around…?

*To the fact that you’ve changed. And to the fact that we can still be a family despite that.

Spam falls unusually quiet at that, forcing himself to take a long, hard sip of the tea to try to calm down and hope he doesn’t burst. But even though he’s back in his old body, he’s not the kind of person to hold things in. Something inside bends to the point of snapping, and the saucer with the teacup still on it is set down forcefully next to Saffron as he vaults off the counter.

*Spamton…?

*How…H-How are you so calm about everything?! I just show up unexpectedly in my old body again and you’re acting like it’s an ordinary Tuesday, brewing tea and talking with me like nothing’s wrong!! I didn’t do this to myself, the audience did! I’ll be back to my broken state sooner than later-how is this sitting right with yo-you?!

*…Ah. So that’s your trouble.

Recognizing his anxieties and frustration, Saffron sets his cup aside as well and slides off of the counter, putting a hand on his shoulder.

*Truthfully, it doesn’t sit right with me, Spamton. Not at all. I hate that you’ve been cursed like this. But I’ve been making peace with the fact that after 25 years, this is how things are for you now. Your body and your voice, and most of all your mind, are unlikely to change unless your strange customers will it, like right now. All I can do is change mine and accept you as you are now. You may think you are broken, and that may be true from a certain point of view…but to me, you are still like a brother. I support you, as long as you aren’t harming yourself. I-

He’s cut off by Spam’s hands digging into his back in a tight, aggressive hug, and when he feels him shaking he realizes he’s crying. Two rivers flowing down his temporarily organic eyes, his face burrowed in Saffron’s shoulder. The Yellow Addison doesn’t continue his speech after that, instead gently rubbing the little salesman’s back. Only stopping a couple of minutes later, when Spam’s voice, hiccuping with both static and sobs, ventures to speak again.

*Can’t…can’t you just t-tell the rest of them t-that? Just tell them I’ve chan-changed…

Saffron sighs.

*If only if were that simple, Spamton. They need to realize all of that on their own; otherwise, things are no different than they were in the alley that day. Forcing them won’t do any good. But…I do have a suggestion.

The former White Addison’s head raises from his shoulder, head turning to see Saffron as he wipes his tears with his arm.

*After the holidays, I would contact us, somehow. Don’t worry, I will pretend I had nothing to do with it. Say you want to talk to us. And tell them, upfront, however your voice decides to say it, that you’ve changed. It might not fix things overnight, but…I have a feeling it might start it.

Spam nods, allowing himself to break from the hug.

*Ok. Ok…I’ll try it. Thank you, Saff…

The Yellow Addison ruffles Spam’s hair affectionately, earning a good-natured grumbled from him as his half-black half-white hair is further mixed up. He passes him back his teacup before picking up his own.

*Better finish this up before you head back out.

*Why? Do you have custom-customers coming??

*Possibly. But more importantly, you have friends that want to give you gifts for the season, don’t you? Don’t keep them waiting.

Spamton’s eyes flutter open widely with a sudden jolt of remembering, and with that he hurriedly downs the rest of his tea all at once with a loud gulp. He sputters for a moment from how hot it is, having forgotten what it’s like to being able to process the temperature of hot food and drinks, before wiping away the rest of his tears and handing the empty cup back to Saffron.

*Of course!! I can’t access my Inventory right now, but in a day or two stop by my shop, alright, Saff? I’ll give you a little something for everything today!

*…Of course, Spamton.

And with that, and several lagging frames, he went dashing out of the flower shop and off into the cool winter air of Castle Town. Leaving Saffron to enjoy the rest of his tea by himself.

There has to be something I can do to help him aside from just supporting his decisions…

[drethanramslay]

Gone with the wind

Pairing: Rafael x MC( Addison Jones)

Word count: 1.5 K words (this is a short one, I'm sorry)

masterlist 

Taglist: @miyakokurono​ @trappedinfandoms​ @openheart12​ @sekizincimektup​ @x-kyne-x​ @paulfwesley​ @zeniamiii​ @an-urban-witch-ig​ @ramseyegerton​ @noboundariesplease​ @mrsdr-ethan-ramsey​ @newcolonies​ @theodorepjames4​ @unluckygs​ @choices-love-affair​ @kaavyaethanramsey​  @caseyvalentineramsey​ @virtualrain202 @squishywizardhq​  @junehiratas​ @lilyvalentine​ @nooruleman​  @agent-breakdance​ @jamespotterthefirst​ @choicesfanaf​ @temptress-of-death-and-desire @ac27dj @oofchoices @mrsdrakewalkerblog @livingpurpose @humanpokemon @chaotic-ramsay-queen​ @oofchoices​ @ohramsey​(let me know if you want to added or removed froth tag list)

Warning: angst and swearing and im apologising before hand if there are any mistakes. its 2 am in the night so :P

Songs: Don't leave by MØ and Before you go by Lewis Capaldi

It had been an eventful day.

From seeing Kyra collapse in her pool of blood, to spoon-feeding Elijah's intern, to having a wild cat and mouse chase in Mass Kenmore it was crazy indeed. Addison has had five heart attacks and six meltdowns in just a span of 12 hours which left her tired physically and mentally.

But you got to see Rafael for like five minutes, so that's a good thing right? he inner ever-optimistic conscience pointed out which made her smile.

Even though they chose to remain friends, anybody within a five mile radius could sense the palpable tension between the two. The lingering gazes, the long hugs and the occasional kisses on the forehead spoke volumes.

Addison fucking knew that he wasn't happy with Sora.

Hell since the time she knew that Addison was his ex, the fights have started increasing in frequency. Initially, Sora would hang out with the group and during those times, when Raf wasn't looking her way, the death glares that were sent her way, left Addy feeling uneasy.

And that was just the beginning.

There were times when she would shout at Rafael incoherently and the sweetheart that Raf is, would listen to her 'concerns' and try different ways to make her happy. Be it by taking her out on cute dates or by showering her with cute presents or swooning surprises. Addy wasn't even aware about this entire fiasco because they pretended to be couple goals. She only got to know when they had gone out fo beers on the nights of the softball game.

He is such a good actor... Addy thought to herself as she entered the lift and pressed the fifth floor, comfortable in the blue scrubs.

The patient poaching was a wild ride in Mass Kenmore and it was overwhelming. Addy had still not come down from her high, the lingering effects of adrenaline making her restless. Ethan tricking Tobias, Baz imitating Zaid and the run in with Aurora was too much.

I swear I need to have one bottle of wine asap. Addy thought has her shoulders ached, a knot forming due to the excessive stress.

She entered room 532 to see Bryce sitting by Kyra, holding her hand and giving her a reassuring smile.

"Hey there K-bear. Gave me quite a scare this morning, huh?" Addy sat by her side and pulled her frail body into a long bear hug.

"Hey Big A. I heard the you had quite the Fast and Furious chase scene today, huh?" Kyra said with a weak smile.

"You wouldn't even believe it Kyra! It was so exhilarating and equal parts terrifying."

"Give me all the deets but before that.." Kyra glanced at Bryce and he gave another encouraging nod. "I'm sorry for being a her to you Addy."

Addison stopped her before she got sucked into the whirlpool of guilt. "No, don't be. I rather you vent all your anger out on me if, its giving you the courage to keep fighting." Kyra gave a huge smile and hugged Addy again. Addy's eyes fell on Bryce. "So Bryce, have you thought of the treatment plan?"

"Yes. So we are gonna do an extensive surgery.." For the next fifteen minutes, Bryce explained the complete plan for the surgery along with the pros and cons, and Addy listened to him with rapt attention.

"So what do you think Big A? Do you think this is a good plan?" Kyra asked with puppy eyes.

"Kyra, if Bryce said its a good idea, I have complete faith in him. You couldn't have had a better surgeon on your side." Bryce gave a grateful smile.

"Thanks Big A. You are the best."

Witnessing the exchange between Kyra spoke up with a mischievous smile. "You know, I remember when you two were clueless little interns fighting over who got to treat me."

"Clueless?!" Addison eyes bugged out.

"Little?!" Bryce clutched his chest out of horror.

Ignoring the offended looks Kyra smiled. "I'm glad that I have you both on my side." Addy gave a soft smile and reached to squeeze her hand, Bryce following suit.

"We aren't going anywhere." Bryce spoke. Addison looked up and she saw Rafael standing outside with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Their eyes met and Addy's heartbeat spiked up.

Bidding goodbye, she headed out and closed the door softly behind her.

"Hey Addy." Rafael spoke with a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He opened his arms and Addison walked into the warm embrace. She breathed in his minty cologne and suddenly all the distress of the day washed away.

He is like healing salve to my wounds.

"Hey Raf." She said as she stepped back to look at him.

"How is she doing?" Rafael asked as he waved at her. Kyra waved back enthusiastically.

"She is doing as fine as she can."

"Aren't we all?" Raf said as he looked down at her.

The memory of their previous encounter entered her head and she remembered. "What did you wanna talk about, superman?"

