#nolan ...... we're all in love with your wife

[weebsinstash]

hey, can I have more husband and wife family dynamics with thragg? maybe more about her pregnancy or the kids' childhood/baby time?

Sure can! It's been pretty fun writing about potential scenarios where this monstrous piece of shit can actually feel love. First and foremost I was watching a video on YouTube going over this scene again and uh Comic Readers KNOW How Fucked This Man Is. um, out of context vague spoilers but, I'm assuming people asking about Thragg have read the comics or are curious about the comics but like yall Need To Know how he treats the kids of his enemies

I feel like I need to share/remind people of this scene because like, this man can be kind of hard to pin down. He's from this loveless society that sees kindness as weakness and he's like King Dickhead but there are still times when he can be quite courteous, even apologetic, sarcastic, whatever. I think at the end of the day he's just a very selfish, explosive, emotionally impulsive man but revisiting this scene was a little surprising for me since I forgot he was even like, capable of "small kindnesses" like saying sorry or whatever. Like. Is him wiping her tears while smearing blood all over her face a well intentioned accident or is he like waging psychological warfare on this like, i think she's literally 5 years old. What is the purpose of him apologizing to a child for splashing blood of her family member on her when he intends to kill her or leave her for dead in front of her dying parents anyways. I'm still trying to get a feel on this man

THAT BEING SAID, moving on, we're talking about a yandere Thragg today and thankfully that comes with perks

- it's pretty obvious but like, you are his favorite mate and your children are his favorite children. I like to think of concepts with Reader being Ursaal and Onaan's mother or even the previously mentioned triplet idea with Mark being their sibling (otherwise I'd have to invent new characters and that doesn't, resonate the same, and I also really like Ursaal actually and I feel like there's some real story potential in Ursaal discovering more of her humanity through her mother's kindness and wanting to protect her mother from her father)

-can you imagine like. I still think about the idea where you're actually Nolan's mate but one day you mouth off to Thragg and he "puts you in your place" in front of Nolan as a punishment to you both and like a month later you find out you're pregnant and, I imagine abortions are only done on Viltrum if the fetus is too weak or defective, so you're forced to carry it and you and Nolan are lying that it's his and then one day Thragg just, passes by, sees your swelling tummy, takes one sniff of you, "it's mine" and demands a paternity test. And you'd think, "oh surely he'd just take the baby" which is what you'd prefer but, no it becomes a pretext for him to steal you from Nolan altogether

-you're fed incredibly nutrient dense, protein packed, ultimate pregnancy food because Thragg wants those babies as healthy as possible. Thragg has probably had other alien kids before but these are his first hybrid or nearly fully Viltrumite children and that makes them special. New dad Thragg holding up these little absolute mammoths of newborns with all their chunk and pudge and rolls and he's just so proud, "look at how robust these children are! Surely they have inherited my strength! Fine additions to the Viltrum Empire were born on this day" and you're like half awake in bed and he just, pets your hair

-ok just. Ok just picture it like. You're pregnant and upset and so stressed out because you didn't want to be Nolan's mate after he helped conquer Earth but at least you had known him and liked him initially. You're just constantly stressed out and angry and watching every single word you say around Thragg because you don't know him or what he's capable of, but I imagine a sort of scenario where he's taking you to the doctor and running tests and procedures and just, you know prenatal checkup stuff, but the doctors are all speaking to Thragg instead of you, you aren't even being told your own test results, and the two of you finally arrive back home and you just break down crying and kind of tear into him, "I'm sure YOU have had lots of kids before but I'VE never had a baby before and I don't know what to expect or what's going to happen or- or -" and you're just bawling because, it's not a lie you're scared. You're having a baby and you're gonna be a new mom and it's entirely against your will, out of your control, and that's incredibly stressful. And this becomes a moment where Thragg actually shows some humanity by sitting you down and discussing the doctors visit with you, and that's one of the first times the two of you actually have a civil, extended conversation

Thragg thinking he's so fucking big and tough and then he sees you this little fragile fleshy untrained civillian with the big teary boo hoo eyes with your shaking hands on your little belly as you cry about being scared about giving birth to his baby and he's just, "shit I DO have feelings" and immediately feels the overwhelming need to comfort you. He'll comfort you under the guise of "stress isn't good for the children" which is true but, it's him blanketing his own concern and masking it under an excuse

-I kind of feel like that hypothetical event would be like, a footnote in your relationship. He starts treating you differently, attentive in new ways, more... emotional ways. He'll stop by while he's working on a break or something to check on with you and the assigned caretakers he has guarding you (because the very second you're confirmed pregnant you have 24/7 security) and he'll awkwardly grunt out questions about, have you eaten yet, are you experiencing any pain today, any discomfort, any new symptoms. He'll check in with your guards/nannies privately about if there's anything you're doing that he needs to know about, give tou a nice husbandly shoulder touch and then (reluctantly) getting back to work

-to be blunt part of me questions if he even has sex to create children or if he uses something akin to IVF and I only say this because of the absolute ASSEMBLY LINE he sets up on Thraxia. Trust me though he beats the kitty up with you CONSTANTLY

-I actually think after giving birth is like the ONE time you're allowed any birth control because apparently if you have too many pregnancies in too close time frames it actually sucks the calcium out of your bones and can give you osteoarthritis and Thragg wants you healthy, "for more future children obviously" which is such a lie because let's say you have your miracle birth of giving him twins or triplets or whatever but you hemmorage and become infertile or whatever. Mf is STILL keeping you around. When you think about it he technically doesn't even need you to help raise his children, he has people for that, but he forces you to be part of the process anyways

- tbh I kind of like the idea of Thragg developing some weird fucking like complex where he discovers he feels comforted cuddling you, like man gets hit by oxytocin like a fucking freight train, and it becomes him literally being unable to sleep without you in his arms. You could be in a yelling screaming argument with this man and he suddenly like, just completely shuts you down, "ENOUGH!! I require rest and I won't tolerate anymore of your childish whining!" And you could be spitting mad at him and he's just, picking you up just physically picks you up and drags you to bed anyways. Hooks his arms around your waist as the big spoon and buries his face in your hair even as you spit insults about how you hope he kills himself

Like I think I've mentioned this idea with other characters before but imagine Thragg waking up on the middle of the night IMMEDIATELY PISSED because the bed beside him is cold and he finds you on the couch, on the couch, maybe even without blankets and visibly uncomfortable, because yeah he WILL wake you up to drag you back to bed with him.

- Thragg being this warrior who literally watched people be disembowled and tortured and conquered races but suddenly you're in labor and he's in the delivery room (he refuses to wait outside) watching you literally scream in pain and he just, takes your hand and tells you to squeeze, and that it'll be alright, and he sees you so vulnerable and scared and emotional and you're looking to him for some kind of help but he can't, even with all his strengths and feats he can't help you right now, however this pregnancy goes is up to fate and the doctors and he feels like an actual visceral HUMBLING sense of helplessness that just makes him, even more obsessively protective over you

- deadass if it becomes a "he can only save one: you or the children" life-threatening pregnancy scenario, he chooses you. Says you can always try again but even if you wind up infertile and "useless" to him, he's too attached to you at this point, it doesn't matter if you "don't serve a function" or whatever bullshit Viltrumite mindset he may have had with previous mates before. You're different to him, and you're making HIM different as a person

- You're just half alive on the couch because Giving Birth is Hard and here's Thragg doing shit like personally bringing you water, feeling your forehead for any fever, monitoring your condition, aggressively interrogating your guards for extra info, sitting beside you with your babies in his arms. He lets you rest after giving birth and nearly bends over backwards

- I feel like at some point you're forced to accept a lot of real fucked up stuff and especially if you are a hybrid Vultrimite yourself and thus will be with Thragg for, basically forever, like some real "mate, do you have any cravings today. What do the children require" "ummm... at the ceremony last month, there was that... blue, little.... crab thing?" "A Florkian. They are incredibly rare" "oh... I'm sorry, I didn't know-" " -and since I observed that you were fond of the taste when you were consuming them, I went ahead and conquered their homeworld and farms have been established. I can have the slaves prepare a dish for you right away" "oh, thank you, ive been craving it ever since i ate it but i didnt want to bother by asking 🥰" "as your mate it is my duty to provide for you. Do not keep any of your desires from me"

- your children are getting trained as soldiers the second they develop powers and that's something you'll have to get used to. If your little babies get their powers at 5, they're still learning combat, getting knocked around, near beaten, "toughened up". Thragg will conceal the full extent of how they're treated from you because the way he sees it, you weren't raised on Viltrum and you're simply ignorant of their culture. He doesn't need you to accept how things are. Your kids will come home with black eyes and bruises and bloodied noses and he'll growl at you not to make them too soft as you weep over Ursaal missing a chunk of her hair because an opponent grabbed her by it and she had to break away and some was ripped out at her scalp, like. The psychological damage of asking your small child how their day with their father went, "it was excellent mother, I made my first kill!!" And then gleefully describing to you in detail how while their father was fighting an enemy soldier, the soldiers child attacked yours, and, your baby killed another kid. Like. That's the sort of thing you have to be raised with to block out of your heart. Going to hug your child who may not even be 10 years old and they have literal blood on their hands

-personal headcanon but also semi canon but I imagine Ursaal is the most competent of your twins and is Thragg's favorite. She just has a better tactical mind on her shoulders and isn't, uh. As horribly sadistically violent as Onaan. Like say your kids become platonic yandere or whatever, or, you have your own kids with thragg and the twins are separate but still attached to you. Onaan is the kid you find killing cats because he's jealous they get more attention than him while Ursaal is like, giving her father incredibly detailed reports and her own insight into what you've been up to, how you're feelings, things you say and do when Thragg isn't around

-so I know y'all see that image I posted with Thragg and his twins. I tried to censor, The Cape last time but I realized like, even with censoring the head it's still super obvious who that is, there's only one white furred creature in this entire show. I imagine after Thragg gets his Beast Drip that, once Throkk's daughter comes for revenge, she is also slaughtered, and her pelt becomes YOUR cape. Or maybe Thragg offhandedly mentions to you that BB Jr has vowed vengeance and you're casually flipping through a book, "is she as strong as her father, like if you had to rate it 1 to 10 with her father being 10 and 1 being a human. If the daughter is at about a 7 or below, Ursaal should be able to handle her, get herself a nice coat to match her father" and Thragg feels this warmth in his chest to hear you're actually observant of his/your children and their prowess, especially to hear you praise Ursaal in such a uh violent context, just casually suggesting his daughter could turn another sentient humanoid creature into a pelt to wear. This is another example of "living the viltrum life will eventually dehumanize you and rob you of certain empathies"

- I don't think you would actually have a title but could you imagine if Thragg decides you're like, officially his true mate, like the mate above all others, like you're the Empress in his little harem of concubines and ladies in waiting. I hc that your official title is something like Grand Duchess or perhaps if this is the twin/triplet scenario something more vaguely historical sounding like The High Mother or Regent Mother or, you get the point

-I still think "Reader turns out to be an incredibly late blooming hybrid" is a neat concept but I also don't know how they would miss that since during your pregnancy and all you're receiving medical care out the ass but like. Thragg personally training both you and the children as a family. Would be kind of humiliating honestly because it's kind of vaguely implied you should learn things before the kids do and if you struggle, here's Thragg, telling his kids in private they have to protect you and keep an eye on you and report any problems back to him

- thragg would definitely be training you in hand to hand but suddenly finds he can't bear hitting you in the face or hitting you at a certain strength. Like. Absolutely 100% you're gonna have a lot of scenarios where you're brawling or wrestling and he pins you and it swiftly transitions to you getting rawdogged from your high on adrenaline husband. Tbh that sex would probably be his favorite, where he has to defeat you in combat and then rewards himself. Can probably border from hatesex to consensual to noncon, not that he has a problem doing THAT to you either

- probably has portraits done of you and him. Idk do you think Viltrum has like enough art culture for portraits to be a thing? Most fascist tyrants have portraits. He would have several done: you and him, just you, you while pregnant, him and you while pregnant, you holding your babies, you and him holding your babies, and family shots as they grow up. Say you conquer a planet together as a family and one day you're revisiting and there's some sort of museum set up amd you find like a wall length portrait of, you and your children soaked in blood tearing carnage through the fire and flames and Thragg is beside you just nodding in approval, "they captured your image rather well"

- goooooddddd imagine you're just a normal human and you progressively start showing signs of aging. You start getting more wrinkles. Your body starts working in different ways, popping, cracking, aching. Onaan, Ursaal, and Thragg all notice and they're like FREAKING OUT HONESTLY. The children don't want to accept that their mother is actually going to be a speck on the timeline of their entire lifespans. Thragg doesn't want to accept that he has to let you go and you're never coming back. They all become obsessed with finding ways to keep you young, keep you alive, fuck it they'll clone you and transfer your consciousness into a new body if they have to! This is comic book world and these are obsessed aliens and they have OPTIONS

- something something "what if Reader isn't a viltrumite hybrid but is still like super-powered or a mutant or whatever and this isn't revealed until you like are fatally injured or even DIE die and suddenly you, pop back up". Cause I feel like this "close call" would drive any yandere literally insane because, what if there's no second chance, what just happened, can you still die, they can never never never never never allow you to get hurt ever ever ever again

Thragg just walks into the kitchen and you have the stove top red hot and you've just got your palm resting on it and you look to him kind of just shocked, all, "look... nothing happens... I just feel some of the warmth" and Thragg just puts his fist through your oven anyways, "you could've gotten hurt" and immediately picking you up and carrying you to some sort of perceived "safer place"

- this is like a specific scenario but like, can you imagine as a mom you like to brush and comb Ursaal's hair and you idly suggest she could always grow it out more and you could help braid it and things, but once it starts getting longer Thragg objects and says it could get grabbed during a fight and orders her to cut it but you step in and say she shouldnt have to, it's HER hair, and you two get into it, and one day Ursaal is brought home by her father and he's all but shaved her head after she had actually grown it out to a decent length. You and Thragg are at odds over how to treat rhe children and Ursaal begins to realize that many of the restrictions her father instills on her are because of a way of life she may not fully agree with, a life filled with violence and bloodshed with no room for love or kindness or creativity. She probably helps you from going over the edge too, honestly. If anything else through this life with Thragg, in your darkest places you may still find yourself thinking you have to keep going to try and help your children

- with others, Thragg is the kind of yandere where he's standing in the same room as you and you're both doing completely different things and he suddenly says, "so I noticed during the meeting that your eyes kept lingering on my mate" and without further warning he's beating up someone on the accusation they were lusting for his wife, no discussion, just fists , and he'll do shit like this a lot to the point people don't feel comfortable being around you and you're just further socially isolated

- I feel like Thragg would have some weird like fondness slash fetish for watching you breastfeed. Like, awww here's his cute little wife with his chubby little babies and you're giving them their nice milk, what a good mom, providing for the babies he put in your belly ❤️ part of me is convinced if you're a viltrumite or hybrid or whatever that you uh. Eventually wind up with a lot of babies. A LOT of babies. Do you think he would want a specific amount or its just vibes. Like you're over 300 years old and you've already got 50 kids with him but he sees you teaching one of your youngest sons how to throw a punch and suddenly he wants another

- all I'm saying is if he ever catches you self harming or attempting to hurt yourself he's gonna have a real extreme reaction. Like he finds you cutting yourself with a broken glass and you're immediately restrained and taken to a hospital, completely stripped, inspected for other wounds, and if there are any and especially a lengthy history of them, you're in such trouble. But I also think it would be extremely difficult to hide this from him since as time goes on you two are constantly having sex or he's inviting himself into your shower to bathe with you. You accidentally bang your arm on a counter or something and get a tiny bruise, this man will know about it and wants a detailed report on where it came from

- even when you guys aren't super familiar with each other and you've "just met" he's already protective and all that. Like you've just been brought into his home and you barely even know him still and he may even act mean and angry to you and then one day he sees you have a large bruise on your arm, "what is this?" ".... it's nothing, Grand Regent" "I asked you a question and you'll answer me: where did this come from" "... I spoke out of turn with one of your advisors and turned to leave without permission, Grand Regent" "And so they grabbed you?" "Yes Grand Regent" "who" "it was my fault, I-" "WHO" and the second you give a name or description he's wordlessly leaving the room and shows up again HOURS later with visible blood on him, "it has been handled. You are not to be harmed or punished without my permission or instruction"

- in some scenario where you leave the kids behind and try to run away, like... he isn't just gonna throw up his hands, "well I already got children out of her, she has served her purpose" and leave you the fuck alone. If anything this man would track you down just to tell you off for having the fucking nerve to disobey and defy him! I can picture an actively captured wife where you are constantly kept on some kind of restraint or have a bracelet or collar or even a LEAD THAT HE HOLDS and you're IMPRISONED rather than "I'm being monitored but otherwise I have my own agency". Thragg will make himself a throne that you can be chained to if he has to. He'll have restraints made that are decorative and complimentary of your features. Imagine he's making some sort of public appearance and while he's speaking he's got an arm around your waist and you're pulled up against him and meanwhile you've got. A bar gag and cannot speak

- really, truly, in a way, you become a symbol, but one of all different kinds. There are Viltrumites who see how their mighty Grand Regent treats his mate and they are viscerally disgusted (Kregg and Lucan comes to mind), like people who really start to question the society they are living in, questioning if it really must be so selfish and devoid of empathy, questioning if they really want to keep living this way and for their children and their children's children to live like this. Then there are others who see the way the Grand Regent controls his mate and see its as a sign of strength and permission to treat their own mates the same.

