#plus two potted christmas trees

[nylqnder]

CHRISTMAS PJ’S ARBER XHEKAJ

— event masterlist !

pairing: fem!reader x arber xhekaj

summary: never one to cave to your antics, arber finally does when you buy matching christmas pyjamas for the two of you.

warnings: none!

wc: 1.29k

notes: sixth piece of my 12 days of xmas celly! i can just imagine trying to coax arber into little self care activities and him having none of it

The first time you tried to coax Arber into wearing a facemask, he stared at you as though you'd just suggested he should sprout wings and fly to the moon. He leaned against the doorway, his solid frame eclipsing the light from the hallway, arms folded across his broad chest in a posture of amused resistance. You were perched on the edge of the bathroom sink, a strip of mint-green clay smeared across your cheeks, grinning at him.

“I’m not putting that on my face,” he said, his voice rumbling with a finality that allowed no argument.

You’d argued anyway, of course.

“It’s not just about skincare — it’s fun!” you’d said, lifting the pot of face mask. “You can be a part of the experience. Bonding time! Come on, what’s the harm?”

Arber’s jaw tightened, though the corner of his mouth twitched as if fighting a reluctant smile. “Hard pass. Thanks, though.”

It became a routine, this back-and-forth between you—your bubbling excitement meeting his steady practicality. When you tried to pluck his eyebrows, telling him they were getting out of hand, he had held your hand in his for a long moment, his eyes meeting yours with an intensity that made your stomach flip, and simply said, “No.”

And yet, despite his stubbornness, you never doubted that Arber loved you. He loved you in the way he always pulled you closer when you snuggled on the couch, his large hands gentle on your shoulders. He loved you in the way he always remembered your coffee order, down to the extra shot of espresso you always got. He loved you in the way he kissed your forehead before heading out the door, as though sealing a promise that he’d always come back.

But love, you knew, didn’t mean unreserved compliance with your whims.

So when December rolled around and you unveiled the matching Christmas pyjamas, you braced yourself for another rejection. They were kitschy in the best way — white flannel pyjamas with Christmas trees scattered across the fabric. You presented them with a flourish, holding them up against your chest and grinning.

“Absolutely not,” was Arber’s immediate response, though his tone lacked the conviction it usually carried.

You pouted, clutching your own pyjamas to your chest. “Come on, Arber. It’s Christmas! It’s festive! Plus, I already sent a teaser to our moms.”

His brow furrowed. “You did what?”

“Teased a surprise. If I don’t send them photos of us wearing them, people will riot,” you said, only half-joking.

Arber sighed deeply, the kind of sigh that spoke of a man resigning himself to fate. “This is blackmail,” he muttered, though the spark in his eyes betrayed his amusement.

That evening, as you flitted around the kitchen making a batch of shortbread cookies, you heard the sound of the bedroom door creaking open. You turned to find him standing there, his expression half-sheepish, half-defiant.

He was wearing the pyjamas.

The fabric clung awkwardly to his muscular frame, the sleeves stretched just a bit too tight around his biceps. The ridiculous reindeer pattern seemed incongruous on a man as solid and stoic as Arber, and yet—your heart swelled with affection at the sight.

The ridiculous pattern seemed out of place on a man as solid and stoic as Arber, and yet — your heart swelled with affection at the sight.

“You look amazing,” you declared, bounding over to him and beaming up at his slightly embarrassed face. “Look at us! We’re adorable!”

Arber glanced down at himself, then at you, your matching pyjamas fitting far more comfortably. Slowly, the tension in his shoulders eased.

“You’re happy?” he asked, his voice quieter now, as though your answer mattered more than he wanted to admit.

“Ridiculously so,” you replied, and you weren’t exaggerating. The sight of him — this man who so often resisted your playful schemes, now standing here in absurdly festive attire — made your chest ache with a warm, almost unbearable fondness.

“Okay,” he said simply, his lips curving into a small, genuine smile. “Then I guess this isn’t so bad.”

You threw your arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek before pulling him toward the couch. The two of you sat there for hours, watching a Christmas movie of Arber’s choosing (giving him a small win that evening). The twinkling lights of the Christmas tree cast a soft glow over the room. Arber held you close, the faint smell of pine mingling with the warmth of his skin.

And later, when you sent a photo of the two of you in your matching pyjamas to your mothers — Arber grinning despite himself, his arm draped protectively around your shoulders — their swooning comments soon poured in.

Your phone buzzed incessantly on the coffee table, lighting up with a flurry of messages. You reached for it, laughing as Arber tried to discreetly peer over your shoulder. He wasn’t fooling anyone; his curiosity was evident in the slight tilt of his head and the way his arm remained snugly around you, holding you close.

The first message came from your mom.

Mom: Oh my gosh! Look at my babies! Arber, you look so handsome in those PJs! The little reindeer is so cute!

You snorted, showing him the text. “See? My mom thinks you’re pulling them off.”

Arber grumbled something incoherent, though his lips quirked up in the faintest of smirks. He was trying hard to act unaffected, but the faint flush creeping up his neck betrayed him.

More messages followed quickly.

Simona: Sweetheart, you two are the CUTEST. Arber, I never thought I'd see the day. Don’t worry, I saved this picture for future family gatherings 😉

You couldn’t contain your laugh, clutching your stomach as Arber groaned beside you, his hand covering his eyes

“She’s never letting me live this down, is she?” he muttered, but the corners of his eyes crinkled with quiet amusement.

“Oh, absolutely not,” you teased. “She’s probably already planning the scrapbook spread.”

You could feel Arber’s chest vibrating against your back as he chuckled, finally breaking down under the avalanche of love and teasing. His amusement was contagious, and you couldn’t stop grinning.

“Okay, okay, enough,” he said, trying to sound gruff but failing miserably as his laughter slipped through. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Oh, absolutely,” you agreed without hesitation, shifting so you could look up at him. His expression had softened entirely now, his eyes warm as they met yours. “But admit it. You’re enjoying it a little too.”

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from your face, his touch gentle and lingering.

“I’ll admit something,” he said after a beat, his voice low. “Seeing you like this—happy, excited—makes it worth it. Even if it means looking like an overgrown Christmas elf.”

You blinked up at him, caught off guard by the rare candidness of his words. His lips twitched upward, and you could tell he was trying to play it cool, but the sincerity in his eyes was undeniable.

“You’re such a sap,” you murmured, though your voice wavered with emotion.

“Only for you,” he countered, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your forehead.

You sat there in a comfortable silence for a moment, letting the warmth of his presence settle around you. His arm tightened slightly, pulling you closer.

And though you knew he’d never admit it out loud, you caught him glancing at the reflection of the two of you in the darkened window, his lips quirking in a satisfied smile.

In his mind, Arber was already making a note to indulge you more often. Sure, your antics were often ridiculous and sometimes exasperating, but they lit you up in a way that made every second worth it.

[perseephoneee]

hot cocoa [ficmas day 9] [dean winchester x f!reader]

↳ masterlist ↳ ship exchange ↳ taglist ↳ ficmas 2024

anonymous: Hot cocoa w/ Dean Winchester pls 🙏🥺

author's note: this is awful, i'm so sorry. i had the worst writers block with this. it makes me want to die. someone come into my inbox and shoot me.

playlist:

i won't be home for christmas -- blink 182

underneath the tree -- kelly clarkson

santa baby -- laufey

The bunker was exceptionally quiet for a winter day, and you were spending that time relaxing. It was cold inside to save on electricity, so you had brought a space heater into your room. You had hung up colorful lights around your room, but that was the extent of your decor. You had your laptop open to Netflix and were re-watching some of your favorite Christmas TV episodes. You had also made some jiffy pop and hot cocoa and were bundled up under blankets with a thick sweater. It was the coziest you’d been in a while. 

It didn’t last long. 

“Hey, did you– what are you doing?” Dean asked, barging into your room. You paused the episode and glared. 

“Having a relaxing winter evening.”

Dean lay down right next to you and stole a handful of popcorn. You continued to glare at him. 

“Do you mind?”

“I like popcorn,” Dean shrugs. You acquiesce, putting the bowl in between the two of you. You keep your hot cocoa tucked safely to your side. You don’t trust Dean not to also steal it. 

“I’m going to be gone for about a week. I leave in two days,” you comment, shoving some popcorn in your mouth. Dean pauses the show.

“Going where?”

“Home…for the holidays,” you blinked, taking a sip of your cocoa. Dean took notice of the movement, and you licked the whipped cream from your lips. You realize that didn’t help the situation. 

“I didn’t realize that…,” Dean trailed off.

“Didn’t realize I had a family?”

“Most hunters don’t.”

“I make it a priority,” you respond. You realize you’re one of the odd ones out. Since you mostly stay on the research side of hunting, you feel a lot safer keeping them in your life. They found out about your hunting a while ago. Your parents weren’t thrilled. Your grandfather, the former marine, was excited you were ‘doing good work.’ He tried to give you a gun afterward. Your mother wasn’t thrilled about that afterward. However, they didn’t kick you out of the family, so that was a bonus. 

Thinking more about it now, you realize Sam and Dean have nowhere to go for the holidays. They’ll probably just stay here, drink beers, and exchange gas station gifts. 

“Do you and Sam want to join me?” you asked. Dean looked at you in surprise. 

“I, uh, well we…”

“I promise you won’t be a hindrance,” you said. “I don’t want you guys here by yourselves.”

You could tell Dean was torn. But you didn’t push him. Dean never did well when he was told what to do. You let the episode resume as you snuggled deeper into your pillows. Dean sank into the pillows, too, and you felt yourself start to sag against him at some point. You spent the rest of your cozy night watching sitcoms and finishing off the popcorn. And at some point, you fell asleep with your head on Dean’s shoulder. 

You woke up the next morning to find that Dean had cleaned up your movie-watching area. This was probably for the best, as you would’ve spilled hot cocoa. 

You came out to the main kitchen to find Sam drinking coffee and checking the news like always. Dean was cooking some bacon. You made a beeline to the coffee pot.

“Dean said you invited us to Christmas?” Sam inquired, looking up from his paper. You turned to him, nodding. You poured some coffee into a mug and added a dash of creamer. “Dean and I have talked and…if you’d still have us.”

Sam motioned to Dean, who paused his cooking to look at you. 

“We’d like to go.”

“Great!” you exclaimed. You were excited to have your boys with you for the holidays. Plus, your Mom had been begging you to bring them around sometimes. You finally had a good reason to have them. You stole a strip of bacon from the pan. “Be prepared for probing questions.”

“On second thought–”

“Dean!” Sam snapped. 

You guys loaded into the Impala the next day. You had to bring a bunch of presents you had been accumulating over your travels for the family. Sam was worried he needed to have gifts for everyone. You reassured him that he didn’t.  

You arrived in a timely fashion. Your legs were cramping when you arrived, and you unceremoniously fell out of the Impala the second you arrived. Dean didn’t help you up, so you grabbed his leg and pulled him down with you. Sam stepped over you both. 

Your mother came out a second later to help you guys bring in stuff. She immediately hugged you, suffocating you with her tight embrace. She also hugged Sam and Dean despite their protests. She was a tiny thing next to the two boys, but you could feel her energy overwhelming them anyway. 

The two guest rooms were taken with the whole family in town, so you offered your room to the brothers. Being themselves, they refused to take it and opted for the couch. They still demanded to see your room. 

“I still would’ve thought you were hot in high school,” Dean said as he kept picking up things around your room. You flushed.

“I was a total nerd in high school,” you coughed, taking a figurine out of his hands. You were fortunate there were not any embarrassing posters on your walls, only those of bands you like. Sam was going through your book collection. 

“You annotated The Great Gatsby an unreal amount,” Sam chuckled, flipping through the pages without white space. 

“I mentioned I was a nerd, right?”

“Who’s that?” Dean asked, pointing towards a stuffed animal on your bed. 

“You in fifty years,” you answered. Dean’s expression dropped. You were saved a response by your Mom calling dinner. Dean still looked grumpy when you went downstairs. 

You were nervous about the Winchesters meeting your family but were relieved that it didn’t go too terribly. Your Dad only asked two inappropriate probing questions, and your grandpa challenged them to a fistfight at some point, but otherwise, things went fine. Later, Sam got roped into finding things on tall shelves.

You made yourself some hot cocoa and sat in the living room, staring at the fireplace. Your Mom always spent an exceptional amount of time decorating the home. She watched Empire Strikes. Back in the day, she and your Dad got their tree. The fireplace had all the stockings (including ones for Sam and Dean) and a collection of snowmen. 

“Space for one more?” Dean asked, coming into the room. You moved over and patted the space next to you. Dean got himself settled. “Thanks for letting Sammy and I stay here.”

“You guys act like you aren’t my family,” you chuckle, taking a sip from your drinking chocolate. “You’re always welcome here.”

Dean kept eyeing your drink. 

“Do you want me to make you hot chocolate?”

“Yes, please.”

Dean was like a child when it came to food; he must always have what you’re having. You used the gourmet cocoa powder and whisked it with the milk, adding a shot of whiskey, whipped cream, and sprinkles. Dean was frothing at the mouth by the time you gave it to him. He sipped it and immediately burned his tongue. 

“You’re an idiot,” you smiled, watching him put the hot coco down and fan his mouth. 

“Don’t make your drinks so hot.”

“It’s called ‘hot’ coco, genius.”

“You’re a genius, you–” Dean trailed off, the heat had burned some of his brain cells. You quirked a brow. You bit your lip to hide your laughter at the whipped cream on Dean’s nose. 

“You have a little,” you gestured towards your face. Dean frowns, wiping at his face. He takes whipped cream from his cup and puts it on your face. 

“Really, I literally made you hot cocoa.”

“And then insulted my face.”

“I have to. Otherwise, I’d compliment it.”

“You like my face enough to compliment it?” Dean questioned. Your expression dropped, and you cleared your throat. You picked up your discarded cocoa mug and took another sip. The whiskey was the only thing saving you now. Dean stepped closer to you, taking the mug out of your hands. “You’re cute when you’re nervous.”