Raf's eyes averted and suddenly found interest in staring at his sneakers.

"No its nothing-" Raf began but Addy, turned him towards her, so that his brown orbs could meet her turquoise ones.

"Raf... I know that look. Its the look which you have when I caught you eating my M&M stash. Tell me, whats wrong?"

"I- I am leaving town."

Addison took a sharp intake of breathe. Panic started churning in her chest as she tried to calm herself. "How long?"

Silence followed which in itself, gave an answer to her.

"Rafael fucking answer me! How long will you be gone?!" Addy's eyes were tearing up and Rafael dragged her into the near by supply closet.

"Don't fucking touch me until you answer my damn question." She exclaimed.

"I..I don't know." Rafael stammered out.

Addison eyes widened and she immediately started rambling. "Where are you going? I am getting an off for the next three days. We could go together and chill and enjoy. You don't need to-"

Rafael gripped her shoulders stopping her. "Addison, I bought a one way ticket."

Do you ever feel trapped or frozen as you see the entire basis of your reality fall apart? That sheer hopelessness and the need to fix it, but you can't?

That's how Addison felt.

"No... Rafael you can't do this! Your friends, your girlfriend, your grandma and your job, is all here!! Boston is your life and you have always wanted to stay here and serve the community-"

"I want a change in pace, can you blame me?" Rafael said crossing his arms, his jaw clenching .

Addison's eyes blazed, the turquoise eyes, turning icy. She looked up at his towering height and poked his chest. "Don't for a moment think that I am going to fucking believe that sorry excuse Rafael Aveiro. I have dated you for seven fucking months and I know you inside out. You may forget or lie to yourself about us, but I damn well know you."

"So look me in the eyes and tell me the fucking truth."

"How can I tell you the truth when you are part of the reason I am leaving?" Rafael said through clenched teeth.

Addy was shocked and speechless. "Me? What the fuck did I do?I literally have been the most supportive person-" she managed to choke out before she was interrupted by him.

"Can't you fucking see it Addison?! I have a fucking girlfriend but I am still, like a fucking idiot, completely and utterly in love with you?! Everyday is a fucking tug of war between you and Sora and its ripping me in shreds. I am loosing all my sanity and to top this, I don't have a fucking job to go where I can just forget everything. I am fucking tired and I need room to breathe."

I am completely and utterly in love with you... That love confession was the best thing she had ever heard, but also like a slap on the face.

"Oh."

"Yes 'oh'. So that's why I have decided that I am going to yeet myself out of this hellish situation and start afresh." Raf said with so much determination that it felt like a stab in the heart.

"Rafael you don't need to do that, please. I'm begging you." Addison pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "You are the only good in this entire city. I- I will cease all contact with you until you get your head straight, as much as it hurts you. But please, please don't leave the city. I need you Raf."

"Addison, if I stay here... I-I can't last another day." He said painfully.

A violent sob shuddered through Addison and Rafael's eyes softened. He wrapped his arms around her as cries racked through her entire body. "I'm so sorry sweetheart... You don't deserve this shit I put you through..."

"Raf..."

"I know that I am leaving now. But if I do come back, be it one month or a day, I promise you that I will make you mine... that is if you still want me." he said, his voice cracking as he ran a hand through her blonde hair.

The embrace got over as soon as it started. She stepped back and cupped his cheek and smiled through her tears. "Rafael... there won't be a single day when I can ever stop loving you. I promise that."

"Me too sweetheart... me too."

[multifandomfix-recs]

All Time Favorite Fics By Character Name (A-M)

Hello, everyone! Here is my list of my all time favorite fanfics I’ve come across. I’ll be tagging the authors to credit them for their wonderful work. If you find your fic on this list and would like it removed for any reason, all you have to do is ask.

Addison Montgomery

Asking Addison To Be Your Roommate by @luminousxdoom

Alfie Solomons

Under My Protection by @vintunnavaa

Alma Peregrine

Dating Alma Peregrine Headcanons by @multimilfs

Kiss Me More, We've Got Nothing To Lose by @n0thing-is-real-exe

Anne Lister

Always Yours by @deliasbabygirl-blog

Anthony Bridgerton

At The End Of The Day by @iliveiloveiwrite

Card Games And Cocktails by @iliveiloveiwrite

Distraction by @shelby-love

Proud Hearts by @vintunnavaa

Archie Hopper

Catch My Drift by @meganlpie

Arthur Shelby

Big News by @fandom-puff

Part Of The Job by @merakiaes

Rustle And Tussle by @lotsoffandomimagines

Bellatrix LeStrange

Imagine Bellatrix being strangely fascinated by you, a muggle by @carters-coffee

Imagine Bellatrix finding out you’re a muggleborn by @carters-coffee

Brienne Of Tarth

Beautiful by @severusminerva

Carol Denning

F Is For Favourite by @athena-dear

Castiel

Disliking Angels And Falling For Castiel by @randomfandomimagine

Cersei Lannister

Jealousy's Not A Good Look On You by @peachesandlesbians

Constance Langdon

It’s Not Fashionable To Love Me by @sassicaismysupreme

Crowley (Supernatural)

Protecting You by @noforkingclue

Donna Noble

Matchmaker, Matchmaker by @kisstherainwriting

Eleventh Doctor

Come Through My Window by @fabulouspotatosister

Distracting Kisses by @fabulouspotatosister

Fiona Goode

Yours, Always by @chaoticlesbiab

Frederick Chilton

Inquiry by @sass-and-suspenders

Gil Grissom

Imagine Grissom accidentally confessing his feelings toward you by @chaostheoryy

Gwaine

Blissfully Unaware by @make-me-imagine

Hawkeye Pierce

Bitter Kisses by @welcome-to-writers-haven

Good Enough by @make-me-imagine

Hela

Only Death May Take You by @wristic

Prisoner Of Love by @peoplesgraves

Hilda Spellman

Enough by @hallospaceboyy

Jack Sparrow

Lost Moment by @make-me-imagine

Jethro Gibbs

Flirty Stranger by @simpforcrimeshows

Judge Turpin

A Bookclub From The Bench by @ilikefandom

A Cup Of Tea by @ilikefandom

Larissa Weems

Alarm by @milfswriter

Leonora Lesso

Not Jealous by @iamnotoriginalphil

Stubborn Little Princess by @horeformilfs

Lilith

Solitude by @multimilfs

Martin Whitly

Come Again Soon by @one-fanfic-writers-demons

Melissa Schemmenti

Stairway To Heaven by @multimilfs

No Kiss For Cupid by @multimilfs

Michael

Imagine Michael constantly rebooting his experiments because you’re falling in love with someone else and not him by @imaginesbymk

Missy

Addiction by @hallospaceboyy

Dating Missy Would Include by @zafirosreverie

Vault Night by @isis-astarte-diana

Why Can’t I Be You by @kisstherainwriting

[mgkconfessions]

She looked so out of place. Just sat on her own completely overdressed for the occasion. Kourt was sat kinda next to her but was talking and interacting with AR. I really don't think her and Kourt are friends like that. Like just cause their men are friends doesn't mean they are. Even at the UFC thing when Kells went to say hi M stayed back in her seat and didn't talk to them. I don't doub' they double date i just don't think M contributes much/puts in much effort.

After their break up we will never see the girls together again. In the pictures that I saw Megan was also often standing away from Kourtney who was busy with Addison. Kourtney and Megan are only "friends" because their boyfriends are close but I doubt that they would ever want to hang out without them or even text each other. When they're together they barely interact with each other and I can't imagine that being any different behind the scenes.

[asarahworld-writes]

all i want

Prompt: Be careful what you wish for @badthingshappenbingo

Fandom: Z-O-M-B-I-E-S

If she hadn’t had white hair, if monsters didn’t exist, if the moonstone had never fallen to Earth, if she wasn’t a freak dating a zombie…

 “-then maybe you would have the picture perfect lives you want. I wish you could just be happy!” Addison yelled, turning away from her parents and swiping angrily at her watery eyes.  What she needed right now was to get away, to be with Zed, but she knew that leaving at this hour would only make things worse.  She looked at her watch, sighing with exhaustion. She’d see him in about five hours anyway.

 Five hours spent restlessly trying to sleep, scrolling mindlessly on her phone, pacing her room, staring out her window at the full moon as the sky lightened – purples turned pink then orange as the sun rose, bathing the world in daylight.  Six am. Addison got up, shivering as the covers fell away.  She looked down in surprise… she didn’t remember changing into pajamas last night. She looked to see where her clothes from the previous day were...nowhere.  The laundry hamper was filled with monochromatic pastels she hadn’t worn in a month.

 She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.  Shower first, figure this out after.

