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atths--twice · 2 years ago

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Faith and Hedy

Faith has been chosen as star of the week at preschool. You know Mulder is just as excited as she is with this news. ❤️ Number 54 in the family series.

March 16, 2023 9:30 p.m.

“Scully,” Mulder said, as he walked into the office and sat down on the overstuffed gray chair. “We need to talk about something.”

“What is it?” she asked, turning from the laptop to face him. “Is everything okay?”

“I just got an email from the school,” he said and she frowned looking over her shoulder at the laptop.

“I didn’t see an email,” she said. “But I haven’t checked it in a few minutes. Is everything alright?” She looked back at him, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

“Well…” He sighed and she drew in deep breath.

“Oh… it’s not something awful is it? Please don’t say it’s a virus. They already had the foot and mouth warning and I can’t take-”

“No. It’s not that.”

“Mulder…”

“Faith is going to be the star of the week,” he said with a grin. “They wanted us to know because it involves bringing home the class stuffed animal and taking pictures with it while she has it and then putting them into the class book, that will also come home with her, telling about what we did while it was with us.”

Scully stared at him and then turned back to her laptop with a shake of her head.

“What-”

“Mulder,” she said as she opened her email and clicked on the message from the school, reading it with a sigh. “You need to work on your delivery of good news as opposed to what could be a detrimental situation for all of us.”

“I thought you’d be happy. Faith has been wanting this for weeks now. She talks about it all the time.”

“I am happy,” she said, turning toward him again. “But you scared the shit out of me. I thought something awful was happening. Good news needs to be shared in a different way.” She raised her eyebrows and he smiled.

“Yeah. I suppose I probably could have had a better approach.”

“Probably?” she scoffed and he laughed, rising from the chair, coming closer to kiss her. But she pulled back, narrowing her eyes at him, then turned her head so he could kiss her cheek instead. “Oh, it’s like that is it?”

“It is for right now as I’m still imagining all the horrible things that could have been wrong.”

“Be more positive, Scully. See the light and not the darkness,” he teased and when she turned her head, a sarcastic comment most likely at the ready, he kissed her quickly on the lips and then jumped back before she could do anything.

“You dick,” she laughed, shaking her head. He winked and walked out of the room, laughing as a small couch pillow flew out behind him.

__________

“Daddy! Daddy!” Faith yelled as he walked into the classroom to pick her up the next afternoon. She ran to him, her smile huge. “Daddy! I get to be the star! I’m the star and I get to bring Hedy home with me.”

“Hedy?”

“Hedy the hedgehog! That’s her name, remember? I get to bring her home and have her for a whole week. That’s seven days, Daddy,” she said, as he picked her up and smiled, the shamrocks on her green headband bouncing.

“That’s right. So you’re the star of the week?”

“Yeah!” She threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly as he closed his eyes and hugged her back.

“That’s fantastic news, my love. I know you’ve been wanting this for a long time.”

“Mr. Mulder?”

Mulder opened his eyes and smiled at Faith’s teacher Miss Cole. She smiled back as she held the hedgehog, a large book, and a manilla folder.

“As you heard, Faith has been selected as our star of the week.”

“Yes, I did. We’re very excited.”

“Very, very excited,” Faith said, smiling and nodding at Miss Cole.

“Good, I’m very glad,” she said with a small chuckle. “This is Hedy’s book where you may add pictures, stories, stickers, drawings- whatever you’d like to do. Within reason, of course.” She gave Mulder a look and he nodded with an understanding smile. “Please only use four pages maximum, so we will have space for all of our other friends.”

“We’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time. Those pages will be filled in no time,” Mulder assured her.

“Wonderful. I’m excited to see what you will do with Hedy,” Miss Cole said, handing the hedgehog to Faith, who grinned as she took it, squeezing it happily.

“Honey, can you go get your backpack and stuff from your cubby while I take this stuff from Miss Cole?” Mulder asked Faith and she nodded. He set her down and she ran off to get her things.

“I want you to know,” Miss Cole said. “Every time Hedy is returned to us, she is washed, dried, and then placed on the shelf where we can see her, but not touch her. I fully understand if you also want to wash her, but I just wanted you to be aware that we do wash her when she is returned.”

“Thank you,” Mulder said with a nod. “That’s good to know and I’m sure she will also be receiving a wash once we’re home.”

“Completely understandable,” Miss Cole said as she smiled, looking down at the stuff she still held. “Here is everything else that you’ll need and instructions on what Faith gets to do when she comes back to school next week. I know we sent you an email, but it’s good to have a physical copy as well.”

“Thank you,” Mulder said, taking everything from her as he saw Faith talking to Sadie and showing her the hedgehog in her arms. “She’s really been excited for her turn with Hedy.”

“She’s a sweet little girl,” Miss Cole said, looking at Faith with a smile. “Always so kind and curious. I’m glad she’s so excited.”

Mulder smiled proudly at the praise bestowed upon Faith, nodding his head in agreement.

“Daddy!” Faith said, running back to him as she called goodbye to Sadie. “Can we take Hedy to the park? I think she will like the swings.”

“Sure we can. You ready?”

“Yes! Bye, Miss Cole. We’re going to take Hedy to the park.”

“Have fun with her, Faith. I can’t wait to see the pictures you will add to the book.” Miss Cole gave her a side hug and booped Hedy on the nose. “See you soon, Hedy.”

“Bye, Miss Cole,” Faith said, waving Hedy’s small foot, smiling at Miss Cole.

“Bye, Faith. Goodbye, Mr. Mulder.” She nodded at them and walked back to the other children.

“Alright! You ready to go try out some swings at the park, Hedy?” Mulder asked, shifting the things in his hands to take Faith’s backpack from her.

“Yeah!” Faith shouted, dancing the hedgehog happily in the air.

______________

“These are so cute,” Scully said, as they sat on the couch later that evening. She was looking through Mulder’s camera roll after Faith had gone to bed with Hedy, who had been washed and dried when they arrived at home. “She had a good first day. Mulder… you climbed up that small enclosed ladder? That was very ambitious of you considering that you nearly got stuck last time.”

“That was only because I had the backpack on,” he said, smiling as she looked at him. “I didn’t have it this time and well… I made it.”

“Barely, I’m sure,” she chuckled, scrolling to the next picture.

“Yeah, but look how great that picture turned out. She’s so beautiful, Scully. And kind and curious, Miss Cole said earlier today.”

“Did she? Oh, I love this one. The way she’s looking at you. God, she is so beautiful.”

“Like you,” he said, watching Scully look at Faith, running her fingers over the screen.

“Mmm,” she hummed, selecting pictures and sending them to her phone.

“Scully, I added them all to our shared account. You don’t need to do that,” he said.

“You always say that and then I find pictures in your phone that I’ve never seen before. And then when I am scrolling through them, you tell me that next time you will be sure to remember, but you don’t.”

“Whatever,” he said with a smile, knowing full well that she was right.

“I’d rather cover my bases than miss out.” She handed his phone back to him as she picked up her own and looked at the pictures that had arrived. “There. Now I have them.”

“Mmm,” he hummed, echoing her earlier response, smiling as he changed his phone's wallpaper to a picture of Faith, Hedy’s head poking out from the top of her jacket, as he pushed her on a swing.

“What other plans were you thinking of doing while we have Hedy with us?”

“Well… I’m glad you asked,” Mulder said, opening his notes app on his phone and showing her what he had jotted down.

“Oh… you’ve already made a list. It’s serious,” she said, scooting down a little and snuggling into him as he began to read her his list of ideas.

______________

Saturday, they went to the library for story hour, as well as for the planned arts and crafts activity. When everyone was seated in the reading room, Miss Lauren, the librarian, welcomed them and asked how they all were doing, Faith raised her hand.

“Yes?” Miss Lauren asked with a smile.

Faith stood up from her spot on the floor and walked up beside her. She turned to the other children and held Hedy out in front of her.

“Mulder,” Scully whispered as she grabbed his arm, her eyes huge as she looked at him.

“This is Hedy. I got her from my school. She’s a hedgehog and she’s excited to hear the stories.”

“Oh my God,” Mulder breathed, taking out his phone and quickly snapping some pictures.

“Well, that’s fantastic,” Miss Lauren said. “I’m so glad Hedy is here with us today. I’m sure she will really enjoy the stories that have been selected.”

“She will. She likes to hear all kinds of stories.”

“Good,” Miss Lauren said with a smile. “Thank you for sharing her with us, Miss…?”

“Faith.”

“Faith. That’s such a beautiful name,” Miss Lauren said, touching Faith’s back. “Thank you for sharing Hedy with us. Now if you take your seat, we can start reading the stories.”

“Okay,” Faith said, grinning at her and then sitting back down, Hedy held in her lap.

Miss Lauren smiled and looked over at them, shaking her head when Scully mouthed I’m sorry to her. Reaching for the first book, Miss Lauren began to read and Mulder showed Scully the pictures he had taken.

“God, but she’s adorable,” she whispered and he laughed silently, putting his phone away and watching Faith as she listened to the story.

_______________

Sunday afternoon, they went to Skinner and Rachel’s to celebrate Rachel’s birthday, which was coming up on Wednesday. Faith excitedly showed Hedy to everyone, telling them about being star of the week and getting to take care of Hedy.

“Have you been having fun with her?” Rachel asked as she held Hedy and exclaimed over how special it was for Faith to have her.