“Don’t say things like that,” you murmur. 

“Why not?”

“Because,” you trail off. You have a hard time focusing on anything when Dean is standing so close to you. You hate his stupid green eyes for looking over every inch of you. 

“I’m being serious,” Dean smirked. He brushed the whipped cream off your nose with his thumb. You watched with rapt attention as he proceeded to lick it off his finger. The wine from dinner and the whiskey from your hot cocoa was going to your head. 

“How do you feel about women making the first move?” you asked, gulping. Dean looked surprised, which you took as a sign to stand up on your toes and kiss him. It was quick, and you looked at him with wide eyes when you settled back down. You worried you made a mistake and tried to step back. Dean grabbed your waist, pulling you back in. Your hands fell on his chest.

“How do you feel about guys making the second move?” Dean breathed, breath hot on your skin.

“Love it,” you stuttered, eyes fluttering closed as Dean kissed you for a second time that night. You understood why he always got lucky; he knew what he was doing. He nipped your lip and deepened the kiss, leaving you breathless in his arms. You would’ve melted to the floor if he wasn't holding you. One of his hands went to cup the back of your head, and you felt yourself stumble slightly backward. 

“Dude, in the kitchen?” your cousin, Kellan, interrupted, standing in the kitchen doorway. You pulled away from the kiss, looking around Dean to glare at Kellan. “We eat here, you know.”

“Kellan, do me a favor and fuck off,” you groaned. Kellan just rolled his eyes. 

“Whatever, Grandpa is probably going to come back in here soon, and he will kill him,” Kellan said, taking candy out of one of the jars and exiting the dining room. You looked back at Dean a second later. 

“I’m so sorry for my family.”

“Have you met mine?” Dean chuckled, and you couldn’t help but laugh with him. You glanced past him to the kitchen doorway.

“Do you want to make it in my room?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

taglist: @awnmaknees @lover-of-books-and-tea @qardasngan @evasmlp

[nuesetine]

Guys I'm definitely on time for this, trust me-

Week 1: Putting Up Decorations

This HC thingy is set in an AU where Monty, The Cat King/Thomas and Niko are left at Port Townsend while Edwin, Charles and Crystal return to London. The Case:Dismissed trio.

The Cat King often magics the smallest bit of holiday decor in the cannery for his servants: sparse tinsel, glittery snowballs, and lots of fragile ornaments dangerously hung on Christmas trees. When he adopts Monty off the streets he spots the crow-boy's eyes googling at the glittering ropes of Christmas lights that litter most of the neighborhood houses. He didn't judge Monty and instead mulled over making the cannery look less of a minefield. Plus he wants to entice a certain ghost that has been depressively loitering around Tongue and Tail and stares at him heartbroken.

So Thomas stays up one night and digs around to see what his two 'captives' enjoy. Monty's interetst are distastefully obvious; astrology. He was unsatisfied however and looked a bit deeper and noted that the pretty boy liked shiny things: bracelets, rings and other trinkets. Maybe Thomas will get something like a friendship bracelet for Esther's past familiar. Niko was more difficult to find a gift for. He easily found that she enjoyed yaoi but he had not been able to find what she had and had not read. Plus he has little knowledge on such things (as of now) so he wouldn't know where to start so he spots this small crocheted T. Rex and he magics his own yaoi version(s) of the plush and tracks back home satisfied with himself.

He manages to convince Niko to come to the cannery later that week. And despite easily being able to put up more decorations with a snap of his fingers he invites Monty to go shopping at their local department store. Watching the crow prance through the aisles feverishly emptying things into their cart. He didn't let Monty believe he went soft though, he nitpicked a few of his items, mostly things that looked like rainbow vomit and anything too cute; or things that his cats would immediately shove down their throat. Thomas and Monty make it to the cash register with a cart full of dusty rugs, partially dead flowers, seasonal candles, and a tube of premade cinnamon roll dough.

Monty turns out to be a rather dangerous baker, spilling half the pack of frosting on a cat and somehow in his hair before Thomas can stop him. The cinnamon rolls themselves are for some reason mouth wateringly delicious and it lures the ghost inside. He summons a pot of tea with china cups and keeps an eye on the pile of cinnamon rolls making sure they never truly run out cause fuck they're addictive.

The three murmured, hunched over drinking out of a classy set of tea cups that would normally be in the thousands, and covered by furred blankets Monty couldn't part with so Thomas bought three for this exact situation.

They didn't talk much about anything, avoiding the sour topic of the dead boy detectives that had changed their lives and opting for shoving their mouths with delectable sweets. Monty was the first to start rambling on about useless things and Niko made a few comments about her yaoi sometimes wrapped around that. Thomas sat back as the two calmly bounced back and forth in their conversation and only requested for Niko to stay during the holiday season just until new year's. Niko mulls over it and decides to stay. After all watching Jenny struggle while tearing down her room is only making her feel worse. Plus the cats were very persuasive.

So the three spend their holidays in the cannery enjoying tiny sweet pastries and warm drinks. Hanging garland and wrapping up make-believe presents as if they're close friends and really do want to share time with them. Monty and Thomas curl up next to each other as Niko recounts one of many plots of her yaoi or all three of them wrap up in a blanket and watch Scooby Doo and ignore how teenage detectives ruined their lives. One day however Thomas finally chooses to present the small little gifts he got for the two. Melting when Niko squeals when she spots the tiny plush and his eyes widening as she envelops him in a warm hug. Monty's reaction is a bit more reserved but his eyes sparkle the same mystified when he saw the eye watering christmas lights earlier that winter. He doesn't shrug off the childish gift and instead sincerely thanks Thomas for everything.

Niko, Monty and Thomas spend that night a tad bit familiar with each other, weaving roots in each other's presence and seeing each other as family moreso friends. Even if it was December 29th, four days after Christmas, it seemed like the most magical day of their troublesome years. A holiday belonging to them and only them. They didn't need a group of dead boy detectives and a psychic girl, they just needed each other and life would be brills.

[ask-missparker]

Thanksgiving 🍴Family Gatherings | Marvel Blurb🧣

———

Pairing: Mikolai, Ethane, WalshLehnsherr etc

Note: Once again the kiddos are aged down for this fic to 6-8 years old hehe and yes Ethan is the stay-at-home dad/house husband

-> POV style fic (feel free to keep me story going with your own POV)

————

If there was one thing that Avengers Tower made sure to do was celebrate the holiday season, even if they had to tweak it a bit more than usual and have it be fitting for the family members. Hence, November holiday season, Thanksgiving. But due to past circumstances, they like to celebrate it as a Family Gathering instead.

Which was basically pre-Christmas according to Mia, due to everyone getting in the holiday mood for the season. If it was up to her, she would have had the Christmas tree up by today but Liane argued to wait until the weekend before December 1st.

Her and Jeremy had made sure to buy as much food as possible yesterday before chaos rocked the house. So the morning was spent with the getting the kids ready for the day, picking out clothing, cleaning up the living room and taking care of the dining table.

Currently Bella, Astrid, and Josh were watching The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on ABC, in glee. No complaints being raised by them yet, Ethan had put out crafts and other materials for the kids could be entertained.

Next off was the kitchen.

Usually, Nikolai would be preparing pots and Jeremy would be found cutting up any carrots for a salad.

To Mia’s surprise this year, when she walked into the kitchen, she found Ethan already starting to cook the turkey. Well put it in a pot that is, as he already put in the seasoning and garlic powder into the bird. There were potatoes being cooked, things being fried and some vegetables were left out to be washed.

And dare she say the kitchen smelled heavenly!

“Well, Ethan, this is pretty impressive. I thought we doing a non traditional thing this year?” She said chuckling.

Ethan was checking on the potatoes and smiled, “Yeah, we are! I just decided that having the traditional things like turkey and chicken would be more appropriate than just having pastas and sausages. What do you think?”

“Honestly, I love it. I’m just hoping we have enough people to eat this dinner together.”

“Mia, that’s why leftovers were invented.”

The two shared a wink and chuckled, knowing that holiday leftovers were honestly the best thing ever. Plus it meant, no one really had to cook for the following day and just heat up the food provided.

"How are the kids doing?" Ethan asked smiling, flipping the potatoes on the frying pan.

Mia shrugged returning the smile, "Eh, they're fine. Bella says she's thinks the performances are being overdramatic and some don't even know what they're doing on the parade floats."

"Not surprise, Astrid seems calm? Should we be concerned?"

"Nah, if she gets too calm and quiet, then we start asking questions."

"Oh! Joshie, wanted to help me with dinner earlier but...he may or may not poured dash more of seasoning in the chicken, so I had to fix it."

"Aw! He wanted to help out his uncle Ethan. Nice time, put him on salt and pepper duty."

"Already did. The kids a natural at that, but then he ran off to play. Reminds me of myself.."

Mia couldn't help but smile at that, before asking, "You need me to help with anything or..?"

She was cut off by Liane who waltz into the kitchen wearing a fuzzy purple sweater, thick black leggings with boots. She was wearing a beanie to match grinning, wrapping her arms around Ethan from behind and kissed his cheek.

"Hi!" She said in a squeal, her long nails and rings placed against his t-shirt.

Ethan smiled and glanced over his shoulder, "Hey my love, w-why are dressed like that? You're supposed to be helping us cook."

"Well, I was gonna do that but then I realized there are will be way too many cooks in the kitchen!"

"Babe."

"What? It's true!...ugh, fine! Black Friday Sales at the mall are starting right now. Actually, no, correction, Macy's Black Friday Sale starts right now and we want a nice deal."

"I'm sorry 'we'?"

Liane looked at him as if it was obvious, exchanging a look with Mia in hopes that she knows who that's referring too. But the short brunette just shook her head washing a few pots in the sink.

"The 'we' I'm referring too is me, Cole and Nikolai." Liane explained grinning excited, "Might even bring the kids with us too, they can sneak in between place and grab the good stuff."

Ethan's eyes widen and paused look at her as he said, "You're gonna do what?! The 3 of you are heading out to some sale at Thanksgiving morning."

Mia's blinked almost dropping the pot in the sink at the sudden news and added, "You can just leave."

"Oh come on, it's literally 11:35am! So technically the time we arrive to the mall it will be 12:15-ish." Liane replied softly, "We won't be out long!"

———

Mia shouted out her husband's name wanting to get clarification on what she heard, only to be met with the sound of yelling and a car engine from outside. Her eyes widen grabbing her sweater and beanie rushing to the balcony of The Tower, seeing Cole and Nikolai packing up the car.

Hell, Joshua about to climb into the car. She knew that Astrid wasn't a fan of crowded places, so it made sense but her kid. Wait where was Bella then?!

Her voice boomed yelling, "Hey, no! Get out of the car!"

Nikolai was packing up bags and looked up towards the balcony seeing his wife. He grinned with a cheeky expression, "No can do, love! Flat screen TVs and headphones are on sale!"

"Grr, Niko! You're supposed to be helping, not shopping!"

"You guys can handle it! Don't forget the garlic rolls for your famous fettuccine alfredo!"

"You won't be getting any, if you don't come back inside!"

"I think I'll live!"

"Niko!"

Cole's laughter can be heard from inside the drivers's seat. He texted Jeremy that he was going to go shopping earlier, and he quote 'get some early holiday done' but in reality he just wanted to buy his favorite stuff on sale.

He shouted from inside, "We'll be fine, darling! Go enjoy your afternoon without us for a while."

Before Mia can say anything else, she saw Liane sprint out the building and into the car, hearing Bella’s voice from the backseat replying sometimes to her month.

It was like her words were drowned out by their conversation as the car door slammed shut and the engine blew, without a trace of a word later they were gone.

———

When Mia returned to the kitchen, she found Astrid hoping Jeremy with making some cupcakes and even taste testing the ingredients. She knew she liked it much better than heading out to a nosy store with Cole and her cousins.

Ethan has seemed to left and chill out in the living room, leaving the brunette in charge of the food being cooked on the stove.

Mia chuckled, “Have fun there you two?”

Astrid was licking the spoon and smiled before replying, “Yeah. We made a salad and put garlic bread in the oven for dinner.”

“Why, aren’t you a little helper? I should just make you finish getting dinner ready, huh?”

In response Astrid made a face at her auntie’s cheesy teasing and went back to licking the spoon. Jeremy chuckled at his daughter’s expression and shook his head.

“She’s not falling for that.” Jeremy joked softly, glanced at Mia’s direction as he poured the batter in a pan. “But for real, you should’ve seen her earlier. She was a big help.”

Mia chuckled as she nodded stirring the pasta as she added cheese and creamy sauce to it.

She glanced at him and smiled, “Just surprise she didn’t insist on finishing the stirring the batter herself.”

“Oh no, she insisted on added in ingredients and making the icing.” Jeremy replied chuckling as he nods at Astrid’s direction, who was mixing the icing in a bowl. “But I reminded her to ask for help with anything.”

Mia melted smiled as she said her thoughts out loud, “Aww you’re such a good dad.”

Jeremy’s expression soften immensely at her comment. He’s been a father for 4 years now, but just hearing still made him get all warm and fuzzy inside. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite explain, but any other guardian or parent would understand.

“You’re a good mom too, Mia.” He replied in a gentle tone as he smiled sweetly.

“Aww! Well, not that good, cause I let my son go early Black Friday shopping with his father and uncle.” She added chuckling.

“Oh, don’t worry he’s fine, honey. Cole texted me earlier saying he’s going to get some holiday shopping done.”

“You really believe that?”

Jeremy’s bright smile lessened slightly after the realization hit him on what Cole was actually going to do. But honestly he couldn’t help but lightly laugh at the thought, he shouldn’t be too surprised at this point. High chance that Liane, Cole, Nikolai were going to spoil themselves a bit, by buying stuff they probably wouldn’t need.

Especially since Cole was in his spoiling era in his life when it comes to his daughter, most of all. But most importantly, spoiling his fabulous self too.

