#max and penelope make me weak

[pinkandgoldensoul]

emotional rollercoaster at 5 a.m. watching the race > getting study done before 9 a.m. > 2.2k words of the new fic written in a couple of hours > some more reading for uni (actually enjoyable) > coming back to tumblr to see Max and Penelope being the cutest thing ever, incredible f1 fanarts and Mario Renzi's breathtaking shots = i need a new brain a new heart to bear life from now on 'cause mine are washed out P.S: the fic is past 11.k words! Happy that I've got so much writing done today in the last few days! Only problem is I've written until the climax of the story, which is still an unfinished scene, and there's a lot to cover yet. My gosh. It'll never end. It's been three months. So many things happened... Anyway, I don't want to get your hopes up, I don't know how long it'll take. Just for info, the fic is a pierre gasly x reader + two other characters heavily involved... and the trope isn't another friends to lovers! Out of my comfort zone! Thanks to @gaslysainz for the request! ♥

﹒⪩⪨﹒Have a nice one ﹒⪩⪨﹒

[elviriel]

the height difference between penelope and max is truly what dreams are made of

[eunoiaflow3r]

Slow Dance

A/N: based on the song Slow Dance by AJ Mitchell and Ava Max.

Warnings: fluff haha, there will be mistakes. fem!reader.

Requests:

Hi! Could I request Spencer Reid fluff? Spencer and the reader have hidden feelings for each other and his team manages to get him to tell the reader? Thank you :) @hahaboop​

I have a request for Spencer Reid! One where the reader is the youngest member of the BAU (maybe she could be like 22, just graduated from college) and everyone is really protective of her. So, Spencer has a crush on her but doesn’t know how to tell her because all the members in the BAU are too overprotective and the rest of the building flirts with her or something like this. @always394patronus​

Word Count: 2.3k

~~~~

If you stay for this minute, girl I'll never let you down...

The team had just gotten back to the BAU after a long case a few states away, and everyone except you and Spencer was out of the door. You were stressing out because yet again you were being paired with either Morgan or Hotch on every single case you’ve been given the past few months. At first you had hardly noticed, but with every passing case and every, “young one,” comment, you have grown more and more furious.

Spencer understood completely. Having been a twelve year old highschool graduate, he’s gotten his fair share of the “being young,” comments and teases. He could only imagine it was probably considerably worse for you since you were a woman, and women are commonly misconstrued, as the, “weaker gender.”

You were everything but weak though. Over the past few months, after you had joined the team, he and pretty much everyone noticed that you are incredibly smart, head-strong, honest, and ambitious. Perhaps this is why the team felt the need to protect you.

Sure, there have been plenty of new members, and new people and faces and scents, but you were different. In this case, different wasn’t terrible, it was just - unexpected. You were the youngest there, and with you being another woman added to the team, everyone kind of looked at you a little differently. It wasn’t that they doubted your profiling skills, oh no, you were, “damn good,” at your job as Morgan likes to say, and it wasn’t the fact that they thought you couldn’t handle yourself because of your age, but they were trying to make it so that the cases wouldn’t get to you.

Because of your age, they felt that after a while maybe the cases would get to be too much for you, and they wanted to prevent you from a world of confusion and hurt.

That is what hurt you the most though. Why couldn’t you just be treated like everyone else here?

And Spencer listened to anything and everything you had to say. He had become the closest thing to a best friend you could have, but sometimes it just didn’t feel like you were meant to be just friends.

Sometimes he’d catch himself staring at you a bit too long, or wanting to come up with anything he could to talk to you, or maybe even go as far as staring at your lips when you were talking, but he digressed, and tried to suppress anything he might have felt for you.

And you did as well.

All the time you had caught yourself wanting to just pull him into a hug that lasted forever, or hold his hand, and maybe even kiss him, but he was your coworker. Not only that, but on top of all the field limitations, those same limits seemed to be in office as well.

We ain't off the limit, I could hold you after now. No more talking, I don't know what you wanna do with that?

A few bold interns from a couple of floors down had tried to ask you out on a date, and maybe even a few more, but as soon as they had or even had the thought to, Morgan, Hotch, and sometimes even Garcia would give you a disapproving look, glare the guy down, or maybe even go as far as shut the guy down verbally for you.

Afterwards you’d always apologize to the guy, and you always felt bad for having to do it. Well, not really. Of course it made you upset that they never seemed to want you to live your life and actually find love, but the only one you wanted to go on dates with anyway was Spencer.

You knew your jobs, and the fact that you worked together could be a problem, but you couldn’t help but wonder if you could actually be something. Or maybe you misinterpreted the looks he gave you, and he actually doesn’t like you that way at all.

That night, Spencer had gotten home and went straight to sleep. Usually he’d dream of his mom, the cases, or maybe even some of the plain rides, but tonight's dreams seemed to have been filled with you. You were on his couch, in one of his cardigans, reading a book, eating some kind of fruit. He came in, sat next to you and handed you a cup of coffee after placing a quick kiss to your lips.

In the dream after that he had woken up, and you were snuggled in beside him. He had his arm wrapped around him, and your legs were tangled with his. The sun had barely risen, and the comforter was twisted in a weird way between the two of you, but when he actually woke up the next morning, he couldn’t help but noticed it felt so normal, and he wished it had been real.

He ran his fingers through his tangled curls, and scolded himself for those dreams. How was he going to look at you the same in a couple of hours when he almost-knew what it felt like to kiss you, and he almost-knew what it felt like to be so close to you?

_

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” You cringed at the nickname Rossi used towards you, but you answered him anyway.

“Nothing, just tired.”

He shook his head and laughed to himself. You gave him a ‘what?’ look.

“You’re not tired Y/N. You’re distressed.” He nods towards where Reid is sitting. “You haven’t stopped staring at him, care to talk about it?”

“Not really.” You sighed, spinning your chair around so now you were no longer even facing Reid - that way you wouldn’t be caught staring again.

“I say go for it.” You give him that ‘what?’ look again waiting for him to elaborate. “It’s obvious you two like eachother. Take it from me, don’t wait before it’s too late.”

“But the team -” You argue.

“At the end of the day, the team doesn’t matter. Just you and Spencer.”

And with that, Rossi walked away leaving you to think about what he said, and if it was even really possible for you two to be something more than friends.

It feels good, why you even wanna hold it back? We just work and I know there's no coming back.

“Awe, would you look at them!” Garcia gushed, watching you laugh at something Spencer said across the bullpen.

“Look at who?” Morgan asked clearly oblivious to the two of you.

“Spencer and Y/N.” Garcia answered pointing slightly in your direction so that Morgan could see too.

Morgan looked over and saw that you were sitting on your desk, and Spencer was standing in front of you with a cup of coffee in his hands. You were giggling like crazy, and Spencer smiled too although he wasn’t quite sure what the joke was.

“Y/N! Tell me what’s so funny! All I said was cassava!”

This only caused you to laugh even harder. There was this trick in elementary where you would ask someone a series of easy math questions very quickly, and then on the last question you’d ask them to name a vegetable. The trick was that usually the participant would say the basic vegetable, “carrots,” but no, Spencer Reid answered, “cassava.”

Once you stopped laughing, you explained it to him, and he didn’t find it as funny as you did, but nevertheless he started laughing too because your laugh seemed to be infectious. _

“I didn’t know which you liked better, so I brought both.” Spencer said, smiling behind bags of chinese food and two boxes of pizza.

“Oh my God Spencer!” you gushed, grabbing some of the bags and one of the boxes.

He closes the door behind him and puts all the food on the table.

“What are you even doing here?” You ask giving him a quick hug.

“Well, I know you’ve been a little down lately, and I just thought I’d help in any way that I could.”

You almost cried. He was so sweet to you, and you had no idea how to react. You wanted to wrap your arms around him and show him how much you appreciate him with a passionate kiss, but you knew that you probably shouldn’t.

_

Spencer invited you over for a movie marathon, and you’d be there any minute. He had made sure his apartment was flawless, and everything was perfect. Sure, you’ve been to his place before, but lately, things have begun to feel...different.

There was this one time at work where you two had gotten so close that he had just almost kissed you, but he had chickened out, and he had regretted that decision ever since.

When you got there, you both ended up staying up until three in the morning watching your favorite movies.

_

“Do you wanna go catch some lunch?” Terry from downstairs asks you.

“She likes someone else, sorry my man.” Morgan answers for you resting his arm across your shoulders.

Once the guy was gone, you turned to him with a frown.

“Someone as in who?” You ask.

“Uh uh,” he steps away. “Don’t play dumb with me Miss Lady. You know exactly who I’m talking about.” You rolled your eyes and walked over to the elevator.

Once you had entered the bullpen, you noticed Penelope and Spencer in a corner - except she looked to be giving him a pep-talk of some kind. _

“Spencer I’m telling you, you NEED to make a move.” Penelope practically whines. “I am tired of seeing you two pine after one another.”

Spencer shakes his head and sighs. “We don’t know if she even - and the team. The team practically throws the guys who even look at her out of the window.”

“You’re different, you know it’s different with you.”

Spencer wasn’t so sure. He’d hate it if he were to kindle something with you, and the team was unsupportive. _

A couple of days later, Spencer had walked by your desk and noticed a bouqet of roses in your wastebasket.

“Who were those from?” He asks half curiously, half jealousy (although he’s not willing to admit that.)

“Some guy named uh- Dylan, but I uhh, I’m interested in someone else.” You looked everywhere but Spencer’s eyes, trying not to laugh.

“Oh, you do?” he asks wearily, not quite sure where you were going with this. “Do I know him?”

“Oh yeah.” You smile. “You guys are practically like this.” You twisted your middle and pointer finger together to show the closeness.

He smiled down at you catching on. “Don’t tell me it’s Morgan, Y/N.”

“Nah. This guy likes to read. I don’t think Derek’s ever picked up a book in the last five years.”

_

It was late one night and you and Spencer were the only ones left in the office. You walked over to his desk where he was reading the newspaper, but when he noticed you his head immediately picked up. “Remember when I told you that you know the guy that I’m interested in?”

“Mhmm yeah, I think I remember.”

“He’s you. The guy is you.”

“Could have fooled -”

And you leaned in capturing his lips in yours. He tasted of coffee and bubblegum, which isn’t as bad as it might seem. He kissed you back and you forgot everything for a moment - forgot you were at the bullpen, forgot he was your coworker, and forgot the team's reaction actually might have meant something to you.

They meant nothing now when he’s pulling you down to straddle his lap and deepening the kiss. When you felt his tongue along your lips you opened your mouth a little wider so that he could kiss you just a little bit harder.

You both pulled away at the same time but stayed close, as he was running his hands along your sides.

“Me. You could have fooled me.” he finishes. You laughed and pressed a quick kiss to his lips which he returned before climbing out of his lap and steadying yourself on the ground.

You were going to walk away, until he grabbed your hand and pulled you back.

“Hey,” he practically whispered. “Go to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

_

I wanna slow dance if you’re feeling me now If we don't hold hands you'll be killing me now

Spencer had arrived at your apartment with a bouquet of wildflowers.

He had knocked, and when you opened the door, he was absolutely shocked.

“Wow, you look stunning.” He lets out.

“As do you.”

You grab the flowers from him and place it in a vase before grabbing your jacket, his hand, and heading out of the door.

The night went smoothly, and the dinner was great, and it couldn’t have been more perfect.

“Spence?” You asked, rubbing your thumb across his knuckles. You were holding the hand he wasn’t using to drive.

“Hm?”

“Have you ever seen The Notebook?”

“Actually...no.”

“Okay.”

“Why?” he asks looking over at you. You couldn’t have been more beautiful in his eyes.

“You’ll see.”

When he pulled out in front of your apartment, and you were out of his car, you took his hand and led him to the middle of the street - the only source of light being the street lamp hovering above the two of you.

“Y/N, what are you doing?”

“Slow dance with me.”

“I can’t dance.”

“That’s alright.” You stepped close to him and guided his hands so that they were resting on your backside, and you brought your arms up to wrap around his neck. From there, you led him to step with you to a nonexistent rhythm.

You two weren’t really worried about any cars, this wasn’t a busy street.

“Tell me about The Notebook.” he says, pulling your body closer to his.

“Well Noah actually laid down in the street, not danced and -”

I need a romance, one chance I just wanna know, will you slow dance?

[angelyuji]

Can I get a yandere BAU where the reader has a job that takes up a lot of time(like theirs)?

Yandere BAU w/ a Busy Darling :)

tw // manipulation, toxic relationships, kidnapping, mentions of depression or self-harm

ok so, idk of you meant the og team or the lastest team, but i haven’t written much for luke or matt so imma write for them :)

Emily:

·         emily will let you work as long as you follow her rules

·         when she realizes that youre getting too busy, she’ll get annoyed

·         lets say youre a waitress, and the fast food workers have a shitty life ngl

·         anyway, so you work as a waitress at your fav restaurant… White Chocolate Grill :)

·         so you stay late cuz your boss sucks and ur a good employee and obviously emilys not happy that ur gone.

·         she let you work cuz you were being annoying and bothering her, and everytime she needs you to listen, she can use the fact that she let you work

·         shes such a good girlfriend ;)

·         so when she sees that ur getting too busy, shell remind you that just because she let you work, it’s a privilege, not a right.

·         so don’t think she’ll let you off the hook for ignoring her calls and texts because you had to work.

·         she wont make you quit your job if you promise not to pull that shit again.

·         but if you fight back or make that mistake again, she’ll make you quit ur job and teach you a lesson

JJ:

·         i wrote jj as a very mild mild yandere, if you do end up being busy, she wont be too scared

·         but she’ll end up waiting up late and crying unless you get home.

·         she’ll probably end up trying to convince you to quit your job.

·         “i get so scared that someone’s taken you”

·         you can try to convince her to let you go by taking less hours at your workplace,

·         she’ll still be mad at you, but she’ll calm down by taking you to work and picking you up from work.

Reid:

·         spencer knows your weaknesses well enough that he’ll scare you into quitting.

·         you’ll be getting ready for work one day when spencer comes up being you and wraps his arms around waist.

·         he’ll whisper into your ear, “did you know almost 90% of people get kidnapped on their way from overtime? none of them are found.”

·         the rational part of your brain knows that what he said makes no sense, but reid has manipulated and gaslighted you for so long that you believe whatever he says.

·         you’ll freak out and he’ll calm you down and you quit on your own.

Rossi (platonic):

·         yandere dad will be chill about it cuz hes your dad.

·         he’ll be worried about you and force you to relax every once in awhile, but you’ve most likely moved away and he would want you to reach success.cuz hes your dad

·         if you don’t have a high-earning job, he’ll force you to move back home and force you to stay home.

·         rossie kind of a weird yandere in my head.

Matt:

·         matt literally does not care

·         he trusts you not to leave him or forget abt him

·         he knows how hard it is to work and hes super understanding about everything

·         as long as your job isn’t as dangerous as his

·         if you end up working late, he’ll come to pick you up at work just in case

Tara:

·         tara has a strict set of rules for you to follow

·         one of the rules have to do with you working.

·         she’ll let you get a small job at a restaurant or as a retail worker as long as you’re good for her

·         and to not let your work so much that you prioritize your work over your housework

·         if you let yourself work too much and forget about tara/put your housework last, she’ll force you to quit your job and punish you for breaking the rules.

Penelope:

·         “DO YOU NOT CARE FOR ME ANYMORE?? IS THAT IT??”

·         Penelope is literally fucking wack holy shit

·         shes delulu to the MAX

·         like she’ll guilt trip you and accuse you of cheating everytime youre late

·         you’ll quit your job and stay home because youre sick and worn down by her behavior

Luke:

·         omg hes furious or hes scared for your life

·         him and roxy will be searching everywhere for you

·         if they find you, he’ll bring you home and hold you close and never let go.

·         if youre home late once, just call and quit now

·         luke is possessive, he doesn’t like when you get distracted by work

·         working was a privilege for you and now you’ve lost that privilege

BONUS:

Hotch:

·         lmaooo hotch doesn’t let you work wdymmm

 i didn’t know what to write for many of them so sorry if its not that good, i kept getting distracted and not paying attention to what i was writing so sorry, again. anyway stream dynamite and stan bts <3

[overwhelminglyaquarius]

‘let’s elope’

replaying trr3 for the millionth time, i saw (and loved) this dialogue from liam, so i wrote a potential different route this could've taken

pretty self explanatory, hope you enjoy! :)

/////

Yes, they were engaged, (at long last, they would add). But, yes, there were still difficulties. For Charlotte, one of the most irritating was the idea that it was ‘improper’ for the two to share a bed before they’re married.

‘If only they knew that not having a bed isn’t that much of an obstruction for Liam,’ she thought to herself. 

It’s not even that he’s perhaps the most handsome man to have walked the Earth, though she does think that it is fitting that Cordonia is so close to where the Greek Gods would have lived. No, the issue is that it doesn’t allow for a shred of private domesticity until they’ve so publicly made their vows.

Sometimes, her need to be near to him becomes too great to care what certain onlookers may think. The way he made her heart expand earlier in the day by instantly looking for her as they arrived at the Castellarian estate, only to take her hand and sneak a kiss, did nothing to help her keep her affection for him at bay.

So now that they were in the company of people Charlotte genuinely considered to be trustworthy, she felt confident enough to let her love for him show a bit more.

That’s why, after the wine tasting, she and Liam stood at the balcony whilst the rest were mingling and lightly clearing up. She had, at some point, snaked her arms under his jacket and around his waist, head resting lightly on his chest as he wrapped one of his strong arms around her in turn.

They’d settled on a wine choice for their wedding, talking about other little nothings to do with the day as they looked out over the vineyard.

She was lucky. She was so incredibly lucky, and she knew it.

Shifting her head to look up at him, she was struck once again by the reality of it all. This beautiful, kind, caring, witty man was hers. Soon enough, he’d be hers forever. It was all she could do to drag her thoughts away from just repeating the words, “iloveyouiloveyouilo-“.

Honestly, she might be embarrassed if he could hear her thoughts, but a tugging in her heart reminded her that she had incredible evidence to believe he felt the same way.

Head tilting downwards, his eyes caught hers. She could see the shift in emotion as their eyes met – she could write essays about how beautiful he is when he is able to take just a tiny bit of the weight of the world off of his shoulders.

He was silent for a moment before he spoke, choosing his words carefully.

“You know… I know that we’ve agreed to make our wedding a public event for rallying Cordonia’s allies and people, but part of me wishes that it could just be the two of us, with no one else to distract us.”

Charlotte’s straightened slightly as her arms loosened to instead relax on his sides. Turning to face him, the previous repetition in her head restarted.

Liam almost took her hesitance to respond as disapproval, or a sign that he shouldn’t have shaken the already rocky road that had brought them to their engagement. He was ready to amend what he’d said when she looked up at him once again, turning the idea over in her head with furrowed brows.

“Well… why don’t we?”

“Sorry?”

“Oh, I mean, it could be, right? Just us? We could pull it off. I’ve seen enough movies to know that people can get married almost anywhere, by anyone,” she began to ramble. He felt her swinging their interlocking hands as she went on and couldn’t help but grin at her.

He did that a lot lately.

She was still talking, though. “I mean, you remember in that grotto in Italy during the ‘dark days’,” she made exaggerated quotation marks with one hand, “and you asked me what I could picture our alternative future as being? And I said I could see us getting married in a small church on a cliff? Well, why don’t we?”

Her chattering was growing more excited. Unbeknownst to the couple, it started turning a few heads in their direction. The rest of the gang were used to it, proud of their friends for finding this kind of love, even if they couldn’t quite hear what they were actually even talking about.

Penelope, however, was new to such occurrences. Even the blind could see the love between the pair – it radiated off them in waves. For months, she had felt guilty about her role in the scheme against Charlotte. She knew now how deeply they loved each other, but any time they interacted in her presence, she felt like a horrible intruder in their lives. To have kept them apart was a cruel act, even if she had naively thought at the time that Charlotte’s heart lay with Tariq.

“Max could covertly find a place, and I’m sure Drake would be willing to officiate. We wouldn’t even need the fanciest clothes, well, apart from a ring, but we could do it. I mean, if you really wanted to?”

Liam could see his whole future when he looked at her, and it shone with the brightest sunshine.

He gently cupped her face and kissed her, unable to hold back any longer.

Anyone still spying on the pair hastily looked away.

Her hands found purchase clutching to his button up as the kiss deepened. 

After what they both considered to be too short a moment, they separated. Charlotte was left breathless, a culmination of her excitement and unpreparedness. Looking up as they caught their breath, she tilted her head in silent question.

His responding smile was so wide and laden with love that she felt her heart working overtime to sew up the seams where it had burst.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes. I- yes. Let’s do it.” He pecked her lips again, still panting softly. Both hands were still on her face as he continued.