“Yes. We went to the library yesterday and she had pancakes with me this morning. She liked the syrup best. She said that it’s sticky like honey. Hedgehogs like honey, Raycho.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that, thank you for telling me, Faith,” Rachel said, handing Hedy back and winking at Mulder and Scully.

The twins each got to hold Hedy, Faith telling them about her, showing them her eyes and little feet. When Jacob put one of the feet in his mouth, Faith gasped and took it from him gently.

“No, Jacob. She doesn’t like that. Don’t put her in your mouth,” Faith said, wiping off Hedy’s foot.

“Maybe we put her up where the twins can’t get to her?” Scully suggested, squatting down to be at Faith’s level, and Faith frowned as she contemplated it.

“No. I will hold her and they can touch her, but not put her in their mouths. I want to share her, but not all the time.”

Scully stared at Mulder as she stood up, shaking her head in disbelief. He laughed quietly as he turned his attention to Faith, who was indeed allowing the twins to touch Hedy, but not hold her.

“The things she says. The way she thinks… it amazes me,” Scully said softly.

“She’s truly becoming her own person,” he agreed, snapping pictures and shaking his head.

____________

Monday afternoon they walked over to Violet and Denis’s house to show Hedy the life-sized wooden giraffe, Jafadine, that stood in their yard.

Faith carried Hedy on her shoulders, singing a song she had learned at school, stopping every once in a while to show Hedy flowers or rocks that she found interesting, continuing with her song when she began walking again.

Scully slipped her hand into Mulder’s and squeezed gently, Bella’s leash held in her other hand.

“Remember when walks used to take so long? Her short steps and love for the same things that still give her pause, halting us as we walked?” Scully asked, letting out a deep sigh.

“I do,” he agreed, squeezing her hand and glancing at her with a small smile. “Those days and the days of necessary seclusion seem so far away and yet also like it was yesterday.”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“But you know,” he said, letting go of her hand and putting his arm around her shoulders. “It’s like that video from ticky tock that Rachel showed you yesterday-”

“Do you mean TikTok?” she asked with a chuckle.

“Whatever it’s called,” he replied, pulling her closer. “That video she showed you, the one that made both of you cry, about how the baby you loved is replaced with a toddler you love just as much and then that toddler is replaced with a child and so on until all versions of the child leave all at once.” He stopped walking as the realization of the words hit him differently than they had when he had overheard them yesterday. “Oh… now I know why you were crying.”

“Yeah, thanks for the reminder. That was super great of you,” she said, wiping at her eyes.

“Ohhhhhh, Hedy, I love you. You’re the beeeeeest hedgehog in the whole entire universe,” Faith sang, spinning around with Hedy still on her shoulders.

They watched her dance around the dirt road in purple shoes, rainbow leggings under the sparkly green tutu she had worn on Saint Patrick’s Day, a pink fuzzy hoodie, her hair in two long ponytails, and they each sighed simultaneously.

“That day is far off, Mulder. So very far off. Let’s not taint today with those thoughts.”

“You said taint,” he whispered and she started to laugh, which broke through the sadness and brought them back. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, Bella whining beside them.

“Mommy. Daddy. Come on, Hedy wants to see Jafadine. She’s never seen a giraffe before,” Faith called to them.

“We’re coming, honey,” Mulder said, kissing Scully’s forehead as they stepped apart. “Don’t want to keep Miss Hedy waiting too much longer.”

Taking Scully’s hand again, they continued their walk, Faith holding Hedy high up when Jafadine came into view.

Pictures were taken with Jafadine and all the other wooden animals hidden throughout the yard, as well as with Violet and Denis themselves. They grinned happily as Hedy rested on Faith’s head while she stood between them, making a silly face.

They stayed for dinner, Faith needing to be carried home, tired from a long day of fun, Hedy safe and secure in the pocket of her hoodie.

______________

Tuesday they prepared the star of the week poster, writing down the answers that Faith gave them to the questions asked on the paper.

My name is: Faith Katherine Mulder I am: four years old My birthday is: on Halloween… ooooooo I have: blue eyes and dark brown hair My favorite color: pink and purple My favorite food: spaghetti and watermelon My favorite toy: the alien with the pink belly, the blue dragon, and the pretend kitchen My pets are: a cat named Grey, a dog named Bella, and lots of fish- but they don’t all have names. My family is: Mommy, Daddy, Unco, Raycho, Jacob and Elizabeth. I am happy: when I am with my family and my animals

“I think these answers give a wonderful description as to who you are, Faithy,” Mulder said, adding a family picture, all of them standing together in the snow at the Christmas tree farm, in the designated spot.

“What’s a describtion?” she asked, as she looked at the other pictures he had added: Faith dressed up in her alien costume on her second birthday, Bella and Grey sleeping together, Faith eating spaghetti, her face very messy, Faith helping the twins open their gifts on their first birthday, and Faith on her own, sitting on the porch swing staring out into the distance.

“Description,” he said, putting emphasis on the p and smiling at her. “It means telling someone about something. For instance, how would you describe Bella to me?”

Faith looked at Bella who was currently lying on the floor with Grey next to her, kneading softly into her side.

“Bella is a dog. She’s black and has… one, two, three, four legs and a long tail. She gives me kisses when she’s happy,” she said, looking at Mulder and smiling.

“That’s a great description,” he said with an answering smile.

“You have green eyes and brown hair, Daddy,” she said, leaning closer to him, searching his face as she touched his arm gently. “You’re tall and strong because you can carry me and Mommy. You’re nice and you love me.”

“Yes, Faithy,” he whispered, pulling her to him and closing his eyes as he held her close. “Yes, I do love you. Very much.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

When she pulled back, he glanced over at Scully who had her phone pointed at them. She smiled, her eyes shining, and nodded as his phone beeped beside him.

As Faith got down and walked over to Bella and Grey, he opened the message. Letting out a deep sigh, he looked at the pictures of him and Faith staring at each other intently and then hugging.

“Thank you,” he whispered, glancing up at Scully. She nodded as she slipped her phone into her pocket and he looked down at the pictures again, adding them to his camera roll.

____________

Wednesday, after picking Faith up from school, he took her to get something to eat.

“How was your day, my love?” he asked, taking a french fry from the basket, dipping it in ketchup, and taking a bite.

“It was good,” Faith said, adjusting Hedy on the table, making sure the straw to her small glass reached her mouth.

“That’s good,” Mulder said, smiling as he watched her. “The kids liked learning about you?”

“Yup. I got to be the line leader and to pick the after snack activity.”

“Wow, sounds like you had a great day. What activity did you pick?”

“Painting. I painted a sun and it’s wearing sunglasses,” she said with a giggle, looking at him and then taking a french fry for herself.

“Well, that makes sense since the sun is hot and very bright.”

“Yeah,” Faith said, looking at Hedy. “How many more days do I get to have her?”

“Two. You have to bring her back next time you go to school on Friday.”

“That’s not so many days,” she said with a sigh.

“No,” he said, trying not to smile. “But by the time you take her back, you will have had her for seven days, remember?”

“Yeah.”

“And we did a lot with her. We’ll have to start writing it all down and putting the pictures in the book tonight.”

“Will you take a picture of us now?” she asked, picking Hedy up and holding her as she pretended to feed her a french fry.

“Of course,” he answered, taking out his phone and snapping some pictures. She smiled when she saw them, showing them to Hedy as well.

When they left, Faith made sure to ask if Hedy could also have one of the balloons the restaurant offered, asking Mulder to tie it to her small paw. He obliged and on the outside bench, letting Faith borrow his sunglasses, he took pictures of them with their matching balloons, Faith laughing as she held the sunglasses to her face.

______________

“It’s our last night with Hedy. What would you like to do with her?” Scully asked, when they had come back from the afternoon spent with Rachel and the twins at an indoor play space.

Jacob and Elizabeth had stayed mostly in the area for smaller children, but Faith ran around all over, playing with everything that drew her eye. All the while, Hedy had gone with her in the little backpack Faith wore, her little head poking out through the zipper.

“I don’t know,” Faith said with a sigh. “I don’t want her to go. I like having her with me.”

“I know, honey,” Scully said, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. “But it’s time for someone else to have fun with her, just like it was time for you to have fun with her.”

“I know,” Faith said, burrowing into Scully’s arms, who looked up at Mulder with a smile.

“Oh… I got it,” he said, snapping his fingers. “I just thought of something that I don’t think Hedy has done with us yet, maybe even ever.”

“What?” Faith asked, her voice muffled.

“She hasn’t watched the stars come out while we lay on a blanket in the yard. Remember when we did that last summer?” he asked.

“It was warmer then,” Scully said, giving him a pointed look as she rubbed Faith’s back.

“It will be a little cold,” he agreed with a shrug. “But, we’ll dress warmly and bring some extra blankets with us to wait for the stars. We might even see a shooting star.”

“Do you think we will?” Faith said, sitting up to look at him, sniffling quietly.

“You never know with stars,” he said, raising his eyebrows as he smiled at her. “What do you say? You in?”

“Yeah,” she answered, grinning and nodding her head.

“Then let’s get busy gathering all the things we will need.”

Fifteen minutes later, he was putting down a large tarp that had been in the shed, heavy rocks holding it in place. Three thick yoga mats were rolled out, large sleeping bags were zipped together, and pillows and extra blankets were added to their makeshift bed.

Popcorn and bottles of water were brought out and once everyone was ready, the lights inside and out were turned off and they lay together in the sleeping bags, blankets on top of them, waiting to watch the stars come out.

Faith, lying between them, leaned her head against Mulder’s arm and set Hedy on his chest, lying on her back so she could look up at the sky. He smiled at Scully over Faith’s head and she smiled back.

