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fridayfirefly · 4 years

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crushed petals, shattered glass, and other broken things

Read crushed petals, shattered glass, and other broken things on AO3

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For Maribat March Day 17 - Court of Owls

Marinette was twelve years old, and she was a knife. Delicate in her looks, deceiving in her appearance, Marinette was the most dangerous weapon in the arsenal of the Court of Owls. She was an assassin. She was a spy. She was clever, cunning, versatile. Most importantly, she was a knife, a sharp tool to be used to inflict violence. It was a role that suited her well. Marinette was training to become the Talon of the Court of Owls, and she was untouchable.

-----

Marinette was thirteen years old, and she wanted to know how she came to be. Procreation was easy to understand scientifically, but part of Marinette's brain objected to the idea that she had two parents. Marinette was a knife, and knives were forged by hammer and fire, sharpened to a point by tools so that it might become a tool itself. Marinette could not have come from something as human as love. Love has no role in the creation of a knife.

To settle the conflict, Marinette did what she did best - she snooped around, gathered intel, and created the most likely version of events. From what she could tell, her Grandmother, an associate of the Court of Owls but not an actual member, betrayed the Court. As punishment, Marinette was taken away from her family to be raised by the Court. Marinette's surname, kept hidden from her for thirteen years, was Dupain-Cheng.

The very concept of a surname was blasphemous. Marinette had no family. She belonged to the Court of Owls. And yet, sometimes at night, when she was alone in the dark, Marinette mouthed the words, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Something deep within her stirred.

-----

Marinette was fourteen years old, and she was supposed to kill the whole family. The mother and father, Marinette knew she could kill, but to kill their three children felt inhumane. The youngest wasn't even a year old. Marinette had completed hundreds of missions identical to this one. Sneak in, poison the food, sneak out, wait for the obituary in the newspaper in a day or two. However, this time Marinette couldn't do it.

Marinette cut the tracking chip out of her neck, crushed it beneath her boot, and disappeared into the shadows of the city. It was entirely unplanned, the only reason that Marinette was able to escape. Marinette didn't know much about life in the outside world, but she knew that it had to be better than the alternative, spending the rest of her life as a tool of the Court of Owls.

What Marinette didn't know was that the city she was disappearing into had a certain reputation. Soon, as she learned the true nature of Gotham, Marinette would wish that she stayed with the Court.

-----

Marinette was fifteen years old, and she now knew the true depravity of man. There was so much tragedy on the streets of Gotham. Some of the tragedies Marinette was able to prevent. Knives, after all, are just as good at preventing violence as they are at inflicting it. For other tragedies, Marinette was only able to witness the aftermath. For the victims, she had nothing to give. Knives can only hurt, they cannot heal.

Marinette loathes Gotham, a hatred that burns through her down to her core. In the Court of Owls, violence was planned. On the streets of Gotham, violence was random. It was so much worse. But a safer city would be more dangerous for Marinette, who needed deep shadows to hide in.

Marinette lived on the streets. She knew that she could pickpocket enough money to rent an apartment. It would be easy, the roughest slums of Gotham, to find someone willing to rent to a child, so long as they had the money. But Marinette's fear and pain had nothing to do with the physical conditions of living on the streets. It was all psychological. The horrors that Marinette had seen haunted her like a ghost.

The worst incident was Hannah, whose death shattered Marinette to her very core. Hannah was only seventeen years old, only two years older than Marinette herself. Marinette didn't know much about the girl, other than that she was on the streets because her boyfriend had threatened to kill her and the police wouldn't do anything until there was physical proof. Except, the way Hannah explained it was that the police wouldn't get involved until she was already dead. Marinette had offered to protect the older girl, but she shooed her away. Hannah told Marinette that she wouldn't let anything happen to herself. She told Marinette that she was tough.

Evidently, Hannah wasn't tough enough for the streets of Gotham. Marinette cried over the body for thirty minutes, cried so hard for so long that she knew she wasn't a knife anymore. Knives would never cry. Knives would cut right back. But Marinette was so sick of violence, so she cried and cried. Eventually, she knocked on the door of a house down the street, asking to borrow a phone to call the police and report a murder. Hannah's body was taken away. The police were ambivalent, they didn't even ask Marinette for a statement. To the police, Hannah was another victim of Gotham and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

This world was so deeply and terribly bad that Marinette didn't know how the rest of the world could survive it. Marinette didn't know if she wanted to survive it.

-----

Marinette was sixteen years old, and she finally got herself involved in the vigilante side of Gotham. Before Red Hood entered the scene, Crime Alley was a mess of villains and vigilantes, in a constant battle between chaos and order. Marinette never got involved. She had spent many years as a weapon, long enough to learn that a weapon can only harm and can never heal.

Red Hood toed the line between villain and vigilante. His network of crime was more civilized than any other the other organizations vying for control of Gotham. He kept the streets safe by keeping the most dangerous players in line. Marinette had to admit, he did more good for Crime Alley than Gotham's actual police force.

Still, that didn't mean that Marinette wanted to get involved. She preferred to keep to herself, keep out of the way, and keep in the shadows. It was safer that way.

That November evening when Marinette met Red Hood was cold. The rain that had come in the afternoon had frozen to ice. Marinette shivered as she sat in the alleyway, back against the brick wall, arms wrapped around her knees, hugging herself into a tight little ball. Winter was fast approaching, and Marinette knew that she needed to find better shelter.

Marinette hadn't been quick enough. Marinette should have fled the alley as soon as she saw the three brutish men start walking down it, but she was so cold she wasn't sure if she would be able to get her feet to move. By the time Marinette had gotten her feet under her to stand up, the three men were surrounding her.

The man in the middle leered at her. "You look cold. Why don't you come with us? We'll keep you warm."

There wasn't a trace of a question in his voice. It was a command. However, Marinette knew what happened to the girls who took up the offer, so she vigorously shook her head. She would rather freeze to death than join him in his bed.

"That wasn't a question," he growled, reaching down to grab her and pull her to her feet.

"I wouldn't touch her if I were you," an unfamiliar voice piped up from farther down the alley. "I just might have to remove your hand if you do."

"Red Hood! I was just helping the girl to her feet. I swear I wasn't going to do anything to her." The man sounded terrified, and for good reason. The punishment that Red Hood chose for rapists was well known for its brutality.

"You should leave," snapped Red Hood. The men hurried out of the alleyway, running without looking back. Marinette watched them go, relief rushing through her.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Red Hood asked, offering Marinette a hand to help her to her feet.

Marinette shook her head, squeezing herself into a tighter ball.

"I can take you to the nearest homeless shelter or I can take you to the nearest of my safehouses until I set you up in something permanent."

"I'm fine here," mumbled Marinette. It was the first time she had spoken in weeks. Her own voice sounded foreign to her.

Red Hood scoffed. "You'll freeze to death out here. It's either a homeless shelter or a safehouse. I don't leave girls out on the streets. Not in Gotham. Not in Crime Alley."

Marinette shivered, feeling more than miserable. It was obvious that she wasn't going to be able to convince Red Hood to leave her. A homeless shelter might need identification, which Marinette didn't have. Going to his safehouse was her best bet. "Safehouse."

Red Hood pulled Marinette to her feet. "Alright, safehouse it is. Mind telling me your name?"

"Marinette."

"No last name?"

Marinette shook her head. She hadn't earned a surname yet.

Red Hood took her back to the safehouse and got her settled, bringing over groceries every week as he tried to tempt her into giving him more information about herself. Marinette was reticent to tell him about her past. She doubted that he would still trust her enough to leave her alone if he learned that she used to work as an assassin.

However, Marinette couldn't keep that secret for very long. Two months after meeting Red Hood, as she waited in the kitchen for him to arrive with his weekly delivery of groceries, Marinette was caught off guard as a dark figure burst through the door and attacked her. Marinette didn't want to fight the dark-haired girl, but to be honest she couldn't see any other option, considering the other girl attacked first. The girl was skilled and Marinette was out of practice, after two years away from the Court. The best she could do was hold the other girl off while she tried to figure out an escape plan.

Red Hood came in the front door, which was already ajar from the entrance of the other girl. "Black Bat, stop! Marinette is my guest here," shouted Red Hood over the commotion of the fight.

Black Bat ceased her offensive, falling back into a defensive crouch. She pointed one finger at Marinette and accused, "Talon."

Marinette cringed back. "Not anymore. Never, ever again."

Red Hood stared at Marinette in shock. "You were an assassin?"

Marinette nodded miserably, wishing she could be anywhere else. She should have escaped the safehouse when she had the chance, but her stupid brain decided that Red Hood's safehouse would be a good place as any to spend the winter months.

"Cass? Jason? Why was the door left open...?" The civilian man who walked through the open door stared at the scene in front of him in confusion.

"Aliases, Grayson!" exclaimed Red Hood, or, Jason as he had just been named. Jason took off his mask, casting it aside as he ran his hand through his hair with a groan. "Black Bat, you take Marinette back to the bedroom and help her put bruise cream on wherever you managed to hit her. Grayson, you're coming with me back to the cave so we can explain this situation to you-know-who." Jason almost reached the door before he let out a loud swear "Fuck! I cannot believe that I have to be the responsible one here."

As Jason and his friend left the safehouse, Marinette followed Black Bat - Cass - down the hallway to the bedroom. "Sit," ordered Cass, pointing towards the bed as she starting digging through the bathroom cabinet, looking for bruise cream.

Marinette stripped off her shirt so that Cass could get to the bruises. The only significant hit was a kick to the chest that knocked the breath out of Marinette. It was already turning yellow. Marinette poked it and grimaced at the twinge of pain that followed.

"Don't worry," said Cass as she started to rub the medicine onto Marinette's chest. "Jason will keep you safe."

Cass wasn't lying. Whatever Jason said or did in the hours that he was gone that day, it worked. Two days later, Marinette was moving into Wayne Manor.

Jason explained it all to her on the drive over. "Bruce - Batman - doesn't want an ex-assassin living on the streets in Crime Alley, especially not one in possession of compromising information about our identities. Given that you've already taken the first step towards reformation, Bruce is pretty confident that you're safe to live in the house. He'll help you get back on your feet, get you a new identity, an education, or anything you need."

Marinette froze for a moment, then wrapped Jason up in a hug. It was her first hug and it was better than she expected. "Thank you."

-----

Marinette was seventeen years old, and she finally had a family. The Wayne household was a chaotic place. Marinette used to think that she hated chaos, but she could now see the appeal. Coffee at midnight with Tim, practicing acrobatics with Dick, racing motorcycles with Jason, rescuing farm animals with Damian - none of it was normal, and because of that, Marinette loved it. However, when things got overwhelming and Marinette needed a break from the chaos, she always knew where to go.

Cass was one of the only quiet Waynes (the other being Alfred). In fact, she barely spoke at all. Marinette had learned that she and Cass had quite a few similarities in the nature of their childhoods. They were both taken from at least one of their parents, both raised to be assassins from a young age, both were isolated from the rest of society. Where they differed was the particulars of their education. Cass was raised without language, and she only learned how to speak after she escaped from her father's grasp.

One night, after a patrol that led to Marinette stumbling upon a body that reminded her of Hannah from all those years ago, Marinette walked through the halls of the Manor to Cass's bedroom. All anyone wanted was for Marinette to talk about it. Cass was the only person who wouldn't make that demand of Marinette.

Marinette knocked on the door, two quiet little knocks. Cass cracked open the door, then gestured for Marinette to come inside. Marinette settled down on the couch in the corner, trying to pick out the questions that she wanted to ask Cass. There were so many questions, but Marinette knew that only a few of them were worth asking. They sat in silence for a while, Marinette so lost in thought that she almost forgot that Cass was there, too. Finally, Marinette settled on the question. "Do you ever wish that you could change the past?"

Cass was silent, deep in thought for a few moments before she shook her head. "No."

"Not even if it meant that you could have had a normal childhood?"

"I had a hard childhood," Cass acknowledged. "I like where I ended up. I wouldn't be here without my childhood."

Marinette had one last question to ask. "If you're able to speak now, why do you barely talk."

"I learned to speak," agreed Cass, going silent for a moment before continuing. "I have become proficient at using words to deliver information but I lack the skill to converse with others. I find it difficult to use any more words than necessary. For that reason, people do not like talking to me. I do not talk to those who do not want to talk to me."

"I like talking to you," said Marinette, squeezing Cass's hand. "I can talk enough for the both of us. You don't mind my talking, do you?"

Cass shook her head. "I find your words tolerable. Sometimes even pleasant."

It was a high compliment from Cass. Marinette smiled. "May I hug you?"

Cass nodded, and Marinette wrapped her dearest friend up in a hug.

-----

Marinette was eighteen years old, and it was time for her to create a new identity for herself.

"Do you want a surname?" asked Bruce.

Marinette stared at the screen. There were three options in front of here. The first, to remain nameless. The second, to take on the name she was born with, Dupain-Cheng in remembrance of her parents and the childhood she never got to have. The third, to move on entirely from her past and embrace the future. "Wayne. Marinette Wayne."

@maribatmarch-2k21

#maribat #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #jason todd #cassandra cain #MaribatMarch2021 #miraculous ladybug fic #assassin marinette #my work

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silver-wield · 4 years

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Baby names

"Well, now, there's a figure I ain't seen in a long while. How you been?"

Cloud half-turned at the familiar voice, brows drawn and scowl in place. His expression cleared when he recognised the speaker, and he nodded in greeting. "Sam." He crossed the street, keeping a tight hold on his bag of groceries and sending a glance over his shoulder to indicate where he was going. "Things are good, thanks. You?"

