#she’ll still be recovering from hip surgery at this point

[petrovna-zamo]

Katya joins Christine and the Queens’ Meltdown festival at Southbank Centre!

[sequinsmile-x]

If Tomorrow Starts Without Me - Chapter 9

Rating: Mature (smut in this chapter)  Words: 7,261

Read it on a03, or below the cut

Let me know what you think :) 

October 2003

“I am going to kill her.”

Aaron turns from where he is preparing drinks for some of their guests to see his wife standing behind him, fury on her face and their 1 year old settled on her hip. He immediately knows who she is talking about.

He sighs as he abandons his task. “Em, sweetheart, love of my life.” He tugs her towards him and settles his arms around her and their son. “It is your birthday, and this little one's first birthday.” He says, tickling Theo’s side to get a laugh out of him. “Your mother has been here for all of 20 minutes, what has she said to have you considering murder already?”

She huffs out a breath. “She said I coddle him too much.”

Aaron’s eyebrows raise at that, not expecting Elizabeth to have commented on Emily’s parenting. It was something the older woman usually stayed away from, a silent acceptance that her daughter was a better mother than she ever had been.

“All that happened is he wanted to be picked up, so I did. And then she said that.” She carries on, clearly more upset than annoyed by her mother’s comment. “In front of everyone I might add.”

“Em.” He tucks some hair behind her ear, getting her attention to be focused back on him. “You are an excellent mother, please don’t pay any attention to her.”

She lowers her gaze from his and clears her throat. “I know I’m probably a bit over the top.” She says, as if he hasn’t spoken at all. “But we waited so long for him, and went through so much.”

“Emily.” He tilts her chin towards him, makes her look at him. “You are an excellent mother.” He repeats. “To both Theo and Jack. Don’t let her get to you okay?”

She nods and clears her throat. “Okay.” She looks back out of the kitchen over her shoulder. “I don’t want to go back out there.”

“You and Theo are the main event, you have to go back out there.” He reasons with her pressing a kiss to her lips. “Go see the team, I’ll put Jack on Elizabeth duty.”

She smiles at him and kisses him quickly before leaving the room, talking to Theo as she rejoins their friends and family.

Jack runs past the kitchen, so Aaron shouts for his attention. Jack walks up to him, a questioning look on his face.

“I need you to distract Elizabeth, okay?”

Jack sighs. “Why? What did I do wrong?”

“Jack, that's rude.” Aaron chastises whilst smothering a laugh. “Please.”

“Was she being mean to Emily again?” Jack asks, concern spreading over his face, his eyebrows tightening in a way that was so Haley it made Aaron’s gut twist.

“I think Emily is just a bit overwhelmed, and you know how they get to each other.” He says politically.

Jack seems to think about it for a second, before nodding. “It’s going to cost you two boxes of Lucky Charms.”

Jack leaves the room, leaving a very confused Aaron behind.

“I think I just got bribed by my 10 year old.”

__________________

November 2003

They are eating dinner all together when it happens. Aaron has Theo on his lap, giving Emily a break so she can eat a meal that wasn’t cold for once. Emily is telling him a story about Derek and Spencer’s antics in the office, a child friendly version since Jack is sat right opposite Aaron, when Theo wriggles out of his fathers lap.

“Ok, buddy. Down you go.” Aaron says, briefly putting his fork down as he settles the one year old on the floor, assuming he was after the toys that were scattered around the dining room.

Instead, Theo walks over to Emily, like he had done it a thousand times, and places his hands on her thighs, clearly wanting his mother’s attention.

The rest of the Hotchner’s speak almost in unison.

“Oh my god, did he just walk?” Emily asks, dropping her own cutlery down, abandoning her meal immediately.

“Shit, he did.” Aaron replies standing himself.

“I’ll go get the video camera.” Jack says, running off in search of it.

Theo looked incredibly confused over why everyone was suddenly looking at him so intently, and when Emily stands herself, he falls down, landing on his bottom, and he cries.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Emily croons as she picks him up, pressing a series of kisses to his face to cheer him up, knowing he really wasn’t hurt. She looks over at her husband. “Aaron, he walked.”

“Got the camera.” Jack says as he runs back into the room, camera on and recording and Emily smiles at him.

“Thanks, Jack.” She hands Theo over to Aaron. “Aaron, you take him, let's see if he does it again.”

Aaron nods, taking Theo and taking a few paces back from Emily, setting Theo on the ground. He stands there for a moment, looking confused.

“Go to Mama, buddy.” Aaron encourages, pointing at Emily who was crouched on the ground, arms out.

That, as Aaron expected it would, has Theo smiling and walking slowly over to Emily. He almost trips over a couple of times, unsteady on his feet, but he makes it, falling forward into his mothers arms.

Emily scoops him up and kisses him repeatedly, tears falling down her face as she does so. “Oh my sweet, clever boy.”

Theo tilts his head at her and places a hand on her cheek. “Mama sad?”

She shakes her head at him and presses a kiss to his face before looking over at Aaron and Jack, both beaming at her. “No, Theo. Not sad at all.”

__________________

February 2009

Emily really tries to not roll her eyes as Aaron insists on putting the car seat with Amelia down on the porch rather than let her hold it for the 10 seconds it will take him to open the door.

“Doctor's orders, sweetheart. No heavy lifting.” He says to her as the door opens and he picks the carrier back up.

She does roll her eyes that time as she walks past him. “Aaron, she’s not even 6lbs. I don’t think that counts as heavy lifting.”

Aaron raises an eyebrow at her when she winces as she sits on the couch, her c-section scar pulling. If she had the strength she would have got up and hit him, and throwing something at him was out of the question because he was holding Amelia. So she settled on just glaring at him.

“Jessica will be here soon with the boys.” He says as he lifts Amelia out of her carrier and brings her over to Emily without her having to ask. “They are both so excited to see her.”

“I know, Theo wouldn’t stop talking about her when I was home a couple of nights ago.” She takes Amelia into her arms, still blown away by how tiny she was. “I’m so glad you’re home, baby. No more nasty hospital.”

Emily thinks it must have been the longest week of her life, watching her tiny little girl in the NICU, her breathing suddenly becoming a problem on her first night in the nursery. Emily knows she’ll always remember the moment when the doctor came into her hospital room, where she was still recovering from surgery herself, and explained that Amelia needed a little extra care.

A combination of the pain, the hormones and the fear that there was something seriously wrong with her baby had left Emily inconsolable. Aaron sat next to her, his arm wrapped around her, as he asked the doctors the practical questions. Strong and dependable, and right by her side as he always was.

After too many nights sleeping on an uncomfortable bed in Amelia’s hospital room, Aaron having only convinced her to go home once, she was grateful to have her daughter home.

“She looks just like you.” Aaron says, stroking a finger over the baby’s head.

“You said the same about Theo.” She teases, looking up at him, a happy but sleepy smile on her face.

“You have seen our son right? He’s your double as well as your shadow.”

Amelia sneezes, drawing attention from her parents back to her. “I always forget how fucking cute it is when they do that.”

“Now she’s no longer living inside of you, you should probably work on cursing in front of her.”

“We managed to make Theo’s first word ‘mama’ despite my love of the word fuck.” She says, smirking at him when she curses again. “I think we can do it a second time.”

“Oh no, her first word is definitely going to be ‘Dada.’” __________________

May 2009 They get Theo to bed with a story from Emily, his concern about her going back to work manifesting in him all but refusing to go to sleep. The knowledge that when he woke in the morning his mother wouldn’t be there making him more difficult than usual.

She closes his bedroom door softly behind her, making sure he doesn’t wake back up as she sneaks out. Emily yawns as she walks to their bedroom, exhaustion seeping into her very bones. Amelia did not enjoy sleep, or at least seemed to consider it some kind of challenge to stay awake as long as humanly possible.

She enters her bedroom and sighs when she sees Aaron pacing the room, Amelia still very much awake against his chest. He turns to look at her, a tired smile on his face. “I think it’s fair to say she’s officially the most stubborn Hotchner.”

Emily laughs as she walks over, another yawn escaping her as she wraps her arms around her husband, resting her head on his chest next to where Amelia was. “If I feed her she’ll fall asleep.”

He hums and presses a kiss to the top of her head. “Sounds good.”

He passes the baby over, to Emily who whispers to her daughter as she takes her into her arms. She settles on her side of the bed and sits up against the headboard, readjusting her shirt to feed Amelia. She leans her head back and closes her eyes.

Aaron joins her in bed, sits up next to her as she nurses their daughter. “You ok sweetheart?”

She nods and lifts her head to look at him. “Just thinking about tomorrow.” She looks back down to the baby in her arms, who was already drifting off to sleep. “I hope it’s an easy day. No big cases. Just lots of paperwork and an evening back here.”

He leans in and presses a kiss to the top of her head. “You do remember it's the BAU right?”

“Shut up, Aaron. Let me hope just for a second, ok?”

He suppresses a laugh and watches as Amelia finally succumbs to sleep. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.” __________________

“Emily.” Jack’s voice is gentle but it's enough to wake her up. She blearily opens her eyes and sees her step-son standing next to her side of the bed. She shifts slightly, feels Aaron’s grip on her waist tightening, a gentle pull of her body back towards him that was strong enough to move her despite the fact he was sleeping.

It was the only time he was really touching her, his instinct in his sleep was still to seek her out, to pull her into his embrace. When he was awake it was a different story. He’d avoid her affection. Something he had never done, shying away from gentle touches to his skin, or kisses she tried to press to his forehead or cheeks. The joy of being reunited, of all of them making it, had faded into the awkwardness of learning how to be around each other again, and it hurt her more than she would care to admit.

“Jack.” Her voice cracks, sleepiness still present at the edges of her consciousness. “Is everything ok?”

“Theo is having a nightmare, I can’t wake him up.”

Emily gets out of bed quickly, carefully removing herself from her husband's grasp in an attempt to not wake him up. She follows Jack to the room he and Theo were sharing and her heart clenches in her chest when she can hear him whimpering in his sleep. She sits on his bed next to him and strokes her hand over his head, running her fingers through his hair. The sight of the cut on his forehead still made her breath catch.

“Come on sweetheart, you need to wake up.” She strokes his cheek with one hand, and rubs his back with the other, gently bringing him back to consciousness. He wakes up, eyes shooting open as he looks at her. “There you are, sweet boy. You’re ok.”

“Mommy?” He sits up and throws himself at her, seeking solace in her arms. Emily wraps her arms tightly around him, feeling him press his face into her neck, his tears wetting her skin.

“It’s ok, I’m here.” She presses a kiss to the side of his head. “Mommy’s here.”

“George said you were dead.”

Emily tightens her grip on her son, her hatred for Foyet burning through her veins. “He lied, honey. I’m right here.” She soothes him enough for him to pull back and look at her and she smiles at him, she runs her thumbs over his cheeks to wipe away his tears. “Do you want to come in and sleep with me and Daddy?”

He nods enthusiastically, tightening his grip on her again. She stands, lifting him onto her hip. He was really too big to be carried like this now, making her glad it was only a short walk back to the room her and Aaron were sharing. Theo rests his head against her shoulder and she presses a kiss to his head, and speaks words of comfort against his skin.

Emily turns to Jack who was still standing by the doorway. “Will you be ok?”

He nods. “Yeah I’ll be fine.”

She smiles at him and walks past him, grasping his arm briefly as she does so. “Thank you.”

Emily reenters the main bedroom, frowning when she hears crying as she walks in. She finds Aaron standing, Amelia crying in his arms. As soon as the little girl spots her mother she starts to squirm and reaches for her, more tears appearing on her face.

Emily sighs as she places Theo on the bed, placing the already sleeping boy under the covers on her side of the bed. Once he’s settled she looks up at Aaron, and sighs when she sees Amelia is still reaching out for her.

“I only fed her just before we went to bed, so she should be ok until morning.” She walks over to where he is standing, a still struggling Amelia in her arms. “She doesn’t do well in new places, or with new people.” She curses herself as soon as she says it, her exhaustion making her brain short wire. Things she wouldn’t usually say slipping past her carefully constructed walls. The way he looks at her cracks her heart. “Aaron, I didn’t mean it like th-”

“It’s fine, Emily.” He says, passing the screaming Amelia into her arms.

Once she has Amelia in her arms she presses a kiss into the baby’s head, shushing her as she tries to calm her down. She doesn’t miss the pain on Aaron’s face when she looks back up at him, the way he frowns at her when she can almost instantly soothe their daughter when he hadn’t been able to.

It breaks her heart too, memories of the relationship Aaron and Amelia had before all of this, before Foyet, floating around in her head. Images of how he had been the only one who could get her to laugh when she first started doing it, dragging the sweet sound out of her as often as he could. She remembered walking into their living room to find Amelia doing tummy time and Aaron laying on the floor right in front of her, whispering nonsense to their daughter.

In the two days since they had been reunited they hadn’t addressed it, hadn’t acknowledged that Amelia didn’t recognise him, how hurt he was by it, and that he would have to start that relationship from scratch.