“You know what to do if you see a shooting star, right Hedy?” Mulder asked and Faith shook Hedy’s body in a no motion. “Well, if you see one flying past, you close your eyes and you quickly make a wish.”

“Can it be for anything you want?” Faith asked and Mulder nodded.

“It sure can.”

“If I see one, I’ll wish Hedy could always stay with us,” she said softly and Scully hummed. “I know I have to take her back tomorrow, but I can still wish.”

“Sure you can, baby,” Scully said, turning to look at her, smiling at Mulder.

“Okay.”

They lay there for a while, Bella running around and coming over for occasional kisses and pets, watching the sky darken and the stars twinkling. Scully pointed out the constellations to Faith, telling her about the Greek mythology attached to them.

“I like the Pegasus one,” Faith said with a yawn, snuggling close to Scully. “But Hedy likes Cassiopeia.”

She yawned again, holding Hedy tightly in her arms, and Mulder smiled at her. Scully cuddled her, humming softly, as Faith yawned again.

He looked back up at the sky, at the constellations Scully had pointed out. He found Hercules, his own favorite, and kept staring when suddenly a star shot across the sky.

“Faithy! Did you-” he asked, turning his head to look at her, but he saw that she had fallen asleep and by the looks of it, Scully was not far off. “No, you didn’t see.”

He smiled and made a wish for all of them, for continued good health and happiness.

Taking out his phone, he moved carefully, getting one last picture of the time they spent with Hedy.

_____________

He carried the big book as they walked to the classroom, Faith’s pages full of pictures and stories of what they had done with Hedy. Faith had added stickers and written her name and Hedy’s under one of the pictures, smiling at it proudly.

“You ready?” he asked, taking Faith’s hand and giving it a squeeze. She sighed as she shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, I know, honey. Hey, hang on a second.” He stopped walking and squatted down in front of her. “Mommy and I were talking last night about how much you’re going to miss Hedy.”

“I will miss her,” Faith said, looking at Hedy with sad eyes.

“I know. So Mommy and I came up with an idea, but I’ll leave the decision to you.”

“What is it?”

“Well, we were thinking that maybe we could find a hedgehog stuffie that looks like Hedy. It might not be the exact same, but it would be a hedgehog. Would you like to have one?”

“It won’t be just like her?”

“I don’t know, honey. We could look and see what we could find.”

“Like the fairy doll?” she asked. “The one I lost and we couldn’t find her again?”

“But we found one like it? Yeah. What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” she said, looking at Hedy. “I like this one, but my turn is over now.”

“It is,” he said, watching her face as she stared at Hedy.

“I don’t know, Daddy.” She raised her blue eyes to him and he smiled, kissing her forehead.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now. How about you think about it while you’re at school today and let me know when I pick you up. Does that sound like a good plan?”

“Okay,” she said, smiling as she squeezed Hedy.

“Great,” he said, hugging her tightly for a second. Letting her go, he stood up and reached for her hand again.

They walked into the classroom and she hurried to put her stuff in her cubby as he walked over to Miss Cole to hand her the book.

“Thank you,” she said, taking it and smiling in Faith’s direction. “We’ll all look at it together during circle time and discuss the things Faith did with Hedy.”

“She really had fun with her. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled as the children began to surround her and Mulder took that at his cue to leave.

Finding Faith in the play area with Hedy, he tapped her shoulder and then squatted down when she turned to look at him.

“I’m gonna get going now, love. You have fun. Bye, Hedy. It was nice having you with us this past week.” He shook Hedy’s small foot and gave Faith a kiss. “Bye, hon.”

“Bye, Daddy. I’ll think about my decision to tell you later,” she said, her tone very serious. He fought back a smile as he nodded.

“Okay. Take your time, Faithy. Bye, love.”

“Bye bye,” she said, turning back to the play area and pouring Hedy a cup of tea.

He walked out of the classroom and back to the car, his thoughts on what Faith’s decision would be.

Sitting in the car, he looked through the Hedy photo album and smiled. It had been fun to have her and see how Faith played with and shared her with others.

Nodding, he opened an app and began to search for a stuffed hedgehog that was similar to Hedy.

In case Faith decided she wanted one, he would be ready with options for her to pick from, the thought of the happiness in her blue eyes all the motivation he needed.

#post season 11 #xf fanfic #the x files #msr #love #happy #family life: the story beyond the series #domestic life #domestic fluff #fluff fluff fluff #preschool #friends and family #celebrating their life in real time #sweetness #star of the week

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medicaldoctordana · 2 years ago

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I do love Glen Morgan and James Wong's team writing. Their last episode was Never again before their return in season 10...

Not me typing this post and wanting to fact check myself and listing all of their episodes that the two of them wrote and finding they are actually some of the most fucked up and absolute wild x-files episodes that exist. Yes a couple are hits but holy heck these two guys wrote all THOSE episodes!!!!!

Never Again

TFWID

Home

Die Hand Die Verletzt

One Breath

Little Green Men

Tooms

E.B.E.

Beyond the Sea

Ice

Shadows

Squeeze

Blood

Musings of CSM

Home Again

This

Founder's Mutation

Ghouli

(Nothing Lasts Forever)

#glen morgan #james wong #it makes sense now why no one voted for them lol #the x files #some of these episodes ARE very good episodes but they are also very out there and out of the box episodes #which to me is classic x files so i love and accept them #i know some of you have ur attachments to tfwid but that episode is not for me at all #home is the most fucked up but i also will watch that episode due to the impact it had on television in the 90's and how grotesque it is #DHDV is the snake one right the snake lady with the cult thing?#one breath... need i say anything? what was that #LGM yes sexy cute mulder but also wtf guys that ep threw a huge wrench in the mythology #Squeeze & tooms okay Eugene a legend but very fucked up! In a good fun way!#e.b.e. is just silly fun from what i remember might just be the bts footage for filming that ep that i love sm #beyond the sea another well loved ep that is simply not for me i do not care for it #ice <3 #shadows <3 #blood was bad?? I think???#3 we dont need to talk about i find it to be very boring #musings of csm.... no thanks #and im no expert on season 10 or 11 but i think only this and nlf were good of those ones.

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babyjapril · 3 months ago

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arizona and alex anon here

thank you!

take all the time you need!

I made the set, i hope it's fine.😁

#ask #anonymous #honestly i don't usually gif scenes beyond season 11 unless they're japril related #i did this once but i'm not sure i will again so if anyone has any requests in the future

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liopleurodean · 1 year ago

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Season 11, Episode 15: Beyond The Mat

This is so fake

People enjoy this?

This makes no sense to me

Finally, something I understand

Nice

That sounds like John

Not like they can do much about it

Sam.

Touch grass

Yeah, this tracks

Yikes

Sure

That's disgusting

Egh. That's nasty

Dean's fangirling so hard

I think he deserves it

I don't think I can watch

Yikes

That's hilarious and so on-brand

Wow

He didn't exactly have a bed

Yeah, I can imagine

That's definitely not what happened

Yeah, sure

I like the outfit

Wow.

It's not about money anymore

Dean, you do that everyday

Yeah, they would know

Fair

Well that sucks

Well, at least Dean is having fun

Dean. You're not a child

Yikes

Not the steel chair 😭

Definitely super staged

Wait, I know this song!

Modern Day Cowboy by Tesla. It's in my Dean playlist apparently, which is hilarious

He is too drunk to be looking after a kid

Oh, poor kid, he doesn't deserve to lose his dad like that

That's one way to put it

Have fun

Dean.

Smooth

Okay, Kool-Aid Man

Nice.

Uh huh

What does that mean?

Yeah, okay

Wow. That was a good one

She's nice for a demon

Ah. Okay

I would not want to be standing on a felt table in stilettos

Back on track

Yeah, I can't imagine those places are very safe

I wonder what monster that was?

Yikes

Yeah...

The Winchesters would know

Witches, maybe?

Oh. Could be anything

Harley dude

This can't end well

He needs a chill pill

Good idea

Dean.

Nice

He's barely alive

Not even remotely

...did he just fart?

Good for her

Awesome

Definitely Harley

Give him a minute, he's back in Hell

Well.

Crowley's back

They took him

Gunnar?

He passed the holy water check

Spooky

It was the cheapest shot

Gunnar is working for someone

The dealer

Ah. Crossroads demon. That explains a lot

Yeah

It's a pretty big favor, actually

You've already attracted too much attention

Good for him

And he doesn't want to be there

I respect that

Yikes

Oh, I don't want to think about that

Interesting

ARE THOSE THE SUPERNATURAL BOOKS?

Whoa.

Uh oh

Why did they do that.

Well crap

Ouch

Sure

I'm sure he did

Yeah, he really should have guessed

He's not even wrong

Taller?

What does that mean???

Never meet your heroes

Not Good

Blease. Stop calling him puppy 😭

Poof

Got the finesse

Nice

Time to go

Oh boy

I don't believe that

That's his specialty

Yikes

Yeah. He does.

One-time use, man

Nice

Rip Crowley

Because that makes sense

Why?

There it is

Hellhounds

Dean knows

Poor guy

They don't want to be in the way

Nope

A million times

Yeah.

Darn right

#ashla chick flick moments #supernatural #season 11 episode 15 #beyond the mat

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alargehunkofdebris · 1 year ago

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Why There’ll Never Be Another Good Omens 2 Experience

The strangest thing happened after a few days post my watching of S2. I got a wave of real, bittersweet sadness.