Mostly, though... the only thing that will take you away from Thragg is death. Until the day one of you dies, you're stuck with him, and there's basically no one around who's stronger than he is, period. You might as well cozy up and get friendly with your new husband, since you're going to be together for a long time and spend lots, and lots, and LOTS of time together ❤️

[starseneyes]

Chenford - Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 5 - Ep 11

"The Naked and the Dead" AKA "Chenford is SOOOO married"

SPOILER WARNING: I will spoil the entire episode, likely the entire show, and I am addicted to details. Please proceed with caution.

Everybody primed and ready to go? Let's dive in!

"Hey, let me do it."

Timelines are tricky on this show, so I really don't think this was after the "second" date, but later. We saw in the cold open that Nolan and Celina were on a case during the day, so I think Tim and Lucy have been sneaking in dates and we're MAYBE a few days or a week past the end of the last episode.

So, that cute little glance Lucy gives Tim before uttering "let me do it" made me squee. Yes, I squee like a little girl kicking in a too-tall chair. Let me flail. I'm good at it!

Tim steps back and lets his wife girlfriend get to work on the coffee machine.

We know he's into black coffee (and clearly she knows his order after all the years on the job together), and I bet if he has a machine at home, it's either a grind-and-brew to give him whole bean goodness in a more instant form, or it's that "one cup" model I gave my husband to keep at work. Insert coffee. Insert water. Brew.

"So, what'd you guys get up to last night." "Nothing!"

Tim. Oh, Tim. Remember last week when I said you should stop lying? Yeah... maybe time to take my advice because your "nothing" is louder than a lot of "somethings".

To be fair, Nolan did say, "You Guys", which might trigger Tim's Fight-or-Flight response. Fleeing the scene might have appeared less suspicious.

Lucy slips in with her well-practiced UC skills on full display. See, she's had time to prepare, this time, and she's not going to get caught in the early stages of her secret romance.

She rattles off her love of the new Chagall exhibit while Tim suddenly gets lost in the aroma of his coffee so he can't open his big mouth, again. He seriously can't even look at either of them.

Tim finds a spec of dust on the floor to admire, sips his coffee, and hopes nobody notices.

Also, can we talk about Lucy handing Tim his coffee!? I know she could have done it at any other time in their relationship. I mean, she was his Boot and then his Gofer. She's handed him MANY a cup of coffee over the years.

But there is something so bloody domestic about Lucy Chen handing her boyfriend a cup of coffee.

"Nothing? You had all morning to come up with a cover story and that's what you went with?"

First off, I love the tone change from Lucy sending Nolan off to confronting Tim.

Second, I love how Tim immediately has to right the wrong of him being perpendicular to her and set himself directly in front of her, feet pointing towards what he desires. (Any New Girl fans out there?)

"Woah, woah. He bought it, didn't he?" "Uhhh."

I love this teasing. Both Eric Winter and Melissa O'Neil excel at something I adore in actors... the Art of the HUM. It can be "uh" or "hm" or "mm".

I don't care which of the "H" "U" "M" s you use and in what combination, a great actor can use them to add layers to a scene and make it feel completely natural rather than written-in.

Chenford fans are blessed with both actors masterfully pulling it off. Think Matthew Goode in A Discovery of Witches. If there's a King of the HUM, it's him.

But these two are pretty high up there in terms of mastery.

"What if he had asked you a follow-up question about the exhibit?"

There's that competitive spirit coming out with these two. Tim wants to prove that his excuse is more fool-proof than hers.

And, Tim, while you may be the Master of Tests, Lucy is the Master of Cover Stories. Remember Dim and Juicy's meet-cute Lucy created that made you think naughty thoughts you tried to cover up with veiled barely-there compliments? Lucy's gonna school you, former TO.

"Let him. I read the catalogue to the exhibit cover to cover."

First off, how the hell does Melissa O'Neil make that line sound hot? The world may never know.

Secondly... BOOM, Tim Bradford! You've been schooled by the master! Lucy is the queen of preparation. For goodness sake, she read psych journals trying to prepare to break up with her ex-"Work In Progress".

Lucy has a pattern, and it's a good one when your SO becomes your SO and you don't want anyone to know... o.

"Mmhmm"

See? Master of the HUM.

"I hear you have Citizens Academy today." "I do. Do you have any tips?"

She trusts him completely, and I love that he immediately rattles off information to help her. At this point, he knows exactly what she needs to hear, and what will be useful to her.

Also, Tim's disdain for screenwriters is strong. Or someone in the writer's room is really tired of unsolicited screenplays in their inbox.

"So... um, what are you doing tonight." "Nothing... I hope."

Ooooh, Velvet Voiced Tim is back! Eric Winter puts this velvety quality into Tim's voice when he's in boyfriend-mode, and it's so bloody delicious.

I did VO for over 20 years, so I get SUPER excited about these little shifts in performance. Immediately, we know what he means. Yowza.

"Nothing sounds perfect."

Okay, I have to be upfront and honest, here. My original prediction was that they would not have sex for the first time off-screen and that they would not have sex this episode.

But when this scene dropped as a promo (and I love that they did widescreen with wings when it was too awkward for the crop), I second-guessed myself. Did they... do it off-screen!?

No. Now, I firmly believe, no. But this scene had me going for a minute!

Narratively, it makes more sense to drag it out. Yes, I know that in real life some people sleep with one another the moment they meet. But I believe for these characters in this moment... it makes sense to take their time.

But when I first heard they were doing "nothing" and they'd also done "nothing" the night before with only the morning to make up a cover story... I questioned my choices hard.

And now my mind's in the gutter.

Okay, readjusting. Let's get back to Tim's beautiful smirk as he watches his woman depart. "I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave", anyone? Our kitten is smitten.

Lucy On A Mission

Lucy works at the computer, lost in thought and using that big brain and compassionate heart of hers.

Aaron slides up, completely unaware of what's on her computer. He's ready to spill the tea, and the tea is standing right beside him.

"You'll never guess who's coaching Little League." "Nolan?" "No. Sergeant Friendly."

I love the glare Tim gives Aaron. Because it's his damn fault. But I also love Aaron poking fun at Tim. Their dynamic's been a lot of fun to watch this season.

"Whu- How did that happen? Can I watch?"

Ma'am. This is a PRECINCT. Please pick your panties up off the floor and resume normal operating function.

I mean, wow, Lucy! There was some heat in that question and Aaron is right there!

Lucy Materializes Out of Thin Air

I had to watch it twice to pinpoint where the hell she came from at the ball park. So, my initial surprise was akin to Tim's.

"Hey." Hi."

How. Is. This. HOT!? They're just saying "hi" and it's so charged with electricity the baseball field lights are about to turn themselves on. There is absolutely zero chill with these two since they started dating, let's be real.

"Um... who are you?" "What?" "I... the... a lot of heart? They're kind of a mess." "They're kids. It's supposed to be fun." "Yeah..."

I hear that edge in his voice on that line.

It's the same edge that gets into his voice anytime he discusses anything remotely connected to his father or childhood. So many of his choices are informed by the scars he still bears—physical and emotional.

Tim walks away, a little frustrated, because he can see Lucy doesn't get it. To be fair, he isn't explaining it. He's not communicating with her at all here.

But, also to be fair, he's never sought counseling or therapy for what he survived. There's a lot bottled up and it can be hard to pour it out in digestible bits if you've never learned how.

Genny fills in the gaps. That's all Lucy needs to process where Tim is and what he's going through.

I grew up with a lot of yelling, name-calling, and verbal and emotional abuse. Manipulation. Control.

One of my greatest joys is breaking those cycles with my own children—giving them a better childhood.

Tim watched the anger and the volatile nature of the last coaching situation here. He remembers his own father. He wants different for these kids, even if they aren't his own.

"He's trying not to be like him." "Yeah."

Lucy deflates a little, here. It was only silly puffery meant to tease, but now she gets it. Now she sees where this comes from, and she feels a little guilty. Of course, she didn't know, but now she does.

*Tim thumbs ups a kid dropping a ball* "Well, I mean, there is such a thing as over-correcting."

Here's where Lucy knowing Tim so well comes in. She doesn't try to talk to him about it. She doesn't try to tell him what to do.

Instead, she gets in there to help course-correct so Tim can keep being supportive, and she'll provide the structure so he doesn't have to have the anxiety of in any way resembling his father.

This is such a demonstration of love, to me. She knows he's not ready to deal with all of this. There will be a day—perhaps when his father dies—that he'll start to process through everything that happened. But, in the meantime, she'll help him through.

This is where Tim and Lucy live, now. It's a "we". It's an "us". It's something neither of them has ever had to this degree, before, even though Tim was married once-upon-a-time.

Lucy and Tim are a team, now, and this episode highlights why—they complement each other. They balance each other. They sharpen each other.

And in this way, Tim's very fortunate to be falling in love with someone with a pysch degree who can understand what's needed. She's the ideal partner to help with this because she knows him enough, now, not to push. But she also knows enough to provide a safe space for when he is ready to discuss.

"What are you doing?"

You never know what your girl is gonna do, do you, Tim?

To note, the last time he asked her this was when he was in the hospital recovering from spinal surgery. She was supporting him, then, too. She has a knack for it. (and I think the time before that was when he caught her putting boots in his locker... she also has a knack for pranks, of course)

"My name is Lucy. I am Coach Bradford's... friend."

Look. At. Tim's. FACE. Look at that bemused smile when she asserts she is his "friend". There was a time when he wouldn't even have accepted that moniker.

It wasn't until they were discussing her love life in the shop during the last 30 days of her training that she said, "we're friends" and instead of refuting it, he simply made a face.

And I love that she remains his friend even as they're transitioning into everything else. I often tell my children that my husband is my best friend—and I mean it. Nobody supports me like Matthew, lifts me up like Matthew, understands my trauma like Matthew, and makes me laugh like Matthew.

I love every layer of that man. And he loves every layer of me. And friendship goes a long way to getting to that point, I think.

Lucy rattles off instructions for how to throw a ball while Tim side-eye-fucks her and thinks of other things she can do with her hands as she's acting out the motions.

Come on, I'm not wrong here, people! Look at his face and tell me there aren't a few things happening in his mind that are not baseball-related but might involve running some bases.

Lucy disperses the kids, and Tim fires off a "You heard her" which is the Chenford Coaching Team equivalent of "Listen to your mother!"

He looks her up and down and smiles deliciously at Lucy, activating her praise kink in a delightful motion of her head.

Yes, Lucy Chen absolutely has a praise kink. And there's nothing wrong with that! But I love how Melissa O'Neil has been consistent with that little head swish Lucy does.

We've seen her do it throughout the years ("Maybe one day she'll be as good as you" comes to mind), and it never stopped. It only morphed.

Look at it at Lopez's wedding when he compliments her (in his way) and then asks her for a dance. Praise Kink Activated.

She does it at the end of 5x08 as we wait to fade to black, and there's a softer version of it when she's basking in Tim's adoration at the end of their first scene of 5x09 in the Watch Commander's office. Girl's got it bad for Tim Bradford.

He offers her the ball... but no he didn't. And I'm giggling like Lucy last episode because he's such a teenager around her, sometimes.

I've heard the expression all my life, "Love makes you young". I often think of Patrick Stewart wearing the Elf Song Hat while his wife recorded him (Google it... you'll die laughing).

With Tim, I feel like it resets him to before all the hurt and heartache in his love-life with Isabelle. He can be... free. Flirty. Fun.

But, seriously, Tim's the one who is going to get them found out for sure. Because, you know who had a front row seat to that eye-fuckery? Genny, that's who.

Y'ain't fooling anyone, Timothy.

"I think you two should co-coach. You were great together." "Oh, no, no. I'm ready to hand over the reins, entirely." "Not a chance."

I've thought about the layers in this little interaction quite a bit. Genny sees something here—whether it's the romance, the layered friendship, or the true partnership they've developed over the years.

But I feel like Tim's dealing with some self-doubt, here, and Lucy catches onto that.

I have a husband who deals with self-doubt. He's an incredible human, but I can tell when he's leaning into that and when I need to pull him back out and remind him how awesome he is.

I get that feeling here with Tim and Lucy. Maybe I'm projecting. But, I feel like he's saying, "She's better than me" and she's saying "No way, no how". Because he's not bad at this. Yes, he over-corrected a bit, but kids do need the support he offered. And Lucy brought the structure. They're better together.

I mean, just look at the way they're cleaning up together. Lucy's handing the bats to Tim and Tim's putting them away. They're doing it instinctively because helping one another and working together is completely natural, by now.

It's not something they have to discuss or consider—it's instinctual.

I've seen this in nature, before. A client of mine (yes, same client from last Meta) flew me out to Los Angeles a few times for work. I stayed with him and his wife, and I got to watch them work in the kitchen together.

After decades and decades of it being the two of them together, with no kids or anyone else in the way... it was like watching a dance.

That's Tim and Lucy. They move together rhythmically and naturally. May it be so in all aspects of their life—but I'm skipping to another episode that hasn't aired, yet, now!

"No, but seriously! I saw today why you work so well together."

And, Tim, poor, sweet Tim, opens his mouth. Tim can't get words out, and one look from his wife, and he knows to shut that mouth.

"We spend so much time together on, out on the job. It's so great that Tyler has been making friends so quickly after moving here."

Anyone else thinking Lucy's UC school was solely so she could cover up for her and her not-so-secretive secret boyfriend? Because, hello, it keeps coming in handy!

This is classic redirection. I use it with my children all the time. Just this morning my 5-year-old daughter was having an unusually hard time saying goodbye to go to school. Usually, she walks in without a glance back. Today, it was CLING city.

So, I went through the room until we finally finally found something to get her mind off of me so I could slip away.

Lucy's doing the same thing. She's pointing at something else in Genny's life to let that thought of "Tim and Lucy" slip away. It gives Genny something more personal to her to focus on, and shifts the conversation gently.

"We'll make sure he gets the best seat in the house."

Just thirty seconds ago, Tim was trying to get out of co-coaching, and they were both deflecting why they're great together, but now we're back to "we". Heck, we never left "we" for Tim and Lucy. They're a unit, now.

"What's wrong?" "There's something going on with my Domestic." "You want me to come? "No, it's okay. I got it."

Oh, how far we've come. In the past, if Tim said, "What's wrong?" to Lucy, it was surprising that he was taking interest. But, this is his girlfriend, and he knows her well. He looks to her phone for a clue as she approaches.

Then, he offers his help. This isn't TO Tim who wants to make sure his Boot doesn't mess things up. This isn't Sergeant Tim who is going to be backup for Officer Chen. This is Boyfriend Tim willing to be there for his woman, but asking what she wants because he knows she's more than capable of handling herself.

That's what hits me the hardest about this—he knows she's got it, but he's there if she wants him.

And I think that's why her "No" and the head-tilt comes off as intimately as it does... Lucy knows what Tim's offering and why. It's love he's demonstrating and she's sending a "message received" with that look.

And Tim's little "okay" downturn of his lip at the end of the clip even shows how he's not worried a bit. But he was going to offer. And I bloody love that.

Tim and Lucy and Wesley

I love this scene. It's so small and seemingly insignificant plot-wise, but it's the heart of the story, here. Okay, I'm tearing up a little.

PAUSE: TW Abuse CW Abuse

I don't want to give details, but I have people in my life who have been where these women are in the story. So, to me, I don't see the characters. I see my cousin. I see my friend. I see the girl when I was in college who was murdered by her boyfriend in the dorm.

In the case of the plot, this scene isn't necessary. But in terms of the context, it adds so bloody much. It's the message. It's the truth of what happens all too often. Gabby Petito is a recent case that made national headlines, but this happens all over, every day.

And what can we do? What options are there? How can we help? There is some heavy stuff in this episode. But, it's important for us to listen and learn.

END TW Abuse CW Abuse

I love that Tim has Lucy's back, here. She could have done this alone, but I bet she asked him along for his experience and for the weight of his strips in the discussion.

And I ADORE Shawn Ashmore (the sharp-eyed twin, as I've always thought of him), and there's something so irreverent about him sitting in that suit atop the desk that made me giggle a little the first time I saw it.

"Him and Bailey are just way too nice to be landlords." "Totally." *aggressive head-nodding Tim*

And like the Fool who took the stage immediately after the gruesome murder in the Royal Shakespeare Production of MacBeth (the Scottish play for my theatre siblings), there's the levity we need to help transition to what's next.

It's the rhythm of the scene and script where somehow this writer's room is tasked with heartache and hilarity in the same space. It takes skill to do well, and this scene does it well.

"Okay, hold on, you are a complete badass out on the streets-" *Tim question's wife's opinion aggressively* "Off hours, you're a little...." "Easy target."

Nolan's indignation combined with Celina's face make that moment. But it's all the rhythm of Tim and Lucy that gets us there. Tim and Lucy are still Tim and Lucy.

Lucy wants to try to find the compassionate angle, and Tim's going to tell it like it is.

Chenford Coach a Game

Tim and Lucy have me smiling ear-to-ear for so many reasons in this scene. Look at how sweet he is with the kids, making sure they have a good experience. Look how competitive she is. Miss "I like trophies" is coming out, and it's amazing.