Sam shrugged. "Well as can be expected, all things considered."

Cloud's brow quirked. "That's bullshit," he replied in an amused tone. "With the way fuel's running out you must be raking in the business." He had a dwindling supply for fenrir, but sooner or later even that would be gone. The planet was healing and people were finding more natural ways to live. Strife Delivery would eventually have to adapt too. But not yet.

Sam slotted his thumbs through the loops on his jeans and laughed. "You got me there." The intervening ten years since Cloud last saw Sam were fairly kind to him. With greying hair and a slight paunch, he still carried himself with that reckless air every hardened gambler had. Looking around, Sam gestured at Cloud's groceries and said, "Y'all out with your lady friend? Strange seeing you lookin' all domesticated."

Cloud shook his head and glanced to his right as a couple of boys came running up. "Did you get it?"

The elder one nodded and held up a bag of dumb apples. "Did I get enough, dad?"

Sam's brows shot up. "Well now, that's unexpected." He frowned at the gangly teenager with messy brown hair and a broad smile. "Is my math wrong?"

Cloud scoffed. "Probably." He put his hand on his son's shoulder. "This is Denzel." He pulled the younger boy to stand in front of him. "And this is Zack."

Sam's keen gaze swept over a six year old with black hair and blue eyes. "Looks like his mother," he said at last, looking up and smirking at Cloud. "Said you'd be ridin' to her rescue."

"Yeah, I'm a real Prince," Cloud said in a dry tone.

Zack tugged on Cloud's wrist. "Be nice."

Denzel smothered a laugh. "We should get back before mom's craving makes her eat the bar."

Cloud smothered a chuckle and nodded.

Sam smirked. "Expectin', is she?" At Cloud's nod, he added, "Congratulations."

Raising a hand to the back of his head, Cloud looked bashful, but smug, as he replied, "Thanks."

"Nice little family you've got."

"We got sisters, too," Zack said, then pulled a face. "I want the baby to be a boy, so there's more of us."

Cloud ruffled Zack's hair. "Girls aren't so bad."

Sam looked at Cloud like he was staring at a stranger. "You really Cloud? What, you running an orphanage or something?"

Denzel and Cloud looked amused.

"More like mom collects kids."

"Hey, you're one of those kids."

"I'm not a kid anymore." Denzel folded his arms and tried to look tough.

Sam laughed. "You look as much a runt as this one used to." He pointed at Cloud and grinned.

Cloud rolled his eyes and tightened his hold on the groceries in his arm. "Runt who saved the planet twice," he muttered in a petulant voice.

Zack tugged on Cloud's arm again. "Dad, I'm bored."

Cloud raised his eyebrows and shrugged one shoulder. "Nice seeing you. Come on, boys."

Arriving back at Seventh Heaven, Cloud watched Zack dragging Denzel across the room to where Tifa sat at a corner table with Marlene and Shelke. He proudly presented the bag of apples and grinned at Tifa's praising of them both. While it appeared Denzel was acting cool, Cloud could see he was also happy at Tifa's compliments as she took a bite of a dumb apple and looked rapturous at the taste. Though she'd tied her long hair up, strands already escaped to frame her face. She seemed relaxed, though Cloud recognised the accounting books sitting in front of her, which always put furrows in her brow no matter how good business was. A few customers sat at other tables, with Marlene or Shelke getting up to serve them.

At fourteen, Marlene cultivated a confident attitude similar to Tifa's. She still wore her hair in a braid with a ribbon tying it up in honour of Aerith.

After stashing the groceries, Cloud went to the table and caught the tail end of the girls conversation. Baby names. Great. He and Tifa broached the topic in bed the night before and wound up agreeing to disagree. He felt like he'd missed something during the conversation, but couldn't figure out why Tifa had reservations. It wasn't like when they'd decided on Zack's name. With a catch in his voice, he'd suggested it after a long period mulling it over. The relief on Tifa's face made him realise she'd been thinking something else was going on with him and he'd promised not to worry her like that again. Zack for a boy and Aerith for a girl in honour of their lost friends. It seemed fitting at the time, though Cloud was glad when the baby turned out to be a boy. His guilt over Zack's death lessened with the passing years, but he knew he never lived up to being a legacy. This way he kept his vow and only felt positive things whenever he thought of his best friend. But, when he suggested Aerith's name again this time Tifa seemed reluctant and wouldn't say why.

"What about a flower name?" Marlene suggested, as she sat back at the table beside Shelke.

"Yes, that would be neutral and an homage," Shelke added.

Tifa hummed and shrugged. Her gaze flicked to Zack and she said, "Maybe. I dunno. I feel like--oh, Cloud, is everything okay?" She looked at him and smiled.

He nodded. "Yup." The look on her face spoke volumes and he didn't want to wait until later to work this out. "Guys, give us a minute?"

Marlene and Shelke got up without argument, but Denzel needed a push to move.

"Why? Can't I stay?" Zack looked at Tifa.

She smiled and brushed a hand through his spiky hair. "It'll just be a minute, then we'll go take some photos, okay?"

Zack pouted. "Promise?"

Tifa nodded. "Uh huh." She held her pinky finger out and Zack linked it with his own. They touched thumbs and he said, "You gotta or else."

With a sweet and low pitched laugh, Tifa encouraged Zack to follow his siblings upstairs. Her face grew less animated when she looked up at Cloud. "What did you want to talk about?"

Cloud drew in a slow breath, then slid into the booth beside her and turned to face her. He laid his arm along the back of the seat and took one of her hands in his. "Baby names?"

Tifa tried to smile. "It's nothing, really. I just didn't want to worry you."

He'd figured it out. Because they'd chosen to honour Zack's memory Tifa thought they had no choice but to do the same with Aerith. "You wanna choose a different name for a girl?"

She shook her head. "It's not that exactly. It's just there's so much. Too much for a child to carry."

Tifa was right. Even Aerith's name had a heavy burden attached to it. With Zack there wasn't that expectation. It was only a debt to Cloud, something personal between them, that added importance to the name. It wasn't so heavy, and even though Cloud felt that weight at times, mostly it lifted his spirits every time he looked at his son and thought of the memories he carried with him. Still, it seemed Tifa wanted to honour Aerith's memory, but didn't want to burden their child with an entire planet's legacy. He laid a hand on her stomach. The pregnancy was just over halfway and Tifa still didn't have a large bump. Her physique and fitness kept her fairly slim still, though last time she'd seemed to balloon overnight during the last two months. As it was right now, she just looked a little fuller figured. Like their baby was a precious secret only they knew. "What did Marlene suggest?" He'd heard something about flowers and figured Tifa was searching for a suitable substitute name.

After some hesitation, Tifa replied, "Lily." She laughed softly. "She remembered the one from the bar before. I said it means reunion and--" She broke off and took a deep breath. Tears sprang to her eyes and she shook her head. "I think maybe it's a good fit. What do you think?"

She looked at him with earnest eyes that shone with unshed tears. Cloud gathered her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Sounds good to me." It seemed Tifa was sure this baby was a girl the way she'd predicted Zack's gender. "Is this what you were trying to tell me last night?" He'd misunderstood. When Tifa broached names he'd been tired from a day of work and just wanted to hold her close and go to sleep. It was his fault he thought she meant something different to what things really were.

"Hmm." She nodded as she wound her arms around him and hugged tight. "Sorry. I should have explained it better."

Cloud shook his head. "It's on me. I should've thought it through." He leaned back to look her in the eye. "I'll do better."

Tifa smiled at him and said in a teasing voice, "You're already doing pretty good."

"Oh yeah?" He dipped his head towards hers until their lips almost met, then murmured, "Do I get a reward?" He enjoyed how she blushed in the seconds before she kissed him.

Things were okay, and would continue that way.

#final fantasy 7 remake #cloud strife #ff7r #ffviir #cloti #tifa lockheart #final fantasy 7r #final fantasy viir #compilation of final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 advent children #final fantasy 7 remake fanfiction #Ff7 #Ffvii

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irwinkitten · 6 years

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teulu | l.h

pairing: luke x oc notes: so i wrote this after my family member passed away and it was a mostly self-indulgent fic, but also including part of what i grew up with which is the welsh language. the title, teulu is welsh for family. i didn’t want to share this at first, because i’ve been struggling, but then i figured why not? for reference, cariad is welsh for sweetheart. warnings: mentions of death and drug abuse word count: 6.4k!

---

It was a rare time off for Ashton as he stepped into his brand new home.

He felt proud that he had something that not only was his, but something he’d worked for. So as he began setting himself up, getting furniture moved in, he’d spotted one of hi new neighbours struggling with a bag of what seemed to be her groceries.

Something about her seemed to remind him of a grandmother, the way she shuffled her steps but kept a tight grip on the bag as she moved forwards. Without even thinking, he jogged over.

“Hi there, uh, I was wondering if I could help you at all?” She startled and Ashton immediately felt bad.

“Oh you silly lad, giving me a fright like that. I’m old you know.” The welsh accent had caught him off guard and he stuttered for a reply before she laughed. “Don’t worry, but would you mind? These bones aren’t as good as they used to be.”

And so he helped her carry the last of her groceries.

She invited him in for a cold drink and he checked his watch. He still had another couple of hours before the next delivery arrived.

“Figured to make this a holiday home of sorts. I like the climate and although Barcelona is preferable, I need to keep options open. My great-niece would absolutely love it out here, especially the way she jabbers on about wanting to leave England. Oh, I didn’t introduce myself did I? I’m Jenni.”

“Ashton.” He held his hand out and she took it.

“Good strong lad you are. Let me at least feed you before you go back to settling in.” And so Ashton stayed, allowing Jenni to learn his life story and in return she told him of her own family back home.

---

Over the next few years, Jenni visited often enough, once every couple of months. They always had new stories to swap and he found that he appreciated how she was so brash but upfront with him.

When he’d had his heart broken, she sat with him for the day, going about her knitting and allowing him just the solitude of silence, but the clicking sound of her knitting needles was the soft reminder that someone was there with him.

When Luke started to go off the rails, she took him under her wing too, but she was much more firmer, her harsh accent making the soft words of comfort seem uncaring. But Luke had seen her smile with the words and he understood why Ashton loved her as family.

She was supportive and soon Luke got to learn the stories that Ashton already knew, of her family back home, of her nieces and nephews and her great-nieces and great-nephews.

During the times she wasn’t in the house, Ashton promised to look after it for her so that she wouldn’t have to worry about it.

---

It was early September when he returned from an early morning run to find the lights on in Jenni’s house. He headed into his own to shower and change before heading back to Jenni’s.

Using his spare key, he kept his footsteps quiet as he eyed the suitcase sat on the stairs. He knew that it wasn’t Jenni’s.

He came upon the kitchen to see a woman his age, vivid pink curls hanging loose as he heard the kettle bubble in front of her.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

His voice startled her, a scream escaping as she spun around, the empty mug sailing to the floor as her hand gripped her chest.

“Don’t frighten me like that!” She half yelled a second later, her breathing heavy. But Ashton crossed his arms over his chest.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I was making a cup of tea. It’s been a long flight from England.” Ashton nearly groaned at the smart ass comment. The way she said it reminded him of Jenni.

“Who are you and why are you in my neighbours home?”

“My name’s Seren. Judging from the key in your hand, you’re Ashton? Did you not receive any emails or notifications from Ellis and Co?” At his look of bafflement, her face fell and Ashton felt his phone ding.

“Hold that thought-”

“Wait, just check the name. If it’s from them, the email can wait.” He glanced at the notification, confirming that it was an email from Ellis and Co.

“Why would I be getting an email from them?”

“I’m so sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this. Jenni passed away last week.” He froze, eyeing the woman in front of him whose eyes were watery and he could see the honesty in them. Then it hit him.

Jenni was gone.

He found himself stumbling back into the counter and sucking in a harsh breath as he felt tears trickle down his cheeks.

“How?” The question was hollow and he could see her own tears fall.

“She had a series of heart attacks last Tuesday and fell into a coma. She passed away Thursday morning. I would’ve gotten in touch sooner but we only just found out about the house out here.” She whispered and he nodded in understanding.

“Do you mind if I call my friend? It’s just-Jenni helped him too. He absolutely adores-adored her.” He caught himself and watched more tears roll down her cheek as she nodded her head.

“It’s fine. He-you’re both welcome to stay for tea and some food. I picked some up on my way from the airport.” He nodded in thanks before stepping outside and calling Luke.

“You realise the time is still fuckin’ early right?” His bandmate mumbled and Ashton sighed.

“It’s Jenni.” Ashton’s voice was soft and Luke understood immediately.

“I’ll be round in fifteen.” Came the just as soft reply before the dial tone followed. Ashton waited outside, unsure until Luke showed up and the both of them headed back into the house.

“Seren, this is my friend Luke. Luke, this is Seren, Jenni’s niece?” He directed at her and she half smiled as she shook Luke’s hand.

“Great-niece. I wish I could’ve met you both in better circumstances.” Luke nodded his head.

“She’s really gone?” She could feel her heart break all over again and the look on her features seemed to register with the boys.

“She’s gone. We had the will reading a couple of days ago. Ellis had been muttering about houses needing to be sorted out. I now understand why.” She guested to the home they stood in.

“Has the funeral happened yet?” She shook her head.

“Jenni mentioned you both in her will. Unfortunately they couldn’t find a reasonable contact for the both of you so Ellis was relying on me asking around to find out who you were. The funeral is at the end of the week, I’ll be flying back out for it but then flying back here again.”

“Would it be okay if we-”

“You’re family according to Jenni. Says she practically adopted two very tall Australians who couldn’t cook.”

Luke’s face burned a bright red and Ashton snickered.