 Addison let the water flow over her entire body, soaking in the warmth.  She massaged the shampoo into her scalp, rinsed.  She applied conditioner to the ends of her hair, easily combing through its mid-length strands.  She frowned, looking at the hair twined through her fingers.  Blonde.  The exact same shade as her wig.  The same length.  Even the same texture.  Odd…

 She watched the water run clean into the drain and shut it off. Even if she didn’t wear it in public any more, her parents would still be seriously pissed if they found out that she’d ruined her wig by wearing it in the shower.  Maybe it was salvageable.  She reached up to take it off and frowned when she felt herself grab her own hair.  She reached again and again, somehow, managed to miss the wig.  Addison stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around her body as to not drip all over the floor, and walked over to the mirror.  It had fogged during her shower and she rubbed at it with the hand towel.  Blonde. The wig still wouldn’t come off. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, so familiar and yet so strange.  She pulled sharply at the blonde hair and winced in pain.

 Addison reached out as if to touch her reflection, watching as it mimicked her perfectly.  She looked into her own blue eyes, her brown brows, every feature she knew so well and then back to the foreign yet familiar blonde hair.

 There was a soft tap at the door.

 “Addison, dear, you don’t want to be late for school.”

 Dear?  Her parents might use informal pet names for each other, but never with her.

 “Yes, Mom.”  She pulled the blonde hair into a bow at the back of her head, picked up her bag and headed for the kitchen where a bowl of fruit was waiting for her.  She ate without really tasting the food, grabbed her lunch money, and started walking.

 Real blonde hair.  Her clothes gone.  Her parents were suddenly much more affectionate.  Addison was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice arriving at school or even opening her locker.  Focus, Addy.  She grabbed her books for first period and looked at her watch.  She’d must have walked faster than usual, class wouldn’t start for fifteen minutes.  However, Zed was usually at the school early, hanging out with the guys or studying/chilling in the safe room.

 She opened the safe room door and called his name.  “Are you here yet?”  Her voice echoed in the empty room and she turned to leave.  The door sealed and she walked down the hall, alone, not noticing that the room wasn’t what she remembered.

 Students filled the hallway and Addison’s heart skipped as her eyes landed on the tall, lanky football star that was her boyfriend. She easily made her way through the crowd, using her short stature to her advantage to get around the other students.

 “Zed,” her voice cracked slightly, betraying her stress, and she froze, looking him over.

 “Um, can I help you?  I really don’t have time for autographs right now, but if you come back during free period I can hook you up.”  With that, he started to push past her.

 Without thinking, Addison grabbed his hand.

 He whipped around, easily breaking her hold.

 “Zed,” Addison looked him over, taking in the pink skin, dark hair, pastels.  “What did you do?”  Her brow furrowed in concern, her hand reaching out to touch his rosy face.

 “Okay, why are you trying to touch me?  Football stars are people too.  Personal space much?”  With that, Zed finally looked down at her, meeting her eyes.  The dark circles perpetually under his eyes were gone, his face was full of colour, his skin even felt warmer.  “Addison.  I thought I told you not to do that in front of people.  You know the deal.  Date the football star, get a bit of the spotlight.”

 “Zed, what are you talking about?  I thought we didn’t care what people thought, remember?  And I thought you were never going to mess with your Z-band again.  What did you do?”  She looked at him, black hair without the slightest tinge of green, skin that didn’t look like he was half-dead, and wearing perfect Seabrook colours.

 “I haven’t done anything I’ve never done before.  But if you’re looking for something different, find yourself a new boyfriend.  I won’t have any trouble replacing you.”

 Addison looked down, not wanting to let this… this person see her cry.  “Where’s your Z-band?”  Addison looked back up to Zed’s face, back to his empty wrist.  She reached for him again, looking for any hint that he was about to lose control.  There was none.  In fact, he still looked far too human.

 “What’s a Z-band?”  He scoffed.

 Addison felt her eyes well with tears and turned to leave, planning on finding Bree, when he caught her arm.

 “If I let you leave like that, it’ll give people the wrong impression.  Let’s go chill in the supply closet for a few minutes.”  Not-Zed, still holding her arm, led her to the Safe Room.  Or at least, what should have been the Safe Room. Instead of bunk beds and rations, the room was filled with cleaning supplies and a small first aid station.

 Addison took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. “This isn’t right,” she whispered.

 “Really?  No shit it’s not right.  I should be out there with the guys, not stuck in a closet with a mopey girlfriend. I thought you were supposed to be a cheerleader.”

 “Zed,” Addison’s voice cracked, unable to look at the humanized person in front of her.  “This isn’t right.  This isn’t who we are.  This isn’t who you’re supposed to be, something’s happened, something horribly wrong.  But nobody seems to notice…” she couldn’t finish her thought.

 “Notice what?”  He was leaning against the doorframe, tall and dark, and…slightly intimidating.  Who would have thought that Zed would have made a scarier human than monster.

 “Everything’s changed,” she whispered brokenly. Not-Zed said nothing.  “When I woke up this morning, my hair looked like this,” she held it up limply, “all blonde like my old wig.  My parents…it was like something out of a movie.  I come to school early and you’re this…this isn’t you, Zed, not at all.”  She wiped the tears from her eyes before they could fall and continued.  “No matter how much it hurts, my parents are ashamed of me. My hair is an unnatural white color and until now I’ve always worn a wig to keep it hidden.  You’re still the star of the football team, but you’re not human, you’re a zombie.  You… gar-garziga, Zed.  The real Zed.”

 The real Zed, the real Seabrook, her real parents, she just wanted everything to return to normal.  This version of Zed, who apparently was tired of Addison being a clingy and vapid bitch, listened as everything poured out.  The accident at Seabrook Power, the creation of zombies, their first meeting, football, the cheer championships.

 “And all that just ‘changed’ this morning?”  Not-Zed scoffed.  “Things don’t just change overnight because you say ‘I wish’, Addison.  Not even for a cheerleader.”

 “But they did,” Addison whispered, broken.  “This isn’t right, any of it.  This isn’t who we are.”

 “So how did it happen?  I told these floozies I wish you’d just leave me alone, several times a day, and yet that never happens.”

 Whether not-Zed actually cared to know or not was irrelevant. “It was about one a.m.  I had a huge fight with my parents.  I said a bunch of things I knew they hated about me and said that maybe if none of them existed, that they could be happy.  If I had normal hair.  If monsters didn’t exist in this town.  Stuff I said in the heat of the moment.  And somehow, it all came true the next morning.”

 “In your version of the world, monsters exist?”  Not-Zed said incredulously.  “And I’m one of them.”

 “Yeah.”

 They were both quiet for a moment.

 “In your world…Zoey was at the cheer championships last year.” Not-Zed finally looked at her, his eyes hard.  Addison nodded, swallowing hard.

 “She started how monsters finally became accepted in Seabrook. There was only half a squad left and they were falling apart.  Zoey went on stage and started cheering herself.”  Addison smiled at the memory.  “Most of the zombies in attendance joined us onstage and we might not have won the championship for the first time in fifty years, but we were united.”

 Not-Zed didn’t say anything for a long time.  He lifted his head and said hoarsely: “My sister died when she was born, with my mother.  I’ve never told anybody about her before…her name was Zoey.”

 “Zoey is the little sister I never had.  She wants to be a cheerleader more than anything and she loves dogs.  She had a stuffed dog called Zander and at the end of last year, I got her a real dog. A small dog with long white fur she named Puppy.”

 “I don’t know how you found out about Zoey, but this is the dumbest prank anybody’s ever pulled.  Who set you up?”

 “No,” Addison said brokenly.  “Zed, I’m not making any of this up, I swear.  I know Zoey, I love her like she was my own sister.  Monsters are real in Seabrook.  They’re zombies, you’re a zombie.  And we’re… gar-garziga, Zedka.”

 Addison’s heart shattered when he spoke again.

 “Is that gibberish supposed to mean something to me?  We’re through, Addison.”  The finality of his statement hit her in a wave of emotions as he left the closet.

 Addison left school early, telling the nurse she’d gotten her period and felt nauseous.  The nurse agreed to send her home, noting that the walk might do her some good in relieving the symptoms.  Unfortunately, the walk back passed quickly and she was home.

 She let herself in and practically collapsed against the door.

[alj4890]

Kiss Prompts

(Maxwell Beaumont x Nadia Park) with the prompt: A gentle kiss that quickly descends into passion, with little regard for what’s going on around them as requested by Anonymous. (Thomas Hunt x oc*Amanda) with the prompt: Staring at each other’s lips for a moment before moving closer, as if drawn together by some unseen force also requested by Anonymous. And the prompt: "I shouldn't be here." As requested by @krsnlove​

(Maxwell x Nadia) (Thomas x Amanda) in a The Royal Heir/Red Carpet Diaries/Perfect Match crossover Fan Fiction

@lxaah11   @alleksa16   @penguininapinktuxedo   @blackcoffee85   @stopforamoment     @hopelessromantic1352     @krsnlove​     @annekebbphotography        @hopelessromantic1352   . @sunflowergirl05   @desireepow-1986  @greywitchyshots   @lilyofchoices @moodyvalentinestories  @emceesynonymroll   @my-heart-beats-for-ya @aworldoffandoms   @ab1901     @lolablackwrites     @flyawayboo   @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​   @trappedinfandoms​   @kate-mckenzie​

Masterlist

A/N Another day has come. Plans are made. Some are beautifully executed. Then there’s always that one, teeny tiny little unforeseen occurrence that makes it all fall down.