Not due to the obvious – I was dealing with that too, but with more excitement than anything – but because I realized something, as a writer and consumer of media. I realized that it’s unlikely I’ll ever get a media experience close to what I experienced at the end of Good Omens 2. Because really, its setup was absolutely unparalleled – in general, and for myself personally.

I am currently writing my third romance, and what I’ve learned primarily about the genre, the way for it to really work, is that there needs to be something keeping the couple apart initially. The more things keeping the couple apart, the stronger the romance hits. The more the couple clashes with each other, the better it is. Societal norms, class issues, initial dislike, literal danger—all these aspects are what make a romance a story. It’s that conflict that creates the compelling narrative. No romance was ever popular because things worked out well from the beginning – it’s that “look at what we were, and look at us now” aspect that gives readers/watchers that satisfaction. It’s the “I can’t believe this happened” effect. The “I would never have foreseen this” effect. The “they’ll never be together” effect. It’s why forbidden romances are so incredibly popular.

Another aspect that makes a romance story really work well is the amount of time it takes for the romance to develop. A couple that gets together after a few days? Eh, it’s tricky. You better make it really dramatic somehow. A great example is Titanic – class differences, betrothal, and a huge amount of danger threatens this couple, so them being in love after only a few days works. But what really sells this one is because we can see how this romance has survived beyond those few days. We see it 80 years in the future, still there, in the memory of Rose. That is why it hits so hard. Romances that span over long periods of time (especially ones that are bittersweet/tragic) hit so much more than ones spanning a short period.

But wait! There’s more!

You can up this effect by not only having the romance take time in story…but having it take time in real life, for the viewer/reader.

This is why romances in TV shows that take years to finally work out are so compelling. It’s that “Pam and Jim” effect, that will-they-won’t-they deal. We are waiting right along with them, and we’re feeling that same relief when all those things keeping them apart finally fall away. This is harder to pull off, because there’s never that guarantee that the story will make it that far. TV shows get cancelled, creators lose interest or die, etc. So it’s not just “Will They, Won’t They,” it’s “Will They, Won’t They, Can They Even Try?”

This is also compounded by that fear that it won’t happen in-story after all, and while in romances you’re pretty positive that things work out (they kinda have to, for it to be labeled a “romance”) in other media, there’s always that possibility. Look at Community – there’s a forbidden/conflict-ridden romance that didn’t end up working out, even though it was “Will They, Won’t They”d for six entire seasons. You also then have shows and ships where fans are almost sure it won’t happen, but still hold out hope. (See: Supernatural, Sherlock, etc.)

Now. Now look at Good Omens. Look at that absolutely unparalleled, unbelievable set up. It’s unbelievable because it takes almost every single thing that makes a romance compelling, and not only uses all of them, but dials them up to 11.

Why are they at odds? Why are they forbidden from being together?

Because they are literally the most opposing forces you can imagine in Western Canon. They are the Angel Guarding The Gate and The Serpent of Eden. The literal only way you could’ve made this a bigger deal would’ve been to make it God and Satan, and even that would’ve not hit as hard, because it’d be like two CEOs getting together – there’s no fear of a higher power adding that delicious conflict. And to add to all this, in real life, the couple is portrayed as two men, which adds that second meta level of conflict.

And what fear/danger is keeping this couple apart?

Not just familial disappointment—but disappointment from God and Heaven and Hell. Not just moral guilt, but the guilt of potentially dooming the entire Earth. And finally, on top of that, the very real danger of being killed. Not only that, but making it as though you never even existed.

And in real life, they face all those roadblocks that queer couples in media have been battling for years and years, but I'll talk about that more in a second.

Okay, then Time. How long have they been kept apart?

For…all of it.

All of the time that ever existed.

They, quite literally, could not have been kept apart longer.

And this leads into those final two points, the ones that actually really sell it. Because I can sit down right now and write a story about an angel and a demon falling for each other at the beginning of time against all odds…but what I can’t do is to have already written it thirty-three years ago.

That’s how long this story has existed. Thirty. Three. Years.

I’m not even counting how this is using characters that have existed as opposing forces for thousands of years. I’m not even saying that, even though that’s also a part of it. But besides that, this story, this exact story started thirty-three years ago, and is still being continued by the author to this day.

Do you know how uncommon that is?

Yes, we have canon that has lasted for many, many years. Hundreds. We get new versions of beloved older stories ever year. But it’s so very rare that they are by the same creator. We get new Sherlock Holmes content, but it is not written by Arthur Conan Doyle. This, on the other hand, is actual canon content, written by the author of the original. That is unbelievably rare.

That means we’ve got a fandom where some people have grown up with these characters. People who read it at twenty are fifty-three. People who read it at fifty are eighty-three. Kids who saw their parents reading the book now have children of their own. It is a cult classic that has been in the hearts of so many people for generations. Me, personally, I fell in love with it ten years ago, at age twenty, at the very beginning of my own writing journey. This story means so much to people, because it’s stood that test of time.

And yet, this story was never explicitly romantic. So many saw it that way, but it was never something confirmed. Because this was a book from the 90s, at a time where this kind of romance just wasn’t in popular media if it wasn’t played as a joke. It was, back then, the same kind of “forbidden” as a romance between angel and demon. So people imagined, but they never expected anything more. And they’ve continued not expecting more, because even in the 2019 first season, there was never any true confirmation of anything, and people accepted it. You have a 33-year-old story here – it’s possible that this major change/confirmation could happen, but all things considered, it was unlikely. You would never blame the creator for not making major developments to a story they wrote with their late friend a lifetime ago. And no one in production was saying a word to confirm or deny, but we’ve seen all this before. It was a Will-They-Won’t-They…Probably-Not situation.

And then you have the end of S2.

And that's where that bittersweet sadness comes in for me, personally. Not at a huge level, not to the point where I'd have it any other way, but it's there regardless. Because I realized that this was a unique situation that could never be replicated, for me, and likely for many, especially readers of the book pre-show. In all likelihood, I would never again experience a romantic payoff like this one. Because it was the most forbidden of forbidden romances, the couple of which have been kept apart by the worst of all dangers and highest level of guilt for the longest amount of time literally possible, written over a real-life span of time where this kind of romance went from “completely taboo even in real life” to “finally acceptable in popular media,” written by the same creator, and not confirmed as canon until the story reached the age of Jesus Christ himself.

And the real kicker is, even after everything these two literally star-crossed lovers have gone through…they’re still being kept apart. They’ve still not taken down those final, seemingly insurmountable barriers between them. It wasn’t a “here you go 😊” move to make long-time fans happy – it’s being used as a perfect, painful plot point. After 33 years, we’re still having to wait longer.

Chef's kiss. Couldn’t have been a better set up if it was mathematically calculated. And yet, the best part is that it happened organically.

It just works.

#good omens #good omens 2 spoilers #go2 spoilers #good omens 2 #gos2 spoilers #good omens s2 spoilers #good omens spoilers #good omens season 2 #good omens season 2 spoilers #gos2 #good omens meta #good omens 2 meta #neil gaiman

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yahoo201027 · 1 year ago

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Day in Fandom History: June 11…

When Finn finds and touches a porcelain lamb, it teleports him into a world where no one but himself and the Ice King can see him and ends up teaming with the Ice King to find a way to escape. “Beyond this Earthly Realm” premiered on this day, 11 Years Ago.

#Day in Fandom History #11 Years Ago #Adventure Time #Season 4 #Episode 11 #Beyond this Earthly Realm #Cartoon #Animation

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chimaerakitten · 1 year ago

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You know, I sometimes think about how timing really effects our engagement with a story. Not in the “you love that story because it came into your life at the right moment” sense, but in the sense that where and how much you waited for it changes your reaction.

People on tumblr talk about the community that comes from weekly episodes of a show, etc but I’m talking more about like, the way watching a show after it’s over will change your reactions to it even entirely independent of spoilers. There’s lots of shows and book series I’ve liked all the way through or even loved, which have die hard contingents of fans who were disappointed the ending or bailed after hating a middle installment.

And often I can look at those things and go “yeah, I probably wouldn’t like this as much if I’d been forced to sit on that middle season for a year, or wait eight years for that final book” but even though I can see that, it’s overshadowed by the way I personally got to breeze right past the quality dip season and I picked up book 11 two days after book 10 so I didn’t have any built up expectations, and as a consequence I liked things that other people didn’t.

And I don’t think either experience—the old fan who waited and had their hopes dashed and the new fan who never built up hopes—is really more real than the other, having been in both camps in various fandoms, but I think it’s interesting that the entirely beyond the fourth wall factor of waiting time can have such an impact on the most die hard of fanbases when the canon is exactly the same

#I’m pretty sure my MASH opinions are wildly different #from anyone who didn’t watch all 11 seasons in a one-month-long fugue state #is what I’m saying #the kitten rambles

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ghost-proofbaby · 2 months ago

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september love (e.m.)

eddie finds you awake on the first night he's home from the hospital, and wonders what you're thinking.

pairing: eddie munson x reader

warnings: mentions of canon ending of season 4, except eddie didn't die. mentions of hospital and medical procedures (in passing). sort of sad, sort of not. a little bit of angst? hurt/comfort. religious imagery (specific mentions of heaven).

wc: 1.7k+

an: this was just some sort of weird rambling upon seeing the poem mentioned above at like 11 pm? 1 am? who knows. time is a construct. also, reader is compared to a 'violent' dog/animal during eddie's recovery, and if you like this metaphor/vibe, then i strongly suggest and urge you to go read @myosotisa's fic Half Life. she does it far more beautifully than i ever could, and it is one of my favorite fics. ever.

