#shes so tickled by his love for the weirdest vegetables

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 113

Sooo.... I completely did not realize my queue dumped itself again, or that this chapter didn’t post when it should have. So I’m sorry for the slightly-delayed update!

Thanks to @baelpenrose​ for their beta-reading, as always.  This chapter loops back to something that came up previously and I hate loose ends dangling around everywhere. Content warnings for anger issues, trauma, and poor coping mechanisms.

“Dude, I’m making soup,” I jokingly scolded Maverick as I took the bowl of pumpkin seeds away from him.  After the camping trip, I had made the brilliant decision to roast the seeds we had harvested. All of them. Ten pounds of them, it turned out.  How he wasn’t sick of eating them, I had no idea.

 With a pout, he made grabby-hands at the bowl. “What kind?”

 “Potato,” I informed him as I pivoted away and carried the bowl back to the kitchen and put the lid on it.

It didn’t take long for him to join me and start requesting potatoes from the food console.  Even though they were freshly-generated and already clean, he started washing them anyway.  I was pretty sure the action ranked up there with utensils being in exactly-the-right place, because he always washed the vegetables that he got from the console.  It didn’t hurt anything, though, so we generally just let him do it.

About an hour later, we were sitting at the table with two bowls of velvety, off-white soup - his topped with sour cream, bacon, and cheese, mine just topped with scallions - and dug in.  Conor was on Beta-shift at work currently, so we made sure to put the lid on the rest to keep it warm.  Even though the temperature on the Ark never changed beyond a ten-degree variance, the camping trip had triggered something in me that said “Autumn”, and soup was exactly what I needed right then.

I had just finished my first bowl, and Maverick was halfway through his second - with somehow even more bacon - when the door opened and Conor stalked in.  Everything in his body language screamed that he was angry about something, and I subconsciously held my breath.  Glancing at Maverick, I saw him arch an eyebrow at me before turning to our clearly-upset partner.

“Everything okay?” he ventured slowly.

“Work. Huynh,” he grunted, shoving a hand through his hair as he started pacing into the kitchen, past the table, into the living room, and back.  “Stupid pre-fab structures. We don’t… Stupid!” Grasping for words, he only seemed to get more and more frustrated.  On his next trip into the kitchen, he grabbed a bowl and  thought he was going to try to eat, but instead I saw him start to raise the bowl higher.

Maverick stood, rushed over, and snatched the bowl from him. “We talked about this. If you throw that, you’ll give Sophia the panic attack she is trying not to have right now. I told you before, if you give her a panic attack again, I would knock you out. Please don’t make me keep my word.” Rather than angry, he sounded distressed and sad. “What are you supposed to do when you get frustrated like this?”

“Run,” Conor grunted, rubbing his face briskly before gesturing at his sweat-stained coveralls. “And I did. For miles and miles. It didn’t help. And I’m supposed to try to talk about what I’m angry about, but that’s even more frustrating, because I… I can’t explain it fast enough.”

Nodding, Maverick ladled soup into the bowl before gently pushing Conor to the table and setting the now-full bowl in front of him.  Without even realizing what he was doing, Conor started tearing a roll in half and dipping it in the soup - he ate every soup like that, and it was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. But it meant he was calming down, apparently, because he couldn’t rant and eat at the same time, and the man had priorities.

“I’m frustrated, because Huynh wants us to start prototypes for the pre-fabs that we will be using on Von,” he confessed, angrily dunking another chunk of bread and shoving it in his mouth. “I still think it’s too early.  I talked to Noah, and the last information they have about the planet is a decade old.  We aren’t close enough to drop out of whatever FTL we are using and get fresh scans, and we can’t get communications while we’re travelling, apparently, because… FTL.”

I nodded tentatively, encouraging him to go on, and started putting butter on a roll to keep myself calm.  So far, he wasn’t nearly as angry as it usually took for him to start throwing things, and he hadn’t had an episode in a while, so…. So far, so good.

He saw my nod and kept going. “I just think he’s putting the cart before the horse. We shouldn’t be constructing things based on old data, and major climate change can happen over ten years.” We’d found that out the hard way, unfortunately.

“What does Charly think?” Maverick asked.

“She’s on Gamma shift this week, so I didn’t get a chance to ask her,” he confessed sullenly.  At this point, he was out of soup and still trying to stab a piece of bread through the bottom of his bowl, so Maverick gently took it away and refilled it. “Thanks, love. So, I couldn’t ask Charly her suggestion, Huynh won’t listen, and I just… I feel like I’m barking in the wind.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I tried to do everything I was supposed to do.”

“I don’t think it’s working.” Maverick’s statement wasn’t said unkindly, and Conor shrugged and nodded in response. “What else have you and your therapist discussed?”

“I have an appointment tomorrow,” he answered, rather than answering the question.

“Then you need to talk to them about another way to vent your frustration,” Maverick insisted. “And where these anger issues are coming from.”

Conor mumbled something, prompting us to lean forward to better hear him.  When I made a gesture to repeat himself, he sighed. “We’ve talked about that, and I think I know where it’s coming from, it’s just…. It’s embarrassing.”

“It can’t be any more embarrassing than anything you know about either of us,” Maverick tried to point out, prompting me to scowl at him. “Hey! I literally slept through the end of the world.”

That got a chuckle out of Conor, but he got serious again quickly. “The anger…” he started, clearly reluctant. “So, I was an orphan. Parents died when I was - four? Five?” We nodded - this wasn’t new information so far. They’d died in an accident, and neither had any family. He’d mentioned siblings, but they were his foster siblings throughout the years. “I got bounced around the foster system a bit as a kid, but I think I got lucky.  None of my foster families were bad, necessarily, but I think that made it worse when I got moved from home to home.  Every time I started to let myself get close and open up…. I would get taken and moved to another family for one reason or another.  This family moved, that couple got too old to keep fostering kids, one of my foster mom’s got cancer and her wife couldn’t take care of me and Mum at the same time.  No one’s fault but… I felt so betrayed. So I… I started getting angry and pushing people away, making sure that I wouldn’t get close to them just to lose them again.” That word, betrayed, tickled something in my mind.  It was too familiar. “I got moved from family to family even more after that, but it hurt less, right? Because I wasn’t getting attached, and I was being moved because of anger issues. Because of something I did.”

“So… you’re pushing us away?” I asked, not even trying to hide my hurt feelings.

“I’m getting there, swear.” His response was very firm before he picked up where he left off. “Eventually, I turned eighteen, I was on my own, and now I really felt like I had control over my life.  I started an engineering program, I saw a therapist, and a lot of that anger went away.”

“That’s where the You we normally see came out?” Maverick asked, direct as always.

“Yeah. I was happier, calmer… I wasn’t a scared little boy anymore. I felt more stable.”

“And then…?”