Part 1 

A Not So Perfect Match (Part 2)

The Beverly Wiltshire, Amanda’s suite, very early morning…

“So?” Maxwell poured himself a cup of coffee. “How did each little conversation go yesterday with Ryan?”

“What?” Amanda yawned behind her hand. “Fine, I suppose.”

“Fine, huh?” He waggled his eyebrows. “I’m assuming there was a lot of flirting.”

“You would be wrong.” She muttered, reaching for the cup of tea he prepared for her.

“What do you mean?” Maxwell sat down across from her. “He didn’t flirt once while talking to you?”

“Not at all.”

His brow creased in thought. “Maybe he is a method actor and has to stay in character throughout the shoot.”

“Or maybe he isn’t attracted to me.” Amanda countered, yawning once more.

“That’s impossible.” Maxwell declared. “You’re the whole package! Sweet, intelligent, pretty, supportive, sense of humor. Who wouldn’t love you?”

A tender smile peeked out at him from behind her teacup. “That’s sweet, but I think we can add Ryan to the list of men who don’t see me as the whole package.”

“I’ll talk to him.” Maxwell decided. “Make him see how great you are.”

“Maxwell, look at me.” Amanda leaned over the table. “I don’t want a man who has to have everything positive pointed out to him by someone else. If he was the one, wouldn’t he able to see all that for himself after hours spent around me?”

“Yeah, but, he isn’t in date mode. He’s in acting like me mode.” He countered. “A little nudge is what is needed to open his eyes to you.”

“It isn’t any big deal.” Amanda promised. “In fact, I don’t really feel anything for him either. He’s still handsome and charming, but I can actually talk to him like he is just some average guy.” She shrugged. “No love lost on either end.”

Maxwell stood steadfast in his belief. “But you belong with someone charming, great sense of humor, and handsome.”

She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “Why do I need that when I already have a best friend with all those attributes?” Her lips curved into a smirk. “A girl can only take so many charming men in her life.”

“You need the Royal Romance Treatment.” He responded, squeezing her hand affectionately. “If I could do it for Riley, then I’m doing it for you.” He reached for the plate of eggs. “And Ryan Summers is Hollywood Royalty.”

 ******************

Thomas Hunt's new home, still early morning...

"Hellllloooo!" Rachel called out. "Thomas?"

She shut the front door and walked throughout the downstairs, pausing to admire each room she passed.

"Thom--"she stopped at the sight of the stranger in the kitchen.

He turned around and flashed a friendly smile. "Can I help you?"

Rachel blinked at how cute she thought he was. "I was looking for my brother."

"You must be Rachel." He walked forward and held his hand out. "I'm Steve Petellier, the architect Thomas hired."

"You designed this?" She said, not bothering to hide the awe in her voice.

"Guilty." He leaned closer as if to impart a grave secret. "Though most of this is all because of your brother's ideas."

"Yes, but you made his ideas a reality." She responded. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you." Steve smiled even more at her. "Your brother should be out in a minute. He had to take a phone call."

He returned to the blueprints he had spread out on the kitchen table.

Rachel set her box of pastries down on the counter and tried to catch peek at what he was working on over his shoulder.

He glanced up and grinned at her interest. "These are a few ideas for his guest house."

She blushed at being caught sneaking a look. "Oh."

He stood up and pulled a chair out for her, apologizing for not doing so earlier. "Would you mind giving me your opinion?"

"Mine?" She stuttered. "I'm not sure I could give one worth having."

"You did just say how beautiful this is," he reminded her. "Though I would love to hear more compliments, I would like some constructive criticism on these."

She nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Of course."

He smiled again, causing her heart to beat a little faster.

What is wrong with me? I never have such instant attraction to--

"Ms. Hunt?" Steve tilted his head to the side when he heard her shortness of breath. "You okay?"

"Yes. Fine." She closed her eyes briefly at her inability to talk like the intelligent woman she prided herself on being.

"It is, Ms. Hunt, right?"

"Huh?" She shook her head. "No. I mean yes. I'm single. I mean...please feel free to call me Rachel."

She longed to bury her head in her hands.

Steve didn't bother to hide his amused smile.

"Good to know." He placed a rendering of the outside of his first drawing in front of her. "Rachel, what does this one make you think of?"

She missed his question completely. Something about the way he said her name just...sigh...she never liked it as well as hearing his voice utter the two syllables.

I've become a romantic idiot.

"Pastries!" She abruptly jumped up.

"The house reminds you of pastries?" Steve asked.

"Yes. NO!" She stilled, trying to get a grip. "I brought pastries. Would you care for one?"

"Thank you." He reached into the box she shoved in his face. "I'll admit these are my weakness."

Her lips curved when he bit into the powdered doughnut. Sugar covered his bottom lip.

Her cheeks burned with the thoughts she was having about his mouth.

"Rachel?"

She let out a startled yelp and spun around. "Thomas! There you are. I came by with breakfast and to see your new home."

He grimaced. "I appreciate it, but I have to get to the studio." He glanced at Steve. "I should be back in a few hours."

"No problem." He stood up and gathered his plans. "It will give me a chance to draw up some other options."

Rachel felt her shoulders slump at not being able to spend any more time with the architect.

Perhaps it was for the best. He had made her forget her true mission for coming by: encouraging her brother to date Nadia.

Holly popped her head around the corner. "Leaving boss?"

"Yes." He checked his bag for the script. "If you wouldn't mind, would you finish unpacking the books in the study?"

"On it." She then greeted Rachel.

Rachel managed to barely say a goodbye as both Thomas and Steve walked out the door.

Steve backtracked. "Hey Holly! What time are we supposed to meet at The Blvd?"

"Six!" Holly yelled back. "Addison says she can't do another late night."

He chuckled and noticed Rachel still standing there. "It was nice to meet you, Rachel."

"You too." She replied, smiling until he shut the door.

Before she could think too much about why she needed to know, she hurried in the direction Holly had vanished to.

"Holly?"

"Yes?" She mumbled, twisting her hair into a bun.

"How do you know Steve?" Rachel blurted out.

"He lived in the boat next to mine." Holly replied.

"Oh.” Holly’s words finally hit her. “A boat?!”

"Yes. I always wanted to literally live on the water." Holly admitted. "So, I saved up to rent a houseboat one year." She smiled over her shoulder at Rachel. "Steve had rented the one next door."

"Oh." She sank down into a chair. "How long have you known him?"

Holly paused in her sorting of books. "Must be about six years now."

"He seems nice."

"He's one of the best." Holly turned around, wondering why this sudden interest.

Rachel noticed her looking curiously at her. "I guess I better go."

"Don't rush on my account."

"I--Steve is so--I have to go." Rachel nearly tripped over her feet to escape.

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

The Royal Romance Set...

Amanda wandered about behind the scenes while her friends were meeting with their acting counterparts. She had walked by the same sets over and over to the point that she was a little bored.

"Excuse me."

She turned around and smiled at the costume designer. "Yes?"

Addison held her hand out. "I'm Addison. I'm the one who keeps everyone clothed appropriately. "

"Amanda." She laughed and shook her hand. "I have to say that if you ever get tired of making the costumes for movies, that you would be in high demand in Cordonia." She pointed toward one of the ballgowns an extra was wearing. "These are gorgeous."

"Thank you." Addison beamed at her, already planning the wedding gown she would make for Amanda when she married Thomas. "It's my break right now and I know how long those meetings can go..." She crossed her fingers behind her back. "Would you like to see more of the studio?"

"Can we?” Amanda exclaimed. "I am dying to see more."

"I have access to another soundstage." Addison tried to play it casual. "It has begun to be set for Thomas Hunt's next film--"

"Brighter Than the Stars?!" Amanda apologized for interrupting. "I'm a big fan of his and read that the sci-fi romance was his next project."

Addison laughed, now planning stylish maternity wear she would create for her. "That's the one."

Amanda softly squealed. "Addison, you are now my favorite person in Hollywood." She leaned closer to whisper. "I would say world, but I don't want to hurt Maxwell's feelings."

Delighted with her excited response, Addison continued to talk to her about her life in Cordonia while answering questions about Thomas as they left The Royal Romance set.

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

Soundstage 26…

"Wow." Amanda stared at what had to be a long hallway in a spaceship. A large window showed what appeared to be the vastness of space. A lone planet with three moons and twinkling stars was seen in the distance.

Addison nudged her. "Want to go up there?"

"Can I?" Amanda asked, hesitating. "I won't touch anything."

"Of course!" She gently urged her forward. "You're helping me out by doing so."

"I am?" Amanda stepped up on the metal platform.