Your head is on his chest.

Your temple and your ear are flush with the soft cotton of his wrinkled t-shirt, the one he insisted upon sleeping on his first night home, and it’s all you can think about. The smell of week old laundry, the stubborn linger of a cologne gifted too long ago to remember the worn name of. A steady heartbeat that still pumps along a little too slow for your liking. The rise and fall of each promised breath that you force your lungs to pace themselves with. Just enough heat radiating off of him to keep you warm, here in bed, here in the dim light of twilight as he rests.

No tubes and no IVs to worry about. No nurses barging in every ten minutes. No beeping of a dozen machines to be your symphony tonight.

No, you don’t need a machine now to keep track of his heart rate. You’ve learned to do that entirely on your own; your heart has learned how to match his with each dulled thump against the skin you cling to through this dingy old t-shirt.

It can’t be long after 3 AM, the moonlight almost as bright as a rising sun as it peeks itself in through the curtains of the window, as if whispering to check if you might still be awake.

And you are. And all you can think about, is your head on his chest.

It’s been over a month since you’ve had this type of moment with Eddie. A moment where you’re truly, sincerely, utterly alone with him. Privacy had become a delicacy that you weren’t aware of the fragility of. You hadn’t understood its importance until you had to bask in its absence, always on edge for the next body to walk into the room and take the air out of your lungs. Always anxious for the next sound of news, always worried for the next shoe to drop.

You’d forgotten what it had felt like for Eddie to twitch his fingers along your spine in his sleep, and for you to be the only witness to his quiet worship, even unconscious.

Your lips part, and you almost consider whispering hard truths into the trembling night air. There’s a million and one dying words cementing your tongue to the roof of your mouth, and you know that every single one you could even manage to utter would only make you sound like a broken record.

I’m sorry this happened to you.

I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.

I’m sorry I couldn’t prevent it.

All things already said to him when he had been drifting in and out of consciousness in that hospital bed. All apologies already buried between muted sobs as you’d clutched his knuckles a little tighter than you should have, a little too selfish in the moment to wonder if it might be hurting him. The only thing on your mind had been keeping him, holding him, feeling him. He was alive – he was alive. And for the first seven nights of his endless rest, all you could wonder is for just how much longer that desperate prayer could ring true.

Would he leave you again? Would he lose the fight?

You can’t recall without bias which one of you had been the true wounded animal in that little room, scented with burning bleach and cacophonies of nearby patients just beyond the curtains.

Eddie, looking up at the police who had finally come once he woke, eyes big and teary as he’d tried to wrap his head around his new reality.

You, baring teeth and claws at them in the end, ready to bite hard at anyone who got too close.

It wasn’t just the police. It was everyone.

It was the same juxtaposition between the two of you at those nurses who would interrupt the nights, always frowning so dutifully at the sight of your carefully curled figure at Eddie’s side. When friends and family came to visit, and they all had the same look of disbelief. As if they were about to tell you that you had imagined it all; he hadn’t survived, he hadn’t come back to you, you were imagining it. You’d been all bark and awaiting bite towards Steve Harrington and the newly revived Jim Hopper, all the same. Their figures bore no difference to you when it came to protecting what was so holy to you. Him, Eddie, here and alive. Eddie, who slept enough for the both of you those nights. The pain in your back from all the uncomfortable hours spent in that little chair at his bedside was insignificant, all the headaches you’d endured from the smell of iodine that still clung to the air after every surgery were pitiful attempts at the Universe removing you from him.

If you could, you might try to recall your reaction when Dustin Henderson had babbled on through tears as to what had happened to Eddie when the two were left alone. His final act of heroism, or so he thought.

But you can’t. Right here, right now, you aren’t capable of living in the past. You’ve been haunted enough these last few weeks, and all your numb mind can handle is counting the beats of his heart. Like the rhythm of a song – 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. Staccato verses that you sometimes whisper in time, getting worried when they don’t follow the infallible metronome you’ve set for him.

“You’re still awake.”

The murmur of his voice is a drink of cold water, startling in the dark greys and blues wrapping the two of you up.

You lift your head ever so slightly against your better judgment, “Go back to sleep, love.”

“Touche.”

You can see his grin even through the shadows. It’s weak, not yet quite as vibrant as it once had been, but it’s there. He’s still alive. He’s still grinning.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” The pads of his fingertips are more intentional against your spine now, longer strokes and mindless shapes, “I’ve got a penny in my pocket if you tell me.”

His words are only slightly slurred. Probably residual of the pain medication they’d prescribed him.

“I wasn’t thinking about anything,” you say, and you mean it.

You hadn’t been thinking. You had just been listening to his heart and his breaths, feeling the weight of him beneath you.

Little things you had taken for granted once upon a time. Never again, your soul aches as you let your head drop back to his chest carefully. Never again.

“You’re just laying awake, not thinking about anything, at…” he trails off, turning his cheek and squinting in the direction of the alarm clock across the room. The glow is dim, and you know you’ll have to change the batteries soon, “Four in the morning?”

4 AM. Last you had checked, it had been 3 AM. You hadn’t even noticed an hour had passed.

“Is that really so hard to believe?” you smile up at him, and it’s just as sincere as your words had been. When his honey brown eyes meet yours, warmth drizzles down your entire being. Across your brain, down your spine, wrapping around your limbs. You could spend an eternity here, simmering in his warmth, content to your heart’s fullest capability.

You’d almost lost him. You’d almost lost this warmth.

You take a second to memorize his features. Studying him as if you didn’t already know every curvature, every freckle, every winkle better than you knew your own soul. You’re looking at him as if you may never look at him again, and he can tell.

He doesn’t have to say that he gets it. His hand simply wanders up to cup your face, basking in you as you were him. Two souls, intertwining over overlapping legs and synchronized heartbeats, and he doesn’t have to say a word.

The moment his fingers card into your baby hairs, you’re turning your mouth quickly to that warm palm. One, two, three kisses. Quick pecks, rapid succession. A secret language that you know he, and only ever he, can begin to understand.

I love you.

It drowns out all sorrow, all guilt, all hauntings. Your cracked lips, and the feeling of those lines across his palms. If there is a Heaven, it’s not somewhere in a pearly gated kingdom above. There are no hark angels and there is no bearded man awaiting.

It’s here. It’s now. It’s 4 AM, in bed with your lover, getting to experience moments you’d come so close to losing for eternity.

Do the poets know? They must. All the love, all the adoration, in both your bodies is too abundant for them to not feel it. To not write about it.

“Go back to bed, love,” you repeat almost a perfect imitation of your first command when he had awakened, and this time, his eyelids flutter with your words, “I’m not gonna disappear between now and sunrise. I promise.”

“No,” he quickly whispers back as his eyes fully shut, and your palms smooth out the wrinkles of the shirt to feel the ridges of scars hidden for now. Scars he’s ashamed of, for now. Scars you’d one day show all the love in the world to, sacred proof that he came back to you, only once he was ready. One day. “But you’re looking at me like I might.”

His words are heavy in the shades of violet now sinking into the room. But the moon is high in her sky, and the crickets are chirping to the East, and he’s right.

You’re terrified the daylight will steal him from you. You’re terrified the new day might tear away all that you’ve sunk your teeth into.

“I’m not going to,” he mumbles around a yawn, arms slowly encasing you, pulling you in closer, “I’m not going anywhere. Yeah?”

He’s back with that warmth, coaxing you right back into heavenly notions with him. You let him; he baits you, and you follow.

“Yeah.”

It’s a sigh. Of hopefulness, of relief, of belief.

This time, the I love you is more than a prayer repeated in your mind. And he somehow manages to say it back, just as he begins to slip back under. Still holding you and hands still twitching where they rest against your back.

Let daylight come. You aren’t capable of worrying about it, or stressing about all that has happened. You aren’t capable of thinking about anything right now, because only one thing matters as your temple and ear find his heartbeat once more.

Your head is on his chest.

eddie's taglist: @capricornrisingsstuff @thisisktrying @mediocredreams @vol2eddie @corrcdedcoffin

@ches-86 @alovesongtheywrote @its-not-rain @feralchaospixie @cheesypuffkins87

@thebook-hobbit @babez-a-licious @eddies-acousticguitar @aysheashea@kellsck

@cosmorant @billyhvrgrove-main @micheledawn1975 @eddiesxangel @siriuslysmoking

@witchwolflea @tlclick73 @magicalchocolatecheesecake @mizzfizz @nanaminswhore

@mikiepeach @ali-r3n @hawkebuckley @alwaysbeenfamous @darkyuffie-blog

@vintagehellfire @lilmisssiren @elvendria@loveryanax@stylexrepp

@princessstolas @fangirling-4-ever @eddiesguitarskills @babez-a-licious @josephquinnsfreckles

@writinginthetwilight @trixyvixx @kittydeadbones @munson-addict @bluejeangenies

@cryingglightningg @joannamuns9n @missmarch-99 @rhirojo@findmeincorneliastreet

#ghost's stories #eddie munson #stranger things #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson angst #eddie munson x you #eddie munson comfort #alright now to get ready for my tattoo appointment

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imaginespazzi · 5 months ago

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Part 1: Simple Things

Masterlist - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11

Cause your presence still lingers here (it won't leave me alone)

(In which a procrastinating writer starts another series to continuously procrastinate on)

Pairing: Paige Bueckers X Azzi Fudd

Themes: Angst, Pining

Words: 5.8K (lowkey shocked I managed that)

TW: Swearing (I think that's it?)