“It will get better, Aaron.” Emily says, gently rocking the baby and rubbing her back as she tries to soothe her back to sleep. “It will just take a bit of time.”

“Yeah.” He says simply, looking away. “I’m going to go make a drink.” He points towards the main suite. “Do you need anything?”

She shakes her head, resists telling him that it’s 3am and they should just go back to bed now that the kids are settled again. “I’m ok, thanks.” She leans forward, closes the gap between them and presses a kiss to his cheek and ignores how he flinches away before he leaves the room.

Emily settles Amelia back into her crib before she climbs into bed next to Theo. The little boy immediately seeks her out in his sleep, his hands digging into her pyjama shirt as he moulded himself against her. She wraps her arms around him and closes her eyes, hoping sleep would find her easily.

When she wakes in the morning, Theo is still pressed close to her, and it’s clear Aaron’s side of the bed has not been slept in. __________________

Her parents show up at the hotel that evening, and Emily doesn’t think she’s ever been hugged so fiercely by either of them. The 6 months it has been since she last saw them is not the longest she has ever gone without seeing them by far, but it was different. She’d felt it too.

Theo and Jack are next, pulled into equally adoring embraces by their grandparents. Elizabeth and John both barely cover their upset when Amelia shys away from them, her face buried into Emily’s neck.

Emily is grateful that for once, her mother pays attention to the look she gives her, the silent request to leave it alone.

They spend a few hours together. It’s awkward, and if her parents notice the way Aaron is acting, how he keeps distancing himself from her, they don’t address it. When Theo gets too tired to keep his eyes open, falling asleep against John’s side, Emily gets him up and leads him to bed.

“Mommy, can I sleep with you and Daddy again?” He asks gently, almost embarrassed by the request.

She bends down to his level and presses a kiss to his forehead. “Of course, sweetheart. But it’s going to be a little bit before we go to bed, ok?”

“Emily.” Aaron’s voice makes her whip round to look at him, the annoyance on his face confusing her. “Can I have a quick word with you?”

“Yeah, ok.” She turns back to Theo and smiles at him. “Why don’t you stay out here with Grandma and Grandpa for a bit, I’ve got to go speak to Daddy.”

They walk into their bedroom, and she sneaks a glance at a sleeping Amelia in her crib as he closes the door. When she turns to look at him he looks angry.

“Aaron? What’s wrong?”

“He can’t just sleep in here every night. You have got to stop coddling him, Emily.”

Her eyebrows raise at that, defiance washing over her face. “Coddling him? This would be the second night.” She crosses her arms and tries to keep her cool. “He’s my son. He is upset and confused by everything that’s happened. You didn’t see how upset he was when he woke up last night. So if he wants to sleep in our bed until he’s feeling more settled then that’s what I’m going to let him do.” She runs a hand through her hair. “We don’t even have Archie to defuse it, I left him behind in all the panic.”

He wants a fight, she can tell. The tension radiating off of him in waves. “It’s not just Theo. It’s all three of them. They are too attached to you.”

She tilts her head at him and furrows her brows. “Of course they are attached to me, I’m their mother.”

“You’re not Jack’s.”

She can’t help the gasp that escapes at that, the words he’s only ever thrown at her once before. When Haley had just died and they were trying to find their footing again. She turns to leave, knowing that if she said anything further it wasn’t going to help.

“It’s not like you to walk away from a fight.”

She stops in her tracks and turns to look at him, indignation all over her face. “No, it isn’t. But I did. I tore our family apart because you asked me to leave, and now we are living with the consequences of that.” Emily blows out a breath, tries to calm down. “It’s not my fault Amelia doesn’t recognise you, Aaron.”

He hates that she knows him so well, that she can so easily get to the bottom of what is really upsetting him. “What are you saying? That it is my fault?”

“You started a war with a psychopath that you couldn’t finish. And me and your children had to live with the consequences.” She shakes her head at him. “And if you think for one second that it was easy, you are deluding yourself.”

He opens his mouth to say more, to throw more barbs her way, but the door to their room opens and Jack is standing there, a nervous look on his face. “We can all hear you.”

It’s enough to snap them both out of it, Emily sighing when she thinks about the fact her mother of all people would have overheard everything that had been said. She looks back at Aaron who won’t meet her eyes.

“I’m going out.” Aaron says, leaving the room before she can protest. Emily closes her eyes to stop herself from crying, not wanting to break down in front of Jack and with her parents in the next room. She looks at Jack and tries to smile, mutters an apology as she fails to do so.

Jack nods at her before following out after his father. “Dad, wait. I’m coming with you.”

__________________

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Emily turns to look at Derek, who was standing behind her with his arms crossed and a concerned look on his face. “Yes. I think I need to do this.”

Derek stares at her a second before looking past her to the medical examiner, giving the other man a quick nod. The medical examiner opens a door to a small room and leads them in, a body covered in a sheet laying on a metal table in the middle of it.

Emily can’t help the gasp that escapes her when the sheet is pulled back, the mess of Foyet’s face being brought into view. She closes her eyes for a second and takes a deep breath before making herself look again.

He was unrecognisable. His face was a mess of bruising, dried blood and broken bones and teeth. She couldn’t believe that Aaron, a man who had always touched her so reverently, like she was made of precious jewels, had done this. That the same man who had comforted their children with such tenderness over the years had beaten this man to death, and clearly kept going much longer than was necessary.

She can’t blame him for it, not for a second, because she knows she would have done the exact same thing.

Emily takes a step forward, gets slightly closer to Foyet, and leans down to him. “You lose.”

She walks out the room without looking back. __________________

When Emily gets back to the hotel she sees her mother sat out in the living room, Amelia in her arms, Theo nowhere to be seen.

Elizabeth looks up at her and smiles. “That didn’t take long.”

Emily smiles and nods walking towards the couch. “Thanks for watching them.”

“Did you get what you needed from it?”

“Yes.” Emily replies, sitting next to Elizabeth. Amelia immediately reaches for her mother as soon as she is close enough. Emily smiles as she takes her into her arms, pressing a kiss to her dark hair as she does so. “I think so anyway. Where’s Theo?”

Elizabeth smiles at the mention of her grandson. “Your father is reading him a story, hopefully he’ll fall asleep in his own room tonight.”

Emily sighs. She had left so soon after Aaron and Jack had that there hadn’t been the chance for this conversation earlier. “Mother, please-”

“I’m not criticizing you.” She interrupts, placing a hand on her daughter's leg, trying to soothe her in a way that had never really existed in their relationship. “I promise.”

Emily stares at her, tries to find some of the underlying passive aggressiveness that usually existed in her relationship with her mother. But she found nothing except concern, and something that looked like sympathy. “Ok.”

They sit in silence for a moment, both laughing when Amelia suddenly hauls herself up on Emily’s lap, hands tangling in her hair as she balances herself. Emily smiles at her daughter as she replaces her hair in Amelia’s hands with her fingers. Her heart clenched as it always did when her baby’s hands grasped on tight.

“She’s changed a lot.” Elizabeth says, briefly running a hand down Amelia’s back.

Emily nods. “Yeah, well that’s what 6 months does I guess.”

“You’re still angry at him for asking you to leave.”

Emily turns to look at her mother, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not-”

“You are, and I can’t blame you. I would have been too.” Elizabeth smiles at her. “I was angry. I went to visit him in the hospital the day after you left.”

She frowns at that. “You did?”

“I did. And then I understood.” Elizabeth can’t help the laugh that escapes when Amelia suddenly launches herself forward, head resting on her mother’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine. You both just need to talk to each other. You’ve always got through everything.”

Emily smiles, tightening her hold on her own daughter as she settles into her. “Careful, Mother. It’s starting to sound like you actually like Aaron.”

Elizabeth smiles at that. “And he can never know.” __________________

They drive in mostly silence after Jack gives him the street address to the apartment they had stayed in during their time in witness protection.

Jack looks at him for a long moment, contemplating if it was really his place to say anything about the argument he had overheard. He turns back to look out the windscreen before he talks, and watches as the city gives way to countryside, memories of the drive out here for the first time seeping in. He remembered Theo and Amelia crying in the back seat. Theo because he had some vague understanding they wouldn't see their father again for a while. Amelia because she absolutely hated car journeys.

Mostly Jack remembers catching Emily’s eyes as he looked into the back of the car, how sad she looked despite the encouraging smile she plastered on for him.

“I think you need to give Emily a break, Dad.” He finally says. “She did her best.”

“Jack, it’s complicated.”

“I know it is, but none of it was her fault.” Jack replies. “Or yours.” He adds quickly, not missing how Aaron’s hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter. Jack clears his throat, an admission leaving his lips before he even realises he was going to say it. “I made her cry once.”

He watches his father frown at that, a question on his face. “Jack?”

“I accused her of sleeping with Sam. I knew she wasn't. I also said she wasn’t my mom.” He says, reminding Aaron what he had overheard earlier. “I just wanted to hurt her so I felt better. It didn’t work.” Jack looks out the window, avoids looking at Aaron. “I think you and me have that in common.”

There is a pause, and Jack swears he hears his dad mutter something about therapy being worth every penny before he speaks loudly enough for him to actually hear. “How did you get so smart?”

Jack smiles at him, and for the first time since he heard Emily and his dad argue he feels relief in his chest. “I’ve had three pretty great parents.” _________________

The apartment is smaller than he imagined it being, the space not seeming enough for his wife and children to have lived in for so long.

It’s clearly been abandoned. There is food left out on the kitchen counter, toys scattered through the living room and he can imagine the panic Jack must have felt when Foyet walked in, claiming his parents were dead.

“It’s a shithole, huh?”

Aaron turns around to look at his son, raising an eyebrow at his turn of phrase, Jack’s only response being him holding his hands up in surrender. Aaron then spots something orange sticking out from under the couch. He bends down to get it, his sore ribs protesting the action, and he picks it up. The fur of the stuffed cat is slightly rougher than he remembered it being, another six months of being fiercely loved by Theo wearing it down slightly.

“Hi, Archie.” He says. “It’s been a while.” __________________

When Aaron and Jack get back, Archie tucked under her husband's arm, she’s reminded of when they left the toy on a plane years ago. Theo was so small then, Amelia not even something they had considered they could have.

“You went to the apartment?” She asks, a frown on her face. She hadn’t been sure what to expect when he had stormed out hours again, but this certainly wasn’t it.

“I wanted to see it.” He says it's like the most simple thing in the world. “Why don’t you go give this to Theo.” He hands over the stuffed cat and she nods, sneaking quietly into the room Jack and Theo were staying in and smiles when she sees her son fast asleep. She places Archie next to him and presses a gentle kiss to his forehead.

Emily turns when she hears noise behind her, and she sees Jack holding a sleeping Amelia in his arms, Aaron behind him with the portable crib the hospital had provided in his hands.

She frowns slightly. “What’s going on?”

“Jack said he’d take Amelia so we could talk.”

Emily turns to Jack. “Are you sure?”

Jack nods, placing his sister in the crib once Aaron sets it down. “Of course.”

She pulls him into a hug. “Thank you.”

They walk over to their room, making Jack promise to come get them if there is an issue with either Theo or Amelia. The door closes behind them and it’s instantly awkward, she stands in the middle of the room with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at anything except him.

“I’m sorry.” He speaks first. “I was out of line earlier.”

She looks at him. “I’m sorry too.” She swallows against the lump in her throat. “I hate this Aaron. I hate that this feels so awkward. It’s never been like this.”

“I hate it too.”

She takes a step towards him. “Then you need to tell me what you’re thinking. I’m a damn good profiler, but I can’t actually read minds.”

He smiles at her, closes the small gap between them and grabs her hand. “I killed a man.”

“I know you did.” She says softly, gripping his hand tighter.

“I didn’t have to kill him.” He says firmly, his voice emotionless. “I could have stopped, and I didn’t.”

“I know.” She repeats, and she smiles sadly at him when he looks at her. “I made Derek take me to see Foyet’s body when you were gone today.” He opens his mouth, words of what she is sure are anger about to spill out. “I needed to see him, Aaron. I had to see it for myself.”

He clenches his jaw tightly for a second before releasing it, nodding at her.

“I’d have done it too.” She says, running her thumb over the knuckles he fractured on Foyet’s teeth. “I’d have killed him. Without a second thought. It doesn’t make you like him.” She cups his cheek. “You are not the same as that man.”

He sighs at that, resting his forehead against hers. “He gave me the same scars as him.”

Emily feels like her breath stutters in her chest, the realisation that was what he had been thinking about all this time hitting her like a truck. “Aaron.”

He pulls back from her, completely removing himself from her grasp, and he unbuttons his shirt, revealing the pattern of scars on his chest. Mixed in with large purple and black bruises she knows are from the final showdown with Foyet.

There was some redness to the scars, raised and slightly puckered still, but she imagined they looked better than they once had. Not for the first time she wishes she had been there with him when he was healing, and she hates that he went through so much alone.

She reaches out and touches one of them, runs her finger over the healed skin. He flinches under her touch and she pulls her hand back.