“There’s a chapel on the coastline. It’s sat on a cliff right by the sea. A small, old, white building – nothing around it save for a small town a half mile away. I found it online after we spent that evening together in the grotto. The image you painted of us, there, together, stuck in my mind. It’s a stunning scene.”

Charlotte felt her bones go weak.

“I- Do you think we could?” she ventured.

His face contorted as he went over all the possibilities, quickly coming to a conclusion. He took a deep breath.

“I would imagine you’re right about Drake officiating. Maxwell and Hana, too, could be there as witnesses and, besides,” he paused, taking a beat to properly look at her before he continued, “all I need for my wedding is you.”

[naturallytom]

Before You Go (Spencer Reid x reader)

a/n: this is for @dontshootmespence​‘s 8k writing challenge!! i haven’t written for spencer in a hot second so i hope you guys like it!! 

warnings (pls pay attention to these): heavy implications of suicide and struggling with mental illness, death, grieving, angst 

if you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, i encourage you to call the national suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255. please never forget that all of you are so so loved and my inbox and messages are always open if you need a friend or some encouragement💗

prompt: grief + before you go by lewis capaldi 

please reblog/leave feedback!!

I fell by the wayside like everyone else I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, but I was just kidding myself Spencer watched nearly emotionlessly as the casket was lowered into the ground. The casket that held you. His best friend. He stood there for hours that seemed to drag on for days. He stood there until the last person left the service, leaving him alone. It was then that he allowed himself to fall to his knees, hot tears streaming down his face. Anger filled his veins and suddenly all he could think was “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.” Who was he kidding? Of course he didn’t hate you. He loved you. You were his best friend. He couldn’t hate you if he tried. But he was still angry. He was angry that you left. He was angry that you felt like you couldn’t tell him what you were dealing with. Most of all, he was angry at himself for not picking up on the signs sooner. 

Our every moment, I start to replace 'Cause now that they're gone, all I hear are the words that I needed to say He couldn’t concentrate. Hotch gave him time off to deal with your death but even with his days empty for once, he couldn’t concentrate on any of the books he was trying to read to distract himself. Memories of you and him flooded his mind, but every time they popped up, they were quickly replaced by words that Spencer needed to say, but didn’t get the chance. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t say them when he could. He knew everyone could hurt under the surface of what they present to the world, but he genuinely didn’t think it was you that was hurting. You were so bubbly, so lively, so seemingly happy. No one could have guessed that you were dealing with the worst kind of pain underneath it all. 

So, before you go Was there something I could've said to make your heart beat better? If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather So, before you go Was there something I could've said to make it all stop hurting? It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless

The thoughts plagued Spencer. Every day and every night it was like a constant cycle of wondering what he could’ve said to help you and the complete feeling of helplessness of not knowing you were battling such awful demons. He kept trying to think back and remember any signs he might’ve overlooked but every time his brain came up empty. Yet every time he couldn’t help but think that if only he had known, maybe, just maybe, you’d still be here today. He wondered if there was anything he could’ve said to make it all better for you. Logically, he knew that wasn’t possible and it killed him knowing that your own mind made you feel as shitty as you did. But he wished there was a magic word that would’ve taken your pain away. He would’ve taken away your pain in a heartbeat. 

Was never the right time, whenever you called Went little by little by little until there was nothing at all

The weeks before your death you called Spencer. You called him when you were done with work and it seemed like it was never a good time for him. “Sorry this case is really bad and they need everyone- I’ll call you back, alright?” “Max and I are planning a date for that day, does a different time work?” “It’s just not a good time right now, I’m sorry.” He sighed. “But I promise you, once I get some free time, we will have a day to ourselves, sound good?” You stopped calling after a while. Our every moment, I start to replay “Spence come ‘ere!” You called, sitting on your couch. “The movie’s about to start!” “The popcorn’s almost done!” He replied, the timer going off right as he said that. He chuckled, hearing you groan impatiently. He knew you were dying to see this movie, but it still amused him when he walked into the living room seeing you pouting. “What took you so long?” You grumbled playfully, Spencer rolling his eyes. “The delicious popcorn you’re eating.” He remarked. “Gonna hit play?” “Hell yeah.” You replied, grabbing the remote. “I’ve been dying to see this movie.” “I know.” “Well you should. I’ve been talking about it for ages.” You chuckled. “You have. I haven’t forgotten your rambles about it.” He smiled. “You truly are something special.” Spencer woke up in a sweat, hot tears pouring down his face, similar to the day of your funeral. It wasn’t the first time this happened. Replayed memories of the two of you came back in his dreams. It was bittersweet- he got to see you again. You were laughing and smiling and full of life but when he woke up he was faced with the harsh reality that you weren’t here. 

You weren’t with him on your weekly movie nights, rambling about how a movie got something wrong or endlessly praising something they did right. You weren’t at a team party, filling the environment with laughter and telling bad jokes. You weren’t telling Penelope about a cute puppy you saw walking down the street on your way to get coffee before work. And reality was, you’d never do any of those things again. Spencer let the sobs wrack through his body. Loud, heaving sobs filled his room and he cried until he thought he couldn’t cry anymore. And then he cried some more. He knew about the five stages of grief. He had told too many families of victims that it was normal to feel angry or in shock or depressed about their loved one’s death. That the grieving process took time and everyone experiences it differently. He understood all that, but why did it feel so abnormal for him? It felt like he was in a never ending cycle of denial, anger, and depression, but never quite getting to the acceptance stage. It felt like he had been grieving for years when it had only been weeks. Still, he felt like he should’ve been ready to go back to work by now. Yet every time he talked to JJ about it, he broke down and every time Morgan asked him how he was doing, all he could manage was a very weak “I’m fine,” which Morgan knew meant that he was not fine. The team all understood. You were Spencer’s absolute best friend, you were with him nearly all the time when the two of you weren’t working. They understood it was an extremely sudden change for Spencer. Having someone with you all the time to them not being there at all with no possibility of them ever coming back was something they saw happen far too frequently. Spencer tried a couple times to go back to work and each time everyone on the team would ask him if he felt ready to be back and he said yes but every time the case was introduced, he would break down. JJ and Morgan thought it’d be best for him to see the team in a non-work setting. No one could deny that what they do wasn’t an easy job, especially not while you’re grieving. So they organized for each member of the team to pick up a different type of takeout (each kind one of Spencer’s favorites) and they would it bring it by and have dinner as a team- something they didn’t do as much as they hoped. Once they were all gathered outside his apartment, JJ knocked and they all waited patiently for him to open the door (like they hoped he would). When Spencer opened the door greeted by the team, each with a different kind of his favorite takeout in their hands, confusion took over his features before tears filled his eyes and a soft smile formed on his lips. Wordlessly, he opened the door and let each member of the team in, each of them giving him a hug and a small smile. And for the first time in a long time, Spencer felt like the void that was left when you died was slowly starting to be filled.

[katedrakeohd]

What Happens in Paris...(8)

[Masterlist]

Feeling flirty and fancy..🍰🌹☕🍬

word count: ~ 5000

rated: PG for language and mature themes

Book: The Royal Romance, book 2

°°°°°💖💖💖💖💖💖°°°°°

Drake sat between Kate and Hana in the back of the limousine. Any other day he might have enjoyed being sandwiched between two beautiful women, but not today.  On the other bench seat, directly across from him, was Kiara sitting between Maxwell and Penelope. The way she looked at him made his skin crawl inside his fancy clothes. To add to his awkwardness, having Kate and Hana sitting so close to him meant he didn’t know where to put his hands, so he just folded his arms across his chest and glared at the privacy screen behind Kiara’s head.

Next to Kiara, Penelope had her eyes glued to her phone, trying to avoid looking at Kate. She was still mired in guilt over her part in the Tariq scandal, and felt uncomfortable being so close to Kate and her friends. She would have felt equally as lost in the other car with the King, Adelaide, Madeleine and Regina so she tried to lose herself in the ebook she was reading.

Hana couldn’t help but feel the stiffness of Drake’s frame as he sat next to her. Whenever the car turned a corner, or swerved to pass another vehicle he fought not to lean on either of them. If he wasn’t so clearly uncomfortable, it might have been endearing that he was making an effort to be such a gentleman. Leaning back on the seat, Hana tried to catch Kate’s attention with a glance but she had her head turned toward the window. Taking a cue from Penelope, Hana digs her phone out of her purse and sends Kate a text.

Drake glances at Kate’s purse in her lap when it chimes, watching her open it and fish out her phone. He feared the text might be from Liam, causing a sour feeling in his stomach. With her phone screen so close to him, Drake couldn’t help but see the message and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Hana was the sender. He feigned indifference as he gazed out the window, but couldn't help but see their conversation.

Hana: <poke> <poke>

Kate: ??

Hana: Poor Drake, he’s trying so hard to be the polite thorn between two roses. 

Kate: Heh, I noticed. He’s super tense. It doesn’t help that Kiara is being a total sleaze and giving him the ‘fuck me’ eyes over there. I want to punch her in the face. 

Drake clears his throat, glancing at Kate with an amused twitch to his lip.

Hana: Shall we give Kiara a not so subtle hint that he’s taken?

Kate: Yes, let’s do that. Something to make her jealous AF.

Hana puts her phone away in her purse, and then crosses her legs to give Drake more room on the seat. He steals a quick glance her way, wondering what she’s doing. When she angles her upper body toward him and tucks her hand into the crook of his elbow he gets his answer. 

He leans over and mumbles to her out of the corner of his mouth, “Care to explain?”

Hana smiles at him and pats him on the arm, “Just roll with it,” she whispers. 

Penelope looks up from her phone, does a double-take and then nudges Kiara with her elbow. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” she hisses.

Kiara nods, a confused frown on her face. Her eyes cut back and forth between Drake and Hana.

Drake relaxes his posture on the seat, spreading his knees apart and dropping his hands down to fold them in his lap.  He gives Kiara a wide cheshire grin, and then waggles his eyebrows at her. She tilts her head, and then casts another glance over Drake, confused by the direct eye contact. What is he doing?

Once he’s sure that he has her undivided attention, he glances down at Kate’s bare leg pressed up next to his. Sliding his hand down his thigh he lets his pinkie finger graze along her skin and then he places his hand on her knee.

Kiara’s eyes go wide when Kate turns toward Drake with a smirk, tucking her arm under his to hug him across the chest and nuzzle her face into the side of his neck. Penelope gasps, picking up her phone again and tapping at the screen. Kate shoots her a warning look, shaking her head, and she drops her phone back down into her lap. 

Maxwell looks away and then coughs into his fist to get everyone’s attention when the car comes to a stop, “Ahem, we’re here. Showtime everyone.”

…..

Kate settles back against the seat, feeling just a little flushed after their little public display. Penelope and Kiara were still staring at her and Drake with dumbfounded expressions. Ignoring them, Drake sucks in a deep breath in an attempt to combat the adrenaline rush he was feeling. Looking past Kate to peer out the window he frowns at the surging crowd of people on the sidewalk outside. 

“Max, it looks like we’ve got a swarm of eager paparazzi waiting for us. Kind of overkill for a tea party don’t you think?”

Maxwell sighs, “Well we’re not the only high profile people here today. This event is being co-hosted by the wives of the French Prime Minister and the French Ambassador to Cordonia. No doubt the news outlets have been talking about it.”

“Oh great,” Drake mumbles.  “So what now? Do we swim our way through the sharks, or do we call for the Royal guards to clear us a path?”

“Would they do that for us?” Kate asks hopefully, reaching for Drake’s hand on the seat beside her.

He folds his fingers around hers and gives them a gentle squeeze, leaning in close to murmur in her ear. “I’ve got you Kate, even if I have to plough my way through those bastards to get us inside.”

“And Hana too? We couldn’t leave her to fend for herself,” Kate whispers back, glancing at her friend.

Hana gets her sunglasses out of her purse and offers Drake a weak smile when he looks her way. He reaches for her hand too, giving her a warm smile of his own, “What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t take care of both my Ladies?”

With Drake’s warm, strong hand wrapped around her cool fingers Hana can’t help but blush a little. She wasn’t used to such personal treatment, and for a moment she understood how it felt to be Kate.  On the other bench seat Kiara rolls her eyes, “Oh please, how much longer is this faux menáge a trois going to be dragged out? I know it’s all fake. He couldn’t possibly keep two women happy at once.”

Drake throws his head back and laughs when Kate cuts in with a sly grin, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”   

 The charged atmosphere inside the car is interrupted by a knock on the window, Max breathes a sigh of relief as he presses the button to lower the tinted glass. It’s Bastien. “Lord Beaumont, the royal guard and the venue staff security have pushed the media back to a safe distance. You and your party are clear to exit the vehicle now.”

Maxwell nods, puffing out his chest and squaring his shoulders in an attempt to appear serious and Lordly, “Thank-you Bastien.”

When Bastien opens the door, Maxwell climbs out first and turns to offer his hand to Kiara and then to Kate as she exits the car. Drake scoots over on the seat to get out ahead of Penelope so that he can place himself next to Kate. Grasping her hand firmly he turns to help Hana out of the car. With his ‘Ladies’ flanking him on either side, Drake strides confidently into the building with a cheeky grin on his face amid the flashbulbs and flurry of questions from the press.

Once everyone is inside the hushed interior of the foyer, Bastien rounds on Drake and grabs him by the arm to pull him aside. “What in the devil are you up to? Does protocol mean nothing to you?”

Drake shakes his arm out of Bastien’s grasp, “What does it matter if the three of us walk in together?”

“As a representative of House Beaumont, Lady Kate is the responsibility of Lord Maxwell and should be escorted as such. You should have brought up the rear after the Ladies have already entered.”

Drake scoffs, “Oh please, as if you care about Kate’s status at court. You and Poodle Penny over there were working together to get her kicked out!”

“The King cares about her reputation -..”

Drake scowls in disbelief, “Like bullshit he does! He cares more about his own.”

Kate holds her hands up, raising her voice, “That's enough! Bastien, I don't mind having Drake as an escort. Liam asked Drake to look out for me, so let him do it. And as a courtesy to my friend Lady Hana, whom Madeleine has welcomed back into her court, he's pledged to look out for her as well.”

Bastien takes a step back, giving Drake a warning look, before bowing his head to Kate, “My apologies, Lady Kate. I’ll give Drake some space to fulfill his protective...duties. But I must insist he use more discretion, so his actions do not reflect badly upon the Royal Court.”

Drake’s scowl deepens and he opens his mouth to protest further, but Kate rests her hand on his arm and shakes her head, “Save it. We've already created enough of a scene.”

Breathing a deep sigh of resignation, Drake closes his eyes. “Fine, let's get to this Damn tea party. I can't wait for this stupid engagement tour to be over with.”

Drake, Hana and Kate wait for everyone else to go on ahead and then approach the banquet hall together. Kate is on Drake’s right, holding onto his hand, while Hana is on his left with her hand tucked into the crook of his elbow. It's slightly awkward until they find a walking pace that works for everyone, with Kate and Hana both giggling as they try to keep up to Drake’s long strides. “C’mon girls, keep up.” he chuckles quietly. 

At the door to the hall they're stopped by someone from the hotel staff with a clipboard. “Names please?”

Drake introduces his flanking angels, first raising Kate’s hand, “On my right, this is Lady Kate Darling. And on my left” he raises his elbow, “Lady Hana Lee.” 

The girl with the clipboard nods crossing off the names as she finds them. “Mmmhmm, and you are?”

“Drake Walker.”

Sliding her finger down the list she raises an eyebrow, slowly shaking her head, “I’m sorry I don't see your name, oh wait...here you are near the bottom.”

Trying to hide his impatience, Drake nods his thanks with a thin lipped smile, and then escorts his Ladies in the door. Hana immediately gasps as she takes in the grandeur of the specially decorated venue space. Kate can’t help but be impressed by the decor as well, especially for something touted as being just a tea party.

The ceiling and walls were dressed in pastel pink, white and purple silk and sheer drapery. Large crystal chandeliers lit the space and lent a jeweled sparkle effect to every gilded and shiny silver serving platter and tall glass vase of flowers, of which there were many. Off in one corner of the room upon a stage, a four piece string quartet played a gentle classical melody. Instead of a formal dining room setting filled with many tables, there were only a few round tables set with chairs and table cloths. Informal conversational sitting areas with comfortable sofas and chairs were grouped along the walls and corners of the space, a design that encouraged everyone to mingle and chat.  Down the center of the room long banquet tables were dressed in white brocade tablecloths and ladened heavily with all manner of delicate sweets, buttery croissants and pastry, cookies, tiny sandwiches, fruits, cheeses and of course hot tea stations serving various varieties. 

While Hana and Kate oohed and ahhed over the spectacle and grandeur, Drake’s eyes were drawn to the various groups of people. The men looked bored, the women cheerful and chatty. He lamented being in such a large group of nobles without a drop of alcohol in sight to calm his nerves. Several sets of eyes drifted their way, prompting close conversations in hushed tones. Although he was thankful for the cool air conditioning, Drake still felt the prickle of heat rising up out of the collar of his shirt. He knew that the longer he stood next to Kate, the more stares they were bound to receive. It was time to split up and mingle.

Leaning in close to Kate he lets go of her hand and says, “Off you go now, Beautiful. Turn heads and make waves like the swan you are amongst these pathetic pretentious...ducks.”

Kate gives him a warm smile at the compliment, “I’m assuming you’re going to make a beeline for the snack table and avoid as many conversations as possible.”

Drake nods with a chuckle, rubbing his chin, “That would be a Texas sized ten four pretty lady. The more food I can keep on my plate and in my mouth, the less talking I’ll be able to do.”

Hana giggles at their lighthearted banter and steers Kate toward a tea station. “See you later, Drake.”

...

Across the room, Madeleine & Liam are standing with the French Ambassador’s wife, Marie and sipping tea. Liam is only half listening to the conversation going on between Maddy and Marie, because he keeps stealing glances towards Kate. She’s over at the tea table with Hana, and smiling over something Hana's saying. His stomach erupts with butterflies and he can’t stop a warm feeling from blooming in his chest. Damn she can light up a whole room with that smile. She used to smile like that for me. How can she look so beautiful and happy without me?

When Hana and Kate take their tea cups over to a sofa to sit down, neither giving Liam a glance, he feels the butterflies turn to cold sludge in his gut. Madeleine had a firm grasp on his forearm and he felt trapped, tense and uncomfortable. He needed a reason to sneak away so he could at least go over to say 'hello'. When there was finally a lull in the conversation he saw his opening. 

After gulping down the rest of his hot tea, he forced a smile. "Well that was an excellent cup of tea, and now I have a craving for something sweet. I think there might be some baklava on the far table."

Madeleine nods, releasing her grip, "By all means Dear, I wouldn't want to deprive you of your favorite treat."

With a polite nod to the ambassador's wife he takes his leave, feeling the tension in his shoulders dissipate. The further away he gets from Madeleine the better he feels. By the time he meets Drake at the buffet table he's wearing a grin. He sizes up his friend's dressed up attire as he reaches for a plate. 

"You clean up nicely Drake, it looks good on you."

Drake takes the time to chew and swallow the bite of eclair he has in his mouth. "You think so? Maxwell helped me pick this out."

Liam loads up his plate with some chocolate petit fours, cream puffs, and a couple servings of baklava. "Oh definitely, I've even seen some of the women looking your way."

Drake picks up a delicate finger sandwich and puts it on his plate, and  then picks up another. "Yeah, right. They're not looking at me."

Liam glances over at Hana and Kate. He catches Hana's eye and she smiles back. "Seriously dude, I think Hana is checking you out."

Drake nods, "Well I did sit next to her in the Limo, and things got cozy."

Liam chuckles and smacks Drake on the shoulder, "Well there you go! She's a beautiful woman Drake, I think you'd make a wonderful couple."

Drake tries to swallow the lump forming in his throat, but decides to play along anyway and forces a grin. He nods toward the trays of party food, "Which of these do you think Hana would like? She'd probably be impressed if I brought her back something."

Liam looks over at Kate and Hana again, and this time both women are looking their way. "Uhh, probably something chocolate. Do you think Kate likes baklava?"

Drake frowns and then picks up a fruit tart, remembering how Kate had put extra jam on her croissant that morning. He shrugs, "I dunno, probably."

"Splendid! I'll offer her a piece of mine."

When Liam walks over to Kate, Drake realizes that Madeleine has been staring at them too, and has an angry scowl on her face. He gives her a wave, which just makes her roll her eyes and shake her head at him. He dismisses her with a shrug that shows how little he cares. Turning back toward where Kate and Hana are sitting, Drake sees Liam on the sofa next to Kate offering her something from his plate.

Kate steals a quick look at Drake as he comes over, and then turns her attention back to Liam. He can tell that she's pretending to consider what Liam's offering, but doesn't want anything off his plate. Drake smirks to himself, because he's already winning in the game of knowing Kate better than Liam.