“And then the world went tits up,” Conor laughed sadly. “I didn’t have much control over which people were in my life and which weren’t, but it was the After, right? I did manage to find a group who were pretty peaceful, and I stuck it out there.  Then I woke up here, and I could be happy again. I tried to be the version of myself that I liked, instead of that angry little boy.”

That was when it clicked. Betrayed. “Then Arantxa…”

“Yeah, then Arantxa,” he confirmed quietly.  “And you almost died.”

Tyche’s words from the day she busted my lip came back to me. For three weeks, I had to watch you try to figure out if you were going to live or die! Conor had to watch you… “Three times,” I whispered without realizing it.

“Twice,” Conor corrected, not realizing I was talking about what Tyche had said. “Once after you were attacked, and once when we were trying to figure out what was going on with Else.” Huffing, he shoved his now-empty bowl toward Maverick. “Please take that, I’m getting angry again.”

“Thanks for recognizing that,” Maverick nodded. “But I don’t think you’re mad. I think you just feel out of control again thinking about it.”

“That’s what my therapist says,” he admitted. “But inside, it feels like anger. And after Arantxa, when I started feeling that kind of angry, I… I felt like that scared little boy again. I didn’t realize I was doing it, until I started talking to Josh, but they think I subconsciously started pushing you away more every time something would happen.” He took a deep breath to compose himself. “To… I don’t know, make you show me who you ‘really’ are, to make you leave me before you can decide to leave, or before you actually die one time.”

“So, this is about me,” I ventured slowly. “Not Maverick at all.”

“I don’t mean it’s your fault,” Conor objected quickly. “None of this is your fault, that I react the wrong way when I feel like I need more control over situations.”

It started dawning on me what he was talking about. “PTSD.  You’re talking about PTSD. Not just the kind we all have from the After, but… from moving around so much when you were growing up. From not having a secure situation.”  

My mind started racing, connecting the dots.  Before moving in with me, neither Maverick nor Conor had what would have been considered ‘proper’ quarters - both had essentially chosen personal quarters barely big enough for a bed.  Maverick had admitted early on when we were still only friends, that he had chosen his because he never really had anything and spent his entire life after his dad died wandering from place to place, never really belonging. So he had a habit of being ready to pick up and go at a moment’s notice, and tried to take up as little space as possible in the process.  It was no secret - he did it deliberately and had no shame regarding the situation.  

It had never occurred to me that Conor did the same thing without realizing it.

Maverick shook his head.  I thought he was negating what I had said, but then he sighed. “We’re a mess, you know that?” Leaning back, he stretched and put his hands behind his head. “I think we should have a therapy session or four, together, about all this.”

Both Conor and I turned slowly to stare at him, wide-eyed. “When did you start being the sensible one?”

He pointed a finger at me. “You run headfirst into every dangerous situation you can find.” The finger flicked to point at Conor. “And you are convinced you’re an idiot, which is the only idiotic thing I’ve actually heard you say.”  Smugly, he put his hands back behind his head and smiled. “I’ve always been the sensible one.”

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[starmxras]

The Bet | A Steve / Peggy oneshot

"I wonder how long we could stay in bed," Peggy muses.

Steve raises an eyebrow. "Well, we could-"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Steve. That's the opposite of being lazy," Peggy huffs. "All I mean is, when else are we going to have an entire week off to just... vegetable around? We're both off work 'til January second, and we probably won't have an opportunity like this after the baby."

"Okay, okay, so is this like...a bet?"

Peggy shrugs, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Depends if you're ready to lose, Darling."

story under the cut!

Dec 25th, 1950

Steve and Peggy come home from Howard's Christmas party early.

"I'm starved," Peggy mutters, looking through the fridge. "Ever since I've been pregnant, I can't eat anything I enjoy anymore. Last night, I woke up and started eating your chocolate because I was that desperate; I hate American chocolate!"

Steve winces. "That bad, huh?"

"I can't even enjoy food anymore." She replies, munching on a Hershey's bar. "Like this - this is just disgusting, but it's one of the only things I can keep down lately. It tastes like raw cocoa."

"I don't know how you can stand eating British chocolate. It tastes like pure sugar."

"Yes, and it's delicious," Peggy says with a dreamy sigh. "All I've been eating lately is bread and chocolate. I vomit up anything else. I'm going to get so fat."

"Your body's probably trying to adjust itself. I'm sure you can go back to British chocolate soon." Steve says in an attempt to be reassuring.

"I hope," Peggy replies. "I don't know if I can stand eating only bread and chocolate."

Steve plops down on the couch. "So what are we doing tomorrow?"

Peggy shrugs. "I suppose this coming week would be a good time as any to be unproductive. Think about it, this time next Christmas, we'll have a baby. No more lazy mornings for a while, I bet."

"Fair point," Steve responds.

"I wonder how long we could stay in bed," Peggy muses.

Steve raises an eyebrow. "Well, we could-"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Steve. That's the opposite of being lazy," Peggy huffs. "All I mean is, when else are we going to have an entire week off to just... vegetable around? We're both off work 'til January second, and we probably won't have an opportunity like this after the baby."

"Okay, okay, so is this like...a bet?"

Peggy shrugs, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Depends if you're ready to lose, Darling."

"Okay, so what does the loser have to do?" Steve asks.

"The loser has to...make dinner for a week."

"Deal."

Dec 26th, 1950

Peggy wakes up first, just before nine in the morning.

She shakes Steve awake. "Wake up, you need to keep me company."

"Company how?"

"...tell me about the future," Peggy says, resting her head on Steve's chest. "What's it like?"

"Okay, gimme a second to...think. What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about Mj-Mjol- your hammer. Does everyone have one in the future?"

"No, I got it from Thor. He's from Asgard, remember? I wonder what he's doing right now."

"We won't see him until the 21st century, correct?" Peggy asks.

"Right. Loki's probably trying to kill him right now or something."

Peggy tilts her head.

"The guy who invaded New York. He was a horrible person, but Thor was really shaken up when he died."

"Oh," Peggy says. "It's too bright in here. Close the curtain,"

"It is closed, Peg."

Peggy grimaces, burying her face in the pillow. "That hammer can change the weather. Get rid of the snow."

"...That's not what the hammer does. It only controls lightning."

"How silly of me," Peggy rolls her eyes. "Somehow, with everything you've told me about the future, a lightning summoning hammer is most definitely one of the most bizarre."

"Even more bizarre than wireless telephones that are mostly used to play games on the toilet?"

"...Well, no, that's pretty strange. But no, not the weirdest."

"Oh, well is it the fact that some homicidal warlord destroyed half of all life in the universe?"

"That's definitely very strange, if not completely insane. I mean, well..." Peggy stops, thinking. "This is probably the strangest part of the future you've spoken of to me. But it's not the weirdest. The weirdest is probably-"

Peggy's throat tightens, suddenly. She tries to speak again, to say what the weirdest thing is but finds herself unable to say anything. She can't think, either. A wave of nausea rushes, and she finds herself making her way to the bathroom.