“Em...”He looks away from her, as if shielding himself from her reaction. Like he had spent the last 6 months convincing himself that anything Foyet had done to him would make her love him less instead of more. It makes her want to go back to the morgue and get a couple good hits in herself, fiery protectiveness for the man who had given her everything licking at her insides. She gently reaches out for her husband instead. Tracing a finger softly over one of the scars before she looks up at him.

“Baby.” She puts a hand on each of his cheeks and makes him look at her, her thumbs tracing his cheekbones. She feels tears gathering in her eyes, and she shakes her head at him. “They don’t matter. I’m not looking at them and thinking of him. I just see you. Just like I always have.”

He stares at her for a moment, as if he is trying to gauge if she is telling the truth, and then he surges forward. His hand tight in the back of her hair as he kisses her fiercely, pouring half a year's worth of love into it.

Emily loses herself in it, letting herself be overwhelmed by the kisses he presses to her lips and down her neck, his hands wandering up the back of her shirt, spanning the whole of her back in a way she has spent months dreaming of. Her memory hadn’t served him justice and she has to choke back a moan as his thumbs graze past her breasts.

Her brain comes back online when he presses her into the bedroom wall, a laugh escaping her mouth as he sucks on her pulse point. “Aaron.” She pushes at him slightly, grabs his face in her hands and runs a thumb over his bottom lip. “Honey, we can’t do this. You’re injured.”

He turns his face to press a kiss to her palm. “Em, please. I just need to feel you.” He presses his lips to her throat and her eyes close, the heat climbing in her body overwhelming.

She wanted him too, so much. This final reaffirmation that they had lived, they’d survived something awful and somehow, by some miracle, still had each other.

“I want you too. So much.” She says, her hand travelling to the back of his neck. “But let's take it to the bed ok?” She pulls him forward to lean his forehead on hers and smiles against his lips. “I don’t think either of us are quite up for fucking against the wall tonight.”

He pulls her tighter to him, and leads her over to the bed without another word, taking her shirt off as he does so.

They lay on the bed together, hands exploring and rediscovering each other slowly. Peeling off their remaining clothes as they go. She feels like her body is on fire, his revenant touch making her shudder.

He sucks a bruise on her shoulder and she decides she’s had enough. Emily pushes him back onto his back and swings a leg over his lap, both of them groaning when she settles over his lap, a jolt of pleasure runnin through both of them. Aaron makes a move to sit up and she gently pushes him back down, linking her hands through his, their fingers intertwining.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” She whispers as she leans down purposely not leaning on his purple mottled skin, kissing him hard on his lips.

She sits back up and sinks onto him, almost biting through her lip to prevent herself from crying out at the feeling. She stays still for a second, allowing herself the chance to adjust, to enjoy the feeling. Then she starts to move. He sits up suddenly, wraps his arms around her and ignores her protests.

“It’s worth it.” He says into her neck, pressing kisses into her skin. “Always...always worth it.”

She nods, unable to argue with him. She moves her head back so she can kiss him, wrapping her arms around the back of his head as she does.

They fall apart together, swallowing each other's moans as they do. Emily rests her forehead against his, breathing heavily as she tries to regulate her emotions. Tears spring to her eyes before she can stop them, and a sob escapes her just as quickly.

“Oh, baby. It’s ok.” He says gently, hugging her to him. He kisses her forehead before pulling her head towards his chest. “You’re ok.”

“I missed you so much.” She cries against him, fingers clawing at his still sweaty back. “So fucking much.”

“I know, sweetheart.” He kisses the top of her head, feels his own tears flood his lash line. “I missed you too.” He strokes the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair. “But I’m here. We’re here. It’s over.”

Emily pulls back from his embrace and he immediately cups her face, wipes away the tears on her cheeks despite the fact he knew they’d be instantly replaced. “It’s over.” She repeats back to him before resting her head against him again. “It’s really over.”

He nods, their foreheads clashing slightly. “I love you, Emily.”

She laughs, like it’s the most obvious thing he had ever said, and she palms his face, cupping his cheek. “I love you too.” __________________

She demands to go to the house the next day, just the two of them. He’s unsure at first, doesn’t know if it is a good idea. But she is insistent, and he has never been one to deny her. Elizabeth and John come back around to stay with the children, both Theo and Amelia hesitant to be separated from their mother. It had led to a lot of tears, some from Emily although she would deny it if he brought it up, but they left eventually, a promise that they wouldn’t be long hanging in the air.

Emily is out of the car and through their front door, crime scene tape was still hanging from the frame, before he even had the car parked up. He walks in after her and finds her sood in the doorway of their dining room.

“I used to love this house.” She says without turning to look at him, eyes fixed on their dining room floor where he had left Foyet’s body only three days beforehand. “It was the first place that ever felt like home to me.” She sniffs, the heel of her hand coming to her cheek to wipe away a tear that he can’t see. “I loved our apartment, it’s the place where we became us. But this is the house we bought to have a family in. Even though that never quite turned out the way we thought it would.”

“I’ve always loved it too.”

She looks at his knuckles, still swollen, cuts standing out against his skin. “Theo took his first steps here.” She looks back at the floor. “I’d always think about that when we had dinner as a family. How he shuffled out your lap and just started walking.” She bites her lip, chin wobbling as she remembers the moment that seems so long ago now. “Now all I can think about when I stand here is that you beat a man to death. Or that the last time I came home and I found our living room stained with your blood.”

“Em.”

“I’m not saying it’s your fault.” She finally looks at his face, takes one of his bruised hands in hers and delicately runs her thumb over his damaged knuckles. She sees the doubt in his eyes, the concern she had caused with their crossed words the day before and she's so mad at herself for it she could cry. “None of this is your fault.” She emphasises. “ I just don’t think we can live here anymore.”

He feels relief he wasn’t expecting, a tension he hadn’t realised was in his chest starts to fade at her words. His time alone in the house, and the events that had bookended it, had tainted it for him. The innocence that had once lived in the walls of their house, their sanctuary from the horrors they saw in their work, torn away. “Then we find somewhere else to live.”

She looks at him with curiosity in her eyes, and she tilts her head slightly at him. “You say it like it’s simple, finding somewhere we can call home.”

“Em,” He runs his hands up her arms, finally settling on her shoulders as he pulls her into a hug. “You and the kids are my home, you’re all I need.”

Emily holds him just as tightly. “You’re mine too. I think you always have been.”

__________________

One Month Later - December 2009

Amelia is standing on his thighs, hands squishing his cheeks when he gets the call. JJ’s name flashing across his screen automatically makes his heart drop. The last he’d heard from Emily they had caught the guy. His motivations for one of the murders were still unclear, and Emily was driving with one of the local detectives and the unsub to take him into custody.

She’d even commented that she would be home for putting the kids to bed on her first case back at work. She had asked Derek to take the lead for the first couple of cases back, so she could readjust to it after such a long time away.

He balances Amelia with one hand, the little girl still not quite able to stand completely by herself yet, and grabs his phone to answer it. “JJ, what’s wrong?”

“She’s ok.” JJ starts off, sounding unsure over the phone. “She said not to call, but I thought you’d want to know.”

“JJ, just tell me.”

JJ sighs, as if preparing herself for his reaction. “Emily’s been in a car accident.”

[amelink66world]

Love of my Life

Heyy guys!!! This is the next part in my multi-fic. You can even read this story on wattpad by the same name. Enjoyyy!

Caught in the Act!!

Calling their act of keeping their relationship under wraps 'stressful' was an understatement. When they decided to break their promise of 'taking things slow', announcing that they were together in front of the entire hospital on the loud speaker was not discussed. Already hiding it from Meredith was daunting enough. Amelia was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell her. She just needed some time to brace herself for the opinions and thoughts Mer would have about them.

In the mean time, keeping her hands off the gorgeous Ortho God tarting around in those tight, little blue scrubs added more to the injury. Link was definitely doing it on purpose. On more occasions than she could remember, he often caught her drooling while he consulted on a patient in the ER. He would merely smirk in her direction and leave. JUST LEAVE!! Look at the nerve of that sexy, filthy, dirty, little man. Riling me up like this. She huffed in frustration and always went after him. It was like a game they were playing. He frequently sought her out in her lab during his free time between surgeries, trying to pry her out of her chair. This was the time where she played hard to get and he would get so aroused that he would literally pull her out of her chair and push her in the direction of the on-call room. Amelia was more than happy to comply.

Today was no different. She was reviewing her charts at the nurse's station when somebody slid close to her, bumping shoulders. She didn't even have to look up to know who it was, she just knew Link's touch. She smirked when he started rubbing their arms together silently urging her on. She locked eyes with him, smiling and got lost in his stormy grey orbs. He was definitely seeking some action. Time for some aerobics! 

                 He desperately wanted to kiss that smug expression right off her face in front of the entire hallway but he knew he couldn't do that. Word spread like a wild fire in this damn hospital and he knew Amelia needed some time to go public. So he respected her decision but that didn't stop him from staring into her beautiful, ocean blue eyes. God he loved those eyes. They were the most beautiful, innocent and equally sexiest pair of eyes he had ever seen!

After a few seconds of staring, Amelia sharply nodded and entered the nearest on-call room without attracting attention. Link stealthily followed seconds later. As soon as he was inside, he felt himself being forcefully pushed against the door with Amelia attacking his lips. He smirked at her eagerness and responded immediately. His arms went around her body to her ass and he squeezed her butt cheeks roughly, bringing their hips closer than ever. Amelia groaned in his mouth and Link used this opportunity to deepen the kiss. She buried her fingers in his soft, dirty blonde hair overwhelmed with how good Link's swirling tongue felt.

            Link switched their positions and it was him now who did the pushing against the door. Amelia groaned and hooked a leg around his waist rubbing their cores together. Link growled and broke the kiss, moving to her jaw, almost marking her. He knew how much she liked it. He pushed his hands inside her scrub top, inching them swiftly to her breasts. He roughly squeezed her breasts, making her moan loudly. Amelia was panting with arousal and tugged at his hair sharply. She pried his hands away from her with much resistance to yank his scrub top off of him.

She unabashedly stared at his bare torso for a few long seconds then ran her fingers through his muscular chest and rock, hard abs. God I love this man's body! Freaking Adonis.

Link was smirking and letting her enjoy the view but the twitch in his pants was becoming unbearable. It was as if she could read his mind and suddenly slid her hand inside his pants, groping him. Link groaned and twitched swiftly in her expert fingers and palm. Motivated by his reaction by what she did to him she sank to her knees and pulled down his pants along with his boxers. She looked up in his eyes before taking him in her mouth. Link groaned loudly and overwhelmed with pleasure, rested his forehead against the door. Save me from this Goddess!!! Fearing he won't be able to last long at her frequent pace, he pulled her up by her neck. Amelia licked her lips and smiled innocently up at Link. He could actually feel his eyes almost turning black and attacked her.

                   He almost tore her scrub top whilst fervently kissing her. He pushed her pants down and moved down to her neck. He nipped at her pulse point and she but her lip in anticipation. He squeezed her ass before pulling her legs around his waist and started maneuvering them towards the bed. Amelia yelped at this sudden change and held onto his shoulders for dear life. He was kissing her breasts when he pushed her down on the bed, between the sheets. Amelia was confident she had never moaned like this before. It was like she had unleashed an animal. His touch was igniting a passionate fire inside her body. She was tingling all over. Heck she feared she might come right then!!  They hadn't even gotten to the part where the real action happens!!

She was so overwhelmed with pleasure that she never even realised when he maneuvered his hand south. She arched her body and groaned oh, so loudly when she felt his cool finger down there. Her voice was hoarse and thick with arousal. Link was having a hard time keeping himself in control. Her voice was slowly breaking his resolve. His lips were swiftly and smoothly moving down her jaw but she could swear that he had a smug smile on his face. He will definitely be the death of me! She sighed and arched into his body when he added a finger. She was completely going out of her mind and was about to reach ecstasy when BAM...

The couple whipped their heads to the door and came face to face with none other than...

"ALEX!!!!", Amelia screeched at a wide-eyed and grimacing Alex and Link recovered from his state of initial shock to quickly cover them with the sheet in the hope of saving whatever dignity they had left. Every single person in the room was astonished at the turn of events, Amelia more than others. WHAT THE HELL MAN!!! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO FINISH! UGGHH.

Alex grumbled loudly and hurriedly replaced the shock registered on his face with a grimace. " Wait. This is happening too??!! Now when did this start?! "

He cursed under his breath, " My freaking luck! First Nico and Glasses and now you two! I'm running a mad house here!! "  He then loudly said, " This place is filled with horny teenagers who cannot keep it in their pants!! Can't even sleep around here...and I'm not talking about sleeping with people!! " He groaned audibly.

Alex was beyond appalled with this course of development. He considered Amelia more like a sister and kind of felt a protective twinge towards her but also knew that she was with Link. That guy was the kindest person he had ever met ! At least he was happy that she had found someone who could keep her happy. No matter how much he liked having these two around, he no way in hell wanted to be in this situation and witness them bumping uglies.

Alex was so engrossed in his thoughts that he actually forgot the part where he barged in on Amelia and Link having sex!! When he still didn't seem to move, both of them simultaneously shouted,

"Alex, get your ass out of here!!"