After a short beat Jeremy replied, “Let’s just hope they don’t buy the whole store.”

“Fingers crossed.” Mia added.

——

———

I hope you like it. Feel free to keep the POV going what happened at the mall or something hehe 😉

~ Tags: @ask-starrk @missstrawbs2001 1 @purpleprincessonfyre @wizzzardofoz z @thechoooooosenone @rickb-chaos @luna-d-marsh h h @marvelsfavoriteuncle @elzabeth-stark @sci-fi-lexcon @jackiequick @blueboirick @gcthvile @aidanxsophxoxo @meiramel l @trulysummersprivate

[b4ts1e]

▀▄▀▄▀▄Traditions▄▀▄▀▄▀ (𝚐𝚗!𝙼𝙲)

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝙸𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚍: 𝚀𝚒𝚞/𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚗 𝙻𝚒𝚗 𝚃𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙱𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚗 𝙾𝚙𝚊𝚕 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝙲 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 (𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙾𝙻:𝙽&𝙵)

𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝: The night before Halloween, the cul-de-sac trio decides to have a sleep over at MC's house- going trick or treating the next evening as a group. Based in Step 1

(𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗)

The cul-de-sac trio, all bundled up in their pajamas with a bunch of fluffy blankets (supplied by MC) together layed out on the floor with snacks as they huddled together, watching classic Halloween movies from Opal's laptop. (Imma draw this, at some point- I already have a refrence picked out.)

"I'm super excited to go trick or treating! My parents didn't really do Halloween, so this basically a first time for me!" Tamarack said excitedly shifting side to side- scooching just a bit closer to MC who resided in the middle of the trio, controlling the laptop while laid out on their stomach. "Really? Why didn't they?" Qiu asked, curiously- lifting himself up with his elbows slightly to get a better look at who he was talking to.

"I dunno, we just didn't. Not very common in German culture I guess, plus they were always busy." She said nonchalantly, not bothered much by it- too distracted by the movie playing on the screen. "Makes sense to be honest, cultures can be vastly different." MC spoke up, pausing the movie. "Oh? How do you know that?" Qiu asks, a smug smirk on his face but it was a genuine question.

"Well, living previously in the city- many different types of people lived there. Plus we used to move around alot for my mom's job- that said I had the oppertunity to meet a lot different people, or at least learn about them." MC explained a bit before Opal came into the room with a plate of decorated cookies- halloween themed of course. "So- how's the movie going kiddos? Need anything? Water, more blankets, anything?" She asked with a kind smile, putting the cookies down on MC's nearby desk.

"Hey momma? What was that guy from the bakery's name again? Him and his mother ran that place after moving from France to share his mom's recipes?" MC asked, shocking Opal a bit who just chuckled a bit but smiled anyways. "That was Monty sweetheart, why do you ask?" she replied gently, crossing her arms and leaning on the doorframe gently. "Tamarack is having her first genuine Halloween with us, and that turned into talk about different cultures." Autumn explained quickly, resulting in Opal to nod swiftly.

"Gotcha, well- Monty was from France. Just like how Tamarack's Omi and Opa were from Germany. Germans don't often celebrate Halloween because of one of their holidays: Martinstag. It's very similar to both Halloween and Christmas, but also- what me and MC celebrate: Yuletide. I don't know much about the specific details of the traditions or celebrations, but I do know they light lanterns, share treats, and have a communal bonfire." She explains a bit, teaching what she knows from her minimal experience. "Yuletide?" Tamarack asks, looking to MC with a questioning glance.

"Yeah, what's Yuletide?" Qiu asked with her, MC's eyes seemed to sparkle in delight at the mention of the holiday season. "Yuletide is the holiday season of what you both know as Christmas! Yule is the actual holiday. It's a whole two weeks of celebrations! We light bonfires, give gifts, do a simmer pot, cook together, decorate a yule tree, and a bunch more things! Christmas was derived from it actually!" they rambled on a bit, excited to be able to teach their friends about one of their own traditions.

"A WHOLE TWO WEEKS?!" Tamarack exclaimed, sparkles in her eyes- jaw dropped. "That's so lucky!" she said excitedly. "So do you get gifts everyday?" Qiu asked, making Opal chuckle a bit. "Well- we normally spend the first week and a half exchanging hand made gifts. The second week we spend quality time together but on the day of the winter solstice we exchange the rest of the presents we got each other." she explained with a happy sigh, recalling the memories.

"Do you think we could participate in each other's traditions this year? All together?" Qiu asked with sparkles in his eyes, Tamarack nods eagerly- grinning like a kid on Christmas. "Well I'd have to speak with both of your guardians first, but if they accept it- then I don't see why not!" Opal says happily, pulling out her phone. "I'll go give them a ring, you three get back to your movies and snacks!" she said before exiting the room, the three kids giddy and excited for the possibility of spending more than just Halloween together.

"I hope they say yes!" Tamarack said excited, hugging a stuffed animal tightly as she got back into her original position for watching the movie. "I hope so too! It'd be super fun to join our families for the holidays! Besides, even if they don't say yes I still intend to make and get you guys gifts for the holidays!" Qiu said with a grin. "Oh yeah? You sure you won't lose them?" MC teased him gently, earning a slight elbow to the arm- making them laugh a bit. "Either way- I had already planned to make you guys Yuletide gifts, but now I'm way more excited!" MC said hugging a pillow and snuggling it close.

"Aww MC!" Tamarack said before hugging them, "I'll be sure to make you some gifts as well!" she said happily. Qiu chuckled lightly, smiling softly "I will too, it's only fair. After all you do keep my papers from magically disappearing." he said with a smirk, leaning against MC lightly. "You mean, they keep your papers after you lose them?" Tamarack teased before getting a pillow thrown softly at her, both her and Qiu laughing as MC just laid their shaking their head and stiffling a laugh.

"You guys are the best, thank you for being my friends. Seriously." MC said with a soft smile, catching the other two off guard slightly. "Where did that come from?" Qiu asked with a chuckle, his hair dishevled and completely down. "I don't reallty know, just- thank you. Both of you." they said again. "MC!!!!!" Tamarack squealed before she practically tackled them in a hug, making Qiu get squished behind the two- but they all laughed despite that.

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 1,017

[sailtomarina]

A New Wreath

Draco Malfoy x Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy & Scorpius Malfoy, Hermione Granger & Scorpius Malfoy | @hp-yuletide-bliss Day 1: Parents/children relationship | WC 1576 | Rating: G

It was a bit of a miracle that Scorpius and Draco could even find a spot along the wall to observe the crowds bustling around Professor Longbottom’s new greenhouse. The holiday season was well underway with magical snow falling from the ceiling and dissipating before touching anybody’s heads, and Mrs Longbottom had somehow convinced some toads to croak along to the Christmas soundtrack she’d charmed to sound throughout all the buildings.

Hermione’s long-standing friendship with his father made her adamant on finding the majority of the Manor’s holiday decor from her favorite Herbologist. Scorpius had tried to convince her to forgo the effort seeing as they had House Elves to do the work for them and he already enjoyed more than enough festivity at Hogwarts.

But there was no steering her once her mind was set. Plus, she said it helped her support Neville’s business, and how could any of them say no to that?

“You’d think 50 wreaths would be enough,” Scorpius grumbled, watching her wave her arms excitedly as she put in an order for 100 more from a very amused-looking Hannah.

“Well, she’s taking into account not just the Manor, but all the outbuildings, too. Where there are windows and doors, there’s bound to be a wreath.” His father simply sounded amused, and he rested an arm across Scorpius’ shoulders as they continued to wait.

“And the trees? It’s not like we’re Hogwarts needing 10 trees in our Ballroom.”

“No, but 10 trees would cover all the important rooms.”

Scorpius snorted at the thought of it. He wouldn’t be surprised if one of those Evergreens ended up in his bedroom, laden with all of his childhood ornaments.

He waved at the sight of Albus and Lily Potter. They trailed after their mum, who was making her way towards Hermione. They waved back, then disappeared behind a crowd of eager shoppers.

“You’re free to join your friends, if you like,” his father encouraged, squeezing his shoulder just once before letting go.

“Thanks, Dad.”

Scorpius jetted away immediately, winding around trailing ivy and teetering pots. He bumped into more than one witch and wizard along the way as he made his way towards where he last saw the Potters.

“Sorry! So sorry!”

“Scorpius!”

His heart soared at the sound of his name, then he grinned at the flash of red before he was nearly tackled off his feet in a fierce hug.

“Hey, Lily. Hey, Albus.”

Lily let go as her brother approached, and the two boys exchanged their secret handshake.

“Where’s James?” Scorpius asked.

“He stayed at home to help Dad–”

Lily cut off her brother before he could finish, “--set up a huge surprise for mum.”

“Lily! It’s a secret!” Albus swatted at her head, but she ducked at the last minute so he snatched nothing but air.

“It’s just Scorpius!”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone,” Scorpius assured them.

A part of him, deep down, twinged in pain at the memories of him and his dad once setting up surprises for his mum. She’d laugh uncontrollably every time, long, dark hair spilling forward to hide her face as she clutched her stomach with each giggle.

That was before she got sick. After that, they didn’t want to risk hurting her even more than she already was.

“What are you all doing here, then?” He changed the subject before his face could give his thoughts away.

Lily waved over her shoulder. “Mum wanted to see if Professor Longbottom could teach her how to untangle the garlands we messed up.”

“What’d you lot do?”

Albus’ eyebrows waggled as he grinned, before he leaned forward to loudly whisper, “We built a Christmas nest for Aurora.”

Aurora was Mr Potter’s snowy owl. Scorpius chuckled as he imagined the look on their mum’s face when she discovered her garlands had been twisted and shaped beyond repair.

“Scorpius! Where’s Draco?” Hermione’s question brought his attention away from the siblings and over to where she stood with Mrs Longbottom. Her brow was wrinkled in concern as she scanned the greenhouse in search of his father. She knew, as well as he, that he hated crowds.

“He’s waiting against the wall. Want me to fetch him?”

Warm caramel eyes turned back to look at him, and he couldn’t help but relax in response to her smile. “That’s alright. I won’t be too much longer.”

She returned to her discussion with the heavily pregnant woman at her side, one hand rising far above her head as she tried to describe the heights required for a Malfoy Christmas tree.

“So, it’s going well then?”

“Hm?” He turned a puzzled glance at Albus.

“You and Hermione.” Lily nodded at her brother’s side in agreement. What were they on about?

“I mean, yeah. She’s great. Why wouldn’t we get on?”

The two Potters glanced at each other with what looked like exasperation.

“Aren’t she and your dad, you know, together now?”

Scorpius’ eyes jumped high on his forehead at the question. Hermione and his dad?

“What makes you think that?”

Now they were looking at him like he’d missed an obvious answer in Charm’s Class, his best subject.

“Scorpius,” Lily said carefully, “have you not seen them?”

He jerked back at her tone, his stomach dropping at the implication. He looked over their shoulders back towards where he’d left his dad whose height and unmistakable hair made it easy work. He spotted the grey eyes that matched his own, but they weren’t looking at him.

They looked past him.

At Hermione.

The creases at the corners of his eyes faded somehow, and he looked soft in a way Scorpius hadn’t seen in several years…not since his mum.

“They’re…friends…” he said softly, still at a loss in how he’d missed the signs right in front of him.

“They are…” Lily replied slowly.

“You okay, mate?” Albus asked, but Scorpius didn’t answer him.

He followed his dad’s line of sight until he reached its obvious source. This time, Scorpius really looked.

Hermione turned, sensing the gaze that sought her own, and, as she locked onto his father, Scorpius saw.

He saw the way her eyes sparkled and lips parted. He saw the hitch in her breathing and the inquisitive tilt of her head in an unspoken question. This brilliant, wickedly funny, thoughtful witch liked his dad, and his dad liked her back.

Perhaps even loved.

Scorpius was surprised that he didn’t feel angry, or even sad, at the realization. His father had been lost for so long after his mum’s death, that when he started to come alive Scorpius had thanked whatever gods might or might not exist for not taking him, too. When Hermione started coming around for work, then as a friend, Scorpius had been thankful for her, as well. She brought a levity to the Manor that it desperately needed. 

She couldn’t be any more different than his mum, light to dark, snarky to sweet, exuberant to gentle. He hadn’t seen her like a substitute, unaware for so long about what had been undoubtedly growing between the two adults, but he had noticed the way she filled an emptiness he had thought would never go away.

“See you guys after Christmas, yeah?”

He didn’t wait to listen to his friends’ replies, quickly making his way back towards his father. Rather than lean against the wall next to him like he had earlier, he came to a stop in front of him.

“Dad.”

Draco looked down at Scorpius, the gentleness from his exchange with Hermione still present in the muscles of his face. “Son?”

“I’m cool with it, you and Hermione.”

His father blinked once, twice. His mouth hung open for another beat more, before he resumed activity. “There’s no rush to–”

“Dad.”

Draco’s mouth shut at the admonishment.

“I really, really like her. She isn’t Mum, but no one ever will be. She’s Hermione. You should tell her how you feel.”

The eyes looking down at him flashed with emotion, the man taking a staggering breath, and then another. He brought up his hands to rest on Scorpius’ shoulders.

“When did you get to be so wise, hm?”

“I’ve always been wise. You can thank Mum for that.”

Draco snorted, but didn’t disagree. He crushed Scorpius in a hug that radiated exactly how he felt.

“What’d I miss?” Hermione’s chipper voice brought them out of their embrace. Her eyes widened as she took in their faces, the way their eyes shimmered with tears they’d never let fall in public.

“We’ll tell you back at the Manor,” Draco said with a smile. 

Scorpius reached out to take her bag, overflowing with mistletoe, and sent her his own reassuring grin, dimples on full display.

“Shall we?” He playfully nudged her elbow, then danced away as she made to jab him back.

“You!” She missed again. He lept back, cackling loudly and retreating towards the exit.