"God, every time!" "Be encouraging." "Good. Good job. Good try." "We're gonna work on that."

Married. So married. Beyond married. This whole interaction is gold. And the matching hats and shirts!? Normally, I wouldn't think Prison Orange would be a good look on a cop, but these two pull it off!

Tim is coaching Lucy as much as he's coaching the kids. I see a little "teacher Tim" in that "Be encouraging", though far gentler than TO Tim. And his face right before he tells her, "We're gonna work on that" has me rolling. That little down-turned mouth cracks me up.

We're getting a sneak peek into their future with this one. And, as usual, Tim and Lucy are balancing one another out.

That's one of the things I really love about them. They're not the same person, like Lucy says his ex was. They're very different people who are on a parallel path and are willing to put in the work to make this work because they're worth it.

"I'm excited." "I know."

AHHHHHHH. I know it's a TINY, tiny thing, but the way that he so effortlessly leans into her, the way he cocks his head as he says, "I know." It's so married.

And I have to call out the camera work, here, and the directing. If we're paying attention, we see Nyla and Angela showing up as Blake goes to bat. From the other angle you might note Blake's father shooting to his feet as Blake's bat connects with the ball.

The director is allowing us to discover the story-line without dumping us in at that shot of Nyla and Angela surrounding Blake's father. And I bloody love it.

James Patterson (pre-ghost writers) took the same approach with his mystery books. If you were really paying attention, you always had the opportunity to discover the answer along with the detective. That was something the ghost writers just always missed.

It's fun to have the chance to be detectives yourself—and this director allowed us that chance.

And, I just looked it up. Robert Bella, again! That explains the composition of Tim and Lucy with the fence during the night scene at the ball-field—having Eric Winter take the two steps up so he'd be framed behind the fence instead of in the gap as Melissa O'Neil steps away for Lucy's call.

Anyway.... back to Blake's Criminal Dad...

I had hoped this was the way the story-line would go (with Blake's father being arrested at the end of the game), but I didn't call Nyla and Angela being involved.

So, that gives two more people front row seats to "Why the Hell are Tim and Lucy Coaching Together if They're Just Friends And Holy Crap Were They About to Kiss on the Sidelines?"

Also love the Genny is up there, and that she's positioned behind Blake's father. I don't know if she did it on purpose to help make him easier to find for Nyla and Angela, but that's my head-canon.

And LOOK at Tim and Lucy cheer Blake on! Married. So married.

Plus, that hi-five. I know we're all talking about what Tim has in his hand. Is it cash? We've seen him bet on things before (including that his Rookie would smoke everyone at firearm re-certification), but did Tim and Lucy bet on the game?

She definitely grabs on after the high five, and we see his fingers wiggling. Is he trying to get out of giving her the money? We might need Eric Winter and Melissa O'Neil to chime in on this one...

I have to say, I am loving domestic Chenford, and watching them find new layers to their relationship. I know a lot of people want snogging every week, but I am a huge fan of dolling it out in smaller dollops, much as the romantic aspects of this relationship have been leading up to "Do you want to go on a date?".

Yes, in real life, some people sleep together the moment they meet. Then, you have me and Matthew, who waited four years and until we were married. Lucy and Tim are somewhere between that, and I think they're doing what's right for these characters in this moment.

And I have to separate Chenford back into Tim and Lucy, for a moment, to acknowledge what might not be seen as "Chenford" to most, but totally is to me... Tim and Lucy had separate story-lines this episode.

Yes, Lucy came together on the baseball story-line. Yes, they converged at parts on the Domestic story-line. But, we got to also see them handle themselves without the other as backup. And I think that's so important for us to see as an audience—Tim and Lucy are still Tim and Lucy. They don't have to be together every second.

Tim was highly organized and communicative as a Sergeant in the shoot-out. We got to see his military-level calm and control on display.

For Lucy, we got to see her compassion, bad-assery, and conflict de-escalation without anyone having to back her up. She's a confident and competent cop.

Together, we love them. But I'm someone who also lovesTim and Lucy as Tim and Lucy—separate from Chenford.

I think it's important for the show to remind us who they are on their own so that we can appreciate them both, and not let "Chenford" become the only story-line for either. Both characters are rich and complex, and deserve the opportunity to shine separate from one another, not only when they share a scene.

PAUSE: CW Abuse TW Abuse

This story-line really broke my heart because I know those women. I've been the one in Lucy's position trying to help before one was nearly strangled to death by her husband. And she stayed... it was rough.

If you are in an unsafe situation, please reach out and get help. Here is the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233

I like to keep these Metas light and frothy, but I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge this plot line that isn't a story for two many people in this country and in this world.

Yes, we watch television often for entertainment, but there can be some truth in the messages we receive.

END CW Abuse TW Abuse

As always, thank you for reading and joining me on this ride. I can't wait to see what's next for Tim, Lucy, and Chenford.st

[bronx-bomber87]

We’re at the S1 finale. Hard to believe. Thank you all for staying on this journey with me it’s been super rewarding. When I started didn't expected the support I got. Also been fun to fill the hiatus with this since we're all waiting for S6. Not sure when this strike will end. So fun to rewatch the series this way. Rewatching s1 with analytical eyes and knowing where they are now has been eye opening. I’ve seen a lot of people writing about how writers said Chenford wasn’t meant to happen this early on. Idk that’s true with the incredible foundation that has been laid in s1.

The beautiful base that continues to solidly with each ep. Especially this finale. I think the finale is when if you hadn’t been shipping them before you were after this ep. I was all in day one I just knew it would be a slow burn before we got there. Also Eric and Melissa are amazing together. Drew me in right away. Their chemistry is unparalleled. Can’t deny that. Like I said in my first review I started watching for Nathan and Eric. Never knowing the beautiful ship I was gonna get along the way. Anyways off to the finale we go :)

1x20 freefall

It’s the week of their big test. It decides whether or not they get to continue on in the FTO program. You can get a score as low as an 80 and pass. To the T.O.’s that’s a fail. Tim tells a Lucy if she gets anything less than a 93 it’s an insult to him LOL Lucy doesn’t even let it phase her how far we’ve come. She continues on asking what he’s going to do with all his free time when she passes?

Tim is confused at first then realizes she’s talking about her daily evals. She suggests a book club haha Tim as far as he’s come is still Tim in T.O. mode around others. Gotta keep up the hard ass act. Tells her ‘Whether I evaluate you daily or weekly. I will continue to judge you every minute.’ haha damn Tim way to shut down her playful banter lmao

First call of the day for our lovely duo is at a psychic shop. Silent alarm has been tripped. Guy is going after this psychic because she ‘saw’ he killed his wife and is losing it on her. It was a fluke she figured it out and she says as much haha Afterwards she brazenly hits on Tim and he has no idea how to handle it.

His embarrassed face is everything. He wasn’t expecting that at all. It’s like he doesn’t know he is gorgeous ass man. The way he looks back at Lucy is priceless. Like please help me baha Lucy is enjoying it immensely. Her face says it all I’m dying. She isn’t helping him out of this one. He awkwardly walks away from the psychic it’s too damn funny. Tim Bradford left speechless. What world we live in haha

After a light start to their day it comes to serious halt. There’s a deadly virus and possible outbreak they all have to prevent. This came from the dead body Nolan and Bishop found earlier at the bus station. He was tied into the terrorist threat. This postpones their test naturally. Lucy and Tim are tasked with talking to one of the citizens that took same bus as this guy.

As they’re rolling up to this guys house Lucy says she thought the test was going to be the most stressful part of her day. Tim tells her best case scenario it’s tomorrows problem. Lucy makes a nervous joke 'What’s worst case scenario? Never mind don’t answer that' haha Oh Lucy the most stressful part of your day starts now.

The gentleman thinks they’re there to bring back his luggage. Tim enters the bedroom without Lucy. They tell Pete they are there just to interview him. He pulls out the bag he grabbed by mistake and shows Tim the ‘weird science equipment ‘inside. That he cut his finger on it looking for an address. Tim’s red flags are immediately up when he says this. Lucy can instantly tell something is up but Tim tells her to stay at bay. First instinct is always to protect her. Tim see’s the guys cut finger and alarm bells are going off for him. Lucy calls it in while she waits outside the bedroom for Tim.

The guy then coughs up blood on Tim. He freezes and looks the most panicked I've ever seen him. I LOVE how Eric can express so much with just a look. He's such a good actor I can not. After he collects himself a bit he hears Lucy coming to check on him and shuts the door instantly. Despite Lucy yelling ‘No!’ When he does.

Tim refuses to let her be around whatever this is even a second. Creating an immediate barrier to keep Lucy safe. He locks the door to keep her out there. Pete starts to freak out. Tim tells Pete that his partner has called an ambulance for them. Makes me happy while he’s trying to keep this guy calm he calls Lucy his ‘partner’ not his rookie but his partner. It’s the little things ❤️ Lucy is panicking like crazy on the other side of this door. She wants to be let in to help him. It’s killing her they’re separated right now.

Lucy is begging him to leave that guy in there and join her outside. Tim being the honorable man he is refuses to. Tells her they need to keep this as contained as possible. Lucy is panic stricken and wants to help him but is trapped outside. Tim is doing his best to keep her calm. The words he says I think are for them both. He just had blood spewed onto him. Tim is being as calm as one could be in that type of situation.

He’s the one in danger and his first thought is to put Lucy at ease. To try and keep her calm. To 'keep her head in the game' If she could see his face as he says these things...She would see how very not fine he is. The most rattled we’ve seen him the entire season. This moment and honestly this entire episode is definitely another huge crack in his wall with her. Letting that Lucy light seep in just a little bit more.

The CDC finally arrive and they set up a quarantine zone much to Lucy's dismay. She’s on the edge and wants to get Tim out of there ASAP. Can’t stand the idea of him sitting in there for an hour or more while they wait for the vaccine. Dr. Morgan asks him if she can put him to work while he’s in there. Tim says yes. Lucy tells him to please be careful while he’s in there. Such a worried wifey.

Tim uses his body cam to help them see inside the bag more. They figure out how they’re going to spread it through a mist fan. As Tim continues to search the bag they see Pete lifting a chair. Lucy freaks out and yells for Tim to watch out. All they see is him getting knocked out. Lucy is losing her mind outside not knowing what’s happening in that room. The absolute terror in her voice. My heart. How helpless she feels on the other side of that door.

Tim wakes up inches from the blood stain on the carpet rolling toward him. He’s able to get away from it and tases Pete. After that Tim gets him locked to the bed frame. All the while Lucy is losing it outside. Desperate to hear from him. Calling out his name multiple times. Begs Tim to answer her. She is out of her mind with worry. If she was allowed to break that door down she would.

Tim finally responds to Lucy tells her that he’s ok. She asks him if he’s really is. Because she knows him and how he tries to put a strong facade for her sake. Tim attempts to make a joke about it. His voice cracking a bit with worry. Trying to make jokes about this but his armor has been cracked. This a deflection right now more than anything else. His vulnerability coming out of him with her whether he likes it or not.

He can't hide anything from her and and Lucy picks up on his worry quickly. Knows he's attempting to mask how he is really feeling right now. She can hear it in his voice. From there she turns into ultra worried wife mode. She demands they get that damn vaccine here right now. She is losing her patience while he’s trapped in that room without her. Love me some assertive/worried Lucy.

I can't imagine what he is going through all by himself in that room. Poor Tim has to sit there and watch this guy die right in front of him. Can't help the man just has to sit there and watch him die. The look on his face ugh. The utter terror on his face. Lucy is already freaking out if she could see him…she would break down that damn door virus or not and drag him out of there.

Next begins the iconic wall separation scene. As I said earlier if you weren't shipping them before you sure as hell were after this moment. Lucy tells him she just checked with Dr Morgan. That the vaccine is minutes away. Tim instantly knows this is a lie to comfort him. Its here we see a chunk of his wall break off and hit the ground as he compliments her. Naturally she’s going to rib him about it (because she can't actually process when he does compliment her) but it's also to keep his head clear. Just like he's done for her so many times before.

The role reversal is so evident in this scene. Lucy is doing what he normally does for her. Trying to keep him calm by making jokes. Keeping it light. The smile on his face when she ask for it to be in writing is too precious. He needs Lucy and all her sunshine ways right now. He's holding onto to every word she is saying. She comforting/calming him just by being there for him.

This is such a huge moment of vulnerability for Tim. The biggest one of the entire season really. That bond they’ve built up to this point is result of that. Lucy tells him its going be ok that she truly believes that. Tim is so defeated at this point. He doesn't take much stock in her words. Eric and Melissa crush this scene. To have this good of a dynamic with a door between them. My goodness they're amazing. Like I said earlier Eric is incredible with how he conveys what he's feeling with a look. This scene has it in spades. Look at this poor man's face down below. Makes me wanna cry.

You can see his normal resolve is dissolving rapidly. Which is why Lucy is there to keep it intact. Tim looks like he’s on the verge of tears while she’s trying to comfort him. Lucy is trying to be his rock. Its why I think he is spilling his guts to her. He trusts her with his thoughts/feelings. Tim is being the most vulnerable he's ever been with her right now. Telling her everything. That if he ends up showing symptoms he’s not going to allow himself to die that way.

Gotta love Lucy trying to pick up the pieces and keep him together. Being as optimistic as she can while he is hopeless. For him to share such a dark thought is huge. That he would rather kill himself than die like that. He is emotionally exposing himself to her right now. In a way I’m sure he hasn’t since Isabel. This is a massive step for him entrusting her with his thoughts and emotions. Because right now Tim thinks this is it for him. If he's going out he wants to make sure she knows his plans.

Lucy is very aware what he is saying but is trying to talk him out if it. Desperately trying to keep his head level. She finally lets out a tear she's been holding the whole scene. He's considering killing himself and she can't do a damn thing about it. The stress of the situation finally getting to her when she sheds that tear. This is an iconic moment for them. Tim being so openly vulnerable with her and Lucy being there to receive it best way she can. Gah it’s all so good. This scene 'hurts so good' as they say. This moment is a milestone for them and their relationship. Where they go from just TO/Rookie to friends.

The vaccine finally arrives and Lucy tries to follow the doctor in. Dr. Morgan won’t let her since she is not protected. You can tell its killing her to have to stay back. That look they share between them when Dr. Morgan is checking him out. Phew lord. She says he dodged a bullet. The looks in this scene are so telling. These two have a masters in silent communication. That look of worry/panic on her face. She wants to run up and hug him. That clearly isn’t in the cards. So she just intently watches him. Lucy doesn’t take her eyes off him the entire time.

The way he stares back at her and lets her know it’s ok. I’m ok. Even the small smirk towards the end. They just went through something very emotional and intense together. Tim says so much with just a look for her. Yeah he dodged bullet and he did so because of Lucy. She didn't leave his side for a second. He recognizes this and conveys it in a look. Such an intimate moment for them with no words. God I love them.

Before this episode ends Let’s take a moment to enjoy Tim Bradford in a tight white T-shirt shall we? Mmm. Yum. The rest join Lucy and Tim at Pete's house. Having returned from taking down the other culprits. They’re all making jokes now that they know he’s ok. Saying how he’ll refuse to take the ambulance or wheelchair haha

As they’re making their jokes Tim walks to said ambulance. As he does he looks light headed and collapses. All jokes stop and they rush around him. Lucy being the first they hold her back. Thus ends s1 with a cliffhanger.