"Come on, maaaan. Please go! "

That seemed to break his reverie and he grumbled before slamming the on-call room door and practically running out. The couple couldn't actually comprehend what just happened and stared at the closed door. Amelia, wide-eyed, turned towards Link to gauge his reaction and found his mirroring hers. They turned their astonished faces towards each other and both noticed the teasing and bright gleam in their eyes. They couldn't hold it in any longer and broke out into a fit of laughter. Link half collapsed on her body and half on the mattress but she didn't seem to care about his weight and continued laughing. Amelia was kind of famous and known for always barging in on people or interrupting them whilst having sex but this was the first time something like this happened with her. God! Now I know what Addison and Maggie and many others would've felt!

Link was now lying next to her, facing her. The laughter slowly died down and they just laid there staring at each other with radiant smiles on their faces. Link suddenly got worried. " Now the secret is out! Alex will obviously tell Meredith. What are we gonna do?! "

Amelia weirdly felt really calm and okay with this predicament. All of Link's worry quickly dissolved when he took in her calm exterior. Seeing his confused expression, she answered, " Well I'm no longer worried about Meredith anymore. As long as I lo...like you, nothing else matters. But she is still my sister. I value her opinion but I won't let it cloud my judgement like last time. I'm weirdly comfortable in our relationship and the Revis nothing to worry about even if the whole hospital comes to know about us. Word travels like wild fire in this damn hospital."  Link obviously noticed her almost slip up but was confused as hell. Does she love me too?! As far a I know her, she'll freak out if I reveal my feelings. He ignored his inner turmoil and concentrated on what she was saying. She chuckled. Her voice dropped an octave and she whispered with a smile, " As long as we're together right? "

Link was exuding elation at what she was saying. "As long as we're together, nothing could you. I'll make sure of that. We'll be okay," he whispered softly. Amelia was ecstatic when she heard his words. She gave him the softest of her kisses and gazed into his gentle eyes full of love and endearment with admiration.

Link was blatantly staring in her kind, bright, blue eyes. She always gets this different gleam and shine in her eyes when she laughs and is happy. I've never seen anything prettier than this. He smiled softly at her and gently placed his palm on her cheek, rubbing his thumb softly near her eye. Amelia raised her eyebrows and grew confused why he was grinning so stupidly at her. " What? ", she smiled gently.

Link just leaned in and kissed both her eyelids eliciting a soft sigh from her. His lips then lingered at the corner of her mouth before he pulled away. She leaned into the palm of his hand and sighed. Amelia opened her eyes and saw nothing but adoration and...love? in his eyes. She slightly quirked her eyebrow at him, prying him to answer her stealthily abandoned question. Link just shook his head and marvelled, " Nothing. It's just...your eyes! They hold a certain glint and shine in them. They shine brighter according to your moods. I just love your eyes. They're so beautiful! You...you're so beautiful, Amelia."  She felt so loved at his answer that she kissed him sweetly on the lips acknowledging and thanking him.

She leaned back and smiled radiantly at him and the gleam in her eyes from before returned and she grinned mischievously at him. She swiftly closed her eyes and whispered , " What color are my eyes?"  Link laughed out loud remembering the moment she was reminding him of. The last time they talked about her eyes! Amelia had a cheeky grin on her face and he just wanted to smother her face with kisses at her cuteness. How can someone be so adorable? 

He pretended to ponder the answer before kissing her cheek and breathing in her ear, " Well, sometimes they look green and sometimes they look blue depending on the..." , repeating the exact same words he uttered last. He trailed off waiting for her shush him again. She surprised him when she urged him to continue. " What? I'm waiting.Go on."  Link grinned at the prospect of finally being able to complete his statement. "...depending on what's going on in that head of yours. Like when I do this..." he kissed her lips softly, "...they turn bright blue and when I do this...", he turned her body in his arms and kissed her jaw, "...they turn grey."

Amelia sighed and was appalled at his attentiveness. She couldn't believe how much he noticed her. She felt herself falling deeper and harder for him with each passing day. She breathed, " Oh yeah? "

" And when I do this...", he tugged at her hair, exposing more skin and she moaned, " they turn a darker shade of grey. When I do this...", he suddenly stopped everything he was doing and pulled back from her. Amelia grunted at the loss of his touch and opened her eyes in frustration. She looked at him questingly and irritatingly only to be met with playfulness in his eyes. "...when I rile you up or when you get angry, your eyes hold a fire in them and turn fiery green. " He grinned smugly down at her before laughing out loud. Amelia felt an urge to wipe that smirk right off his face and on an impulse took him completely by surprise.

Link was shocked, more than amused when she flipped their positions and now straddled him. "Didn't know you could actually write a book about my eyes! " It was now her turn to smirk when she grinded down on him and his eyes turned stormy. She turned the tables on him. He groaned audibly when she bit his earlobe and whispered breathing in his ear, " When I do this, YOUR eyes turn the darkest shade of grey known to man."  This was his undoing. He knew it in his soul that she was doing this to rile him up. Well, it worked. He snapped.

He suddenly sat up, taking her by surprise. She was about to lose her balance but Link pulled her flush against his chest and kissed her with fervor. Amelia was more than happy to reciprocate. They then passionately resumed what they were interrupted from doing.

LATER...

During lunchtime, Amelia was as usual running late and Link was waiting for her in the cafeteria when out of nowhere, Jo plopped down in the seat next to him. Maggie was with Jo. She had a stupid grin and mischievous look on her face. Oh shit, this cannot be good!! Link inwardly groaned at the upcoming onslaught. Maggie sat down at the table too and was cluelessly looking between the two. " Um, what's going on? "

Jo smirked and turned fully towards Link who was busy staring at the sandwich on his plate which suddenly interested him to no deal.  "You should definitely ask Link! He can tell you better about his recent activities."

Maggie connected the dots and laughed. " Oh! If you're talking about Link and Amelia getting 'caught in the act' by the Chief of Surgery, then I'm aware. I've actually known for a while. "

Link whipped his head in Maggie's direction, " Wait. You know about it?! I can understand Jo, she's Alex's wife but you know it too? "

Maggie chuckled, " Amelia told me. And I was there when you took Amelia out on a date. Remember?  Also, probably the whole hospital knows by now, Link. Aren't you aware how this hospital works? "

He whined, " But it's only been an hour! " He huffed petulantly and crossed his arms.

Right on cue, Amelia sat down beside Link, flushed, with her tray. " I am so sorry. Again. I'll try my best to come on time the next time." Amelia laughed. She quickly recovered and got confused seeing Jo and Maggie's amused glances and Link's embarrassment.

Then, Alex dropped down beside his wife with a tray full of food and pecked her on the cheek in way of greeting. He then seemed to realise the people he was sitting with. He loudly groaned. " Not you two again. I don't want those pictures in my head!! I don't know what's happening man. Everywhere I go, sex is following me. On my way here, I actually walked in on Hunt and Altman about to do it in the Scan Room. I mean, come on, man! Then there's Nico and Schmitt and you too!"

Everybody laughed. Just then Meredith joined them, with Hayes trailing slightly behind. She called out to him when he was going to sit at a different table, not wanting to disturb the friends. " Hayes, you can join us." All the women on the table perked up and urged him to join Mer. Alex and Link shook their heads and just chuckled at the women's enthusiasm. Obviously almost all of the attendings knew about Cristina's gift except Hayes. Hayes smiled at everybody before sitting beside Alex.

Meredith takes in everybody's amused faces and quickly changes the topic fearing her meddling sisters might reveal something in front of Hayes. "So, what are we talking about? "

Jo was quick to answer amusedly, " About how sex is following my husband and he has become the second Amelia, barging in on people."  Meredith raised her eyebrow at Alex and shook her head whilst laughing. Hayes was shocked at the topic of conversation and how he was so unfamiliar with people talking so openly about sex everywhere in this damn hospital! He knew word travelled fast here and was shocked to know how much he knew about people's dating lives! This hospital was undoubtedly different from all of his previous working places, that's for sure.

Amelia stealthily glanced towards Meredith cautiously once but Meredith noticed. She teasingly addressed her and Link, " So when were you planning on telling me, huh? " She laughed at Link's shocked expression and Amelia merely shook her head hopelessly. " What? Obviously I know, guys! What do you think, I don't know my sister? This one..." she points towards Amelia, "...wears her heart on her sleeves and this one..." she points towards Maggie, " cannot keep her mouth shut when she's excited! "

Amelia gave Maggie the stink eye. "MAGGIE! "

" What? I swear she already knew by the time I told her! Scold Alex. He told her!", she defended herself with mock innocence.

Alex piped in, " Well, all I'm saying is, I don't wanna see your wiggling asses bumping each other the first thing after a very long surgery when I desperately need a nap! "

Link, clearly very embarrassed, says, " Sorry, I'm definitely not gonna forget to lock the door the next time around! "

Jo interrupts him, " Oh shut up, Alex. You're one to say. Mer, remember when he slept with every freaking intern of my class? "

Meredith laughs loudly, " Oh, yes!! People started calling him the next Mark Sloan! So gross."

Alex, now vengeful, " Hee, hee, hee, very funny, Mer. Don't make me remind everyone of your sexcapades! "  The person in question sobered up and threateningly looked him square in the eyes. Hayes was seemingly interested now more than ever. He leaned forward in his chair, now curious. All the other parties cheered loudly. Alex, oblivious to Mer's gaze, continued, " McDreamy and Mer did it all over the hospital! I highly doubt there's a place left where they didn't do it! "

" Hey! How do you know that?! I never told you this!"

Alex ignored her. " There was this one time when Addison pinned Mer's panties on the bulletin board on the surgical floor because she found them in McDreamy's coat! Bailey was so maaad! "

Hayes's eyebrows shot up to his forehead and he looked towards Meredith. Four simultaneous "WHAT??!! " were heard in response. Meredith just shrugged and wave it off, chuckling, " Shut up, Evilspawn."

Maggie was laughing the most. She had never heard of this story. Amelia dropped the bomb. "What are you laughing so much about, traitor? " Maggie immediately stopped laughing and was about to stop Amelia but she beat her to it. " Don't forget I had caught you and DeLuca going at it like sex crazed bunnies twice in one day! And remember when you thought DeLuca gave you a UTI ?! " Everyone erupted in laughter. Maggie was super embarrassed but looked cautiously towards Meredith, trying to gauge her reaction on hearing DeLuca's name but she was laughing heartily. Oh, thank God!

Hayes and Link simultaneously spoke up, " Maggie and DeLuca were a thing?! "  Everyone nodded their heads.

" Wow."

"Guys, remember when Jo had sex with Glasses?", Meredith spoke up. Jo whipped her head in her direction, her face cringing. Alex groaned audibly and smacked his head, " Don't remind me that, Mer."

There was not one person who didn't laugh at the recollection of that memory with the exception of Link and Hayes. Link asked. " Who's Glasses? "

Everyone replied together in chorus, " Schmitt!! "

Link looked at Jo, horrified, judging her silently. "Is he not gay?! "

" Well he wasn't !! Before Nico, that is."

" You had sex with Schmitt?! Brooke, seriously?! "

" Hey! No judging here. Alex is to blame here. I tried to get over him when we broke up at the time by having a one night stand. Not my proudest moment." She groaned.

Hayes was more than astonished and cried, " Was everyone having sex with everyone ?! "

Alex piped in, " Like I said earlier, this hospital is filled with sex-crazed, horny doctors! " Everyone laughed heartily while shaking their heads. No matter what, each and every single one of them had great memories in this hospital and no place could ever replace Grey Sloan Memorial! "

Link still hung up on the whole Glasses thing, inquired, " I have one more question though. Why did you people call Schmitt, Glasses? "

Jo guffawed, recalling that memory, " Well, he was in surgery with Mer and me when he looked down and his loose glasses fell down in the open body cavity! Hence the name Glasses!! "  Meredith grimaced which prompted the others to laugh out loudly.

Maggie now interrupts, " We are missing the point! We should never forget to lock the on-call room doors from now on to avoid the Amelia and Link situation! I have already seen Amelia in all of her naked glory enough times already to last a lifetime! "

Link who drinking his juice, choked and coughed up loudly hearing Maggie. Amelia who was clearly very offended shouted defensively, " Hey! Not so many times! You are clearly exaggerating."

Maggie counters, " Remeber when we caught you and Owen on Mer's couch! Even the kids saw Owen's penis! " Amelia groaned at that memory and Alex barked in laughter.

" Please don't remind me that. I had to make some lame excuse to Zola who was asking about what her Auntie Amelia was doing without any clothes on. Horrifying experience. Ughh."  Link visibly cringes and tries to block his mind from conjuring up the images of Amelia and Owen.

" Yeah. Maggie remember when Amelia was totally naked in my car and changing her clothes because she was so damn late, as usual? "

Hayes and Alex stood up and left, clearly very uncomfortable, " And, we're out."  Jo laughed and shook her head before she was paged down to the ER. Link's interest piqued hearing Mer's story and he quirked his eyebrow slyly in Amelia's direction who just shrugged and waved him off.

