#sigh. i miss my blonde goober.

[playdohpim]

nothing more embarrassing than holding a blonde man dear in your thoughts. you were supposed to be the enemy.

[scribeofmorpheus]

Miss Midnight (Steve Harrington x Vampire!Reader)

For the SPOOKTOBER 2018 Competition

Requested by @electroma89 : This is my Halloween themed request! I was thinking on a Steve Harrington x vampire!reader with prompts 118 and 155. Reader was trying to hide being a vampire (only dates at night, "I'm not really hungry", etc.) from Steve but he discovers her on Halloween night.

MasterList

Words: 4072 

Warnings: Fluff and pining?? Sadly, despite the raunchy gif its quite tame!

A/N: Okay, turns out, for all my bashing of the mishandling of the vampire genre in YA books I’ve read, I am, in fact, equally terrible at writing for a vampire character. So I humbly offer this weird fic as penance for all the years I’ve spent shit-talking YA Vamp Books! Prompts in Bold-Italics. I tweaked one of the prompts btw!

Songs: Monster Mash and Spooky Movies

The night was young. You had decided to venture out into town -being bored and hungry were your two life staples at this point. First, you would hunt, the woods in Hawkins were surprisingly well stocked with adequate prey when there were no derelicts loitering about in dark alleys. Once sated, you would find something to chase the boredom away, maybe go to the arcade if it was still open.

While strolling through town, most of the shops were closed except for one, the local diner. You weren't hungry, not anymore and certainly not for human food, but you were bored and there was obviously going to be a jukebox or an arcade game stashed in the corner somewhere. You had a few quarters to spare so you walked over. In the window, a sign read: "NIGHT Shift Staff Needed @ Hawkins Movie Drive-Thru"

You laughed at how much emphasis was put into the word 'Night'.

When you walked through the diner's doors, your appearance no doubt drew the attention of the few strangling locals sipping down iced cokes and eating cherry pie. You could smell everything in the diner. From the sugary sweet strawberry shakes being prepared behind the island to the musky leather of the Greaser sat in the back, devouring a meaty cheeseburger. It was overwhelming and a little strange. This was one of the reasons you tried to avoid humans. Unless it was Halloween. Then you loved being around oblivious mortals and their unexplainable fascination with the things that went bump in the night.

You grinned, finding subtle irony in the fact most of the people were judging you based on your proclivity for wearing leather, studs and biker boots, and not the fact you actually were one of those creatures that went bump in the night!

You ordered a vanilla shake as an excuse to seem like you belonged, walked over to the Jukebox and played Spooky Movies before moving onto the arcade game plugged into the wall in a dark corner.

While you wracked up quite the high score, your keen senses picked up a new scent. You turned to see who it was. A young man of average stature, impeccable hair and a swoon worthy smile walked in. His hair damp from the rain that you hadn't realised had begun to pour. He racked a hand through his long-ish hair and walked over to the counter with a goofy smile, shrugging off his soaked letterman jacket.

"I'll have the usual!" He smiled and placed a few coins on the counter. Something about him intrigued you. Maybe it was his smile, maybe it was the sound of his voice… or maybe you just found that face of his a little too dashing. You took a slow slurp of your shake, forgetting that you hated its hefty dairy consistency. Your nose crinkled and you made a disgusted sound from all the cold sugar sliding down your gullet. When you put your shake down, you laughed at your own silliness and noticed that the handsome boy from the other end of the island was looking at you with an interested gaze. Feeling a bit cheeky, you winked at him before turning back to your game, finally breaking the high score.

When you sauntered out of the diner like someone who had just slain a dragon, you made sure to give the handsome boy one more cheeky wink before giggling mischievously as you walked into the pouring rain -doing a little dance to the song that was now firmly stuck in your head. Your ears picked up the low chuckle of the boy from inside the diner.

Two Weeks Later

"Would you like butter or salted popcorn with your corndog?" you asked the movie-going dates in front of you. Your eyes drooping and voice lifeless from boredom. The two dates eyed you unpleasantly.

"N-no popcorn, just--" He looked around the confection booth, "A bag of gummy worms." He pulled out his wallet.

When they got their order, you heard his date whisper in his ear when she thought you were out of earshot, "Jeez, would it kill her to smile a little?" When she turned around to look at you, you turned on the cringiest grin you could manage to pull, your vampire fangs fully extended. She gasped in shock and then rolled her eyes, "Jesus, I'll never understand people who wear Halloween costumes before Halloween!"