Drake approaches Hana with a shy grin on his face, and gestures to the sliver of cushion left beside her, "Is this seat taken?"

Hana smiles back, shaking her head and squeezes in closer to Kate to give him room. Drake gingerly sits down, perching on the edge of the sofa. He presents his plate of goodies to Hana with a flourish, "Would the Lady be interested in something sweet to go with her tea? I highly recommend the chocolate eclairs."

Kate eyes the delicate fruit tart on Drake's plate, and the elegant cucumber sandwiches as well. Neither is Drake's style, and she knows it. But she also knows he would suffer a cucumber sandwich and a tailored white shirt just to spend time with her. Meanwhile, Liam had brought over a plate of his own favorite things.

Hana picks up a chocolate eclair with a smile, "How did you know that I loved these?"

Drake tilts his head down and gives her a warm smile, lowering his voice. "Because I know you love chocolate and marshmallows just like I do, and this was the closest thing."

Kate can't help but feel a pang of jealousy over how Drake is laying on the charm for Hana, while Liam is trying to do the same for her but she's not interested.

Liam clears his throat politely to regain her attention, "Tomorrow is our last day in Paris, and other than this brief moment, I've had very little chance to see you. There isn't anything scheduled on the itinerary until the Opera tomorrow evening. I'd be greatly honoured if you'd share my private box with me to watch the show."

Drake tenses upon hearing Liam's invitation, hoping Kate will turn him down. The thought of her spending hours alone with Liam in a darkened theater was making him lose his appetite. 

Kate can practically feel the animosity rolling off of Drake in waves, but she considers Liam's offer anyway. "Won't Madeleine be sharing it with you?"

Liam shakes his head, "She doesn't care for the Opera, plus she's spending time with her Mother tomorrow.  Besides that, she wants to personally oversee the arrangements for the next phase of the engagement tour."

Hana interrupts, breaking into an enthusiastic smile, "Oh, yes. I'm so excited to show everyone my home city when the tour goes to Shanghai."

Drake looks over at Kate, waiting for her to answer Liam's invitation. They lock eyes for a moment and then she looks away. 

"Of course I'll accept your invitation, Your Majesty. I'd be delighted to watch the Opera with you."

Liam places his hand over hers and squeezes it fondly, "Wonderful! I look forward to it."

Drake hands his plate of party food to Hana, "Here Hana, you take these and I'll go refresh your cup of tea. Black tea with just a lemon slice right?"

Hana nods, handing him her tea cup, "Thanks Drake, that's very kind of you."

Drake shrugs, mumbling to himself as he gets up to leave, "You're welcome, I...I need something to drink too."

…

Kiara is standing at the table pouring herself a cup of tea when Drake approaches. He pauses a moment and then steps in next to her. She gives him a little smile as she puts the teapot back down again. 

"Hello there, Drake. I never took you for a tea drinker."

Drake sighs, looking at the various china teapots on display, each pot has a little place card next to it that says what type of tea is inside. Unfortunately each card is written in French.

"I'm not, but Hana is. Which one of these is just regular black tea?"

Kiara points to the one on the far right. "It's so sweet of you to bring her a cup of tea. Are you getting one for Kate too?"

Drake dumps the old slice of lemon out of Hana's cup into the trash bin provided, and then uses the silver tongs to pick up a new slice to drop into her cup. He shakes his head and then reaches for the teapot to pour the tea, "She's being entertained by Liam at the moment."

Kiara raises her eyebrows in surprise, and then blows on her teacup to cool its contents before taking a sip. "Oh really? That must really sting,  especially after that ridiculous show of affection she showed you in the car. But the tabloid rumors going around say she'll hop into any man's bed anyway."

Drake's hand shakes as he puts the pot back down, rattling the lid so that it falls to the table. He reaches over and picks it up, wincing in pain as it burns his fingers when he places it back on the pot. He wipes his hand on the cool material of his pants, before blowing on his fingers. "Rumors are just lies to entertain the foolish and bored losers of society." 

Kiara shrugs, glancing over at Hana, Kate and Liam as they sit together talking. "I saw you over at the sweets table earlier, and it's not hard to tell that you like your food." 

Drake selects an empty cup from the tray nearby and blindly chooses one of the teapots and pours himself some tea. The tea is pinkish red, and Drake sighs with disappointment upon having chosen a herbal variety. "Uh huh, so?"

"Do you have any recommendations?"

Drake picks up his cup of tea and gives it a sniff. It smells faintly like apples and cinnamon so he decides to chance it. Yeah, I recommend that you fuck off and leave me alone. 

Over Kiara's shoulder, Drake can see Kate making her way over. 

"The eclairs are okay. The croquembouches and palmiers look more promising, but I haven't tried them yet."

Kiara raises her tea cup and nods, impressed, "Mon dieu, Drake. I didn't know you were so familiar with French pastries."

Drake sips at his herbal tea, shrugging as Kate steps up beside him. "Eh, I figure I've been to enough of these parties that I can at least know which food is which."

Kate looks between Kiara and Drake with a grin, "Don't you two look friendly, am I interrupting? Cuz I'd like to steal Drake away if I can."

Kiara nods, giving them a knowing grin. "Of course. I was just going to sample the pastries that Drake has so kindly recommended to me. I'll leave you two alone."

When Kiara leaves, Drake chuckles at the frown creasing Kate's brow as she glares at her. "Did your Mom ever warn you about what sour looks can do to your face?"

Kate turns back to Drake, still wearing her frown, "Huh? What was that?"

"Nevermind. You look so cute when you're jealous."

Shaking her head, Kate smacks him on the arm. "Hey!  Don't make me spill my tea," he protests.

Kate turns toward the teapots to get a fresh cup of tea. "What kind are you drinking?"

"Dunno, something fruity and herbal."

Raising her eyebrows, Kate giggles. "Don't forget to hold out your pinky when you sip your tea, Princess Drake."

"Hah, ha. So funny. I just chose a random pot and poured."

"Whose tea is that one?" Kate points to the black tea with a lemon slice floating in it.

Drake winces, "Ah shit, that was supposed to be for Hana. Kiara distracted me with her small talk about pastries."

"Uh huh," Kate nods, her chin tilted up and giving Drake a suspicious look.

Drake refreshes his cup with some more hot herbal tea, "Put those silly eye daggers away. You know that you're the only girl for me, Kate."

Kate pours Hana a new hot tea with lemon, and then picks up her own cup. "Ok, fine. Let's go back over and sit down."

Drake is relieved to see that Liam has moved on to chatting with someone else. Hana sits demurely in the middle of the sofa, rearranging the remaining tea party treats onto one plate with her delicate fingers. When Drake and Kate return she smiles when Kate hands her a fresh cup of tea. 

"I saved the fruit tart for you Kate, although it was definitely tempting."

Drake settles down next to Hana again, turning sideways so that he can talk to both women more easily. He stretches his arm across the back of the sofa and tries to relax, wishing he could be sitting next to Kate but resigns himself to just admiring her from a distance. When she picks up the tart, he tries to hide behind his tea cup and take a sip so he can watch. She bites into the tart and then licks her lips, causing him to gasp involuntarily and almost choke on his tea. He coughs and looks away, closing his eyes and trying not to listen to her moans of pleasure. Pretending to only be Kate's friend in public was like torture. 

When he looks at her again she smiles and gives him a wink. Sucking in a deep breath he looks around the room for a distraction to build a conversation around, fighting to keep his arousal in check. Hana speaks up after finishing one of the chocolate treats from their shared plate, and Drake breathes a sigh of relief.

"With all of the high profile people here today you'd think there would be more visible security."

Kate sips at her tea to wash down the sweet tart, "There could be security guards in disguise. Drake, you've been to more of these parties than either of us. Is there anyone here that you neither recognize as a noble or as a foreign dignitary?"

Drake looks around the room, recognizing everyone from Liam's Cordonian court and their personal security. "The usual security people are here, but I don't know who looks after the French diplomats. The only guard I see as conspicuously absent is Bastien."

"Speaking of Bastien, what was with him today? Surely he didn't see you as a security risk," Hana asks, as she looks at the people around the room more closely.

"He's a servant of the crown so he does what he's told. Protocol is everything to him. Although I figured he'd trust me with you two."

"Unless someone told him not to."

Drake looks from Hana to Kate, "Do you think there's still some conspiracy at play here?"

Kate shrugs,"Well we still don't know who told him to use Penelope to screw Tariq and I over at Applewood."

Hana bites into the piece of baklava that Liam left behind on the plate and looks over to where he's sitting with Madeleine and Regina. "Now that Liam is King, Bastien works for him. But back then he would have been working for Regina and Constantine."

Drake grabs a raspberry mini cake off of the plate, which makes Kate smirk at him with amusement, "What?"

"Oh, nothing. I just think it's cute to see you eating dainty little cakes and sipping tea."

Drake pops the whole cake into his mouth in one bite, "Delicious," he mumbles. Kate giggles at him.

Hana is still watching Liam on the far side of the room and goes back to the subject of Bastien, "So if Bastien works for the King, and Liam has chosen Madeleine to be his queen, then why would Bastien be still so concerned about who Kate is seen with in Public?"

Drake hazards a glance in Liam's direction, and his suspicions are confirmed when the King looks away.

"Because Liam's still wanting Kate to be his Queen."

"But he and Madeleine are on a very public engagement tour, so why would he risk being seen with Kate while her name is generating such negative press?" Hana blushes and then glances at Kate, "..sorry, Kate. I meant no offense. I know the press has it all wrong."

Kate waves off her apology and pats her on the hand, "Don't worry, Hana. I know what you mean. Despite being engaged, Liam is still holding onto the idea that he can have a Queen and his not so secret mistress too. Why else would he invite me to watch the Opera with him?"

Drake downs the last of his tea, and then sets his cup down on the saucer with a little more force than necessary. The fine china makes a loud cracking sound and a chip breaks off the bottom of the cup. Next to him, Hana jumps with fright, ejecting the rest of their party food off of her lap and onto the floor.

"Why else, indeed. Did you have to be so delighted to accept his invitation?"

Kate rolls her eyes, "Relax, Drake. I won't let him touch me. Besides I need to talk to him about us."

Drake grumbles, "I bet that's going to go over well."

Hana looks down at their ruined party snacks on the floor, "Uh, I'll just leave you two alone to talk this out while I go fetch us some new treats."

Drake hands Hana his chipped tea cup as well, "I'm finished with this."

Hana smiles weakly at Drake and then leaves. Drake watches her go, and catches Liam's eye again. He seems rather interested in what's going on with the three of them. Drake shuffles the spilled food under the sofa with his foot and then turns back to Kate.

Drake shifts over closer, lowering his voice, "I'm sorry for the outburst. I know Liam's been my best friend for years, but right now I don't trust him."

Kate chews at her bottom lip nervously, knowing that they're being watched by so many people. She wanted so badly to be able to sit beside him in public and among the royal court and not have everyone whisper like it was some sort of scandal. "From the way he keeps looking at us, I don't think he trusts you either."

:::

tagging: @jovialyouthmusic @sirbeepsalot @emceesynonymroll @emichelle @mskaneko @speedyoperarascalparty @dcbbw @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria @drakexwillow @kingliam2019 @kimmiedoo5 @gardeningourmet @drakesensworld @mfackenthal @thequeenchoices @debramcg1106 @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @wickedgypsymoon @griselda1121 @indiacater @texaskitten30 @nikkis1983 @lynne1993 @bobasheebaby @drakesfiance @fluffyfirewhiskey @moonlightgem7 @princessleac1 @janezillow @jlpplays1 @walker7519 @drakesensworld @furiousherringoperatortoad @samihatuli @rainbowsinthestorm @burnsoslow @bbrandy2002 @jessiembruno @msjpuddleduck @princess-andromeda-nazario @princess-geek @mom2000aggie @batgirlassociationofgothamcity @masterofbluff @sarahx206 @hollygirl1269

[twinkleallnight]

Marshmallow

(Part-9) Bewitched

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam x MC, Drake x ??

For previous chapters: catch up here

A/N: This fic is my submission for this week’s @wackydrabbles prompt. The prompt is: “Okay, wow, you just dumped a lot of information on my lap and gave me no time to process it.” and will appear in bold.

A/N 2: Thank u @lizzybeth1986 Lizzy, your essays are amazing. Thank u for the quick brainstorming.

Tags: @ao719 @aloneautumn @charlotteg234 @choiceskatie @cordonia-gothqueen @cordonianroyalty @daisydancer12385 @drakewalker04 @gardeningourmet @gkittylove99 @glaimtruelovealways @hopefulmoonobject @hopelessromanticmonie @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @idontknowwhysblog-blog @islandcrow @jovialyouthmusic @jaxsmutsuo @kingliam2019 @lovablegranny @mrswalkers-blog @mom2000aggie @no-one-u-know @ntoraplayschoices @ritachacha @speedyoperarascalparty @shanzay44 @texaskitten30 @queenrileyrose @sanchita012 @theroyalheirshadowhunter @wackydrabbles @yourmajesty09-blog @xpandabeardontcarex

I stay back on the yacht, while Riley joins Max and Bertrand for the official speech and the opening ceremony of the Regatta- the ceremonial boat race.

I enjoy my time gearing up, listening to the music with my earphones on.

Riley climbs the yacht after about an hour with Max and Bertrand.

Bertrand seems to be in worse mood, and acknowledges my presence only with a nod before he starts handling the ropes.

“Did you hear that?” Riley has an astonished look.

“What?” I ask curiously.

“The king just now announced he is stepping down at the end of social season.”

“What?!” A whirlwind of thoughts flood my mind suddenly. All topped up with the thought of what Liam must be going through right now. He is being burdened with one responsibility after another since past year and this is a heavy one.

“Earth to Walker! Earth to Walker!” Riley’s funny robotic sound brings me back to present.

“Yes, Brooks.” I try to smile at her. “I am pretty much here. Let’s get ready for the show-off race.” Bertrand raises his eyebrow at me. I know he doesn’t like a word against the royal events but he is stuck with me right now.

The race starts with the king pulling the trigger of the starting pistol. The suitors stand on their yachts, while the crew struggles hard to make them win the short race.

Obviously with no trained crew we lose the race and Penelope from Portavira wins, having an upper hand with sea activities. Bertrand is upset again and disappears from the scene soon after the race.

The suitors and other nobles join Livy's yacht party to enjoy rest of the festivities. Official races are to begin soon. I excuse myself, to meet Liam at his booth at the harbour.

“Hey, you ok?” I ask him with concern. The announcement must have been hard.”

“Hmm… I don’t know. It is a lot to take in.”

“He did not tell you about this, earlier?”

“I had no clue. The news is as fresh to me as it is to you.”

“This will bring lot of change. Are you ready for it?”

“I don’t see that I have an option. I think I will speak to father after this day’s event.”

“I will be around. We can meet in the study after you talk to him.” I try to reassure him.

“That sounds good. I may need it.”

I pat lightly on his back and we both turn to face the sea. I see Livy's yacht is lively with the ongoing party. Some movement on another boat catches my eye. It’s Hana's yacht with just Hana and Riley standing there. I smile and look at Liam. His eyes are following the same.

“Your girl has a knack of walking against the wind.” I tease him.

“She is a fighter. You know, the media and press are very much impressed with her. I see a bright chance for her to claim this social season.” Liam speaks with lot of affection.

“That’s great! So, you may get to marry a girl you love and not just have a political alliance to call it a marriage!”

“Well it’s a very complicated situation. Being a crown prince, I can’t just express my love openly to anyone. But yes, I may have a chance, after all!” He says flashing a grin.

“But why are these two not with the rest?”

“Hana’s parents are quite pushing. They forced her to throw her own party. Since Livy is a local person, people know her better and so, they accepted her invite and not Hana's. I guess, Riley couldn’t let Hana be alone. So, there they are, just the two of them.”

“How is Hana related to Cordonia?” She is a mystery to me.

“Her mother, Lorelai belongs to a minor noble family of Cordonia and is married into a noble family from China.”

Just then the sound of a trumpet distracts us. The official race begins and we get busy with it.

The event is followed by a private beach party for the suitors where they get to interact with the prince. I leave Liam with Penelope, and join Max, Hana and Riley for the buffet.

After our food we relax down, I get ready for a swim. “ I am dipping in. Girls, are you coming?”

Riley tries to coax Max one last time to join us, “Max you sure don’t want to come with us?”

“Let him rest Riley, let’s go. Bye hippo!” I twit over his hidden tatoo and he glares back at me.

As we stride to the water Riley questions, “ Why did you call him hippo?”

I knew that would come up. Now I try to cover up. “ He was a chubby child and his mother used to call him that lovingly.” Though this was true too.

“That’s so cute.” Hana replies. “May be if I had a brother my mother would have called him panda!”

“Why panda?” I question.

“They have been managing a panda reserve since the time I remember. So, may be….” Her voice trailed into a sudden silence as her mind reeled into some thoughts.

Before I can react, I am hit with a splash of water by Riley. Soon, we three are swashing and plashing. Riley and I do our favourite thing together – The race! It’s swimming race this time.

After about an hours play we get back on the beach. Max whisks away Riley to meet others, while I relax down for a nice sunbath.

Hana settles down close by. I don’t know why I am so curious to know about her. May be because I know the rest suitors, who r all from Cordonia, I give myself a reasoning.

“So, Pandas huh?” I try to continue our conversation that was left.

“Xióng - māo”

“What mao?”

“Panda…in Chinese.”

“Chinese, hmmm, you are missing home?”

“A tiny little bit!” She gestures with her forefinger almost touching the thumb.

“How different it is to be here in Cordonia all alone away from your family?

“ I miss them but it’s good. I am getting a chance to experiment and explore. I have never done anything without their permission or out of the rule book.”

“Seems you hardly had fun as a child.”

“I have heard few of your stories from Liam and I can definitely say my childhood was unlike any of those fun moments you had. I never had anyone to play with.”

“How did you play alone then?”

“I was not allowed toys except for a tea set as that would train me to be a proper hostess. So, I had my own imaginary games with imaginary friends. Prince Snickerdoodles and Miss Lemon curd, Miss Napkin and Mr sock.” She sounds a bit embarrassed, her eyes down on the circles she is making in the sand with her slender fingers.

“That is some great fictional work there.” She raises her eyelids in surprised look at me. “Tell me more.” I encourage her.

“My childhood was more about grooming me to be part of the court someday. To be perfect at every skill that will help me win my love one day.” I raise my brow puzzled. “It sounds crazy, I know.” She continues, “ My younger years were full of all skill lessons like horse riding, ice skating, dance, music, culinary, you name it.”

It leaves me shocked to imagine a child being put through so much. I don’t know how to react. She is looking at me for some response. “Okay, wow, you just dumped a lot of information on my lap and gave me no time to process it.” I manage to say something sensible.

She gives me a weak smile “So, there was no running around the palace like you all did.”

“So, you never played tag?”

“Never.” She says with a frown.

An idea comes to my mind, and I jump up suddenly. “Get up.”

“What?”

“Get up!” I insist giving her a hand and pull her up. “It is never too late to have some fun.” I make some distance and get ready to run “Now, catch me. You are it!” while she processes what just happened.

She gives out a sweet laughter, and starts running after me, over the soft sand. As I take a lead, I hear her giggle.

There are few tall rocks ahead and I circle them and hide behind one of them. When she comes searching for me, I pounce and scare her. She lets out a scream and I catch her and pull her into me before she loses balance. We both are soon laughing and rolling on the sand.

We relax there catching our breath, both quiet, gazing up into the open sky. It’s a moment of bliss and we lose the count of time until there is a shuffling sound and then…

“No, you can’t come here.” Livy's sharp voice comes from behind us. We turn to see that it is coming from behind the rock, where we are lying, hidden away from her view.

“I know. I am missing you too.” It seems she is talking over phone. “I will call you as soon as I get back.”

I turn to Hana and open my mouth to speak. But she covers my lips with her small hand and gestures to keep silent.

“I love you more. Bye.” Livy finishes her call. Hana’s doe shaped eyes go wide and are transfixed on me.

I keep looking back into those honey almond eyes, Bewildered or Bewitched?

[charliejrogers]

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) - Review & Analysis

Here’s a non-controversial statement: 2017’s Wonder Woman is a legitimately great film (if you discount the last act’s boring battle). A fun, yet emotional anti-war tale with a great period aesthetic. What elevated it from greatness was its starkly bleak reveal that Ares does not start man’s wars, but he merely gives humans ideas for how to instigate them. Ultimately, it is Man who holds responsibility for our own destruction, and despite this Wonder Woman still chooses to help us poor creatures. Cool themes, cool hero, cool movie.

Wonder Woman 1984 shares the main character from its 2017 forerunner, as well as its dedication to recreating a particular period aesthetic (here the 1980s), but the brilliant writing from the first film is gone. The main themes are essentially… “be careful what you wish for” and “winners never cheat; cheaters never win.” Not the most grand and interesting follow-up to the prior film’s genuine insight into human nature.