The sisters and Link resumed their hilarious conversation before Meredith and Maggie had to leave for their respective surgeries. As soon as they departed, Link turned towards Amelia and announced excitedly, " I'm coming to pick you up in my car from now on. EVERY FREAKING DAY. " Link wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she smacked him in the chest before chuckling. Link frowned and said, " What? I'm serious! ", making her laugh out loud. 

" I understand the being late part. But why were you completely naked? And in front of your sisters?!"

Amelia shrugged nonchalantly, like it was no big deal. " I ran inside the car in my robe with nothing underneath..." she noticed Link's eyes darkening with each passing second but tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. They just had sex three freaking times in the on-call room and he is making me aroused again!! How?!  "...and then I put my jeans and top on."

Link intercepted with mirth in his eyes, " Without the panties, right? " He proceeded to point towards her crotch and continued, " Because she likes to breathe? "

" Damn right, she does! " and then she laughed. Link shook his head and chuckled at her antics. The laughter soon died down and he bent slightly to plant a chaste kiss on her lips. Both of them were grateful and relieved that they could finally act like a happy couple in front of everyone instead of hiding their relationship. Amelia, now panting, smiled up at him after breaking their kiss and gazed in his eyes. Link whispered, " I have a surgery. See you later? " Amelia nodded and he turned to leave but stopped to say one last thing. " Talk to Mededith, Amelia. You'll feel better."

Amelia was amazed at how well Link had come to know her in such a short span of time. She was ever grateful to have him in her life and thanked whatever God was up there for him. She desperately needed to know what Meredith thought of them as a couple.

Later, while walking towards Mer's car in the parking lot, Amelia jogged up to Meredith who was walking a few steps ahead of them. Maggie continued walking a few steps behind, knowing Amelia needed some privacy to talk to Meredith about her relationship with Link.

" Hey, Mer."

" Hi, Amelia." Meredith smiled towards her sister. She knew what Amelia wanted to talk about.

" Sooo...you obviously know about Link and I. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was actually trying to take things slower this time around and not jump head first like I previously did, you know? Sooo...what do you think? ", she knew she was rambling and braced herself.

Meredith chuckled trying to ease her sister's worries. " Don't worry about me, Amelia. I already had a hint that you and Link were a thing! " She waved off Amelia's shocked expression. " I own this hospital, darling. I know things! "

" Fair enough."  Amelia shook her head. So all that tension was for nothing?!

Meredith continued. " I'm actually really happy for you. Sorry I couldn't tell you this earlier today. Link is a really great guy. I'm glad you're taking things at your own pace this time. But don't hold back in fear of doing things wrong. Be you and...be happy. You deserve happiness, Amelia. "  She smiled kindly at her sister. She was genuinely happy for her. She was glad that she had finally found the right guy for her who would keep her and her needs before everything, unlike her past relationships and keep her grounded. She had the tendency to panic and get restless whereas he was calm in tense situations. She had told them how Link had stood up for her and handled her family in New York. She was highly grateful that he took care of her sister when she desperately needed support. Her sister was finally walking on the right path, relationship wise. If only her other sister could find someone. Clearly Jackson was a very, very wrong choice. She grimaced and shook her head.

Tears were welling up in Amelia's eyes hearing Meredith's words. She was finally so content and happy in her life! She was relieved that Meredith approved of Link. Her sisters were her family. They were all she had! Their opinions obviously mattered the most to her. Overwhelmed with emotion, she pulled Meredith into a tight embrace. Recovering from her initial shock of the rare display of affection from this sister of hers, she tightened her arms around her.

A few steps behind, Maggie had an endearing smile on her face, witnessing the whole scenario.  She wiped her eyes, tears leaking with emotion. This was her family! She didn't need any man as long as she had her sisters by her side. They were her strength, her family. She hurriedly rushed towards them and joined in on the hug.

Author's Note :

Heyy guys!!! Did you see the new episodes??!! DEREK!!!!! My heart exploded with all the MerDer and AmeLink scenes. I finally found my inspiration and wrote this in a single night! XD

Sorry for being AWOL but I had lost the will and inspiration to write! Also I was so busy with school work!!

I've made a few changes in the story. Owen and Teddy are still going strong. I don't want their drama here in my story now. Probably later. Also, Alex never left and is still the Chief of Surgery. Cormac Hayes is the Chief of Peds and when Bailey is back from her sabbatical, Alex and Hayes will obviously co-chief. I also included some Mermac in the story because I absolutely love those two!!!! <333

I really hd a lot of fun writing this chapter. Hope y'all like it too!! Please write your suggestions and remarks in the comments! I always appreciate your input! Open for prompts!

Next up some jealous AmeLink fun!!  *squeals*  Enjoyyy. Until then.

[firespirited]

the last 48h have been wild and ultimately anti climatic. Started with a text from auntie B saying that Granny had been with them and had a fall, broke her hip and was in hospital. Details on which shop she fell in, no details on granny’s emotional state. They’re the undersharing ND types not the oversharing types like us LOL.

At first, i’m somewhat numb but it’s starting to seep in, fermenting over time, i’m more and more wrecked. Then we find out it’s taken 13 hours to get her a bed due to second wave shite and I am a ball of rage who would take 2 minutes in a room with a meat cleaver and Rishi Sunak, Matt Hancock or the grand BoJo himself for a million bucks and i begin to realise that i am not so much angry as i am grieving. Being there wouldn’t make me any less powerless or alienated from her. She wasn’t ready for her first set of grandkids and loves us in her own way which is at arms length, at a clear emotional distance and if she has to be cruel to get that then... well... it’s like having a fairly predictable mean cat except when I was a tiny kid I didn’t understand that people could be like mean cats that need space and got nasty bites that stuck with me. Found out this evening that sis has old cat-bite stigmas too.

Surgery was postponed twice then done this morning at which point very estranged dad felt the need to insert himself into the conversation and text sis that he is friends with cousin M and wanted to inform us that granny was in the hospital like a/ mum wouldn’t know about her own mother duh + he’s also got the wrong information b/ he still gets to have that side of the family after being abusive like it’s all amicable. Sis freaks out that cousin M knows he’s been cruel to mum, choose dad over mum and mum is trying to keep this “friend” anyway.

I put my stress and unrequited familial love into customizing a pocket-size teddy with a button hip and an embroidered heart. An emotion poppet without the belief in sympathetic magic but who knows?

At this point, I’m pondering the logistics of ramps and wheelchairs because i’m a fix it person. My uncle’s got it all handled and they’ll probably have her stay while she convalesces, which brings up the possibility they might experience the mean cat side she keeps well hidden from favourite son and that might go some way to healing the relationship between mum and her brother. But before that thought can even settle:

Surgery went fast, granny’s not in too much pain, hip didn’t need replacing, just a big metal pin and she’ll be out of hospital with a day or two, walking within the week and recovering from home. The woman never ever gets sick and her broken hip is a quick fix. amazing. she’s very fit for her age and has incredible luck...i mean aside from having a fall during a plague surge made worse by the most short sighted laziest PM we’ve had in a long while.

Either way some very interesting/painful conversations with sis about generational trauma and how to not repeat it and discomfort at how desperate to appease mum still is.

Anyways um don’t wish for relief from the tedious dread of upcoming elections, you might just get it!

[flamingfandomtrashcentral]

Can you write about how would the rfa react when they almost lost mc because of accident/getting shot. I can't wait to read Jumin's 😊

my god this got a lot longer than it usually does

also my search history has now been filled with lots of ‘what ifs’ regarding gunshot wounds so that’s something

Zen

- After you two started dating, he always kept his phone on him even while rehearsing because you are the most important thing in his life. Never has he been more grateful for that decision than when he got a call from the hospital saying that you were in critical condition. It’s a good thing the director was nearby when he sprinted out of the building yelling what had happened. The few minutes it took him to get to the hospital were by far the worst minutes of his life, and when he got there his anxieties were not eased. Your condition hadn’t changed and they wouldn’t let him see you since you were in surgery. After arguing with the staff and getting what information he could, he settled for going on the app and venting to everyone about happened. A drunk driver had swerved into your lane and hit you head on.

- Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, he was allowed to see you. It helped, but at the same time it didn’t. Yes, he was relieved to see you in stable condition, but your broken body was almost more than he could stomach. But, he knew that you would be by his side in the same scenario, so of course he will stay by yours. When you come to, he’s still wide awake and it takes all his restraint not to hug you with all his strength. Holding your good hand will have to be enough. And lots of gentle face kisses. Lots of them. He swears that he will do everything he can to make sure this never happens again and to be with you every step of the way during your recovery. He even accepts Jumin’s offer to set you up with a physical therapist as soon as you’re able.

- After you’re discharged from the hospital, Zen becomes a helicopter boyfriend. It’s a little suffocating, but you know that he’s really shaken by what happened. He pushes you around in your wheelchair regardless of whether or not you need him to, and getting him to let you do anything on your own is difficult. How many times a day he tells you he loves you increases ten fold. He brings you with him to rehearsals so he can make sure you’re safe and not forgetting to take any medication the hospital prescribed. His costars are very nice about the whole thing and try to help too, they can see just how much of a toll this whole thing has taken on Zen. He’s a little unsure of others helping you at first, he’s your prince after all. He thinks he should be doing it, but he accepts that you two really do need all the help you can get.

Yoosung

- You two were supposed to study today, but you were late. He was about to call when an unknown number called him first. He contemplated ignoring it, but some part of him said he should answer it. Thank God he did. You wouldn’t expect a college gamer boy like him to be able to run all that fast, but he thinks he may have broken some records while hauling ass to the hospital you were being treated at. All he knew was that your condition was serious and that they would give him more details when he got there. He didn’t know what to expect, but hearing that you’d been shot during a mugging wasn’t it. All he wanted to do was see you, but he understood that wouldn’t be possible while you were in surgery. While he waits he calls Seven in tears, begging for him to try and find some CCTV footage of the person who did it. 

- The nurse barely finished the sentence that he could see you now before he was booking it to your room. The surgery had been successful, but the gunshot resulted in a collapsed lung so you would need time to recover. He’d been told that your stay in the hospital would be about a week depending on whether or not the lung collapses again, something he prays doesn’t happen. You’re starting to wake up when he gently takes hold of your hand. He talks to you in a soothing voice and relays everything that the doctors told him. If you try to talk he will immediately hush you, he doesn’t want you to strain yourself and especially not your lungs right now. He practically moves in to your hospital room during your stay.

- He will not be the only person hovering over you while you’re there. As soon as his mother catches wind of this you can bet your ass she will be there with all kinds of food for you. You can’t get better eating that awful hospital food, home cooked is the only way to go! Can’t let her future child-in-law have anything other than a full recovery. Even after you’re released, she insists on leaving some (a lot of) leftovers for you since cooking would be an unnecessary strain on you. Yoosung makes you stay at his place for at least a week after you’re discharged just so he can be there for you should anything else go wrong. He’ll be extremely clingy for a long time, trying to be with you whenever he can. You’re practically attached at the hip. He’s great at making sure you follow the proper steps to ensure a good recovery.

Jaehee

- At this point in her life, she’s fairly certain that cars are cursed. At least that’s what she tells herself while sprinting to the hospital you’re being held in. She had received that dreaded call while she was waiting for you to return with some coffee beans. Before the call even ended she was ushering customers out of the coffee shop and switching the sign to ‘closed’. Now she was anxiously pacing around the waiting room, garnering multiple stares from the other people in the room. She couldn’t understand why everyone she loved gets into car accidents, it wasn’t fair. Her mother, Zen, and now you. All of you deserved better than this. It took everything she had not to breakdown then and there. She never thought she’d be in this same exact position again. Not with you. 

- Hours later she is allowed to see you after confirming with the doctors that you were indeed in stable condition and going to survive. The second she enters the room and sees your state, she breaks. Her steps falter the closer she gets to the bed, eventually collapsing when she did reach you. Loud sobs tore through the room as the gravity of the situation fully sank in with her. She almost lost you. You could have died. Tears pour down her face and she makes no effort to stop them, she can’t think straight right now. Her crying is what makes you come to. Seeing her in such a state breaks your heart. You muster the strength to move your hand to stroke her hair. Jaehee gasps and snaps her head up to look at you. She barely keeps herself from latching onto you, instead settling for gripping your hand as if you’ll disappear the second she lets go.

- The entire time she is waiting for you to be discharged she reads up on the best way to help you recover, so when you are released, she is prepared. She is extremely on top of taking care of all the heavy lifting and hard work, but she still lets you do things for yourself because it’s crucial to recovery. Mostly, she aims to make sure you are stress free, can’t have you aggravating your injuries. Zen even stops by to help out and see to it that Jaehee doesn’t overburden herself. That, and he wants to test out whether or not his singing is capable of healing physical injuries (he’s leaning towards ‘yes’). Jaehee is not very affectionate for the first month or so, not because she doesn’t want to be, she’s just afraid of hurting you anymore than you already are. Also cars are forbidden from now on.