As the distance between them widened and she gave up to walk at his father’s side, Scorpius pocketed a handful of the mistletoe. He could think of several key locations where they’d never suspect them. Maybe he could help kick off their relationship before they could get too caught up in talking and all that dramatic rot. Hermione and his dad both had the nasty habit of overthinking things, then getting all huffy, carrying on in shrieks and jabby fingers.

Mistletoe. Kisses. Bam.

Christmas magic. They could thank him later.

If you’re reading this, welcome to the start of my submissions for the Yuletide Bliss Festival, the first of my Christmas writing festivals! I hope you enjoy as the month brings us closer to one of my favorite days of the year.

I wrote this with Scorpius and Draco fresh on my mind after writing their relationship in another work of mine (still to be revealed). This is a Hermione sans any marriage with Ron, because I didn’t want to have to mess with any complications of Scorpius versus Rose.

[themusingsofafanficwriter]

The True Meaning of Family - Chapter 3

Summary: A found family Supernatural AU. Ophelia Humphries is an English 19-year-old who is just trying to finish her online history degree when she receives a letter from two brothers she never knew she had.

A/N: Here's chapter 3! I hope everyone is liking the fic, if you didn't see the first two chapters, you can find chapter 1 here and chapter 2 here. Let me know what you think <3

T/W - Mentions of death

The old car pulled into a car park on the outskirts of town. With it being midday on a weekday, the car park was almost empty.

"Okay, this is as close to town I can get, with how big the car is I can't really park on the road. It's not a long walk but I thought you should know." Ophelia said, turning the car off.

"Hey, no worries, it looks like a nice town, we don't mind a little walk now do we Sammy." Dean replied.

Sam looked at Ophelia, he smiled and nodded.

She locked the car and said "Okay guys, this way" as she started heading up the cobblestone street. The boys follow behind her, taking in all the history of the town.

The sandstone buildings were tall and crooked, in the midday sun the streets were bright and charming. Dean grumbles as he stumbles over the uneven cobbles.

"I just don't understand what is wrong with a smooth side walk." he mumbled under her under his breath. Ophelia still heard him.

"Dean, this village was built in the fourteenth century. Way before modern America was even discovered. Plus, they're traditional!" Ophelia said with a smile. "Come on, you can't tell me this isn't cute."

"It is pretty, but i'm kind of concerned about how low the ceilings look." Sam interjected, looking genuinely sceptical.

"Yeah, I'd duck if I was you…" the girl trailed off.

Ophelia took them around the town pointing out places of importance to her.

"And that's where they put the Christmas tree every year. Last year some guy got so drunk on Christmas Eve that he tried to climb it" Ophelia said giggling. "He got about half way up when the police turned up to get him down."

They walked a little further, passed the bench where Ophelia had her first kiss and the school where she got her GCSEs and A levels, towards an old building that was covered in flowers and vines.

The seating area outside the front door was surrounded by potted plants and hanging baskets full of foliage that loves the colder climates.

The coffee shop was called The Crescent Moon and it had an astronomy theme throughout it.

Pushing the door open, Ophelia beckoned the boys to follow her. Both of them had to duck when entering the building but once inside the ceiling was higher than they expected.

Ophelia moved towards a booth at the back of the coffee shop and put down the small bag she was carrying. "So," she began "What do you guys want to drink? I imagine coffee right?"

"Yeah, just a black coffee for me." Dean said as he slid into the booth.

"Actually, can I have tea?" Sam said "When in Rome and all that."

"Yeah, of course. Do you want a specific tea or do you want me to pick one of my favourites?" Ophilia said with a smile. She loved tea, it was her comfort drink.

"I'll have one of your favourites." Sam replied. "Oh, could we also get some food? We haven't eaten in ages, I'll pay."

"Don't be daft, I've got this. How about a full English as they're still running their brunch menu?"

The two men looked at each other and nodded, Ophelia smiled at them and headed towards the counter.

"How much are we going to tell her?" Sam asked his brother, while peering around the booth to look at their sister at the counter.

"Well, I don't think we should start with 'Hey, we fight monsters and almost die on the regular - in fact we both have died on a number of occasions' Somehow I don't think that's a good idea." Dean replied.

Sam just rolled his eyes and suggested "Well why don't we use this opportunity to ease her into the idea of what we do. If she doesn't believe us or whatever we just get Cas to pop in."

"Oh what a great idea Sammy, let's just shove a full on angel onto a girl who might not believe us, way to give the poor kid a heart attack." Dean sarcastically replied.

"Why don't you take the lead then if you've got all the answers?" Sam said in a tone that suggested a lack of patients with his brother.

"What are you two bickering about?" Ophelia asked with a lighthearted tone.

"Oh, nothing important" Sam said "Why don't you tell us more about yourself, you say you're doing history at university, is there a campus around here?"

"No, I do classes online. No in person university would take me with my grades so all my classes are online. I really like it though, it was good when I was living at home, it's a little harder now."Ophelia replied.

"Why's that?" Dean asked with a cautious tone.

"I'm no longer living at home. I'm okay, you guys don't have to worry but I bounce around from hotels to sleeping in my car to a friend's sofa every now and again." Ophelia's voice trailed off towards the end. She had never really said out loud her situation and it sounded really quite bad.

"Do you want to talk about that? Dean continued his careful questioning.

"Not at the moment, it's a difficult thing to talk about."

The boys nodded, not pushing it any further.

A young girl brought the drinks to the table, she was only about fifteen or sixteen. Her face was round and chubby and she had a smattering of acne on the right side of her jaw. She placed the teapot, milk jug and empty cups in the middle of the table and the heavy looking mug of coffee more towards Dean.

Ophelia nodded a thank you to the girl before she left, then began to set up the tea for Sam and herself. Dean took a gulp of his coffee, looked pleasantly surprised and carried on drinking.

"This is one of my favourites Sam, it's called English Rose. I hope you enjoy it. It's a black tea so you should have it with a little bit of milk." Ophelia pushed the now full cup towards Sam. He poured a little milk into it, stured it and took his first sip.

"Oh, that's actually really good, I didn't think I'd like it as much as I do." Sam said with a smile on his face. The cup looked comically small in his hands.

The three of them sat making small talk while waiting for their food to arrive. Ophelia found out that Sam didn't graduate from Stanford but he could relate to how hard starting a degree was. Dean never went to university, stating that he wasn't very academic.

The young waitress carried the three plates of food over to their booth. Two full English breakfasts for Sam and Dean that included sausages, eggs, bacon, black pudding, beans, hash browns and fried toast. The third plate was a small stack of pancakes that had whipped cream and a berry sauce.

Sam took smaller bites of the food than his brother Dean who practically inhaled the meal. Ophelia watched their mannerisms, trying to notice if they shared any. She realised that although she looked like Dean more, she shared more things in common with Sam. They made the same face when Dean would say something questionable and they both would try and make themselves smaller when something was embarrassing. This was much harder for Sam to do than Ophelia.

"So, you guys travel around a lot for work? What do you do?" Ophelia asked between mouthfuls of food.

"Well, it's a little hard to explain." Dean started.

"I'm a big girl Dean, I'm sure my big girl brain can handle it." Ophelia replied with a cheeky tone.

Dean's face was sturn, this confused Ophelia. She was unsure what could be so serious about their job.

"Okay, well did your mom ever tell you ghost stories when you were little?" Dean continued "We hunt those ghost stories, the vampires, the witches, the angels and demons; they are all real and we kill them to prevent them from killing innocent people."

Ophelia stared at them both. This had to be a joke, they didn't really think that she would believe this did they?

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

It was Sam that spoke next. "We mean that we travel around America and save peoples lives. We've been doing it since our mom died. Dad got us into it. That's why he was over here, he was looking for an artifact that could save a lot of people. That's when he met your mom and had you. Eventually he had to come home though."

Ophelia took a sip of her tea. It had gone cold by this point but she just needed to do something with her hands.

"Right." Ophelia said after a little pause, placing her cup back down onto the table. "I'm not sure how I feel right now. On the one hand I don't believe you. On the other I do because why would you lie to me about something like that." As she said this the boys looked a little relieved.

"Well, that's a good start. At least you didn't run out of here hoping to never see us again." Dean replied with a smile.

"I hate to be 'that guy' but could I have some proof?"

"Yeah, sure, we can't do it here though. There are too many people." Sam replied to his sister's request.

"Okay, great, well I'm done how about you both?" Ophelia paused looking for some response to her signal to leave.

Sam and Dean glanced at each other and stood up to leave, they followed Ophelia out towards the car.

"Okay, so you guys murder things that look like humans then?" She asked in a hushed voice.

"Sometimes, yeah, but the thing you have to remember is that they're not human and that they kill innocent men, women and children." Dean answered.

"Is it hard to do? Like, because some are so human like you can't kill them?" Ophelia questioned.

"Well, like anything there are exceptions. There was this girl, Kate, she was a werewolf. We let her live because she promised us not to hurt anyone. We've not run into her since so hopefully she's kept that promise. Either that or another hunter has killed her…" Dean trailed off on that last sentence realising that something bad could have happened to Kate.

The rest of the journey back to the car was in silence. Ophelia didn't quite know what to make of it all. She wanted to believe them but it was just a lot to take in all at once.

She never knew what her dad did for work or why he was in England. She had always imagined either construction or something like that due to how worn his clothes looked in the photos Sandra had.

They arrived at the car and headed back to the hotel in almost silence. Ophelia just kept thinking about the danger her family willingly puts themselves in to save others. Yet a part of her couldn't get her head around the realisation that everything that went bump in the night was real. How were they going to prove this to her?

"We know, this is a lot to take in Ophelia but we thought you needed to know the truth. We had hoped that your Grandad had told you." Dean said, his voice was calm, steady and quiet.

This startled Ophelia, she glanced at Dean in the front seat and pulled into a layby on the side of the road. She put her car's hazard lights on and put the car into park.

"What the actual fuck did you say?" Ophelia said. She knew exactly what he had said but the pain had stopped her from computing the information.

"Dean, man don't you think that we should have told her this when she wasn't driving?" Sam sheepishly asked from the back seat.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Sam on this one. What the actual hell! You mean my grandad knew? How on god's green Earth do you know that?" Ophelia spat angrily. She was gripping the steering wheel, she couldn't bring herself to look at Dean.

"Ah yeah, um you see, dad wrote about it in his diary. Dad said that your grandad was asking lots of questions and it was just easier to tell the truth. Jesus, I didn't think you'd react like that. I'm sorry Ophelia." Dean stated.

"Right, well one thing you guys need to realise pretty sharpish is that I'm pretty open with my emotions. I'll tell you when something has hurt me. You telling me that my grandad neglected to mention a key part of my dad's life is going to hurt me." She glanced in the rearview mirror and made eye contact with Sam.

Sam noticed a small tear begin to fall down Ophelia's right cheek. He reached through the gap between the two front seats and put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"We're sorry Ophelia. Are you okay to drive still? I don't mind taking over. I know I shouldn't but if you don't feel up to it I will. Sam said as he rubbed her arm.

"Thanks Sam, I'm okay. Is there anything else you guys want to tell me before I start driving again?"

Her brothers shook their heads to tell her that they hadn't got anything else. "Right then. Lets go." Ophelia said.

They arrived back at the hotel and headed towards the rooms.

"Okay, well you guys can come sit in my room. Give me this proof and we can go from there. How about that?" Ophelia said it very matter of factly.

They followed the short woman towards her room. Dean was unsure if he had ruined the relationship he had just created with his sister.

Ophelia unlocked the door and held it open for the two men. She sat on the bed, Dean sat on the chair by the desk and Sam hovered around the window.

"This proof then?" Ophelia said looking at Dean. "What is it?"

"I'm going to call Cas." Dean said looking at Sam.

Sam nodded at his brother. There was an understanding there that Ophelia didn't get.

Dean closed his eyes and whispered something to himself. Ophelia fiddled with her hands, not really sure what was going on.

"You called Dean?" A rough unknown voice spoke from inside the room.

"Hi, yeah, Cas I want you to meet Ophelia, our sister." Dean said.

Ophelia looked up to where the voice came from. A new man was standing in the room. He looked older than the two Winchesters. Dean addressed the man as Cas, this was the guy who dropped them off.

"How did you get into my room?" Ophelia asked in a panicked tone.

"Ophelia, it's okay, this is Cas. He's our friend. He's also an angel." Sam said as he moved from next to the window to greet Cas.

"Oh, this is the illegitimate child John had?" Cas asked. He moved towards her from the door. Ophelia stood from the bed and reached out a hand. Cas ignored the offer of a handshake and gave Ophelia a hug.

"Ophelia Winchester, it is a pleasure to meet you. You are known to the angels as the Winchester who never joined the family business. There were other plans for you but as ever, plans change." Cas released Ophelia from the hug and looked her deep in the eye as he said the last sentence.

Angels knew of her? As far as Ophelia was concerned she was an accident. She was never supposed to happen.

"I'm sorry, Cas was it? How did you get here?" Ophelia asked slowly.

"I simply apperated here. I can travel all over the world in a matter of seconds. When Dean called me, I was at the Men of Letters bunker." Cas explained.

Ophelia sat back down on the bed and stared at a mark on the carpet, her mind was mush, she didn't know how to communicate what she was feeling. Her heart was racing; going at a million miles per hour. She placed her hands on her knees to try and stop them from shaking.

Sam looked concerned. He knew what was happening, he had a few anxiety attacks back at Stamford and knew the signs.

"Ophelia, are you okay? Do you need water? What can I do to help?" Sam asked sitting next to her on the bed. He rubbed her back in small circular movements as she tried to steady her breathing.

"…Some water would be nice. Please." Ophelia replied in a shaky voice. Sam glanced at Dean who nodded before rushing to the bathroom. He returned with a glass full of water, he knelt down so he could look Ophelia in the eye and handed her the glass.