I think I watched this finale a disgusting amount of times haha I was so eager for s2 and more of Tim/Lucy. To see what happens to Tim in the premiere and all that.

~~~~

Side notes-Non chenford moments

Did love the Wopez in this ep they’re very cute. That’s about it haha very focused on the chenford goodies for this ep.

We made it through s1 woo amazing. Thank you all for the support I was given through our entire season. Your likes/comments/reblogs inspire me to do more. I shall see you all in s2 :)

[joelslegalwhre]

hi and welcome to my masterlist💜 this is a safe space, my dms are always wide open if you need anything!

follow @joelslegalwhrereads if you want fic updates (my ao3)

have a look at my wip's to see what I'm (hopefully) working on

Em's fic recs list (not updated) with some more amazing works! And my tbr shelf!

I use warnings for every post, you’re responsible for your own media consumption!

⇢ ❀main masterlist❀

❥ Joel Miller

In His Arms "masterlist" [no outbreak!Joel x f!reader] (fem!reader)

Joel&Ellie edit (1k celebration) Joel&Ellie edit (shortened tiktok) Wonderland (Joel&Ellie edit) (tiktok) (it's muted now, rip) (we're back babyyy) Wonderland (Joel&Ellie edit) (tumblr)

❥ Dieter Bravo

"Stop flirting." "Then stop teasing." (fem!reader) (f,m) [2k] summary: You're interviewing Dieter for his new movie, and no matter how many years you've been together - recently married too - he loves to flirt with you like the first time you've met.

Met Gala (fem!reader) (f) [drabble] summary: You're a photographer at the met gala. And Dieter's girlfriend.

Valentine’s Day [Dad!Dieter] (fem!reader) (f) [1.2k] summary: Dieter and your kids surprise you for Valentines day but you also have one for Dieter he didn't expect.

❥ Din Djarin

My Riduur (fem!reader) (f) [1.6k] summary: Mando didn't like it at all that some boy thought he could get close to his wife. He couldn't show with actions that you were his, the helmet prevented that, but he had his own way to show it.

❥ Javi Gutierrez ❥ Tim Rockford ❥ Javier Peña ❥ Frankie Morales ❥ Max Phillips ❥ Tim Rockford ❥ Dave York ❥ Ezra

❥ Charlie Young

❥ Tyler Owens

TikTok "Watching it for the plot"🌪️

❥ Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Drunk confessions (f!bradshaw!reader) (f) [2.06k] summary: You’ve had enough of hiding your relationship with Jake, so you drink yourself a little courage and just screw it.

❥ Ben

And now, welcome to the old works!

Some of them are really old and grey (aka four or five years old when I originally posted them), you've been warned lmao

This is everything from Henry Cavill Characters to F1 to Ryan Reynold Characters.

If you'd like more of the F1 fics, take a look at my old wattpad book, it has around 80 fics, but I'm not writing any real person fics anymore.

⇢ ❀old fic masterlist❀

❥ The Witcher

I can help (fem!reader) (f, m) [1.3k]

Destiny (fem!reader) (f, m) [1.5k]

Her sweet kiss (fem!reader) (light a) [3.2k]

❥ August Walker (mi6)

Stay with me okay? (gn!reader) (a) [570+]

You’re welcome, Gruffi (fem!reader) (f) [530+]

Softy on the inside (fem!mom!reader) (f) [1.1k]

❥ Henry Cavill

And just like that (fem!reader) (f) [1.8k]

Just us (fem!reader) (f) [2.2k]

❥ Frank Adler

Little piece of bliss (ofc) (f) [970+]

❥ Adam Reed (adult)

Look how cool this is (pregnant!fem!reader) (f) [1.2k]

❥ Nolan Booth

Coming home (fem!reader) (f) [420+]

❥ Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw

Moodboard

Moodboard (og top gun)

❥ James Aubrey

Confesions  (f!reader) [900+]

files and surprises  (f!reader) [461]

❥ Lance Sweets

 I‘m here  (reader) [750]

❥ Formula 1 (I no longer do real person fics)

au-boyfriend!f1driver (pinterest boards)

Temper (m.v.) (gn!reader) (f, a?) [1.3k]

We love you too, Mommy (l.n.) (fem!reader) (f) [780+]

I’ll be right by your side (l.n.) (fem!reader) (f, a) [600+]

Baby close the door (l.n.) (fem!reader) (f) [590+]

Surpriseee. Smile! (l.n.) (gn!reader) (f) [450+]

I told them to (d.r.) (gn!reader) (f) [910+]

On the other end of the world (d.r.) (fem!reader) (f) [2.3k]

Baby pictures (l.s.) (fem!reader) (f) [1k]

In great demand (m.s.) (fem!reader) (f) [1.6k]

World Champion (m.v.) (driver!f!reader) (f) [2k]

⇢ mini series “paddock pass”

Paddock Pass pt.1 (m.v.) (fem!reader) (a, f) [1.6k]

Paddock Pass pt.2 (m.v.) (fem!reader) (a, f) [2.8k]

Paddock Pass pt.3 (m.v.) (fem!reader) (a, f) [3.1k]

❥ Bucky Barnes

I love you (gn!reader) (f) [380]

⁀➷ 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

key: ❥ fluff (f) ❥ angst (a) ❥ smut (nsfw) ❥ mature (m) [making out, blood/injuries, etc.] ❥ word count […]

[surpriserose]

i cant get over how fucking fascist the dark knight rises is which like...i knew going in it would be if only because its based on frank millers the dark knight comics (and also no mans land???) And frank miller is the biggest piece of shit in comics whos not alan moore or garth ennis but christ i think nolan managed to go even more mask off

Okay grain of salt im not the biggest comics guy i just read the good stuff sylvie sends me so im not as knowledgeable about comic stuff but i stay silly anyways im gonna go character by character thats easiest for me

So batmans barely here except to become disabled and then practically heal overnight so very cool point number one 😐 but half of the movie hes stuck in the scary pit prison (because the Lazarus pit is too silly for nolan) with all the arab guys who didnt get whitewashed and its so boring and it sucks and only white people made it out of the pit ever basically who gives a shit it sucks honestly the only reason im mentioning this is because i honestly forgot bane wasnt the main character about an hour in because like? He should be? and ill get to that

Joseph gordon levitt is there and his character has a name and i do just want to call him joseph gordon levitt instead but thats long as fuck and hes robin so im just gonna call him robin even though he sucks ass. the whole point of his character is to be the good cop to gordons bad cop but it doesnt really work because thats a shitty fucking thing you see in media all the time because they always just go for the its just some bad apples approach look at this good apple dont you love apples approach but honestly nolans deepthroating the boot so much its even worse here. and yeah dudes robin but hes like.... nolans oc as robin because thank god i dont want dick in this movie (which would bring the whitewashing count up to 4 characters) or god forbid jason todd but i think its really telling how even robin in this universe has to be a fucking cop instead of like any of the disadvantaged kids bruce actually takes in like yeah this robin is still an orphan but thats way less important to the narrative and to nolan than being a cop.

gordons also barely here and i dont give a shit about him i wish he died i mean i always wish he died because hes a cop he is THE cop in every batman piece of media (except when he was jack the ripper one time or something?) and why even the most benign batman media is copaganda because theyre fucking besties. really i just want to talk about one scene before I get to the bulk of this post bane. late in the fucking almost THREE HOUR LONG MOVIE theres a scene where gordon is rallying the cops and goes to some cops door and hes like "why did you let your wife answer the door dont you know whats going on out there?" as if women are being raped on the streets of gotham which we never even see a fucking hint of??? the actual main issues affecting gotham at the moment are food issues and even thats not a problem because aid is getting in slowly and thats actually how gordon gets MORE FUCKING COPS into the city its insane and im gonna come back to this again with bane but while we're talking about the misogny -

-lets talk about catwoman who just kind of exists doing the catwoman thing of oh im on batmans side but not really and im on banes side but not really and it sucks but lets start with the misogyny before i talk about catwomans spineless centrism. when catwoman is caught by joseph gordon levitt shes taken to prison and the cops specifically point out shes taken to a mens prison (?????) because of the new laws because shes such a risk that a maximum security womens prison cant hold her but a mens prison can because womens prisons are all knitting circles i guess. This is really just an excuse so she can be in the prison that bane stages a prison break on (based) and come back for the climax and also have a hashtag girlboss moment where she does a sexy flip attack against a man threatening to sexually assault her which is just so classy nolan. and i want to fucking point out that this is blackgate prison which in most batman media is ALREADY FUCKING COED this shit was so unnecessary and gross and i just...its still pissing me off obviously so lets get to catwomans shitty fucking robin hood shit and why robin hood narratives are rarely ever radical. yes stealing from the rich and giving to the poor is cool but here and in most narratives its really only cool because its..one person or a small group. A society wide redistribution of wealth? out of the question thats too scary just go back to helping one kid steal an apple lady and hating that bane is literally crashing wall street (based) and breaking into rich peoples homes and bringing them to sentencing trials for crimes against humanity (based). Catwoman will have no part of that thank you and will instead just kind of...hang out until batman gets back.

side note what the fuck is up with the timeline in this movie batman gets his back broken and taken to the pit which is located in....an "ancient part of the world" the batman wiki tells me which holy shit okay the racism continues forever. but batman is not in gotham and again his back is literally BROKEN until it gets healed because he....was hoisted into a standing position with a rope? and idk how long that takes whether its months or a day because the movie seems to suggest both???

okay lets talk about talia al ghul and ras al ghul really quick before i get to based bane. Ill start by saying they're really fucking whitewashed like probably the worst example ive ever seen? Talia (or miranda tate as she's called for most of the movie) is played by a white french actress and Ra's al ghul is played by white irish actor and racist liam neeson. Because the comics are also racist ras al ghul never is really given a clear country of origin besides vaguely arabic slash east asian partially because hes so old but also again the racism but hes certainly not white again...because of the racism. and neither is talia who is only slightly less vaguely chinese and arabic. nolan gives even less of a shit than most batman writers though which is a high bar. talia was so boring and poorly written i barely remember her but they gave her half hearted attempts at environmentalism (incremental and done by begging the rich for everything though of course) before saying oh its actually because she and bane want to blow gotham up with a bomb which...god its all so stupid i honestly forget the bomb shit exists because it makes no sense and seems to have a detonation timer of 24 hours which again is why i literally have no idea what the timeline is. this shit is so stupid and unnecessary except to be the secret reason banes populist revolution of gotham (based) is actually bad but its so fucking tacked on even beyond most reasons why communist characters in media eat a baby to show theyre actually bad and so is communism because communists love neutron bombs.

BANE TIME! I'll also start out by pointing out that bane is whitewashed since hes supposed to be from a fictional south american slash caribbean island prison which......man. He's just tom hardy here though. Lets keep talking about communists eating a baby so theyre bad now. I think this is a trope people associate more with the mcu which is fair the falcon and the winter soldier pulled some shit because of course it did but i think we should consider the dark knight rises as a prime example instead. Not the originator since anti communism didn't start with nolan although i wish i could blame him for that too. Banes list of crimes batman has to stop him for are killing cia agents (based), crashing the stock market which he didn't even kill anyone at (not as based as he could have been), stage a prison break as previously mentioned (based), revealing police corruption (based), forming a militia to govern gotham while theres a transition of power from the rich and the police to the people (based), killing a bunch of cops (based), exploding some of gotham including all but one of the bridges out of the city (really just a strategic decision since hes about to have the american military on his ass and needs to counter that), and blowing up the pittsburgh steelers (extremely based). hey why is this guy the villain again? hey why does gotham have a wall street now why is this such a big deal is it possibly because the occupy wall street protests happened before during and after production of the movie? no that certainly couldnt be the case theres no way nolan would hate peaceful protests and create a movie where god forbid they werent peaceful and cops were instead treated like they treat protestors so we feel bad for them instead of people who are literally sick and tired of their labor being exploited by capitalism for the benefit of the rich. like jesus christ this movie is so blatantly fascist explaining the plot should have anyone going hey wait a minute. and you may say im biased in favor of bane as a communist but jesus christ are you seeing the shit nolan is pulling im being even handed in comparison i mean the fucking climax is batman showing up to rally the cops against bane and the mostly citizens militia of gotham like jesus fucking christ. banes not even a fucking dictator hes literally just some guy in most of the scenes after gotham is taken back by the people hes not even the guy sentencing and killing the rich and the police thats scarecrow! hes just on the sides like everyone else. and while im on scarecrow (jonathan crane hes not called scarecrow in the movie but he is that judge guy) nolan treats it as unreasonable that these are not hearings to determine the guilt of the police and the rich they protect because the people have already determined that theyre guilty but they just fucking are by definition. you dont get rich under capitalism by working hard you get rich by exploiting hundreds of thousands or millions of people out of their labor and livelihoods these people are fucking guilty even if they havent killed anyone with their own hands. but because bane does kill people on screen we're supposed to think hes worse but he only kills rich people and cops and the pittsburgh steelers!!!! like holy shit i hate this fucking movie i hate christopher nolan

[youssefguedira]

It's been like this since Crash beat Brokeback Mountain. Home of Phobia.

the thing is. the Thing Is. i saw maestro in theaters on its limited 'please give us an oscar even though we're netflix' run i was cautiously optimistic about the movie and it's like. it's just fine. there's nothing egregiously terrible about it but it is a complete nothingburger of a biopic it's not even a GOOD biopic. it is remarkably cookie cutter. it's got black and white for absolutely no reason i can ascertain and its switch to color part way through is like so incredibly weird. just PICK a COLOR bradley. i loathe to give nolan any ground on oppenheimer but at LEAST there was a REASON. that is understandable. i will give it that the score slaps but it kind of had to, the conducting scenes genuinely felt like the only part where there was any real substance or love put into that film, and it's really just a showcase for carey mulligan who is admittedly good. bradley cooper is just fine. it takes its discussion of bernstein's sexuality from the bohemian rhapsody school of biographical pictures. they're technically both movies about gay people but ONE of them is a devastating look at queerness across generations and family and love and the other occasionally makes references to it while hinging the whole film on the relationship between the gay person and his wife, which i have no complaints about it IS an interesting relationship, but the way it incorporates bernstein's sexuality feels vaguely Home Of Phobic.

and like i know that a lot of this actually comes down to active campaigning, because i don't know if there really was one for all of us strangers in the same way that when netflix wants something to win an oscar they throw everything behind it. i think (unevidenced claims btw i know nothing) they mightve done something similar with ripley which is like cool great go get those emmys. but WHO is seeing the 'i'm sorry i never came in your room while you were crying' scene and not IMMEDIATELY going oh i need to give this man every fuckin award in existence. like mr cooper is OK in maestro but who didn't see the scene where adam crawls into his parents bed in his pajamas from when he was a kid and immediately go this has changed me forever. who is doing it like mr. scott in all of us strangers. i argue nobody. this is partially because it's good and also because i hold the firm belief that he's simply one of the best actors working right now and i'm RIGHT. and like as well as that. what about paul mescal. what is rdj doing in oppenheimer that paul mescal is not doing. arguably what is ryan gosling doin[gunshot]. my real frontrunner in that category is sterling k brown but like STILL. a nomination would've been deserved. jamie bell and claire foy as well are fuckin phenomenal. and i can keep going we can talk about directing (excellent) and cinematography (INCREDIBLE. can we talk about it more. like i can't really remember how maestro looks other than serviceable. but there's one interview about every shot in the opening of all of us strangers emphasising adam's loneliness and it DOES you can FEEL that shit. that is cinematography that brings you into the film. you know that post about people wanting to help ariel out of the screen in the little mermaid. that's the shit i'm talking about. also like. just LOOK at the opener hang that shit in the louvre.)

ultimately when it comes to Cinema when i think about this year's nominees at least the ones i did see were MEMORABLE. maestro is nothing to me. i regularly forget it is a movie i have seen. all of us strangers haunts me every day of my goddamn life as is evidenced by My Blog over the past couple weeks as i descend further into whatever new problem i've developed. so tldr i'm not the academy but i should be and all of us strangers 2023 should've swept the nominations if not the actual awards. it GOT THE GOLDEN GLOBES. WHICH IS A REASONABLE PRECURSOR TO THE OSCARS. sorry just googled whether andrew scott has an oscar and that came up. anyway. this has been Neon Is Angry At The Academy Also Known As Fork Found In Kitchen. awards aren't an indicator of a films real quality because ultimately what all of us strangers is is a deeply deeply personal piece of art that everyone will take something different from and for me one of those things was It Is A Fucking Travesty That Andrew Scott Does Not Have An Oscar And In Fact None Of These People Do What The Hell. What The Hell. as well as feeling like i was going to be physically sick (complimentary). what i took away from maestro was a desire to rewatch the fabrizio de andré movie, which says a lot about both the movie and also me. the fabrizio de andré movie is also a pretty generic biopic but at least i ENJOY it

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

JASON???

Wait I knew I should've gone back when I thought I maybe recognized a guy in the car in the promo o.o

Ohh gosh y'all I'm stressing xd

Lol bro's just in his pj's xD

Real lol

Oop though

OOPE HELLO??!

Ummm O.O

Soo they're making sure he doesn't talk xdd

Or something like that anyway lol

For a second I thought she was gonna walk away and I was like why the car lol

. . . is he dead

OOP O.O

Ayy love me a good dramatic intro :D

Like the not normal one :))

AYY bro's turning the same thing back on her xD

Hi Bailey :))!!

Hi Nolan :D

Lol nudged a bit xD

Awww y'all :'(( :')

Adoption?

Or fostering anyway-

Yep adoption :D!!

Why are you so shocked lol

And like this is how you got into it anyway xD

Yeah of course

Once again love the him turning this back on her (not like purposefully but yk the parallel)

Probably not lol

Bc yk. The drama

Why you just spreading this around 💀

I mean I trust Bailey but yk xd

Hi Gray :)!

Hi Nyla :DD!

:OOO HELLO SIR!!!

Hi Garza :DD!!

Nice to see you, been too long 🥰🥰

I hope we get mentions of the others since Feds was cancelled :))

Ahh okay secure cool

And y'all are on a roof xD

Ahh wife 😬 so that's why they did it like that

Yep xd

Ahhh I see