Jumin

- Jumin doesn’t anger easily, or much at all really. Some wonder if he’s even capable of that emotion. The answer is revealed the day he gets a call that you’ve been shot by someone who was trying to get to him. Where were your body guards? Why weren’t they doing their jobs? A lot of people got fired that day, and if he wasn’t so preoccupied with getting to see you, he would’ve started the process of suing them too. That’ll just have to wait. You were taken to the best hospital in the area, but he still plans on transferring you to his private doctors once you’re stable. You will be. You have to be okay, even if it may be looking grim at the moment. The bullet passed through your chest cavity, and while your organs seem to be intact for the most part, you had severe internal bleeding. He enlists the help of Seven to ruin the shooter’s life.

- He wastes no time getting into your room when you’re out of surgery. Preparations are still being made with his private doctors, so you will more likely than not be spending the night in this hospital. New and better bodyguards have been brought in to guard the room, he doesn’t want to risk anyone else hurting you and this hospital is not secure enough for him. He’s gently running his hand through your hair when you wake up. His eyes are puffy, but he smiles warmly at you and asks how you’re feeling. Do you need anything? If you do he will have it here before you know it. After a quick rundown of what happened and what will happen from here, he carefully brings you into a hug. You can feel him trembling and his tears falling onto you. He was so scared. He is still scared. He feels like he’s failed you, but he swears that this will never happen again.

- Even when you are back at home with him, you’ll still be seeing plenty of doctors. Even though they say you’re fine and just need to rest, he wants to be safe and have daily check ups. He starts working from home, only leaving when he absolutely has to. You’ll be seeing Jaehee a lot since she’ll be dropping of paperwork multiple times a day. It’s nice considering you’re not seeing much of anyone else being that you’re practically on house arrest at the moment. Jumin was already affectionate with you in public, but now he’s almost always touching you in some way. He wants to savor your presence every chance he gets. Whether it be holding your hand, letting you lay against/on him while resting, or keeping you firmly in his embrace. It’s going to take a lot to get Jumin to settle down after this. You will both have to go speak to a therapist about this. 

707/Luciel/Saeyoung

- He’d had his theories as to why you were so nonchalant about him being dangerous, but it hadn’t crossed his mind that it was because you were already used to danger. You’d gone out to do some grocery shopping, and Saeyoung had just so happened to be checking the CCTVs that were on the way there when he saw someone leap out at you from an alleyway. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. He’d already shot you twice by the time you were able to pull out your taser and take him down. With the adrenaline wearing off and the blood pouring out of your wounds, you collapse. Seven calls an ambulance to your location and floors it to the hospital it will take you to. He gets there first and even sees them rush you in. You’re deathly pale from the blood loss and unresponsive.

- The wait almost kills him, he’s sure of it. Had it not been for Saeran calling to check in on him here and there he might have snapped. The worst part was that he had no idea what was going on. He didn’t know who jumped you or why, he didn’t know how bad the damage was, he didn’t know if you would make it. He knew nothing and hated it. You were hurt and he was unable to protect you. Finally, he is allowed to see you and the nurse tending to you explains what was wrong. The first bullet passed through with minimal damage, but the second pierced your left kidney and it had to be removed completely. He nodded gravely at the news and thanked her for telling him. By the time she left, you were awake and he instantly started asking questions about the shooter. You cave and explain that it was someone for your past and that you were involved with some very shady people when you were younger. You knew it had to come back to bite you eventually.

- Initially, he’s mad that you never told him, but he knows that being angry at you will yield him no positive results. You’re injured and need his help. While you’re being held in the hospital, he stays by your side and works tirelessly on his laptop (brought in by Saeran). The people who hurt you will not get away with this, he will destroy them. It doesn’t take him long to accomplish this. When you’re discharged, he makes every effort to take care of you. If only he could take care of himself as well as he’s taking care of you right not. He has a lot of help though. Vanderwood stops by to make sure he’s not just feeding you a steady diet of ships and soda, Saeran awkwardly pops in to check on you here and there, and the entire RFA visits you regularly. Really, this whole experience has brought you all closer. Might not be worth the hell you went through, but you’re trying to see the bright side.

[greysanatomyreaderinsertimagines]

Can you do an Alex Karev imagine where you’re his best friend and you get into a car accident thanks

Alex Karev Imagine1514 WordsRequested By: Anonymous

A drive. That’s all you said you were doing. To clear yourhead. Alex didn’t expect anything from it. He should. You’re his best friend.He’d do anything for you, and vice versa. You’re one of the girls he didn’tdrive away, besides Meredith and Cristina. You were there for him. You werethere for his rights and wrongs. You knew where you stood. He saw you take eachstep from the ground up with confidence, and understanding. There was no wayyou could’ve gotten into an accident, you’re too smart. You can swerve at theperfect time and land safely.

“Alex, you might wanna sit down.” He stared at Meredith inconfusion. There was no way. There was no way that was you. No.

“Mer, I just want the truth.”

“…It’s her.”

Alex started to shake. That was it. He would’ve let you slipright under him like that. He didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want you to getaway. He hasn’t told you he loves you yet.

“I-It can’t be right? You saw her, right? …You saw her. Shewas mangled! That can’t be (Y/n), that can’t be my (Y/n)!” Tears formed. Hecouldn’t help but just worry. You were his (Y/n). He was your Alex. No onecould replace either of you.

“Alex, they’re working on her. We have to wait.”

“…Where’s Cristina?”

“They’re working on her.”

You were critical. You were in danger. Alex wasn’t there toprotect you in time. He was stuck. He was at fault. Cristina, Owen, and Teddywalked out. He stood. Meredith looked between him and Cristina.

“Where’s her family,” Teddy asked.

“We’re all she has,” Meredith murmured. “How is she?”

“She’s still critical. We’re gonna have to watch her. She’sbeen hit with a train wreck like that,” Owen sighed.

Cristina stepped forward. “Before you go off to her Alex…She’s in pain. If she wakes up, remind her she’ll be fine. We’re all here, andshe’ll be fine.”

Alex breathed. It took him a while. He didn’t know how towhen they spoke. Meredith rubbed his back softly.

“What room is she in,” She asked.

“Follow me.”

Cristina led the two of them off, leaving Owen and Teddythere.

“Her look will hurt them,” Teddy shook her head.

“They have to see it. They have a way to interoperate it,”Owen muttered.

Alex stood outside your ICU door as Meredith looked insidefor him.

“What does she look like,” He whispered.

“Damaged,” She murmured.

Cristina sighed. “We did our best. She’ll be in pain.”

“You’ve said that,” Alex looked at her.

“Yeah, I’m stressing it. I almost shook staring at her onthe table like that.”

“(Y/n)… She’s strong. She can get through this,” Meredithnodded.

“We almost lost her twice. Maybe she was trying to let goand we wouldn’t let her.”

Alex turned the corner. You were connected to tubes andmachines, just to help you function.

“Alex…”

He opened the door and slipped in. He pulled up a chair nextto your bed, resting his head by your hand.

“Let’s leave him for a few hours,” Meredith whispered.

“He has surgery.”

“This is family.”

“…Yeah, you’re right… This IS family.”

“Wake up,” Alex whispered.

It was days. In and out, Alex didn’t mind doing smallthings, as long as he was near you. Bailey swerved her hips up to him andplaced a hand on her hip.

“Karev.”

“Yes Dr. Bailey?”

“Robbins has told me you’ve declined your 5th surgery in arow.”

“I did.”

“You’re not going to be a doctor if you keep moping aroundwhile she recovers.”

“She’ll wake up.”

“She’ll wake up to a boring man.”

“I want to see her.”

“You will. Get ready for surgery. I’ll have someone keep aneye on her. You have to tell her a story for when she wakes up.”

Alex looked up at her. “Why?”

“Knowing (L/n), she likes a good story.”

Alex took a deep breath. He looked down before getting up.

“Alright. Page me for any changes?”

“Sure.” She wasn’t going to. She was going to wait.

Alex stood in surgery with a happy Arizona as she bounced inplace.

“I’m glad you got to join us Dr. Karev.”

“Glad to be here.”

“How is she?”

“(Y/n)?”

“Yeah! I heard she’s getting better from Callie.”

“She is. She’s breathing on her own, but still hasn’t wokenup.”

“She’ll wake up.”

“I hope she does.”

Your eyes fluttered open as you turned your head. You feltsore, and in pain. Both combined made it extremely uncomfortable. You hit thenurse button as you looked up. Bailey walked past your room and looked throughthe window. You were in a box. You could tell. She opened the door and smiled.

“You gave everyone a scare,” She giggled, sliding the doorclosed behind her.

“I did,” You asked, voice coming out hoarse.

“Yeah. Karev wouldn’t move from this area until I made him.He’s in surgery, so I’ll wait to tell him you’re awake until after.”

“Oh… Was everyone worried?”

“You came damaged, yes, but you’re fine now.”

“I’m sore, and in pain.”

“Comes with many incisions.”

“I know, but I’ve never felt this bad before.”

“It’s a surprise to us all.”

“Yeah…” You looked down and sighed. This was a new feeling.You didn’t like this, not one bit.

“Don’t move. We’ll have a nurse come in to do an exam andwe’ll move from there.”

“Yes ma’am.” You nodded your head.

When Bailey left, you were looking out the window. Time feltslow to you. You were not doing anything, and time felt slow… to you.

Alex took off his scrub cap and yawned. He checked hiswatch.

“You’ve been looking down at your watch a lot,” Arizonapointed out.

“I’m wondering about (Y/n). I haven’t gotten a page abouther.”

“Maybe there’s nothing to worry about.”

“That bothers me.”

“You’ve been quite full of angst.”

“Yeah, I’m jumpy. When your best friend almost dies on you,it tends to go that way in life.”

Arizona giggled. “You care a lot for her.”

“More than anything. She’s one of the girls who isn’tcrazy.”

“Well, do my post ops. Then you can go see her.”

She held out a chart to him.

“Mhm, sure.”

He grabbed the chart and walked away.

You yawned, growing sleepy as time progressed. You weregetting hungry too.

“(Y/n)!!”

You looked up. Meredith stepped into your room with a smilewith Cristina, then shut the door behind her.

“Hi,” You murmured.

She wrapped her arms softly around you and placed her headon top of yours.

“Where’s Alex?”

“He’s doing post ops. We finally got him to do some work.”

“Finally?”

“Yeah, he’s been stuck around in your room for however long.We were just waiting for you to wake up.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

You nodded. “Okay.”

“You hungry,” Cristina asked.

“Yeah. Anything will do.”

“Sweet, dessert cups for all of us. I’ll grab Evil Spawnwhile I’m at it.”

Cristina exited.

“Bailey said she wasn’t going to page him because he has tofocus on work.”

“Yeah, he’s been away from it for a long time.”

You nodded.

“Hey, Alex!”

Alex looked up and saw Cristina carrying pudding cups.

“Where are you going? Do go on break and eat again,” Heasked.

“For the record, (Y/n) is awake and she asked for food.”

“S…She’s awake?”

“You didn’t know?”

“No.”

“Then surprise. She’s been awake. Bailey said she’s been upsince 1. So, brain function is fine since she’s lasted for 6 hours.”

Alex followed her up to your room. She opened the door.

“Alex is a chicken and won’t come in,” She muttered.

“Well- We’re leaving!! Let’s go, we have the E.R.”

“Meredith, I just grabbed these.”

“Let’s eat on the way!”

Meredith rushed Cristina out.

“What the hell,” Cristina groaned.

“You’ll see,” Meredith smirked.

Alex looked through the door. You reached to the pudding cupand opened it slowly. You sighed.

“So…Hey,” He walked in.

You looked up. “Hi…”

You looked so fragile to him.

“How do you feel?”

“In pain.”

Of course, He thought.

“Alex…You haven’t been working?”

“It’s not every day your best friend gets in an accident.”

“You did get shot.”

“Different.”

“You almost died.”

“You almost died worse than I did.”

“Alex…”

“I thought you were going to die, and leave me… No one canreplace you. You can’t be replaced. If I lost you, I lost a part of myself.”

“Alex…”

“(Y/n), I didn’t want to work in chances that somethingcould have happened to you.”

“Alex… Listen… I’m… I’m alright now… I just need to recover,but… I don’t want to drag you down-.”

“You’ll never do that. You’ll never drag me down. You’re theone that lifts me up… I love you… If you don’t realize that, then I LOVE YOU.”

You stared at him.

“Say something so I won’t regret it.”

“Regret what? That you love me? That you feel the same wayas I have since Izzie left you.”

“…What?”

[heartslogos]

outtakes [28]

"The last time we called a meeting like this was because Zhongli-laoshi was dating Childe,” Xinyan says, elbowing Keqing until the other woman moves over enough to make space for her on the cramped couch. “Now I know that Childe isn’t back in Liyue, and Zhongli-laoshi’s got Azhdaha-laoshi back so that’s settled. Unless there’s something else going on there in which case I only want to know if it’s become an extreme emergency.”

Yanfei, Ganyu, and Xiao stand at the front of the half circle the rest of them have gathered in around Keqing’s living room.