Taking sips of the water Ophelia started to feel a little better. "This is all so much to take in. First you guys, then you tell me my grandad knew about it all from dad and now a literal angel is in my hotel room."

"We know it's a lot but it's okay. We're here every step of the way." Dean told her, still kneeling on the floor.

"I mean, this is ridiculous right? Monsters, angels, hunting and everything. It's ridiculous." Ophelia was shaking a little less now but she still couldn't get her head around it.

"It's actually quite logical, Ophelia. Folk stories and fairy tales have to come from somewhere." Cas said in a flat tone.

The three Winchesters looked at the angel. "Thanks Cas. That's exactly what she needed to hear you asshat." Dean remarked with sarcasm.

"No, thank you Cas, that actually makes sense. I had never thought about it that way." Ophelia said. She looked up at the angel and smiled.

"Okay, so now what?" Dean asked his sister.

"Well, that depends. I want to be a part of your life, you're the only family I really have now. Mum and I are patching things up, I think, but I can't move back in with her and her boyfriend." Ophelia replied. "On the other hand I'm not sure how I can help you. Like, I know a little about that world but nothing about it in America. My specialism at university is the occult in Europe, but that's probably not much help and you probably know it anyway." The girl was weighing up her options. She could just stay here and carry on with life and keep emailing them or she could join the 'family business' like Cas had called it.

"You…" Sam started to speak but stopped halfway through his thought.

"What are you thinking Sammy?" Dean asked. "If it's what I think you're thinking then it's going to be a no from me."

"I mean she's already in danger right? If the angels know about her, what are the chances that so do the demons? Wouldn't it be better if we could keep an eye on her?" Sam continued.

"What are you guys talking about. Demons? Like Lucifer's minions? They're real too? Bloody hell. Also am I in danger? Nothing has happened to me in my 19 years of life." Ophelia questioned.

"That isn't strictly true. I can sense demonic energy now." Cas chimed in.

"I'm sorry, you can what now?" Ophelia said with a start.

"Cas, come on man, maybe you should have led with that? There is a demon nearby?" Dean replied.

"I'm sorry Dean but I thought that your heart to heart with a long lost sibling might come first."

"Damn it Cas! Now is not the time for heart to hearts if we're being watched by demons!"

"Okay, everyone stay calm. What are we going to do?" Ophelia finally spoke after the initial shock. She was unsure where the sudden calmness and confidence came from.

"We need a plan." Sam said. He was still rubbing Ophelia's back subconsciously, not sure now if it was to comfort her or him.

"Right, well we need to leave as quickly as possible. Is there anywhere we can go?" Dean asked.

"Mum…Is she safe?" Ophelia realised that as she was in danger her mum could be to.

"She lives at the home your grandad owned, is that correct?" Cas replied. Ophelia nodded. "Then yes, she is safe. John put protections in place so nothing can hurt you or Sandra."

"Then we go there." Ophelia stood up and pulled her suitcase out from under the bed. "You guys go get your things and meet me in the reception area in ten minutes."

As Opheila began to pack Dean spoke. "Are you sure your mom will be okay with Sam and I turning up on her doorstep?"

"It'll be for a day, maybe two days, while we can figure it all out."

Sam was the one to speak next. "Okay well then, Cas stay here with Ophelia just in case anything happens. She can't defend herself against a demon even if she is a Winchester by blood."

Cas nodded in agreement. Ophelia thought this was fair. She had no idea what she was doing anymore. Her brain had gone into overdrive.

Cas stood in the corner, monitoring Ophelia's every movement. She was frantically packing all her clothes that she had only just unpacked.

"Is there anything I can do Ophelia?" Cas asked in his gravelly voice.

"Yeah, can you pack my makeup that's in the bathroom? You do know what that is right?"

"Yes, I know what makeup is. I have been alive since the beginning of time." Cas replied as he headed into the bathroom.

"Right, yeah, of course you have. How silly of me."

"It's okay, this is all very new, you had no reason to know that." Cas said

"I was being sarcastic Cas." Ophelia said with a slight giggle and a smile.

The angel smiled at her and said "Ah, your brothers are also fond of sarcasm. I see that I still have a lot to learn though." His smile turned into one of slight embarrassment.

"It's okay Cas, British humour is also apparently difficult for some people to understand. I assume being an angel doesn't make you immune to that." Ophelia reassured him as she packed her shoes.

She reached out towards Cas and took the bag of toiletries he was holding awkwardly and continued talking. "How do you know my brothers then?"

"I resurrected Dean in 2008 after he was sent to Hell and I have been with them ever since." Cas replied in a deadpan way.

"I should have realised by now that that was not going to be a normal answer like 'oh we met through a friend' shouldn't I?"

Ophelia finished packing and made sure she had everything; keys, phone, laptop, headphones and chargers.

Cas opened the door for her so she could wheel her suitcase out into the corridor with ease.

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

"She should come with us. All I'm saying is that the girl is basically homeless and not protected. Did you not hear her when she said she was sleeping in her car?" Sam told Dean when they got out into the corridor.

"Of course I remember Sammy. I just don't know about it. She can't come out on hunts and every person we care about has a tendency to die in a tragic and painful way." Dean replied "We will talk more about this when we're at her mom's place.

They met up with Ophelia and Cas in the reception of the hotel. "Are you guys ready to go?" Ophelia said in a quiet voice.

"Yep, lets get moving as quickly as possible." Dean said.

"Okay well I'll hand back the keys and ask for a refund, I'm sure it'll be okay. Do you guys want to wait out near the car?" Ophelia asked.

"Oh no, we're not leaving you alone. If there is a demon here then you need us with you." Dean's voice was serious and slightly scary to Ophelia. She just nodded and headed towards the desk.

"How can I help Miss?" A new receptionist asked. They weren't wearing a badge and his clothes were not quite right.

Tentatively Ophelia handed back all three room keys and said "Something has come up. We're having to leave. Can we get a refund on the days we didn't stay?"

The nameless man looked at her blankly before opening his mouth. "Of course. However there is a note here for me to call my manager if you or those two gentlemen leave early. I'll be right back." There was something sinister about his presence. He left and headed into the back office. Cas came up and grabbed Ophelia by the hand.

"We need to go right now Ophelia." He said with haste.

"What about our refund? Like, this cost me more money than I'd care to say." Ophelia was confused at the rush.

"That man is a demon, I can see their true faces. We need to go now."

Ophelia looked at Sam and Dean, they looked worried as well. She took a quick look back at the back office door before turning to catch up with Sam and Dean who were now outside heading to the car.

Throwing their bags into the boot, Ophelia got into the front seat and started the car.

"Is everyone in?" She asked. There was a low grumble of confirmation from the three men. "Fantastic." Ophelia replied before speeding out of the car park towards her mum's home.

[forestryfae]

so like the goal for today is to clean the kitchen to some degree, do laundry until the racks are relatively full, and ideally clean my bedroom as well, plus i gotta empty the litterboxes

and its not like i cant get it done or anything its just that im thinking about the kitchen and its just so fucking cluttered. theres shit everywhere. ive got machines and hit on the counters and table, ive got two big boxes on the floor full of stuff i wanna get rid of, i cant even reach like half of the shelves in my kitchen and i can only it so much stuff where i CAN reach, and its just so i-wanna-throw-away-everything-core like. i dont wanna have to keep utensils Just In Case i need them, im tired of having to wash plates and keeping them around just for the cats even tho i dont use them myself, its annoying to not ever have a clean tidy kitchen bench and its really easy to forget ive put soemthing on there so i keep filling the dishwasher and thinking im done and i just turn around and theres six more pots i forgot i had sitting on the other side of the room.

i cant even fit my nicer dessert bowls and such in the cabinets cus theyre full of stuff i got as gifts that i REALLY like and wanna keep but also like who needs 8 waterglasses and 8 mugs at the same time. i love all the stuff i have and i dont wanna gt rid of it but every time i go to grab a mug im instantly like "no i dont want that one i want a different one" but its towards every cup and i cant even get rid of more cups cus i like all my cups and i dont even know what i have in the lower cabinets next to where i store the pots. i NEVER use them. if i want something i use often i store it where i can actually reach it and everything else just gets forgotten so you can imagine my surprise at the dicovery that i have four breadmolds and even christmas cookie tins

and its like that with every room in the house, theres stuff in plain sight i dont want to keep, theras stuff i didnt even know i had that i cant decide whethar i want or not specifically cus im so surprised i even have it and because of nostalgia, theres gifted stuff i actually like, then theres gifted stuff i dont even want to keep cus its just utterly useless to me. like the roomba dad "gave" me because he thought itd help keep the house clean. except its a much bigger hassle than its worth and it can only do one room and its a room i dont use so why bother. i als put gave in quotation marks cus hes coming to pick it up some da, no fucking clue when cus he just said "some day", cus he wants it back so grandma can have it. like. yes fair enough shes struggling to keep the house clean but its still annoying that this keeps happening over and over why does my family keep giving me shit then wanting it back. mom gave me their toaster so i wouldnt have to buy one but she went and just took it cus she just needed it while i was in inpatient. like. ive got furniture i got from either her or dad too. a table and chair set, a dresser, some lamps, christmas ornaments and shit, a christmas tree, some bowls mom gave me so id have bwls until i could buy myself bowls, etc. like i dont use any of it and they can gladly have it all back but they do not get to complain when i try to get rid of it and they dont want it either, and i dont want them changing their mind and wanting the stuff i actually like and use back. i wanna keep that one chair dad gave me and thats non-negotiable.

like. i just really wanna start over w the house. sell or give away all the shit i dont want so i can actually manage everything without exhautsing myself and getting rid of stuff i only keep cus i need it regardless of whether i want it or not. starting over completely interior-design-wise so ill have a better idea of what stuff i actually enjoy and what i actually use and what just feels trashy or just takes up space it doesnt need to take.

anyways i cleaned the bathroom today then washed my hair so thats nice

[myoddlifeintechnicolor]

April 30th, 2025

Well, I got started and did a whole day before I got behind again. Well. This time I am behind but am going to try to continue the 7 minute thing.

I don’t remember what happened this day but figured I will use the catch up days to talk about the new stuff. Let’s start with Ashley!

Her and Alexis broke up around my birthday. She is a lot more enjoyable to be around now that she has a good medication. She does get a little needy when she doesn’t have someone and I am anti needy. But I try. I do love her. She is my bestie for lifeeeee. She recently got a better shift 7-4 at work and it’s good for her. She gets to do stuff after work and has been happier and has had more energy. We are planning to go to San Diego for her birthday unless eh goes to her aunts for her 50th. We shall see. And we plan on going to Florida in November for Warped tour. I am going to try to get a Disney day in there lol We recently got the amc a list pass so we are gonna be going to see movies a lot. Dutch bros and movies lol we have fun though.

Let’s see…

My lego collection hasn’t gotten too crazy lately. I have 2 sets (the cat and the birds of paradise to build and an off brand half dome. There are like 10 more flower sets I need, plus some Christmas flower ones. I need the Christmas tree, the wreath, the poisenetta, the flower pot, the mini bouquet, the pretty pink bouquet, the typewriter and flowers, the ukuleles and flowers, the record player and flowers, the small field flower set, there is another cat set and I still need the roses. Aiyah. But I have been getting into too much collecting. Also pins, and stickers, and Aiyah. I can buy another lego set when I get all my money sorted. I also have this building thing that is kinda like a lego? But not.

The weather has been crazy lately. It’s hot and then cold and then muggy and then rainy and then cold and then hot. Ugh. My allergies.

I have 20 seconds more to type. Aiyah. Well atleast I got you caught up on two things lol whooo next time maybe Alex and stickers?

[conciergebloom]

Mixing Edible and Ornamental Plants in Garden Design

When most people picture a garden, they imagine one of two things: a tidy patch of tomatoes and herbs or a neat flower bed full of color. But what if you didn’t have to choose? What if you could grow your dinner and impress the neighbors at the same time? Welcome to the world of mixed garden design—where edibles and ornamentals live side-by-side in leafy harmony.

Especially in a place like Florida, where the sun shines bright and the growing season stretches for months, combining food-producing plants with beautiful blooms is more than just smart—it’s downright fun.

Beauty and Bounty: Why Mix Edibles with Ornamentals?

Garden design isn’t just about how things look anymore. Sure, we all love a well-placed hibiscus or a splash of bougainvillea, but practical planting is making a comeback—especially in Florida garden design. These days, folks are realizing they can have an eye-catching landscape and a salad bowl growing outside the back door.

There are plenty of reasons to mix things up:

You save space. Why plant two separate gardens when you can combine them?

You cut back on maintenance. Mixed beds can support natural pest control and reduce the need for chemicals.

And honestly, there’s something pretty satisfying about plucking dinner from the same spot you admire on your evening stroll.

Also, your neighbor may think you’ve just planted pretty flowers, but little do they know—you’ve also got dinner growing under that lavender.

Florida-Friendly Edibles That Look as Good as They Taste

Florida is a dream location for gardeners, with its long seasons and mild winters. If you’re planning a Florida garden design that includes edible plants, you’re in luck. Here are some options that look great and feed you, too:

1. Kale

Yes, it’s trendy. But kale also adds texture and rich color to your beds. Some varieties are even purple, making them stand out among the greenery.

2. Swiss Chard

Think of Swiss chard as the rainbow of the vegetable world. Its brightly colored stalks—red, yellow, and orange—add a pop of color that rivals any flower.

3. Herbs

Basil, rosemary, thyme, mint—herbs are compact, fragrant, and great fillers for Florida landscape designs. Plus, they make you look like a gourmet chef without trying.

4. Peppers

From green bell to spicy habaneros, peppers offer both beauty and heat. They love Florida’s sun and can look like little Christmas ornaments hanging from the plant.

5. Citrus Trees

In Florida, you’re practically required to have at least one citrus tree. Dwarf lemon or lime trees can be potted or worked into a border garden. Bonus: they smell incredible.