A/N: Hello my lovelies <3 Look at me not being a liar! I'mma try to be good with updates but we all know me. This first chapter is mainly buildup and it's not my favorite but it's important to get the plot rolling. I know very little about California and it's going to become more and more apparent throughout this series so everyone who knows Cali, just pretend thanks! Did I edit? Yes. Are there probably still mistakes? Also yes. As always, let me know what you liked, what you disliked, and what you wanna see next!

February 2033

“Anywhere but GSV,” Paige says adamantly, staring at the white wall in front of her, instead of her exasperated agent.

Talia lets out a deep sigh, perfectly manicured sharp red nails tapping incessantly against her desk. For the most part, Paige is a dream client and when Talia says jump, she says how high. It’s easy to trust Talia’s vision when she hasn’t let her down once since Paige’s management company has assigned her to their basketball sensation. But most of those decisions had been about endorsement opportunities, opportunities that wouldn’t have other ramifications on the rest of Paige’s life, opportunities that didn’t come with personal consequences.

“Paige-”

“How about the Sparks?”

“They’re not offering nearly as much.”

“I’m okay with taking a pay-.”

“You do not pay me as much as you do for me to let you finish such a stupid sentence.”

“Fine,” Paige spins around in her swivel chair, “you’re telling me nobody else is offering me anything as big as GSV.”

“Well I mean Indiana…” Talia trails off, barely able to hide an impish grin at Paige’s pronounced eyeroll, “and of course you could always just stay in Dallas.”

Paige winces at the mention of the current team. With one championship and two MVP campaigns under her belt, it would be incorrect to say her time with the Wings hadn’t been fruitful but she’d never felt quite at home here. And that had been before the personnel changes had hit Dallas and suddenly, the team coming off a near perfect season with a trophy in their hand, was struggling to keep themselves in playoff contention. Paige had stuck it out two more seasons after, a testament to her loyal nature and desire to start and finish her career at the same place like many legends had done but ultimately enough had been enough and she’s come to terms with the fact that she’s not meant to be a part of the Wings forever.

“Can’t you try talking to the Sparks again?” she says, hands massaging her temple as she resorts to begging, “it’s fucking L.A. they’ve got to have some money lying around somewhere.”

“Even if they did, you and I both know the Sparks aren’t a good fit basketball wise either. GSV has everything you’re looking for. They need a PG and you need a championship contender who’s offering you a deal like they are. You can’t throw all of that away just because-”, Talia bites her lip, catching herself before she can vocalise out loud the real reason they’re having such a complicated conversation about what should be a simple decision.

Paige swallows uncomfortably, skin prickling with that all too familiar fire that spreads through her veins every time her past brushes a little too close to her present. It would be impossible to keep them from ever colliding, but for almost a decade now, Paige has managed to keep them separate beyond absolute necessity. She’s done the cordial handshakes when the Wings played the Valkyries and given due diligent praise when the media had asked about the competition, but that was it. More than that would have been like willingly walking into a fire with kerosene all over her body. And Paige can’t do that, not when the burn marks from years and years ago, still haven’t healed.

“Team chemistry is important,” Paige says finally, “I might be an on-court fit at GSV but that won’t matter if it’s a disaster off the court.”

Talia sighs and Paige can tell she’s fighting the urge to whack her head against her desk, “it’s been years Paige. You've lived a whole life without each other. The two of you are adults. You’re professionals and you’re two of the best goddamn players in the league. You have the same goal; you want to win. You don’t think you can put that behind you to get you both what you want?”

You've lived a whole life without each other

It’s like a well-aimed arrow that barely breaks skin but shatters something underneath, something buried deep within, something she should have gotten rid of years ago but hasn’t been able to let go of yet. Something that feels a lot like a forever she’d never gotten to live out and an always that had flown out of her reach. And Paige knows nobody lives the life they’d expected to live at fifteen or even eighteen but the truth is that most of her dreams had come true. The only thing missing was the person she’d expected to be there by her side when they did.

“Okay listen,” Talia begins again, “here’s what’s gonna happen.”

“Bossy,” Paige smirks, bracing herself, knowing she’s not about to like the next words out of Talia’s mouth.

“You’re going to go to San Francisco,” the older woman raises a silencing hand the minute Paige tries to protest, “you’re going to meet the front office, you’re going to meet the GM and you’re going to tour their facilities. And if after talking with them and seeing all they have to offer, if it’s still not enough to counter having to play with her, then we can revisit this conversation.”

“Can I say no?” Paige tilts her head with a sigh.

Talia smirks and it’s enough for Paige to let her head finally hit the table, “your flight leaves in two days.”

***

Azzi wakes up to a light weight sprawled over her back and tiny fingers rubbing circles against her temple. She can’t help but smile, keeping her eyes closed and listening to the sound of her daughter’s quiet breathing as the little girl continues her ministrations. It’s a new skill she’s been taught, to wake her mom up like this instead of screaming. So far, Azzi think’s it’s been a successful transition.

“Mama,” Stephie whispers in Azzi’s ear, “are you awake yet cause I really really want waffles.”

Azzi laughs, finally flipping herself over and Stephie squeals as she goes from on top of her mother, to landing on the bed, “I thought you said you wanted pancakes last night?”

“I did,” a thoughtful look crosses the five-year-old's eyes, “I think I changed my mind.”

“You think?” Azzi suppresses a smile. It’s uncanny really how she’d given birth to her perfect mini-me. The moment the nurses had placed the tiny little creature into her waiting hands, she’d noticed immediately how much it felt like looking through a door into her childhood. And with every passing day, it seems Stephie morphs more and more into Azzi. From the way her face betrays her every emotion to the way she can’t make a decision to save her life, it’s all Azzi and really it makes sense, because Stephie is all Azzi’s.

“Yes,” Stephie nods matter-of-factly as she sits up onto her knee and pulls at Azzi’s blanket, “so can you get up and make me waffles now?”

“Oh of course I can, your highness,” Azzi says dramatically, rising off the bed and letting Stephie climb onto her back, “would you like chocolate sauce or maple syrup with that your majesty?”

Stephie groans, burying her face in Azzi’s neck as if her mother has asked her to make the most difficult decision in the world. They settle into their morning routine, Stephie brushing her teeth as Azzi goes through her meticulous skin care regiment, occasionally dabbing little bits of this and that on her daughter’s skin, eliciting soft giggles from the little girl. It’s her favourite sound in the entire world. Azzi’s life isn’t perfect and there’s a million what if’s, one bigger than all of the others, that plague her mind sometimes but then she looks at Stephie, and she knows she wouldn’t change a single decision she’d made. Because they’ve all led to this moment, 9 am on a Friday, making waffle batter as her five-year old sits on the counter-top. It’s not everything but it’s enough.

The frantic sound of a door being haphazardly slammed open has both Stephie and Azzi startled, until Colleen comes bursting through it like a tornado.

“Oh thank god you’re awake,” Azzi’s best friend and manager says, out of breath, as she throws her car keys on the kitchen table.

“Hi Aunty Leen,” Stephie grins, waffle batter all over her mouth as she continues to dip and lick.

“Hey kiddo,” Colleen ruffles Stephie’s hair before sitting down and staring pointedly up at Azzi, “you might wanna sit down for this. I have news.”

“Sorry to break it to you Collen but your new h-o-o-k-u-p-s are not sit-down-newsworthy,” Azzi smirks as Colleen scrunches up her nose trying to keep up with the spelling.

“Oh trust me Az, I wish this was about my h-o-o- whatever,” Colleen takes a deep breath, “GSV is meeting with a potential point guard this week.”

“I would hope so. We really need a PG if we’re gonna redeem ourselves next season.”

“Right, well- you see- the thing is-”

“Today if you can please Colleen,” but there’s this knot forming in the pit of her stomach. Her sixth sense that’s been dormant for years is prickling and if she’s honest with herself, Azzi knows the next words that are about to come out of Colleen’s mouth before her best friend has even said them.

“GSV wants to sign Paige,” Colleen says slowly.

For a moment there’s silence and it’s ridiculous how all it takes is her name for Azzi’s mind to start flipping through pages and pages of a photo album she’s buried deep in the treasure chest of her mind. And for a second, she allows herself to get lost in a flood of everything we could have been until the sting of her hand slipping against the waffle iron jolts her back to reality.

“Fuck,” she curses, immedaitely blowing at her fingers. It does nothing. She should know by now that when things burn, the flames might die out, but even the ashes remain on fire.

“Bad word Mama,” Stephie chides immediately, unaware that her mother’s world has just been thrown off balance, “you owe me a kiss.”

She juts her cheek out and Azzi complies, trying to ignore the way her heart is desperately trying to beat out of her chest. It only calms down a little when Stephie presses a kiss of her own against Azzi’s cheek.

“Sorry sweetheart, mama’s bad, Here can you mix this batter for me,” Azzi whispers to the younger girl, distracting her child with something to do, before rounding on her best friend, “she can’t come here.”

Colleen sighs, getting comfortable in her chair, “unfortunately I don’t think you have much choice.”

“The h-” Azzi cuts herself off, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, “the haystack I don’t. This is my team and I don’t want her on it and I’m gonna walk into Ohemaa’s office and tell her exactly that.”

“Right and what exactly are you going to tell her when she asks you why you don’t want the best point guard in the league on your team Azzi? Your team, who mind you, lost in the finals last year because you didn’t have a point guard.”