She just barely makes it to the bathroom in time, and Steve, being the darling he is, holds back her hair as she vomits.

"You okay?" Steve asks once she's done, clearly concerned.

Peggy shakes her head.

"It was...intense," she murmurs. "I'm not feeling well."

"Maybe your body's just adjusting to having a baby," Steve offers.

"Maybe," Peggy says, feeling very sick. "I hoped I would've been one of those women that miraculously avoided morning sickness."

Peggy grimaces, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "This doesn't count for our bet. I'm going right back to being lazy right after I brush my teeth, I assure you."

They make it back to their bed and begin sitting in comfortable silence.

"You sure you're okay?" Steve murmurs, trailing fingers through her hair.

"I feel a lot better now, yes. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm leaving this bed. I'm winning our bet."

"One of us will have to get up to eat something soon," Steve points out.

"I'm way ahead of you, Steve." Peggy opens the drawer on her nightstand, revealing a few chocolate bars stashed there. "If you're nice, perhaps I'll lend you one."

"Those are mine in the first place," Steve huffs.

"And? Are you suggesting you'd steal food from your pregnant wife?"

"...No," Steve mumbles.

"That's what I thought," Peggy replies with a self-satisfied smile.

She unwraps a chocolate bar, taking a bite. "Hmm, disgustingly delicious."

"If it's so disgusting, why do you bother?" Steve asks, stifling a laugh.

"Don't judge me, Steven. If I recall correctly, it was your fault I'm pregnant. You could at least indulge me."

Steve raises his hands in mock-defeat. "Okay, sorry." He presses a kiss to her temple.

Peggy hums. "We need something to do if we're going to lie around in bed all day."

"Well..."

"No."

"You didn't even hear me out. I was gonna say we should build a pillow fort." Steve says, defensively.

"A...pillow...fort?" Peggy asks. "Isn't that something children do?"

"Nope, I'm serious. It'll be fun. We can use blankets, pillows, whatever."

She sighs. "Fine. How do we do it?"

"Now remember, I was the one who suggested it, so you have to help me."

"Fair enough, as long as I don't have to move around too much," she says with a wry smile.

"Yeah, but it'll be worth it in the end," Steve counters. "This is a serious endeavor."

"Yes yes, well, I'm gonna build the pillow fort," Peggy says, snatching the blanket from the bed. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can cuddle."

After a somewhat complicated process, the fort is made.

"All right," Steve says, holding the last square of the fort together with the last pillow. "Now it's done. Don't you think it looks...really ugly?"

"It looks better from the inside," Peggy remarks. "How long do you think it'll last?"

Steve shrugs. "Here, I'll test it."

"How long can we stay in here, before we overheat?" Steve asks.

Peggy looks up at the ceiling as if it holds all the answers. "I think a few hours is safe. We have to nap at some point, right? Then when we're too hot, we can take it down."

"Right," Steve says, giving Peggy a little nudge towards the bed.  

"Fine," Peggy says, shuffling over so she's lying down. Steve does the same. "...Well, here goes nothing," Peggy says, settling herself down onto the pillows.

"I suppose I should take a nap, too."

"You should, Steve," Peggy says, patting the spot next to her. "I'm in need of some cuddling. It's very cozy in here, not to mention."

Steve laughs, sliding up next to her. "Well, of course, I intend to be a good husband and cuddle up with you."

"I'll give you cuddling, but only as a reward for making this pillow fort."

"Alright."

Peggy curls into his arms, stretching her legs across his lap. He laughs, giving her a mock glare as he begins to tickle her feet.  

"Why you little..."

Laughing herself, Peggy attempts to tickle him in return. He retaliates by tickling her sides.

Peggy manages to pull up her legs, kicking Steve in the stomach. She laughs, putting her arm around him. "Now...that's a nice reward."

"Well...I still feel like I should be doing something. It doesn't feel natural to be this unproductive."

"Oh, we've got plenty of time to do something, Steve," Peggy says, brushing a kiss to his lips. "After all, we deserve to laze around every once in a while."

Steve smiles down at his wife. "Well, yeah, I suppose."

Minutes pass, and the couple talks about nothing in particular.

"Steve," Peggy says, interrupting him. "I'm getting sleepy again."

"Yeah, me too," Steve whispers, nuzzling her hair.

"Let's go to sleep, please," Peggy says. "I'm sleepy."

Steve laughs, running a hand through her hair. "Okay, okay."

"I love you, Steve," Peggy murmurs, snuggling against his chest.

Steve kisses her forehead. "Love you too, Peg."

He pulls Peggy closer to him, and together they drift off to sleep.

[imgilmoregirl]

The Secret Affair

AO3 Link

Notes:  Ah-ha! Look at this big chapter! I'm kind of proud of my work here. I've tried to make it sound as realistic as fiction possibly can so I hope you guys like it!

Chapter Six

It was Thursday night, the weirdest heat wave of all times still punished Storybrooke and the nearest towns with no forecast to when it would end. The large windows of Isabelle French’s bedroom were open and the fan was working on it’s maximum, but it still seemed pretty hot in there for her and one of her closest friends, Jasmine. They were sat on the floor, books and pieces of paper surrounding them as the girls wrote the most important things about their latest classes and made questions to each other in an attempt to have everything covered for their Chemistry test.

"So,” started Jasmine, looking up from her notebook to take a look at her friend for the first time in long minutes, “are you really babysitting Neal Gold tomorrow?"

"I think so," Belle answered with a shrug, reaching for her bottle of water and taking a sip.

She grimaced when she noticed that what once was a perfectly cold drink was now a hot waste of water. The girl pulled it away and focused on Jasmine’s inquiring glare. Her arched eyebrow let it clear that something was coming.

"You think?"

"Mr. Gold and I haven't been talking for the last two days so I'm not really sure if he still wants me to do it or not."

"Oh, what have you done, Bells?"

It was a simple question, anyone could tell, even Belle herself, but to her tired, irritated ears it even sounded like an offense. She threw her hands up, letting them fall back on her thighs with a loud clap that startled the other girl a bit, but Belle couldn’t quite notice it now as she was feeling a hot wave of anger taking her whole body.

"Nothing! Jesus, Jas, I thought you were the only one in this town who was not judging me,” she complained, feeling her eyes burning with nonsensical, unshed tears. "Even Ruby and my father have suspicions about the two of us!"

"Slow down, girl, that's not what I've said," Jasmine defended herself. "What I meant is that you're clumsy, I thought you could have broken something expensive and he was angry."

"Ah, yes," Belle murmured, now completely ashamed of her own behaviour. "I'm sorry, I'm exasperated. Must be the Chemistry test."

Jasmine only snorted and closed up her notebook, starting to gather her things and put most of them back to her backpack, leaving only her notepad and a pen on her lap.

"Well then, we should study because it's almost eight and I can predict my father calling me at any second now."