Yep, most likely can't be them unless they were seen by her

LOL

Hi Wesley 🥰🥰!!

Oop o.o

Girl you sold police secrets 👁️👄👁️ XD

LOL yeah exactly Wesley XD

Stop meeting with criminals in your home Wesley lol

I'm not saying you do often but xD

Unless this is just some house xD

Yeahh he's right

You're gonna get kidnapped or something lol

Or that guy

Carefulll girlll xdd

You're at the very least being watchdled

YEP

Ahh those guys again o.o

Okay wait no so it was that shot I think so not Jason lol, I couldn't have known

Ope

Huh Scottish accent :o wait no Irish :)?

Idk interesting though

Oope o.o we're very chill with this xdd

LOL go off Ange xD

Hi Angela 🥰!!

Hi Aaron :DD!

XD all the old asbestos

Hi Tim :))!!

"What 👁️👄👁️" "Breathe shallow" SLDKFJS??

LOL Smitty xD real

Hi Celina :D

Oop she figured it out :O

Dang kindergarten xD

Oohpe o.o

NICE Celina :D

Lol real Angela xdd

Hmm yeah

Oh that's good :o!

Ahh yeah 😬 stressing me outtt xdd

Lol the other guy like "D: come onn"

Hi Lucy 🥰!

Ahh mom nice cover

Okay nice nice

Careful y'all 😬

Ahh oof o.o

At least he kinda seems to trust her

[notmuchtoconceal]

Anyway, you have given me a wedding present. The best I coud have. A future.

Mrs. Bond -- shut. up. And don't eat it all at once.

He loves me...

Instinctively.

Infuriatingly.

Intensely.

In...

in...

in...

in...?

Indubitbly.

bro, you ever stumble across a comment that so elegantly and succinctly encapsulates an essential theme of a film that it sticks with you forever, despite no recollection of its source?

keep coming back to this comment i read somewhere that on her majesty's secret service is a film "about determinism".

That is, the film opens with Diana Rigg's Tracy on the beach, about to walk into the ocean. George Lazenby's Bond rescues her, falls in love, and decides to leave the service. Blofeld, famed architect of multiple schemes in counting, decides he wants to quit being a supervillain and is going to use a mass-hypnosis and pandemic scheme as a ploy to bargain for amnesty and the recognition of an aristocratic title --

Then, in the final moments, with one-fell swoop, it's all undone and everyone is returned to their initial status quo --

Tracy is dead.

Bond and Blofeld will continue their cat and mouse game.

The film maintains a tone of eerie unreality throughout. From the uncanniness of the quality of light when Tracy first walks into the water, culminating in Bond's fourth wall break which cues the bombastically epic and wordless electronic opening theme, which later plays in disembodied form over the floaty and dreamlike rear projected ski scenes, the DNA of which you can of course see in the climatic final chase of Christopher Nolan's Inception -- of which, the director has cited this as his favorite Bond for it's character psychology and brazen daring.

Inception is a film with a lot I like, though I tend to view it as an elaboration on the heist picture primarily, for its screenplay is so nuts-and-bolts and expository -- it's a film which is almost relentlessly rational for a story about diving into the unconscious, but Leo Decaprio's Dom Cobb is absolutely owning Nolan's fetishistic male hyper-professionalism. Of course the dream-like aspects are going to be underplayed when this man is a professional idea smuggler. The most deviously underplayed element about this film is, of course, the delayed onset realization that Nolan and his team, it's their job -- to use the medium of the motion picture to plant an idea so deep into the recesses of your mind that once it sprouts you think its yours.

What draws me back to Inception most of all, I think, is Marion Cotillard's Mal, not only because Marion Cotillard makes me melt into a pile of watery snakeskin lubed up her shorn and silky legs, but Mal's reality as both the memory of Cobb's dead wife, but also how she's a part of him -- eternally, a part of him which had been transfigured, revealed, reshaped as his wife -- who has her own will and needs. How the two, for the eternity of an evening, spent years at the bottom of their minds building skyscrapers out of sands on the shoreline, and only woke up laying eye to eye with their head on the tracks as the whistle called.

She couldn't stop wondering if her life was a dream.

He only moved on once he realized the questioning was meaningless.

We're alive now and nothing could be more real than that.

[carlsainz]

𝒑𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 – 𝒏. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒆𝒏𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒈

summary: it's your wedding day and you're a little nostalgic.

pairing: nick blankenburg x reader

warnings: none

a/n: hi everyone, here's my new nicky imagine, hope you like it :)

disclaimer: this is not proofread, sorry.

word count: 1,6k

lowercase intended and flashbacks are in italic.

“ok now everyone shut up, blanks wants to do his speech!” brendan yelled to his former teammates who were screaming and laughing while the other guests were just laughing. 

they all shut their mouths and nick just thanked brendan, leaving a kiss on the back of your hand before getting up, all the attention now on him.

“first of all, i want to say that i love my wife,” he said, a big smile on his lips. “wow, sounds so good calling you my wife.” 

your eyes were already full of tears while you looked up in awe at your husband. you mouthed i love you and blew him a kiss. 

“and i also need to thank you all for being here in our wedding, every one of you means a lot to us, especially some of those idiots right there,” he pointed to the table full of now nhl players and former teammates. “without them, i don’t think our story would've started that day , so thank you, boys.

“now to the woman of my life, my moon and my stars, my soulmate, y/n blankenburg, i love you more than anything. my love for you is stronger than a diamond and bigger than an antarctic blue whale. you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and from the moment i landed eyes on you, i knew that somehow we were meant to be together. we're deeply connected since the beginning in ways no one could understand, your happiness is mine and mine is yours, as my pain is yours and yours is mine. you never failed to make me laugh, happy or feel loved, you complete me and understand me better than anyone. thank you for always being by my side and supporting me in everything, you have no idea how important and special you are to me and how you helped me to be my best version through these years. my love, you are the kindest and loveliest person i’ve ever met, i’m lucky to have you with me and call you my wife now, i can’t wait to spend the rest of my days by your side. i love you endlessly.”

the tears were soaking your face but the only thing you seemed to be able to do was smile as your man poured beautiful words from the bottom of his heart to you. getting up, you kissed him passionately while everyone was cheering on you. pulling away, you hugged him, whispering i love yous until you seemed to remember something. “babe, you should tell them how we met.” 

“you’re right, as always,” nick said, looking at you and drying your tears with the pads of his thumbs. he kissed your forehead and you sat down again while he reunited everyone’s attention to him. “ok, y/n/n suggested and now you all will hear the story of the day we met even if some of you already know. it all started…

“it all started in our freshman year at the university of michigan. we were having a week to get to know each other and the university so that day, we were at a school sponsored party and i was just scanning the room while the other boys who would join the hockey team too talked beside me. but then i saw her standing alone in that corner with her face looking like she was scared and i instantly felt attracted to her, like there was some invisible thread wrapped around us connecting me and her. 

obviously i was mesmerized, couldn't take my eyes off of her and the boys started chirping on me. until nolan, i think it was him, told me something like "grab an ice cream and go talk to her, the worse she can say is go away."  

i was so awkward and shy at that time but they were encouraging me and jimmy even went with me to the ice cream truck so i could feel less nervous. my hands were literally shaking when i stopped by her side, thinking about what i would say until i poked her arm.

"hm hi, i'm nick, what's your name?"

"i'm y/n," she said and her voice sounded like the prettiest melody in the entire world.

"what's your major?" 

"international studies, and yours?" 

"oh my god, international studies too!" 

"that's so nice, at least i-," she suddenly stopped, looking at my hand. "your ice cream is melting." 

"damn, i'm so silly, i was supposed to give it to you." 

"really?" 

"yeah, you still want it?"

"of course, that's so sweet of you," she smiled and i swear i was about to faint. 

and then we spent the whole party talking about everything, the conversation was flowing so easily it seemed impossible. at first we were very shy but after some time, it was like we've known each other for years. 

after that day, we started our amazing friendship. we were always there for each other, always ready to help and also always together. the connection between us was stronger every day and by the time i asked her out, i was head over heels for my girl and turns out she was in love with me too so it was perfect. we grew together and every day with her was better than the other, even the tough ones, just because we were together. then after a long time, i proposed to her and here we are."

your smile was wide when you got up again, hugging nicholas by the waist while he placed a kiss on your head. 

"i think nicky forgot that i was the one who proposed first." 

"what?" someone asked 

"yeah, it was after they won the B1G tournament, we were drunk but it was funny." 

"tell us, y/n" mark said.

"the story is short but ok, as i said….

"as i said, we were drunk and when we arrived in ann arbor, nicky and i went home and we were all giggly and tipsy and everything seemed funny and amazing because we were so happy.  

we've already talked about getting married in the future and when we were laying down that night, i had an idea. 

"nicky?"

"yes, love."

"wanna marry me?" i said, giggling.

"of course i want." 

"so now we're engaged!" 

"wait, what about our rings?" 

"hold on." 

and then i turned the lights on and started looking for some ribbons i knew i had and when i found them, i was so happy it looked like we were getting married that night. 

"ok baby, give me your arm."

"what?"

"i'm too drunk to cut a tiny line and tie so our rings will be bracelets." 

"you're so smart." 

"i know i am, now gimme your arm." 

he stretched out his arm as i cut a line and tied at his wrist the cut another piece and he tied mine. 

"now we're finally engaged, nicky." 

"i can't wait to put a real ring on your finger," he said to me and then short after we were sleeping like the dead." 

"oooh so that's why blanks started wearing that ribbon bracelet suddenly and never cut it," owen said. 

"that's right," you said. "now i want to make a toast to nicholas van blankenburg. 

"nicky, you are my sun and my spring wind, you're the best man i've ever met and i can't believe we're finally married. i love you more than i've ever loved anything in my entire life, more than i love the stars and the ocean. when we met, i wasn't in a good place mentally but you helped me every day without even knowing and for that, i will be forever grateful to you. you helped me in every single way you could, with this beautiful smile on your face and your kindness. you really are my soulmate, the man of my dreams, the one my heart didn't expect to find. since we met, there's not a single day i feel the same way i used to feel until that day you gave me that melting ice cream and we spent the night talking about anything. i love how good you are, how you take care of everyone around you, how you love me with all your heart and are always repeating that to me, i love how you work hard for the things you want and just for the fact that you exist. there's this song from taylor swift that always reminds me of you and she says she used to think that love was burning red but it's golden like daylight and i finally realized that when i started loving you. thanks for making me happy and for never dropping my hand. i couldn't be more lucky being with an incredible man with a golden heart, i love you, my sweet boy." 

as you finished, nick kissed your lips and you could taste the salty tears of happiness that were coming from both of you. you've never been happier in your lives and it was the start of a new chapter in your relationship. pulling away from him, you laughed, raising your champagne glass. 

"cheers to my golden retriever!" 

everyone laughed and raised their glasses. the rest of the night was amazing as you expected and you had a lot of fun with your families and friends, everyone utterly happy for both of you. 

"i love you, nicky," you whispered in his ear while you were dancing. 

"and i love you more, my love," he kissed your head.

taglist <3: @oskarlidblom

[iguessweallcrazyithinktho]

Daddy's girl

What about a one shot of Chris is going back to filming after quarantine and his little girl is crying hysterically and his wife tries to calm them both down ( cause Chris of course feels bad) 

GENRE: fluff

WARNING: crying Nora, guilty Chris. That's about it

PAIRING: Chris Evans x reader, dad! Chris x Nora

Author note: Nora is about 2 in this

Blog appropriate for all ages

Please don't post any of my content anywhere else without my permission

The loud crying Of Nora ripped through the house. This was going on, on and off it was because Chris had gone back to work.

It wasn't a surprise that Nora was a daddy's girl. She clung to him like a little koala and if she's separated from him she's a sad little one. Those were one of these moments.

-

Nora, it's okay bub." You picked her up. Nora quickly planted her face in your chest, letting out a sob. "Daddy's going to be back soon, I promise."

Nora lifted her head, her eyes red from her tears. "He's taking forevwr." She said through her hiccups.

"I know honey but he's going to come home when he's done working."

That wasn't good enough for Nora. She planted her face back in your chest, crying a little more. You felt hopeless. She's been crying for hours and it hasn't made her tired either.

You've try a lot of things to try and calm her, but they came up short. You didn't want to call Chris while he was working but right now it was your only choice.

"okay, let's call Daddy." Nora lifted her head, "call daddy?" You nodded, "yeah, let's call him."

You sat Nora on the couch before sitting there yourself. You pulled your phone out and called Chris.

It took two rings before he picked up. "Hi My loves."

"daddy!" Nora screamed out into the phone. Chris eyes widened and a laugh left his lips. "Hi honey, what are you and mommy doing."

Nora looked up at you wanting you to talk for her. "Well we're doing nothing. I've been trying to calm Nora down because she misses you and can't stop crying. So far calling you is the only thing that helps."

You looked down at Nora to see her looking up at you with a smile. You chuckled softly before looking back at Chris.

"oh I'm sorry, I don't like being away either, I'm sorry." Chris was starting to feel really guilty and Nora could sense. That.

"daddy's sad." She looked up at you, her little lip pouting as her eyes filled with tears. "Oh honey, daddy's okay." You picked her up and placed her on your lap as she began to cry again.

You sighed and looked at Chris who had a sorry look on his face. "Love, I'm sorry. Hey come home right now."

Chris got up and grabbed his things, ready to do the hour long drive home. "hey Nora, pumpkin, I'm coming home. Don't cry."

Nora turned her head to look at the phone, "home?" Chris chuckled, "yes I'm coming home. No more tears."

"otay." Nora sniffled and wiped her tears away. "Huwwy daddy."

"okay Nora."

---

I'm going to drop nolans birth tomorrow. Just wanted to write this one before I do

[anewnewcrest]

New Newcrest News - Winter 2, Part 2

Babies

Kayleigh and Nathan Bell's patience has finally been rewarded by the Watcher, and they have welcomed their first child, Levi Bell, into the world. Both parents are overjoyed and we're all so happy that there will be another generation of Bells at our church!

After a long struggle with secondary infertility, the Rogers family has welcomed their sixth child, their son Lucas Rogers, into the world! Despite his father Frank being in prison when he was born, the family was overjoyed to have another little one at home!

Slowing down their pace a little bit, the Payne family only welcomed daughter Eleanor during this season of life, but they are still overjoyed to have another little one at home!

Ever fruitful and multiplying, the Matthews family welcomed babies Madison and Miranda this winter!

Jobs & Promotions

After twenty-five faithful years of service to his company, Abner Miller has finally been promoted to Leaf-Cutter! Congratulations!

The first member of the Newcrest congregation to do so, Acton Miller has been accepted to the police academy! He is such an example to all the other boys growing up, and of course, doing such a dangerous, important job, all of our prayers are with him!

Michael Matthews is pursuing a career at a Watcherful corporation, and his hard work and dedication has paid off. He has been promoted to Assistant Manager and we couldn't be prouder of the Watcherful influence he is on his coworkers!

Birthdays

Kayleigh Bell is finally eighteen! Already married to Nathan Bell and a wonderful example of Watcherful wifehood, it was a privilege and joy to celebrate her birthday with the whole church, and hearing her sweet announcement!

The Millers' twins, Adair and Acacia, are toddlers now, rambunctious, full of energy, and of course, absolutely adorable! Congratulations!

Rose Miller has grown up to be a teen, and she's already such a pillar of support for her family! Dutiful, with a love for family and a meek and quiet spirit, she's just what a young lady who loves the Watcher ought to be!

After Candice Miller's recent birthday, she's left her years of having babies behind, and is now excited to focus on raising her remaining brood, and of course, excited to be a grandma to three, so far!

Acton Miller, the oldest son of the Miller family, is eighteen now! He has finished school - the only Miller child to go to a Watcher-following private school instead of being homeschooled - and is now embarking on a career and starting to look for the one lady the Watcher has in store for him!

Prematurely aged by his harrowing prison sentence, Frank Rogers is an elder now, and will need a lot of love from his wife and family to overcome his experiences.

So many birthdays in the Payne family! Mother Alyssa Payne had he 30th birthday, Jason is a teen now, Cordelia and Cecilia are children, and Nolan and Eleanor teens!

A lot of birthdays in the Matthews family, too! Father Michael Matthews is an adult now and advancing in his career, while twins Melanie and Melissa are children now, and twins Morgan and Mackenzie toddlers. Mark is a child too, and little Madison also toddles around, following her siblings!

Other News

Because we live in an unjust and fallen world, Frank Rogers was arrested for spreading the Word of the Watcher to unbelievers. Please pray for this persecuted warrior of the Watcher to stay strong during his prison sentence!

Prayer Requests

This young lady would do well to remember that she needs to respect her elders and is not the lady of the house after she married in. Not even on Simstagram. (Kayleigh Bell)

The Watcher says not to covet your neighbor's spouse, and this young lady needs to work on her contentment and overcome her issues with this particular sin. (Donna Bell)

Family is important, and while the Watcher says to leave and cleave, that doesn't mean you should forget about all the things you can do for your precious mama now that you've married into an important church family! (Kayleigh Bell)

Please pray for this lady who has not quite figured out yet that she doesn't have to be the center of attention at every gathering, the bride at every wedding, the corpse at every funeral. (Suzie Rogers)

A husband needs to protect his wife, but he also needs to control her. Please pray for this man whose wife is running roughshod over everyone at church. (Frank Rogers)

Ten children are a sizeable quiver even by our church's standards, and this mother would do well to focus on the little ones she has, instead of neglecting them in favor of praying for more arrows for her husband's quiver. (Candice Miller)