“Why is this happening here?”

“Were all of you going to come up to my apartment in Wangshu?” Xiao points out.

“A better question is would we want all of you in our crowded apartment in Wangshu,” Aether says calls out from Keqing’s kitchen. “Xiangling, did you rearrange Keqing’s kitchen the last time you were here? I can’t find the coffee.”

“I got rid of it,” Keqing says. “I’m quitting coffee.”

Everyone’s eyes snap to Keqing.

“Alright,” Yanfei says, writing an imaginary note on her palm, “Next meeting will be to discuss Keqing’s break up with caffeine.”

“I have patches now,” Keqing corrects. “It’s much more efficient this way.”

Xingqiu reaches over and puts a hand over Xiangling’s mouth before she can say anything.

“We’ll talk about that next time,” Xingqiu says, “Dage, called us here so it’s important. He’s only ever called us to meet because Zhongli-laoshi is being…how he was. Or because he wanted to tell us he was no longer single.”

“This isn’t about Xiao,” Yanfei says, “But I did ask Xiao-ge to call us all together because despite how much we love poking at his thinner than rice-paper face, if he asked us to do something we’d all do it because he never asks for anything. Also, we’re actually good people when it comes down to it.”

“Was that ever in question?” Hu Tao asks.

“It’s Ping-nainai,” Ganyu says before they can get off topic.

Everyone immediately goes still before erupting into a cacophony of rapid-fire questions.

“What happened?”

“Where is she? Is this why we aren’t meeting at Yanfei’s place?”

“Tell me she’s alright — “

“She’s supposed to outlive all of us don’t you dare say something’s happened to her — “

Ganyu holds up a hand and everyone goes silent. She uses the same hand to gesture to Yanfei, who’s expression is uncharacteristically grim.

“She’s broken her hip. She needs surgery and time to recover. No, Xingqiu, this isn’t about finances. We’re good on that department. What we aren’t good on is — well. Chongyun, take the floor.”

Xingqiu’s head snaps around towards the man next to him. “You knew what this was about and the entire time I was spouting off hypotheticals with you in the car you just let me prattle on?”

“It’s not a good topic to talk about, Xingqiu,” Chongyun says. There’s a deep furrow between his brows. His arms are crossed over his chest. “After her surgery she’s going to need help. She’ll need someone to stay with her and take care of her. It’s hip surgery and while she’s in good health, she’s still quite old. She’ll need physical therapy.”

“And you’re a physical therapist,” Xiangling says, “Excellent it all works out.”

“No, it doesn’t work out,” Chongyun replies, “Think about it. Really think about it. What do you think the chances are of Ping-nainai actually letting me work with her?”

Everyone falls silent.

“My parents always tell me to rely on my friends more,” Keqing says slowly, “But frankly…”

“If something happened and my parents needed help from one of you I don’t think they’d take it,” Hu Tao says. “You could be the absolute best in your field, like some of you are, and they’d want to go to someone else.”

“I’m a licensed physical therapist with several certifications and recommendations,” Chongyun says, “When my uncle pulled a muscle in his leg last year he acted like talking to me about it was the height of disgrace. Our elders do not want to rely on us when it comes to us doing our actual professions. My mom can ask me how to attach a picture in an email on her phone all day long but if she so much as sprains her wrist suddenly I can’t be bothered.”

Xinyan pinches the bridge of her nose, “I get ya. I’m pretty good with foreign languages and travel stuff because of touring but my parents never believe me when I give them advice and end up going to ask someone else, who just tells them exactly what I would have told them.”

“So how,” Yanfei claps her hands together, “Are we going to get Nainai to accept Chongyun’s help? He’s volunteered to stay over at my place so he can be closer and help around when Ganyu and I aren’t there.”

“She’s staying at your place?”

“Yeah, her place is too small. It wouldn’t be good for her to stay there,” Yanfei says. “Too many stairs. And the building is old. I’d say maybe this would get her to move but I think she’s going to stick it out just because she can.”

“When did this happen?” Hu Tao asks.

“About two days ago,” Xiao answers, “More or less.”

“You all got moving fast,” Xingqiu eyes Chongyun, “And when did you find out about this?”

“Two days ago.”

“Didi was my third call after Ganyu and Xiao-ge,” Yanfei says. “I have no reservations about calling any of you up to lend your expertise on anything. Now focus. Didi’s volunteered to stay at my place and help with stuff. Ganyu and I are obviously down with this. But we need to somehow get Nainai onboard. Thoughts? Suggestions?”

“You’re asking us to figure out how to get one of our elders to listen to us when it comes to practical medical advice,” Keqing says, “You might as well ask me to build a giant swimming pool in the middle of the city. Frankly, I might even be able to do that.”

[secretlystephaniebrown]

A Fraction of Your Smile

Donut Siblings return! Even more specifically, General Martha makes her return! 

Martha got an alien sword for like five seconds in Here Comes the General, and as we all know, those have a tendency to result in alien babies. So when @goodluckdetective asked for one of the sisters and a baby, I saw my chance and took it. (For the Charlie verse fans, don’t worry; Locus still manages to get Charlie somehow. I would not deny the world Charlie.) 

Prompts are still open!

Pairings: Gen, implied Tuckington

Warnings: Non-consensual pregnancy. 

Ao3

Martha has long since given up on being able to predict the course of her life. She joins the army after her brother dies, only for her brother to show up nearly a decade later, alive, well, and using a different name. She spends her whole life looking up to him, only to find out he let them all think he was dead for years, and that he shot her little brother. She thinks she’s fighting a war for the right reasons, but it’s all a joke. She thinks she’s just a grunt in the army, but she ends up a general.

She thinks she’ll get to go home, when the war is done, but there’s the awful truth of politics. She can’t leave Kimball alone to deal with all of this.

She thinks she’ll die in Armonia, in the heart of a nuclear explosion, but Carolina is close by with her speed boost and drags her out just in time, barely making it to the Pelican before the words “too late” can pass her lips, but not before apologies and requests to Wash make themselves known.

Things are… awkward. Wash doesn’t know how to handle this, her nearly dying, her forgiveness, and neither does she. So, she decides to do the mature thing and ignore it in favor of yelling at the UNSC about being a bunch of fuckwads and arguing with Kimball over supplies.

It’s during one of those meetings where Martha realizes that there is, apparently, a side effect of that alien sword she’s taken to carrying at her side just to remind everyone she can stab them whenever she feels like it.

The entire group is gathered together. Doyle is arguing with Kimball about resettlement—Martha doesn’t know Chorus well enough to deal with this sort of things, so it’s Doyle’s job. She’s a soldier. She’s not from Chorus. She doesn’t know these things, as Kimball loves to point out. Martha understands, vaguely, that Kimball resents that an outsider has so much power, and it makes sense, it does, Martha’s only qualification is that she was the last woman standing. She’s the survivor. She has an alien sword that ties her to this planet and powerful friends and she’s a terrible leader.

Kimball should be the one in charge and they both know it, but until elections can be arranged, Kimball’s stuck with her. And elections have to wait for a while still.

Martha clears her throat and stands up. “As much as it pains me to be the voice of reason,” she says. “Drop it, you two. We’ll take it up again later. Colonel Sarge, you said you had word of that pirate contingent in the—”

Suddenly Martha sways on her feet, knees buckling, and she clutches the table, but it’s too late, all eyes are on her, and there’s concern on their faces.

“Martha!” Grey is there, placing a hand on her forehead. “What did you eat?”

“Damn it,” Martha mutters. “I thought we were done with assassination attempts.” She doubles over again as a wave of nausea overtakes her, and this time she’s not fast enough, and she vomits.

Simmons shrieks, but Donut is at her other side right away.

Caboose, however, looks at it curiously. “Miss General! I did not realize Junior was coming for a visit!”

“What?” Martha manages. “What the fuck Caboose?”

“Oh hey,” Epsilon says, hovering above it. “It kind of does look… look like Tucker’s…”

“Oh fuck.” Grif says suddenly. “Are you saying Martha’s pregnant too? We already dealt with that once!”

“What do you mean,” Martha says, her voice deceptively mild as she struggles to find her footing, “pregnant?”

Halfway across the room, heads swivel towards Tucker.

“Oh shit,” Tucker says.

Martha turns towards him. “Captain Tucker, if you think this is going to be a good time to make a “who’s the father” joke, you are sorely mistaken.”

“No, not that! Uh. It’s just. I think I know what happened.”

Grey frowns. “Oh?”

“The sword. It, uh. It knocked me up when I first got it. It’s how I got Junior.”

Martha glances at the sword at her hip. “… I’m pregnant with an alien?”

“Oh my,” Grey says faintly. “Martha I think I need to run some tests.” She pauses. “Tucker, how long did your pregnancy last?”

“Not… very… long…” Tucker says, just as Martha went white as a sheet and clutched at her stomach and lets out a blood curdling shriek that proves once and for all that she is related to Wash and Donut.

“From recovering the sword…” Doc says thoughtfully. “Yes, the timing is about right!” Then his voice changes. “Just in time for the little parasite to burst its way out of her abdomen! Mwahahaha!”

“Just tell me this thing isn’t really a chest-burster,” Martha groans.

“I had to have a C-section, so I’d be lying,” Tucker admits.

“I’m going to kill every last one of you for not warning me about this,” Martha snarls. All the Reds and Blues take a step back.

Grey pats Martha on the back. “Let’s get you somewhere private so I can run some tests. And possibly perform surgery!”

“I can’t be giving birth already, I literally just found out! What kind of parasite am I giving birth to?” Martha feels panic bubbling in her chest, because this is wrong, she can’t be pregnant, she can’t be—this can’t be real, it has to be a trick or a joke or something. She doesn’t even speak Sanghelli anymore, she’s forgotten whatever she knew, she can’t…

Martha lets Grey lead her away, leaning on her heavily. “This isn’t possible,” she whispers.

Grey pats her arm. “I know sweetie! But just think of how exciting it is! And at least it’s not another assassination attempt!”

Martha lets out another cry as a wave of pain rips through her. “We need—I don’t know how long—”

“Don’t you worry about a thing!” Grey pats her cheek as she pushes Martha into a hospital bed. “You’re not about to die on me!”

“Thanks Emily,” Martha mutters, screwing her eyes shut as Grey starts to scan her. “For the love of fuck!’ She screams again.

Wash has, theoretically, known that Tucker ended up impregnated with an alien embryo when he got the sword, but he had never made that connection to his sister.

The meeting has thoroughly derailed after that horrifying discovery, with everyone swapping stories about Junior, and Wash and Donut just staring at each other, trying to comprehend what’s happening.

He can’t… he can’t lose Martha again, he nearly lost her at Armonia. Her would have been last words seem to be continuously echo in his mind. “Give them hell, David.”

They haven’t talked about it—Wash had assumed they’d have time, and things had been so busy with reconstruction and rounding up the left over pirates…

“Hey,” Tucker says quietly to him. “Grey’s not about to let anything happen to her. Plus, if I could survive it with Doc, she’ll be fine.”

Wash swallows. “I—you’re right. Thanks.”

Tucker bumps his shoulder against his. “Dude, calm down. It’s Martha. She’s like, indestructible. Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s your whole family.”

Wash opens his mouth to contradict him, but then he considers all the things he, Donut, and Martha have survived just in the past few months, and he closes it again.

Grey comes back. “Well, it looks like her body has… adjusted to having an alien in it,” she declares cheerfully. “I really need to read-up on my xeno-biology! Private Donut, Agent Washington, she’s asked for you.”

Wash barely takes time to be relieved she’ll admit he’s her brother before he and Donut both take off towards the infirmary.

“No C-Section?” Wash asks when he sees Martha. She’s pale and in a hospital gown instead of her armor now, the bulge that is apparently the future alien baby now visible, and she still manages to look murderous despite being soaked in sweat.

“Apparently not needed,” Martha groans. “Fucking—alien—chest—burster!”

“Junior’s great, Martha!” Donut takes one of her hands and squeezes it tightly. “I’m sure our little nephew will be adorable!”

“Like hell I’m having a boy, I’m already dealing with you two,” Martha snaps. “I do not need another Fillmore boy’s capacity for drama!”

“You’re going to keep it?” Wash asks. He doesn’t move closer, remembering Martha’s fury the last time she’d been in the hospital.

“Oh for fuck’s sake stop hovering and grab my fucking hand.”

Wash sits down and does exactly that.

All things considered, the birth is quick, painless, and loud. But soon enough the others are all crowded around Martha’s hospital bed, eager to see the newest addition to Chorus.

Wash glances at the small alien sitting on Martha’s lap.

“What are you going to name…” Tucker squints. “Her? Him? I honestly can’t tell.”

“I’m calling it them until it’s old enough to make up its mind, cuz no one on this planet understands alien gender,” Martha says, patting them on the head, which causes the alien to let out a cooing honk. “And their name is David.”

Wash goes completely still, but not before he catches Donut hiding a smile behind his hand.

“David? Weird name,” Grif comments.

“Named after my dead older brother,” Martha continues.