Of course, her father, the school, their test. Belle wasn’t focusing in any of it when Jas suddenly decided to speak up, actually, she was thinking about the taste of Liam Gold’s lips and the way they moved in synchrony with her, however, she had to come back to reality before she lost herself to a fantasy that clearly wasn’t happening a second time.

"Teen drama," the brunette murmured to herself. "I cherish it now."

...

Although she was expecting to come home after school, Belle had told her father she was babysitting for the entire weekend – she didn’t say who exactly she was watching, obviously – and prepared a bag with clothes and other essential, that would stay in Ruby’s recently fixed car during their classes. However, right when she was leaving for school, Belle found the envelope Milah Gold had obviously dropped there for her.

A roll of her eyes followed the quick, exigent and careless note she had left, because as someone who knew exactly what was a good mother, Belle could tell that Milah wasn’t one. She didn’t get to that conclusion just by remembering about her own mother’s lovely and preoccupied behaviour, but by gathering the memory of all the amazing mothers and grandmothers of Storybrooke. None of the good ones paid their children’s nanny’s like this, nor left the town without making sure they weren’t going to be safe and cared for.

That one small event had made a new, strange rage settle on Belle’s chest during the whole day and even when she picked the sweet Neal Gold up from school, smiling to him and offering the boy a pack of chocolate chip cookies, she was still feeling it and needing to scream to someone just to relieve the stress. It probably was the reason why they reached Mr. Gold’s shop so quickly that afternoon.

The sign was turned open and she swung the door open with no hesitation, bringing the little boy along with her, his hand tucked in hers with a security that made her heart ache. Most children weren’t so fond of strangers and if Neal was, it was probably because he wasn’t receiving enough attention at home.

"Belle?" Liam’s voice took her away from her musings, making Belle look up to see his surprised eyes focused on the boy she had brought. "What are you doing here with Neal?"

"Well, your wife left an envelope by my door this morning with my payment and the keys to your house, so I guessed I was the one who had to pick him up from school," she answered with a shrug, trying to keep herself as calm as possible, knowing that she should mind her own business and not be angry at her boss’ wife in any way. "We just came by to say hello and ask you if there is any routine I should follow with Neal or if I should just do things my way."

Gold blinked, astonished. Leaving the watches with which he had been working, Liam walked towards them, leaving heavily on his cane as he kneeled in front of his son and allowed the little boy to happily throw his arms around him – not even fussing when some cookie crumbs fell to his perfectly clean suit.

"Do as you prefer, dearie," he told her as he petted Neal’s hair and pressed a dry kiss on his cheek. "You, my boy, be good to Ms. French alright?"

Ms. French, again they were back at it. But if Liam Gold wanted to play this game and pretend there was nothing happening, she was going to follow it. When she was Ms. French to him, he would be Mr. Gold to her.

"I'll eat all my vegetables and go to bed when she says so," Neal said, waving his head promptly.

"You're adorable," Gold laughed, tickling his chin and making Neal giggle.

Yeah, Belle was definitely right, Neal’s lack of affection came from his mother not his father.

"I've said that a thousand times on our way from school to here," she agreed. "I could spend my whole week with your son and I wouldn't be tired of him."

When Liam looked up at her she felt that weird thing again, as if the world had stopped and a thousand damned butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. She had to remember herself how to breath as Gold pulled Neal down to the floor and stood up with some effort.

"Uh, I think Milah must have the guest room ready for you," he said in that weirdly polite tone of voice again, the sweet moment between them, clearly getting to na end. "There is a bathroom there you can use too and feel free to eat or prepare anything in our kitchen."

"Alright, thank you for the hospitality, Mr. Gold," Belle replied nodding for him. "Should we expect you for dinner?"

"No, darling, I'm going to be late here, so if you please, put Neal down before I arrive," he explained as he turned away, making her heart race with the word darling. Liam picked up the very same black folder he used every last week of each month and waved it toher. "Rent time."

"Ah, good luck with that, I hope the nuns have their payment in hands."

"So do I," he answered with a smirk.

And all of the sudden the reality of the situation hit her hard. Belle was spending the whole weekend in his house, all alone, expect for his child. She swallowed hard as she felt her hands trembling a little with the uncertainty of how she should act for the next two days.

"Papa,” Neal called and the two of them immediately looked down at him, both relieved to have something else to think about. “Can you read the bunnies for me today?"

"Oh, my boy, papa will be late today, but I bet Ms. French can do it for you."

"Sure," Belle confirmed. "Which book is that?"

"One about a father and a son who loved each other more than anything," Gold whispered, touching his boy’s cheek and smiling in a way that took Belle’s breath away. "Neal will show it to you."

"I'm excited to see it," she said, taking Neal’s hand again. "Let's go, buddy."

Neal nodded, following her with bouncy steps. When they were at the door, ready to leave, the turned around, waving back at his father and pulling another grin to Belle’s face.

"Bye, papa!"

...

Taking care of Neal was easy, Belle soon realised. He was quite a nice child, unlike most of the ones she had watched ever since she was fourteen, he would do the things she said and only insist a tiny bit to do what he actually wanted. In the end he was in bed by eight after a lovely night reading that she enjoyed as much as he did.

Gold’s house was another whole subject. Of course she had already seen it on the outside and knew how huge it was, but once Belle entered it, she had a big surprise. Not just because of the warm, dark colours of the walls, floors and furnitures, but because it was full of interesting objects and books that called her attention from the first moment she stepped in there.

Every room seemed to be bigger than her whole house, darker, even with all lights switched up and fuller. She knew it must be a matter of personal taste, but she concluded that the house felt quite sad and depressing. Neal’s bedroom was the only happy and colourful corner she found, the rest could have been taken from a horror movie for all she knew.

There wasn’t much life there, either. Lots of trinkets, just like in Gold’s shop, but not life. The curtains were made of a heavy velvet that gave her the impression that they were barely touched by anyone in there, she only found two photographs, one a huge portrait of Neal in a younger age that was hanging above the fireplace and the other, a very smaller portrait that could have gone unnoticed if she hadn’t been taking an attentive look at all the stuff gathered in a glassware. It was a family picture with baby Neal wrapped in Gold’s arms, but the strange thing about it was that no one looked really happy, specially Milah.

If she could, Belle would have spent the whole night just opening cabinets, drawers and trying to find what was wrong with the Gold Family, but she knew that she couldn’t do it... Unless she really wanted to anger her boss and that wasn’t an option while she was sleeping under his shelter. Her only alternative then was to prepare something to eat and get ready to bed.

Her bag was laying on a chair at the guest room that had been marked with her name using a piece of paper and a red pen. She changed to her pyjama and check on Neal one last time before going back downstairs and curling herself up on the couch with a book, hearing the sounds of the crickets outside the house as she flipped up the pages, until a different noise came from the main hall and she looked up to see Gold entering the living room.

"You're awake," he said in awe.

"I've pulled Neal to bed about an hour ago so came down stairs to read a bit and eat something," Belle explained, pulling her book down to the coffee table and standing up to look at him. "I still have pasta if you want some."