“How did you guys meet her?” Seren returned to the kitchen cupboards, pulling down three mugs before she began to pick up the broken pieces of the one she dropped.

“I was moving in next door and I noticed she was struggling with her groceries. So I helped her.” Ashton explained with a shrug and Seren chuckled.

“What about you?” Her eyes turned to Luke and his cheeks flushed, his gaze dropping.

“I’ve been, uh, going through a tough time. Jenni gave me the words I needed to hear, even when I didn’t want to hear them.” He admitted quietly and Seren smiled softly.

“She does that. I went off the rails a couple of years ago, my family didn’t want anything to do with me.” She admitted softly as she handed them their teas. Ashton breathed out an ‘oh’ in understanding.

“You’re the one who stayed with her whilst she was in England?” He asked quietly and she guided them to the front room, taking a seat. Luke and Ashton sat on the couch whilst she picked the armchair closest to the two.

“Yeah. She was always so brutally honest, even when you didn’t want to hear it. But it was, refreshing I guess. She didn’t pander to me, but she made sure my needs were met and anything else was on my part.”

Luke felt his chest feel lighter than it’d done in months.

“She made you feel like you succeeded?” His voice was quiet and Ashton realised that maybe it was common ground for the two, and just maybe he’d start to recover.

“She was good at that. Tear you down a peg or two if you were getting cocky, mind you.” The three of them laughed at that. Seren had placed her mug down on the coffee table and placed the heels of her hands against her eyes.

“I just expected her to live forever.” She finally whispered and they were lost at what to say.

Luke finally put his mug down and crouched in front of Seren, his hand resting on her knee, making her move her hands from her eyes. He smiled, feeling his own tears.

“When they’re that important to us, we expect life to bend to our wishes and grant them mercy.” And she laughed, tears falling as she did so.

“But mercy would be too harsh on those who are ready for their reaper.” She finally finished off and both men gave her a smile. “Sorry, I’m still processing it myself and now this is all going on, I’m just feeling so lost.” Ashton shook his head.

“Don’t apologise. I think we’re trying to get our heads around it.” He stood up and stretched. “Do you two mind if I just run over to grab a couple of things? That is, if you’re okay with us staying for a bit longer?” He turned the question to Seren who nodded her head.

“I think company is very much needed. I want to learn about you both as well, not second hand.” This had them both giving her small smiles whilst Ashton headed over to his house.

Luke returned to his spot on the couch and the two of them fell silent for a few moments, gathering thoughts.

“How did you pull back?” Luke’s question was quiet and she looked over, green eyes meeting blue. She could see dark circles under his eyes and she felt her heart go out to him.

“Spite. My family, they tossed me away as a lost cause. I’d been homeless for a month before Jenni drove to the shelter and demanded I get in the car. She ranted and raved about how wrong they were, how I needed help. I cried for most of that journey because she was the first person to show that she cared.” Seren admitted softly and Luke gave her a weak smile.

“I went to Ashton eventually. My relationship, it was toxic. It was unhealthy. I was drinking every other night and there was some kind of drug I wanted to try. She was the worst thing for me, and I destroyed myself for her.” He ran fingers through his blonde curls and she nodded in understanding.

“When you believe it’s love, every view is skewed until you can take off the rose-coloured glasses.” She hummed softly and he felt his lips quirk up in response.

“How long did it take for you to recover?”

“She stopped me cold turkey. I had a week of flu like symptoms, headaches, vomiting, shaking, fever, cold sweats. She kept me cooped up in the house to stop me from trying to find a fix. Ever since, she worked with me to get better.”

“She did that to me too. Ashton’s been helping a lot, but it’s been difficult.” He admitted quietly and she understood.

“Hey, I know how it feels. If you want, you’re more than welcome to come around just to talk.” Her front door opened.

“It’s just me.” Ashton called through and her heart sank for a second before she fired back.

“Damn, here I thought you were the ghost of christmas past, coming a few months late.” This set the both of them laughing and she found herself smiling.

“I might just take you up on the offer.” Luke hummed to her as Ashton made his way through and held up a tub of ice cream.

“Jenni’s go to answer when you’re sad. Any advice she gave, even if it was just silly things like ‘keep a tub of ice cream for the days when you’re sad and you don’t want to leave the house.’ Seren laughed.

“Never let your tea bags fall to a quarter of a bag. Buy two when you go shopping just in case.” She recited from memory and it felt good to be able to share these little quirks.

As they drank tea and shared ice cream, they bonded over a shared love for a woman who took no nonsense and had a heart of gold.

---

When the day arrived for the flight back home, she could feel her hands begin to tremble. Luke noticed and wrapped his hand around hers and she gave him a shaky smile, her bottom lip trembling.

Over the week, she’d gotten close to Ashton and Luke. Ashton seemed to understand that despite being the same age as him, she treated him like an older brother. And he took to the role easily having already been an older brother to three of his best friends.

With Luke, they shared an understanding of the struggles they both faced. Even though she was far ahead in her recovery, she understood his bad days and offered him sanctuary when the world was difficult to face and he didn’t want to be alone. He offered her companionship on the days when the house was too empty of Jenni’s loud remarks and laughter.

The flight was long and exhausting. Both Luke and Ashton had to talk her down from panic whilst they were in the air, her tired mind coming up with awful scenarios of arguments she wasn’t ready to face.

When they landed in London, it was a small connecting flight to Cardiff before the long journey back to Jenni’s home in Carmarthen. Seren apologised to both of them at her small car, but they simply laughed it off.

“At least it wasn’t a two person convertible.” Ashton teased as Luke climbed into the back. Her cheeks were a dark red as she climbed into the drivers side and they began the journey from Cardiff.

When they pulled up to a small bungalow two hours later, Ashton gave her a confused look.

“Jenni handled stairs so well back in LA...” He trailed off in confusion and a wistful smile appeared on Seren’s lips.

“The heat probably made it easier on her joints so she didn’t suffer as much as she did when in England. I hope you guys are okay with helping me pack up some of her things to ship back to LA.” Her cheeks turned red and she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

“It’s fine. So you’re staying in LA for good then?”

“I don’t have anything here for me. The memories are sweet, but LA is sweeter.” The two chuckled as they climbed out of the car and she groaned under her breath at the black BMW parked at the end of the road.

“You’re about to meet my family. If they try to goad you into an argument, please don’t listen. We just need to rest before heading to Ellis so you guys can hear your parts of the will yourselves.” They both nodded, opting to leave their carry on’s in Seren’s car.

They watched in shock as they stepped through the door, an older woman who looked just like Jenni wrap her fingers around Seren’s wrist and yank up her sleeve, dragging her into the living room where and older man was sat.

Seren wrestled her arm free from the apparent vice like grip, her cheeks flushed in anger.

“So you weren’t with your druggie friends. Shame, I’d have liked that house in the States.” Both Luke and Ashton were stunned at the careless words.

“If you’d paid any fucking attention to Ellis when he said she’d left me the house in LA under set conditions, I said I’d go out and check the house and try to find both Ashton and Luke.” Cold eyes turned to the men stood behind Seren and she looked them up and down.

“After the money then, huh? Saw an old woman and decided to try your luck? We won’t let you have a fucking penny of it. You especially, it’ll go into those drugs of yours.” She sneered down at Seren who took a step back and let out a slow breath.

“Ashton was Jenni’s neighbour and Luke visited often enough that Jenni took him under her wing too. Just because we aren’t all money grabbing thieves like you and your sister, Tami.” Both of them could see Seren’s shoulders shaking.

“Seren, are they meant to be in the house?” Ashton finally asked and she shook her head.

“No. The house was locked when I left and I took all the spare keys, even the one from Ellis.”

“Then ma’am. I suggest you leave, because by the sounds of that you’ve broken and entered into a home that isn’t yours.” Ashton’s voice held a tone that would not take no for an answer.

Tami shared a look with, who Ashton assumed was, her husband and he shook his head slowly at her. She sneered in response to him before turning back to Seren and Ashton.

“You’ll have no proof to back up the claims and no one will believe little druggie over here.” Seren felt Ashton step up behind her, his fingers resting on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“We have plenty of proof. And for your comment earlier? About being after the money? Luke and I combined have a net worth of forty million dollars, so money isn’t an issue for us. Therefore money will buy the best lawyers and not only will we come for you for breaking and entering but they’ll comb through every little thing you’ve done that could be prosecution worthy.” Tami stumbled back in shock.

“Get out of my home.” Seren finally spoke and she closed her eyes tightly as Tami barged past her, the slamming of the front door making her flinch.

“She’d be proud of you. I know that Jenni wished for children, but you were her greatest gift, cariad.” A tear slipped down Seren’s cheek.

“Please. Just go.” She finally whispered and he nodded.

“I’m sorry, cariad. In another life, I would’ve left your mother for Jenni in a heartbeat once you were born.” His hand rested on her shoulder and squeezed softly before moving past, the soft click of the door being the only noise before she sank down onto the sofa, tears falling at an alarming rate.

Luke sat beside her, his hand resting on her knee and she turned her head to his shoulder as she got it out. They didn’t say anything until she’d calmed down.

“Your parents, I assume?” Ashton asked quietly once her head had turned back towards him. She nodded her head.

“Tami was always cold with me, distant. Dad, dad’s a different story. He was furious when Tami threw me out but he couldn’t do much.” She admitted quietly, her eyes falling shut as she took in several slow deep breaths.

“C’mon, let’s grab the paperwork and get the last bit of the will reading sorted out.” Ashton hummed and she allowed Luke to pull her up, her body feeling heavy as she went to find the paperwork before they checked and rechecked the locks before locking up and climbing back in the car.

---

When they pulled up to the offices, she was quiet as they reached the receptionist. Ashton took over.

“We received notification about a will reading-”

“Names?”

“Ashton Irwin and Luke Hemmings.” The receptionist eyed Seren with a critical look before sighing.

“Ellis doesn’t have an appointments. I’ll let him know you’ve arrived. Please take a seat.” She nodded to the cluster of chairs and the trio moved to sit down.

Moments later, Ellis stepped from the doors and motioned them in.

“Mr Irwin and Mr Hemmings, I presume?” Ashton nodded.

“I’m Ashton, this is Luke.” They both shook Ellis’ hands and Ellis looked to Seren who was clearly exhausted.

“Please tell me-”

“I haven’t. We’ve not long gotten back in the country and I just had a fight with my parents. I’m exhausted.” He nodded in understanding.

“I’m sorry. Anyway, to move onto the matters of the will. Ms Evans explicitly stated that these were for you two. There are two letters, one for the both of you as well as items of value. To Mr Hemmings, she’s left her piano. In the will she’s stated that your letter will explain why she left it.” Luke felt his chest constrict as he looked down at the closed letter in his hands.

“What do I need to do?”

“I just need you to sign here for it and then if you could give an address to be shipped to and it’ll be with you within the next few weeks.” Luke nodded and scrawled his signature down on the paper. Ellis filed it immediately.

“And to Mr Irwin, Ms Evans has left you her array of drums that she’s collected over the years of her travelling. Once more she stated that your letter with explain why she left them to you.”

Ashton signed the document, Ellis once more filing the paperwork before turning to Seren.

“Seren, you know as well as the house, you’ve been named her sole heir for her properties. How much more time do you need?”

“Keep the property in Spain. It’ll be a good holiday home. For now, set up a third party to maintain the house and upkeep and maybe I’ll put it up on one of the host sites for travellers.” He nodded his head and began to make notes.

“Sell the one in Wales. I have no plans to stay in England after the funeral.” His head snapped up in shock.

“Are you sure?”

“Very.”

Once the last details were ironed out, they headed back to the bungalow and Seren glanced at the time. It was early evening.

“Do you guys want to order a takeout?” Both of them grinned.

“Sure. You thinking Chinese, Indian or-”

“Pizza.” She finished off and she felt a grin creep up on her lips as she went through the drawers that held the menus from various restaurants.

Once their orders had been placed and paid for by Luke, much to her protest, they settled in the front lounge, Ashton taking the armchair and Luke and Seren settling on the couch to watch whatever program was playing.

It was easy watching whilst they waited for the pizza, laughing at some of the jokes before they talked about their own stories.

By the time the pizza had arrived, they were more relaxed and it felt like the earlier argument with her mother hadn’t even happened. As the night continued, Seren ended up lay across the couch, her head in Luke’s lap whilst they watched a cheesy sitcom and laughed till their stomachs hurt.

The following morning was the funeral. Luke and Ashton both knew they couldn’t sit with Seren, but promised to sit just behind her. She felt slight relief at that.

When they reached the chapel, Luke could see she was falling into autopilot mode and so he steered her towards Ellis who promised to help her before they took their seats. They received a few looks from the older people in the crowd, but otherwise no one commented on them being there.

When Seren sat in front of them when the casket had been brought in, Luke reached forward and she gripped his hand for fear life. She didn’t let go and he wasn’t about to. Ashton found his lips twitching softly.

The service was tough, especially when Seren gave her eulogy on Jenni, her voice cracking every now and then but she managed to hold it together.

Afterwards, she stood apart from her parents, most people coming to her first before moving on to Tami and her father. Once the majority had passed their condolences, Luke and Ashton moved over to her, Luke’s hand taking hold of hers. She looked up, startled.

“C’mon. We’ll show for the wake for half an hour and then hit the road.” Ashton murmured and she simply nodded, her gaze unfocused as they climbed into the car. Ashton, having the most experience with the roads, slid into the driver's seat. Seren moved into the back seat with Luke and he let her rest her head against his shoulder, his hand squeezing hers gently.