Azzi flinches, gritting her teeth, both at the reminder of the loss that had happened not long enough ago and the fact that she couldn’t very well go into her boss’s office and blurt out the truth about a tragic relationship that had lived and died in secret.

“It's a bad idea, the two of us- we’ll kill each other Colleen,” she struggles to string the words together, swallowing away the we already have that tastes like bile on the tip of her tongue.

“Well you’re gonna have to learn not to,” Colleen says decisively, slipping from being Azzi’s best friend to her manager, “because you and I both know that if you want GSV to win another championship, you’re going to need her.”

“Are you my manager or GSV’s,” Azzi grunts, rubbing a tired hand against her forehead.

Colleen smiles, “it’s the same thing isn’t it? What’s good for GSV is good for you. And we all know the two of you thrive on the court together.”

“We did. Past tense,” the admission falls like lava from Azzi’s lips, singeing the edges of her mouth as everything that she’d let simmer underneath threatens to bubble over, “there’s no guarantee we still will. Besides, it's all a moot point anyways because she would never agree.”

“Wouldn’t she?” Colleen cocks an eyebrow and Azzi groans at the rhetorical question, waiting for the inevitable other shoe to drop, “because last I checked, she’s flying into San Francisco tomorrow.”

***

Paige has a problem. A really big fuck i really want to be a golden state valkyrie type of problem. She’d fought it every step of the way since she’d landed in San Francisco. Something about the city felt like it was bursting with basketball. The drive from the airport into Oakland had been bursting with murals of the Warriors and the Valkyries and for a split second, Paige can see her own face up on the billboards in a #5 Valkyries jersey. She just doesn’t know if it she can imagine herself next to the woman in #35 again, the woman whose smile in the posters is exactly as she remembers it to have been like when it was pressed into Paige’s skin every night almost a decade ago.

On top of that, Omehaa Nyanin had seemed to know exactly what made Paige Bueckers, the basketball player, tick. Every argument Paige had about why she shouldn’t be Valkyrie, the woman had a counter ready, as if she’d already anticipated exactly what the blonde would say. The Valkyrie coach had been even more prepared with videos of their offensive and defensive sets and how they fit in tandem with Paige’s own skill set, all ready to show off the minute she had walked through the door. It should be the easiest decision in the world to let herself just belong to this world that is screaming her name but there’s a rope around her waist trying to tug her back to safety, trying to tug her away from dousing her still-open wounds in salt.

Sighing, Paige lets herself into what she’s been told is called the “chill area”. Coach had offered to give her a tour of the facilities herself but Paige had declined, asking instead for her former UConn teammate and currently Valkyrie centre Jana El Alfy to do the honours, desperate for a familiar face who knew her history to bounce her thoughts off. It clearly wasn’t what the woman had wanted, but considering she was trying to convince Paige to choose them, whatever the blonde wanted, she was going to get. Massaging her temples at this irritating predicament she’s unwillingly found herself in, Paige’s head rolls back against the back of the chair, eyes closing involuntarily.

“You’re not supposed to sleep in here,” a tiny voice echoes and Paige almost jumps out her skin in shock.

“Fucking hell,” she curses as her eyes fall upon a little girl who seems to have materialized out of nowhere, “shit kid, you scared me.”

The child scrunches her nose and Paige feels her heart beat start to quicken as recognition settles in. She knows this little girl, has seen her on the sidelines at countless games and just like every other time, all she can think of is just how much this child resembles the future Paige had once believed would be hers.

“You owe me three kisses,” the girl says matter-of-factly, her tone so similar to her mothers. It shouldn’t surprise Paige, not when the kid has those same dark curls, those same doey brown eyes, that same nose scrunch.

“I owe you three kisses?” Paige repeats.

The girl rolls her eyes letting out a sigh far too grave for someone of her age, “yes. Mama says whenever someone says a bad word around me, they have to give me a kiss. You said three bad words, so you owe me three kisses.”

“And what does Mama say about asking strangers for kisses?”

“Stranger danger duh silly,” the child puts her hands on her hips, tilting her head as she looks at Paige with a far too familiar expression, “but you’re not a stranger.”

Paige purses her lips, “I’m not?”

“You’re Paige Bueckers. I’ve seen you at Mama’s games and Nanna and Pops have pictures of you in their house,” she stops, staring accusingly, “you don’t know who I am? Did you forget me?”

And Paige doesn’t know what catches her off guard more. The casual mention of a house that used to feel like a home, of people that used to feel like family or the fact that, that puppy dog stare still has the exact same effect on her that it did years ago, even if the owner of said eyes is different.

“Of course I didn’t forget you. You’re Stephanie,” Paige says softly, trying to muster a smile as she adds the last name, “Stephanie Fudd.”

“Stephanie Katarina Fudd,” comes the immediate correction, “but everybody calls me Stephie,” tiny hands wrap around Paige’s neck as Stephie climbs on to her lap, tapping a finger on her left cheek as she smiles up at Paige, “so now can I have my kisses?”

Slowly, Paige presses three featherlight kisses against the little girl’s cheek and when Stephie squeals in delight, she wishes she could record it. Someone somewhere is playing a practical joke on her, Paige is sure of it. Because all of a sudden, all the little things she’s been collecting as to reasons why she might just like the Bay Area are starting to feel insignificant in front of this one, in front of Stephie and her innocent smile and the way her free hand is curled around Paige’s neck as if she’ll hold on forever. And the world is definitely playing a cruel prank on her because Stephie can’t be the reason Paige wants to stay, not when her mother’s the reason Paige needs to go.

“Your Mama just lets you run around the building like this?” Paige asks, trying to focus on Stephie instead of the turmoil in her brain.

Stephie smiles sheepishly, “well I was ‘posed to stay with Aunty Leen while Mama talks to Miss O but then Aunty Leen got a call and I was bored so I came here.”

It doesn’t take Paige too long to decipher that Miss O must be Omehaa, but she’s stuck on who the hell Aunty Leen could be. She’s distinctly aware that her skin has no right to prickle, her hands have no right to sweat, her stomach has no right to knot, she has no right to feel anything when it comes to Stephie’s mother. But jealousy floods through her anyways.

“Who is Aunty Leen?” Paige asks and then mentally slaps herself for it.

“Aunty Leen is Aunty Leen,” Stephie explains unhelpfully, “so Miss Buecks-”

“Bueckers.”

Stephie shoots her an unimpressed look, “same things Miss Buecks. Are you here to join Mama’s team?”

“I-” Paige scratches her neck, only slightly taken aback by the direct question, “I don’t know.”

“You should,” Stephies says decisively, “Mama’s team is the best team in the world and Mama’s the best player in the whole wide world.”

Paige can’t help but smile at Stephie’s loyalty, “so why does her team need me then?”

Stephie looks contemplative for a moment before she uses her index finger to beckon Paige towards her, “can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course you can,” Paige says, leaning her ear down so Stephie can whisper into it.

“Don’t tell anyone but you’re my second favourite player.”

Paige swears her heart feels like it might burst. She’s been plenty of people’s favourite player and it’s always been nice to hear. But somehow, all of that seems to pale in comparison to being Stephie’s second favourite player.

“Why’s that a secret?” she asks softly.

“Cause you play for the wrong team silly. I can’t cheer for not Mama’s team,” Stephie huffs and then her eyes twinkle, “that’s why you should play for Mama’s team and then I can support you!”

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Paige concedes, battling against the part of her brain that’s conjuring up an image of Stephie on the sidelines, cheering for Paige.

“What’s log-ic?” Stephie asks.

“Just means you’re a really smart kid,” Paige says, tapping the little girl’s nose. Her head is ringing with warning bells because this floaty feeling of belonging that’s encompassed in this little bubble she’s found herself in with Stephie is not one she’s allowed to feel, not now, not ever.

“STEPHIE,” a shrill voice echoes outside and Stephie immediately dives into Paige’s neck, hiding herself in the crook of it as a frazzled woman bursts through the door. Her eyes soften when they fall on Paige and the blonde can’t help the caught expression that filters on her face. She knows she’s done nothing wrong; Stephie had been the one to find her after all. But perhaps it’s because she’s scared Colleen will take one look at her and see that tiny rebellious part of her that wants to fight what’s coming next, wants to fight the woman who’s going to take Stephie away from her. Paige isn’t one to get attached easily. It had only ever happened once before when she was fifteen and she’d just known that the girl shooting three’s next to her on the court was meant to be in her life in one way or another. But things had been simple then. Nothing was simple now.

“Stephie,” Colleen says slowly, “what have I told you about running away from me?”

Stephie peeks her head out from Paige’s chest, a coy smirk playing on her lips, “not to do it? But you were boring me Aunty Leen.”

Oh that’s Aunty Leen, Paige thinks and she absolutely should not let out a sigh of relief at that but she does anyway.

“I was on the phone for two minutes, Steph.”

“Two minutes too long,” Stephie counters and Paige has to stifle a laugh.

Colleen rolls her eyes before holding out a hand, “well your Mama’s nearly done so we have to get going kiddo.”

“Can Miss Buecks come with us?” Stephie asks innocently and both Colleen and Paige freeze.

“I don’t think-”

“I’m not sure-”

They both begin before their eyes flicker to each other and they can’t help but smile. It’s funny how relationships work, how one snapped string can cause a whole web to dissolve, no matter how hard everyone involved had tried to make it work.

“I’m waiting to meet someone sweetheart so I can’t come right now,” Paige explains, “but maybe next time?”