"No, thank you," Liam quickly turned the offer down. "I'll be in my office if you need me.”

That was it, she thought, the distance he had put between them been explicitly again. She hated it and what she hated the most was the fact that Gold didn’t have the right courage to face the situation and speak to her, just tell Belle what exactly was going on between them and why he thought she should ignore it all, however, Liam wasn’t escaping her this time around.

"Actually, I do."

He was already on his way out, but Liam stopped turning back to look a her with na arched eyebrow and a confused glare on his eyes.

"What?"

"To talk," Belle explained. "I think we need to talk, Mr. Gold."

"About Neal?"

"No, about us," she insisted, elevating her tone of voice a bit. "Listen, you're driving me mad! You kissed me, freaked out and then stopped talking to me!"

"Ms. French, I'm sorry but you came here to babysit Neal, nothing else," Gold answered drily trying to cut her off even before a proper conversation could start.

It was another thing that drove her mad, his stupid, quiet way of facing this. Damn it, didn’t he know that avoiding things could only make them even worse? Well, if all people he knew enjoyed the silence treatment instead of a good talk, then he was going to lean that Belle was a very different kind of woman.

"See? That's what I'm talking about," the girl pointed out, agrily. "You need to stop right now! Whatever you're doing, just stop! I'm not a toy, Liam and I don't want you to play with me anymore. I hate you when you treat me like nothing and calls me Ms. French as if to anger me but, God, I hate you more when you talk softly and make me feel... Those things."

"Feel what, exactly?"

His voice was now low and husky, just as it was when she wanted him the most, which made Belle swallow hard and fight to keep looking at his eyes when they seemed to burn her body with their brown warmth. His gaze was like chocolate and she wanted to drown in it, drink it and have it all for herself.

"I don't know, I never felt it before," Belle confessed. "It's just this need I don't quite understand yet, this clamping in my belly, this heat on my body."

"Belle, I'm a married man," Liam murmured, his eyes closing as he took a step back.

"I know. So why the hell did you kiss me?"

"Because feel the same, ok?" Gold replied in new, dark and loud tone of voice. One that she didn’t quite know yet. "And unlike you, sweetheart, I do understand what it is and it makes me dirty. A monster, in fact."

The self-loathing in his words, the pain she could see in his eyes behind the desire, it was enough to make her take a few steps towards him and reach for his face, touching his cheek and sighing when he leaned against her palm.

"You're not a monster," Belle whispered before standing on the tips of her toes to press a kiss on his lips.

She knew it was a daring move, that he could pull her away and yell at her just like the last – and first - time they had kissed each other, but she was helpless when it came about him. So then, Belle waited. Waited for the moment he would step back, however Liam remained still, just feeling the touch of her lips on his until Belle herself pulled away to look up at him with confusion crossing her flushed face.

"How can you feel anything for an old crippled man like me?" Gold queried when he noticed she was waiting for his reaction.

"I'm not sure,” Belle considered, thinking about the things people were saying around town and how the girls had joked about it many times. “I know my friends would think I'm crazy if I told them, but I feel it."

Her hand was now on the lapel of his suit jacket, just laid there and she took a deep breath as she moved it down a bit aiming the buttons for a reason that must have been completely instinctive, but that attended the needs her body secretly had.

"You shouldn't come this close, Belle."

"Why not?"

"Because you're tempting me and I'm about to eat the forbidden fruit," Liam said, his free hand finally coming up to wrap on her hair as it stopped on the curve of her neck and his eyes seemed to become darker with something that could only be described as lust.

This time she held her breath. Belle had been taught to be a maiden like in the old times, she should wait until she was married to sleep with someone, she shouldn’t be doing this, she shouldn’t be wanting Gold – a married, older man – like this, but, oh dear, she was.

"What if that's what I want from you?"

His mouth opened slightly and Belle thought he would say something harsh to her and tell her to go home, but then his eyes fixed on hers and Liam seemed to get lost. He bent down to capture her lips in the most wonderful kiss she had ever shared before, his calloused fingers caressing the soft skin of her face and throat as their tongues enlaced together before his mouth escaped hers, dropping down to her jaw and taking her breath away as he sucked and kissed, making her knees seem to be jelly.

The sound of his cane dropping down to the floor didn’t interrupt the moment, Belle could only concentrate on his other hand travelling down her body and then under her pyjama shirt, sending electric jolts through her body that made her feel a stronger need. Belle clutched at him and moaned when she felt the hard bulge in his trousers rub a her belly. That was when he finally pulled away a bit, still holding her, but looking extremely uncertain.

"Belle, no..."

"Please, don't stop," she begged. "I have never felt as loved as I'm feeling now. Please don't turn me down."

"Oh, sweetheart," he murmured, caressing her cheek and tracing her eyebrow with the tip of his nose. "We need to go to the bedroom now."

A ragged breath escaped her in disbelief. They were really doing it.

Belle had time to think, if she wanted, she could still tell him that it wasn’t right and that she should go home, however, the girl knew what the desire they were feeling were leading them right from the start and she never wanted to stop. Smiling at him, she bent down to pick Liam’s cane and offered it to him, allowing her boss to lead them along the corridors, up the stairs and finally to the máster bedroom.

She wasn’t expecting them to go there, Belle thought he would take them to the bedroom she was using for the weekend and not to his wife’s own bed, however before starting a stupid fight, the girl convinced herself that he must have a good reason to do it. She told herself to not think about Milah at all and took a seat on the bed whilst he closed the door and pulled his cane aside before sitting next to her, touching her lower lip with a look that heated her body again, erasing any thoughts from her head.

She leaned forward to kiss him again, this time allowing her fingers to reach for his buttons and open his suit jacket, sliding it down and throwing her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. Liam groaned and grabbed her by her bottom, pulling Belle up to his lap and pressing up his hidden erection against her legs. A part of her couldn't quite believe she was wanted by someone like Gold, liked to have the power to make him hard this way and wanted to invest in this daring girl she found in herself so recently.

Gold reached for the ends of her shirt and pulled it up, taking it off and throwing the piece of clothing on the floor in that maddening need of getting each other naked. Belle took no time taking his tie and shirt off too, exposing his slim torso to her hands to feel and eyes to admire. He wasn't the fat, hairy guy people supposed him to be and it excited Belle even more, which made her want to make him feel the same about her, so she reached behind her own back and unhooked her bra, pulling it down and blushing as she watched Gold's reaction.

"You're so beautiful, sweetheart," he murmured softly, cupping her breasts and massaging them in simple awe. "Beautiful Belle... Perfect girl."

Her breath got caught on her throat and tears came to her eyes at his adoration. She loved him, now she could tell for certain, she loved William Gold more than she had ever loved anyone. The moment he captured her nipple between his lips Belle gasped louder than she expected herself to. He sucked and bite and all Belle could do was to gasp repeatedly as she felt herself starting to drip between her legs.

"I need you, Liam."