But that’s OK. I’m really not sure why this movie is getting so much flak online. If DC’s recent prior history with filmmaking should have taught us anything, it’s that 2017’s Wonder Woman was a fluke. Remember that this is the same studio that brought us the outstanding climax to Batman vs. Superman where one grown man learns that another grown man’s mother is also named Martha. Oh, and did we all just forget that Justice League is one of the worst movies we have all collectively ever seen?

So let’s not be too hard on WW84 for not meeting the quality of 2017’s Wonder Woman. Few comic book movies can. In the more fair comparison to other movies in the DCEU, it sits below Shazam! and Aquaman, and just a smidge below Birds of Prey, but certainly above Suicide Squad, and then literally leaps and bounds over every other movie they’ve made.

Let’s start with the good. Honestly, despite my gripes about the themes of the movie not being very profound, I found the story to be interesting. The movie centers around Diana Prince (Gal Gadot in her role as an archaeologist for the Smithsonian and not as Wonder Woman) stumbling upon an ancient stone whose inscription invites people who hold the stone to make a wish. No one takes it really seriously at first, so two people make wishes without thinking they could come true. The first person is Diana herself who wishes to bring her boyfriend (whom she only knew for about a week, mind you) from the dead. As a reminder from the first film, her boyfriend Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) had died nearly 70 years prior to the start of this film in a dramatic, sacrificial, world-saving act. Apparently, Diana hasn’t moved on at all from the 1910s and still considers her short-time lover to be her forever lover. She’s not really a human and did not grow up a human, so I think we can forgive her for not moving on… but it is weird to imagine that Diana somehow works at the Smithsonian (without going to college? Or did she?) without developing any friends or interest in life. Wouldn’t she have moved on... like a little bit?

Anyways, she wants her boyfriend back, and that’s wish #1. Wish #2 comes from new character Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig… who I am shocked to find is 47 years old! She looks fantastic and far younger in this film). Were Barbara a man, the way she is treated by her colleagues would put them in the stereotypical role of a future school shooter. Barbara is a brilliant gemologist for the Smithsonian, but goes completely unrecognized for her brilliance. She is shy and unconfident, and subsequently people frequently forget that they have even met her. Add on to that the fact that she has to work in the same office as Wonder Woman, and her loneliness and subjective feelings of unattractiveness increase as male employees drool over Diana while they ignore and mock Barbara. Therefore, we would forgive her for having a chip on her shoulder. Yet, for all this, Wiig avoids playing her as an angry, emo goth. Barbara kinda has this air about her of “Well, this is just how life is, and there’s nothing I can do to change that.” Given the character’s lack of self-confidence and lack of social grace, it at times seemed like Wiig was just reprising her old SNL character, Penelope, the socially awkward one-upper. But that’s not fair to her character. Wiig portrays Barbara with an earnest goodness to her. She’s one of those people who when allowed to talk one-on-one proves to be more eloquent and interesting than you could have imagine. Far from being angrily envious of Diana’s confidence and beauty, she’s more sadly jealous. Naturally, then, she wishes on the stone to be more like Diana… unaware that this wish might have some unintended benefits.

But then, there’s a third key character to the film (and a third wishmaker), the main villain Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal). I cannot tell you if this was a good character or not… and I cannot tell you whether the imperfections of the character are more due to the film’s writing or Pascal’s performance. Lord is another loser, and like Barbara, his “loser” status is the result of being a victim of America’s prejudicial attitudes. But whereas Barbara fell victim to sexism, Lord falls victim to racism. Hispanic in origin, Lord grew up in America with an abusive father at home and racist classmates at school. Beaten down from an early age, all he wants in life is to make a name for himself, to prove he’s not a loser. In a clever twist, Lord (the person who originally ordered the wish stone to come to America before it was confiscated by the FBI and sent to the Smithsonian for analysis) does not simply use the stone to wish for riches and power… he wishes to BECOME the stone. That way, he can get nearly infinite wishes so long as he can con the people around him to wish things for him.

The scenes of Max Lord as a flawed human who just wants to not be a loser show Pascal giving a great performance as a human being at the ends of desperation. The scenes of Max Lord the supervillain are… not good. In a long string of over-the-top, eccentric, hyperconfident supervillains in countless superhero movies, Pascal’s Lord is just not interesting. In fact, he is literally a weak character. He cannot fight for himself as his body is crumbling (a side effect of wishing to become a stone). Furthermore, his initially grounded motivations to finally be respected and successful seem to be just utterly lost by the end of the film when he just wishes for world chaos… only then to turn around and declare undying love for his son. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Failure to understand a character’s motivations casts a shadow over Barbara’s character arc as well. It is explained that the wish stone takes something in return for granting someone their wish. So as payment for bringing Steve Trevor back to life, Diana loses some of her strength. Still… this strains to fully explain why Barbara, after gaining Wonder Woman-like strength, turns into a walking humanoid cheetah (complete with bad CGI like she walked straight out of the cast of 2019’s Cats.) Like I get that she lost some of her humanity and morality in exchange for strength… but Cheetah girl seems like a little much. And though initially it is fun to see Wiig get to play Barbara as a confident and sexy woman who fights back against the patriarchy, the movie (I think) unfairly pushes her into the villain role. In my opinion, she should be treated as a tragic character, something akin to a Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, as her villainous tendencies are not really her fault. She literally had the part of her that cares about other humans taken away from her when she naively and innocently wished to be like Diana. Instead, the movie has Diana lecture her that she shouldn’t be so evil. She literally can’t, lady! Stop being so hard on her! In any case, it seems like a failed opportunity to generate sympathy for a genuinely likable character who tragically becomes a villain not through her own accord.

That failure to create genuine emotions extends to Diana’s story as well. As soon as Steve is resurrected, you know by the movie’s end he will be dead again. There’s no other way this movie ends. Yet, the fact that Diana is so stubborn in refusing to give up Steve makes it hard to sympathize with her. She is simply being selfish, making her eventual decision to say goodbye to Steve feel more like her finally doing the right (and obvious) thing, and not some heartbreaking decision. Also the fact that seemingly Diana hasn’t even tried to move on in the last seventy years doesn’t help matters for me: it more just feels like a lazy way to write in Chris Pine’s popular character into the second movie. The move certainly weakens the idea of Diana as a strong, independent woman by making her emotionally stunted and crippled for the last 70 years. It would have been a much more satisfying (and daring) choice if Diana had moved on from Steve emotionally and had to deal with the guilt of having brought him back by accident, particularly if he didn’t want to go back to being dead. Instead... Steve knows he has to go back and Diana feels no guilt keeping him around. It’s weak character writing.

These poor choices I contrast with two of my favorite TV shows that demonstrate perfectly how former lovers who miraculously reunite eventually have to say goodbye for good: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Jane the Virgin. For risk of spoilers to those still watching Jane, I’ll stick to the Buffy example. There’s an episode of Buffy (though technically an episode of the spin-off show Angel) where Buffy and her vampire lover Angel are fresh off their recent and tumultuous break-up, but through some dark magic that neither seeks out, they are given the opportunity to live a life where Angel isn’t actually a vampire and their love can be fully expressed. Yet, in the end, Angel opts to give up his life as a human and return to being a vampire. The choice is so moving precisely because (due to circumstances I cannot begin to explain) in choosing to give up his life with Buffy, he saves her life as well. Whereas in this movie, Diana choosing to let Steve go is really just her choosing to undo her choice to essentially cheat death. Angel, however, is actively choosing to give up a life of happiness he never wished for but was just given on a silver platter, and will now live in a world where his lover will never know his selfless act and will go on hating him. It’s heartbreaking in a way Wonder Woman dreams it could be.

And not to get too Buffy-heavy… but that show also deals with the emotional consequences of being ripped out of the afterlife much better than this movie. Steve just kinda unrealistically adapts to being alive again in all of five minutes. If, perhaps, from the start he questioned why he was there and hinted to Diana that something was wrong, the emotional aspect of this story, the doomed nature, the feeling of “this is the last chance we’ll have together” could have made this a stronger movie. I wanted to find myself crying when Diana finally says bye to Steve, and I was no where close to that. Gal Gadot shares at least part of the blame. She’s a pretty wooden actress. It’s something I noticed in 2017’s Wonder Woman, but in that movie she was supposed to be a fish out of water so her stilted presence seemed appropriate. Here, where she’s supposedly become an assimilated American for 70 years… it is just bad acting.

Anyways, another aspect of this film that was lacking were the visuals. The bad CGI of Barbara as Cheetah is just scratching the surface here. The opening flashback to Diana as a girl performing in the Amazonian Olympics just… looks fake. I don’t know. The reliance on CGI over practical effects is clear and distracting. It’s only worse in the subsequent scene where Wonder Woman stops a theft from occurring in a mall. The effects are just bad. Like passable for a film in the 1990s or early 2000s. But for a 2020 blockbuster, it’s noticeably bad. And already the scene where Wonder Woman is running towards the camera with a weird green screen behind her seems to have become a meme given just how weird it looks.

And yet, for all the negatives I’ve listed, this is a decent action flick. There’s even some nice set pieces like the one in the White House. As little as I liked Max Lord as a supervillain, I found figuring out the other half of each of his various Monkey Paw wishes (i.e. the downside of each wish) to be clever. unfortunately, each of the main three characters fails to have a story line that takes full advantage of their emotional potential, or they are just poorly acted. With few exceptions, the film eschews “fun” in favor of “seriousness.” Really the only exception is, as in the first film, the chemistry between Pine and Gadot. Their chemistry makes for some of the movie’s best moments, like when Wonder Woman makes the plane they’re flying in invisible and the pair flies over fireworks on the fourth of July. But that sense of whimsy in their scenes is largely absent from the rest of the film. This is particularly true of the action sequences, especially those at the climax. The seriousness makes them rather boring. Really, I’m comparing these action scenes with the last half hour or so of Birds of Prey which really set the bar for superhero movie fight choreography. So in the end, it’s overall an OK movie. It certainly isn’t as bad as others make it out to be, but I cannot believe I’m saying this… in 2020 if you’re in the mood for a fun superhero movie, you’re better off with the Suicide Squad sequel than the Wonder Woman sequel.

**/ (Two and a half stars out of 4)

[axwalker]

The Trade 12

Synopsis:  Liam is running for Cordonia’s presidency. To assure his victory, Constantine makes an arraignment behind his back for him to marry the rich ambassador’s daughter: Alexis O’Brien. Due to her father’s threats, she has no other option than to seduce Liam Rhys. But what happens when she falls in love with his best friend? (AU)

Pairings: DrakexMC

Warnings: I love drama and chaos so this will probably get a bit dark. In this chapter there is mention of rape, if you get triggered by this issue, don’t hesitate to send me a message and I’ll be glad to explain what happens without reading it. A lot of angst and heartbreak

Please note that this is my first series and English is not my first language. I really love ALL kinds of feedback.  Don’t hesitate to comment!

Disclaimer: Some of the dialogues and settings as well as most of the characters belong to Pixelberry (except for Alexis O’Brien and her evil father George O’Brien JR).

To catch up: Masterlist

Thanks to @pedudley​  my awesome beta reader, your comments and encouragement mean so much.  And of course, to @mskaneko​ for this beautiful mood board, and all the other great edits and mood boards 💕💕  Love you girls!!

Kiara being Kiara speaks a bit of French in this episode the translations are at the end of the chapter.

WE’RE ALMOST AT THE END!!

@burnsoslow  @mskaneko​ @drxkewalker @pedudley @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @pug-bitch @lauzales @desireepow-1986 @yukinagato2012 @kingliam2019 @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @debramcg1106 @speedyoperarascalparty @drakewalker04 @ac27dj @ravenpuff02 @msjr0119 @texaskitten30​ @loveellamae​

Liam was sitting in the living room, with a scotch in his hand when Maxwell and Alexis arrived.

“Alexis, thank god you are alright. I was worr-“ he stopped himself noticing that she had been crying. “Love, I’m sorry I made you cry. Please, believe it wasn’t my intention.”

He took a step towards her, but she raised her hand, stopping him, she felt emotionally drained. “That’s not the reason I’m crying.” She stared at him “However, I do want you to think very thoroughly about the kind of wife you want because I won’t limit myself to bear your children and smile prettily at your meetings. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m very tired, we’ll talk tomorrow. Good night, Max.” she gave Maxwell a kiss on his cheek and waved at his fiancé “Good night, Liam”

Liam was about to follow her, but Maxwell grabbed his arm. Alexis had told him everything about Abigail on the ride back and he knew she needed time alone.

“Li! Can I give you some unsolicited advice?” The blond man looked at him expectantly. “Give her some space. Let her breathe, man. You’ll talk tomorrow “

Liam nodded and left the room to go bed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drake was twelve years old when he arrived at the Rhys mansion to live with Constantine and his family. Bastien had convinced the President to take the Walker children after their father had died to protect him. The president had accepted to take them in and give them the best possible education, not only as a proof of his gratitude but as a magnificent publicity stunt, he knew the voters would love it.

Drake was reluctant to go with them. Regina and Constantine were both extremely cold parents and he knew her mother had never liked either of them. What if they were horrible to him, or worst, to his baby sister?

He was so nervous that not even the thrill of living with his best friend was enough to calm him. Bastien showed them their respective rooms, both twice as big as their old ones at the old Walker cabin. Savannah was even more scared than him, her heart was beating furiously, and she was clutching her teddy bear so hard that her knuckles went white.

“It’s ok Sav, we’ll be fine here, you know Li and Leo are cool” He tried to sound as mature as he could.

Savannah couldn’t stop her tears any longer. “You always tease me when you’re with them.”

He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it “We won’t anymore, Sav. I promise”

“I second that,” Liam poked his head into Savannah’s room. “We won’t tease you anymore Savvie. But the two of you can help us get back at Leo. Olivia and I are thinking how to prank him after he hid stinky bombs under our chairs on Livvie’s birthday. When we sat down, they exploded, and the room was reeking. Olivia was so furious she persecuted him with the knife for her cake and my dad punished us for a month” He seemed really amused by the memory.

Savannah smiled shyly behind her bear. “He really did that?”

“Yes, he also took some red coloring from the kitchen and put it on Olivia’s toothpaste, she spent the whole day with red teeth. Well, that one backfired, she was delighted when everyone thought she had been on a fight” Liam grinned at them. After losing his own mother three years before, he understood how anxious they were feeling, and he wanted them to feel welcome.

Drake smiled seeing his sister was calmer and shot a grateful look at Liam. He put his arm around Savannah’s shoulders and winked at his best friend “We will definitely think of something”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drake had waited a more than an hour before leaving the beach so he wouldn’t arrive at Theron’s mansion at the same time as Max and Alexis. When he finally started driving his mind drifted to the day after his mother had left. He took a deep breath remembering how sad and scared him and Sav had been and how much Liam had wanted to comfort them. All that pain because his mother had decided to abandon her own children without looking back. It astonished him that Alexis had thought that the two situations were remotely similar. She had been strong and generous, where her mother had been flaky and weak. Alexis would do anything to keep her daughter safe, his mother couldn’t care less about them.

Drake sighed thinking of her, of the roller coaster of emotions she had put him through. And now that he had finally understood the reasons behind the way she was acting, his only wish was to kill George O’Brien with his bare hands. That asshole had not only failed in protecting Alexis, but he had had the nerve of making her feel guilty and worthless. He had abandoned her when she had needed him the most and then he had forced her to give up her own daughter. His blood boiled thinking of Alexis, young, terrified and alone, and of her pain so raw, so deep despite the years. He remembered her soft voice telling him that she had never felt safe before him. That son of a bitch had to pay.

He dialed Kiara’s phone.

“Drake?”

“Hi, Kiara. I just wanted to know if Ambassador O’Brien is staying at your estate tonight with the rest of us.”

“Uhm, yes. I think my staff gave him the blue room, you know?” Kiara lowered her voice. “The one where you and I almost…”

Drake sighed, they had almost slept together ten years ago during a Beaumont Bash and she wouldn’t let it go.  “Yes, I know. Thanks Kiara”

“Wait, Drake, I think he’s-“

Drake stopped the call and speeded up, he wasn’t thinking clearly, the only thing in his mind was to teach that monster a lesson.

When he arrived at the house, he jumped out of his car and entered the mansion furiously. In less than a second he was in the room Kiara had mentioned. He slammed the doors open only to find her, sitting in the bed.

“Coucou! (1) You got me all curious, Drake. You hung up the phone so fast, I couldn’t tell you that George is out of the country. He had some business to do in France” She stood up and walked towards Drake, putting her arms around his neck. “Why are you looking for him?”

He grabbed her arms and put them away. “Something for the campaign, forget about it.”

“S’il te plaît mon chéri. Tu as l’air très énervé ! (2) It has to be something more than a simple professional matter”

“I don’t speak fucking French Kiara and is not of your business. Good night.” Drake left the room as angrily as he had entered it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakim Theron was satisfied that the campaign had finally reached Castelraillan. It would be much easier to carry out his plans without worrying about missing crucial information.

Penelope had proved effective, but she didn’t have the brains or the wit to take matters into her hands. Plus she had to keep an eye on him, his secret weapon, the one who would definitely destroy Liam’s presidential dreams.

Hakim hoped that the boy didn’t take his betrayal personally, it wasn’t something he had against him or even Constantine, as much as he disliked the old man. It was what was best for Cordonia. Liam wanted to change too many things too fast and that could be dangerous for his country’s stability. It would be better for everyone, if things could go back to the way they were.

He smiled seeing Alexis and Tariq’s pictures, it was ironic that Constantine had brought to his son’s campaign the woman that was going to, unknowingly, destroy it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alexis got into the car that was going to take her to the rally at Castelraillan and decided to check the final details of her last speech on the ride. She sighed thinking about how much she wanted to keep on working with Liam. Ironically, he had fired her because of Drake but Drake wasn’t the reason she wanted to be part of the campaign. The reason was Liam. His passion, his ideas, and his determination to change his country inspired her and made her admire him.

“Can I come in?” She turned her head to the car’s door and saw Liam with a couple of coffees and some pastries in a box.

“My father is waiting for me in the other car, but I much rather share these cronuts with you.” He smiled charmingly.

She couldn’t suppress a smile. “Well, if you bought too many cronuts, I could always help you with that.”

He entered the car and sat next to her, opening the box. “Take one.” He handed her one of the coffees. “And here’s a latte too”

She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she drank her coffee black, no sugar. Like Drake.

“Thank you, Li.”

He leaned to give her a soft kiss stroking her cheek with his hand. “I’m sorry about your role in the campaign, Alexis, but I really think it is for the best. I know you think that it’s about Drake, but it’s not.”

She shook her head rolling her eyes.

“Well, not only,” he conceded. “If I win you are going to be the First Lady of this country. You should be focusing on preparing for that, my love.” He kissed her knuckles. “You will have a lot of charities and philanthropic work, and of course you should be planning our engagement party and our wedding. I wouldn’t expect nor want that you limit yourself to smile prettily. I need a partner, someone I can trust next to me. But being my wife won’t be easy.”

Alexis nodded, finally acknowledging what her life would be from that moment on. Fancy and uncomfortable dresses, high painful heels, endless galas, and boring meetings for the hundreds of charities she would preside but would have no real involvement in.

Alexis was going to have to accept the fact that she wasn’t her own person anymore. Her dreams of hiking and camping in the forest, traveling around the world or writing a children’s novel one day weren’t a possibility any longer. Becoming First Lady would bring a whole set of responsibilities and she would have to live with that.

However, the worst part would be learning how to live with an eternal broken heart. She focused on the view behind the window. “I know, Liam. I’ll ask Max for help to plan the party and the wedding.”

“Perfect darling. And you can also count on Regina” The limousine parked “Here we are.”

When they got out of the car, dozens of paparazzi were waiting for them. Liam put his arms around her protectively and they quickly reached the temporary campaign’s quarters that had been set for the rally.

Drake felt her presence before she walked in. She was beautiful in a simple red dress and light makeup, but her facial expression was gloomy, highly contrasting with Liam’s joyful one. After a few seconds, she saw him and her face softened immediately. They locked eyes with each other only for a moment but they both felt the electricity passing across the room and turned around grinning. She took her computer and went to work on the other side of the room.

“Drake, can you bring me the results of the last polls in Castelraillan?” Liam was with Olivia checking some numbers before his speech and had missed their exchange.

“Of course, here they are. They show how your numbers have increased since Hakim declared his support.” He handed him a USB and added trying to sound casual. “Do you have the speech? I have to double-check that all your facts are correct”

Liam went mute for a second. “Alexis has it. I’ll go ask her for it”

Olivia cocked her brow. “What? Do you need some extra cash, so you took a second job running errands?” She snorted “Don’t be ridiculous, Liam. We have to look at these polls before you start the rally. Drake is a big boy; he can go himself”

Drake went looking for Alexis and spotted her immediately on the other side of the room.

“Hey O’Brien. I need to check the speech.” He said with a soft smile.