A daughter's place is at home until she gets married and starts having children of her own! That's what the Watcher wants, and this young lady would do well to pray for contentment and do her chores the way I say she should! (Lily Miller)

Everything can be made into an idol, even staying trim for the Watcher, and this lady should remember that pride is a sin and that her duties are more important than her appearance. (Candice Miller)

All children are blessings from the Watcher, and these parents need to treat all of their boys equally and curb their disturbing tendency towards favoritism. (Candice and Abner Miller)

There is frugality and living a Watcher-centered life, and there is neglect. Please pray that this family will be able to provide the bare necessities to their children. (The Rogerses)

CPS has no place in a Watcher-following church! The state should not tell us how to raise our children, and if there are concerns, they need to be addressed within the congregation, not broadcast to the entire world! (The Rogerses)

This father would do well to remember his responsibility to provide, instead of making his oldest son do all the work and reaping the benefits. (Jacob Payne)

This wife needs to practice contentment and learn that submitting to her husband is the best thing she can do for herself and her children, not entertain silly notions of leaving him. Please pray for her. (Martha Matthews)

Young men are supposed to be manly, and we need to start with our boys so we don't raise weak little sissies who can't lead a family. Please pray that this little boy will learn his proper place. (Bennett Payne)

Children are a gift from the watcher, a credit to their mothers, an arrow in their fathers' quiver. Please pray that this lady will understand and finally look forward to having another baby. (Martha Matthews)

While children are an important sign of the Watcher's favor on his servants down here, who has the most of them should not turn into a competition. These two men would do well to remember that. (Michael Matthews and Jacob Payne)

[starseneyes]

Chenford REWIND- Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 5 - Ep 5

"The Fugitive" or "The One with the Chick Raised by Wolves"

Believe it or not, this is one of my favorite episodes of the season, thus far (and in real life, we've just had 5x11 air).

SPOILER ALERT: While I try to write these as though I don't have knowledge of the future, it might come out, and I try to tag when it does. I will definitely spoil this entire episode, and reference past episodes.

Everybody ready? Let's have some fun and dive in!

"I got it, I got it, I got it. Are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm fine. I just, uh, tweaked my back on take down." "You're not fine. You're in agony. We're taking you to the hospital."

Wife energy, right there. Tim doesn't like to make a fuss about himself, and he'll tough out a lot of stuff. But Lucy knows the difference, and it makes sense that she's the one to put her foot down, and the one he can't ignore.

But he's gonna try.

"No. Call Grey and tell him Tim is not here as a supervisor. He is here as a patient." "I told you, I'm fine-ahhh!Okay. I'm not fine. Get me the doctor."

Boy was about to hit the floor if not for Aaron and Lucy grabbing ahold of him. And scope the look Lucy gives Nolan. "You see what I'm dealing with, here?"

"Oh, hey, I'm just searching for bad guys." "All clear, here."

Cat. Fight. I mean, Ashley's claws were out on that one. And, to be fair, Lucy isn't in there looking for bad guys. She wanted to check on Tim because she cares.

You can see the second she spots Ashley in the room, she tries to backpedal, but she's already in the room.

"Wait, so Nolan's leaving someone on every floor?" "Yes, we've been cops for more than ten seconds. We can handle this."

Tim addressing her gives her the permission she needs to finish stepping into the room. Even if Ashley doesn't want her there, Tim wants to talk to her. And that's enough to coax her in.

"Hey, doc, what's the word?"

Tim invites the doctor to speak openly in front of the whole room, which he does.

Ashley looks flabbergasted that Tim was shot, and I can't help but giggle about the fact that Lucy said back in the early seasons that Tim had been wounded 5 times in the line of duty. Oh, Ashley, honey... you're not cut out to date a cop.

"I was shot. It wasn't a big deal." "I saved his life first day on the job. It was a huge deal." "Back to the fragment."

I love how he says that to Lucy and she smirks at him.

"Hold on, what are the risks?"

Coming in with the wife energy, Lucy wants the details before she lets this doctor lay a finger on her husband. Lucy takes a step closer to Tim, subconsciously protective, but now in an even line with the doctor, too.

Lucy's not a bystander, anymore. She's driving the conversation.

"We are talking about the spine, so it is risky. But it's laparoscopic..."

Look at Tim and Lucy looking at one another on that. He's not looking at his girlfriend. He's looking at his wife.

But as the doctor departs and Lucy shifts on her heels, she wants so badly to be the one by Tim's side and helping him through this. But the Blonde Bitch has parked her unwanted behind on the bed, wedging herself between Tim and Lucy, practically forcing him to look at her.

Honey, if you have to get between him and another woman to get him to look at you, he was never yours to begin with.

Lucy reads the room and awkwardly excuses herself as Tim grips hands with the Serpent... but his eyes drift back to the door and the void left by Lucy's absence.

Because the closer they get to one another after their "breakup", the harder it is to ignore the warmth he feels in her presence, the way he wants to hear her say his name, the thought of those lips parting at the touch of his, again.

Tim's got it bad, but he's trying so hard to do what he thinks is the right thing by staying with Ashley. Someone once mentioned that Tim has never left. Isabelle left him. Rachel left him.

The only thing Tim ever left was his father, and that's because he wants to be nothing like him. But when it comes to romantic relationships, Tim's not the one to leave.

I think he's so terrified that he isn't worthy of love... all those anxieties and fears from his childhood playing in. So, he'll stay. He'll sacrifice too much of himself.

But everything in him is aching for Lucy, much as he tries to push it away.

"You need to get back to the station immediately." "What? Why?" "Because if we're both out of commission-" "Based on seniority-" "Smitty's in charge."

Boss Bitch Lucy Chen is activated! Let's be serious, it says a lot about both Tim and Grey's confidence in Lucy that instead of sending in any P3 (including Nolan) to take over the running of the station, they send Lucy.

They send a P2 who they know is more than capable of filling in for not only two Sergeants, but running the precinct as Watch Commander.

Lucy Chen is the moment.

"You know, with your injury, you could retire right now, if you want."

What. The. F*ck. Who do you think you are sliding into Tim Bradford's life trying to wrench him from the job he loves to fulfill your selfish fantasies. Gee wiz, lady!

Relationships are a give and take, right? We give some. We take some. We find middle ground together.

Baywatch Bitch is taking advantage of Tim's inability to hold the rope during this particular game of tug-and-war and yanking it across the middle line. This will not stand.

"We could even move out of LA. I mean, I could be a lifeguard anywhere." "So long as there's a beach." "I hear Bali has a bunch of those."

You Bali-Bound Bitch better back off.

"This is so exciting." "No. I haven't decided anything."

She's planned their entire lives without consulting him once, and it pisses me off mostly because she doesn't know him at all. Tim loves LA. He didn't leave it for Rachel, and he ain't leaving it for you.

She's already told him she doesn't want kids and doesn't want to get married (two things Tim would love with the right woman). She is a freaking lifeguard when Tim doesn't even like the beach.

And now she wants to wrench him from everything he knows and loves to plant his ass on a beach in Bali!? What does she think he's going to do? Drink mai tais and work on his tan?

Pass Tim a remote, some whisky, and get the sand out of his private areas, because that ain't happening, chica.

"Anyone else hungry?"

It's not quite the equivalent of Chris humming the song, but it's just as thoughtless. You're literally in a room with a man with food poisoning, you leech!

"Can you tell my sister, please? Do not tell Chen. She's got enough on her plate."

Look, I know his girlfriend was right there, but he just mentioned the two most important women in his life... Genny... and Lucy. Even though he thinks Lucy rejected him, he knows she cares for him.

And I think as they spend more time together in these episodes, he's starting to see their relationship differently. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe she does feel something, too.

Because she came into his room looking for him. Yes, his girlfriend clocked out to be with him. But Lucy wanted to be there with him, too, in that moment. And we all know which woman he'd prefer.

They are back to their borderline-flirty banter ("It was a huge deal" "Back to the fragment"), and they are returning to the default level of ease between them—which only magnifies things for Tim.

And in this moment, he can't risk that he's right. If he's right, Lucy could be torn between her duty and him. Some part of him knows that.

I had a friend who went on their honeymoon and came back to find out one of their parents had suddenly died. They were thankful that their family waited to tell them, because there would have been no way to come home early and do anything about it. Not all people are this way, but she was.

Tim's taking a similar approach—get through the crisis before looping Lucy in, because there's nothing she can do, and she's really needed elsewhere.

"Never thought I'd be so happy to feel pain in my life. You okay?" "No. There's something I have to tell you." "Ash."

Oh, gut me right now. Tim's using a shortening of her name (a trademark of his with his ladies) and she's taking his moment of coming out of surgery to make it about her.

Have you ever been through surgery? I've had both laparoscopic (which isn't what Tim ended up with) and life-saving-emergency surgery, in addition to others. And anesthesia doesn't work correctly on me, so coming out is always interesting.

The last thing you need when you're just coming out of surgery is someone making the moment all about them.

You need comfort. You need someone who will be there. You don't need cheap confessions about something you should have addressed before you started dating.

I've often said that communication is key to a relationship, and I mean it. These two aren't even speaking the same language, right now.

"Are, are you breaking up with me?" "I'm sorry." "I just got out of surgery." "I know."

Skank. Ass. Ho. Look, I wanted Ashley out of the way to make room for Chenford as much as anyone else, but Tim does not deserve this. Narratively compelling? I suppose. But, character-wise I'm breaking for Tim.

He has avoided the woman he's falling in love with because he thought this was where he needed to be. When you know someone isn't an option, you can't spend your life pining for them. You move on. You make a way. You build a life.

And now Tim realizes all that was wasted because Ashley never wanted to be with him in the first place. There was something about him she liked, and she tried to mold him into the ideal partner. But that wasn't Tim.

"I still love you."

No. No you don't. You never did. Because loving Tim Bradford is loving all the parts of him, and not trying to shape him into a smooth circle without resistance when he was born a star. Sharp edges, sure, but straight lines and a true shine that's been dimmed too much by life's cruelty.

No, you aren't the one for him, you cavernous moon, leeching your light off of others.

The one who will truly love Tim Bradford shines like a brilliant sun and as he will bask in her light, she will reinvigorate his. That is the woman he deserves.

"If there was any chance you were going to retire."

REALLY!? You just told him you were breaking up with him, and now you're going to try to dangle a carrot to bring him back? Bitch, please.

Tim's done with your Whole 30 lean life and he's ready for some breadsticks, rolls, and croissants with someone who truly understands him.

Now, get the hell out.

"Oh, uh, how was Tim's laparoscopic?" "Yeah, umm... He ended up needing emergency spinal surgery."

Absolutely no one should be surprised that Lucy rushed to Tim's side. She's off-duty, and gets to spend her time however she wants. And she wants to be with Tim.

"Hi." "Hey."

It can barely be heard, and it isn't even subtitled, but they have an almost breathless acknowledgement of one another as she walks in—wearing the damn ring.

Look, y'all have put me on ring watch like woah, and I love that when Lucy arrives very much in Worried Wife mode, she is wearing that ring.

"Are you okay? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Lucy is so worried about him, and she's asking the right first question. The second one isn't because she wants to be selfish... it's because she feels terrible for not being there sooner, not checking on him sooner, not being aware of what he needed when he needed it.

"I'm good. I'm good. Doctor said I'm going to make a full recovery. And I told everyone to keep you in the dark." "Why?" "I didn't want you to worry."

Oh, Tim Bradford. I know you're still a little loopy from the anesthesia, but I love how earnestly you just said that. The Velvet Voice is in full effect on that line, too. Tim didn't want his wife to worry.

"So, just to be clear, you thought you might be paralyzed, but you were worried about me?"

That is exactly what he is saying. Because there is no one in his life who matters more, and some part of him knows it's the same for you, even if he's too afraid to believe it.

Tim will believe the opposite until she point-blank tells him. He needs affirmation more than he'll ever admit. Because everyone leaves him. I mean, Lifeguard Leech just did it in a recovery room. Psychopath.

But that's not Lucy.

"You know what, slow your roll, Chen. Clearly, I mis-spoke. I was worried about the station. I knew you'd be too concerned about me to take over Smitty." "Mmhmm."

Lucy knows the truth, here, even if she doesn't know all of it. Tim was worried about her. He wanted to watch out for her, to limit her distractions, to keep her from worrying and stressing out about him. He doesn't want to be a burden to her, especially now.

"Heard you saved the day, though" "Being Sergeant's not so hard. I don't know why you're always complaining." "Really? Just smooth sailing?" "No. It was awful. How do that many things go wrong in one day?" "And that wasn't even a particularly bad day."

The difference is stark. Tim woke to Ashley and a wave of her own fears, self-doubt, and manipulation staring him in the face.

Now, lovely Lucy stands beside him. She's jabbing him. She's making him smile. And he's complimenting her more openly than I can remember.

This is right.

"Where's Ashley?"

She was vaporized by the angry mob of Chenfordians hiding outside in the parking lot. May her ashes never re-form into a walking life-suck.

"Yeah, uh, I sent her home. She was exhausted."

They just broke up, and he was enjoying the last few moments. No need to bring up all that fresh heartache.

But, for Lucy, that's all she needs to take her rightful place by Tim's side. It's where she's wanted to be all day... and now that Ashley is gone, Lucy doesn't have to be the one to go.

And Tim didn't expect that. Remember, Tim is always expecting the worst, and he has convinced himself Lucy doesn't feel anything for him. He expects her to walk out and leave him, too.

But that's not Lucy.

"What are you doing?" "I'm keeping you company." "You don't have to do that."

Tim's voice drops back into its velvety register... because this is personal. This isn't a work associate checking on their supervisor. This is Lucy staying with Tim. She's already worked a full shift, and this is her off-time when she could be relaxing and doing whatever she wants.

And what she really wants is to finally be there for Tim.

"I know."

Watch the way Tim relaxes into that, a soft smile spreading across his lips, his eyes glittering at the sight of her. So much of what he loves about her can be summarized in this simple act of compassion, kindness, and love.

Lucy doesn't ask Tim to sacrifice anything to earn her love. She offers her own freely, even if at this point it can't be romantic. (Chris... you can exit stage left any time, now)

And fans go wild at the parallel to their first dance... to Tim being the one to say "I know" (again, in that Velvety Voice).

Tim has been hurt so badly today, both physically and emotionally. But in this moment, he's choosing to live in this moment and enjoy Lucy's company rather than lament what he lost or dedicate energy to focusing on his heartache. Lucy is the balm his soul so badly needs.

I also need to note with this episode, it's sensational to see Lucy shine separate from Tim. Not that she hasn't always been bad*ss, but now everyone knows it and is acknowledging it.

The officers stayed for her because they respect her, like Nyla said. Tim and Grey chose her because they knew she could handle it. And when Grey relieved her of her Watch Commander duties, he noted how everyone was complimenting her.

We needed this. We needed to see all the others at the station value her for who she is ahead of anything that may (or may not) happen with Tim. She needs her own reputation to stand on, and this helps solidify it, I think.

I considered if I should chunk out 6 & 7 within this one, but 6 is SO rich and 7 is SO thin that I think I'll pair those two, instead.

As always, thanks for reading! Having a lot of fun knocking these out and deep-diving a bit with Chenford!

[mystical-flute]

Miracle on Second Street (3/3)

Ao3 || Buy Me a Ko-Fi?

"Emma?" Mrs. Morris called. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

Emma rolled her eyes as she looked at the countdown to Christmas she'd made in school. Three days until another terrible Christmas that she'd hate. What could Mrs. Morris want with her now?

 "Emma?" the woman said again, this time right outside the bedroom door.

The ten year old rolled her eyes and put the calendar back on the bedside table just as the door opened. "What do you want?" She couldn't help but feel a bit bitter over what had happened at the Christmas party a couple weeks ago.

 Mrs. Morris took a seat at the edge of Emma's bed with a small smile. "I have some news for you, Emma."

 She rolled her eyes. "What, is Santa going to be giving me an ornament with my name engraved on it?" she asked with dripping sarcasm.

 "No. Well, actually, it isn't up to me what Santa gets for you, anymore."

 Emma frowned. "Oh. So you're moving me to a new home now?" Had her behavior at the Christmas party really been that bad? Even the old guy playing Santa had understood her frustration. Maybe she'd go live with him instead.

 "Please just listen to me, Emma. It isn't up to me to buy you gifts anymore because… well… you've been adopted."

 Emma blinked, her brain taking a moment to process what Mrs. Morris had said. Adopted? Someone actually wanted her? This had to be a joke… right?

 "You're lying…" she said quietly. "You have to be. I'm ten. I'm too old."

 "I'm not lying to you. I would never lie to you about something like this. Their names are Mary-Margaret and David Nolan, and they're downstairs right now waiting to meet you," Mrs. Morris said quietly. "They live in Maine, so you'd have to change schools, but I promise you, they really do want to adopt you."

 She furrowed her brow, trying to find a hint of lying in Mrs. Morris' face, but couldn't find any to her surprise.

 "…Okay. I'll go downstairs," Emma said, getting off the bed and following her foster mother downstairs to the dining room where the couple was. One look at them and Emma had a gut feeling in her stomach that this was different from the last time she'd been told she was going to be adopted.

 The woman's eyes were full of tears, and she was looking at Emma with so much love (not pity, not sadness, but love), that Emma thought she might burst.

 The man's gaze was no different. His eyes were soft, and he mirrored the same look his wife had.

 "Hi Emma…" the woman said softly, beaming at her. "I'm Mary-Margaret, and this is David, and we're… we're going to be your parents."

 Emma nodded, sitting at the table. "Hi… Mrs. Morris told me that you live in Maine."