He looked up at her, realising her nipple with a sinful noise and settled his hands on her thighs as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I need to ask, my darling, are you a virgin?"

"Y-Yeah," Belle answered, hoping it wouldn't make him give up.

However, out of what she thought, what Gold did was to help her to move up so he could slid her shorts and panties down as he kicked his shoes and shocks off before letting her sit back on his lap. Belle was now fully naked and Liam drank down the whole image of her before moving his fingers down to her womanhood, parting her folders and spreading her wetness up to a little hidden place that made Belle's eyes roll back as she moaned against Gold's ear.

"I'm going to show you every way in which a woman can be loved, Belle," Liam whispered softly. "I need to warn you though, the first time will hurt and you may not even enjoy it properly."

Belle cupped his cheeks, feeling the ends of his hair touching her skin with softness, she grinned and kissed his lips before pulling back to look straight at his eyes.

"It doesn't matter," she murmured. "My need is you."

Kissing her neck one last time, Gold laid her down on the bed and unbuckled his belt, finishing undressing in front of her and making Belle's eyes widen when she saw his hard cock. She swallowed hard as she sat back, reaching to touch his tip. He was bigger and longer than she had expected, which made Belle feel a moment of panic, wondering if he would fit inside her, but she bet that most girl felt that way on their first time.

"Lay down, sweetheart," Liam instructed. "I need something before we begin."

He reached for the nightstand on the right side of the bed and opened the drawer, taking a silver package from inside it. A condom. Of course, Belle was a fool, she had forgot she used no birth control and they really needed protection. She watched as Liam slid the condom along his shaft before bending down to cover her body with his. Gold slid his hand down her body, caressing her ever so gently before hooking his hand behind her left knee and pulling it up, them doing the same with the right one, parting her legs so he was in the middle, his erection hanging and brushing against Belle's thigh.

"Are you sure that's what you really want?"

"Yes," Belle answered, firmly. "I want you, Liam. I want everything with you."

She traced the lines of his nose, then under his eyes and up to his hair which she clutched as Liam bent down to kiss her as he reached between them to grab his cock and part her lips with it, running up and down to stimulate that little part of her that made Belle writhe before finally settling himself on her entrance. Gold looked at her eyes then, waiting for that ultimate nod before pushing in inch by inch.

It felt weird, too strange and foreign for her body, she felt herself being opened and it didn't feel as good as it did before, it was just uncomfortable and she held onto Liam's back and shoulder to keep herself still as he continued to push. Her brain seemed to scream that he was to big for that, but somehow, her walls were slowly starting to fit him in, gripping his cock tightly until Gold's tip met her barrier.

Belle bit down her lip, holding him closer and took a deep breath before feeling the last thrust, a scream getting stuck on her throat as some tears fell down from her eyes. It really hurt. Damn it, she didn't see that coming, because as much as she knew it was going to happen Belle wasn't expecting it to feel so bad. It was like a part of her she didn't yet know that existed burned intensively.

"I'm sorry, Belle," Gold whispered, pressing a kiss to her neck. "I'm so sorry."

At first, Belle couldn't answer, concentrated in her own pain and breathing slowly as it started to disappear. It was like tripping on the corner of some furniture and hurting a toe, it was a screaming pain that faded to nothing in a short time. What was left was the welcoming sensation of Liam's cock all inside her.

"That's alright," she murmured. "I'm fine, the pain is gone. You can move now."

Nodding, Gold held himself up on his elbows as he pulled almost all the way back before thrusting back inside. At first it felt uncomfortable again, but slowly it started to become pleasurable. It was a good sensation that warmed her body and seeing Liam move above her, letting out small sounds of pleasure made her want more of what she was getting, but Belle didn't quite know how to ask for it. She loved to be in his arms, to be so close to him and she thought that it was this closeness what she was craving, so the girl wrapped her arms and legs around his body and moved her hips forward to meet his cock halfway when he was thrusting in and out. That increased the amazing aching feeling between her legs, so she did it again and again and when she realised, Belle was rocking against him like a mad woman, blinded by desire.

Soft moans came out of her mouth as they moved faster, bodies dripping sweat and other fluids, Gold's cock hitting places inside her that sent Belle to the stars and back at each thrust. She could feel him becoming erratic with every new movement and the sounds he made, those groans that excited her more than anything, became more constant and louder. Belle felt his body starting to shake as she hit a higher level of pleasure and moaned his name to the room, being carried away in white lights when his pace became madly fast just a few seconds before she heard him groaning and shaking more than ever. Then, everything went quiet.

They laid there, a tangled mess above the red bed covers, breathing hard and holding onto each other for dear life. Gold was the first to move, kissing her lips before pulling out of her and taking the condom off, disappearing in the suit's bathroom with it and coming back a moment later to lay by her side again and pull her closer.

"How do you feel?" Liam queried.

"Like a very tired amount of jelly," Belle laughed. "I loved it, thank you."

"Oh, I know you couldn't know what a good love-making is just by this experience, you'll be sore now, but when you're ready I'll show you how it is to cum and writhe in a really good fuck."

The way he spoke made her cheeks become red and Belle looked away from his eyes, nuzzling her nose on his shoulder as she traced his nipple with her thumb. If she told her friends what she had done on that Friday night, none of them would believe, or worse, Ruby would and then would judge her for the rest of her life.

Belle told herself that nobody's opinion mattered when it came about love, if she and Liam liked each other, they shouldn't let anyone come between then. Unless of course, this person was Milah, his wife, the woman who owned the bed in which she had just lost her virginity.

"Liam," she started, slowly, lifting herself up on her elbow to look into his amazing brown eyes. "What about Milah?"

"I have not slept with her ever since Neal was a baby and even after that, we were about to get a divorce," he murmured. "We shouldn't worry about her, but what I do worry about is you. If someone happens to find out..."

"No one will," Belle promised. "I won't tell anybody, that will be our secret."

He sighed, looking away as he distracted himself by pulling a blanket up over them, covering Belle's naked body and wrapping her as if she was a small child. Liam brushed fingers along his hair, contemplating the determined expression on her face.

"You shouldn't want that, Belle and as much as I have enjoyed our night, I'm really sorry I corrupted you this way."

"You didn't corrupt me, Liam," she sighed, kissing his lips, before rolling on her back and hugging the pillow behind her. "No one decides anything in my behalf. If I am in this bed today was because I wanted to."

A tiny laugh escaped his lips as Liam wrapped his arms around her waist, hiding his face on her hair as peaceful silence came over them and the hours passed by, bringing the comfort of a night of sleep over the two secret lovers.

...

Months later.

"Ms. Lucas, I'm warning you, if anything goes wrong with this plan, it will be all your fault," Sidney Glass stated as they drove down the road that lead to one of Storybrooke's quietest neighborhoods.

Ruby had never quite imagined to find herself inside the car of one of her teachers, however with the madness of the last few days, she should start to accept that anything was possible.