You laughed. As more and more people parked their cars into the Drive-Thru, you began to fill space by eavesdropping on all the dates that seemed to be going poorly. Strictly for entertainment purposes, of course.

In a blue Cadillac, an older married couple sat silently, the tension between them almost palpable.

"I still can't believe you, Mark!" The wife whisper shouted with a livid expression. The man sighed, "I swear I didn't mean to do it. It just happened so quickly. I--"

The wide held up a single finger and took a slow breath.

"Ooh, an affair?" You guessed allowed.

"You knocked my Father out of his fishing boat!" The wife said with a serious face.

You placed your hand on your mouth to withhold your snort of laughter.

"I told you fishing wouldn't be a good idea, honey!" The husband protested.

"He can't swim!"

"Then why does he have a fishing boat?"

The couple folded their arms and stared at the screen right as a particularly gory scene played out.

You turned your gaze to another couple, younger and not as tense. The young blond sat in the front waved giddily at her troupe of spunky friends who were pretending not to be spying on her and her date. You could just about make out the smell of her lip-gloss: cherry-red.

"So," Her date spoke, his voice familiar. "When I asked you on a date, I didn't actually think I'd be taking all five of your friends out too." He laughed nervously.

"What?" She asked confused. Her date pointed at the throng of girls sat on a stack of hey. Her eyes went wide from embarrassment. "Yeah… Well, you can just pretend to not see them."

"Right..." He said sheepishly, looking at the group of girls staring at him and his date. "Easy."

"Awkward," you commented.

"So, what do you do?"

"I uh, work at Scoops Ahoy," he said.

"You work at the mall?" She asked while twirling a strand of hair. Her expression was visibly disappointed. "I don't get it. Aren't your parents like… rich or something?"

"My parents, yeah." He said flatly. After a beat of silence, he asked: "So… you're a senior?"

The blond nodded enthusiastically, "Soon to be Prom Queen with a 3.8GPA and bound for Penn State! What about you? Future plans?"

"I- Uh… I'm taking life as it comes." He said.

"Ooh, Little Miss Perfect does not like that answer," you giggled.

"So…you aren't in college, you work at the mall… What do you do with your free time?" She asked, not at all thrilled by any of her date’s answers so far.

"I babysit. Mostly."

"Babysit?"

"Oooh, she really didn't like that answer!" You rested your chin on your hands, watching with eager eyes unapologetically.

He nodded. He drummed his fingers against his steering wheel then he turned to his date, visibly claustrophobic and asked: "Want any snacks?" His date nodded a little too enthusiastically and he was all too happy to comply, he practically threw himself out of his car and jogged to the concession stand.

When the familiar boy got to the stand, his face lit up with recognition. A smirk on his lips. "Miss Midnight." He said absentmindedly.

You cocked your head to the side playfully, "I'll be honest, most people just ask for a coke and a box of goobers." You teased. He blushed.

"The high score, at the diner. It's you, isn't it?"

You leaned in close, "Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to keep."

"As what?"

"The town introvert and resident trouble maker," you smirked. "Trouble in paradise?" You wiggled your eyebrows to the sight of his date pouting with her arms folded around her chest.

He shuffled awkwardly from one foot to the next, "Yeah, you could say that. I think she's just having her first disappointing date." He said in a low voice.

"Hey, don't worry about Little Miss Perfect. Something tells me she'll get over it. Besides, if you asked me, you're the lucky one. She seems like the kinda girl who would draft up a twenty-year life plan after a successful first date!"

He found some comfort in your words, "I think you're right! I'm Harrington. Err, Steve. Steve Harrington's the full name and apparently, I can't stop making an ass of myself tonight." His words fumbled as his cheeks reddened. You found it cute.

"It's nice to finally put a name to the face, Harrington, Steve. The name's Y/N." You said smoothly.

Steve rubbed his neck shyly, "Right. I guess I’ll see you around." He began back towards his car.

"Hey, Harrington, Steve!" You shouted. He looked back with a curious expression. You tossed him two cans of Coke, one after another. He looked at you with an arched eyebrow.

"Don't wanna go back to your date empty handed, now do ya?" You gave him your signature wink. He smiled and jostled one can about.

"Thanks. I owe you."

"I'll hold you to that!" You teased, flashing you fangs without thinking about it. Steve halted for a moment but then decided that whatever it was he saw, it wasn't important.

You watched as Steve juggled the cans about until one clumsily fell out of his hands. He made sure to place that one under his arm, probably as a way to tell which one was most likely to fizz when opened.