"I have a couple of costumes in mind for the main character. I could use someone standing there, looking wistfully out the window, like Xo--"

"Xora?" Amanda interrupted.

"You do know a lot about this movie." Addison teased.

The duchess blushed, lowering her eyes. "Sorry. I get carried away with movies." She cleared her throat. "I read up on it when it was first announced."

"I think--" Addison paused when she heard the door open.

Amanda froze when the one she had most hoped to meet walked up to her. Without looking directly at her, he handed her the script.

"Start at page 43, after Caiden explains his findings."

"I--" Amanda swallowed. The script shook in her hand when he finally lifted his eyes up to her face.

Addison unashamedly filmed the entire encounter for Holly and Steve. And, she thought,  also the future babies that will be brought into the world by the two I match together.

Her face hurt from smiling at Thomas being struck momentarily speechless.

Amanda tried to hand him back the script. "Mr. Hunt, I'm--I shouldn’t be here."

"Thomas." He finally uttered.

She smiled shyly at him. "Thomas, I'm afraid you are mistaken. I'm not an actress."

He blinked before turning toward Addison. "This is her first role?"

"You could say that." Addison winked at Amanda.

He turned back toward the now confused woman. He leaned in closer, causing her hazel eyes to widen. The gold flecks shimmered in the dark, gray-green depths, before her long lashes hid them for a moment.

Amanda looked directly in his brown nearly black eyes, nearly swaying toward him. She allowed herself to take in the rest of his handsome face before ending this charade.

"Your eyes," he muttered, “they’re perfect." He straightened from her. "Er, for the film."

She pressed the script in his hand. "Thank you, but I'm only here taking a tour."

"A tour?" He repeated.

"She's one of Maxwell Beaumont's friends." Addison explained. "Amanda is a fan of your movies and I wanted to show her your next project."

"Oh." His eyes narrowed when another thought struck. "Didn't you call me with a possible actress?"

"I did but she had to leave." Addison felt a twinge of guilt for the lie but she knew she had to keep him from taking his frustration out on Amanda. "Family emergency." She decided to admit to the deception after their wedding. Probably during the toast.

"I see." He stepped off the platform and gathered his things.

"Thomas!" Addison hissed.

He looked up. She gestured impatiently toward Amanda. "She is a fan of yours."

He rolled his eyes at this unwanted aspect of stardom. "Forgive me." He looked over at Amanda. "Is there anything you want me to autograph or..." He blinked when she smiled warmly at him.

"I won't bother you with something like that." She assured him, stepping down off the set. "I'm just happy to have met you." She held her hand out to him. "And perhaps a little thrilled you thought my eyes were perfect."

A smile tugged at his lips while he took her hand. "I hope you know that it will be impossible to find an actress with eyes that emote like yours."

"I am sorry for the mistake." She tilted her head up at him. "But you made my day with that compliment." She reluctantly eased her hand from his grasp while thanking Addison for bringing her here. "Good luck with the film, Thomas. I can’t wait to see it."

"Thank you." He watched her leave.

Addison cleared her throat a couple of times when he still had his eyes on the closed door that the duchess had walked out of.

"Professor?"

He snapped out of his daze. "Er, right. You should get back to Phelps before you're missed." He dropped his bag and quickly snatched it up. "This evening, I'll try and look over those designs you sent over."

"Don't worry about it." Addison replied, ready to drop another temptation his way. "Holly and I are meeting Steve at the Beverly Wiltshire. Those two are curious about the Cordonians."

He paused. "They're staying at the Beverly Wiltshire?"

"Hmm?" Addison pretended to be distracted by her phone. "Oh. Yeah. The whole group is there. I overheard Maxwell saying that they would be dining at the hotel's Blvd restaurant around six."

The director remained silent in thought before muttering a farewell and walking out the door.

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

6:05p.m. The Beverly Wiltshire...

"...I thought I saw him get into an elevator earlier, but it was some other man." Nadia concluded. "He was not impressed with my nearly running him down in the hope that he was Maxwell Beaumont."

She noticed how quiet Rachel was.

"Did you hear anything I said?"

Rachel jerked her eyes away from the restaurant. "Sorry. I was keeping an eye out for Ste--the royal couple."

"Do you think they will come down here?" Nadia rose halfway out of her barstool to look about.

"Possibly." Rachel muttered, wondering what time Holly and Addison would show up with Steve.

How could she casually bump into him if she didn’t know when he would arrive?

The two were soon seated at a table near the back.

"I think we will have a hard time seeing if they come in." Nadia mumbled.

"You're right." Rachel slumped in her seat.

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

6:15 p.m. The Blvd's Lounge...

"An old fashioned please." Amanda slid onto a barstool and checked her messages.

Everyone was running late. Maxwell sent one more group text.

I called downstairs. They'll have us another table by 7:30.

Amanda sighed softly at an hour of waiting on them. She was tempted to go back upstairs and order room service.

"What can I get for you?" The bartender asked the person who sat down beside her.

"Scotch on the rocks."

Recognizing the voice, she looked up and smiled. "Hello again."

Ryan smiled back. "If it isn't my favorite duchess."

She laughed and lowered her eyes. "I bet you say that to all the nobles."

"You caught me." He admitted, making her laugh once more. "Seems like we are the only two on time tonight."

She grimaced slightly. "Did you get Maxwell's latest text?"

"I did along with a number of crying emojis." He held up his phone for her to see. "Should I be worried?"

"Only when there are no words along with them." She teased.

"Phew. I was about to change my charming cool guy portrayal to charming crazy guy for the movie." He joked.

"Good to know you still would have kept Maxwell's signature charm."

"I meant my charm." His smile grew when she started laughing again. "I suppose I have to adjust it to his now."

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

6:22p.m.

"What is Ryan doing with Thomas's future wife?!" Addison hissed.

"I'm going to go with flirting." Steve whispered.

"I think it's more his I just can't help myself charm." Holly added. "Not serious flirting."

"It's going to make Thomas stay away from her if he sees them like this." Addison pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath through her mouth. "If only I could have thought of a way to lock them up on the set."

"Who? Ryan?" Holly asked.

"No! Thomas and Amanda." She huffed, flopping back in their booth. "I showed you the footage. You can't tell me there weren't sparks."

"There was definitely something there." Steve readily agreed. "After working with the man for months, I've never seen him like that around a woman. And my firm has a number of ladies that cause men to do a double take."

"He ignored them?" Holly asked.

"Only unless speaking directly to them about the house." Steve chuckled. "I at first thought that he was playing hard to get, now after watching that video, I see he just needed to meet the right person."

"Thank you!" Addison threw her hands up. "That's what I have been saying for years now."

"So, what's the plan?" Holly asked. "We go interrupt what could or could not be an honest flirtation on the very unlikely chance that Thomas does decides to show up to pursue--" her eyes widened at seeing Thomas walk into the lounge.

"Hurry!" Addison sprang out of her booth.

"What about the food?" Steve gasped when Holly grabbed his tie and yanked him out.

"This is no time to be thinking of your stomach." She grumbled.

"I’m only thinking of breathing now." He choked out.

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

Thomas paused at the sight of Amanda and Ryan talking at the bar.

He didn't know if he should approach or--

"There you are!" Addison called out to Ryan.

Everyone at the bar turned toward her.

"Maxwell invited you to dinner too?" Ryan asked.

Thomas relaxed some at that. It was not a chance meeting or a date. They were all waiting on the other Cordonians.

As the Hollywood group talked, Amanda looked about the bar, backtracking when she saw Thomas.

The same smile he had been the recipient of earlier that day now flashed once more.

He returned it and made his way over.

Ryan called out a greeting and introduced him to Amanda.

"We've met." Thomas explained, taking the barstool on the other side of her.

She turned away from Ryan and the others, focusing on him. Addison squeezed Holly's hand at the telling action.

Thomas felt a quick burst of satisfaction when she did. He had seen first-hand that many women rarely turned away when Ryan was near and was his usual charming self.

"What brings you out tonight?" Amanda asked, after warmly greeting him.

"I had a desire to go out to dinner." He explained. His eyes briefly dropped down to her mouth. "And it looks like I came to the right place."

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" She asked. "I wish you would." A slight flush on her face and neck was visible in the dim light. "I promise I won't pester you with too many questions." Her teasing smile reappeared. "A hundred isn't too many, right?"

Thomas didn’t bother to subdue his answering smile at her invitation.

His eyes raised back to hers. "I would love to."

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

7:50 p.m.

"Something must have happened." Nadia blew a frustrated breath. "We should have seen them by now."

Rachel handed the waiter a signed receipt. "I think you're right." She looped her arm through Nadia's as they walked through the restaurant. "We need ice cream."

"I think I'll just crawl into bed and dream about what could have been." Nadia mumbled.

"At least you'll meet the love of your life tomorrow night." Rachel added, thinking happily about one of her plans succeeding.

"The love of my--" Nadia stilled. "I completely forgot about the blind date."