"Yeah, I know, you've said it about five times ever since we left Granny's," she complained, moodily but still as determined as the moment she decided to talk to Mr. Glass that morning and just beg.

"Because I'm worried!"

She sighed. Mr. Glass was definitely one to hide behind the words of a book or a good article, she knew that ever since she first started taking his English classes. Ruby wasn't planning to ask for his help at all, it just happened, she saw him having breakfast and attacked with all the arguments she had, just like she did in her craziest moments. However, she should win a few points with this investment, because it was for Belle and for her best friend, Ruby Lucas did anything.

"Why? Belle is a good student, you've said it yourself and you were already going to offer her a scholarship!"

"I know it, but offering her a scholarship and arranging a house for her to flee away from her father and her lover is a very different thing," he insisted.

"Belle made a mistake, ok? But she is trying to fix it," Ruby replied anxiously. "Jasmine already said she can pay for her stay in any where you get."

"This is still wrong, Ms. Lucas."

Oh, that she knew, but everything concerning Belle French and their last year at High School was utterly and completely wrong. She understood it, Ruby had made her own mistakes, she had broken a few hearts and had also screwed her own reputation around town, but it was what made her want to help Belle so badly. Ruby couldn't let the same happen to her, even more when there was a baby involved.

"It's the blue house," she indicated, mindlessly. "Number 35."

Ruby looked down at her phone, the message app still open with no answer from Belle, but the most concerning, no answer from Jasmine, Dorothy or Archie. She had really fucked up and now none of them would talk to her - well, Jas would only answer anything if the name Belle was written on the message and she was the subject of the shortest conversations they shared ever since they met.

Snorting, Ruby leaned back against the car seat looking up to see Moe French dragging a crying Belle to his van. She didn't think twice, Ruby jumped out of Mr. Glass' car as soon as he stopped and rushed towards them, immediately pulling herself between Moe and Belle, insistly punching the hand he had gripping her arm.

"Hey, release her!"

"Get the hell out of here, Ruby," Moe yelled back. "This is none of your business!"

"You're hurting her!"

"He is trying to make me abort my baby," Belle cried. "Please, Ruby, don't leave me."

"What?" Sidney Glass' voice came from where he was, standing beside his car with wide eyes.

They all looked back at him and Moe finally unleashed his grip on Belle's arm allowing Ruby to pull her away, wrapping her arms around the tiny brunette's shoulders as their teacher approached the florist.

"Mr. French, I'm afraid I need to inform you that you can't force Isabelle to do anything, even if she is your daughter and still seventeen," he said in the coldest voice they had ever heard. "And in fact, I came here today to offer Belle a scholarship and a new home in which she and her baby will be safe and cared for. She will be able to study and give her child a better life."

"Really?" Belle asked between her tears.

"Yes, Ms. French, you're a very smart girl and we are investing in you," Glass smiled. "A friend of mine, Fae, has agreed to open her house for you and watch for your baby once it is born, so you don't have to leave college aside."

Ruby caressed her hair, watching as her smile grew bigger and Moe's face became as red as a tomato.

"You can't come here and offer to take my daughter away from me," Moe yelled at him. "You want from her the same thing Gold did, but I'm not letting Belle continue to whore herself like this!"

"Mr. French," Sidney Glass started very slowly. "What you're saying is a very dangerous accusation and I will have to call the sheriff if you insist in saying things like this. Now, Belle will be eighteen in a few weeks, so if she chooses to come with me, she will be free."

Belle French swallowed hard, taking Ruby's hand and stepping away from her father, walking towards Glass, until she felt secure again.

"You're my tower, father, but I won't be Melina," she started. "I will ran away before it is too late for me and I will never treat my child like you treated me."

Moe looked about to explode with anger, he slammed his fists against his own sides and grunted, but then, he couldn't do anything. His daughter was a free bird ever since she was a little girl, she already knew how to flutter and now she was going to fly away, so all he could do was to watch as she entered Sidney Glass' car and left to never come back.

[theadventuresofhelena]