Her breath hitched seeing him grinning at her. Those dimples. “Hi, Drake!” She felt like a teenager again. Her ability to form coherent sentences or look at him without blushing were both gone, so she feigned to be deeply interested in her computer. Drake pulled a chair and sat next to her.

He lowered his voice so only her could hear him. “How are you doing, Lexie?”

“I’m fine, Drake. Thank you. Talking really helped.” Her eyes were bright and grateful, and he had to actively fight his hand’s urge to touch her.

“I’m here for anything you need, baby.”

She looked fondly at him, but suddenly remembered where she was, and most importantly, where her fiancé was and cleared her throat, standing up.

“I’m going to take five minutes, but you can read the speech here on my computer.” She shot him a sad look before leaving. It was better that way.

The rally started one hour later, Liam went up on stage and people went crazy. Alexis smiled, he was a great politician, she might have written the speech, but it was him who was bringing it to life. The fact that he actually believed in what he was saying, definitely helped.

She saw the crowd cheer and applaud at the other side of the curtain.

All of a sudden, Drake stood up behind her, his musky scent immediately inebriating her. He leaned towards her and whispered in her ear.

“We didn’t finish our conversation, O’Brien.”

His warm breath and his low raspy voice in her ear made her shiver. “I don’t know what you mean, Walker”

He shot a glance towards the stage where Liam was talking about education.  Then he looked back at her. She was playing nervously with her chocolate hair, finally setting all of it on the left side of her head, leaving part of her neck uncovered.

The temptation was too great, he leaned towards her again and placed a small kiss on her nape while his fingertips gently brushed her back.

She closed her eyes savoring the brief moment, the feeling of Drake behind her was exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time.

Drake placed another small kiss but on her shoulder this time. Then he turned to her ear again.

“I need you, Lexie. Don’t shut me down again.”

She turned to him “Drake, I can’t do this. Please, don’t make it so hard.”

He didn’t take his eyes off of her.

Suddenly, a burst of applauses took them out of their bubble. Liam had finished his speech and was walking off the stage shaking hands and smiling widely at his followers.

“Come on, Drake. Let’s avoid another pissing contest. If Li sees you two together again, he’s going to lose it” Olivia glared at Alexis.

“Go with her, Drake. Please,” Alexis begged. 

He shook his head but left with Olivia.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maxwell sighed content. He had coordinated the whole rally with Ezequiel’s help, Kiara’s brother had been very helpful. He had asked him out, but he was too in love with Rashad to accept.

He knew that he and Kiara had broken their engagement, but he hadn’t had look for him yet. Rashad was on his own path, and he had to respect that. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the presence in front of him. He looked up and was surprised to see Rashad watching him

“Hi, Max,” He said smiling.

“Hi, Rash. How are you doing?” He grinned back.

“Fine, it’s definitely weird to be back at my ex-fiancé’s house but I’m more convinced than ever that it was the right decision. I’ve missed you.” He set his hand in Maxwell’s knee and looked him expectantly.

“Are you sure about this Rashad?” Maxwell’s eyes were full of hope “Are you ready to try something real with me? To come out for good?”

Rashad nodded “I talked to my father; he wasn’t as shocked as I would have thought. He wasn’t thrilled but he said he’ll be supportive. I think that he really, really hated Kiara, so anyone else is an upgrade for him.” He chuckled.

“Even me?” Maxwell cocked his brows inquisitively.

“You’re the most amazing man in the world, Max” Rashad pulled Maxwell’s head towards him and kissed him. “I was dying to do that”.

Maxwell smiled mischievously and took Rashad’s hand. “I’ll show you upstairs what I’m dying to do”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Alexis was having breakfast with Liam in the main room. He wanted to make plans for their upcoming engagement party.  

Maxwell entered the room with a huge smile plastered on his face. When he saw Alexis, he took her hand forcing her to stand up, and started to spin her around the room while he sang, under Liam’s amused look.

“L is for the way you look at me

O is for the only one I see”

She cackled “Max!” He twirled her around once more before elegantly dipping her, as he finished singing.

“V is very, very extraordinary

E is even more than anyone that you adore can”

Liam laughed. “Should I be concerned about you stealing my fiancé, Max?”

He chuckled. “She’s definitely a catch, but not really my type.”

“Let me guess.” She pointed her finger at him beaming. “Rashad and you’re back together?”

Liam cocked his brows in surprise. “What? Rashad is gay? Are you and Rashad together, Max?”

Alexis laughed. “You didn’t notice all those cute little looks that they’re always throwing at each other?”

“I can be slightly oblivious sometimes.” Liam smiled sheepishly

She hugged Max. “I’m so happy for you! You’re the best friend anyone can hope for, you deserve all the happiness in the world.”

“Aww! Stop, Blossom, you’re going to make me cry and I can’t have red, puffy eyes on my first day back with Rash.” He looked pensive for a second before talking again. “Actually, there’s something I wanted to run by you. I would love to bring Rashad to your engagement party as my official date.”

“I don’t even understand why you’re asking, Max. You can come with whoever you want.” She turned to Liam.

“Of course, Max. I don’t care who you bring as long as you come.”

“Aww, guys! I love you! Group hug!” He threw his arms at both of them before leaving. “I’ll go tell Rash.”

Alexis watched him go, delighted to see him so happy. She looked at Liam who was serving her a cup of coffee and put her hand on his. “You’re a good friend, Li.”

He placed the coffee maker on the table and took her chin between his thumb and index. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, but I’m hoping that we’ll be able to take care of that with some time.” He leaned to kiss her.

“I have to run, darling. I have a lot of work to do. Will you go shopping with Max for your wedding dress?”

She shuddered but managed to give him a small smile. “Yes. We have an appointment with Ana de Luca later. That’s all I’ll be doing with my day today. It’s fascinating, isn’t it?”

He ignored the acid remark. “You’ll love her. See you later, my love.” Liam kissed her before leaving the room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After days of trying wedding and engagement dresses, Alexis was more than exasperated. She had never been someone who cared much about clothes and the only thing she was doing lately, was to shop.

She was even more exhausted from avoiding Drake. Every fiber of her being was pulling Alexis towards him but being close to each other was a torturous pain for both of them, so she tried to stay away from the campaign quarters as much as she could. She shuddered thinking about her engagement party. Drake would have to be there and watch her getting officially engaged with Liam. He was going to have to smile and congratulate them. She felt like screaming, the pain was getting too much to handle.

She took the keys to her car and drove to the nearest bar.

Five or six cheap whiskey glasses later, she was still sitting on a stool, incapable of moving. The moments she had spent with Drake were replaying in her head like a broken record. The day they had met, and that amazing kiss. The night stargazing or drinking whiskey in the cellar. The way he had taken care of her the night she had seen Brad again. How he had comforted when she had told him about Abigail. The conversations and the confidences they had shared. The hours spend discovering and loving each other. She missed how safe she felt with him. She craved their fights, his eyes, his kisses, his arms around her, his deep, raspy voice, his strong hands. Alexis didn’t know how she was going to do to live the rest of her life without him.  

She was getting really drunk. It would be better if she called Max to take her back to the house.

“O’Brien” The familiar, manly voice startled her.

“Drake…how-?”

“Someone recognized you and called me”. He pointed at the back of the bar where Bastien nodded at them.

“You didn’t have to come, I was going to call Max.”

He sat on the stool beside her and called the barmaid. “I’ll have the same than her.”

Then, he turned to her to stroke her face. “I’m always going to come, Lexie. Always.”

She exhaled a sad breath. “Drake, I have to marry him. I don’t want to, but I have to.”

“We have to tell him the truth, Alexis. I know him since we were kids, he’ll understand.”

She sneered. “He’ll understand that I have been lying to him for months? He’ll understand that his father and mine have been plotting behind his back? He’ll understand that he loves me but I’m ... I’m …” She ran her hand through her hair desperately.

“You what, Alexis?” He lowered his head to meet her eyes. “You what?” He cupped her face making her face him “Tell me, you what!”

“I love you, okay?! I love yo- “

He crashed his mouth with hers stroking her face with his thumbs. It was hungry, desperate. It was soft and hot and breathy,  and passionate. The heat rose in their cheeks as their tongues intertwined and they had to come out for air, breathless and giddy.  

He held her head so her forehead would rest on his “I love you too, Alexis. I love you so fucking much it actually hurts. I never thought I would be the kind of guy who would tell a girl he’s crazy about her, but here I am, mad about you.” He sighed. “Insane about you.”

Her heart was beating faster and faster. Her head kept telling her that it was a mistake but the pull to him was stronger and she kissed him over and over until they needed to come out for air again.

After a while, she came to her senses.

Her eyes watered looking at him. “The reason Liam is acting controlling and possessive is that he’s feeling insecure. And he’s right. I love you. You are the love of my life, Drake.” Drake listened to her as he softly rubbed her face. “So I can’t really blame him for acting the way he is. I know he would never hurt me. I know he loves me. But even if I tell him the truth, I have to marry him.” She took a sharp breath. “If I’m honest with him there’s two possibilities. Either he calls off the wedding and Abigail will be in danger. Or he’ll agree to marry me to help me but he will be heartbroken.” She stroked Drake’s cheek too. “Telling Liam doesn’t solve the problem; we would only break his heart even more. The only solution is to accept things as they are, Drake. I’m sorry.”  

He stared angrily at her “So that’s it? I love you, Drake but I’ll be marrying Liam in three weeks. You’re not even going to fight?”

“Don’t be unfair, Drake you know there’s nothing I can do.” Tears were falling off her cheeks as she spoke “Please, leave. I’ll call Maxwell”

She gestured the barmaid for another whiskey.

Drake stood up and turned her stool towards him, so she would be facing him. He leaned towards her taking her chin with his fingers “I would never leave, Lexie. Never. I don’t care if you marry him. I don’t care if I have to wait for the rest of my life to be with you. I won’t leave. As you long as you need me, I’ll be right here.”

She gave him a sad smile. “Even if we can only be friends?”

“Even then.” Drake returned her sad smile. “You can always count on me, baby.” He put a strand hair behind her ear, before kissing her forehead. “Now, let’s get you out of here before you drink their whole lot of whiskey”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three days later, Liam was getting ready for his engagement party. He put his tuxedo on and looked in the mirror. He felt nervous, he was completely in love with Alexis, but he couldn’t help but feel uncertain. He kept on trying but she seemed unattainable, always kind, and gentle but never really there with him. Liam shook his head putting those thoughts aside, they were getting married in three weeks and, then, she will be his. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Liam had arranged one limousine for the five of them so they would arrive together like a solid family. He had invited Leo to come with them too, but he said he would arrive a little later, surely drunk and with some random woman. It was exasperating but he couldn’t take care of that now.

When the car pulled over at the O’Brien’s mansion and Alexis came out, Liam grinned. She was gorgeous. He offered her his arm and took her to the limousine, with George behind them.

Constantine and Regina were already inside waiting for them with a cold champagne bottle.

Alexis sighed. Perfect! The man with no heart and the wicked witch of the east.

George spoke with a content expression on his face. “Well, we’re close to Election’s day and we’re almost sure that we will win. We should toast to that”

“A glass of champagne, dear?” Regina questioned.

She smiled politely.“Yes, Regina. Thank you” And keep them coming.

After clinking their glasses, Constantine turned to Liam “Are you ready, son? All Cordonia’s press will be there, you’ll have to give interviews and take some pictures” He paused to focus on Alexis “We all know how much you hate that dear, but you’ll have to do it tonight. Do we understand each other?”

She stared at him contemptuously. “I’m more than capable to answer some questions, Constantine but thank you so much for your concern.”

Liam grabbed her hand “Please, father. Alexis doesn’t need you to tell her what to do.” He turned to her. “By the way love, you look beautiful”

She looked at him gratefully. “Thanks, Li. You look very handsome too.”

The limousine parked at the venue chosen by Regina. Liam squeezed Alexis’s hand.

“Let’s do this”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maxwell had everything ready. He had planned the party with Regina, after a few days, it had become clear that Alexis wasn’t at all interested in the party, or in the engagement.

He had greeted most guests and was only waiting for them. When they finally arrived, he instructed them on how to make their entrance. George came down the stairs first, then Regina and Constantine, and finally, in the middle of a round of applause, Liam, the candidate, and Alexis.

Drake was at the other end of the room with a glass of whiskey in his hand. His heart raced at the sight of her. She was breathtaking with a red strapless dress that brought attention to her breasts. It was tight, and had a long skirt with a slit that gave a tantalizing view of her tanned, long leg as she descended; her big eyes and crimson lips were framed by her shiny brown hair. She was a vision, A gorgeous vision. His mouth went dry instantly, he knew that his promise of being only his friend will be very difficult to keep.

His fist clenched seeing Liam put his arms around her and kiss her in front of everyone. In front of him. He felt like punching someone, and seeing George next to them, he knew exactly who. The rage didn’t let him see the brunette sitting next to him.

“Salut, Drake. Ca va? (2)” Kiara asked seductively.

“I have told you a thousand times how annoying it is when you switch languages like that Kiara. Pick fucking one and stick with it. It’s called commitment.”

She giggled. “I love how direct you are.” She placed her hand on his thigh “I really really love it” She started to rub his thigh, but he grabbed her hand.

“Well, I’m happy you appreciate my bluntness, you’re going to love this, I need some time alone, Kiara. Have a good night.” He turned towards the bar and asked for another whiskey.

Alexis didn’t miss anything about their exchange, her blood boiled when she saw Kiara place her hand on his thigh but smiled to herself when she saw Drake take it off. 

Liam hugged her from behind.

“How are you doing, love?”

“I would love another glass of champagne, Li,” she answered.

He signaled the waiter to come and serve them. He clinked his glass with her and kiss her on the cheek “You won’t believe how happy I’m tonight, not only I’m way ahead in the polls, but I have In my arms the most beautiful woman in the room.”

Olivia huffed. She had a thousand things to coordinate and Drake wasn’t of any help getting wasted on the bar. Of course, she understood him, even if she still loved Liam, her feelings weren’t as raw as Drakes’ and she had had years of training.  

She approached the happy couple seething, she would love to know Alexis’s intentions. It was obvious how crazily in love with Drake she was. Was she marrying Liam only for his position? Olivia had to find out.

“You have to come and talk to Francesco, the Italian’s ambassador, Liam” She shot an angry look at Alexis. “And your father is looking for you.”

Alexis seemed surprised. “What for?”

Olivia arched her brow “Do I look like your fucking secretary or do you need glasses?”

“Olivia, please,” Liam scolded her.

Alexis was about to answer with a snarky remark but when she saw Olivia’s eyes, she recognized the pain. Olivia was hurting as much as she was but for a different man.

“It’s fine, Li. I’m going to go look for my father. See you later.” 

Liam took her hand and pulled her body towards him to kiss her “See you soon my love.”

Drake stood up furious after seeing the kiss. After all the whiskey he had had to drink the only thing he cared about was talking to her. He saw her walk away from Liam and Olivia and enter the hall, he tried to pass the couples dancing in the dance-floor as fast as he could but when he was about to go out, Max called him.

Alexis reached the hall. Her father was waiting for her with an envelope in his hand. “What does this mean, Alexis?”

George threw the envelope at her. When she opened it she saw a few pictures of her from a week ago, from the night she had told Drake about Abigail. They were hugging and kissing in the photos.

“Did you have me followed? How dare you!” Alexis was furious.

George took a step towards her. “How I dare? Me?” He grabbed her arm “You’re behaving like a whore but you think that it’s me who have to explain myself to you?” He yanked her arm.

“LET.HER.GO” Drake growled. 

George laughed but freed her arm. “Prince Charming himself” He snickered. “Well, his best friend. This is a family matter, Walker. Leave.”

Drake ignored the ambassador. “Are you ok, Lexie?”

She knew Drake and she had to avoid a fight at all costs. “It’s fine, Drake. I’m fine. Really.”

“Good, baby. Go back inside.” He rolled his sleeves.

She didn’t move “Drake, please.”

Everything happened so fast that George didn’t have the time to react before he felt Drake’s fist connect with his jaw.

“You’re nothing but a piece of crap.” Drake grabbed him by his shoulder and gave him one, two, three punches in his stomach.

“You shouldn’t even be allowed to live, you piece of crap.” He slammed him against the wall. George was trying to defend himself, but the younger man was stronger and faster. “What asshole? If it’s not a defenseless woman you can’t fight?”

“Drake! Stop!” The music in the party was too loud but Maxwell and Rashad were close to the door and they had seen Drake beating the Ambassador. They both took him by his arms, using all their strength to pull him apart from George.

Drake tried to free himself. “Let me go! I‘m going to kill this motherfucker!”

George sat at the floor seething with fury. “You’ll pay for this Walker. I swear” He turned to Alexis. “Tell Constantine that I wasn’t feeling good. And you better keep your promise with Liam. Unless you prefer this filthy asshole to Abigail.”

Drake screamed at him. “Don’t you dare to threaten her”

Rashad got himself in the middle. “Come on, Drake. Let him go”

George stood up and limped away from them. 

Drake looked at Alexis. Maxwell grabbed Rashad’s shoulder. “They need to talk, Rash. Let’s go back to the ballroom.”

Alexis was beyond furious. “Why!? Why do you have to do that!? Now he’ll have something against you too. I’m not only going to be worried about Abbie. I’ll be worried sick about you too, Drake.” Her eyes watered.

He cut the distance between them, there was nothing worst for him than seeing her crying. He cupped her face and cleaned her tears with his thumbs. “I can’t let it go, baby. I told you, no one would never put a finger on you, again. After the way he’s treated you he deserved that and much more. You know that.”

“I don’t fucking care about him, Drake. You don’t know how he is, what he’s capable of.” Alexis sobbed, terrified. “I can’t lose you.” 

“He’s threatening his own daughter, Lexie. Believe me, I can imagine what he’s capable of. And I told you the other night, you will never lose me. I swear.” He kissed her lips tenderly.

She smiled through her tears, noticing his bloody knuckles. “Let’s go put some cold water on that”

Maxwell came out of the ballroom with a wet cloth. “I brought this for your hands, Drake. Lex, Liam is looking for you, he’s giving his engagement speech. You better come in first and alone” He threw an apologetic look at Drake.

Liam smiled as soon as he saw her coming through the door.

“There you are, love. Where’s your father? I wanted to give my speech now.”

“He wasn’t feeling well, Li. He won’t come back tonight so you can give the speech now.”

Liam looked at her suspiciously but didn’t reply.

He went to the top of the stairs with her. Maxwell nodded at the band on stage, so they’d announce Liam’s speech.

“Alexis and I are delighted, thrilled and honored to share our intentions for the rest of our days with you. Standing together in front of all the very special people in our lives to announce our engagement makes our private dreams public and, in a way, real. Thank you for being here, for your love and well wishes-”

Suddenly, the buzzing and noise of telephones beeping were all they could hear, but Liam made an attempt to ignore them.

“Alexis has made me the happiest man in the world. With her, by my side, I understand what the writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald meant when he said, ‘I love her, and that’s the beginning and end of everything.’-”

He stopped talking, everyone had their eyes glued either on their phone or on Alexis. She searched Drake, he was seething looking at his phone too.

Finally, among a trail of whispers and gasps, Alexis and Liam reached Drake and Maxwell and grabbed their phones. Alexis saw her world collapsing when she read the article. It was entitled “An Affair to Remember” and was illustrated by some very suggestive photos of her and Tariq the night of her attack.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a corner of the ballroom, Leo Rhys smiled. Hakim’s plan was working perfectly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kiara: 

Please honey, You were really angry (...)

Hi! How is it going?

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

Share a Lair 09 || Share a Scare

Charlotte was asleep on top of Max whenever Billy and Nora began to get ready to go. Their parents were going to come pick them up, so they tried to quietly wash up and gather their things without waking Max and Charlotte. Nora even texted them that Max was asleep so not to make noise whenever they came, after she silently snapped a photo of them to potentially use against him later. He looked more peaceful than she could remember seeing him and he even seemed to be smiling a little, though with the eye mask on, she wondered if he was actually asleep. Had to be though, because he’d have sensed her so close for that photo otherwise.

When the monitor sounded, “Alert, parents approaching,” Max abruptly snatched off his eye mask and started trying to get up. He slid Charlotte over carefully and she stirred a little, but hugged the pillow and remained sleeping.

After a moment to drink her in (which Nora definitely noticed), Max urged his siblings to get their things and leave out of the door before their parents came in. However, they made their way in, saw him and Hank cheered, “Oh! You’re awake!” He winced and looked at Charlotte. Still asleep. He put his finger in front of his mouth and shoved Billy and Nora towards the door.

“Max, who is that girl?” Barb wondered.

“A friend. A sleeping friend. Shhh.”

“That’s Charlotte,” Billy said. “She says she isn’t Max’s girlfriend, but they sleep in the same bed and hold hands and stuff a lot. I think they even kiss!”