“When we get back, We’ll stick on a cleaning playlist and start packing up. How does that sound?” She nodded her head and Luke held back a sigh.

His eyes met Ashton’s in the rear view mirror and Ashton could only give him a helpless shrug in response as they headed to the small village hall that was hosting the wake.

“I don’t want to go in.” She whispered when they arrived.

“Ten minutes. You just need to show up, maybe grab one drink and then we can go, I promise.” Ashton compromised and her heart was aching.

“You met me barely a week ago, but here the both of you are...” She could feel the lump build in her throat. Ashton turned in his seat and gave her a kind smile.

“Jenni spoke highly of you when she came back to LA. For one, she’d be disappointed in both of us if we didn’t help you. But also, it feels like we’ve known you for years, regardless. You’re our friend now, and we look after friends. Ten minutes.” She finally agreed and allowed Luke to help her from the car.

When she stepped into the hall, eyes moved to her and she felt herself cower into Luke for a second and he pulled her to the direction of the food table.

“Ashton will get us drinks.” He whispered and she nodded her head, not willing to stand too far from Luke who seemed to be a deterrent to a lot of people, Tami included.

When Ashton joined them both, handing her a sprite whilst Ashton passed Luke a coke, they waited with her, her eyes glancing to the clock briefly.

One of her cousins seemed to be brave enough to approach her just as the clock showed seven minutes had passed.

“So, you gonna explain the two body guards? Or are they just to make sure you behave” Had the smile not been on her cousin’s lips, Seren would’ve burst into tears, she was sure of it. But Lucy wasn’t one to beat around the bush, but nor was she one to hold things against Seren.

“This is Luke and Ashton. My neighbours back in LA. They knew Jenni well and Ashton looked after her home whilst she was away.” Seren explained and Lucy nodded her head.

“Good to see that you’ll be looked out for then. You aren’t going to stick around, are you?” Seren shook her head.

“No, it’s too much and I don’t want to be near her or her band of money grabbers.” Lucy grinned.

“I’ll fly out one day, come visit you when I’ve finished university. How about we go out for a smoke and your lovely men can join us?” At Lucy’s wink, Seren felt relief flood her. She was being given a way out without making it obvious she was leaving.

Hooking her arm through Seren’s, Lucy pulled her forward from Luke’s grip, so the two of them followed after the girls.

Only when the three were in the car and far enough away did Lucy go back in and when people asked her where Seren had gone, she shrugged.

“It was overwhelming. She needed to get away so she sends her apologies with her thanks to everyone who came. She’s gonna be a busy girl over the next few days because she’s packing up Jenni’s home so that she can fly out to LA without having to worry about coming back to do it in the future.”

When they were back at the house, it wasn’t even three pm, so Luke stuck on a cleaning playlist, Ashton found some boxes in a storage cupboard and they started packing up the ornaments, pictures frames and trinkets.

The next few days seemed to be routine with the three. They ventured in the small town to get some plastic storage boxes for the books and records that were being shipped across to LA. A lot of the furniture was being sent to storage to wait to be auctioned or sold. The bungalow was empty after three days and the three of them made up a blanket fort with the last of the sheets and blankets that would be packed away first thing before they were picked up for shipping.

“So what are you going to do when you get back to LA?” She asked as they settled under the blankets. Ashton glanced to Luke who shrugged.

“We’re working on an album. Taking our time on it.” Luke finally answered.

“What about you?” Ashton asked quietly and she shrugged.

“Find a job, get my citizenship sorted. I’m waiting to hear back from one company. Jenni put in a good word for me, she knows the manager. It’s just a receptionist gig, but it puts me back in a position to work harder, especially if I get it because, well I don’t want to let her down.” Her cheeks were flushed pink and Ashton nodded.

“If it falls through, I know that that our management are always looking for PR or even just managers for artists and bands. If that’s something you’d go for?” Seren shrugged.

“If this one falls through, I might ask if you could find out for me if they’re hiring.” He grinned.

“You’ll be fine. She’s gonna be watching over you and making sure the chips fall in the right place for you, you know that right?” She chuckled at him before nodding.

“Absolutely.”

---

When they returned back to LA, it seemed easy to fall back into a pattern. Ashton introduced her to his friends, especially after Luke quietly told her that he was pulling away from his so called friends and didn’t want the temptation for either of them. She appreciated that.

As the band got to work on the album, she began to expand her social circle, especially when she got her job and it helped her hold steady as the days grew shorter and Christmas fast approached.

Despite having only known them for three months, she felt like she’d known them her entire life. And they could see that she was struggling with the festivities.

So Ashton had gotten in touch with her cousin Lucy and they concocted a plan. Since Seren didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving anyway, it was easy enough to convince her to come around to Ashton’s for the day.

“I’d rather celebrate friends-giving, since we’re both technically outsiders here who don’t want to celebrate the day.” She had grinned and agreed.

Luke was lying in wait with Lucy and snapped the moment she spotted her cousin and Ashton knew he’d made the right choice as she practically flung herself at Lucy, making the brunette laugh.

“I missed you too, you little weirdo. C’mon, Ashton promised the best food and I’ve met all of your friends. I’m proud of you baby cuz.” At the nickname Seren groaned and shoved Lucy’s shoulder before they headed into the living room where the group had congregated. She fell into the open spot by Michael who wrapped his arms around her shoulder in greeting.

“So baby cuz, huh?” His tone was teasing and Seren rolled her eyes.

“She’s called me that ever since we were kids and we realised she’s like, a week older than me.” There were scattered giggles.

“At least you got the beautiful Welsh name. Mum refused dad’s suggestion when I was born.” Lucy pouted at her and she felt a flash of smugness before shrugging.

“Jenni would’ve taken off Tami’s head had she decided to name me anything but a Welsh name. You know this.”

“What does your name mean?” Luke asked and Seren smiled at him, her face lighting up.

“It’s Welsh for star. And hey Luce, I know for a fact that you would’ve been named Sapphire had your mum not stepped in.” The two girls giggled as the group fell into relaxed chatter.

Every now and then, people would go into the kitchen to grab drinks, the food nearly done. It was on one of the trips that Seren was grabbing a bottle of water for herself when Ashton called Luke into the kitchen for a hand.

His groan could be heard and Seren laughed at the name he called Ashton as they passed each other in the doorway.

“Mistletoe!” Came calls from the living room and both of them froze, eyes darting up the sprig of mistletoe that was taped to the doorway.

They’d forgotten about that.

Blue eyes met green and Seren realised that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. She could see the blush on his cheeks and wondered if his heart was beating as wildly as hers.

“You know they’ll yell at us if we don’t do it properly.” He murmured and she could feel the heat rise in her cheeks.

“I mean, I’m fine with it, but only-only if you are and we shouldn’t have to bow to their pressure just because-” His lips were on hers and her eyes slid shut, kissing him back almost immediately. Calloused fingers moved under her chin, holding her, and her hands went around his neck, one hand still holding her water-bottle, so the other locked around her wrist.

His hand slid from her chin down to her waist and she could hear the wolf whistles as he pulled away.

“Shouldn’t bow to their pressure, huh?” He teased her, a gentle smile on his lips. Her eyes finally opened, a smile on her own.

“Shut up.” When they pulled away, cheeks red, he took her hand in his and pulled Seren through to Ashton’s back garden. He sat down on one of the chairs and before she could move further from him, he tugged her to sit down on his lap.

She felt her cheeks grow warm once more as she settled so that her legs were on one side, his hands resting around her waist.

“You’re being very bold tonight, Hemmings.” She teased and he couldn’t help but grin.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you for weeks. Pretty sure Ash set up this elaborate plan just to get us to kiss.” She snorted and leaned her head against his, his face tilting so that he could kiss her temple.

Her heart was racing.

“Weeks, huh?”

“You’ve shown nothing but kindness and managed to get yourself into the spot reserved for best friends. However, I don’t really want to kiss Ashton.”

Seren giggled.

“I think I might need a second kiss, just to make sure that I’m making a good decision.” This time he let her lead the kiss, her lips so soft and unsure, but as his grip got a little bit firmer around her waist, she seemed to relax against him, her tongue tracing his lips. They parted for her almost immediately and he knew then that the only thing he would ever get addicted to was her.

She pulled away, her forehead resting against his as she drew in deep breaths, her cheeks flushed and lips curved into a smile. Luke couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Definitely a good decision.” She murmured and he couldn’t help but chuckle softly, his lips capturing hers once more, in brief but sweet kiss.

“Can I take you out on a date tomorrow?” He breathed and Seren nodded her head, the slow smile creeping across her face.

“Is your heart beating as fast as mine?” The question seemed so innocent to his ears and it took her a second before she realised she spoke it aloud, her eyes widening as her cheeks burned a bright red. Luke simply slid the leather jacket off his shoulders and moved back a bit so she could lean down, her ear pressed against his chest.

A soft ‘oh’ escaped her lips and he laughed as she sat up, her cheeks still red but her lips pulled back into a wide smile.

“So the feeling is mutual then?” At his words, she took his hand, pressing his index and middle finger on her wrist and he understood what she meant. He could feel the pulse of her heart, and he knew that it was going just as fast for her as it was for him.

“I know you guys have got the tour coming up, but I know there is gonna be time off as well. I want to make it work.” Seren murmured and he nodded in understanding.

“The kind of person Jenni raised you to be, and helped teach me to be? I’m pretty sure our stubborn sides will win out and we will make this work.” He whispered and she grinned, her lips meeting his once more.

“Good.”

When they returned to the house, amid the wolf whistles and knowing looks, Seren realised that she wouldn’t have this any other way. Even with the pain of losing someone who was practically a mother to her in some ways and best friend in another, she was healing.

As they raised a toast to each other, Ashton looked at her and she smiled.

“To teulu.” Lucy beamed at Seren’s words.

“To family.” She responded back and understanding crossed everyone’s faces as they followed Lucy’s lead.

---

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ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes · 6 years

Text

Happier Part 16

Summary: After another fight with his girlfriend of five years, Sebastian needs to make a tough decision. But after the breakup, things get even messier

Chapter Summary: Charlie Stan makes his entrance to the world.

Warnings: Non-graphic birth

Eventually, the spring rolled in at full blast. The sun was shining and flowers began to bloom. It was a perfect time to bring a life into the world. Even though Charlie Stan’s debut was anything but perfect.

Sebastian was sticking around because Tegan was nearing her due date. He dutifully took care of her in the later stages of her pregnancy. She became increasingly nervous about the birth and becoming a mother. She often woke up in tears but never told Sebastian why. He could only hold her tightly and soothe her back to sleep.

He was nervous too but didn’t want to make things worse for her. If she needed him to be her rock than he would put on a brave face. But there was the worry that something would go wrong even after the birth. How would he protect a little human from every possible danger in the world?

Sebastian didn’t have enough time to come up with a clear plan of fatherhood.

+++++++++++++++++++++

One March morning, he and Tegan had decided to run errands. They were in the grocery store, Sebastian lingering around the snack aisle while Tegan grabbed a carton of eggs, something they forgot to get when they passed it. When she returned, her demeanor had changed drastically. She approached without the eggs, a panicked look in her eyes.

“My water just broke.” She whispered to him as if it were just a minor embarrassment.

“What?” Sebastian startled. He’d been waiting for the words for what seemed like weeks.

She twisted around to show him the stain on her light gray maternity leggings.

“Oh my God.” He dropped the shopping basket with a clatter. “I’ll call an ambulance.”

“No, no, we don’t have to rush, it’s not that much of an emergency.” She grabbed his hand. She tried to stay calm but her fingers tightened. “Let’s just…buy these and go back to the apartment. I’ll call my doctor.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay.” He trusted her judgment better than his own. They’d had a plan of attack when the labor did begin. But he panicked and jumped to irrational conclusions. Aka, carrying her to an ambulance and rushing her to the nearest emergency room.

“Can I have your jacket?” She winced, uncomfortable in the damp leggings.

“Yeah.” He robotically nodded and shrugged off his jean jacket so she could tie it around her waist and hide the stain. He bent down to pick up the basket of groceries again and headed to the checkout line with her.

It was far too long in his opinion even though there was only one person in front of them. He wanted to yell out that his girlfriend was in labor and they needed to leave but Tegan wasn’t rushing. She was practicing her breathing beside him, keeping a tight hold on his hand.

++++++++++++++++++++

They returned home in silence. Both of them were coping with the reality that they would parents within hours.

Sebastian called Tegan’s doctor while she took a shower and changed into fresh clothes. He gathered her pre-packed bag for the hospital, making sure they had the necessities for however long the labor would take.

Tegan returned from the shower and they went to take a cab over to the hospital.

++++++++++++++++++

They continued through breathing and doing everything to keep their cool. They arrived at the maternity ward, already scheduled into a room.

The delivery room was less like a hospital room and more like a hotel. Sebastian wanted to ensure she was as comfortable as possible through the delivery and found the best maternity ward and best obstetrician in Manhattan. The more he could do to help the better.

Tegan changed into a hospital gown and lay down to get the weight off her feet. Sebastian perched on the bed next to her, stroking back her hair.

“Does it hurt?” He asked.

She shook her head. “Not right now. I’m guessing it’ll get worse.” She breathed out, her eyes fixated on the ceiling. “Sebs…” Tears started to pool.

“Sh, Tee, it’s going to be alright. They’re going to take good care of you, everything will go smoothly.” He promised even if he had no right to predict a smooth process. He kissed her hair and held her hand.

“I want my mom.” She hiccupped and started to whimper.

“I texted her, draga mea.” He couldn’t guarantee that her mom would pop out of thin air. Shannon had rushed to find the closest flight but there was no telling how long the delivery would last. It was more likely she would miss it.