Cambodia

So, it’s safe to say that Allison and I passed out on the plane ride from Viet Nam to Cambodia. It was short, only about 45 minutes, but we were happy we got to sleep on the bus rides that day and the planes. We definitely had made the most of the day and night prior in Viet Nam and felt like we didn’t miss anything during Cambodia, so that was really awesome! We landed in Phnom Penh and headed straight to an orphanage. One thing that did sort of suck was my voice still hadn’t fully recovered so I had lost it again. So when we got to the orphanage I basically had to follow Allison around while she spoke with the kids because I couldn’t speak for myself. I definitely was bummed that I couldn’t speak, but I still got to meet with a lot of the kids and they were all so wonderful. It feels weird to call the kids because in reality, they were teenagers, almost adults. The guy we got to speak with the most, he was eighteen years old. And the other kids we were with were anywhere from 13-18 years old, so there were no babies or toddlers, they were much older than I imagined them being. I’ve always wanted to adopt since I was young, so coming here was tough. Seeing their living conditions and their positive attitudes around us was heartbreaking for me. I still haven’t quite fully digested it, it will take me a while, but I’m so incredibly happy that I got to meet these people. They were all so lovely and sweet. We didn’t get to stay for long which was really unfortunate, but we got to play games with them and just talk about anything and everything so by the time we had to leave, it was hard to say goodbye. We all took a big group photo and then said our own personal goodbyes. Next, we had lunch briefly at a restaurant. The restaurant was absolutely beautiful and jungle-themed. We got to eat a little bit of everything, it was awesome! They brought out a bunch of different things for us to try, it was like a buffet style but little servings of everything. After we ate we went to the Toul Sleng Museum and Cheung Ek Killing Fields (The first day had a lot of tough things to see and experience). The museum was horrifying. I can’t even explain what happened there, it was so recent in our history, too. There were faces of all the prisoners who came there to be executed (there were hundreds of thousands of them all along boards in about 5 different rooms) and there was one in particular that I will never forget because his facial expression was the most pure form of fear I have ever seen. That was all you could see in this photo of this man. The killings fields weren’t any better, there is a small-temple like building in the front center of the killing fields that has a very large glass container that contains skulls. Within the container they have different sections for male, female, and infant/child skulls and different areas for people who had been killed with different weapons such as knives, guns, spears, and much, much more. It was a lot to take in just in general, but especially in one day. However, we ended the day lightly by taking a small boat cruise along the Tonle Sap river during sunset. It was actually an insanely beautiful sunset and it was a nice place to be to reflect on everything we had seen. Our tour guide for the day, Red, was with us as well, and on the bus ride to the river he told us his story of him growing up and everything he had gone through. It was unfathomable what he had been through and it was incredible what he has recovered from so I thanked him for telling us his story because he didn’t have to do that at all. This first day in Cambodia made a great impact on me, personally. It really made me check myself and all my privileges. We walked back to the bus after the boat cruise and went to go eat dinner. We ate at one of the most beautiful restaurants I have ever been to. We were out on a deck that was lit up with christmas lights wrapped around poles and this restaurant was also had a jungle theme so there were plants everywhere, it was freakin magical. Allison and I sat across from two girls we had yet to really meet. So while we were eating dinner, we talked with them and got to know them a bit better. But soon they found out about the wifi and they got onto it and it quickly turned to a one on one conversation with Allison. I didn’t mind though, we both didn’t really want to get on the wifi because we felt that it would ruin the experience. So we stayed off of it and just had a really amazing conversation. We talked about what we saw today but also about random things. That night was probably one of my favorite moments on this trip so far, it was just so nice to feel so in the moment of where I was and what i was doing and be doing it with a really good friend. We left the restaurant and went to our hotel and I was roommates with a girl named Chelsea. She was really cool and I had never really seen her around the ship before so I was excited to be able to meet someone new! We both took showers and fell asleep immediately. We got up the next morning I think around 5:30 or 6am to get the free breakfast and check out. We took the bus to the National Museum where we stayed and got a tour from Red about the different god and goddess statues as well as the pieces of Angkor Wat that were being displayed. After the museum we were headed to the airport to get to Siem Reap, Cambodia! Once we got to Siem Reap we went straight to a Woman’s school. That was probably one of my favorite things I got to do. I met so many wonderful girls who were just so sweet and kind and I had gotten my voice back a little bit so i actually got to talk with them and I added a few of them on Facebook as well! The man who started this school for women is in the process of creating an internship for native English speakers to come and teach English here and I was like whaaaaat that’s basically what I want to do for the rest of my life plz take me! So that was REALLY awesome that I got to talk with him and have this as a possibility for the nearby future. Saying goodbye to them was really hard, but it was nice knowing that I would be able to add them on Facebook later when I had service. That night we had to ourselves, so we just checked into our hotel and then all decided to meet in the lobby at 6:30pm to go get dinner and explore the town. We left and got tuk-tuks (rickshaws) to the night market where we walked around and did some random shopping before eating dinner. Allison and I passed by one of the tanks that carry the fish in them that take the dead skin off of your feet and we both had always wanted to try it but were too cheap of people to pay for it, but at the night market a guy had it for about 2 dollars a person for an unlimited amount of time. It’s the cheapest price either of us had seen, so we knew we had to do it. The only weird thing was that these fish were slightly larger than what I’ve seen before but we figured it would be fine so we paid the guy and slowly dipped our feet in there. And let me tell you, it was the weirdest feeling I have ever felt! It tickled SO much! We asked the guy to take pictures of us and we got some good ones so I will definitely add them because they are hilarious. It takes a while to get use to the feeling too, but after a few minutes you finally get use to it. We were there for a good while and our feet were so dirty because we had been on them the past 3 days in dust and dirt so the fish had a lot to work with to say the least. When we finally decided to get out, we could definitely tell a difference with our feet, they were a lot softer! It was pretty cool. We gathered everyone up and headed over to Pub Street to find a restaurant. Siem Reap is a fairly small town and travelers come here to see Angkor Wat so the Pub Street is filled with backpackers and travelers; aka a lot of fun. We walked all the way down the street trying to find a place that all of us would want to eat at. The people we were with wanted American food, but Allison and I were looking for more of Cambodian food. We found a restaurant that had both so everyone was happy with that and we sat down and ate. We were sitting next to this woman named Michelle and she was a hoot and a half. She was so funny and she ordered a barbecue crocodile pizza, so obviously we all had to try it. And the rumor is right-it tastes like chicken! It was really good actually so I pigged out and ate my spring rolls, noodles with chicken and vegetables, I think I had one and a half slices of her pizza, a chocolate milkshake, 2 beers, and ice cream for dessert. For all of you wondering, no I have not gained weight! But I was slightly shocked at my body for being able to eat all of that, for sure. Afterwards the group split up and we all agreed to meet at a bar called Angkor What? Allison, Michelle, and I went on the hunt for weird foods. Michelle said she had to eat a tarantula and we fully supported that decision so we walked along the streets and it took a good 0.5 seconds to run into a stand that was selling tarantulas, scorpions, and small red snakes to eat. Michelle got the tarantula and Allison got a scorpion, and I ate their weird foods and didn’t get my own. I highly do not recommend any of them lol they were all pretty gross and didn’t taste like really anything. But I only tried a tarantula leg and not the body so I could be mistaken on the not tasting like anything part. What I had was just crunchy! Pub Street is so much fun just to walk down because they have small little carts that are all blaring their own music and selling shots, cocktails, and beers all for dirt cheap. It was amazing! We danced from cart to cart all the way back to the Angkor What? bar, where we all took a shot together and then headed across the street to dance at this one club. We ran into some other SASers who were on our Cambodia trip so we were with them for bit, but we had a very early morning of watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat so we were back in the hotel and in bed by 12am. We woke up at 4:30am and met in the lobby at 5, then we all took tuk-tuks to the ticket office where we had to get a photo taken of us and then our ticket for the day. We got back in the tuk-tuks and were headed to Angkor Wat! We entered through the west gate which was less popular so at first we are thinking wow, we came at a great time there is no one here! But it turns out we came from the back side so we had to walk around to the front and in the front there were at least one hundred people waiting for the sunrise just like us so once we saw that we were like oh just kidding. Angkor Wat honestly just blew me away, it was insanely huge, we probably could’ve spent half of a day walking around this site alone. We got about 3 hours there so that was nice, but of course, it seems we are always running out of time. In the beginning of our 3 hours we sat on the lawn in the front near the pond and watched the sunrise. It was absolutely breathtaking. It’s hard to put into words everything I was feeling and experiencing, I don’t think I have ever felt more alive and free than in that moment. And being there with a friend and just taking it all in, was unbelievable. After the sun had risen a decent amount, we decided to do some of our own exploring and walked into it. The structure itself was insane, we were told it took about 40 years to build and people worked on it everyday and they had elephants to help them. The sheer size of it is mind blowing but all the intricate work on each piece of stone was just insane and it’s all hand carved and built-ah it’s just crazy to see something like this in person. The photos don’t do it justice. (but when do they ever do honestly?) We met back at our meeting spot and had our tour guide take us through a little bit to give us some more information on it, but soon we were on our way out of the site and onto the next! We went to the site that has the trees coming out of the building and that was so amazing to see in person as well, the trees are so tall and heavy-looking we couldn’t really fathom how the building was holding them up. Unfortunately the sun wasn’t in the right position so the pictures aren’t that great but I’ll post them anyways so you guys can see them! After this site we went to one more temple that was really freaking cool because you were allowed to climb to the top of them by climbing very old scary steep staircase- so obviously we did that. Going down was a lot scarier than coming up though, it was nearly a straight drop down! But everyone survived and no one was injured and then we went to the bigger part of the temple and explored around there for a bit. But soon our time was up and we had to make our way back to the airport to go back to Viet Nam.