The Best Ornamental Plants to Pair With Edibles

Of course, not everything in your garden needs to be edible. Sometimes you just want pretty. Luckily, Florida landscape designs are full of ornamental options that get along great with vegetables and herbs.

Here are a few plant pals that won’t compete with your edibles but will definitely complement them:

1. Marigolds

Not only are they colorful, but marigolds also help keep pests away. They’re like the bouncers of your garden club.

2. Salvia

Pollinators love it, it’s heat-tolerant, and it brings beautiful blues and purples to your garden.

3. Coleus

Coleus has bold foliage in all sorts of funky colors. It grows fast and fills in gaps between plants nicely.

4. Lavender

This one straddles the line between ornamental and practical. It smells good, attracts bees, and adds a soft touch to the edges of your garden beds.

5. Sweet Alyssum

This low-growing flower is perfect for garden borders and it smells like honey. It's not just pretty—it can also attract beneficial insects.

How to Design a Garden That Blends Looks and Leaves

Now let’s talk layout. You don’t need a degree in landscaping to pull this off. A good Florida garden design is about balance—mixing tall and short plants, colors and textures, edibles and ornamentals.

Start With a Plan

Sketch out your space. Decide which areas get the most sun (your veggies will want those spots) and which corners need a little flair.

Use Raised Beds or Containers

These help you keep things organized. Raised beds can separate your lettuces from your lilies while still letting them complement each other visually.

Go for Layers

Think in vertical levels: tall plants in the back (like tomatoes or sunflowers), medium plants in the middle (peppers, basil), and low growers at the front (alyssum, oregano).

Repeat Colors and Shapes

Repetition creates a sense of flow. If you’ve got red chard in one corner, try red zinnias in another to tie it all together.

Make Room for Paths

Even if it’s just stepping stones or mulch walkways, give yourself space to wander, water, and harvest without trampling the thyme.

Real-World Ideas from Florida Landscape Designs

Florida’s subtropical climate means you can get pretty creative. Here are a few Florida garden design combos that look great and pull double duty:

Tropical Vibe Bed: Pineapple sage + red peppers + orange marigolds = a colorful, edible island getaway in your own yard.

Cottage Mix: Lavender, rosemary, kale, and petunias in a raised bed—old-fashioned charm meets edible garden goodness.

Urban Patio Pot: Basil, cherry tomatoes, sweet potato vine, and coleus all in one big container. Great for small spaces and balcony growers.

Keeping It Alive: Maintenance Tips for Mixed Gardens

Let’s be honest—no one wants a high-maintenance yard. The good news is, a well-thought-out garden design makes upkeep easier.

Watering

Group plants with similar water needs together. Most edibles like regular watering, so pair them with ornamentals that won’t throw a tantrum when the soil gets damp.

Fertilizing

Use organic compost or a balanced fertilizer that’s safe for both veggies and flowers. Bonus: fewer weird chemicals in your dinner.

Pest Control

Marigolds and basil help deter pests. So do companion planting techniques (look up what plants protect others). Keep an eye out, but don’t stress every bug—you’re not running a five-star restaurant out there.

Pruning and Deadheading

Harvest regularly and trim back flowering plants to keep everything tidy and growing strong. Think of it like giving your garden a little haircut.

Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Choose

If you’ve ever walked past a beautiful front yard and thought, “Wow, I’d love to have that—and also a snack,” this is your sign. Mixing edibles and ornamentals is one of the most rewarding approaches to garden design, especially in Florida where the possibilities are almost endless.

Not only do you get fresh herbs for dinner and citrus for your drinks, but you also create a space that brings you joy every time you step outside. And honestly, isn’t that what gardening is all about?

So go ahead—plant those tomatoes next to your daisies. Just don’t be surprised if your guests ask for a tour and a taste.

[bishiglomper]

JFC I'M GONNA DIIIIE

AUUUGH

too many spoons, too many spoooooooons

I think the only time I was in my chair today was that 1.5 hours I was crocheting

I started my day making coffee for me and my sister, lost hers, had to remake it... lots of added steps. If there's more than 2 cups of coffee I gotta empty and refill the reservoir and it just adds steps.

We went out to the farmers market. Uhhh we went shopping at Walmart for last minute stuff. Stopped by another store. Was gone for over an hour. Maybe 2.

When we came home the baby was asleep so i was her bed for maybe half an hour. I was in my chair then. Sister used the free time to wrap presents.

Baby woke up. Passed her off. I stressed about needing to do something productive. There's only 3 more days left and we're way behind on our baking lmao

So I made reindeer pops. Like 40 of em. I was struggling the last leg of it. Then mom and I made spritz cookies. I threw together a gift for my tarot friend.

I found I had a duplicate copy of this Japanese movie I liked so imma give her that. Plus cocoa and earl grey to try in it. A cocoa kit with mug. Two little 3d printed soot sprite magnets.

For one of her kids I gt a yarn set with like 12 mini skeins of different colors. Perfect for learning amigurumi probably.

I didn't want to leave the other kid out but I don't know her as well. But I know she's the green thumb in that family. Works in the college green house. Propagates all sorts of things at home.

I had these two little air plants in witch hat pots. I'm not good at taking care of plants soooo. Yay, a gift for the other kid! Got all three, yes!

That's when I took a break and crocheted for an hour while my sister wrapped presents

Then I wrapped more presents. I took 2 bins worth of stuff and got it under the tree

And then i cleaned up the disaster zone that was the dining room because my sister is a tornado in and of herself. Wrapping shit all over. Two tables covered and bins of stuff on the floor, I don't know how they have all this spread out so much.

Lol for some reason I thought I was gonna be able to tidy up the bathroom but my body was screaming by the time I started to finish up the downstairs.

I wanna do shit so bad!! The living room needs tidying again. There's 3 areas that have shit stacked that need to be moved to a different floor.

The upstairs stack is like 10 grocery bags of litter that needs to be disposed of...

The main floor has like... I don't even know. It's faded into the room as a clutter mountain. Clothes baskets of stuff. A fan. Boxes. Who knows.

And there's a line of like 6 boxes by the basement of shit that needs to go down.

Sigh. Which I would do... except that the basement IS a hoarders hole and there's nowhere to set anything new down.

But lol I let niece bring her bf over the other night.

As she was waiting for him she suddenly realized the living room was messy. Nothing too bad. 10 minutes work.

I asked why she suddenly had a bug up her butt. She never cleans wtf.

She said her boyfriend was a neat freak. The living room was bad enough to be giving her anxiety over it. I told her to just tell him we're slobs and he'd just need to accept it pffft

But anyway. I helped pick up

And then I'm like

Oh... I hope he won't need the bathroom 👀 😬

Looool the disgust/panic on her face was great. Then with a fortifying growl she ran upstairs for a few minutes. Came running down the stairs with TWO garbage bags of cat pee soaked clothes. All from the bathroom.

I think she tried to organize a tiny bit. There were loofahs stored away weird lol

But she made a huuuuuge dent just with the clothes and everything is gross so she gets a gold star.

When i go to try to fix the bathroom, it's mostly going to be me shoving anything on the floor covered in grime just in a box and shoving all the other random boxes back under the sink. There will be gloves needed.

Such high hoooooopes

Am excited for Christmas eve.

We're just doing our party snackies in jammies but I invited tarot friend and the kids. I hope we can hang out properly.

More excited for those 2 hours than Christmas 🤣

[mydyspraxiablog]

Having dyspraxia I member of Dyspraxia foundation, Coelicuk other members but there is dyspraxia week up in November I would like give some money to dyspraxia foundation and Coelicuk but there promble I also sponder a child in Ethiopia and don't want that family miss out on birthday and Christmas after Christmas there birthday coming up in family.

Promble don't trust Natwest bank anymore called tell table bank.

At ages of 50 years old have ask mum if could give money charity's and embrassment all because of scarm I can't going town order coffee or hot chocolate like use missing day went up stone order hot chocolate whip cream chocolate flak and marshmallow dream having then then chocolate 🍫 Icecream in Stone those days when was Richard fellowship volunteers but miss it because now noughting in Stafford.

I got cold wait for bus 3.30pm-4pm Here one passages say " took of 3.45pm bus because of two school buses one 825 school bus other 8A school bus. So start rain really badly but most people decide go back have coffee in at cafe Nero but me could not because didn't any money so wait by self at bus stop goal square it was really cold.

Then bus didn't up 430pm because roadwork on Wolverhampton Rd and moss pit hold bus up.

Noughting can do public bus not turn up because took off because school run if buses too late because roadwork there abouda ship leaving passages wait for next bus to come.

I get worry bus might be fall up might not get on it but luck 101 bus came first at was full up and that double deck bus. Other bus did turn up behide 101 bus home bus also full up too.

Don't get wrong love farms doing and arts crouse doing but waiting do math and engish crouse in Stafford and other film crouse Indid enjoy making films bit not going happon.

"How do know Christian aid ,Acting Aid are really charity you know Facebook do fake charity offers them free sample like pray book or candle she jealous of Amazon because find way be paid things with out my Natwest card using mum card by finger print that how order things through Amazon or voice code do shopping but not going do that I do something different this Christmas want do some good around the world and in uk but can't help everyone need saving nougt money for birthday and Christmas. I really ask mum can have money buy your birthday card or birthday gift or Christmas gift 🎁 it would not be right so I decide this year going making Christmas things mumm and my family.

Right wonder. What can do help children in uk and around the world 🌎 but help hidding disabilities and disabilities child and adult too. I got think plus help those dogs and cats 🐈 in shelter want to help them.

I do want go Charlie cafe see all cats there as I missing Annabel and Sydnee my pets cats that both gone over Rainbow bridge and I want see them. Today saw Rainbow 🌈 in Stafford outside but waiting for double Rainbow so know Annabel, Sydnee my pets cats and Darcy my dog 🐕 missing them all want them back but can't I really upset with PSDA run out funds for help sick pets wasn't any money in pot so have put Sydnee down end of May how die upset me she hidding beside book shelf and fall sleep on neck down between pipe of bookshelf and body on floor so could not let die that way so pick up Sydnee but on Soffee on my knees said " You with Annabel now but Christmas really be hard for me it second years Christmas with out Annabel you die 16 years old and first years without Sydnee at Christmas Sydnee die of 17 years old. What kill Sydnee rat possion from the park knob down building at was Hotel 🏨 bulliday stupid caring home and look park behide me and don't want ride three wheel bike anymore don't walk around the park anymore I don't want go out in gardens anymore why noughting do in Stafford?

If do going town get art book and draw of Victoria Park. Trees, birds and Swam but can't going in cafe having drink coffee with no money.

So just sit there draw till get tide walk back home is weather nice or back on buses.

What decide this years not let Newphew and Nices down this years.

I not going let my sponder child and her family down this year as well but don't let dogs and cats be shelter want help children go to school

And help animals too.

So have see if can make some Christmas gift 🎁 for family instead but don't know get whole family photo just have look up on Google photos with all family.

What do next is secert for family around the world.

[fromasgardandback]

Shopping Spree

Sam S. x Reader

christmas | masterlist | oneshots

“Sam, c’mon it’s gonna be fun. We just need to get some gifts for the team and then we’ll be home.” You sipped your coffee at the kitchen counter.

“Why can’t we just order the gifts online and have them shipped?” Sam whined, knowing that he hated going to the mall. Sam was fun, but hated going shopping, especially in New York. 

“No. I am not paying for shipping. Plus, you know Tony is going to be nosy and look through all the packages until he finds which one could be his. We can get all the gifts today. Wrap them when we get home and be done with them.” You drank the last of your coffee, placing the mug in the sink.  

“Baby” Sam groaned, hugging you from behind.

“Birdie, we’re going.” You kissed him sweetly. 

You two started by going through 5th Avenue. Trying to see what you could find, but that wasn’t as easy being on a budget. Through the side streets, there are mom and pop shops. You two got most of the gifts for everyone in those cute little stores. Nothing too big, but sentimental to show you cared and listened. You looked around, enjoyed the holiday lights and decorations. Sam would occasionally kiss you. Sweet little kisses from your face, to your hands. Kisses turned from hugging you from behind. 

“Baby, look” Sam held up an ugly Christmas sweater, making a funny face.

“Oh, you look handsome.” You giggled. “Put it in the cart. I’ll get it for you.”

“Only if you get one too.” Sam pecked your lips.

“Pick one out for me, Birdie.” You turned to look through the sweaters with him.

The two of you continued shopping through the city, taking little things for each other. You hoped he didn’t see what you got him and vice versa. Turning the corner down the road, there was a puppy park, filled with puppies in Christmas sweaters. Sam quickly placed the bags inside the car, then practically dragged you towards the puppies. There was a time for people to come and sit with the dogs, while they ran around. Sam took photos of you, holding the puppies. Next, you took photos of Sam holding the puppies. The look on his face was pure joy. You wouldn’t change today for anything different. These were the times that you loved. 

It took all day shopping. There was seventeen people in the team which meant too many bags to count. You shopped for the women and a few of the guys that you were close with, while Sam shopped for the rest of the guys. It only took about three hours, which to Sam felt like nine.

“Ok, all the bags are in the car. I’m starving and want to go eat.” Sam pecked you lips, lightly tugging at your jacket.

“Yes, please. I want food.” You followed him. 

For an early dinner, he leads you into this adorable little Italian place. They had a tall, but skinny Christmas tree in the corner. Lights hung around the walls at the ceiling. Candles and one-pot poinsettias at each table. 

“Where did you find this place?” You asked, placing your purse between your feet.

“I saved the owners a while back. There was a hostage situation. I came in for some lunch with Bucky and we got them out safely.” Sam smiled.

“Wow. Look at you. Saving not only countries but everyday people too.” You smirked.

“Baby, we have the same job” He chuckled.

“Let me admire you.” You shook your head.

Once you got home, you wrapped all the presents you got. Yet, saving the ones you got for each other to wrap another day. Although, wrapping isn’t all that you did that night.