"Understandable." Rachel squeezed her in a side hug. "If I had met Maxwell Beaumont and knew he and the others were here, I would only be thinking of ways to casually bump into them too." Just like I was hoping with Steve.

The two missed the large party that had been set at a table to the far left. They would have recognized a face or two.

"If you're going up to your room, I'm going to head home." Rachel reminded her of the shopping they would do in the morning before her date.

They parted in the lobby and Nadia went over to the elevators.

She stood there a few moments, watching the numbers count down. When the doors opened, she was nearly knocked over by a blur in black.

Arms wrapped around her to keep her upright. Her eyes lifted to the shocked face that quickly became thrilled at seeing her again.

"I think fate either wants you injured or us to plan on meeting so that I don't hurt you in the process." Maxwell teased.

Nadia smiled, unable to think of anything other than Maxwell Beaumont was most definitely flirting with her.

"Where are you going?" He asked, letting his arms remain around her waist.

"To my room." She motioned with her head toward the restaurant. "I just met a friend for dinner."

"Have you had dessert?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"Good. Then you will have it with me and my nearest and dearest." He took her hand and held on to it as they walked.

"I saw some of your paintings." He added as they entered the restaurant. "You're really talented."

"Really? You think so?" She asked.

"I do." He rubbed the back of his neck while grinning. "It took forever to find you online since I only know your first name and that you are from New York. There are a lot of artists named Nadia in that city."

She laughed and shook her head. "That might be the sweetest compliment anyone has given me." She tilted her head to the side, watching him flush at her smile. "I don't think I've ever had anyone go to so much trouble to see my work."

His bashful grin deepened. "Seemed only fair that I have a chance to fangirl over your talent too."

"Fangirl huh?" She placed her free hand on her hip, playfully scowling at him. "I believe I was a little more dignified when you splashed me." Her lips trembled with mirth. "I only squealed after you left."

He burst into laughter, causing many patrons to stop and look at the two. Seeing the many curious stares, he threw his arm around Nadia and guided her on to their table.

He paused during the introductions at the four uninvited guests.

Addison silently pleaded he wouldn't out them for pretending to be invited.

He smiled at her. "Okay, I know that's our awesome costume designer, Addison, and I'm assuming those are her friends--"

"Holly and Steve." Addison added.

His brow furrowed at who was sitting beside his best friend. It was not the actor he was working towards matching her with.

"Thomas." The director said when Nadia said hello.

Her eyes widened in recognition. "You're Rachel's brother."

His lips parted in surprise. "Nadia Park?"

She nodded, suddenly wishing the floor would open and swallow her whole.

He shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you. Rachel always speaks of you fondly."

Steve grimaced when both Holly and Addison elbowed him on either side of his ribs.

"You're the Nadia Rachel brought home for Thomas!" Ryan exclaimed, when her name struck him. He then noticed the death glares from his Hollywood friends. "Er, I mean, her former roommate from NYU."

Maxwell's arm slipped off her waist. He turned his head back and forth between Nadia and Thomas, hoping one would say it wasn't true.

Amanda did the same, feeling her heart sink. Knowing the polite thing to do would be to offer her seat to Nadia, she rose from the table.

"Please, sit here." She smiled apologetically at everyone. "If you'll forgive me, I will say goodnight." Her hand trembled as she rubbed her forehead. "Sudden headache."

"Amanda, wait--" Thomas rose as she quickly skirted around him.

"It was nice to see you again." She said softly, leaving his side before he could respond.

Ryan spoke up. "Let me know if we need to reschedule our dinner tomorrow night."

Thomas's head jerked around toward him.

Amanda ignored everyone staring at her in shock. "Thank you, Ryan, but I should be fine by then. I'll meet you there." With another strained smile, she turned on her heel and hurried off.

"Excuse me a moment." Thomas muttered. He tossed his napkin down and stalked after her.

Maxwell held Amanda's empty chair out for dejected Nadia before sitting down across from her.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the table. Eyes darted first at the director chasing down the duchess then back to the artist sending pleading looks to the man she had entered in with.

Unable to take another second of the strained atmosphere, Maxwell leaned forward and plucked up a discarded menu. He forced a smile at everyone else while avoiding direct eye contact with Nadia. "Any recommendations?"

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

"Come on." Amanda muttered as she waited on the elevator to come down.

She knew she shouldn't feel this way over a man she had known for only a handful of hours, but she wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and not necessarily cry but at the very least be blue.

She was certain Thomas had been in the process of inviting her to see his new home when Maxwell arrived with Nadia.

And poor Maxwell! He had talked nearly nonstop about the lady he had nearly drowned. Now to see she was setup with another must have been a cruel blow.

If Nadia is as wonderful as Maxwell seems to think, then Thomas will fall in love with her too.

And I will go back to Cordonia and lead the life I was before I came here.

Alone. Utterly. Hopelessly. Alone.

"Amanda?"

Why?

She directed her silent question to the heavens before answering the man behind her. "Yes?"

Thomas cleared his throat. "My sister insisted I take her friend out to dinner."

"That's actually very sweet." Amanda mumbled. "She knows you both and probably realizes you'll be happy together."

"I don't think it will work out like she expects." He closely observed her reflection in the elevator doors to gauge her reaction to his words.

He wished she would turn around and talk to him.

Amanda bit her lip while doing the only other decent thing she could in such a situation. "You'll never know until you try." The doors opened and she nearly sagged with relief. Turning her head toward him, she nodded in parting. "Goodnight."

She walked inside and offered him a half-hearted smile. "I am happy I had a chance to see you again." She pressed the button for her floor and kept her eyes downcast.

He slipped inside right as the doors were shutting.

Her eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

He trapped her escape by placing his hands on the wall, one on either side of her shoulders.

"This dinner with Ryan," He began.

"Tomorrow night." She reminded him, needing to prove to the universe that she wasn't going to sit in her room and pine away for Thomas Hunt.

His eyes narrowed briefly at that not so subtle jab. "Is it a date?"

It sat on the tip of her tongue to say it was. Her pride practically screamed that she say yes, the actor took one look at me and fell head over heels in love. Ryan’s got it so bad for me. But...she knew deep down that Ryan honestly thought of it as a kind gesture and a way to learn more about the man he was portraying

"Maxwell set it up with the intention to be a date, but Ryan is under the misconception that it is for his part in The Royal Romance." She responded, disgusted with her inability to lie to this man in front of her.

Thomas leaned in closer. His eyes remained on hers. "And how do you want it to go?"

"I..." She swallowed and tried to think. "I intended to keep it platonic."

"Intended?" He wondered at her choice to use the past tense.

"Intend to." She corrected. "I intend to keep it platonic."

She folded her arms, eyes narrowing at his question. "I don't understand why you need clarification about what my dinners out with others are labeled as."

He lowered his eyes to her mouth once more. "If I were to invite you to dinner..."

The doors opened on her floor. She waited an extra three seconds for him to continue.

"If you were to invite me to dinner?" She prodded.

His eyes lifted to hers. "Would you want it to be a date?"

Thomas eased away from her, hoping she would answer him.

She bit down on her bottom lip and stepped out of the elevator.

Amanda paused and looked back at him. "Yes, I would."

His eyes widened at hearing her admittance just as the elevator doors shut.

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

A few hours later...

"Maxwell! Wait!" Nadia nearly slid down in her heels as she chased him outside.

His shoulders stiffened. Unable to ignore her yelp at nearly falling into the pool, he stopped and waited on her to catch up.

She still jogged over; afraid he would end up taking off. "That blind date with Rachel's brother--"

"Thomas Hunt." He muttered.

He decided then and there to dislike the man. The guy didn't know how lucky he was.

"Yes, him." She gripped his arm while balancing to adjust the strap on her shoe. "The date was--"

"Former underwear model." Maxwell continued, counting off each job title on his fingers. "Actor. Director. Screenwriter. College pro--"

"It was set up before I met you!" Nadia burst out.

Maxwell shoved his hands in his pockets and scuffed his shoe against the concrete. "Yeah, well, it must be a pretty important dinner for you to fly across the country for it."

She placed her hands on her hips. "I came here because of you."

He snorted. "Sure, you did." His ocean blue eyes cut to her face. "My coming to Hollywood was never in the news."

"Perhaps not directly, but Thomas Hunt has been invited to a party Tommy Phelps is hosting for you. When Rachel told me that Thomas would take us both to it, so I could meet you, I jumped at the chance to get here." She let out an irritated huff. "The date was only agreed upon because it was Rachel asking me. I'm sure with how you describe your close relationship with Riley, Liam, and the others that you would have done the same if they had asked you."

Nadia almost did not think he would respond to her speech. Why she was explaining herself to this man she had obsessed over, she would never know.

"Now that you've met Thomas..." Maxwell said softly. "Do you still want, I mean, is there any spark for him?"

"Spark?" Her lips eased into a smile. "Like the kind you get when nearly knocked down at an elevator?"

His own dimples deepened. "Or partially drowned?"

She laughed and shook head. "I didn't feel any of that when I met Thomas."