“Is your mom coming?” She sniffled, desperate to have a mother figure. Someone who had gone through the process before.

He nodded. “She’s on her way.” His thumbs swiped away her tears from her cheeks. “She’ll be here soon. Let’s just try to relax. Want to watch a movie?”

She swallowed and nodded, getting comfortable against him.

++++++++++++++

Hours later the contractions came closer together. Tegan had never had a high tolerance for pain so they administered some painkillers to keep her comfortable and calm. Georgeta arrived and helped keep her son and Tegan calm.

But Tegan panicked when the doctor came in to check on how dilated she was.

“Okay, Tegan, we’re going to start pushing.” The doctor sat down by her feet and tucked the gown up to her knees.

“I’m not ready.” She sobbed and grabbed for Sebastian’s arm, her nails digging into his skin. “I’m not ready, it’s too soon. I can't do this, Sebs, I can't”

“I’ve got you.” Sebastian knelt down beside her, kissing her hand. “I’m not going anywhere.” Georgeta pressed a cold cloth to Tegan’s forehead, murmuring assurances to her, holding her other hand.

“We’re going to make it as easy as possible, Tegan.” The doctor said gently and touched her knee. “I know it’s hard.”

Tegan’s chest heaved as she pinched her eyes tightly and let out a cry of pain. “Sebs!”

Her boyfriend was beside himself seeing her in so much pain. He pressed his forehead to her shoulder and let her hold his hand as tightly as she needed to. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” He soothed over and over again.

Tegan cried through the process of pushing according to the doctor’s instructions. She didn’t ease up on Sebastian’s hand until their son took his first breath and let out a shrill cry.

Sebastian felt like he’d been hit by a truck. He saw his son for the first time and knew only two things mattered in the world. Tegan and Charlie. And although Charlie looked a little like an alien, covered in fluids, Sebastian fell in love instantly.

“Sebastian, you can come cut the cord.” The doctor said, beckoning him over.

His legs and hands shook as he left Tegan’s side. The nurse had to help steady his hand. He couldn’t take his eyes off his son.

Charlie wailed, his face red and tight fists waving as he was placed on Tegan’s chest.

She gasped out a tearful laugh. “Hi.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say to her first-born. “Oh my God, look at you.” She touched his head. “You’re so perfect.”

+++++++++++++

After being cleaned up and swaddled, Charlie calmed down. He dozed off peacefully in Tegan’s arms. Sebastian lying down next to her, his eyes stuck on his son. It felt like a dream, Charlie was too perfect to behold.

Tegan tiredly brushed her fingers through the already thick tuft of dark hair on his little head. “He looks like you.” She whispered.

Sebastian knew he was only seconds from crying. He’d cried already when he first held Charlie. It was just too much to handle. He swallowed and nodded. “He’s amazing.” He kissed his girlfriend’s forehead. “You did perfectly.”

Charlie yawned as Tegan snuggled up to Sebastian. The little family basking in their first moments together.

Permanent Tags: @what-the-buckybarnes @captainmarmel

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blueangelicrose · 5 years

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A New Beginning: Chapter 9 (part 3): The Sister Arrives

While Josephine was packing up her stuff she couldn't help but still think about the charming stranger with the mysterious but intense green eyes. She hadn't felt this way for a VERY long time. The first time was when a few thousand years ago before she and her sister met the Cup brothers. But after the "incident" with her first love, she hadn't dared to try to get into a serious relationship with anyone else. In fact, all other suitors that came running for her attention and love all met with icy cold rejections while wearing a seemingly heart warming smile. Since then, her work associates all called her "The Queen of Broken Hearts." The name is quite mild and tame compared to the "other" nicknames that she had been given throughout the years. But it still seemed to equally tick her off, just like the other names did. The only thing that kept her anger in check were the sweet memories of her childhood and all those who comforted her when times were tough.

But through everything, she kept whatever joys that she had with them. Even if they weren't around her anymore. And though she was an angel and could easily find their souls in the afterlife, the one that she desperately wanted to find, wasn't where he should've been. She could only come to the conclusion that he was reincarnated into someone else. So whenever she had the time, she would endlessly search for his soul. It drove her almost to the point of madness. And even till today, she hasn't stopped looking for him. The feelings that she had for him were strong but for some reason, those feelings somewhat diminished? When she first met and talked with the stranger, she felt as though that she had all of her struggles and frustrations lifted off from her shoulders and aching heart. As she now continued to think about it, she kept wondering, "Why? Why does this ease my heart and soul?"

She pondered this for hours. Even during her discussion with the apartment landlady that she contacted through an add on a poster that she somehow managed to find in her guitar case. Her vision was coming back slowly but still couldn't see entirely. She at least could make out the blurry words and numbers on the poster to call up the landlady and discuss temporary living arrangements in her appartment building. The little old landlady said that she could stay as long as she paid her monthly rent on time. "Fifty bucks per month isn't bad at all. This old woman must be well off. Probably owns several other businesses on the side. Oh, well, so long as it doesn't give me trouble. Not only that, but she's really nice and easy to talk to, so I don't think that we'll have much trouble with each other." While she signed her lease for a temporary stay, (for who knows how long), she managed, along with the help and guidance from the landlady, to find the building and her appartment room. It was a decent sized place. It had a nice kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, and two bedrooms. One for the resident and the other for a guest or roommate. But what really attracted her was a large window that had one of those window ledge/comfy looking cabinet seat. Also, this window had a latch so that when you opened it far enough, it would lead you to the metal balcony/fire escape. Which was attached to all the other appartments. And in fear of intrusion, she asked the land lady if she had to worry about "uninvited guests" entering in and out of her appartment. The landlady reassured her that everyone in the appartment respected each other's privacy and would only use the fire escape for emergencies only.

When she said this, Josephine felt a certain aura emitting from her that said as clear as day, "Those idiots had enough experiences not to disobey my rules. So you can rest assured that NO ONE will be breaking an entering on my watch. That includes you as well." Josephine felt a little nervous around her but reluctantly agreed that she will also obey her rules to the T. Josephine loved and respected her elders and treated them with utter patience and kindness. And this "scary" landlady would be no different from all the others that she had treated with love and respect. The landlady asked when she would let the movers in through the front entrance. She also mentioned that the security guard in the lobby would need to know this so that he could let them in. Apparently, the building had it's own security employees stationed at the inside lobby entrance to keep things in order and to keep track who goes in and out of the building. It also had a LOT of security cameras and alarms as well as the classic "buzz in" doorbell that only classy appartments had. Clearly, this building had seen its fair share of "suspicious" activity around the neighborhood. And apparently this lady had enough money to secure a large building such as this one.

"Ummm, actually, I just moved to this island. So I don't have any furniture whatsoever. These things are all I have with me for now." The land lady scanned her up and down with a judging like look. All Josephine had was her guitar, her fold out chair, her money, her sunglasses, and of course, the clothes on her back. The land lady sighed and asked her how much money she had all together. Josephine replied, "About a hundred grand ma'am." The lady took another deep sigh and said, "Listen sweetheart, even with that much money, you still can't buy all the things you need." She dug around her purse for some long sheeted colored notepapers and a fountain pen that had dark blue ink. She wrote lists of various stores for which Josephine needed to get her supplies from. "Sweetie, here are the names of the stores and the people who run it. Tell them that Momma Maxina de Umbra told you to come here and get the required necessities you need to have in order to live here. Don't worry about the payment too much, those young ones owe me a favor that has been itching to get fulfilled." Josephine didn't know what to make of this situation. But took her landlady's advice very seriously. "Thank you so much Miss......?" "Mrs. Umbra dearie. But you may call me Miss Max." Josephine smiled a little and thanked her for the help. Miss Max asked her if she would like a ride to the places given her (temporary) disability. Josephine said that she was fine and was quite familiar by now what she was doing and where she was going. Miss Max had her concerns but she trusted her anyways. As Josephine walked away to go shopping, Miss Max yelled out to her, "Be sure to come back before midnight, you hear?! Or I'll send a police search for you!" Josephine complied with a slight nod of her head and when she walked away from ear shot, chuckled to herself. It has been a while since anyone has taken that much concern for her safety. It felt.........refreshing to hear such words.

Throughout the day, she went from store to store and did exactly as Miss Max told her too. The store managers and owners all cringed when she mentioned Miss Max's name and the mention of the "favor" that they owed her. Apparently she was well known throughout the small community by familial means. And, just like that, they complied and gave Josephine what she needed and told her that they would later on send it over to the apartment via company movers/delivery men. As she went to the last store, which was a popular grocery store, she told the owner that she would carry the ones she needed immediately by herself on her way back to her newfound home. As she walked out of the store, she noticed that it was already dark and that some of that blasted blinding powder was wearing off. She still couldn't see 100 percent, but at least she could more easily find her way home without too much trouble. As she walked down the street she came up on and quickly passed the alley way that was next to the apartment building. She was about to reach for the entrance door, when she heard muffled grunts and smelled the thick scent of blood and gunpowder. She was now on full alert. She didn't know what to expect. But it's not like this was the first time seeing what could possibly be an injured or dead individual. But it was always hard for her to swallow since Death was always a bitter and horrible pill. She braced herself for the worst and slightly peeked around the brick corner. There in her blurry vision, was a severely wounded man bleeding out from his chest. To her he seemed like one of those people that were living objects. Only this one had a white head, no neck, and had a purple colored suite on, (with the exception of the red blood that was pouring out of him).

"Oh my gosh! Sir! Are you ok?! What happened?!" He couldn't talk but with only rough muffled grunts and whenever he moved, it seemed like he was making the situation worse. She couldn't fully see his distinguishing features, but she could tell that he was in a lot of pain and could clearly see the nasty gash on his chest. She started to panic and started to gently lift his back towards the brick wall and got out one of her new fancy and thick looking royal purple bath towels from one of her bags, (which she earlier insisted that she would carry on her way home. Instead of it being delivered). "Here, hold this towel to your chest with whatever pressure you can use. I'll be right back with some help, just hold on!" But before she gave him the towel she put a healing blessing on it so that it can start to repair whatever heavy damage there was to his bloody chest. As she did this, she gave the towel to the man and applied some gentle pressure on his chest. Then left him for about a minute to get the security guard. But when she brought him to the scene where the injured man was; he was gone along with the towel. Leaving nothing but a bloody mess in the dark and gloomy alley way.

End of chapter 9 (part 3)

To be continued in chapter 9(part 4): the other side of what happened.

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warriorgays · 6 years

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btw I just found the original epilogue for Through the Gay Days, which I scrapped in favor of Gene getting a letter from Tipper. I kept it because... well, I still liked it a lot. thought some of you might enjoy. (there was supposed to be some narration in between each letter, and I never finished the ones from Babe or Gene, but I think you can get the picture.)

Detroit, Michigan, 1949

“You’ve got a half-dozen letters again,” Carla said with a long-suffering sigh as she dropped a pile of envelopes on the end table by Tipper’s elbow. “Honestly, Ed, I have no idea where you find the time to write so many letters.”

“It’s because I have friends,” he said, scrambling for the envelopes eagerly. “You wouldn’t know what that’s like, Carla, but when you’ve really got ’em you can’t leave them disappointed.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, and Tipper blew a kiss. But instead of bickering, Carla flounced away immediately; she knew he didn’t have the attention span for a real spat, not when he had a fresh delivery of letters. Tipper shuffled through them, eyes scanning the return addresses, and decided to open Luz’s. It was the lightest, which could only mean good news. He dug his pen-knife into the flap and tore the envelope open to find a single sheet of notebook paper, scrawled with a message in blue ink.

March 2

Dear Tip,

You’re on! April 8th is my mother’s birthday, April 12th is my brother’s birthday, and May 1st is my other brother’s birthday (have I mentioned I have too many brothers?) so those days are a no-go, but anything else, I’m game. But check with your pals before you pick a date, because I want to come to one of these famous balls of yours, alright? The campiest, queeniest, drunkest thing you can whip up. These salons out here are far too respectable for my taste.

Cheers, G. Luz

(P.S. Heard from J.L. lately? The grapevine’s got nothing but I thought you might.)

Feb. 28

Dear Ed,

Guess where I’m writing this letter. Go ahead, guess. Did you guess ‘at my kitchen table in me and Ralph’s brand-new apartment’? If yes, ding ding, give the man a prize. We moved in yesterday and fucking hell it took forever. But we’re pretty much settled by now. We unpacked half the boxes and got all the furniture in the right place, and then this morning Ralph and I went out to get groceries so now it really feels like home. You know what I mean? It just don’t feel like home if you can’t raid the cabinets whenever you want. Do you think you’ll be able to get out to Philadelphia again soon? We want to show you the new place, and the neighborhood and everything.

I think Ralph still can’t believe we actually did this. He keeps looking at me with this look on his face--he’s a dope but I love him. I’ve got to kiss him ten or twelve times a day to prove this is happening, and it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it.

Dear Tipper,

I know I’ve said it a million times, but you really are the biggest flirt I know. That last paragraph of your letter would have made smoke come out of Ron’s ears if he saw it--lucky for you it arrived the day after he left. Spared this time!

Anyway, we did decide to take a break while he’s overseas. He didn’t want to; I think he still feels tremendously guilty over me getting shot, although I’ll never know what he thinks he could have done different. But at the same time, he’s not the sort of man you can tie down, and I’d rather give him a few years of freedom in Germany and get him back at the end of it than get snippy and bitter like an old married couple. (Of course, when I said that I didn’t know how much I’d miss him after only a week.)