[allhailthewicked]

Random JATP Headcannons: Bobby and His Passion For Knitting

Bobby is what I called #STRESSED ALL THE FREAKING TIME™

I mean like all the boys are stressed for different reasons (you know with the band, or familial problems, or you know anxiety just being a bitch)

But unlike the other boys he doesn’t have that many great coping mechanisms

He hates how terrified Alex and Reggie look when he beats the shit out of one of their harassers. And he hates how he can’t play guitar after because of his busted hand

He doesn’t have any drums to wail on like Alex, and he absolutely sucks at writing music (that’s why none of his newer music isn’t any good) so he can’t bury himself in songwriting like Luke

He tried smoking but boy oh boy does his asthma flare up for smoking and once Alex found out he worriedly started to carry an extra inhaler for Bobby

Mediating SUCKS it’s too quiet. it’s too still. he hates how he is just trapped with his thoughts 

So with nothing left to him to do Mr. Bobbers turned to his lola (grandmother) for advice

She was a tiny old woman with a black and silverish bob she quickly patted on the floor next to the armchair that she was sitting in furiously knitting something that looked like it was supposed to be a sweater.

Bobby sighed plopping down next to her enchanted by the furious rhythm she had

“Goddammit apo pass me my switch-blade I need to cut the extra... the extra... the extra nakakayamot string”

“Whatever you say lola, but I still need your advice I am just so fucking stressed all the time and I don’t know what do.”

Bobby’s grandmother grabs the switchblade and quickly slices through the extra string before placing the blade back into his hand.

“Well Robert why don’t you calm down for a second. C’mon grab that ball of yarn and knit with me. I won’t teach you but just watch what I’m doing.”

“What you mean you won’t teach and how the fuck will a pile of string calm me down”

“Curse at me one more time, and I’ll show you another way this string can calm me down. Just watch and learn from me apo and keep my blade you’ll need it when you make a mistake”

“Okay Lola I’m sorry for that, I’ll shut up, but I can’t take your blade”

“Apo stop apologizing you have done nothing wrong, if anything you remind me of your father. Plus I have a spare blade in the flower pot now get your lazy ass off the ground and go and grab it for me”

And Bobby learned and learned  and fell head over heels in love with knitting

After that day Bobby left his grandmother’s house with a shiny red and black switchblade, 4 brightly colored balls of yarns, and two sets of knitting needles one bamboo and one metal

AND THE STRESS KNITTING BEGINS

One time the Alex and Luke were fighting and over what to do with Reggie when he walked into practice with a black eye. And Bobby pulled out a scarf he was working on for Reggie and started muttering: knit knit purl knit purl knit purl knit purl knit purl knit knit knit  he was working on it, completing it in 45 minutes.

Fun Fact: is favorite type of stitch and pattern is the Chevron Seed Stitch

When Luke ran away from home a week before his birthday and crashed at Bobby’s place and on his birthday he woke up to a present next to his mattress and inside the box was a slightly janked up knitted beanie that Bobby made for him, and it was obviously made with love

Luke cried a lot that day, but he definitely sobbed the hardest at Bobby’s gift

 When Bobby was teaching Alex how to drive the van he to keep knitting needles in his glove compartment

Reggie and Bobby had found a dog during one of their hikes, and they took care of it together for like a week until the owner reached out to them to get their dog back and Reggie was devastated! Until... Bobby made knitted a little stuffie of the dog

Before every show Bobby would bust out his knitting and go through a couple rows

For Christmas Bobby made the boy special ugly holiday sweaters (two Christmas sweaters and one Hanukkah sweater for Reggie)

Reggie’s sweater was a rich maroon and yellow with a menorah,dredial,horses, and pizza

Luke’s sweater was a royal blue with music notes and mini beanies on ornaments

Alex’s was a pastel pink with drumsticks an inhaler with a Christmas tree on it

IT TOOK SO FREAKING LONG FOR HIM TO FINISH LIKE LITERAL MONTHS

At any given moment you could count on Bobby carrying his knitting needles in his back pocket

One time he saw Alex sleeping in the garage and made it his mission to make him the fluffiest and comfiest blanket

But then the boys died and Bobby stopped knitting. Even holding his needles reminded him of them. It would remind him of the guys, and it would stress Bobby out and give him panic attacks

UNTIL Carrie was born, and he knitted her a three-piece set of baby booties, baby romper, and little hat in hot pink string (Even at 32 weeks old Carrie was serving the looks)

He even made matching sweaters for Carrie, Julie, and Flynn when they were like 8

When Rose started to go through chemo  Bobby started to knit her so many hats and blankets (but not the one he started for Alex)

Bobby did eventually finish that blanket, and he gave it to Carrie the day she left for college

@sunset-bobby I hope you enjoy this I realized how little I wrote about Bobby and I just wanted to thank you for your encouragement. I also hope that you enjoy my characterization of this amazing character. 

 @theobligatedklutz Here’s one of the headcannons I said I would write then like didn’t lmao. I have more coming but sometimes my brain just doesn’t want to write anymore.

Also, to anyone who is reading this if I get anything wrong about knitting or Tagalog please tell me. I have very little experience with both of these things and I would love to learn more about both topics :)

[jtargaryen18]

Hounds of Hell MC 2: Snow

Emily -- Most wonderful time of the year? Yeah, right. Business isn’t booming at my bakery this Christmas and I’m behind on my business loan. And if that weren’t enough, my SUV’s transmission is dying, my ex is in town for the holidays, and our regular Santa broke his leg and can’t make it for the annual children’s Christmas party. Somehow, we’ve ended up with a biker playing Santa Claus this year and I think he’s the wrong man for the job. Santa shouldn’t have all those muscles and tattoos. And I shouldn’t be daydreaming about sitting in Santa’s lap.

Snow -- I’m not a man with a sweet tooth -- at least I wasn’t until now. If I’d known about the gorgeous little baker, I’d have snatched her up years ago. The little lady has a lot of problems this holiday season. For her, I’ll play Santa Claus for the kids, and her ex will wish he got a lump of coal in his stocking when I’m done with him. Emily will have a good Christmas. I guaran-damn-tee it.

Buy it today!

Excerpt

Snow (Hounds of Hell MC 2) Jamie Targaet All rights reserved. Copyright ©2023 Jamie Targaet

Emily

“Wait. What?” Emily Frost couldn’t have heard that right. The annual Christmas event they held in Mercy each year for the town’s children was two weeks away. “What do you mean Andy isn’t going to be able to play Santa Claus this year?”

While she listened to the elderly man’s wife explain why he wouldn’t be able to be Santa this year, Emily was fighting off hysteria. She understood that he’d taken a nasty fall and told his wife she was very sorry he’d broken his leg. Automatically, she asked if there was anything she could do. She did care. But she really wasn’t listening for a response.

What was she going to do?

Emily carried on the rest of the conversation as best she could, taking a deep breath when she ended the call.

“Fuck!” Her yell echoed through the quiet bakery.

Could things get any worse? She was blinking back tears as she finished counting the register and got all the goodies that hadn’t sold today boxed up. And there was a lot that hadn’t sold today.

The planning committee for the Christmas event was meeting tomorrow. Each member of that committee had jobs to do to make the event happen each year. Liza Austin and her husband owned a greenhouse in town. Each year they provided a beautiful wreath for the door. A live potted Christmas tree for the event was displayed in her bakery shop’s window throughout the holidays. Liza had a key to the shop to take care of the tree so it could be replanted later.

Myra Michaels handled the guest list, answering questions from parents and guardians about the event. She also handled donations that came in. Mina Dock had passed away this summer, but her granddaughter had moved back to town and was taking her place on the committee. Jade Dock and Emery Phillips oversaw setup, using folding chairs and tables Emery used at his bar, Sackett’s, for special events. They got out the decorations they used each year. Most had been donated by Jade’s grandmother Mina.

Emily had been a part of the committee since its first year, five years ago. Her job was supplying all the baked goods for the event and, with help, filling stockings with candy and treats for the kids to take home.

And she’d been the one who found their Santa Claus, Andy Wilder. Each year the elderly gentleman arrived as Santa and was just the best part of the entire event in her opinion. His warmth and sincerity made him a perfect choice. Plus, he could handle anything from kids scared of Santa, to those who were acting up and rowdy.

But he wasn’t coming this year. That was just the latest calamity this week and it was just Thursday night.

Where were they going to get another Santa Claus with two weeks to go?

Locking the door on her way out, she carried the box of goodies out to her SUV and got in. Emily crossed her fingers that the damn thing would start because it hadn’t been running right for the last several weeks. She knew her transmission was failing. What she didn’t know, since things had been so slow at the shop, was where she was getting the money to fix it.

In five minutes, she reached Mercy’s homeless shelter, delivering what she didn’t sell as she did every day the bakery was open. Heading for the back door, Emily rounded the corner and almost collided with someone.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered glancing up into gray eyes.

There were two men, both tall and wearing leather vests with their biker gang name on them, carrying a bed frame into the shelter. The one closest to the door was blond and nice-looking. The one she almost ran into? He was just as tall and muscular with a dark beard and mustache and almost entirely white locks of hair were in disarray on his head. She did a double take because hair that color didn’t usually go with a younger face. His eyes were pale gray and stunning.

The Hounds of Hell had long been a part of Mercy according to Liza, and she spoke of them fondly. Emily didn’t know much about motorcycle gangs and none of them ever came to her bakery. She really wanted to keep it that way. They were a little scary for her.

That gray-eyed gaze moved over her until the blond lost patience. “Snow, we still moving this frame?”

Snow returned his attention to the task, and someone else walked over to her.

“Emily, how are you?” Jade Dock asked. “Making your deliveries?”

Emily smiled. “I am. How are you?”

“Donating some things,” Jade said, watching the men carry the bed frame carefully through the shelter door. “At least I have some strong help to move them.”

Jade walked with her into the shelter. As she always did, Emily placed the box of treats on the receptionist’s desk just inside.

“Who’s your friend?” a deep voice behind her asked.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Guys, this is Emily,” Jade said, motioning to the two bikers who were apparently with her. To Emily, she said, “This is Hero and Snow.”

Emily shook hands with both, noticing the one she called Snow wasn’t too quick to release her hand. By the time he did, she noticed the blond had his arm around Jade’s waist. So they were a couple?

“I’d better get going,” Emily said. “It’s nice meeting you.”

“I’ll see you at the meeting tomorrow?” Jade called as she walked back to the SUV.

When I get to tell the committee we need another Santa Claus, and we just have two weeks to find one? Yes, wouldn’t miss it.

“I’ll see you there,” Emily said over her shoulder as she reached the door. And as she headed back to her SUV, she just hoped the damn thing would start and not embarrass her in front of the bikers.

* * *

Snow

August Crowe, Snow to his MC, watched the petite blonde rush back to her SUV, the long braid of her hair dancing behind her. She looked so perky in her soft sweater and form-hugging slacks. He’d never seen an ass like that on such an uppity girl.

“Who’s that?” Snow asked Jade as he helped Hero get the old box spring out of the truck bed.

Jade watched her drive away in her SUV before turning back to Snow. “That’s Emily Frost. She owns Whisk and Whimsy in town. It’s a bakery.”

Frost, huh? That had Snow grinning. They sounded like a matched pair.

“Say that five times really fast,” Hero said from the other side of the furniture they were moving.

Figures. She looked like someone you’d find in a bakery, making treats. If he thought she’d give him the time of day, Snow would become a bakery patron real fucking fast. But from the look she cut him, he probably wouldn’t have a lot of luck.

“What meeting is tomorrow?” Hero asked Jade, holding one end of the box spring and guiding Snow who carried the other.

“Planning committee for the annual kids’ Christmas party,” Jade explained. “It’s only two weeks away.”

Jade had mentioned it recently. Doing an event for the poor kids in Mercy sounded like a good plan to him. If Miss Uppity was in on it, she had a good heart.

“If you need help with that, let me know,” Snow said. It earned him a look from both Jade and Hero, but he meant it. There had been a few times when he’d been a kid that he and his family wouldn’t have had food if not for the kindness of others. He liked the idea of paying it forward.

“Thank you, Snow,” Jade told him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Hero shook his head as they reached the shelter door.

“What?” Snow asked. “Something wrong with wanting to help kids? Razor did say we should do some community outreach.”

“Not that,” Hero said. “The blonde. I’d forget that if I were you.”

“Why?” Jade asked. “Emily’s nice.”

“Maybe so,” Hero said. “But I’d be willing to bet someone in an MC isn’t exactly her type.”

“I might have said the same thing once,” Jade didn’t look convinced. “You can’t assume things like that.”

She had a point.

“So the party is for any kid in Mercy?” Snow asked as they maneuvered the box spring through the shelter door.

Jade followed them. “Technically. We have to leave it open for anyone to avoid singling people out, you know? The ones who really need help.”

“Good approach,” Snow said.

“I’m told each year we have a tree and decorations. There’s an older man who comes to play Santa Claus. There are treats for everyone and everyone gets a gift from Santa. We identify the kids who really need help and they get different gifts than the ones we give the other kids that show up.”

“Makes sense,” Snow said. “What do the poor kids get?”

“The smaller ones get a toy, some candy, and a gift card this year,” Jade explained. “The older kids get candy and a bigger gift card. Santa tells them they can’t open their presents until Christmas Eve. Liza said most of the time that works.”

It was thoughtful.

They set the box spring down, heading back out for the mattress.

“Offer stands,” Snow said to Jade. “Let me know if I can help. Even if it’s just setup.”

[scapegrace74-blog]

Ginger Snap, Chapter 5

A/N  Know what this fic needs?  More Geillis.  No really, I think you guys are going to like where I’m going with this.   Just bear with me.   Only one more chapter to go after this one, plus an epilogue.   Thanks for coming on the journey with me!  With due credit to Sia, this chapter’s title is Fire, Meet Gasoline.

Previous chapters are best enjoyed on my AO3 page, because I have a bad habit of going back and editing them after they’ve been posted.