 "We do. In a small town called Storybrooke. David's the sheriff and I teach fourth grade," Mary-Margaret said.

 "Oh. Will I have any siblings?"

 A brief flash of pain crossed both of the adults' faces, and Emma nearly winced in embarrassment. Okay. That was a bad thing to ask.

 Finally, it was David who spoke. "No. You'd be our only child."

 Relief flooded her. "Really? That's okay. I promise," she said with a tiny smile. She could have them all to herself? Good. She was looking forward to that. "Do I have any other family?"

 "A big one," Mary-Margaret said with a light laugh, obviously happy to be off the topic of other children. "There's my former stepmother and her husband and their kids, David's mother, his brother, and our closest friends and their children. You'll have lots of playmates, Emma."

 Emma's smile grew a bit more. "Oh, that's good." She didn't mind playing with other kids, but she got annoyed when she had to share everything with him. Especially when they stole stuff from her. Hopefully these two, and the other parents, would be good parents and stop them.

 Mary-Margaret smiled. "Emma, we have been waiting so long to adopt a child. We're so glad that they matched us up with you. I have an idea. Why don't we take you out for lunch? You can get anything you'd like."

 "I like grilled cheese and onion rings," Emma said with a smile. "Mabel's Diner has the best onion rings in town."

 "I think we can arrange that. Shall we go then?"

 "Really? Right now?!" Emma asked, her eyes lighting up. She was starving!

 David and Mary-Margaret laughed. "Yes, of course right now. Go get your coat and shoes and you can show us the way."

 In moments, Emma was walking between David and Mary-Margaret through the snowy weather, telling them stories of her childhood while they told her stories of Storybrooke. They owned a farm as well as their regular jobs, and her new grandmother and uncle helped  them out. Mary-Margaret was Jewish, so Emma would be celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah.

  They had a dog too – Emma had never had a dog before.

 Even though part of her was still suspicious of them, part of her afraid that she would be returned again, there was something about the two of them that made Emma feel comfortable and safe in their presence.

 "When are you taking me to Storybrooke?" she asked through a mouthful of cheesy goodness and swallowing a sip of her cola.

 "Tomorrow."

 "Just in time for Christmas!" Emma said with a small gasp. She couldn't wait to celebrate Christmas with a family instead of other orphans who also only got one present. Finally, she'd be able to celebrate Christmas with a family that loved her.

 "That's right. So Emma… Mrs. Morris tells us you've never had a proper Christmas so… what do you want for Christmas?" David asked.

 Emma blinked in surprise, pausing. What did she want for Christmas? All she wanted was a family that wouldn't return her, and it looked like she was getting that… she'd never been able to flip through a Toys-R-Us catalog and mark which Barbies or games she wanted. How was she supposed to figure that out in a matter of days? The older kids had stolen the catalog anyway.

 Emma bit her lip, looking between her new parents. "I… I don't know," she admitted. "I didn't think I'd have a family for Christmas. I didn't think of anything other than a family."

 Predictably, there was worry written on their faces.

 "What do you like to do then? Drawing? Sports? Reading?" Mary-Margaret asked.

 "Um… I like reading and singing… and animals," Emma said, biting her lip. "Sorry if that's not much help."

 "Don't think that. We'll find gifts for you. We promise. Do you like school?"

 Emma shrugged as she took a bite of an onion ring. "It's okay. I don't have many friends though. But I like music class at least. And I like science too."

 Mary-Margaret smiled. "Well that's good! My friend in Storybrooke teaches music. She'll be so happy to have you in her class, I'm sure."

 She smiled again. How were things going so perfectly for her? There had to be a catch, right? There was no way that these people would be so willing and excited to have her as a daughter. She was a screw up. Damaged goods.

 Something had to be wrong.

 Still, Emma would humor them for as long as they'd have her in their home. They were willing to at least listen to her and talk to her like she wasn't just a check from the government. Plus, she'd get away from her annoying foster siblings for a while.

 -----

 Mary-Margaret had been smitten with Emma Swan since Aiden had showed her the photograph of her. Finding out the struggles the girl had gone through had only made her heart break into thousands of pieces, and she knew they had to do something to make her Christmas extra special.

 It would be a time crunch, she knew. Only days before Christmas – a holiday she didn't pay all that much attention to anyway – left little time for people to go shopping, but one look at Emma and the day they'd spent getting to know her meant Mary-Margaret felt like she had to throw her everything into making Christmas special for her.

 "David," she said quietly. "How are we going to do this?" she asked with a sigh as they relaxed in their hotel room later that night. "Sure we have some decorations and that small tree but… Emma deserves better, don't you think?"

 David nodded in agreement, a look of consideration on his face. "Yeah. I agree. But even though we're far from home, we aren't stuck doing this by ourselves. I'll just call Regina and my mother and see if they'd be willing to help make our house Christmas-ready. And tell them what Emma likes so they can get some gifts for her too. Aiden already promised that Baelfire would be willing to be her friend. Ruby and Killian said both Emily and Alice would too. We can do this, Mary-Margaret. Just have faith."

 She nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. "You're right. This just happened so fast that I feel like we haven't had time to breathe."

 "We haven't, really," David said with a small smile as he dialed his phone. "But when we're able to celebrate as a family, it'll be worth it."

 "I know it will…" she said softly. "David, we have a daughter. We have a child and she's perfect and beautiful."

 "We do. And we're going to make this the best Christmas she's ever had."

 Mary-Margaret grinned. "We're going to make every holiday the best she's ever had."

 -----

 It all felt like a dream still. Even as she packed her clothes and few personal belongings up into her suitcase, she still felt like she was going to wake up and find it was all just a fantasy. Finally, she wouldn't be the one standing outside in the freezing weather looking longingly at the car as it drove away with some lucky kid. She was the lucky kid now.

 "Emma! Mr. and Mrs. Nolan are here!" Mrs. Morris called. "It's time to go, sweetheart."

 Emma took a deep breath and looked around the shared bedroom. It was strange that she wouldn't be returning to this place. She'd be going to Storybrooke, Maine, with her new parents… and an extended family she'd never had before.

 She made her way downstairs, feeling the stares of her now former foster siblings shooting right through her as she looked up at David and Mary-Margaret, giving them a timid smile before being led out to their car.

 "Okay Emma. You ready to head to Storybrooke?" David asked, pulling the driver's door closed and starting the car.

 "I'm ready."

 As David pulled out of the driveway, Emma didn't even bother looking back at the foster home she'd lived in for two years. There was no need to – she didn't feel any sadness about leaving it at all.

 The plane ride was easy, only a little bit of turbulence, and before long, Emma found herself riding through the dense forests of northern Maine, a vast difference from the cities and suburbs of Minnesota. As happy as she was that she was finally out of here, she had to admit… she was pretty hungry.

 "Um… 'scuse me," she said softly and waiting until Mary-Margaret looked in the backseat before continuing, "I'm hungry. Are we going to stop soon?"

 "Oh, of course! We'll be home soon, and everyone is meeting us there, so we'll have a big family dinner, okay? It's usually a tradition to go to Ruth's house for Christmas Eve, but everyone wanted to come over to ours to meet you instead. They all brought food, so don't worry about going hungry."

 "We'll be there in ten minutes. Think you can hold on until then?" David added with a smile.

 Emma nodded with a smile. A home cooked meal would be better than a restaurant anyway.

 Before long, they were pulling up to a white farmhouse, a haven against the snowy backdrop that surrounded it. The house was decorated with all of the Christmas trimmings Emma had once imagined, but never thought she'd ever get to experience.

 "Emma," Mary-Margaret said as she put a hand on her shoulder, "this is your new home."

 She smiled up at her new mother and nodded. "Thanks… mom."

 There were tears in Mary-Margaret's eyes as she and David led Emma up the steps, letting Emma be the one to open the front door.

 The home itself was something out of a Christmas movie. A large tree was in the corner of the room, stacks of presents lined up underneath it. Snowflakes and stars hung from the ceiling, the fireplace had three large and one smaller stocking hung in front of the cozy fire that was burning. A winter village was on one of the tables, and Emma noted some of the homes had a menorah painted on it, rather than a tree.

 But what really caught Emma's attention was the large banner that hung right in the middle of the room, hand painted and decorated with children's handprints that said 'Welcome Home, Emma!', and the crowd of people that were gathered underneath it, all smiles.

 "Alright Emma?" David asked with a smile. "This is your family."

 "Oh!" a grey-haired woman in the front of the crowd cried as she rushed forward to where Emma and David stood. "Look at you. You're so beautiful."

 "Mother… give her a bit of room," David said, though Emma could hear the amusement in his tone. "I'm sure this is a lot to take in at once."

 "Oh David, she's my first grandchild. You can't blame me for being excited."

 Emma smiled up at the woman. "Hi…"

 "Are you hungry, sweetheart? You've had a long day, I'm sure."

 Emma nodded, relieved she'd asked that.

 "Alright. Why we get you a plate of food and then you can meet everyone. Does that sound okay?"

 She nodded again, and Ruth guided her to the kitchen where a buffet awaited her. Emma had never been allowed to have so many choices before, and she wound up with a plate and two bowls filled to the brim of food.

 She had to sit with the other kids that were there, but for once, they didn't fight her for food. Instead they just… talked and introduced themselves. Emma slowly felt her guard slip away, and she began to enjoy herself with them.

 They allowed Emma to open a few presents ("Think of them as welcome home gifts, not Christmas gifts!" her grandmother had said), and before long, she was under the warm covers of her bed with her new purple quilt, stuffed horse in her arms and Wilby asleep at the end of her bed, drifting off to sleep.

 It was then that Emma heard something strange. She ignored it at first, until the noise got louder and was followed by a very distinctive human laugh.

 Her eyes popped open, and she pulled herself from the bed and went to the window, eyes widening in shock when she saw a familiar face flying outside her window, in a sled, pulled by nine flying reindeer.

 She pulled the window open, leaning out, hearing the sleigh bells clear as day.

 "I promised you, didn't I? Merry Christmas Emma!" she heard in the distance.

 He was too far away to yell to him without waking up the entire house, so Emma could only hope he'd hear her whisper.

 "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you… I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

 She had a feeling she was going to have to write a really long apology letter next year.

[doodlelolly0910]

Close Encounters of the Spiritual Kind

Summary: Emma Nolan spent a lot of time alone, and that was fine by her. Because one is never truly alone. She should know. She can talk to dead people. What she didn't expect was one of these spiritual encounters to hang around, taking her down a rabbit hole of missing women, revenge, and, least expected, love. Can she save the day and Killian Jones? Is there even another choice?

Read it from the beginning on AO3 and FFN!

A/N: We're already on chapter four! Things with the case are really starting to heat up here, and some big background on Killian comes to light. Also, the confirmation on the identity of the woman Emma has been hearing all this time! I'm sure you guys have already guessed who she is, but her identity is confirmed here. Thanks so so much as always for reading and a HUGE thank you to the fantastic @kmomof4 being such an amazing part of this process as my beta and thanks to @courtorderedcake the brilliant artwork she's created for this piece. Enjoy chapter 4!

Chapter 4

Emma hated days like this. She knew from the multiple messages she'd gotten from Graham and Captain Mills that the tip had been heeded and the captain had sent out a search party to recover Marian's body last night. Which means Robin would be there this morning and very much grieving. Her heart hurt for him.

Unfortunately, Marian's death fit a laundry list of other victims in the area. She was a young woman, missing for several months, and connected to Weaver Gold. Of course, she was the only one that knew for sure that  Weaver Gold was the actual killer, but without actual physical evidence, she couldn't make that accusation. Thankfully, Robin's former association with him was enough to warrant further investigation.

Emma arrived at the office a little earlier than usual, sipping on her iced coffee (no repeats of yesterday, thank you very much), and reviewing her case files before Graham got there. She flipped through a number of pages, looking at names and faces of so many missing girls she hoped she wouldn't find like Marian. Ashley Boyd. Ivy Belfrey. Ariel Havfrue. Shirin Amira. Aurora Prince. Young women that had all gone missing without a trace within the last six months, from all walks of life with seemingly no connection to one another, except one: Mr. Gold. In one way or another, usually through a deal they had made to get out of a bad spot in their lives, all of them had a connection to Gold. And now that a body had turned up, it was time to dig deeper. She turned back to the bulletin board set up with information on Gold and his enterprise and looked at the red yarn webbing connecting pieces of these women's lives to him and it made her blood boil. She was going to be the one to take him down. She had to be.

"Hey, Em." Graham's sheepish voice came from the doorway behind her as her partner made his way into their shared office. "You're here early."

Emma nodded and hummed an affirmative sound before turning back to study her board. Graham cleared his throat and she turned back to him to see him watching her intently.

"Something you needed, Humbert?" she asked, gathering her files on the desk.

"Ah, no. Well, yes. Kind of," he rambled and Emma raised an eyebrow. He sighed deeply before continuing. "What I mean to say is I feel bad about yesterday. I can't help but feel like maybe your migraine was partially caused by what happened with me startling you and the spill, and of course I feel terrible about that as well. Anyways, I wanted to see about making it up to you by maybe taking you to dinner?"

It was Emma's turn to sigh. Graham looked like such a hopeful little puppy every time he asked her out that, at first, she hated to say no, but she just wasn't in the same place as Graham was. That was at first. Now, she still wasn't in the same place he was and rejection came automatically to her.

"Sorry, Graham. Don't mix business with pleasure. Is Mills in yet?" She tried to change the subject around Graham's crestfallen change in expression. He nodded and began shuffling through papers on his own desk.

"Uh, yeah. I dunno if she even went home last night after they pulled the body. They're razing the whole field to see if there's anymore case files we can close." Graham seemed to have found everything he needed and nodded at his desk, not meeting Emma's eyes. "I'll, uh, see you out there."

Emma squeezed her eyes shut tightly as he left the office. When she was sure he was gone, she turned and picked up her case files and followed him out into the bullpen for the meeting.

Regina Mills was a no-nonsense, severe woman. She was rather imposing for her average stature, her raven hair always in its sleek bob, immaculate pantsuits for every occasion, big brown eyes that looked into the depths of your soul. Emma's two years under her as her captain were tumultuous, to say the least. Over time, they had learned to get along and had even become friends of a sort. Well, as close to being Emma's friend as you could get. But they understood each other, and that was more than Emma had with most people. Unbidden, Killian's face popped into her mind. Maybe he was someone who could understand, too. Emma shook his image from her head as fast as it entered, a flush crawling up her neck at how much she actually thought about someone she'd never even met before.

Things had actually been quieter on the encounters front. Instead of relief, Emma felt unsettled. She was always waiting for the other shoe to drop and she was very careful to avoid touching anything that might trigger her. Especially that damn shirt. But along with all of that, there was an underlying fear that she may be running out of time on multiple counts. If this Killian Jones needed rescue, she knew time was of the essence. Right now, though, she had a job to do.

She gathered her case files and walked into the bullpen, taking a seat on the edge of an open desk next to where Graham sat. A few other people had already gathered themselves. Jefferson, their tech analyst was typing away at his laptop, completely engrossed in his task. Two junior detectives, August Booth and Mulan Fa, stood chatting in front of the water cooler. The door to the central office opened and Captain Mills came striding out.

"Alright, people. As you all know, there was a huge break in the case yesterday with the unfortunate recovery of Marian Locksley's body. We still have no leads on the tip that came in leading to the location of her remains, but Jefferson is looking into that," she addressed the group and Jefferson gave a mock two fingered salute, eyes still glued to his screen. Emma felt butterflies rise up in her stomach, but she'd been careful. There's no reason she'd be found out. "Now, we have a solid lead on a connection to Weaver Gold in regards to these disappearances, but he's sealing up leaks quickly since the body was discovered. Information out of his operation is at an essential standstill. So, we'll have to get it from the source. Nolan, Humbert!" Emma's head snapped up at her name and Graham stood up straighter beside her.

"You have three days to get your affairs in order. Then you're undercover."

Emma's heart jumped into her throat as Regina continued to speak and passed them each a manilla folder with information on the identities created for them. She had never been undercover before in the four years since she'd been promoted to detective.

"Of course you'll want to use all in house resources before you go, you'll only have Jefferson as your contact once you are in the field," Regina continued and Emma looked up to her.

"Did Robin come in already?" she asked and Regina cocked an eyebrow.

"He's in my office. He's provided us with some invaluable intel towards your undercover assignment already," she replied.

"Is he... well, I mean I know he's not... but is he..." Emma struggled to find words to ask about the wellbeing of the man who had lost his wife. There was a reason Graham did most of the talking to the vics.

Regina gave a slow, cool nod.

"He's as well as can be expected," she said thoughtfully. It was rare to see an introspective Regina. She cared about a lot of things, but was never really one to wear her heart on her sleeve. Emma nodded, unsure of how to read Regina.

"Well, it looks like the going just got tough, so I better get going." She stood and the two nodded at each other before Emma walked to her office.

Inside, Graham was poring over the contents of the manila file on his desk with his undercover instructions. She sat opposite of him, eyeing him carefully. He sighed heavily.

"This is insane," he said, flipping his file closed sharply as Emma opened hers. She shrugged.

"We know the case the best. We've been working on it for months now and no one knows Gold better than the two of us. Makes sense." She continued to flip though the file outlining her role as a petty thief and Graham's as a fence of sorts. She scowled down at the pages in her hands.