Nadia covered her mouth with her next confession. "I was secretly hoping he wanted your friend."

"Amanda?" Maxwell shook his head. "She's meant for Ryan. They are perfect for each other."

Nadia took a step closer to him. "My point is that I wish it was you I was meeting for a romantic dinner for two."

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

An hour later at the Blvd lounge…

"What. A. Disaster. Thomas can't go out with Nadia! She's clearly crushing on Maxwell." Addison dropped her head on the bar. "Ryan and Amanda...how did I miss that blind date?!"

"Yeah." Holly hiccupped. "I keep hoping it is just as a friend."

Addison's brow furrowed at the hint of bitter sadness in her friend's tone.

"It really is a small world." Steve took a long sip of the fruity cocktail Holly had ordered for them. "Who knew that Thomas's Nadia would show up?"

"About that..." Holly squirmed in her seat. "That might be our fault."

"Our fault?" Addison sat up and leaned her head on her hand. "What do you mean?"

Holly focused on Steve. "I think Rachel Hunt might have been here with Nadia earlier."

"Why would you think that?" Addison asked.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Steve asked, leaning away from Holly.

"I think she likes you."

He snorted and shook his head. "Good one, Holly."

"I'm serious!" She narrowed her eyes on him. "I think they both came to not only see Maxwell and gang but also to see you." Holly persisted. "She overheard our time and place, then came to ask me how I knew you."

"Really?" His jaw dropped. "I- I don't know what to say." A goofy grin formed the longer he thought of the striking brunette coming out in the hopes of bumping into him.

"Do you--"

"Shh!" Addison waved her hands for the other two to stop talking.

"Addi- "

"Hush!"

"Okay, why are you--"

"Seriously, stop talking!" She ordered. "I'm about to be brilliant."

Steve and Holly closed their mouths and focused on her scrunched in deep thought face.

"Oh yes. This will work." Addison jumped up. "Come on. We have work to do."

[avidfanficwriter]

The Other Sister (Chapter 1)

Characters: Steve Rogers(AU!) x OFC.

Summary: After five years of marriage, Steve Rogers finds himself questioning everything that his wife, Annabel has ever told him thanks to the impromptu visit by her troubled younger sister: Addison; whose existence he’s just learned about fives years prior. His only question now is: who verison is the truth? His loving wife? Or the troubled sister? 

Ratings: M.

Warnings: Mentions/indications of depression, mentions of sexual abuse, indication of mental abuse, drug abuse, alcohol abuse. (Warnings will be updated as chapters come)

Authors Note: It’s not gonna be pretty. I’m sorry for the you know, skipping out on everyone and neglecting my blog. I’m better than that, you know that. I know that but I’m trying. Believe in me. :)

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. 

There's a scene in dramatic movies that always seem to be shot in the same way, a simple setting, two people, one is nervous while the other is calm.  The person who is lucky enough to be calm eventually notices the odd behaviors from the other and questions it. They're given a jaw-droppingly shocking statement. The kind that makes them choke on their drink or forget how to breathe. At first, they don't know how to react. It's a pot full of emotions, anger, sadness, annoyance or worst-case scenario disgust. They question how they are going to get over it or understand it.

That moment of being unclear how to continue is how Steve felt right now, only instead of just a flurry of emotions, there's a nauseous feeling pooling in the pit of his stomach.

"-ay for a while." He doesn't have the faintest idea what his wife is saying now, after the first few words she spoke, he's blacked out the rest. It takes a few moments to gather himself, followed by another to convince himself he won't vomit. "One more time..." he asks.

His wife, Annabel Shaw-Rogers cocks her head at her husband. "I said Addison needs a place to stay for a while." He nods. "I told her no but she was insistent on it, something about doctors orders. She's probably just got out of rehab again. Once a junkie always a junkie." She trails off in annoyance.

All Steve can do is nod in response, he's chewing on his bottom lip trying to not scream. "The sister who was in and out of jail the last few years?"

"Uh-huh."

Another nod. "The sister who pops drugs like they're candy?"

"Uh-huh."

He clears his throat and rests his hands on the counter, staring at the wall ahead of him. "The one you don't hear from unless she needs something?"

Annabel chuckles and walks towards her husband of five years, she reaches out to him, wrapping her tanned arms around his waist. "Baby, I only have one sister. All of the horror stories you are about to ask are indeed about her." She takes a moment to rub a calming hand down his chest. "She's going to have to stay here if not, she'll never let that be the end of it." The sentence is ended with a loving kiss on his cheek and she leans into his body, trying to use her affection as an apology for the cards they have been dealt. For Steve, it'll take far more than a simple kiss and hug to rid the horrid taste in his mouth. She'll invade their privacy, ruin their home, invade the wholesome environment they have. Her drug-diseased handcuff ridden hands would be all over his home, infecting it. The air would be toxic, everything would have to be replaced, their home would need to be replaced.

A new home, new furniture, new clothes. He'd be out of money by this time next year.

If that wasn't bad enough, Addison Shaw was trouble with a capital T. The woman had trouble etched in her bones, her blood was filled with negativity. The only way to explain young Addison was everything bad that one person can do, Addison had done and then some. The two sisters were miles apart, Annabel was beautiful, sweet and brilliant while Addison was problematic, untrustworthy and downright awful.

They were cut from two different strands, good and bad. To Steve, part of it would have made sense if one of them was bad if their daddy had a criminal history or even mommy but both parents were normal, average. Met in college, fell madly in love. Their mother was a stay at home mom, dad was a banker. They stayed out of trouble, minded their business, went to church on Sundays and said their prayers before bed. They were loving parents to beautiful girls, Annabel, their oldest, his wife. A dirty blonde haired girl who had dreams of being a singer. Their youngest, Addison was a brunette with-how he remembers hearing their mother describe as-big beautiful hazel eyes with the tiniest hints of green. There were no hopes or dreams used to describe her, no happy or cute memories that followed after any mention of her. It was always just Addison and then silence.

The idea of Addison... staying there in his home, ruining the atmosphere. Forcing he and Annabel to live on edge to accommodate her. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. However, this was his wife, the love of his life. He couldn't say no if she had already said yes. She had to be dealing with far more issues than his own, this couldn't have been easy on her.

"How long?" He finally asks with a deep sigh.

It takes her a while to answer which scares him, "A few weeks." That's an arrow straight in his heart. He's already envisioning his gravestone, 'Steven Grant Rogers. Died from: sudden cardiac arrest brought on by wife's junkie sister.'

"Fine..." He says with another sigh. "But she doesn't stay in the house."

"Where are we going to put her, baby? The doghouse?"

Steve smiles. "If we had a doghouse, that wouldn't be nice enough for her."

Annabel agrees, pulling her arms from Steve. "Where then?"

"The guest house."

"It's not finished with the remodel."

"The kitchen is the only part left, the room, living room, and bathroom are done. She can survive with half a kitchen." He remarks.

"Just means she'll have to be here when she wants to eat."

Steve wanted to strangle her, probably the only time on this earth that he had the urge to do so. A day he could handle, maybe two but an unspecified amount of weeks was hell on earth. Hell, literary, as if they had taken a one-way ticket to the bottom of Satan's ass. "I'll get the contractor to finish the kitchen within the week, pay him double if I have too."

The contractor comes as planned and is less than happy about the sudden change, "In a week? My guys are gonna be workin' double time."

"I know, I get it. I'll pay you double-triple what you were getting. I just need this done by Monday." With a heavy sigh, the contractor agreed, apologizing ahead of time for the noise they would soon be faced with.

They had noise and he was having nightmares, a horrible combination. Steve was on the brink of losing his sanity and the worst had yet to come. The impending doom of Addison's arrival was rapidly approaching. Each time he closed his eyes, it was followed by a possible outcome of Addison living with them. In one, she burnt down the house another threw a rager when they went out to dinner and the worst was her overdosing in their kitchen. Her arrival was eating him up.

"Addison is aware we are gonna have rules?" Steve asks over dinner one night, over the sound power tools echoing through the home.

"I'm sure." Annabel nods, chewing her food and staring at her cell phone.

"Are we going to have to hide all the medicine?"

Annabel drags her eyes from her facebook feed to stare at Steve blankly. "I hadn't thought about that." She clears her throat. "Probably. She'll probably wind up overdosing on cold medicine." The tone of her voice is full of malice and humor.

It was crude place in time now that Steve found himself chuckling at the statement, instead of being overtaken with disgust. He always saw the best in people, believed that everyone deserves a second (Or more) chance. He extended olive branches, forgave the unforgivable, he was the embodiment of a good guy but times had changed. "You're okay with this, right?" Annabel asks in a small voice.

"Of course." He lies.

"Steve, are you really?"

He exhales deeply, "Baby, she's your sister."