Geillis Duncan drove much the way she approached life, which was to say without much regard for rules and at white-knuckle speed.  I gripped her Range Rover’s leather cushion and swallowed any exclamations of dismay as we ricocheted through Edinburgh’s late afternoon traffic.  When we finally slid into an underground parking spot and emerged into the bustling festivity of the Princes Street Christmas Market, I felt the tension of imminent disaster abandon my shoulders.

“Where to first, then?” Geillis asked, looking far too animated by the prospect of accompanying someone while they did their Christmas shopping.

Geillis and I had kept in touch and met for coffee a few times over the past months.  When I explained that I wouldn’t be taking any more cooking classes at Ginger Snap because Jamie was giving me at-home lessons, her reaction was a moonbeam grin.

“Look at ye, wee vixen!  I ne’er wouldha thought ye had it in ya, Claire.  Tho I canna say as I blame ye.”

No matter how much I protested that I was together with Frank and that my relationship with Jamie was purely professional, she refused to believe me.  The ongoing absence of a ring from my left hand didn’t help.

“Now,” Geillis exclaimed once we’d taken in the sights and sounds of the market, “let’s have a keek at yer list.  Where should we start?”

I pulled out my phone and opened the Notes app.  As she read, my friend’s nose wrinkled in confusion.

“Trouser socks, shoe stays, Moleskine notebook, Rive Gauche...  who are ye shopping for, yer grandparents?”

“No,” I protested.  “The first three are for Frank.  The perfume is for me.”

When I explained that Frank had made a list of the items he would like to give me for Christmas, Geillis grew incensed.

“Ye mean he has ye doin’ his gift buying fer him?  Tha’s the least romantic thing I’ve e’er heard.  Do ye even like Rive Gauche, Claire?  And dinna lie tae me, fer I can read yer feelings all o’er yer face.”

Truthfully, I didn’t much care for the flowery scent.  My personal taste ran more towards woodsy or herbaceous aromas.  But it was Frank’s favourite, and it pleased me to please him.  Or it had.  I was beginning to wonder when it would be my turn to please myself.

“Right,” Geillis interrupted my thoughts.  “Marks and Sparks will do jes fine for yer wee granny list.   And then you and I are going shopping fer yer real gift.”

Geillis was a force to be reckoned with in a retail environment.  She navigated like a guided missile from one department to the next.   Twenty minutes later, we were back on the pavement, which glistened with the colourful reflections of decorations strung above.

“Your car is the other way,” I explained as Geillis turned left.

“Aye, tis, but our destination is right o’er here.  House of Fraser.  See?  Tis practically calling yer name, Claire.”

Inside the venerable old building was an astonishing multi-tiered arcade reaching over five stories to a massive skylit ceiling.  The central space was dominated by a fifteen metre-high Christmas tree (a Fraser fir, of course) and every archway of every arcade was dripping with lights.  The impression was like stepping into a Fabergé egg.

Geillis dragged me, slack-jawed, towards the ladies’ wear section.  Circling the racks like a hawk on the wind, she eyed my body, sizing me up quite literally, then thrust several pieces into my hands.

“Geillis,” I hissed, wary of the sales staff hovering nearby, no doubt smelling an excessive commission in the offing.  “I don’t need a new outfit.  And I certainly don’t need,” I shook the garments in question, “something like this.  Wherever would I wear it?”

“Well, fer starters, ye’d wear it tae dinner t’night.  I dinna wish tae offend ye, Claire, but I canna in good conscience allow ye tae set foot in the Timberyard dressed fer a job interview as a primary school teacher.”

With that she shoved me in the direction of the changing rooms.  Deciding to humour her, I was unbuttoning my top when two lacy bits of nothing came flying over the door.

“Start wi’ these.  And dinna think I willna notice if ye’re no’ wearing them!”

I stripped down to my panties, bemusedly wondering how she knew my exact bra size. 

Upon seeing me exit the dressing room in her choice of clothing, Geillis let out a squeal of delight.   She insisted I rip out the tags and leave the store wearing my new outfit, declaring it was her Christmas gift to me.  

I felt tremendously self-conscious as we walked towards the restaurant.  The aubergine velvet jeans clung to my legs in an unfamiliar way and the black turtleneck, while technically not revealing, hinted at kink with its many heavy zippers and fastenings.  Together with my unruly hair, unstraightened for once, I felt like another woman entirely.  I didn’t recognize her, but I felt like she might be someone I’d like to get to know.

The Timberyard was a modern restaurant in a rugged old warehouse, not far from the farmer’s market I’d visited with Jamie.  We were joined there by several of Geillis’ friends, and we ate, drank and laughed until my sides were sore. 

As I wobbled to the loo, I noticed the bartender following me with an appreciative gaze.  It had been a long time since a man had looked at me that way, and it gave me a guilty thrill.

We left the restaurant just before midnight. I pulled Geillis into an impulsive hug.

“Wha’ was that for, hen?” she asked.

“Nothing.  Everything.  Just, thank you for being you, Geil.”

“Och, tis my pleasure, lass.  I only want tae see ye happy.  Now, what do ye say to a digestif?”

After only a slight protest on my part, the two of us piled into an Uber.  Our destination was another restaurant, this time in a converted whisky warehouse by the harbour in Leith.  It was well past last sitting, but when I mentioned this to Geillis she explained away my concern. 

“I ken the owner, who’s also the chef.  Tis a popular spot fer locals in the restaurant scene tae meet after they close up fer a few drinks afore heading home tae their beds.”

Inside, the walls were rough stone, supported in places by industrial metal beams.  The kitchen was open to the main dining area, and I grinned as I thought of Frank’s strong opinion on the matter.  Near the back of the room, lit by dim naked bulbs and the glow from several open fireplaces, was a huge square table surrounded by nearly twenty chairs upholstered in bright yellow plaid.  Around the table was gathered a motley assortment of men and women, all talking and laughing and sipping on a variety of drinks.  And in their midst, his copper hair shining in the firelight, sat Jamie.

A shout went up from the table as Geillis approached.  I hung back, tugging at the hem of my new turtleneck as though I could stretch it to cover my arse.  Besides Jamie, I recognized Jenny, Angus and Murtagh, but I only had eyes for the big ginger chef.  He sat at one corner, probably in deference to his long legs which were stretched out before him, wrapped in black denim.  A black leather jacket hung over the chair behind him.  He looked dangerous.  It was a very good look for him.

Dragging me by the elbow, Geillis nudged and bumped Angus to one side despite his vulgar protests, then practically pushed me down into the chair directly next to the chef.  With a smug smile of satisfaction, she then retired to the opposite side of the table.

I looked anywhere but directly at Jamie, but I could feel his butane eyes on me.  I was certain he would scorch right through my outer layers and down to where Geillis’ choice in lingerie burned against my tender skin.  The noise from the rest of the table faded away.

“Ye look bonnie t’night, Arsonist.”  His voice was low and gruff and it sent a quickening through my veins.

“Thank you, Jamie. It was Geillis’ Christmas gift to me, and I feel, well... let’s just say it isn’t my usual look.”

“It suits ye, I think.”  He reached out and lightly touched the silver tab of a zipper that ended near my wrist, setting it swinging.  I swallowed and looked frantically around.  Several open bottles of liquor stood nearby. Grabbing the nearest one, I poured myself a generous serving and knocked it back, all in one go.  I tried to steady my breathing.

“Look, Jamie...”

Just then a blond man in chef’s whites called to Jamie from across the table.  An exchange involving a lot of Scottish cursing and an off-colour reference to someone’s lobster pot ensued.  I tried to convince myself I needed to leave.  It was late, I was half-drunk, and whatever I intended to say to Jamie should definitely wait for another moment.  Maybe never.

A hand on my thigh broke my preoccupation.

“Sorry, Arsonist, ye were sayin’ something?”

I wet my lips, frantically trying to recall anything but the feeling of Jamie’s strong fingers, stroking me through the velvet of my jeans.

“I...”

At that moment, the woman on Jamie’s far side broke into song.  The rest of the table cheered and clapped along, and it was impossible to hear anything except the concussive pounding of my heart against my eardrums.

Jamie grabbed my clammy hand.

“Come wi’ me,” he instructed, grabbing our outerwear and pulling me towards the door.  Geillis watched our departure with all the excitement of a child on Christmas morning.

Outside the air was dense and cold, a briny slap after the stuffy warmth of the restaurant.  Jamie obviously had a destination in mind, and we walked hand-in-hand along the cobbled streets for several minutes before finally emerging at the port.  A jetty struck out into the inky sea, and it was there that we ended up.  Besides a few gulls and the winking of a nearby lighthouse, we were all alone.  The sodium street lights caught Jamie’s curls and made them burn.

“Forgive me, Arsonist.  I couldna hear myself think in there.  Tho, come tae think of it, tis no’ much better now.”  Rather than release me, as he spoke Jamie stroked my hand, running calloused fingers over each vein and every knuckle.  I don’t think he even realized he was doing it, but it stole every thought from my head.

“No ring,” he remarked, stroking the finger in question.

“No,” I whispered in response.  

And then it burst out of me, like a tidal wave of feeling that I never saw coming.  I told him everything.  My childhood roaming the globe with my uncle, pre-occupied and rootless, dreaming of stability.  Meeting Frank at Harvard, and realizing that he represented all the things that my life to date had lacked: structure, security, a solid foundation, a home.  And how it took moving to Scotland and coming into contact with a group of near-strangers to make me realize that the price I had paid for that stability was higher than I’d ever imagined.  I’d given up my dream of becoming a doctor. I’d become so lost in Frank’s vision of who I should be that I’d almost lost sight of who I actually was.

By the time the flood of words left me, I was in Jamie’s arms, crying into his leather jacket.  He hushed me with quiet murmurs and languorous stroking of my hair, as one would a child who has woken from a nightmare.

I stepped out of his embrace and rubbed my sleeve across my face.  I must have looked an absolute mess, but he still watched me with those earnest, patient eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I began, “I don’t know what...”

“Claire,” he interrupted.  I’d never before realized just how many consonants were in my given name.  “Ye dinna need tae apologize tae me.  But ye may want tae consider an apology tae yerself.”  At my raised eyebrow, he continued.

“I’m no’ the kind of man tae tell another what they should and shouldna do.  But ye strike me as someone who’s made decisions fer the right reasons, yet ended up in the wrong place.”  Here he paused, as though carefully weighing his words.  “There’s no sin in changin’ yer mind, Arsonist.  Tis very well tae be hungry, so long as ye ken what ye hunger for.”

“And what do you hunger for, James Fraser?”  The provocative words had left my lips before I had the chance to censor them.  His answer came in the form of a blistering look that left no doubt as to its meaning.  Then he gathered himself, banking the fire I’d unconsciously ignited.

“Many things.  Regular, ordinary things, mostly.  My family’s health and happiness.  A faster bike.  My own restaurant.”

“Like Tom’s there?” I asked, gesturing towards the harbour.

“Och, Tom is a braw chef, and worthy o’ every accolade tha’s been showered upon him.  But the hospitality scene in Edinburgh is cut-throat, an’ suitable locations cost a fortune.  Nah, Jenny and I want tae buy back our childhood home in the Highlands.  Tis called Lallybroch, and when our Da passed, our Mam sold it tae her brother.  We’d turn it inta a country inn, wi’ Jenny running the lodging side o’ things and I the dining.  Tha’s the dream anyway,” he ended with a shrug.

I rested my hand on his forearm.  “That sounds like a wonderful plan, Jamie.”

Before he could reply, an enormous yawn burst from my lungs.

“Time tae get ye home tae yer bed, Arsonist,” Jamie grinned.   “Come, I’ll give ye a ride.”

“Wait, haven’t you been drinking?” I inquired as we walked back down the jetty.

“Three years sober,” he explained with no hint of embarrassment.  “I went somewhere pretty dark after my Mam died, an’ it took a near-fatal crash tae scare me straight.”  His eyes squinted in a poor approximation of a wink as he added, “Besides, there are better ways tae chase a rush than in the bottom of a bottle.”

“Such as?” I asked brazenly.

Which was how I found myself on the back on a black motorcycle, my arms twined around Jamie’s waist.  Rather than take me directly home, he steered us north, following the coast.  It was very late, with hardly another vehicle about.  We merged onto the motorway, and Jamie picked up speed.  My thighs tightened around his lean hips, the vibration of the motor beneath us shivering up my spine.  As we emerged beneath the hastate lights of the Queensferry Bridge, I stretched my arms wide, icy air ripping against the sleeves of my jacket.  I laughed, although no-one could hear me.  I yelled, and only the wind yelled back.  I was flying.

***

It was nearly dawn when Jamie pulled up in front of my flat.  My legs thrummed, my eyes were dry with fatigue, and my heart ached, but I felt better than I could ever remember.  I handed Jamie back his spare helmet and shook out my curls.  He watched me in that half-sleepy, half-vigilant way of his that I now recognized as desire.

“I don’t know what I could ever say to thank you, Jamie.”

“Ye needn’t say anything at all, Arsonist.  Nae matter what ye decide, it has been my very great honour tae get tae know you.”

Without another word, he kick-started the engine and drove off into the early morning mist.

“Goodbye,” I whispered to his vanishing shadow.

***

The lamp above the couch was lit, and Frank lay still beneath its glow.  I realized he had fallen asleep waiting for me to come home.  Instead of regret, what I felt in that moment was pity.

The sound of my jacket being unzipped woke him.  He blinked in confusion and then in shock.

“I’m very sorry if you were worried,” I began.

“Worried?  Do you have any idea what time it is?  My God, Claire, I don’t know what to make of you these days.  You’ve never behaved irresponsibly before, and now you’re out at all hours and you’re wearing,” he gestured wildly with his hand at my new outfit which I had, quite honestly, forgotten I was wearing.  “And your hair, Claire!” he finished, as though the manic state of my curls was definitive evidence of my fall from grace.  Despite my exhaustion, I stood tall.

“Frank, we need to talk.”