“Martha!” Wash yells, having finally recovered enough from his initial shock.

“My poor, dead oldest brother. I miss him dearly. I’m so honored to name my first and only child after him—”

“Why are you like this.”

“I wish he could be here to see this moment…”

“I was literally holding your hand while they were born.”

“And weren’t a dirty rotten liar who lets me think he’s dead for years.”

“Your name is David?” Tucker asks Wash.

“I hate all of you.”

“Don’t you think that will get confusing?” Simmons asks. “If you’ve named them after Wash?”

“I figure I’ll call them Day,” Martha says, before she shifts Day on her lap. “I guess it’s time we figure out what you eat, huh you little fucker?”

“Don’t call your kid that!” Simmons shrieks.

“Fine. Who’s Mama’s good little parasite?” She tickles them under the chin, and it lets out another delighted honk.

“Oh my god who let her become a parent,” Wash says, his dawning horror doubtlessly showing on his face, judging Martha’s smirk.

“Oh, you haven’t fed them yet?” Tucker says. “Caboose, get over here.”

“What, am I feeding them Caboose?” Martha says, skeptically.

“Only a little.”

“Oh god you’re serious,” Martha’s clearly alarmed at that, and Wash has to agree.

“Tucker! We’re not feeding them Caboose!”

“They drink blood!” Doc says. “The blood of your enemies!”

Martha and Grey meet eyes.

“Bag of blood and a very sturdy piece of rubber for a bottle?” Martha asks hopefully.

“I’ll see what we can find,” Grey says, patting Martha’s hand and taking off.

Grey returns soon after, and Martha and Day begin a complicated negotiation about proper feeding.

“I’m going to need a goddamn dictionary,” Martha finally says when Day is clutching to her hair, determinedly drinking from the sippie cup Grey had procured from god-knows-where.  “My Sanghelli is rusty.”

“Your accent’s pretty good,” Tucker says. “I can tell that much.”

Martha pauses, considering. “If the sword got me pregnant… does that make Santa Day’s grandpa?”

Wash rolls his eyes. “Martha.”

“It’s an honest question!”

Most of the others have cleared out by now, but Tucker’s staying.

“You mind if I hold them?” Tucker asks. “It’s weird; Junior grew up so quickly. I kinda miss it.”

“If you can get them out of my curls, feel free,” Martha says.

Tucker carefully reaches up and holds out his hands to Day. Day pauses, considering, before untangling themselves out of Martha’s hair and jumping to Tucker. Tucker lets out a huff of air as Day nearly knocks him over, but he adjusts quickly. “Pretty cute, aren’t they?” Tucker asks, grinning.

“I guess,” Martha says. “But I think that might be those weird motherly chemicals.”

“Oh no!” Grey assures her. “The pregnancy was too quick for those to be manufactured properly!”

Martha squints. “Huh. Neat.”

“If you need help, just let me know,” Tucker says. “Us alien single-parents need to stick together.”

Martha looks at him. “Captain Tucker, you’ve made it pretty damn clear you think I’m a tyrannical bitch.”

“Yeah, but you can’t be all that bad,” Tucker says reasonably. “Plus, can you imagine going to Wash for help with a baby?”

“Your point is made. Now hand over my alien spawn. I need to make sure it knows all of the important lessons in life.”

“Martha,” Wash says warningly. “You can’t teach them to bite people you don’t like on command.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Martha says with a sigh. “The only person I would want to do that to is Locus. And Day can’t eat Locus. They might pick up genocidal tendencies.”

Wash keeps looking at her.

“I’m going to teach them to swear in six languages so I can take them to meetings with the UNSC.”

“How,” Wash says slowly. “Are you running an army?”

“Low-level immortality?” Martha shoves Day into his arms. “Stop complaining and hold your nibling.”

Wash stares at Day. Day stares back.

“Hi?” Wash tries. Day sighs and sits down in his lap, still drinking the cup full of blood. “Honk!”

Donut is sniffling in the background. Wash sighs, and pets Day on the head.

“Well,” he says dryly. “At least things won’t be boring.”

“I doubt we were ever in much danger of that,” Martha says. “Now, I just shoved an alien baby out of unspeakable places. So I’m going to nap. Shoo.”

[gabriellakirtonblog]

How to Sell Personal Training in Five Steps

It’s 10:02 a.m.

You wave goodbye to your previous client and take a long, slow breath, nervous for your next meeting.

With a brief stop at the office for some fresh client-intake forms, you put on your happy face. Chest up, big smile. You greet the potential client with a strong handshake. The sales meeting has begun.

After the small talk, almost every personal training sales meeting starts with a variation on one of these questions:

· “How much does it cost?”

· “How often do I need to see you?”

· “What do I need to do to lose X pounds?”

· “I just want a program to do on my own. Can you do that?”

Don’t answer any of them. Not yet. You’ll only lower your chance of making the sale, or hinder your ability to sell a bigger package than the client thinks she wants.

Instead, follow this five-step system for selling your personal training services:

Step 1: “What do you want to achieve?”

Step 2: Sell results, not packages

Step 3: Address objections

Step 4: Get the buy-in

Step 5: Get creative if necessary

READ ALSO: An Insider’s Guide to Mastering the Initial Consultation

Selling personal training step 1: “What do you want to achieve?”

Taking early control of the conversation is key. The simplest way to do that is to ask questions, starting with this one: “What do you want to achieve?”

Listen carefully to the answer, and take notes. (You brought a notepad and pen, right?) Active note-taking is important to make the client feel you care.

When the client stops talking, wait in silence for a count of two. You may feel more confused than Han Solo when he learned Leia is Luke Skywalker’s sister. But hold those thoughts. Chances are, she’ll start talking again, perhaps divulging a deeper purpose. Awkward pauses have an uncanny way of opening people up.

If she stays silent, ask her reasons for coming to you.

Pay special attention to emotional reasons, which may help fuel motivation during training. Never forget that emotion drives action.

Keep prodding until you understand what the client wants to achieve, and why. To make sure you heard right, paraphrase back to the client what she just told you. This assures the client that you’re paying attention, and trying to understand what she wants. Sometimes all I’d do during the first meeting with a client was ask questions and then paraphrase the answers.

Other questions to ask before moving on:

1. Have you been a member of a gym before?

2. Have you had a trainer before?

3. Why did you quit (or not achieve success) previously?

4. Any injuries that keep you from reaching your goals?

5. What are your expectations of me?

Selling personal training step 2: Sell results, not packages

Once you know what the client wants, you can sketch out a training plan. It doesn’t need to be perfect; you can fine-tune it later. The point is to write it down on paper so the client can see you already have an idea how to help her get the results she wants.

Some clients will want more detail than others. Let the client lead. If she asks about soreness, you can briefly explain how delayed onset muscle soreness works. If she wants to know more about your programming methods, share a few of your guiding principles. Stop when it’s clear she’s losing interest, and move on. Nobody wants a monologuing trainer.

Besides, your goal here isn’t to expand her knowledge of exercise science. It’s to give her an idea of what it will be like to train with you. If she can already see herself in the gym, the next few steps will be much easier.

Selling personal training step 3: Address objections

Objections are opportunities to close. You want objections. If you miss an objection or fail to adequately address it, you’ll lose the sale.

So be proactive. Say something like, “What do you think about the plan?” The client may say “great” or “good,” or raise an objection, or ask a question. It’s okay to answer questions about the program or clarify anything that’s unclear.

If the client says “good,” ask if she foresees any obstacles to training. Make sure you deal with all objections before asking for the sale. A sales meeting is a series of buy-ins and closing doors. Don’t leave any doors open.

Money is the biggest objection. But you’re not ready to talk price yet. If the client asks what you charge, say that you offer a few packages but aren’t sure yet which is best. Share your price sheet with the client and say, “Once we figure out what you need, we can land on the best package.” She’ll feel more at ease, and you’ll have more time to gather the information you need to offer the best solution.

Don’t bring up price before you’re ready. The cheapest trainer in the world is too expensive if the client isn’t yet sold on your value.

As the client begins to picture working with you, she may start selling herself on the idea, figuring out solutions to her own objections. At this point, your job is simple: Shut up. Let her talk through it.

Some objections you might hear when selling personal training:

· “No time”

· “I have to think about it”

· “Too expensive”

· “I have to ask my spouse/partner”

· “I’ve had a bad experience with another trainer”

For a solution to each objection, click here and go to category two: On Marketing, Getting, and Keeping Clients.

Selling personal training step 4: Get the buy-in

Before you talk price, book the person into your schedule. If you get clients to commit to times and dates first, they’ll be less likely to balk at the sale. In The Art of Choosing,  Sheena Iyengar calls this the foot-in-the-door technique. Convince somebody to commit to a smaller decision, and the person is more likely to agree to whatever you propose next—which in this case is the money.

Remember that sales sheet you handed the client? It should have three options: a cheap option, a middle option, and a pricy option with all the bells and whistles. This is pricing theory 101. If you want to sell folks on your middle option, they’re more likely to choose it if it’s sandwiched by the other two.

See for yourself.

Compare this price sheet:

1. 3 sessions – $300

2. 20 sessions and 2 assessments – $1,800

3. 50 sessions, 3 assessments, a grocery store tour, and 5 massages with the therapist down the street – $4,800

To this one:

1. 3 sessions – $300

2. 20 sessions and 2 assessments – $1,800

Without that third package as a reference point, $1,800 seems like a lot of money, right? But with that option, the middle price seems a lot more reasonable, and most people will now choose it. Plus, believe it or not, some people just want the most expensive thing. And for those customers, you have a high-cost option, just in case.

Of those three options, highlight two—your first and second choices. Always present one as better, but say there’s a second option available. This takes it from a yes-or-no decision to an A-or-B decision.

So you might say something like this:

“Well, Sally, based on what we’ve talked about, I think the best way to achieve your goals is to see me three times a week and work out twice a week on your own, with my guidance.

“The most cost-effective option is the 50-pack of sessions. That’s about four months of training, more than enough time to get measurable results.

“If that’s too big a commitment right now, we also offer a 20-session package. Please also remember that if something comes up and you have to back out, the sessions are fully refundable, no questions asked.”

Offering a guarantee helps reassure the client that you’re a straight shooter, and not like others she’s heard about, or perhaps even dealt with. (Unfortunately, too many people have been ripped off by the many bad actors in and around the fitness industry.)

READ ALSO: Your Personal Trainer Marketing Sucks, and It’s Killing Your Business

Selling personal training step 5: Get creative if necessary

Your client has agreed to your plan and been impressed by your value. Good work! All that’s left now is to fill out the paperwork, ask for a credit card, and take payment. It should be that simple.

Unless it’s not.

Sometimes, no matter how well you’ve sold your value, the client just can’t afford to train with you as often as your plan requires. If that happens, it’s time to get creative.

I had one client, Vlad, who was recovering from rotator cuff surgery and didn’t have much money. Having done physical therapy, he wanted an exercise routine he could do three times a week with a focus on strengthening his shoulder and improving functional strength. He couldn’t afford to train with me that often, but he still wanted a program that changed frequently enough to keep him interested.

We agreed to meet once a week for seven weeks. Vlad’s form was already pretty good, and I was confident that, if I demonstrated new moves, he could emulate them the following week. He also knew that he could contact me with any questions.

I devised a workout plan for him that included seven categories:

1. Pull

2. Push

3. Mid-back/shoulder stability

4. Core stability/anti-rotation

5. Core rotation/flexion

6. Legs (hip dominant)

7. Legs (quad dominant)

8. Arms

I included four or five exercises in each group and instructed Vlad to choose one or two from each category per workout. Our in-person sessions focused on making Vlad comfortable with the exercises and teaching him how to know when to increase the weight.

By the time we were done, Vlad had a large assortment of workouts to choose from. The exercises were specific to his needs, and he knew how to progress. He reached his goals while staying within his budget.

He later referred his wife and daughter to me, and they ended up buying more than 100 sessions altogether.

The biggest mistake trainers make: prejudging clients

Always present the best option for the client’s goals, regardless of appearance, age, or anything you may think you know about the person.

I’ve trained high school students three times a week because they begged their parents after speaking with me.

I’ve sheepishly presented an older client with the cheapest option, only to later discover the client was well off. By then, I’d already set a precedent of training once every two weeks, and switching to multiple weekly sessions was impossible after that.

You are the product. Believe in your value and learn to communicate it to a client. Selling personal training is about confidence. Never miss an opportunity again.

READ ALSO: What’s in My Desk?

READ ALSO: Client Behavior Change: A Key to Personal Trainer Success

  Buy this book if you want an unfair advantage in your training career

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Now in V2.0, Ignite the Fire is the most positively reviewed book for trainers on Amazon, with an astounding 680-plus 5-star reviews. Specifically, you’ll learn how to:

Find, market to, and sell your ideal client while seamlessly dealing with objections (pg 64)

Deal with the 10 most common difficult client types (pg 160)

Develop multiple income streams while maintaining your reputation (pg 202)

And more.

Get your paperback copy at theptdc.com/ignite or, if you prefer, get it on audible or Kindle on Amazon.

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