That’s the big news in my life, I suppose, Ron being gone. I expect a letter full of crass jokes about you/others keeping me company in the meantime. Actually I’ve been talking with a few other guys in L.A. who are talking about starting a group for men like us. I mean like an organization, not just a group of friends--the main fellow’s written this sort of manifesto. It’s a little Red for my taste, but I am sort of interested. They want to send out newsletters and things, make it national, and I kept thinking how it was pure dumb luck that all of us met at Toccoa, and maybe having a group would make it easier for other guys. I don’t know. We’ll see if it works out.

I went out for drinks with Joe last Thursday, too, when I was up around the Bay Area. Have you heard from him recently?

Tell your mother hello from me, and I’m glad to hear your leg is feeling better. I guess it’s a weather thing, because my father’s bad hip was hell this winter, too. My arm just comes and goes as it wants. It’s annoying as anything, but as far as brain injuries go I got off light, so who am I to complain?

I’ve got to make dinner, so I’ll stop there and get this out with the evening post. I’m sure I’ll hear from you soon.

Yours, Chuck

Dear Edward, Thank you for your letter and I’m sorry its taken so long for me to respond. Lots been going on. But everything’s fine now, we’re all fine. Shelton has apologized and moved back in. I told him straight out, I said “your problem is those war buddies of yours, they let you get away with too much but your out of your damn mind if you think I will” and I swear, Tip, for a minute I thought he was going to turn right back around. But then he just laughed and said I came back meaner then before. (That’s what passes for sweet talk with Shelton. What a charmer I’ve got, huh?) Anyway I was happy to get your advice. I did give him a piece of my mind, even if I didn’t yell at him quite as much as you thought I should, and writing to you and having you tell me I was in the right helped. Really he’s not bad, I promise, but the last few years he’s been so wrapped up in being tough, you know? The war did a number on him, but he doesn’t want to talk about it much or admit it did anything. And I suppose I’m not the easiest person to live with either, because if something’s hard to talk about I’d just as soon stay quiet.

#my fic

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ketso · 3 years

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Episode 29

I hate my job. Truly, I do. I should have never resigned from Thomas' company. People valued me more when I was there. Now, I am an executive, but I get treated like trash. I hate it. I hate everyone here.

I never take lunch because I don't want anyone thinking we are friends or that we should lunch together. None of these people are worth me having lunch with. But today, I need some air. I need to breathe in a different kind of environment because if I stay a minute longer in my office, hell will break loose around here.

I get into my car to go get lunch then plan to go eat with the one person I can tolerate right now, Qaphela. While I drive to get food then to Qaphela, let me tell you a bit about my job.

I am an executive lead in the external affairs team. I have about seven people reporting into me then I report into a director who reports into the CEO. I have a dotted reporting line to the CEO because my line of work impacts the CEO's agenda in interviews and other public appearances. But the place is not nice. My ideas are not Bible. People are lazy to work. This is the corporate space. Who knocks off at 4pm and refuses to work before 7am? Who? They always feel the need to remind me that they take wellness and well-being seriously. I never said they shouldn't. Not once has an objection toward wellness and wellbeing come out of mouth. But we have customers that don't care about wellness and wellbeing, they expect us to deliver. We have key stakeholders in other companies and in the government that expect us to be available for meaningful engagement when needed. This company is known in our industry for dropping the ball. This company is notorious for having slow service delivery. I'm not saying it's because they take wellness and wellbeing seriously. All I'm saying is that even I am frustrated by them and I'm not a customer or a stakeholder.

So, I, Pearl Shange, put in the hours that nobody wants to put in. I am the most knowledgeable executive in the department and my team has the honour of having the toughest boss in the business. But we deliver. I put in the work and I don't complain. The CEO has me on speed dial and has learned to trust me more than he trusts my director which now has caused a rift between my director and I.

"To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" Qaphela asks me as he opens the door for me.

"I come bringing lunch. I hope you still like braaied meat and that entire unhealthy diet sold at Solly's corner because I just spent quite a bit of my time walking through drunk unemployed people at midday, waiting for this food and risking my car being scratched", he is already in stitches as I say this. I'm glad he finds it funny.

"Nobantu, you are not human, wena. Come in", he says as he leads me into the house.

I come in and close the door using my bum because this man whose supposed to be a perfect gentleman has not taken all this food from my arms. I mean really. Am I supposed to teach him that?

I make my way to the kitchen and put the food on the kitchen counter. He has disappeared into the house, not sure to where. I plug the kettle and start getting plates out. I bought my own coffee because Qaphela is the Ricoffy type and honestly, I need the strong and good stuff. If I were not headed back to the office after this, I would be having whiskey.

I am exhausted.

I start dishing up this meat that has been braaied. I got him pap which I dish onto his plate, but I got myself garlic rolls because I am not prepared to be running off pap in the morning. My morning runs are already tough in all those heels in Umhlanga.

I hear arguing. Hai bo, kanti Qaphela has company? Also, I'm not fazed. I'm not going anywhere. I need company and Qaphela will do for now. I would have sex with him too, but now that I know that his penis was in another woman minutes before I arrived, that opportunity immediately flies out of the window.

I see a girl march down the passage. Really, Qaphela? Seriously? This girl and I used to be friends back in the day. She's even ashamed to look at me and I plan to make this as uncomfortable as possible for her. I left to go to Gauteng and she feasted on my baby-daddy? A friend, ladies and gentlemen - a friend.

"Nobantu", she says, breaking the silence between us.

Should I be petty? Nah, my outfit, my beauty and the car parked outside is reminder enough for her that I'm ten levels ahead of her and all she has left are my leftovers.

"Hello, Sizakele", I say.

"It’s good to see you", she says.

"I can't say the same about you, considering where we are bumping into each other", I say. Yeah, I decided to be petty. But she doesn't back down.

"I thought you had the Venda man and Qaphela was useless. I didn't think that you'd care that some of us found him useful", she says.

"And I didn't think that my friend was patiently waiting for me to leave KZN so she would jump on my boyfriend's penis. Then again, you've always enjoyed my left overs. From my left over food to my old bras that I'd give to you while your mother took your grocery money, underwear money and school fees money to spend on alcohol." I say. I don't know why I took it there, but I did. KZN makes me so angry. There is something here that just makes me a horrible person.

"You still here?" Qaphela comes into the kitchen and sees the staring match between Sizakele and I.

"Lalela la wena Nobantu, Qaphela and I are together. I don't know what you came back for, but it better not have been for him", she says. Oh please. Get the fuck out of here. If I want Qaphela, I'd have him. I wish women realized how they actually dare us to explore their penises when they threaten us, demanding us to stay away from their men. I made that mistake with Thomas and all his other bitches. Qaphela and I have a child together and Sizakele thinks she can control my access in Qaphela's life. I'm actually laughing at her because she is so pathetic.

"You think this is funny?" She asks me.

"I find your audacity extremely hilarious. You are the one that Qaphela is kicking out barefooted and wig uncombed while I'm the one preparing food in his kitchen. Yet, you think you can tell me what to do around him?" I say.

She charges at me ready to hit me and Qaphela throws her over his shoulder and takes her out of the house. They argue on the streets while I finish preparing food and coffee.

Such ghetto behaviour!

Qaphela comes back into the house alone and sits next to me where I have placed his coffee and food. Black Coffee with cream. I'm putting him on.

"Nobantu, you can't do that. I respect you as the mother of my child, but you can't disrespect my girlfriend like that", he says.

He should have said that when she was still here. He disrespected her, not me.

"I don't want to talk about Sizakele." I say.

"Nobantu -

"How are you feeling, Qaphela? You look a lot better", I say.

"I am a lot better, thank you. And thanks for taking me to the doctor the other day. I appreciate it", he says.

I nod my head and eat. He is eating too.

"So what brings you here?" He asks me.

"I don't really like my work environment. I needed some air and a friendly face. I thought of you", I say.

"What’s wrong with where you work?" He asks me. He has always been good at this - at listening to me. Thomas never listened to me. Ever. I miss being listened to.

"I guess I took for granted being the CEO's wife when I was working at Thomas' company. Now, I'm just another employee who gets abused at work and my knowledge as well as the work I put in is not appreciated", I say.

"It’s corporate, Nobantu. The only time your work is appreciated is if someone is benefitting from it. If you are one of those who have thankless jobs, you are replaceable. You were replaceable at your ex-husband's company. What makes you think you are irreplaceable in a stranger's company?" He says. That cuts me and he sees it.

He eats instead of apologizing.

"I'm worried about Gcina", I tell him.

He looks at me, waiting for me to elaborate.

"Gcina is irresponsible. She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. She couldn't get a matric just to start her off. She lacks vision and ambition. I'm worried that she has decided ukuthi this is the rest of her life."

Qaphela looks at me for a long time, analysing me almost.

Then he says, "Nobantu, you left her with your parents when she was a toddler. She doesn't even remember you being a mother to her. I'm not saying that she shouldn't take responsibility for her decisions, but I'm wondering when you are going to acknowledge the part that you played in messing her up."

"The part that I played?"

"The part that you played, Nobantu. You went to Gauteng and forgot all about your child. She had to get over it, on her own. Her life froze when you decided to go out there and be a wife to a man who wanted nothing to do with your child. You deprived her of having a mother and she just had to figure shit out. You have no right to judge her ten minutes after you come back here and decide to be her mother so many years later. Where was this concern when you were –

"Don’t you dare! I took care of Gcina! There is nothing that Gcina lacked and I made sure of it. I sent her to the best schools and she managed to get herself expelled from those schools. I made sure that she was fed! That she had everything I would have never been able to give her had I not married Thomas because unlike uGcina, my parents did not make sure that I had the best to set me up for the rest of my life. I needed a Thomas to pull me out of the shit that my parents left me in so that my daughter could have more", I have lost my temper now and so has he. This is a screaming match.

"Money is not everything, Nobantu", he says.

"That’s very rich coming from you. You are the same person who left me pregnant at fifteen to go get money so our child and I could be okay, then went to prison. You were absent from our lives too because you chose money over being there for me through my pregnancy and when our daughter was born." I say. This hurts him.

We both take deep breaths, appreciating that perhaps this is not how this conversation should be going.

"I want better for her. She can still change her life and I want her to change her life." I say. I am calm now, walking around in the TV room. Qaphela stands up too and leans against a wall, facing me.

"I want that for her, too" he says.

"I have trusts set up in her name that she is supposed to be accessing by now. I want to buy her a car so she could drive my mom around and do errands for you. But she doesn't even have a license. I have millions set aside for her to study abroad and she can barely finish a bloody matric. Gcinumama frustrates me, Qaphela", I say.

"We can still fix this, but we have to be gentle with her. She's a bit on the fragile side", he says.

"She already hates me so I'm not scared of her. One of us has to treat her like the irresponsible adult that she is. You, on the other hand, she has you wrapped around her little finger", I say.

"Fine. But if you are going to pick that fight with her, you need to be woman enough to acknowledge the part that you played in fucking her up. Don't become your parents, Nobantu. You hurt for years because of them and you took forever to heal because they wouldn't acknowledge how much they fucked you up. Don't become them. Gcina deserves for you to acknowledge the pain that you caused her so that she can heal and move on in a way that you still struggle to because the people who caused your pain have not given you the apology that you need to heal and move on." He says.

We have a moment. I'm getting emotional. He is there for me like he always was when I ran away from home after my parents -

My cellphone rings. I wipe my tears and walk away from him, realizing only now how close he was to me and how close we were to doing so much more than just argue about Gcina. It is my CEO calling.

"Hello", me.

"Hey, Pearl. Where are you? I need you in a strategy meeting taking place at 5pm today. Will you be able to make it?"

"Sure, Richard, I'll be there" I say.

"Thanks. I was in your office to let you know, but I see you are not here", Richard says.

"I had stepped out to get something to eat. But I'll be back soon", I say.

"Alright. See you when you get back", Richard says then hangs up.

Qaphela and I look at each other, silently appreciating what just happened between us.

"You need to get a job", I say.

"No one on this earth is good enough to be the boss of me. I'm almost back in shape and I'm headed back to crime", he says.

"Until when, Qaphela? Why don't you take the money you've made so far and start something legitimate?" I say.

"Why? So you can be the CEO's wife again? That's your life, not mine. And you not my wife so stop telling me what to do. You are not going to change or control me. That's probably why that Venda man left you." He says. That was just unnecessary, honestly. Fuck him.

I wear my heels again then walk out of his parents' house then make my way back to the office.

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thejosh1980 · 4 years

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Travel Update #17 - Day 1 to 4 in Quarantine

Posted on Friday 11th September 2020 Good morning,

It’s bright and early here at the Pullman Hotel in Adelaide.

Sorry, this is a bit of a long update…

A lot has happened, but at the same time nothing has happened. It becomes a little bit of a Groundhog Day situation quite quickly ;)

Let's begin back in Germany…

There were only 19 passengers on the Frankfurt to Singapore flight. 10 in economy and 9 in business class. (We asked when we checked in.) The passengers entering Singapore were separated from us transit passengers during boarding, the flight, and disembarking. There were 5 people in our economy seating area.

In Singapore we took a long walk to a transit holding area, so that we wouldn’t come into contact with any other passengers, but honestly, I’ve flown through Singapore airport a few times, and it was dead. No one around, other than staff and us transit folks. Everything went smoothly.

The Singapore to Adelaide flight was busier, with probably 50 people on the flight, around half in business class and half in economy. We actually had people in the row in front and behind us. Everyone was staggered so there was some distance.

The inflight meals were the most expensive meals I’ve ever bought. 5,000 Euro / 8,000 dollars for the 2 of us!!