Barb and Hank both looked a mixture of surprised and excited to hear this. They’d heard of this Charlotte a few times and well, Max hadn’t been involved with anybody in a while and he was usually his best self when involved with someone special.

“Get out!” Max hissed, pushing the line of them towards the door as they protested, his parents asked questions, Billy defended his assessment, Nora fussed about being rudely shoved, and Max shut and locked the door behind them.

Just in time, because Charlotte stirred and looked up at him. Breathily, he greeted, “Heyyyy, You. Good morning. Sorry to wake you. Billy and Nora left kinda noisily.” She was still partially asleep when she sat up and just sat there for a moment, sort of looking around the room. She was adorable when she first woke up. His heart couldn’t stand it. “You want me to get you some breakfast?”

She stretched, yawned and reached for her dental pouch on the night stand. “Naw. I gotta get to work. Thanks, though.” She washed up in his bathroom, changed into clothes that she had in his closet and grabbed Penelope and her bag to head for the tower. “See you later!” She cheered and was gone. He was lonely as soon as she left.

.

Over the next  few weeks, a few things happened. Charlotte began to sleep over every night, without it being a conversation or requiring explanation. Also, Henry got really busy (and cranky), as his superhero advancement assessments neared. This meant that Charlotte was a little bit busier, too, and spent more time in the tower than usual.

She began moving most of her work needs into Henry’s lair. If he passed his assessments and became a hero in his own right, she didn’t know if he was going to even remain working with Ray. They were close, but Ray was sort of a mess and well…

Henry would never reach his true potential if he just went along with him all the time. He might even be held back if he focused on his loyalty to Ray more than his loyalty to himself and his own abilities. He worked hard to get out of the shadow of Captain Man and to be fair, he worked harder than Ray did, in general.

It was a point that she was making as she gave herself a pedicure in Max’s room while he was working out. “I mean… even you, as an already established superhero are here to advance and not necessarily remain in Phoebe’s shadow…”

“What do you mean, Phoebe’s shadow?” He asked.

“I just mean, well.. she was first. In superhero… on the path…”

“Yeah, but I bested her and was granted the position on Z-Force. Our next assignment was leading together, as a team.”

“A team of Thundergirl and SuperMax. Rarely ever said the other way around.”

“You think Phoebe is better than me?”

“I think Phoebe has been working as a superhero longer than you and that it’s something that others are aware of and something that you probably have thought about a few times. Why are you acting like this?” She was genuinely confused, because this conversation wasn’t even about HIM, it was about Henry and she was merely mentioning him to establish empathy. Now, he looked mad or something. But, he smiled.

“I’m good.” The shade of red that he was let her know that wasn’t my true. She bit her lip. “What were you saying? Something something, Henry. Something something something, Kid Danger."

She sighed. "Can I not discuss my job in your room?”

“Henry is your job? I haven’t heard shit about what you do tonight. Just like a huge list of reasons that Henry is too good for Captain Man…"

There he was. There was the Max Thunderman that she had been wondering Whatever happened to him? And for whatever reason, seeing him like this… hurt her feelings. "Sorry. I will take my list and go.” She began to grab her stuff, but wondered if she should just get her immediate things and go, or take all the crap she’d let get comfy in here the past few weeks?

She was considering it when she felt his hands take her wrists gently, “Charlotte, don’t go. I’m sorry.” She didn’t want to look at him. If she did, she might be susceptible. And she couldn’t be susceptible. His tone was unwarranted, unnecessary and hurtful.

“Acknowledged. I’ll talk to you when we’ve cooled off.” Able to keep herself from looking at him, she grabbed her phone and nothing else. She worried that staying a moment longer might make her weak.

“Char…”

“Goodnight, Max.” She told him and headed for the tower. She hoped Henry wouldn’t make a thing out of this, but she was too upset to be in Max’s quarters right now and she certainly wasn’t about to sit in her car and cry. Besides, there was a couch in the lab if she simply couldn’t face Henry.

Whenever she came into the tower, Henry and Jasper had the TV on and were sitting mighty close. Henry was leaning back against the couch on the floor and Jasper was laying on his belly on the couch, resting on his elbow with his other arm rested on Hen’s shoulder. They turned whenever they heard the door swoosh and said “Hey!” to her. Charlotte waved a hand and wondered, “Could I chill here a moment? I can go into another room if you two are in the middle of something.”

Jasper sat up to make room on the couch, swinging one leg over Henry’s shoulder where Hen was now leaned back into the opening of his legs. “Nah. Come on. We’re watching this hilarious movie.”

“By hilarious, he means terrifying,” Jasper said.

She nodded and sat down next to Jasper, who noticed that something wasn’t right and pulled her onto his shoulder. She tried not to cry, but that gesture made her break her resolve. He looked at her and she just wiped her eyes and shook her head. PLEASE DON’T ASK. Fortunately, he did not. He didn’t say anything, either as Henry was oblivious and throwing his head back to cackle at the horror scenes on TV.

After a while, she was falling to sleep on Jasper’s shoulder and Henry was getting up to get ready to go to bed. “She asleep?”

“Yeah,” Jasper said.

“Gonna leave her here, or take her with us?”

“I don’t wanna leave her here. I think something happened. She was sad when she got here,” she heard Jasper say. Now, she had to either let them know that she wasn’t asleep yet so that much more wouldn’t be said, or pretend to be asleep to avoid facing any questions or feelings.

“Okay. Well, bring her. I’m ready for bed,” Henry said. She felt Jasper gently shift her to carry her bridal style to Henry’s room and continued to pretend to be asleep.

The three of them heard the computerized voice call, “Alert, Superior Hero to You approaching.”

Henry looked around, “What the heck was that?” he asked.

“The monitor thingy announcing Max,” Jasper said, settling Charlotte in bed.

“But, why does she say THAT to announce him?” Henry asked.

“Probably because he’s good with computers and most likely programmed her to do so,” Jasper said, laughing a little. “Get rid of him. He’s probably the reason Charlotte was upset. He never comes to your chambers.”

“Right?”

Henry went to his door and opened it to see Max, clearly fresh out of the shower and seemingly upset. “What?” Henry asked.

“Hey… Is Charlotte here? Her car is still outside, but I think she blotted herself off of the house scan.”

“If she did, I’m guessing it was to dodge you. I don’t know how to check a fuckin’ house scan and I’m positive Jasper doesn’t either. What did you do wrong?”

Max nodded his head and looked at the floor. “You’re right. Sorry to bother you at this time of night. I was just worried about us… her…” He sighed and wiped his hand through his hair. “Just… if she ever wants to talk to me, I’ll be available for her, anytime, always.” He turned and started leaving.

“No snivelling or smug little quips?” Henry asked.

Max winced and forced a smile, “Goodnight, Henry.” He didn’t say anything else as he left the exit from the tower into the main house.

Henry just watched him. What the hell was that about? Henry went into his bedroom, where Jasper was laying on his belly and Charlotte was sitting up. They both were facing the door, waiting for him. He was startled to see them not going to bed. “You two aren’t going to bed, and I’m ready to. So, if you’re about to gash over Max, take it out of here.”

“What did he say?” They both asked, ignoring Henry’s request.

He rolled his eyes, “Something like he’ll wait forever to talk to you or something. Go ask him. He’s barely out of the tower. All I know for sure is that you two better let me go to sleep,” he crawled into bed and they got up.

Jasper walked Charlotte to the door and wondered, “You gonna be alright?”

“Of course. You guys have hurt my feelings worse than he could, plenty of times.”

“Yeah, but that’s different. We’re your friends, that’s your… you know…” Jasper said with the shrug of his shoulders.

Charlotte was too tired to do her whole ‘Whatever do you mean?’ routine, and too sad. So, she just said, “I think that makes it hurt worse. Whenever your friends don’t get it. When they just hurt you and keep going.”

Jasper felt bad. He knew that he and Henry had issues regarding this topic. He was working on it, though. Tonight, he just said, “Well, at least Max didn’t just keep going. He wants to make it right, whatever he did to hurt you and he wanted to do that tonight. If I had a guy like that, with his hair, and brains, the superpowers, my God, that print! I’d be letting him off easy every time, much more the first time.”

“I am. I just… I guess I’m not used to BS from him. I’m used to him being this escape from being sad or angry.”

“That doesn’t seem fair. I know he’s a super, but he’s human. Go talk to him, forgive him, love on him and you know, give him a little tug, on my behalf…” She cackled at Jasper’s shamelessness.

“Henry is gonna ban you if you keep this up,” she warned.

“He should just take it as an opportunity to step his D game up.”

“Wow. Goodnight, Jasper.” She left laughing.

Max heard the monitor announce, “Alert, Future Baby Mama approaching,” and he gasped and assessed himself. He had been eating his feelings for several minutes, gorging on treats from the snacker and had a pile next to him and probably some on his face! He rushed to make sure he was presentable, and when she landed on the landing pad, he felt at least… clean.

She got up and fiddled with her fingers, “Hey. You’re still up.”

“Yeah,” he said and approached her. He stopped just short of her face and put his hands together. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to behave so jealous. I just hate how much you love him. I don’t know. It finally got to me when you just… KEPT talking about him.”

“Jealous?” She repeated, with her eyebrow raised. She sighed, laughed, then squealed, “Men are infuriating!”

He nodded, feeling really disappointed in himself, “I try really hard to be perfect for you, because I know that you’re generally surrounded by infuriating men..”

She softened and stepped closer, to fill the space between them, then just hugged him. “That is so unnecessary, Max. Just be you. I like him. I liked him from Day 1… hundred.” He laughed into her hair and hugged her back. “It’s beneath you, Dude. You and Henry being jealous of each other is SO stupid and I don’t understand why either of you feel that way!”

He leaned back to look at her, “The fact that you don’t know why Henry would be jealous of me is part of my insecurity. He should be jealous of me. I’m ME!”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, “And he’s him. Neither of you could ever be what the other one is to me, so to be jealous is absolutely ridiculous. You two don’t mean the same thing to me. You’re never gonna be my lifelong best friend, because that’s already happened already and nobody else can be that for me, not you, not anybody. And as that person for me, Henry’s NEVER gonna be able to be anything else, in my eyes, so for you to be jealous, when you’re who you are to me…”

He stared into her eyes for a moment, waiting for her to elaborate. He really didn’t want to ask her, but since she didn’t seem to be willing to volunteer the information, he did. “Who am I to you?”

“You’re my Maximus,” she said and diverted her gaze from his eyes.

Whether she meant maximus as in “greatest” or “My Maximus,” as in she was FINALLY claiming him, he was satisfied. Beyond, in fact. She looked at him again and saw him smiling. “Let’s go to bed, okay? No more Henry talk,” she decided.

He nodded in agreement. He hadn’t ever wanted to talk about him in the first place. He gave her a kiss on the lips then rested his lips on her face, “Deal.”

[aperrywilliams]

A Normal Conversation Ch19 (Spencer Reid x Maxine Brenner)

(Not my gif!)

Masterlist - Requests

Ch01 Ch02 Ch03 Ch04 Ch05 Ch06 Ch07 Ch08 Ch09 Ch10 Ch11 Ch12 Ch13 Ch14 Ch15 Ch16 Ch17 Ch18 Ch19

———————

Summary: Spencer woke up from his unconscious condition. Max and the team take rounds to check his recovery process. Max is still confused about the dream she had and something that Spencer said when he woke up. Spencer noticed Max behavior is not the same and started to worry about.

Word Count: 4392.

Rating: Teen and Up Audience. Some angst. Some fluff too.

Warnings: Not really. Some angst feelings. Too much overthinking.

A/N: Even though I don't like the Maeve’s Arc, I couldn't help included it in the story. This should make more sense in the next chapters.

——————–

Chapter 19: Hospital bed

When Diana left the room, Spencer felt exhausted and closed his eyes to nap a while. Penelope, who was sitting in one of the chairs, saw him and thought indeed he would go back to sleep. After a few minutes Spencer suddenly opened his eyes again and asking for Penelope.

"Garcia...?" he asked in a weak voice. "I need my phone..." he added.

“No sir, how is that you need your phone? No way. You are in no condition... "

"I need to call her..." Spencer tried to say before Garcia interrupted him.

"She is here," Garcia hastened to reply. “She went to the cafeteria when your mom came to see you. Through the surgery she was with us and before you woke up she went out to talk on the phone. She said she would come back in a little while to see how you were doing. Poor girl, you would have seen her when she got here. She will be very happy to know that you are awake. You almost killed her with this!..."

"I didn't mean to..." Spencer tried to say in a tired voice.

“Yes, she knows it too. But I think you'll have to return her well. So you can go thinking of something good!”. Spencer managed to draw a faint smile on his face. He felt weak. Still dizzy. Reid just realized that he was on this side of the world and not the other. Despite that, he didn't want to fall asleep without seeing Max first. He needed even to be able to say something to her.

Penelope saw Max approach the room. Garcia got up without saying anything to Spencer and went out into the hall to talk to her. Max looked at her with worried eyes.

"No, no, don't panic. It's okay. He's fine. He woke up recently”. Max breathed a sigh of relief.

"And his mother? What did the doctors say?" Max asked.

“Diana returned to the residence. Will be back tomorrow. The doctors said they will continue the tests, but it is a good sign he has woken up." Garcia put her hand on Max's shoulder to calm her down. "Max, our boy genius returned... and wants to see you."

"Is he conscious?" Max asked nervously.

“Oh yes, he is. Boy Genius was asking me for his phone to call you”. Max breathed a sigh of relief as she shook her head. She wanted to get in, but she wanted to compose herself first. Max didn't want to look a nervous wreck to Spencer.

“Come in, I'll go make some calls and find the rest of the team. Take your time”. Max nodded, took a deep breath, and walked into the room. Max didn't know how she was going to react when she saw him again. She approached slowly and saw that Spencer's eyes were closed. Max leaned a little closer and took his hand. He opened his eyes and saw her. A faint smile spread across his face. Max felt like his heart was going to jump out of her chest.

"Hey..." Spencer said in a tired voice. Max smiled back at him and leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Hey... how are you feeling?" He squeezed her hand.

"Still dizzy... I don't know... my head hurts..." Spencer replied.

"It's natural, you just woke up from your surgery" Max said softly.

"Internal bleeding…?" he asked to confirm his theory about what was happening to him.

"Yes, that's what the doctors said." Max stroked Spencer's hand she was holding and with the other she touched his forehead and hair. “But the important thing is that you must relax. That will make everything work better."

"Max… I wanted…" Spencer said in a whisper.

"Don’t. Better not speak yet, you have to regain your energy first.” Max tried to stop him but Spencer ignored her.

"I came back. I decided… to come back…” Spencer mumbled in a low, almost imperceptible voice. With eyes shut. Max stopped breathing for a second. Wasn't it a dream?

"Spencer... please...". Max was confused.

"Let me... say just one thing... please...". Reid insisted.

"I don’t know what you're talking about…". Spencer swallowed with a bit of difficulty.

“You went looking for me and I rejected you. Forgive me… I don't know why I hesitated… I… I…”. Spencer said visibly shocked and dizzy without knowing much else to say. Could he tell her the real reason? Still his mind was confusing him between what he saw or dreamed. He could well be rambling on about things that were only in his imagination. But what was real for him was feeling guilty for making Max suffer.

“Spencer, please… you are still affected by the anesthesia. Take it easy. You were very bad, that scared us all. But we have you back…”. She hesitated a bit before continuing. "... I have you back." Spencer smiled and watched as tears rolled down her cheeks. She noticed and saw that he wanted to say something. "Don’t say anything, they are tears of happiness. Blame it on my nerves."

"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course. I'll be here" she said smiling.

"Thank you ..." Spencer replied almost in a whisper. Without letting go of Max's hand, he closed his eyes and began to fall asleep. Max without letting go either, took the chair that was next to the bed and pulled it closer. She sat there while stroking Spencer's hand. It was a short time before she realized Reid was completely asleep.

Max could notice how Spencer's breathing deepened and slowed as he slept. Without releasing his hand, she leaned back in the chair and dropped her head back, staring at the ceiling. She really felt relieved, but she still felt her body shaking. The last time she was in a hospital it was with her mother dying. That memory made her eyes fill with tears again. She tried to control her breathing to calm herself. This time it was different and Spencer would be fine... at least she hoped. At least that was what mattered now. Her mother had also told her in the dream. After all this passed she would think about whether an "us" was still possible for them.

She had fallen asleep with Spencer's hand taken and her head resting on the mattress of the bed. Max startled when Penelope touched her shoulder to wake her up. It was already morning and Garcia had returned with the team to see how Reid was. Max managed to open her eyes and getting up from the chair, she slowly released Spencer's hand to prevent him from waking up. She and Penelope went out into the hall to meet the team.

"Max, how is Spence?" JJ was the first to speak.

“He had a good night. He is sleep now... at midnight a nurse came to check on him. They injected him with some medicine and he didn't realize it. Then at about 4:00 am another nurse came and repeated the same procedure. The doctor will come around 10:00 am… what time is it…? It was obvious that Max was still sleepy.

"It's already 8:00... a little more" said Matt.

"I see you stayed all night… have you eaten something?" Emily asked.

"No... since yesterday ..." Max mused.

"No, that's not right ..." Tara stated.

"I have an idea..." Emily said again. “With Tara and Penelope we join to you so you can eat something and the rest can stay with Spencer while the doctor comes to see him. Then you could go home for a while to rest. You need to sleep. Then you can come back a little more recovered”. Max nodded.

"Okay. I'm going to get my things. She went back into the room to take her purse. With one hand she stroked Spencer's forehead and hair, unaware that he was waking up.

"Max…?" Spencer asked.

"Yes, here I am... relax, you must rest" she whispered in his ear.

"Are you leaving?"

"Just a few hours. Your team came to see you and I'm a mess, I need to eat something, take a bath, those things..."

"You will come back?"

"Silly, of course I do. But don't worry, you're not going to be alone, you won't be able to miss me," she said trying to joke. Spencer smiled.

"I feel like I miss you already... and you haven't left" Spencer murmured between awake and asleep at the same time.

"Dr. Reid, don't get romantic now." Max reached over and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "I come back soon. I promise".

Max left the room and went with Tara and Emily to the cafeteria. JJ and Luke stepped in the room and Matt stayed outside. Upon entering, JJ approached Spencer and spoke in a soft voice so as not to disturb him.

"Hello Spence. We came with the team to see how you felt. You don't need to speak... "

"Uhm ..." Spencer muttered who was still asleep. JJ sat in the same chair where Max had been during the night and guard his sleep for at least an hour until Spencer was suddenly fully awake and conscious.

"JJ!... Lynch..." he said trying to get up so he could speak better. JJ stopped him by getting up from her chair.

“We know it, we knew it. But now it's over. Lynch is dead,” she assured him.

"How…?"

"That does not matter now. The important thing is that it’s over and that you are better…”. Spencer calmed down again and laid his head back on the pillows.

"Did you talk to Max? ..." Spencer said softly.

“Yes, she told us how you had spent the night and the nurses' rounds. The poor thing stayed here all night ”.

"JJ, is it true that I almost…?" Spencer wasn't able to finish the question.

"Oh Spence... I don't know, but the scare you gave us was terror."

"Who found me ...?"

"Penelope and I..."

"How long was I ...?" JJ covered her face with both hands trying not to cry.

"Spencer, I’m so sorry. We found you the next morning when we found out you hadn't come to work and Lynch was still alive. You were alone all night. I'm never going to forgive myself for that…”. Spencer swallowed hard. That he was alive was apparently a… miracle? But he did not believe in miracles.

"It's my fault ... I didn't want to be checked" he said to try to make JJ feel better although a bitter feeling stuck in his chest. He thought he remembered Foyet sympathizing with him at his impending loneliness.

He tried to sit up to be a little more comfortable. JJ arranged some pillows behind his head.

“Even so I should have insisted. Lastly, having told Max to come see you…”. There was a silence in which you could still hear some sobs from JJ

"JJ... I saw them..." Spencer said at one point. She looked up at him.

"Who... did you see ...?" she asked fearfully.

"Guideon ... Strauss ... Foyet ... and...". A little sigh tore his chest. "Maeve... and... JJ I was about to go with her." Tears welled up in Spencer's eyes as JJ was in shock.

“Spence, stop it. Don't go on, this is not doing you any good…" said JJ

"I have to tell someone, please." She nodded and took his hand.

"Okay, but please don't be disturbed..." begged JJ

“I don't know what happened… at first… when I saw her, I was so convinced that I wanted to go with her… but I think her own words dissuaded me…”

"What did she say?"

"That the world was a place worth being..." Spencer recalled with a blank look.

"Did you believe her?"

“I think so… I thought about my mom, about the team, about Max. I suppose that is why I am here now…”. There was a silence that was broken when the doctor entered the room.