And she shouldn’t add that last part, not when Paige should be devising an escape plan to never be in Oakland again instead of giving Stephie false hope about a next time that’s far from guaranteed. But it’s worth it for the way Stephie grins, staring at Paige like she’s given her the world’s greatest gift.

Before Paige can say anything, the little girl presses her lips against Paige’s cheek and she swears she stops breathing for a moment, “I hope you choose to play for Mama’s team Miss Buecks. I think you’d look pretty in purple.”

***

May 2024

“I’ve figured it out,” Paige says triumphantly as she unceremoniously flops onto Azzi’s bed.

“Well hi to you too babe,” Azzi grumbles as she scoots over to give the other girl space. It’s unnecessary because the minute she does, Paige only moves closer, wrapping an arm around Azzi’s torso.

“Hi baby,” she whispers before pressing a kiss against her girlfriend’s lips and pulling away so quickly that it leaves Azzi chasing after her.

Azzi huffs and Paige laughs as she gets herself comfortable, resting her chest on the darker skinned girl's stomach, “I’ve figured it out.”

“Figured what out?”

“Our future,” Paige says triumphantly and Azzi can’t help but smile at the our as she intertwines their fingers together. It’s been years in the making and there’s nothing Azzi’s more confident in than those two words. Not everyone finds forever this young, but she’s certain they have because really she can’t imagine a life where they don’t belong to each other, a life where every night isn’t spent exactly like this.

“And what do you see for our future,” Azzi asks softly.

“Well it’s simple really,” Paige hums, “I’m going to get drafted wherever next year but the year after, you’re definitely getting drafted to Valkyries-”

“I don’t know about definitely-”

“Azzi it’s rude to interrupt,” Paige sends her a chastising look.

“Right of course,” Azzi nods solemnly, “continue.”

“As I was saying. You’re definitely getting drafted to the Valks and then we just have to wait for my rookie contract to be up and boom! I’ll join you in the Bay Area and we’ll be together forever and ever and ever.”

Azzi giggles, brushing her hands through Paige’s hair, “that simple huh?”

“That simple,” Paige promises, catching hold of one of Azzi’s hands to press a kiss to her palm, “it’s us Az, we’ll always be simple. Besides, I think we’d both look pretty good in purple.”

***

May 2033

The Valkyrie facilities are state of the art as expected. Jana is the perfect tour guide, pointing out everything she knows will garner Paige’s attention. As they step foot onto the practice court, Paige feels the overwhelming sense of this could be home that’s been dancing along with her every step of the way today. All the resolve she’d carried with her from Dallas is slowly crashing down and she can practically hear Talia’s sing-song i told you so voice echoing in her head.

“You’d be really good here P,” Jana says excitedly, doing a little spin.

“You’d be lucky to have me,” Paige teases, as she picks up a basketball and subconsciously starts dribbling.

Jana laughs, before a serious expression takes over, “we would. We got really close to winning it all last year and I think you might be our missing piece.”

“I want to,” Paige confesses, “I just-” her eyes flicker to the most recent MVP poster hanging on the walls, Jana’s gaze following hers, “I don’t know if I should. It’s so complicated.”

“Only if you let it be,” Jana says as she swipes the ball out Paige’s hands, “don’t think of everything else P, just- just think of the basketball. Because you know basketball-wise, this is the right move,” she passes the ball to Paige with a smirk, tilting her head towards the basket, “why not take a shot at it P?”

Paige shakes her head, palming the ball in her hands, “can’t believe my son’s all grown up.”

“Children of divorce have no choice but to grow up,” Jana says gravely and Paige laughs despite herself.

Taking a deep breath, Paige raises the ball, arching her arms perfect as she shoots it. It barely touches the rim, before falling through the basket with swish. Hitting the floor with a quiet thud, the ball rolls until it’s stopped by someone's foot. Behind her, Paige can hear Jana cheering for the shot but she barely registers it, her entire attention on the new figure who’s just entered the court. It’s a tale as old as time. Azzi Fudd enters the room and suddenly everything else in Paige’s peripheral fades away, until it’s just her and the girl who still manages to steal her breath away.

“Nice shot,” Azzi says, as she takes a slow step towards Paige. The air is thick with tension as if a time capsule has been opened and their past is leaking onto the pages of their present, staining it with marks of the you and me that we used to be. She should say something, even if it’s just an acknowledgement of the compliment but her tongue feels dry and she’s scared that if she opens her mouth, all the things she shouldn’t say will flood out instead.

“Hey Az,” Jana’s eyes flicker awkwardly between her former teammates, “I didn’t know you were coming in today.”

“Had to talk to Omehaa about a couple of things,” Azzi says airly, eyes still fixated on Paige, “Jana can we have a minute?”

“You won’t kill each other will you?” Jana asks nervously.

Azzi laughs and even Paige cracks a small smile, “no Jana, we won’t kill each other.”

“Just making sure because last time-” Jana clamps a hand to her mouth as both Paige and Azzi flinch, “because nothing- you guys- you guys talk. I’ll give you guys a minute.”

She scampers away cursing to herself about putting her foot in her mouth and it would be amusing, if not for the fact that Paige can still barely breathe. They haven’t been alone in a room since last time and the air around them hangs heavy with the casings of the grenades they’d hurled at each other.

“I’ve never seen you with braids this early in the year. They used to be your summer braids,” Paige remarks slowly. It’s a mundane change to notice but it’s significant of the larger truth, significant of all the time that’s passed, significant of the fact they don’t know these new versions of each other.

“Yeah um, can’t really do summer braids with the W season,” Azzi chews at her lip.

“Right yeah- yeah that makes sense,” Paige nods. The awkwardness is killing her. She’d never been a fan of the silence, always more comfortable in the chaos but it had been different with Azzi. There had been something peaceful, something calming, about the quiet, when it was just the two of them, hands intertwined, eyes closed, as they listened to the sound of each other’s heartbeat.

“Paige-”

“Are you here to tell me not to come to GSV?” Paige blurts out, “because it’s- it’s okay if you are like I get it. I mean- the two of us- it’s just really fucking complicated so I get it- I get it if you don’t want me here.”

“I didn’t,” Azzi admits and it shouldn’t, but Paige feels it sting anyways, “you’re right. You and I- there’s just a lot there and it would- it would be really complicated and when Colleen first told me I- I was gonna go fight Omehaa and be like abso-fucking-lutely not but-” she sucks in a deep breath, “do you remember the promise we made to each other?”

“We made a lot of promises to each other,” Paige says, unable to keep the harshness out of her tone, “sorry I-”

“No you’re right,” Azzi swallows, “but I meant the promise we made when we first started dating. We said we’d never let the personal affect the professional. We promised each other that no matter what, we’d never let our relationship affect us on the court And I know- I know we’ve broken a lot of promises to each other,” they both let out a breath at that, “but I think- I think maybe we should try and keep this one.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying you need a championship contender and GSV needs a PG. Paige, I’m not here to convince you to not come to GSV, I’m here to ask you to join our team,” Azzi says resolutely.

Paige isn’t easily shocked by anything really. She’s lived what she’d consider a pretty interesting life but of course if anyone was going to surprise her, it would be Azzi. Azzi, who has always been an exception to every rule.

“You- you want me on your team?” Paige repeats, a little dumbfounded.

“Yes,” Azzi affirms, “you told me once that we could be the best backcourt duo in college basketball and we were, even if it was only for a year, we were and so now I’m telling you that I think we could be the best backcourt duo in the WNBA.”

Paige is silent for a second before a smirk takes over her features, “I think I did a lot more than tell you, pretty sure I had a whole video that proved it.”

“Are you asking me to make you a recruiting video?” Azzi raises an unamused eyebrow.

Paige shrugs, “could be a nice gesture.”

“I have a five year old child, Bueckers. Trust me when I say I don’t have enough spare time for bullshit like that when you can easily just search up our highlights on youtube. Or just look in your trophy case if you’re looking for proof of how good we can be together,” Azzi says, a hint of that familiar sass bleeding into her spiel.

“We really were good together weren’t we,” it spills out before Paige can stop it and it’s like they’re taking two steps back from each other, the friendly-ish banter of mere seconds ago being clouded by a past tainted by their mistakes, “on the court I mean. We were really good on the court.”

“Right,” Azzi averts her gaze, “just- just think about it okay? This doesn’t- it doesn’t have to be about you and me, not like that at least. It’s about basketball. GSV is the perfect fit for you and you’re the perfect fit for us. And deep down you must know that too, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“Maybe I’m just in it for the free trip to Cali,” Paige surmises.

Azzi scoffs, “you and I both know you make too much money to need a free trip to Cali. If anything, the hotel they’ve given you is probably cheap for your standards.”

“Maybe I just like feeling important? I always did love people showering me with praise.”

“You always did love the attention,” Azzi grins teasingly, “but there’s one thing you always loved more.”

You, Paige thinks but she can’t say that, “and what’s that?”

“Winning. That’s what this is about. You want another championship, so do we. Come help us and let us help you. It’s that simple.”

As Azzi turns to walk away, Paige can’t help but call out from behind her, “you know I think your daughter’s pitch might have been better.”

There’s a smile playing on Azzi’s lips when she turns her face back a little. It’s a new smile that Paige can only assume is Azzi’s Stephie smile, “yeah? What did she say?”

“She told me she thinks I’d look good in purple,” Paige smirks.

Azzi laughs, and it’s exactly like Paige remembers, “it’s that simple huh?”

“It’s that simple.”

#pazzi #paige bueckers #azzi fudd #wcbb

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