"I know. You're right. I just can't help but feel like something bigger is going on. And I know that should make me more ready to go, but it just makes me nervous," he admitted. Emma looked up to him and studied the apprehension in his gaze.

"I know, Graham. It's a tough spot. But we're professionals and we can do this. At least we can count on one another." She offered him a warm smile which he returned with a stiff one of his own.

"Yeah. You're right. It must be first time undercover nerves. I'm gonna go grab a coffee and talk to Jefferson. You want anything?" he asked and Emma shook her head.

"No, I'm good. Gonna look through some things and probably head out for the day. Get everything ready to go." She shuffled the papers back into place and closed the folder.

"I'll leave you to it, then. See you Friday." He smiled gently at her again and she nodded her response, turning her attention to her computer as he left the space.

Emma rolled her neck, trying to relieve some tension. She could only hope this went smoothly and quickly. With Gold's status and notoriety, it was unlikely though. Her whole life was likely to be put on the back burner for quite some time. Ruby was going to be pissed. Protective pissed, but still pissed. And then there was the issue with Killian Jones. She felt a pang in her chest at the idea of leaving him to suffer through whatever she was supposed to be "saving" him from. She rolled the mouse on the screen as an idea came to her. She opened up a new search screen and began to type.

Killian Jones.

More than one result popped up in the records database, British naval records, immigration records, naturalization paperwork, guardianship records for one Liam Jones, but the blue eyes staring out from the mugshot on her screen she instantly recognized. So he had a past. She clicked on his arrest record and pulled up his history. Her jaw dropped almost comically.

Robbery.

Assault.

Burglary.

Breaking and entering.

Money laundering.

Evading arrest.

Attempted murder.

The litany of charges he had been arrested for was impressive, to say the least. Curiously enough, however, all charges were subsequently dropped after his arrest due to there not being enough evidence to hold him, except the assault. The assault, an apparently isolated incident against a man named Herman Ahab, he served two years behind bars for. But the scowling man with the piercing eyes and hard set to his jaw seemed absolutely capable of each and every allegation. A far cry to the soft image of a lost and hurting soul gazing wistfully over the sea that she had experienced before. Emma was more conflicted than ever. Was Killian Jones in danger? Or was he the danger himself? Before she could decide for herself the now familiar, but still panic inducing, scent of jasmine crept up on her causing her flesh to erupt in goose pimples.

Good man.

The soft voice murmured. Emma scoffed.

"Clearly," she said, feeling insane for acknowledging the encounter out loud. A surge of floral perfume surrounded her and the words were repeated, a little more forcefully.

Good man.

"If you say so. I don't know why I keep listening to you. I don't even know who the hell you are," she grumbled petulantly.

The voice whispered an answer to the statement she made almost immediately.

Milah.

"Milah, huh. You got a last name, Milah?" Emma asked, bringing up a new search screen to do a little more digging. As quickly as the encounter had come on, the scent of jasmine began to fade and Emma had the distinct feeling she was alone again. 

She sighed heavily and clicked back on the page with Killian Jones’ information. The remaining charges on his rap sheet all appeared to be linked to a single arrest, so she pulled up the report and her heart almost slammed to a stop in her chest.

Killian Jones had been accused of trying to kill Weaver Gold. 

Emma was never much of a believer in fate, but it seemed like there was something bigger at work here.  Call it grand design, destiny, or whatever, there was much to get ready for.

[wait-for-the-snitch]

we are still kids (but we're so in love)

A/N: Thank you so much to @lizzyc807shipscaptainswan for including me in this writing challenge! I had so much fun doing it.

read on ff.net a03

Fairy tales were not Emma Nolan’s cup of tea. And with the things that had happened to her in her twenty six years of life, which were almost straight out of a storybook, who could blame her? She had all the makings of a heroine from a tragic novel.

She had been found on the side of the road when she was less than a day old and had been thrown into the foster system before her eyes were even open for more than a few moments at a time. Her birth parents hadn’t wanted her; that much was for sure. And from what she had heard about the foster system where the foster parents cared more about the cheque than the wellbeing of the child, Emma shuddered to think about what her life could have been like if she had grown up in the system.

Thankfully for her, she had been adopted when she was a year old, by Ruth Nolan, and couldn’t even remember her time in the system. She knew she was lucky in that aspect, for so many children were lost in the system.

Ruth had adopted her as she wanted her son, David, to have a sibling and not to grow up alone. She wished she could say she knew David’s father, but the man had passed a six months before Emma was adopted. And David, who was only a few years ago, had been in every one of her memories as early as she could remember. He had been there for her when she was learning to tie her shoe laces, ride a bicycle, and when she had her first boyfriend.

Robert had been the love of her mother’s life. And when he had passed, she couldn’t imagine living a life loving anyone else. She had told Emma that some loves were like that, where you so wholly loved someone to the point where they were your entire heart. That your love for that person was filled so fully of compassion, dedication, and raw emotion. They were your entire universe, and without them, it was hard to even breathe. And Robert was that person for Ruth.

It was like that for David as well, with her best friend Mary Margaret. She had met the girl on her first day of first grade, when she had been so nervous about meeting new people who weren’t her older brother. But Mary Margaret had been so kind and taken Emma right under her wing. Later, when David picked her up from school, as he was in third grade after all, she had been so excited to introduce her big brother to her new best friend. And Emma swore in the moment the two of them met, the world stopped spinning for a moment. She knew the look of love at first sight anywhere. Except the two of them danced around their feelings for years, only sharing their first date when David finally asked Mary Margaret to his senior prom. Despite that, anyone else would claim that the two had been dating for years, even if they hadn’t realized it yet.

It was probably why when Emma met Neal Cassidy when in college, she believed he could be the same for her. He was a few years older than her, and she had been enamoured with his smoothness immediately. And she swore that things were going great between the two of them.

Until they weren’t. When Emma found out she was pregnant, she had been devastated. She was only in her sophomore year, and she had no idea what to do. And when she told Neal, he had broken up with her on the spot, claiming to have been wanting to do that months. He had been seeing someone else, Tamara, for nearly six months, and had just been waiting to end things with her.

She had cried to her mother that night, unsure of what to do. Ruth had insisted in that moment that she wouldn’t allow this to ruin her life. That a child could be a blessing, despite how grim the future seemed. She promised to help Emma raise the child while she finished school. David, on the other hand, was not as calm. He had gone to visit Neal, returning home with bruised knuckles and the paperwork signing away all his paternal rights.

She should have been furious that he had discarded her and their child so quickly, but she was relieved that she wouldn’t have to deal with him any longer. And when Henry David Nolan was born months later, she couldn’t take her eyes of her beautiful son. Neal did get what he deserved, when he was arrested for grand larceny in regards to some watches he had stolen years before they had met.

And when she graduated, she joined her brother at the Sherriff’s office, as his deputy. She was happy, she had her mother, her brother, her sister-in-law, who was far more like a sister to her, and her son. She didn’t really need anyone else.

Apparently her family didn’t agree.

It was how she found herself at the bar, set up on a blind date with her sister-in-law’s step-sister’s boyfriend’s friend. In a town such as Storybrooke, she would have expected to have known who she was going on a date with, but in all honesty she had no idea.

And the moment she stepped into the restaurant, she felt her heart begin to race. Instead of joining her date, she retreated to the bar, chickening out.

She stared down at her rum and coke, sighing to herself.

“Alright there, Love?” she heard a deep voice ask beside her. She looked up in shock at the man beside her, who seemed to be drinking away his sorrows as well, as she recognized him. Killian Jones, model student, who had been vice president to her brother’s presidency in school. He had been in her brother’s year, and had been one of the brightest students in their year. And then he had graduated, and moved out of the town. But the man in front of her was aged; dressed in dark leather, he seemed as if he had a few hard years.

“Killian?” she asked, stunned still. “I haven’t seen you in years.”

“Emma Nolan,” he grinned.

The two of them had started chatting. It had been a few drinks in when he told her how he had been seeing a woman, Milah, who had been older and married. She had made promises to her of how she would leave her husband for him, but never did. And upon confrontation, she admitted she never would leave the life of luxury she had with her husband. In turn, Emma told him all about her asshole ex.

Later that night, on their way out of the bar, he admitted to her that his mate, Robin had tried to set him up on a date that night, and he had totally blown it off. She had been stunned at that, as she admitted to him that she was supposed to go on a blind date as well, with Regina’s boyfriend’s friend. And somehow, despite them both attempting to bail on their date, they had ended up together.

She had fallen for him that night, even if she couldn’t immediately admit it to herself. That had been two years ago. Six months into their relationship, she had told him she loved him, and he had swept her off her feet, claiming she was everything he thought he never would have. Henry adored the man, who was all but father in name to him. A year ago, the two bought a house on Main Street, with a yard large enough for a pool, and for them to be a family in. He had proposed a year and a half into their relationship, and she had cried in that moment, as she knew how much he meant to her. And in exactly a week from now, she would be his wife, and when all the paperwork was completed after their wedding, he would be a father to Henry as well.

But tonight was another story. Tonight, Ruby insisted on dressing her in a red dress that clung so tightly to her curves that she swore she couldn’t move without popping a steam, for her bachelorette party.

“I look ridiculous,” Emma complained, as Mary Margaret sprayed her with some perfume. Henry had been staying with her mother for the night, and Emma was thankful for that.

“You look hot,” Ruby commented with a grin as she picked up her bag. “Now come on, we’re going to be late.”

She sighed to herself, as she allowed Regina and Belle to push her out the door and into the car. She hadn’t been allowed to ask too many questions about where they were going or what her night even held for her. She only hoped that Killian had fun doing who knows what on his own bachelor party.

She shouldn’t have been surprised when the car stopped in front of the Rabbit Hole. It wasn’t as if their town had all that much night life to it. Still, the bar had all the makings of a club, as it had music playing loudly when she entered.

“I got us a room in the back,” Ruby said loudly as she led them through the club. And while Mary Margaret was her Maid of Honour, she had decided to split the responsibilities of the night with Ruby, as bachelorette parties tended to be entirely her thing.

They entered a room with low lights with a few bottles of champagne in the centre.

Regina popped the bottle loudly, and the girls around her giggled as they each took a glass from her.

“So! Party games!” Ruby cheered.

“Anything in particular?” she asked, raising a brow, remembering the nights in college spent doing the same thing.

“Never have I ever!” Ruby said proudly. “Never have I ever fooled around in a sibling’s room.”

“Does it count when you don’t have any siblings?” Belle asked, grinning.

“Who cares,” Ruby smirked. “I haven’t done it.”

Emma lifted her glass, sipping, as did Regina. What she hadn’t been expecting was for Mary Margaret to do the same thing.

“You and David did it in my room?” Emma asked, grimacing.

“It could have been mine as well,” Regina pointed out, looking equally concerned.

“Honestly!” Mary Margaret blushed. “You both drank for the question as well! You think I don’t know that means both of you did at my place?”

She grinned, not wanting to tell her sister-in-law how she and Killian had snuck off during one of her parties and fooled around.

“Never have I ever done it outside,” Belle said, looking at them all pointedly to see who drank at that.

She tilted the drink to her lips once more, and to her surprise, as did the others.

“Never have I ever had sex with more than one person at the same time,” Emma said.

Ruby drank to that, with a coy smile on her face.

“Never have I ever done the walk of shame,” Regina said, causing Emma to snort.

“No, you just force Robin to do that,” Emma laughed, earning a smirk from the woman.

She drank to that however, as did Belle and Mary Margaret. Ruby surprisingly did not.

“It doesn’t really count as a walk of shame if I make a point to let everyone know where I just was,” she said with a grin. “I’m not ashamed.”

The women laughed and raised their glasses to that.

“Never have I ever done it in a car,” Mary Margaret said, looking around curiously at who had.

Emma refilled her glass as she drank, knowing it wouldn’t take much longer to get her drunk.

The game continued on, as she poured glass after glass, and only when they started to run out of things to ask, Ruby shifted the game to truth or dare, where Emma was her unfortunate first victim.

“I dare you to kiss the first guy you see,” Ruby said, helping her to her feet.

She frowned at that, unwilling to make out with another guy, bachelorette party or not. But before she could protest, Ruby shoved her out the door and into someone’s arms.

“Hello Love,” she heard a deep voice say, causing her heart to melt. She looked up to see Killian steading her as she reached up and kissed him deeply. His hands slid around her waist as he pulled her in tightly.

“Perfect timing,” Ruby grinned as she leaned in to kiss Liam softly.

“I tried,” he laughed

“What are you doing here?” she asked him, still in his arms.

“I am at my bachelor party, Love,” Killian grinned, “As I assume you are as well.”

“Aye,” she grinned back.

“We figured the two of you would eventually want to meet up at some point in the night. Plus Storybrooke doesn’t have all that many options so it worked out for the best,” Ruby grinned, as David slipped his hand through Mary Margaret’s.

“Would you care to dance with me, Emma?” he asked her softly. She nodded with a smile and he led her onto the dance floor. The two of them swayed against each other and she felt her heart race as she felt him move against her.

“What do you say you and I get out of here?” she asked him a low voice as she leaned close. “Take this back to my place.”

She grinned at him coyly as he grinned at the pickup line.

He slipped his hand through hers, and the two of them left the club together.

She couldn’t understand the definition of True Love Ruth had given her when she was with Neal, no matter how hard she tried. But with Killian it seemed so effortless. She could look at him and see her entire world in the man.

There was only a week left of her being Emma Nolan, and Emma couldn’t wait until she officially because his wife.

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

Ahh yeah it's nooot good o.o

Who we calling?

AWWW AAHHHHH :'DDDD

That's so cute <33

I love them so much :'))

Anyway WESLEYY :DDD bc yay and also that's who we're calling lol

Ahhh 😬

Well nothing specifically, but no no one's doing anything yet xd also that sounds like illegal lol

Also he's at home XD

True

Aww Angela :(( <3

Yeah bro's still at home chill a bit xD

AWWW yeah he is family 🥺😭😭❤️

Y'all I love them all so much <3

Yeah don't worry he's got it :))

Not gonna break laws but he got it xD

Where's my "I love you" <3

Hmmm yeah something like that xD kinda at work and much more than normal drama lol

Ope?

Charlie maybe?

Who the frick are you

Nahh I don't trust this guy

Oope, is that the nanny?

Yep 😳

Uhh? Doing what calls?

Oh ignoring

YEAH go off Wesley D:< >:D protect her and your home

Uhhh o.o

Ohh and he said boss just registered that o.o uh ohhh

Ohhh noooo

She better not be spying on them or a man on the inside xd just a coincidence 😳😤😑

"You're just in my way" O.O

Listen. . I love me some Wesley angst but. . . he better be okay xdd

But also AAAHHHHHH WESLEY DRAMA :DDD

xD

Uh??

Computer restarting?? Scuse me???

Rude 😭 xD

Y'all this is wild o.o xd this is gonna end up being one of those episodes with a bunch of stuff going on all over the place 😬, like not disorganized but just a bunch of stuff to like everybody, or a diverse group of people anyway o.o but all like, relating/culminating? Idk but it's gonna be wild o.o

AYY WE BACK

Been like 20 minutes because of booting up and then loading and then I was finishing what I was doing in the mean time BUT I'm here :))

That "I didn't invite you in" was so iconic 😌

Yess she isn't

Nahh it is his business

OOP gun o.o

OOAUGHP GO OFF WESLEY

I wanna see Angela worried about him 🥰 <33

Also you're an important lawyer and your wife is a detective xD

And the security system 😎

Y'all are icons <3

STOPPP he's so cool :)))

ICONNN

Girl watching like o.o who am I working for? And why are you so calm in this situation?

XD

YESS go off Wesley 😤😌

OOUPE HI LOVELIES

OHHh right the NDA o.o

So it has come up xd just later than I expected o.o

Ohh yeah their computers and talks about the DA's office o.o

I mean I mentioned being a spy but didn't think about specifics and kinda forgot about it in the light of Wesley <3 xD

Hmmm interesting

Christian Bautista, hmm they seem to recognize him

"You thought a guy in finance had a bodyguard named Headshot" XD real

Ahhh yeah

Oof girl :((

Well at least she didn't want to leave the kids <33

Great job making another high criminal personal enemy Angela xD love that for you guys xD

Kinda do ngl lol

Oop yeah 👀

Ahh

Poor girl :((

Hmm I think she will eventually

Glad she's not automatically like yes! like most of these civilians are though lol

Oop o.o

Imagine if it was one of y'all xD

Ahh probably gonna be Lucy

OOPE?

OOOOPE O.O?

O.O???

My lovelies?

AWWWWW 😭😭😭😭🥺🥺💔❤️❤️

"Are you okay" "I am now" 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺💔💔💔❤️❤️💔💔 AAAHHHHHHH

My lovelies y'all 😭😭

The way they said it :')))

Aww hey guys lol

Ah yep :))

SLDKFJLS ANGELA

An icon <333

Aww yeah :'))

Y'all they're my besties (my babeys who are besties that is) :'DD I love them so much <333

He's always like that lol

Nahh not that guy though xD

Y'all better be careful thoughh xd

Yep o.o

Ouhpe? Working on it while working?

Ohhh no :O a PD day!

Interestinggg

Yeah :((

He's gotten there before and she doesn't wanna make that mistake xd

Lol real girl

Straight up saying it's bs xD

Oooupe o.o

REAL girl xD

Ahh yeah he does 😬

Noo he wouldn't

Hmm yeah you can't get that though

Buuut that's when the recording comes out

LOL?

Ahhh is he seeing her xD

Ohh wait yeah :O

LOL this feels almost even mofe illegal xD it's not though

Ahh so he sees that xd

I'm sure he can kinda be helpful though lol

Ope so he's there all the time XD

LOL Nolan xD

Ayyy :D that's how you get him

Hopefully he doesn't realize it's sus xd

Ahh yeah 😬😬😳

And hopefully she doesn't realize xdd or anyone else

LOL Tim's gonna regret that xD

Ah crap yeah o o 😬😭

Not necessarilyyy 😬😬🥺