"Good morning Dr. Reid, how are you feeling today?" She walked over to the medical chart hanging on the bed and checked it.

"I'm dizzy and my head hurts a little..." Spencer replied.

“Yes, that is normal and it should decrease with the hours and days. Anyway now we are going to do some additional scans to monitor your progress. Spencer nodded. Two orderlies entered and moved his bed into the hallway and took Reid to his medical tests. When the bed left the hallway, Luke, Matt, Tara and Emily approached, who had eaten with Max and then sent her in a taxi home.

"How did you find him?" Emily asked JJ

"Physically he looks a lot better... but..."

"But…?" Prentiss questioned.

"Emily, I think we really came within minutes of losing him." JJ almost broke her voice saying that. Tara held her for a few seconds. Prentiss made her worried face.

"What do you mean with that?" Luke asked.

"I'm not sure... but I think he had 'an experience'...". Prentiss knew exactly what JJ was referring to so he set her aside for a second.

"Who did he see?" Emily asked once they were out of the ears of the rest.

“Guideon, Strauss… Foyet. It must have been awful..."

"Someone else?" Prentiss inquired. JJ nodded.

"Maeve. Emily... he told me that he was about to go with her…"

"Our poor Spence and his ghosts coming back for him..." Emily wailed. “Do you think Max knows this?”

"I don’t think so. You already know Spencer"

"Well, he will have to tell her sooner or later"

"I hope it's sooner rather than later" JJ replied.

When Spencer returned to his room, the rotating visits started. He looked better than in the morning. This is how Luke and Matt hung out with him for a while. Then Tara and Penelope. Then it was Emily and JJ's turn.

"Where is Rossi?" Spencer asked.

With Kristal. He has a leg injury thanks to Lynch” Prentiss confirmed.

"What happened?"

Emily told Spencer about the events of that fateful day. Kristal's abduction and how Rossi had to finally confront Lynch.

"Did you blow up the jet???!!!..." Spencer expressed in disbelief.

"Don't remind me, in the next bureau meeting I'll have to give a lot of explanations" grumbled Emily.

"Wow, why do I miss these things..." Spencer thought still surprised.

"Because you're a stubborn Spencer," Emily claimed. "If you had let yourself be checked, you would not have flown with us." Spencer just sighed.

"Okay. I know. Are you going to suspend me?" Spencer asked.

“Me? No sir, not at all. But I will force you to take a long leave and I hope this time you will listen to me”. Spencer just shrugged. He knew he deserved that scolding. JJ was behind Emily and seconded all her words.

"Are you on her side now?" Spencer asked looking at JJ

“It's the most prudent thing to do. Spence, a leave won't hurt you. On the contrary”.

It was after 4:00 p.m. and Max had returned to the hospital. She peeked into Spencer's room and saw him sitting on the bed. That lit up her face. He looked clearly more refreshed. He saw her arrive and gave her a welcoming smile.

"You really came back..." Spencer said.

"I promised you," replied Max smiling. "And I told you that you were not going to have time to miss me."

"You don't know that..." Spencer declared, shaking his head. Prentiss looked at JJ and motioned for they leave the room.

“Well, we are leaving… we still have federal bureaucracy to close this case. Take care, Spence. Tomorrow we will come to see you again” Prentiss pointed out. Emily and JJ gave Spencer a hug and then Max before they left the room completely.

“You look much better than in the morning. What did your doctor say?" Max asked as she walked over to Spencer's side.

"We have to wait for the tests, but she told me that she saw an improvement and in a few more days I should feel better and I could go home". Spencer affirmed, reaching out one of his arms to take Max's hand.

"Does your head still hurt?" Max with his free hand tried to sort Spencer's hair that was on his face.

"No, not now…" Spencer muttered, shaking his head.

"I'm glad to hear that…". Max's voice sounded serious and her eyes looked worried. Spencer noticed it immediately.

"Max, what's wrong? Why do you have that face?"

"I don't know... I think I still have my stomach stuck in my throat... I really was very scared." Spencer started stroking Max’s hand with the pad of his thumb.

“Hey… everything's fine now. I just have to take care of myself, but everything is fine... okay? I don't want to see you like this..."

“Spencer, I am the worst girlfriend you could have. I still don't know how I didn't realize that something was wrong…”. Max protested with visible anger towards herself.

"You had no way of knowing... I was not prudent either..."

"And what does that leave us?... Now I have to believe in miracles?... No Spencer. That is not right".

"I would believe in anything just to be grateful for having this opportunity to be here with you again...". Spencer lifted his linked hand and kissed it softly.

"Please don't do this to me again..." Max begged.

"I promise. Really Max, I never wanted to scare you like that"

"I know. I know. It's just my stomach clenches thinking about all the hours of waiting without any news…"

"I’m sorry. I know you don't like hospitals..."

“I was not going to stop being here for that. Although now I think that with the amount of visits you have received today, I should let you rest" Max pointed out.

"Are you going to leave?... you just arrived". Spencer complained.

“No, I won’t leave. I just think you should sleep. I brought some books to keep you company"

"I'm glad you brought reading, but that's not what you will do now...". Spencer assured.

"Oh no? And what will I do now?" Max asked curiously.

“You will sit next to me in this uncomfortable hospital bed and cuddle with me. I miss your cuddles…”. Spencer said pouting.

"Do you really want me to do that?... what happened to the aversion to displays of affection in public?" Max jested.

"Are you going to argue with your ill boyfriend?... too bad Miss Brenner" Spencer said teasing Max.

"I could go right now so we wouldn't have to argue…" Max mused jokingly as well.

"If you do that I am able to get up and run after you in this hospital gown," Reid warned.

" Uhmm, sexy" Max replied with a wicked smile.

"Come here…". Reid pulled Max's hand he was holding and caused her body to collapse onto the hospital bed next to him, dropping her back onto his lap.

"What are you doing?... Spencer, stop..." Max said giggling. Spencer leaned down and with one of his arms under her neck lifted her to meet her lips with his. Thus they began an intense kiss. Reid pulled Max closer to his body, taking her hips with one of his hands. When they pulled away to breathe, they both opened their eyes and looked at each other with a smile that neither could erase from their faces.

"Uhm ... much better" Reid said satisfied with his accomplishment.

"I can't believe what you just did…" Max said, feigning annoyance.

“Don't be offended… but you threw me on the grass with a running watering sprinkles the day we met. That was not nice of you." Max started laughing.

"Okay, okay. So you don't say that I don't do anything for you”. Max got up from the bed for a moment to sit down again but now next to Spencer, pulling him towards her body. He without protesting rested his head on Max's chest as she wrapped her arms around his torso. Spencer hummed in complete satisfaction. "Better this way?" Max asked.

"Perfect," Spencer replied. They fell silent, Spencer could hear Max's heartbeat and that relaxed him. Max came to think he had fallen asleep.

"I'm sorry" came out of Reid's mouth from one moment to the next.

"And why is that?" Max asked as she stroked Spencer's back with her fingers.

"I had been distant these last days…" he mumbled.

“You don't have to apologize for that. You were working…”. Max pointed out in matter-of-fact tone.

“Even so, we haven’t be together so much in the last couple of weeks. I missed you”. Spencer whispered muffling his words in Max’s chest.

"Someone is in need of affection today," Max joked.

"Have you not missed me?" Spencer questioned.

"Of course I do! And even more so if you were about to scare us to death!" Max complained.

"I promise to make it up to you for that," Reid assured.

"Uhm ..." was Max's reply. She didn't seem very convinced about it.

"And what was that?" Spencer asked curiously.

"Nothing" answered Max. Spencer knew Max wasn't saying something.

"I don't think it's 'nothing'. I would like to know”. Spencer tried to push Max to say what she was thinking.

“No. You don’t… and really, it’s doesn’t matter”. Max didn't want to talk about the waiting hours or the dream she had. Nor about Spencer's words when he first woke up.

“Max. I know is something bothering you…”. Spencer insisted as he kissed her collarbone.

“It’s not a big deal, really Spencer. Now we have more important issues to care of”

"Yeah?”

“Yeah. We need to get you out of here. To improve your condition. To take you home for a full recovering”

“I’m feeling okay...”

“Sure you do. But is not enough. You know... your body needs a break time to time”. Max pointed out while still rubbing Spencer's back and from time to time playing with the curls of his hair.

“Hey, I’m the doctor here...” Spencer joked.

“I’m serious Spencer...” Max frowned.

“I know. I’m sorry. I just wanted light the mood”

“We worry for you... I worry about you”

“That’s what you don’t want to tell me?”

“What?”

“I know you worry about me. But there is something else… I know there is something else”

“Are you going to keep pushing?” Max complained.

“Stubborn, remember?”

“We are going to talk about it, but not now. Do you trust me?” asked Max kissing the top of his head.

“I do” Spencer stated confidently.

“So, trust me. Nothing important to talk about in this moment”

“Okay. I guess when you will be ready you will tell me...”. Spencer sighed defeated. If he was stubborn, Max was too.

They were silent again. Now it was Max who might have fallen asleep at that moment. But Reid was apparently was eager to talk.

“So... you met my mom”. Spencer started the conversation again.

“Yeah, I did” Max replied.

“Did you guys talked?”

“Sort of”... “Well. The mood was not so chatty you know? But she seemed a great woman. She loves you so much. She was devastated seeing you in this bed”

“Yeah, I could guess she did. What did she say when you told her who you are?”

“Ehm... nothing particular”. Max began to feel uncomfortable. Would she have to tell him that she didn't even introduce herself 'properly' to his mother?

“Non?... you sure?”. Reid was puzzled.

“Yeah... why do you ask?”

“I’m sorry... maybe she forgot”. That was the most logical reason he could think of why his mom hadn't recognized Max.

“What?”. Now it was Max who was confused.

“I told her about you but she must forgot…” Spencer mumbled.

“Did you?... did you talk about me to her?”

“Of course I did. You thought I didn’t because she didn’t recognize you?”... “Max, I’m sorry, you know she has Alzheimer…”

“I know. That’s not my point. Just I couldn’t tell if she really didn’t recognize me...”

“Why is that?”

“Ahm... well... maybe I didn’t tell her exactly who I’m. Let’s say I didn’t tell her any at all” Max said with a grimace.

“But… why not?”. Spencer didn't understand why Max had done that.

“I don’t know. Maybe I thought you didn’t mention about me to her...”

“But Max... you’re my girlfriend, why could I keep hide that from my mom?”

“I... I don’t know. You are always busy, you see her no so frequently... it’s not that important anyway”. Max shrugged.

“It’s to me. You’re right I don’t see her that much but I write her letters, you know? Always I do that, and of course I wrote about you to her. She knows...”. Spencer raised his head to meet Max's eyes.

“Now I feel stupid. I didn’t even say my name to her…”. Max tried to avoid eye contact with Reid.

“I don’t understand why you did that... what is it Max?...”

Max couldn’t reply because at that moment, Spencer's doctor entered the room.

“Good afternoon Dr. Reid. I see you’re feeling better”. Max jumped off the bed.

“Yeah. I really do. Thank...thank you”.

“Good to hear it. Now we need to take some blood tests and another scanner”. Doctor said nonchalantly.

“Oh... okay”. Reid replied.

“Your girlfriend could stay here meanwhile. It’s not a problem”

“Thank you” Max mumbled.

“You’ll stay? Right?” Reid asked to Max.

“I promise, I’ll do”

Spencer started to worry. Not for the blood tests nor the scanner. He worried for Max’s last behavior. She looks more distant about some topics. There is something bother her and she won’t tell him about. She met his mother and didn’t tell her who she was. What changed? He in the hospital could be a trigger for strange behavior? Maybe. Even so for the time they knew each other he could tell something happened. He is not going to push her right now but he made a mental note about it. They need to talk about it sooner than later.

As the stretcher pulled away he gave Max a smile. She handed him another. Were they in this together? Apparently yes, but something Spencer was missing and it began to haunt his head. Had he done something wrong without knowing it?

———————

[doyouever-daydream]

Round 2

Long Criminal Minds finale rambling AND LOTS OF SPOILERS.

So I rewatched the finale again ‘cause if I’m already crying let it not be because I’m remembering, let it be because I’m watching it again, lol. Here are some more coeherent thoughts not really but oh, well

Emily deserves this position so much!

CAN WE DISCUSS THE INTENSE LOOK THAT LUKE GIVES GARCIA WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT HIM AND LISA BEING HONEST TO EACH OTHER, IT'S LIKE HE WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING ELSE.

Reid wearing a short sleeved shirt obviously takes me back to seaon 1, crying, I think this was on purpose.

MATT LOOKING AT LUKE WHEN PENELOPE TALKS ABOUT LEAVING.

MATT AND TARA LOOKING AT LUKE LIKE TELL HER.

So I love how Luke is encouraging our bb Penny and reassuring he will still love her no matter what

WE'RE FAMILY! WE'RE FAMILY.

Young Gideon really resembles OG Gideon, not only in looks but manners and everything, hats off to the actor.

Everett Lynch looks like a professor I admire so much that professor and since day one that's bothered me.

I am living for this Rossi/Reid interaction. I think they're bond is very special.

"You go, girl" "Damn, lady" My babies JJ and Tara

ROSSI'S WINK TO BB GARCIA

Roberta Lynch's story impresses me more than Everett's tbh

I'm not sure why JJ's the snipper but I'm loving it.

It really bothers me they let Everett go... REALLY REALLY BOTHERS ME.

Every time they mention SWAT I'm like IS HONDO/MORGAN THERE?

That explosion reminds me of when Hotch was in a similar situation and now I'm sad 'cause he's not here.

I AM SO MAD THEY DIDN'T GIVE MY BABY EMILY THE CHANCE TO BE DIRECTOR.

It can't end with them both being dead. If it does, it's a weak ending.

Ok, Lynch is alive but HOW THEY MISSED THAT WHEN THE REPORTS WERE MADE, LIKE THERE WAS NO BODY.

THIS FLASHBACK SCENE WITH THE OG CAST IS MAKING ME BAWL. IT IS SO SPECIAL AND MEANS SO MUCH TO ME THEY DID THIS.

STRAUSS, I used to hate her and then I loved her so much, it was so hard seeing her die.

OK BUT DOES SOMEONE WATCHES SHERLOCK AS WELL? BECAUSE I NEED TO KNOW IF SOMEONE ELSE THOUGHT DURING SPENCER'S HALLUCINATION ABOUT SHERLOCK'S MIND PALACE WHEN HE WAS SHOT, AND THE SIMILARITY.

Spencer looks so handsome on that picture but I CAN'T SEE HIM THERE.

I do believe George Foyett is THE unsub of this show.

I really love Krystall but I loved Hayden so much.

I love they incorporated girl time even in a small way.

LUKE GETTING HIS BAE AND THE GIRLS COFFEE

That small exchange between Matt and JJ. Besties.

THEY FINALLY KNOW THAT SOAB IS ALIVE.

Check on my baby Reid.

I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, BLONDE MAEVE IS EVERYTHING. My theory is, he dreamed of her having blonde hair because of his mom.

From my opinion Maeve was Spencer's one true love but Max can be someone very special and close to his heart (but also my OC could be Reid's second love lol one day I’ll write that fic that’s been on my head for like 5 years)

ok but when Emily says they need security for their loved ones and then she starts with "Luke" I legit thought she was going to say stay with Garcia, make sure she's fine, which makes no sense but let a girl a dream.

Reid's apartment is number 23, my lucky number is 23, STAHP.

Watching Reid having a seizure is scary af.

Maeve talking about Gideon and that octopus gives me The Good Place vibes lol

I'll say it again MAJOR EPISODE 100 FEELS AND I'M NOT OKAY

MGG ACTING IS ON POINT

My baby Garcia remembering the trauma, sobbing.

MY LIVESTREAM PAUSED LAST NIGHT DURING THE JET PART AND OH MY GOD, BADASS FEMALE CHARACTER I'M TELLING YA

Is it weird that I am so happy that the jet had a part in the finale?

JJ's wedding flashbacks reminds me of when I first started watching this show :(((((((

I love Mendoza and Prentiss BUT I'll go down shipping Emily and Hotch.

THE SIMMONS HAVE ARRIVED

TARA'S LEWK IS FLAWLESS, SHE'S FLAWLESS

WILL LAMONTAGNE JR.

EVERYONE CELEBRATING MY BABY PENELOPE

HEROES BY DAVID BOWIE

GARVEZ DANCING

LOOK AT THAT NERVOUS MESS ASKING QUEEN GARCIA OUT

EMILY AND JJ TALKING ABOUT PENELOPE

CRYING ALL OVER AGAIN

Going back to the BAU after the party is so bittersweet but so thoughtful.

Luke is so sad Penelope is leaving already.

I LOVE TEAPOTS AND PUTTING PLANTS ON TEAPOTS AND LAVENDER. AM I PENELOPE GARCIA?

I knew they were going to give us one final Lily Kershaw song and it's just. I can't.

Watching Garcia's space so empty, breaks my heart.

FINAL THOUGHTS Over all I do feel closure. It could've been better but it could've been worse. Liike way worse. I wished they would finish Lynch's arc like 15 minutes before they did so we could see more of the team. Same with Maeve and Reid, I love them but I wanted more of the team. I wished we would've seen JJ's and Matt's kids one last time :( They failed to give us some closure on Tara baby, protect her at all costs.

I already said this, I started watching CM towards the end of season 7 and if I recall correctly it was the first time they ended the season at Rossi’s backyard AND used a Lily Kershaw song so for me watching this parallel for the series finale is very special (and sad and satisfying and nostalgic)

Having read interviews about the finale with Erica Messer and Kirsten Vangsness, I do understand more the finale and I feel content. Super sad and heartbroken and I still wanna cry all the time but content.

[neshabeingchildish]

Share a Scare

Earlier today, I made a list of every illness/infection that I’ve had over the past couple of months, and let me tell y’all, I am not exaggerating or joking when I say I am ready to die. I honestly could die today and be so happy with that. I hate my life. I’m tired of being in pain and tired of getting sick and not being able to afford to get well, but Happy Valentines’ Day anyway. Here is an update. Sorry they’ve been so scarce.

Share-a-Lair 9

Charlotte was asleep on top of Max whenever Billy and Nora began to get ready to go. Their parents were going to come pick them up, so they tried to quietly wash up and gather their things without waking Max and Charlotte. Nora even texted them that Max was asleep so not to make noise whenever they came, after she silently snapped a photo of them to potentially use against him later. He looked more peaceful than she could remember seeing him and he even seemed to be smiling a little, though with the eye mask on, she wondered if he was actually asleep. Had to be though, because he'd have sensed her so close for that photo otherwise.

When the monitor sounded, “Alert, parents approaching,” Max abruptly snatched off his eye mask and started trying to get up. He slid Charlotte over carefully and she stirred a little, but hugged the pillow and remained sleeping. 

After a moment to drink her in (which Nora definitely noticed), Max urged his siblings to get their things and leave out of the door before their parents came in. However, they made their way in, saw him and Hank cheered, “Oh! You’re awake!” He winced and looked at Charlotte. Still asleep. He put his finger in front of his mouth and shoved Billy and Nora towards the door.

“Max, who is that girl?” Barb wondered.

“A friend. A sleeping friend. Shhh.”

“That’s Charlotte,” Billy said. “She says she isn’t Max’s girlfriend, but they sleep in the same bed and hold hands and stuff a lot. I think they even kiss!” 

Barb and Hank both looked a mixture of surprised and excited to hear this. They'd heard of this Charlotte a few times and well, Max hadn't been involved with anybody in a while and he was usually his best self when involved with someone special. 

“Get out!” Max hissed, pushing the line of them towards the door as they protested, his parents asked questions, Billy defended his assessment, Nora fussed about being rudely shoved, and Max shut and locked the door behind them. 

Just in time, because Charlotte stirred and looked up at him. Breathily, he greeted, “Heyyyy, You. Good morning. Sorry to wake you. Billy and Nora left kinda noisily.” She was still partially asleep when she sat up and just sat there for a moment, sort of looking around the room. She was adorable when she first woke up. His heart couldn’t stand it. “You want me to get you some breakfast?” 

She stretched, yawned and reached for her dental pouch on the night stand. “Naw. I gotta get to work. Thanks, though.” She washed up in his bathroom, changed into clothes that she had in his closet and grabbed Penelope and her bag to head for the tower. “See you later!” She cheered and was gone. He was lonely as soon as she left.

.

Over the next  few weeks, a few things happened. Charlotte began to sleep over every night, without it being a conversation or requiring explanation. Also, Henry got really busy (and cranky), as his superhero advancement assessments neared. This meant that Charlotte was a little bit busier, too, and spent more time in the tower than usual. 