Once we disembarked in Adelaide everything ran smoothly and was well organised. The airport was very quiet, with security and police everywhere. We had our temperature checked, our masks were replaced, and immigration was quick. We got escorted onto a bus, carefully not touching anything other than our suitcases on the way. After a 20 minute drive we arrived at the hotel.

The hotel was well organised, with our suitcases waiting for us, welcome packs and a quick security check before being escorted to our room. This was it, in we go…

It all felt very surreal to be honest.

We had to wear masks the whole time (except when eating) from Frankfurt Airport to our hotel room in Adelaide. 26+ hours. This was something we didn’t really think about, luckily we both had comfortable masks, and the airline also provided disposable masks… It was a breath of fresh air to finally be able to take them off.

We were pleased to find we have a really nice room, with a bath, coffee machine and a balcony! It’s the small things… We’ve read some horror stories online of dirty and really really small rooms at other hotels.

We overlook 4 parks on a fairly busy city cross roads. It’s very pleasant.

So a quick unpack and then our first meal came. They deliver 3 meals a day, usually they are “3 courses”. Our first meal was pork cutlet, and it was damn good. We have a set menu each day, and so far the meals have all been good to very good. No complaints here!!!

Day 2 - With a few dollars sent from my Mum (thanks Sue) we ordered from Woolies a little care package. Basically any grocery store or shop that delivers, we can arrange for them to deliver to reception and they’ll bring it upstairs to our room with contactless delivery. We got coffee, beers, coke, chips, salts for the bath, kitchen paper and a few other things. Again, it’s the small things….

The hotel managers set up a private Facebook group for those in quarantine. It’s been great source of laughter, info on the hotel happenings and support amongst those in quarantine. We can partake on daily quizzes online, and discuss the hotel rooms, or how we are feeling. The managers here are very active in helping and supporting us during our stay, and it really has had a positive effect on us.

We also had our first of 2 Covid-19 tests. We were both dreading the test, I mean, they stick a cotton bud up your nose!!!! I read up on some comments in the Hotel FB group, and everyone said the nurses were very gentle, which was a relief. When it came our time to be tested, it ended up being… nothing…. Well, almost nothing. Sure there’s a tiny bit of discomfort, but the swab at the back of the throat was worse than the one up the nose!!! Results should arrive today, latest tomorrow.

The trash is picked up from outside our room each afternoon. Bed linen and towels are replaced twice a week. No contact or interaction with the staff.

Day 3 - In the morning I did a live on air radio interview with Joanne Shoebridge on ABC North Coast radio, and while that kind of thing makes me nervous and I always worry I don’t answer the best I can or get my point across, it was really nice to talk with Joanne again.

We needed Aussie SIM cards, and after some hiccups, eventually the awesome folks in reception brought us up two cards. So now we have fully working Aussie phone numbers, if you need it, get in touch with us ;)

We were able to use our balcony for some al fresco dining at lunch time on day three. What a treat to be able to go outside! I know some folks in other hotels (and this hotel too) don’t have a balcony, and that really would be tough. I couldn’t imagine 14 days inside with no opening windows!! A part of me feels guilty that in the end, we have it pretty good all things considered..

The hotel nurses called us for our first health check. After confirming our details, we were asked a bunch of health related questions, such as our dietary requirements, allergies and mental health concerns. Going “mad” in here is quite easy. It’s not a walk in the park and it is not a holiday or a honeymoon. Some people are alone, and when you’re in here for 14 days, with almost zero human contact (which in the end is just the 2 times someone sticks a cotton bud up your nose!), it is not easy. It’s not really easier when you’re with your partner or with a family either, with no space to just get a way for a few moments. I am really glad the nurses called, and they will call again regularly.

We have had several calls and messages from friends, family and fans, and it has done us the world of good just to have someone to chat with. It was really helpful in our “stranded” weeks, and now in our “quarantine” days, it’s been a much needed injection of positivity to our day.

Day 4 - A good night’s sleep has still evaded us. Last night I managed 4 hours!! Alex managed longer but not by much. So I figured I should start the day with this (big) update.

We both agree the escorts, the airports, the security and the protocols in place from Frankfurt to hotel room have been really good. It feels very safe.

We can’t praise the hotel enough for their efforts in making our quarantine stay more than tolerable. The energy on the FB group, the support from the reception, games and more… It’s given us (and many of the other guests in quarantines) a community feeling. Friendships are being built within the walls, within the rooms.

The Government’s response to the Aussies stranded around the world hasn’t changed. There’s pressure from a lot of folks (including the airlines) for the PM to remove the caps. I think restrictions and quarantine aren’t a bad idea, but 4,000 people a week is just too little… After 6 months into this pandemic, a better system should be in place. Having said that, all the people on the ground (the hotel staff, escorts and nurses) have been exceptional.

@dauntlesscoffee has been in touch with a reporter from CNN regarding our story. We are not sure when it will air, but it’ll be a report on the world wide situation regarding Aussies being stranded.

If you’d like to keep up to date with the daily happenings, we are posting on our IG and FB stories when things happen.

Please check out and support Pieter Den Heten's removethecap.com website regarding 1000’s of stories of stranded Aussies.

I am starting to think about a question and answer live stream over the weekend, if you’d like to catch up, let me know and I’ll try to figure out a time suitable for Aussies and Germans ;)

Today marks 2 months since my last live show “American Car Day” in Dresden, later on I’ll be posting the live videos from the show on youtube!

Josh and Alexanne (room 707)

#covid-19 #stranded aussies #travel blog #quarantine #australia

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rememberthattime · 4 years

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Chapter 53. Lockdown

It’s been almost five months since my last post: Finland at the start of February. That seems so long ago – in fact, it’s by far the longest Chelsay & I have gone without a trip in our five years abroad.

These are extenuating and unfortunate circumstances though. The global Coronavirus pandemic has put the entire world in lockdown, with far more dangerous and deadly consequences for the millions infected. I don’t want to go into the staggering statistics, but I can safely say that every single person on Earth has been impacted. Even saying that, it is likely we won’t know the virus’ true toll for many years.

However, the purpose of this blog is to “record” Chelsay & I’s present thoughts, emotions, and experiences. In 20 years, I want to read these words and relive our time abroad.

The 2020 lockdown is historically and personally unique – likely more noteworthy than an individual trip we’ve taken. That said, there would be a gap in this record if I didn’t post about Chelsay & I’s lockdown experience.

I’ll start out by saying that Chelsay & I have been very lucky. We’ve been bored more than usual, but with lockdown coming to an end soon, we’ve made it through relatively easily.

The biggest reason: Indy! I briefly mentioned our new dog in the Finland post, but we didn’t bring him home until a few weeks later, just before the lockdown began. It was absolutely perfect timing:

Chelsay and I had stressed about how we would alternate working-from-home while Indy was a puppy. After coronavirus, this was a moot point… I’m not sure Chelsay or I will ever go back into our London offices.

Chelsay & I would’ve been painfully bored being locked at home for months, but Indy has been a blast. Play time, training, and walks have filled our otherwise open schedules.

That said, things weren’t so easy early on: Indy’s first two weeks with us were painful. Really really bad. He had a stomach bug when we picked him up so, starting with the first drive home, he was either throwing up or pooping every 45 minutes.

Making matters worse, we were staying in a terrible basement AirBnB – the only one in London that allowed dogs. Beyond the complete absence of daylight, the other downside of this AirBnB was the thin walls… We tried having Indy sleep on his own, but he would HOWL incessantly. The neighbors were unexpectedly understanding for the first 15 minutes, but their (and our) patience ended when his crying hit the 1-hour mark.

With all this pooping & howling, I’ll freely admit that I regretted getting a dog. I’d expected a much easier transition, but the combination of his stomach bug & our dreadful AirBnB changed everything. That said, we stuck it out, and I actually think I learned a lot about patience & perseverance… And I’m just really happy Indy pooped all over the AirBnB instead of our permanent home.

This is a good transition to our other main lockdown activity: settling into our new house. In my last post, I mentioned that we found this place within 24 hours of landing in London – a testament to our organization, motivation, and ability to fight off jetlag.

Settling in is always tough, but we had reason for optimism: Chelsay had meticulously coordinated the furniture & homeware shipments for our move-in date. Although most of the deliveries were completed without hiccup, some of the larger items were derailed when the UK went into lockdown. …The shipping company refused to deliver our items – I eventually found a creative solution that I won’t go into, but it meant out our couch, TV, and all kitchen cookware were locked away in a warehouse for an extra few weeks.

In the meantime, Chelsay, Indy, & I were living the college-lifestyle: we put the guest mattress in our living room as a couch replacement, used a computer monitor as a TV, and ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner for an entire month with only two forks!

That said, the benefit of missing furniture was the extra room for Indy to run around. Actually, we had plenty of space even once ALL our furniture arrived! Our new flat is twice the size of the Manly apartment, and nearly the size of our previous THREE apartments combined! And that’s without considering the backyard, where Indy could roam freely, play fetch, get his zoomies out… or participate in the 2020 NFL Combine.

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Although it took a few weeks to fill the house, we immediately felt settled in our new neighborhood. Chelsay & I loved Hampstead the first time we lived in London, so it was our top choice house hunting… All 24 hours of house hunting.

Hampstead is undeniably London’s most charming & cozy neighbourhood: knobbly alleys, off-kilter homes, mossy lattices, vine covered brick facades. Close to the city, but very much an English village.

It is also home to one of London’s largest parks, Hampstead Heath, which isn’t even really a park. It’s a forest. A wild, unmaintained maze of trees, vines, and brush, with pockets of open heath sprinkled around. Every weekday morning around 6:45 and every night around 6:30, Chelsay, Indy, and I set out for a walk through the park. Indy loves the night walk especially (when we bring his frisbee), but the walks aren’t just for him: Chelsay and I love the fresh air in the morning, and relaxing wind-down at night.

These walks are one staple of our weekday routine, with the other being Chelsay & I’s daily lunch together. Despite work being busy for both of us throughout the lockdown, we’ve found time to take lunch together every single day. It’s a flashback to Seattle, when Chelsay & I both worked in South Lake Union and we’d meet up a few times per week. These little breaks split up the day, and help us both prepare for busy afternoons. …The only problem is that we’re getting really tired of cooking. We haven’t gone to a restaurant since February 22. Today is June 26.

Weekends have their own routine as well. Although we wake up early (a new talent of Chelsay’s), we’ll take our time with a bigger breakfast like huevos rancheros. We’ll then saddle Indy up for our primary weekend activity: a 2-3 hour walk through the Heath. These walks have been excellent for so many reasons:

The Heath is gorgeous, as described earlier. Each walk is unique, and we haven’t followed the same route yet.

The weather has been historically great: May was the sunniest month since Britain began recording in 1862!

It tuckers Indy out. He’ll go to sleep for 6 hours after we get back from our weekend walks.

Indy’s exhaustion gives Chelsay & I a chance to FaceTime with our families, a weekly highlight. With everyone in lockdown, its far easier to find a time when everyone can join: both our parents and our siblings (it’s not like we were doing anything else!). Our typical agenda goes: game night, recommend shows, make fun of each other’s unkept appearance.

The rest of our routine weekend day is spent planning. Both Chelsay and I have our own roles:

Chelsay tends to handle household preparedness. I have to give her credit – she was way ahead of the curve on Coronavirus. A week or two before the rest of the world caught on, Chelsay was already stocking up on essentials – and more importantly, reserving our online grocery delivery orders into May. This was SO. DAMN. CRITICAL. We went into Waitrose once in early March, and it was a genuine nightmare. You could feel the anxiety in the air: long lines to enter, with everyone panic-buying, irritable, and on-edge while trying to socially distance. It was so important that Chelsay stocked up beforehand and reserved those slots, ensuring we wouldn’t need to visit the grocery store. Once lockdown started, every delivery service froze new member sign-up and locked delivery scheduling.

While Chelsay made sure we survived the lockdown, I was ensuring our travel agenda hit the ground running once restrictions were lifted. I’ve probably planned 15 different variations of trips in the past four months, scrupulously researching options that were exciting, feasible, and most importantly of all, cancellable. Although Puglia in April and the Lakes District in May ultimately needed to be cancelled, the following trips *seem* like they might be okay: Scotland road trip in July, Paris by train in late August, Central Europe road trip in September, and Egypt in October. KNOCK ON WOOD!

Now, the standard weekend includes these long walks, family Facetimes, & planning sessions, but Chelsay and I have still fit in a few exciting breaks from the routine.

First, Chelsay’s 30th birthday fell in the middle of lockdown. We’d originally planned to relive her favorite trip by visiting Scotland, but obviously that was no longer an option. Determined to celebrate her milestone birthday from home, I surprised her with balloons around the house and a ready-made dinner including lamb shanks, potatoes dauphinoise, and glazed carrots. Chelsay pre-baked dessert: a funfetti cake.

Second, as lockdown measures began to ease, we started taking day trips within England. Our first escapade was a short drive to Richmond, where Indy got sick in the car… With our Scotland roadtrip booked, we knew he needed better driving experience, so we immediately booked rental cars for the following three Saturdays. These trips were great car training for Indy, but more importantly brought us to some of the UK’s prettiest locations: Richmond, the Cotswolds, Seven Sisters, and Peak District.

I’ll end this post by emphasizing how lucky Chelsay & I have been during this lockdown. As I mentioned in the introduction, every single person in the world has been impacted by Covid in some way… but Chelsay and I have made it through relatively easily.

We’ll always remember this Global Pandemic and our four months stuck at home, but we’ll also remember the extra time we got to have with our new new puppy, or enjoying our new home and neighbourhood. We’ll remember how the extra planning time made our Scotland, EuroTrip, and Egypt trips that much more special. And most of all, we’ll remember that our friends & family remained safe and healthy throughout.