"Only by blood." She remarks. "Trust me, If you could change your genetics, I would be first in line." There's not a hint of humor in her voice, she truly would. As depressing as it sounded, Annabel was ashamed to admit she had a sister almost as much as her parents were to say they had two daughters. He remembers taking Annabel on their first date, they talked about their families, there was never a hint that she had a sister. Annabel had spun a web that led him to believe she was an only child.  

In fact, Annabel never spoke about her, nor did her parents; it was like she never existed. It wasn't until their wedding that Addison dropped the bombshell of having a sister that left Steve speechless. It was nearly the end of their romance. "You have a sister and you just what? Forget to tell me about her?" He shouted in anger, slamming the front door behind him as he stomped into their new house. "We've been together for three years! Are those even your actual parents or are you waiting to introduce me to the real ones in another three years?"

Annabel turned to face him, sighing and running a hand through her hair. "Steve, calm down." She pleads.

"Don't tell me to calm down, you've been lying to me for three years."

"I wasn't lying, I just didn't tell you about her."

He groans, "That's the same damn thing." He heads to the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge and quickly gulping it down. The only way he can think to calm his nerves is drinking alcohol also another way to keep his mouth busy instead of shouting.

"Listen, Steve..." He ignores the next thing out of her mouth, pleas spill from her red-tinted lips about their upcoming wedding, 'it's only a month away', 'we can't call it off now! What am I going to tell my parents?'. Excuse after excuse yet she avoids the topic at hand. Her sister, a sister that she never once spoke about. That her parents never spoke about. Their family album had no pictures of another child, the pictures littered through their home was void of this mystery sister.

"Why?" He asks, refusing to divulge into talk about their wedding, one mention of it and that would be all she'd focus on. He feels betrayed and used. He starts to question everything she's ever told him, even questions the validity of their relationship. "H-how.... how does someone lie about having a sibling?"

"It's complicated."

Steve's eyes go wide and he leans in, chuckling. "Complicated?" he questions, setting his beer down on the counter in front of him. "Hey, Steve, I have a sister. Yeah, her name is Mary, she's nineteen; lives in Alabama, don't see her much. How is that complicated?"

Annabel sets her purse down on the counter in front of Steve, sighing heavily. "Okay... I was going to tell you, I planned on telling you but it just... isn't easy." She closes her eyes and swallows deeply, he notices her hands, she's squeezing her fingers. "We don't talk about her."

"We?"

"My parents, me; my family." Annabel lets out a nervous chuckle, realizing for the first time in years, she's confessing what is suppose to be a lifelong secret. "Her name is Addison and she's twenty-seven years old and... I don't know where she's living, I ran into her in Miami on the girls trip a few months back but I don't know where she's at right now, I haven't since she was sixteen."

It's even worse than Steve expected, however, he's not entirely sure what he expected. "What do you mean since she was sixteen? If she's twenty-seven now that means you're only two years apart." Annabel nods, ashamed. "What does that even mean?"

Annabel can hardly stand the look of confusion on her husband's face. There's no stopping now, she had to continue for both of their sakes. "You need to understand she put my parents through hell. She was horrible, a bad kid, beyond bad. She did drugs, threw parties, refused to go to school; refused to come home, drank. Anything she could do, she did. My parents tried, I tried. They sent to her to my uncles to try and help her but she nearly burned his house down." It's as if a weight has lifted off her chest, the lie that she had forced herself to believe is finally free. "She was unfixable. Getting worse as the days went by."

"And you just gave up on her?" Steve questions in an angered tone. "She was a kid!"

"No, we didn't!" She raises her voice, getting insulted by the accusation. "My parents tried like hell but it never worked. She never let it and they couldn't do it anymore, my dad was on the verge of losing his job, mom was having a mental breakdown. One day, my dad had enough he threatened her if she continued, he'd make her leave. She didn't change. The next day, she came home high and he packed her a bag and kicked her out. Called friends and family told them to not let her in."

"How old was she?"

"Sixteen."

"Six-Sixteen? She was sixteen years old?" He questions in shock. "Your father kicked your sixteen-year-old sister out of the house with nowhere to go?" The thought is unimaginable to him, an innocent child out alone in the world, battling the street of California with no one to help her. It made him sick, he could barely look at her.

"It sounds bad, I know."

He nods, chuckling being the only thing he can do that doesn't wind up with them ending their engagement. "I don't think you do."

"I wanted her to come back, I looked for her but I couldn't find her."

It's a lie or a comedy skit, it has to be. It doesn't seem plausible. He's met her parents, her fathers is the sweetest guy in the world, her mother loves with all of her heart. The first time he met her, she demanded a hug and that he comes over every holiday, birthday and Sunday for dinner. The idea that they, everyone's dream parents had kicked a child out of their home. "So, you guys just what? Woke up a few days later and said we only have one daughter. Gee, what a nice day?"

Annabel cocks her head in annoyance, "No, One month of her being gone, turned into three and then it was a year and before we knew it life was so much easier without her around. My parents weren't fighting, I wasn't missing school because of something she did. We didn't have any police around the house, it was just simple. Normal. A happy family." She finally sits down on the bar stool, feeling exhausted. "Eventually we realized anytime we talked about her, my mother got sad and my father was angered. People didn't understand it either when we said what happened and we found it easier to not talk about her. We just pretended she didn't exist."

Steve doesn't understand, he can't even begin to understand. If he had a child, he couldn't imagine turning on them. Casting them out with all dangers in the world that they could succumb to. No matter how horrible they were, he'd never give up on them. He couldn't. It wasn't in his blood. "You never heard from her until a few months ago?"

Annabel nods her head, brushing her hair behind her ear before she begins. Another jog down memory lane that breaks his heart even more.

It was a few years later before her name was spoken again in the Shaw household, they had a phone call in the middle of the night from a detective in Texas, Addy; It softens his heart just for a second when Annabel uses her nickname, it shows she still cares somewhere in there. Addison was found in a cheap, rat and drug infested motel unconscious with signs of sexual assault. It had taken her three days to finally talk to police and another three for her to confess her first name. it was luck or a miracle that they discovered her purse trashed in an alley.

"Do you know how late is it?" Her father, Gregory had shouted into the phone. His voice rough and full of sleep.

"Sir, I apologize for the disruption. This is Detective Amanda White from the Austin Police department, sir, I'm afraid I have some bad news. We've found your daughter, Addison Shaw."

The detective went on to confess the details of the case, Addison refused to talk, claimed it was a misunderstanding. An accident, she fell while getting dressed but all evidence said otherwise. They had found the doer but she refused to press charges and point the finger at him. He shrugged and simply told her, "I only have one daughter." In his mind, Addison had made her bed and whatever path she was on, was her own doing. After that, anything that reminded them of her was gone, pictures, drawings, baby boxes. She was merely a blip in their past. As far as anyone in their lives would know, the Shaw's had one daughter, Annabel.

"My dad didn't care," Annabel says with a look of pain. "my mom nearly died but she would have followed my father to the ends of the earth without second-guessing when he said never mention her, we didn't."

Annabel goes on about running into her baby sister in Miami on her girl trip. Her last trip as an unmarried woman, the last hurrah. It was the hotel she was staying in that she found Addison. Not recognizing her at first, it had been so long since she'd seen her that time had corroded her image.

"Addison?" She questions on a whim to the young girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail and dressed in a hotel uniform. "Addy?" It was her, beyond all belief. Their eyes met and Addison was a deer in headlights. It was an awkward reintroduction, two sisters split by time, coming face to face.

"I'm getting married!" Annabel shouted midway through the conversation, her happiness leaking through. "I want you to be there." The words came out before she had a second to rethink her sentence.

Addison said nothing in response. It was a brief silence and a deep sigh before she answered, in a distant voice with cold eyes. "I hope you have a good wedding."

"No, Addy, I want you there. It's my wedding day and I want my family there, all of my family." Her sister is still silent, staring at her like she's never met her. Which is nearly the truth, they didn't know one another. Other than their names, they were strangers. It had taken some convincing before Addison had responded with, "If time works out, maybe I'll think about coming." Annabel left her phone number with her, asking her one last time before she left "Just come, okay? It'll be fun." She didn't think it would work but this morning when she woke up, there a text message from an unknown phone number that simply read. "When is the wedding again? And where? -Addison." She texted back immediately, eyes still blurred from sleeping and another text arrived a few hours later. "I can come if you still want me too," Annabel responded by sending her the ticket details and saying she couldn't wait to see her again.

"So, she's coming to our wedding?" Steve finally questions, rubbing his eyes and wishing he'd bought more beer.

"Yes."

"And what do your parents think?" He asks.

"I haven't told them and I'm not going to."

"Anna..."

"Steve, it's my day, if I want to invite my sister that is my choice."

"Fine." He agrees, walking around to the counter to engulf her in his arms. The good guy inside of him begins to think it could be the best thing to happen. The family could mend, forget about the past and begin again, Something good could come from their wedding. "This could be a fresh start. A way to move on from the past. A restart." He’s fooling himself with the agreement but his biggest flaw was always wanting to see the best in people, if she wanted her to be there, he would do that for her. For their family.