She began moving most of her work needs into Henry's lair. If he passed his assessments and became a hero in his own right, she didn't know if he was going to even remain working with Ray. They were close, but Ray was sort of a mess and well… 

Henry would never reach his true potential if he just went along with him all the time. He might even be held back if he focused on his loyalty to Ray more than his loyalty to himself and his own abilities. He worked hard to get out of the shadow of Captain Man and to be fair, he worked harder than Ray did, in general.

It was a point that she was making as she gave herself a pedicure in Max's room while he was working out. "I mean… even you, as an already established superhero are here to advance and not necessarily remain in Phoebe's shadow…"

"What do you mean, Phoebe's shadow?" He asked.

"I just mean, well.. she was first. In superhero… on the path…"

"Yeah, but I bested her and was granted the position on Z-Force. Our next assignment was leading together, as a team."

"A team of Thundergirl and SuperMax. Rarely ever said the other way around."

"You think Phoebe is better than me?"

"I think Phoebe has been working as a superhero longer than you and that it's something that others are aware of and something that you probably have thought about a few times. Why are you acting like this?" She was genuinely confused, because this conversation wasn't even about HIM, it was about Henry and she was merely mentioning him to establish empathy. Now, he looked mad or something. But, he smiled.

"I'm good." The shade of red that he was let her know that wasn't my true. She bit her lip. "What were you saying? Something something, Henry. Something something something, Kid Danger." 

She sighed. "Can I not discuss my job in your room?"

"Henry is your job? I haven't heard shit about what you do tonight. Just like a huge list of reasons that Henry is too good for Captain Man…" 

There he was. There was the Max Thunderman that she had been wondering Whatever happened to him? And for whatever reason, seeing him like this… hurt her feelings. "Sorry. I will take my list and go." She began to grab her stuff, but wondered if she should just get her immediate things and go, or take all the crap she'd let get comfy in here the past few weeks? 

She was considering it when she felt his hands take her wrists gently, "Charlotte, don't go. I'm sorry." She didn't want to look at him. If she did, she might be susceptible. And she couldn't be susceptible. His tone was unwarranted, unnecessary and hurtful. 

"Acknowledged. I'll talk to you when we've cooled off." Able to keep herself from looking at him, she grabbed her phone and nothing else. She worried that staying a moment longer might make her weak. 

"Char…"

"Goodnight, Max." She told him and headed for the tower. She hoped Henry wouldn't make a thing out of this, but she was too upset to be in Max's quarters right now and she certainly wasn't about to sit in her car and cry. Besides, there was a couch in the lab if she simply couldn't face Henry.

Whenever she came into the tower, Henry and Jasper had the TV on and were sitting mighty close. Henry was leaning back against the couch on the floor and Jasper was laying on his belly on the couch, resting on his elbow with his other arm rested on Hen’s shoulder. They turned whenever they heard the door swoosh and said “Hey!” to her. Charlotte waved a hand and wondered, “Could I chill here a moment? I can go into another room if you two are in the middle of something.”

Jasper sat up to make room on the couch, swinging one leg over Henry’s shoulder where Hen was now leaned back into the opening of his legs. “Nah. Come on. We’re watching this hilarious movie.”

“By hilarious, he means terrifying,” Jasper said. 

She nodded and sat down next to Jasper, who noticed that something wasn’t right and pulled her onto his shoulder. She tried not to cry, but that gesture made her break her resolve. He looked at her and she just wiped her eyes and shook her head. PLEASE DON’T ASK. Fortunately, he did not. He didn’t say anything, either as Henry was oblivious and throwing his head back to cackle at the horror scenes on TV. 

After a while, she was falling to sleep on Jasper’s shoulder and Henry was getting up to get ready to go to bed. “She asleep?”

“Yeah,” Jasper said.

“Gonna leave her here, or take her with us?”

“I don’t wanna leave her here. I think something happened. She was sad when she got here,” she heard Jasper say. Now, she had to either let them know that she wasn’t asleep yet so that much more wouldn’t be said, or pretend to be asleep to avoid facing any questions or feelings.

“Okay. Well, bring her. I’m ready for bed,” Henry said. She felt Jasper gently shift her to carry her bridal style to Henry’s room and continued to pretend to be asleep.

The three of them heard the computerized voice call, “Alert, Superior Hero to You approaching.” 

Henry looked around, “What the heck was that?” he asked.

“The monitor thingy announcing Max,” Jasper said, settling Charlotte in bed.

“But, why does she say THAT to announce him?” Henry asked.

“Probably because he’s good with computers and most likely programmed her to do so,” Jasper said, laughing a little. “Get rid of him. He’s probably the reason Charlotte was upset. He never comes to your chambers.”

“Right?” 

Henry went to his door and opened it to see Max, clearly fresh out of the shower and seemingly upset. “What?” Henry asked.

“Hey… Is Charlotte here? Her car is still outside, but I think she blotted herself off of the house scan.”

“If she did, I’m guessing it was to dodge you. I don’t know how to check a fuckin’ house scan and I’m positive Jasper doesn’t either. What did you do wrong?”

Max nodded his head and looked at the floor. “You’re right. Sorry to bother you at this time of night. I was just worried about us… her…” He sighed and wiped his hand through his hair. “Just… if she ever wants to talk to me, I’ll be available for her, anytime, always.” He turned and started leaving.

“No snivelling or smug little quips?” Henry asked.

Max winced and forced a smile, “Goodnight, Henry.” He didn’t say anything else as he left the exit from the tower into the main house. 

Henry just watched him. What the hell was that about? Henry went into his bedroom, where Jasper was laying on his belly and Charlotte was sitting up. They both were facing the door, waiting for him. He was startled to see them not going to bed. “You two aren’t going to bed, and I’m ready to. So, if you’re about to gash over Max, take it out of here.” 

“What did he say?” They both asked, ignoring Henry’s request.

He rolled his eyes, “Something like he’ll wait forever to talk to you or something. Go ask him. He’s barely out of the tower. All I know for sure is that you two better let me go to sleep,” he crawled into bed and they got up. 

Jasper walked Charlotte to the door and wondered, “You gonna be alright?”

“Of course. You guys have hurt my feelings worse than he could, plenty of times.”

“Yeah, but that’s different. We’re your friends, that’s your… you know…” Jasper said with the shrug of his shoulders. 

Charlotte was too tired to do her whole ‘Whatever do you mean?’ routine, and too sad. So, she just said, “I think that makes it hurt worse. Whenever your friends don’t get it. When they just hurt you and keep going.”

Jasper felt bad. He knew that he and Henry had issues regarding this topic. He was working on it, though. Tonight, he just said, “Well, at least Max didn’t just keep going. He wants to make it right, whatever he did to hurt you and he wanted to do that tonight. If I had a guy like that, with his hair, and brains, the superpowers, my God, that print! I’d be letting him off easy every time, much more the first time.”

“I am. I just… I guess I’m not used to BS from him. I’m used to him being this escape from being sad or angry.”

“That doesn’t seem fair. I know he’s a super, but he’s human. Go talk to him, forgive him, love on him and you know, give him a little tug, on my behalf…” She cackled at Jasper’s shamelessness. 

“Henry is gonna ban you if you keep this up,” she warned.

“He should just take it as an opportunity to step his D game up.”

“Wow. Goodnight, Jasper.” She left laughing.

Max heard the monitor announce, “Alert, Future Baby Mama approaching,” and he gasped and assessed himself. He had been eating his feelings for several minutes, gorging on treats from the snacker and had a pile next to him and probably some on his face! He rushed to make sure he was presentable, and when she landed on the landing pad, he felt at least… clean.

She got up and fiddled with her fingers, “Hey. You’re still up.”

“Yeah,” he said and approached her. He stopped just short of her face and put his hands together. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to behave so jealous. I just hate how much you love him. I don’t know. It finally got to me when you just… KEPT talking about him.”

“Jealous?” She repeated, with her eyebrow raised. She sighed, laughed, then squealed, “Men are infuriating!” 

He nodded, feeling really disappointed in himself, “I try really hard to be perfect for you, because I know that you’re generally surrounded by infuriating men..”

She softened and stepped closer, to fill the space between them, then just hugged him. “That is so unnecessary, Max. Just be you. I like him. I liked him from Day 1… hundred.” He laughed into her hair and hugged her back. “It’s beneath you, Dude. You and Henry being jealous of each other is SO stupid and I don’t understand why either of you feel that way!”

He leaned back to look at her, “The fact that you don’t know why Henry would be jealous of me is part of my insecurity. He should be jealous of me. I’m ME!” 

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, “And he’s him. Neither of you could ever be what the other one is to me, so to be jealous is absolutely ridiculous. You two don’t mean the same thing to me. You’re never gonna be my lifelong best friend, because that’s already happened already and nobody else can be that for me, not you, not anybody. And as that person for me, Henry’s NEVER gonna be able to be anything else, in my eyes, so for you to be jealous, when you’re who you are to me...”

He stared into her eyes for a moment, waiting for her to elaborate. He really didn’t want to ask her, but since she didn’t seem to be willing to volunteer the information, he did. “Who am I to you?”

“You’re my Maximus,” she said and diverted her gaze from his eyes.

Whether she meant maximus as in “greatest” or “My Maximus,” as in she was FINALLY claiming him, he was satisfied. Beyond, in fact. She looked at him again and saw him smiling. “Let’s go to bed, okay? No more Henry talk,” she decided. 

He nodded in agreement. He hadn’t ever wanted to talk about him in the first place. He gave her a kiss on the lips then rested his lips on her face, “Deal.”

[dcbbw]

My Top Three

Thanks for the tags @loveellamae​, @ao719​, @bobasheebaby​, and @choiceslife​!

My top three personal (and personally written by me) fics are:

Aftermath of a Breakup/DC AU

Summary: The gang are regular folks (no titles, no crown, no court) living, working, and loving in Washington, DC.

Liam is a lawyer with an on point sock game; Riley and Max work together at a non-profit; Olivia is an HR director for a hotel chain; Madeleine is Bertrand’s executive assistant; Drake is a supervisor at a government agency; Leo is a software engineer; and Alyssa is a life skills instructor for women transitioning back into society.

We meet their work circles, their neighbors, and explore their relationships (Drake dumped Riley at Target; Liam and Penelope were an item). It’s just a different take on my favorite gang.

 Why it’s a favorite: There is so much of my life and world in this AU, it practically writes itself. I enjoy seeing the gang as they could/would be if they all were on equal footing (and smoking weed). It was meant to be a one-shot, so we can all thank @ao719, @burnsoslow, and @sirbeepsalot for pushing me to explore them further.

 Discontent

Summary: Liam and Riley were the royal couple Cordonia both needed and wanted: young, in love, helping their citizenship. But fertility issues raise doubts among the people, and insecurities within Riley. Their marriage is on the brink of divorce because of drinking and infidelity, but neither wants to give up on the other. Is it too late?

Why it’s a favorite: It’s a Liam x Riley I had never seen before, and really wanted to explore. To be so in love, but to have no hope. Exploring how they deal with their weaknesses, what duty means to each of them, and consequences of actions and directives.

For my third, I’m torn between Anton and Liara (currently found on my Masterlist under Liam x Kiara)

Summaries: Anton explores how the leader of the Sons of Earth is still working to make his dream of claiming the throne a reality. He is turning Court against each other from his jail cell, with help from the inside. Who’s helping him, and will they succeed?

Liara: Set in an AU where this is no Riley Brooks, and Liam is married to Madeleine, the King and his mistress fall in love. Liam plans to divorce Madeleine and marry Kiara, but the Queen is pregnant with the heir. Will love or duty win?

Why they’re favorites: Anton is suspenseful intrigue, and as a writer, it makes me think outside the box. It’s constructed of webs and weaves that will eventually intersect, and I love making it happen.

Liara … another one shot that I was curious to explore, and to see Liam find real love with someone other than Riley is very satisfying. And I love seeing Madeleine’s cunning come into play as I tend/try to make her both relatable and redeemable. I have to admit I was surprised that this fic and pairing were so well received.

[prettyboyspenceee]

Chapter 2 - Saved

A/N: Yay! Part 2! I hope all you like it! Keep liking and reblogging!

Description: Olivia’s hidden talent and sleeping arrangements are revealed. 

Character Appearances: Olivia Morales, Spencer Reid, Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, Emily Prentiss, Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Penelope Garcia, Derek Morgan

 Disclaimer: I don’t own Criminal Minds, sorry to disappoint! I do own Olivia Morales and other surprise characters.

Word Count: 1,548

Posted: October 27th, 2019

---

5 Months Later

Olivia took cases with kids hard. The case that the team had just closed reminded her that she just couldn't save everyone, no matter how hard she tried. 

Usually, after a case, Olivia and Spencer had a tradition of getting takeout from their favorite Mexican restaurant and eating in one of their apartments. It was something that they had between the two of them, separate from the team. 

Dinner was at Spencer's apartment tonight. He was playing Beethoven on his radio as they ate. 

"Hey, Liv, are you okay?" 

Olivia looked up from her food and gave Spencer a weak smile, "I will be." 

Spencer nodded. He felt the same way. 

After the pair finished dinner, Olivia went back to her apartment. Spencer couldn't help but feel worried for his friend, his heart ached when he saw her in pain. 

--- 

Olivia slipped on her oversized Georgetown shirt and her way too short sleep shorts. She took a deep breath and drifted to sleep.

On the other side of the hallway, Spencer was in the middle of his third book of the night when he first heard the screaming. He threw his book down, grabbed his gun and rushed out into the hallway. 

When he realized that the screaming was coming from Olivia's apartment, his blood turned cold. He quickly grabbed the spare key and rushed into Olivia's apartment. 

He found her in the bedroom, screaming. 

"Olivia! Liv! Wake up!" Spencer said, frantically shaking her awake. 

Olivia sat up and looked at Spencer with wide eyes that were filled with tears. 

"Spence?"

"Hey, Liv. You're okay, it's going to be okay."

Spencer pulled Olivia into a tight hug and she let out gut-wrenching sobs.

As Olivia calmed down she pulled away from Spencer and wrapped herself in the covers of her bed, "God, I'm so sorry, Spence. This is so embarrassing."

"Don't ever apologize. We all get them."

She nodded, "Oh no. Your shirt is soaked."

He smiled, "It's fine. I like my shirts soggy anyway."

"Let me get you another shirt," Olivia untangled herself from the bedsheets and went to get Spencer another shirt. 

Spencer was a gentleman, but he couldn't help but stare at the exposed leg of his coworker. His heart raced when he saw her every morning on their way to work, but this was different. Spencer felt like his heart was on fire. 

He was sucked out of his train of thought by a shirt being thrown in his face, "Hey!" 

He heard Olivia laugh, "You're welcome!"

Spencer quickly pulled off his wet shirt with ease, completely forgetting he was in Olivia's bedroom.

Olivia sucked in a breath, Spencer had abs. They weren't six-pack abs like Derek's, but they were abs. Olivia never noticed how defined his muscles actually were. Olivia's heart soared when she saw Spencer, but now her heart was racing. 

She was thankful for the dimmed light in her bedroom so Spencer couldn't see the blush that was slowly rising to her face. 

"Uh - I'll guess I'll head out then?" Spencer said.

"No!" 

Spencer looked at Olivia with concern, "I mean... can you stay?"

"Of course,” Spencer was never one for physical contact, but he felt safer with Olivia, he welcomed all physical contact with Olivia, big or small.

Olivia smiled and crawled back into bed, "Lay down, Spence. I promise I don't bite." 

Spencer laughed, "I really hope you don't." 

Needless to say, both Spencer and Olivia slept like babies. 

--- 

"Hey, Mouse? Late night?" Morgan asked Olivia. 

Olivia smiled, "Something like that." 

Garcia came rushing into the bullpen before Morgan could reply, "Hey guys, we have a case." 

By Garcia's expression, Olivia could tell it was a bad one. 

"Garcia, what do we got?" Rossi asked. 

"Orlando, Florida. Elle Newbury, Michael Yung, Patrica Martinez, and Lauren Marks were all killed 2 weeks apart. All were found 3 miles away from each other, and they were all," Garcia shuddered, "missing their tongues."

"Well, the unsub crosses gender and racial lines. The removing of tongues could be symbolic, he might want to silence them," Olivia said. 

"Or he could just be some sicko keeping the tongues as souvenirs," Emily mentioned. 

"Aren't they all sickos?" JJ asked. 

The team hummed in agreement, "What do you think Reid?" Morgan asked. 

"Liv took the words straight out of my mouth." 

"Spencer Reid? Speechless?" Olivia laughed. 

"Since when does Reid call you Liv?" Emily said with a smirk. 

"Since Morgan has been calling me Mouse," Olivia replied with a smirk that could make Emily's wither with shame.

"Alright everybody, wheels up," Hotch announced. 

--- 

The team had been in Orlando for a week and Olivia hated it. The body count for this unsub was racking up and the team couldn't figure out why. 

Olivia and Spencer were working the case on a couch in the local police department and they were both running on no sleep, just coffee. It wasn't long before the pair fell into their habits and they fell asleep together. 

"Oh my god," Emily whispered. 

"Garcia is going to have a field day with this," JJ said with a quiet laugh.

"Do we wake them?" Derek asked.

"Let them be, we'll brief them later," Rossi said, entering the conference room.

"Okay. But what about Hotch?" JJ asked. 

"It's fine. They need rest, their minds are overworked," Hotch said as he entered the conference room. 

Olivia turned in her sleep and the team watched as Spencer unconsciously pulled her closer to him. 

"Oh god, JJ, please tell me you got that on video," Morgan pleaded. 

"I'm sending it to Garcia as we speak."

---

"It's the unsubs personal vendetta!" Olivia announced. 

"How do you know, Livvy?" Emily asked her. 

"It was bothering me that the victims seemed to have no connection, so I had Garcia do some digging. It turns out that all of the victims were a part of the same AA group." 

"How did we miss this?" Hotch asked. 

"AA is anonymous. The victims never told their families and Garcia said it never showed on their records because they ALL used aliases. Anyways, I called some members of the group and although they were reluctant, they gave me the information we need. It turns out that one week before the killings started, a man named Max Gerard lost his 10-year sobriety chip, he came in screaming saying that it was the group's fault." 

"That has to be the trigger," Rossi said. 

"Do we have an address?" Spencer asked. 

"Yup, Garcia just sent it over now," Olivia replied. 

--- 

"Reid, Rossi, and JJ, I want you to go through the back. Morales and Prentiss, I want you to watch the windows, we have to assume that he's armed and he's willing to shoot his way out. Morgan, you're with me," Hotch gave his orders and everyone followed. 

It wasn't Olivia's first takedown but for some reason, she was uneasy.

Olivia took the right side of the house while Emily took the left side. 

"Gerard has Reid. Does anyone have a clear shot?" Olivia heard JJ through the coms.

Olivia felt her heart drop, "I don't have a clear shot," Emily said through the coms. 

The rest of the team confirmed that they didn't have a shot, "Morales? Do you have a shot?" Hotch asked. 

Olivia took a deep breath, "I do. Tell me when to take the shot." 

"Now!" 

Olivia took the shot and she watched as Gerard fell to the floor.   

She rushed into the house, "Spence! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

--- 

After the week-long case, the team was finally back on the jet. 

"Hey, Mouse, where did you learn how to shoot like that?" Derek asked. 

"I taught myself. Scored a 100 on every firearms test."

Derek scoffed, "Who knew that our 5'2 resident princess of the BAU was such a good shot."

"We all did," Rossi said. 

The rest of the team nodded and laughed at Derek's expression. 

The team occupied themselves with their own activities Olivia moved over to the couch Spencer was on. 

"Can I join you?"

"Yeah, of course," Spencer scooted over so Olivia could have space. 

"Liv, I - I wanted to thank you, for saving me." 

"Spence, earlier this week you saved me from a nightmare. Every time we sleep in the same bed, couch or chair, you save me. We save each other Spence, you don't have to thank me for that."

Spencer nodded, "I guess we really do save each other."

Olivia yawned, "Hell yeah we do." 

"Are you tired?" 

Olivia nodded, "Just a bit."

Spencer readjusted his position so he and Olivia could lay comfortably on the couch, "Sleep for a while. I'll wake you up when we land."

Olivia smiled, "Thanks, Spence." 

Olivia rested her head on Spencer's chest and she couldn't help but feel safe when Spencer wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. 

Once again, Spencer and Olivia fell asleep in each other's arms. The team couldn't help but smile as JJ took another photo. 

"Hey, JJ, I feel like we should make a scrapbook of these," Emily suggested. 

"Don't worry, Pen's already working on it." 

--- 

Little Rock, Arkansas was where the first victim showed up. Richard Monroe was missing a pinky. He would be the first of many. 

--- 

tags: @reid-187​