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mastcomm · 5 years

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When a Friend Is in Need, Show You Care With Food

Like it is with many cooks, food is my mother’s love language.

As a child, I watched her make meals for people as they celebrated births, pushed through cancer, moved, or mourned, packing a pop-up basket with aluminum pans and zip-top bags. The dishes inside were always carefully calibrated to the recipient. Sometimes it was black beans and rice with gazpacho for a vegetarian friend, or simply roasted chicken and potatoes for a neighbor with colitis. Often it was a traditional Jewish comfort dish, like brisket or matzo ball soup, that she knew our family craved.

Food can’t solve every problem. But delivering a homemade dish or edible gift to someone’s door is a concrete response to the sometimes hard-to-answer question of “What can I do to help?”

In our digital age of apps and near-instant delivery services, there are many creative ways in which you can nourish people and make sure you’re giving them something they actually want. And if you’re the one who needs nourishing, you can suggest these same ideas to those close to you. Either way, here’s how to show you care with food.

Cook, or freeze, for others

If you’re cooking for other people, consider their needs first — even if you’re a seasoned cook who loves to experiment. Emily Weinstein, deputy food editor for The New York Times and editor of NYT Cooking, suggests putting yourself in the recipient’s shoes. “Ask yourself, ‘What’s the brief, what’s the need? And how can I meet it?’” Ms. Weinstein said.

She recommends making comfort foods with a twist, like lasagna, meatballs, chili, or lentil soup, all of which freeze and reheat well. Margaux Laskey, senior staff editor at NYT Cooking, said casseroles, meatloaf, quick breads, drop cookies, and cakes are also great ideas.

Of course, consider potential food allergies as well as dietary or religious restrictions. But also ask about special circumstances and space limits. You can cook a large-batch meal or portion foods individually using zip-top bags, containers, wax paper, or foil, letting people reheat small amounts when they’re hungry. Clearly labeling instructions, delivering meals that are already hot, and bringing premade add-ons like salad dressing can help streamline preparing and serving, especially when your recipient isn’t thinking about cooking. Both Ms. Weinstein and Ms. Laskey recommend labeling your containers if you want them back.

If you’re freezing dishes, do your best to remove air and wrap them tightly with freezer-weight packaging. (Wirecutter recommends glass Pyrex containers, plastic Snapware, or Rubbermaid TakeAlongs for food storage.)

Elizabeth Andress, food safety specialist and professor at the University of Georgia, said freezer-specific packaging really does make a difference in preventing freezer burn. For ingredient-specific freezing advice, she recommends consulting the guidelines from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

You might also consider making something surprising and delightful that goes beyond basic sustenance. Laskey’s go-to gift for new parents is a batch of frozen cookie dough, wrapped in individual servings so they can bake just a few cookies at a time.

It doesn’t matter if you’re not an experienced cook, said Ms. Weinstein. “I really can’t emphasize this enough,” she said. “It’s just that you took the moment to think of somebody.” Bringing something you didn’t make yourself, like a bag of granola, an excellent hot sauce, or a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store, is still appreciated.

Organize a meal train

Perhaps you aren’t the only person looking to help your friend or loved one. In that case, you can organize a meal train — a group of people who agree to feed someone on different days or during particular weeks — to avoid duplicate dishes or an overloaded fridge.

Wirecutter recommends MealTrain.com, a dedicated crowdsourcing platform that makes coordinating drop-offs and specific meals easier. (A spreadsheet, email chain, or other sign-up website can work too). Mealtrain.com builds an interactive calendar and lets you customize the number of recipients, as well as their meal preferences and allergies.

The same rules apply to a meal train: Think about the recipient’s needs, inquire about available space, and label your containers if you want them back.

Give a gift basket that’s actually good

Whether your friend or loved one is sick, in mourning, or freshly moved into a new home, getting an edible treat in the mail is a welcome break from the usual bills and circulars. Wirecutter has recommendations for gift baskets that go beyond bland fruit-and-nut assortments. Before you buy, consider any dietary constraints, how long the items might last, and how many people the gift is for. For example, a sampler of Jeni’s ice cream keeps well in the freezer, whereas a Jasper Hill Farms cheese basket offers a nosh for visitors but won’t hold up longer than a few weeks.

You can also send over tea or coffee for a much-needed caffeine boost. On-the-go options, like instant coffee or tea, may be better for people who are working, traveling, or camping out at a hospital. (We like Mount Hagen Organic Single Serve Instant Coffee.) If you know your recipients are staying home, you can pair loose-leaf tea with a fine-meshed steeper or send over a box of great coffee. Wirecutter stocks Harney & Sons teas in our test kitchen and recommends the Finum Brewing Basket for steeping.

Delivery when they want it

Sometimes the best gift is giving people exactly what they want, when they want it. You can purchase gift cards for food delivery services like GrubHub and Uber Eats or pick one up from a local restaurant. That way, people can get takeout on their own time frame. Alternatively, you can place an order yourself so that it arrives at their door at just the right time.

If people can still cook but aren’t able to shop for themselves, you could also ask for their grocery list and send them what they need through a delivery service like Instacart or FreshDirect. Another creative idea is a gift card for a meal kit service: Wirecutter recommends Blue Apron, which offers approachable recipes for beginners and provides all necessary ingredients except for salt, pepper, and oil. (It has vegetarian options too.)

Again, you don’t want your gift to make things more difficult, so check in with your friend or family member beforehand to find out whether they’re really up for cooking.

What you do for others, you can do for yourself

If you’re going through a tough time of your own and people are pestering you about how they can help, offer up these ideas yourself. Don’t be afraid of breaking a taboo by asking for what you want or need. You’re giving people a purpose and can return the favor later on.

A version of this article appears at Wirecutter.com.

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/when-a-friend-is-in-need-show-you-care-with-food/

#Life style

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juan-uruena · 6 years

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Further Guidance On Essential Issues For Stevia Sweetened Iso Xp

Tips For Deciding On Aspects In Whey Protein New Zealand Canada

A lot of whey protein powders are low in some or most of these, but very, very few tick as many boxes as Xwerks Grow. Note that while it’s free from a lot of allergens, it doesn’t come with any digestive enzymes, so if you have trouble digesting powdered protein this might not be the best pick. The unfortunate side effect of a whey that’s free of lecithin or any other products designed to artificially improve mixability is that — no surprise — the mixability isn’t great. It’s not terrible, but there’s no shortage of granules in a shaker cup and it settles quite quickly after mixing. I tried the chocolate flavor, and it tastes fantastic with milk. I’ve had a lot of protein powders that try to taste good in both milk and water, with the end result being a product that’s often too sweet for milk. Xwerks is great with milk (you can tell it’s sweetened naturally) but alas, it’s bland with water. That’s to be expected in a product without anything artificial to give it a creamy, milky taste in water. It’s tough to make a protein powder that pleases everyone. If it’s all-natural, it won’t mix well and probably won’t taste great with water. If it mixes great with anything, the cons will focus on the artificial ingredients. What matters here is what you, the individual, prioritize in your protein. If you’re not concerned with whether or not a protein powder is “all natural” and are primarily concerned with drinking something that tastes great, mixes well, and isn’t too expensive, you won’t be thrilled by Xwerks Grow.

For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit https://barbend.com/xwerks-grow-whey-protein-review/

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Easy Ways To Boost Your Physical Fitness

The information in this article will help you become educated in all aspects associated with fitness. Before you start getting in shape, you need to know what you are doing so that you do not injure yourself or do the wrong exercises. So conduct some research before you try and exercise. Grow your own garden. Many people don't realize that beginning a garden can be quite a bit of work. You need to dig, weed, and squat down quite a bit. You can garden to help you burn a few extra calories a week, or you can think of other simple tasks to complete around your home. Investing in a personal trainer is a wise investment if you can afford it. This will let a personal trainer share some insight with you and help you stay motivated with your workout. Some people may not respond well to a personal trainer, but for others, they can be just what they need. To increase muscle mass lift heavier weights and do fewer repetitions. To start, choose a muscle group. For this example, do the chest. Warm up by lifting lighter, easier to lift weights. It is a good idea to do approximately 15-20 reps with the lighter weight. The next set should be weights that are heavy enough that you can only complete 6 to 8 reps. Your third set should be completed with an additional five pounds. Before starting a bench workout, examine the padding of the bench by pressing down your fingers on the cushion. If the wood is easily palpable beneath the padding, choose an alternate machine. A bench with stingy padding will not give you correct support, leading to possible bruising or even worse injuries. Avoid referring to your fitness program as working out or exercising. Using those words can make you become less motivated. When you go and exercise, instead call it running or cycling. Most people think of fitness as a physical pursuit, but it can have even farther-reaching benefits. Regular workouts can improve your mental health and your outlook on life. The endorphins released during a workout can lead to a feeling of well being. Working out also enhances your self-image and your confidence. Therefore, a couple of workouts can make you happy. Never work out when you are feeling sick. Let your body heal back up at a normal pace when you become sick. Working out when sick will do more harm than good. Because of this, you should stop exercising until you recover. Meanwhile, eat properly and rest as much as you can. Scheduling your day is critical in finding time to exercise and also planning your meals. If you don't plan, you are more likely to make poor choices. If you figure out your schedule beforehand, you can pack yourself healthy meals and plan workout times. You can make your workouts more interesting with television workouts. Investigate fitness-focused television channels or use on-demand services to find workout shows. Your exercise sessions will prove faster time to pass and more mentally engaging when you don't know what the next episode brings. If your TV network does not air fitness shows, look for videos and exercise routines online. Figure out a goal for arm workouts. To build muscle mass, lift heavier weights. If your goal is overall fitness, you can get away with smaller weights and more repetitions, which helps with muscle endurance. There are a lot of different things you can do to stay active and on top of it. What is important is finding what works best for your situation. Make it fun and flexible for your schedule so you look forward to it. Discovering more about fitness keeps it interesting.

Picking Out Necessary Criteria In Canada

He took delivery last September. “My dealer still doesn't have Bolts for people to see in person,” Fidler said via Facebook, adding that his salesperson has asked three times that he bring his Bolt back to show to potential buyers. “I've said yes each time because I don't mind showing my car off.” Rob MacGregor brokers used-EV sales for a Vancouver Honda dealer. He considered expanding to new EVs but found local dealers could not promise timely delivery. “The situation is such that new EVs are next to impossible to get your hands on,” MacGregor told Automotive News Canada. “Yes, you can pre-order them. Good luck. You’re probably going to wait a year before you get one.” Vancouver’s Regency Volkswagen began taking pre-orders for its 20-unit allotment of e-Golfs last September but quit a month later under instructions from VW Canada. Only 10 arrived, said co-owner Patrick Zhang. Regency was told to submit orders for confirmed sales, said Zhang, but was told it might take more than a year to fill them. VW Canada spokesman Thomas Tetzlaff confirmed the company stopped taking orders but said production hasn’t ceased and Canada expects to get three times last year’s allocation. “We are doing what we can to get sold orders built as soon as possible, and have made our customers aware of the wait times via our consumer website,” he said. In Vancouver, the gap between rising EV demand and the ability buy or even test-drive one has caught the attention of the municipal government.

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How To Make Vitamins And Minerals Work For You

You notice others living healthier lifestyles, but not many people know what they should about nutrients. An education in vitamins and minerals is a must. Read on to learn some excellent tips to help you select the right vitamins and minerals. To make sure your workout routine is paying off the greatest rewards, take your vitamins daily. When you are well nourished, your body can recover quickly from workouts, burn fat and build muscle more efficiently. The more balanced your diet, the more of the necessary vitamins you will consume. You should eat fruits and veggies at least five times a day. You should also have adequate amounts of lean protein. If this is hard to do, consider adding a supplement. Calcium helps you have stronger bones. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D can be gleaned in several ways: food, supplements, or sunlight. These will help your body absorb calcium. Drinking fortified milk is one of the best ways to get vitamin D, but a daily dose of sunshine can also help. Take a supplement if you do not prefer milk. Vitamin D will protect your bones, preventing them from getting brittle. Is your body hurting, but you don't know why? Rather than shell out good money for a chiropractor or MD, give proper vitamin and minerals supplementation a try. Some nutrients to soothe muscles are fish oil and Vitamin E. To help create red blood cells, iron is essential. Oxygen is carried throughout your body by red blood cells. Women will require a higher dose of iron. Iron deficiency often causes exhaustion and breathing problems. You can find riboflavin and vitamin B2 in green beans, asparagus, bananas, green beans, and dairy products. A deficiency will reduce the quality of your skin texture. Also, riboflavin can help you in your fight against cancer long-term. Vitamin A will boost the immune system and it helps with your skin's aging process while keeping heart disease at bay. Do not exceed the RDA of 2300 IU because Whey Protein large quantities can be toxic. A good source of Vitamin A are carrots, dark leafy greens and squash. Getting enough vitamins and minerals is growing in importance. Many foods in the grocery stores are over-processed, which leads to the depletion of many nutrients. To get a good dose of quality nutrients, it is important you take a good quality multivitamin. Talk to your doctor to see if you are deficient in any vitamins. This way, you can know which supplements you will need to rectify any such problems. Since today it is much easier to eat cheap fast foods because of the poor economy, many people fail to get the proper vitamins and minerals that our bodies requires each day. Get some bottled vitamins to make sure you have the nutrients to stay healthy. Now that you've read this, you should better understand the importance of vitamin and mineral with maintaining good health. You are only going to live once, and that's why you should take supplements that will help your life. Use these tips often to stay healthy and maintain an active lifestyle.

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