"Took you long enough. What did you get?" She asked. Steve gave her an apologetic shrug as he manoeuvred into the car, somehow managing to mix up the cans.

He held out a can of Coke.

"Wrong can Harrington," You noted as you watched on.

His date looked at it unamused. "It's not even diet," she mumbled to herself. When she popped open the can, she was immediately met by angry fizz spraying all over her cashmere pullover. Steve's face went pale with horror, his mouth hanging low in a half moon shape as his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. His date let out a high pitched shriek in protest, and like the ancient art of yodelling, all five of her spying friends made the exact same noise in response. Steve had to pretend to cough so as to not let her find out he almost laughed.

***

Steve had turned into a regular aficionado of the cheesy slasher horror film and you guessed it wasn't by choice. He'd been spending more and more time with you. And the longer you were near him, the more you began to find his charm even more contagious. You liked being around him, you liked how he made you feel when he'd laugh or smile with you. If your heart wasn't dead you'd swear that on some days when he got close enough to you, or when his hand grazed your skin, it would threaten to start beating once more.

On this particular weekend (your favourite weekend since it was actually Halloween) Steve had used the excuse of babysitting as a reason to come by again -even though you both knew the monster film being screened wasn't intended for kids. You and Steve talked about nothing and everything, cracking jokes and being all handsy. To prying eyes, you most likely looked like a couple. In this instance, you were talking about what either of you did during the day.

"It's not like you're allergic to sunlight, Y/N!" Steve jabbed.

"Oh big deal Harrington, so I don't enjoy tanning and going to the beach," You replied. "It's not that uncommon for people to dislike Summer time!"

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes childishly before offering you some of his popcorn.

“No thanks, I’m not really hungry.” You lied.

"Okay, but think about it. I've never once, not once, seen--"

"Steve! Shhh!" Lucas placed his finger on his mouth, giving Steve a look. "We're trying to watch the movie!"

Steve rolled his eyes and threw a handful of popcorn at the group of kids. "Why don't you just go sit closer?" He asked with a shake of his head. He gave you an apologetic look, "Sorry, as soon as I mentioned the Drive-Thru, they all just tagged along. I had no say whatsoever even though they weren't invited!" He made sure to shout that last bit so they could all hear. Dustin turned around and gave him a big goofy smile and two appreciative thumbs up.

"But seriously, how long have we known each other?" Steve asked as he leaned on the hood of his car as though it were a La-Z-Boy. You eyed his frame from the corner of your eye, enjoying how laid back and open he was right now. Before you could answer, one of the kids he brought with whipped around.

You let out a dark rumble, "Hmmm… Let me think," you pursed your lips and placed a finger under your lower lip. You noticed Steve's eyes flicker towards them with a look of longing before they darted back to the screen, a flush of colour spreading along his nape. You smiled. "Films at this very sophisticated establishment screen for two weeks, and we officially met during the first week of the Great Slasher Marathon. So that makes it-" You mouthed out counting the days to sell your performance. "Ah, yes! Three weeks and two days." You said with a beaming smile.

"Careful, all that math might just overheat your brain," Steve teased, touching your forehead softly with a single digit. You looked up at his finger, paused and then jumped at him with playful chomping noises as you pretended to try and bite his hand away. His hand recoiled and he laughed at your quirkiness before he popped a peanut into his mouth.

"Right, what was I-- Yeah! Three weeks and two days and I've never once seen you out during the day!" He said.

"But Harrington, isn't it the very air of mystery that drew you to me?" You batted your eyelashes flirtatiously, turning your head to the side.

"Nah," he cradled his neck in his laced fingers, looking at the screen with a breezy look. "It was the free Coke's." You punched his side lightly and he grabbed both his sides dramatically.

"Ow!" He chuckled. His fingers brushing against your cold hands. "Are you cold? Your fingers are freezing." He asked with concern.

"A side effect of being immortal," you jested half-heartedly. Steve rose his brows at you. When the silence dragged for too long you smiled at him menacingly and dawned on the thickest, most stereotypical Dracula accent you could, "Muahahaha, foolish mortal. You have fallen into my trap! Now whimper before the immortal Countess Y/N! Or be banished to the concession stand, where thou shalt bring forth snacks for the little critters you hath taken on to babysit!" You pointed a straw like some ancient stave towards the group of kids Steve had dragged along with him.

"You are singlehandedly the second weirdest girl I've ever met, you know that?" He said in soft awe.

You blushed, "That better be a term of endearment, Harrington!" You scolded.

"Oh, believe me! It definitely is..." He looked into your eyes for an extended amount of time. The heat in his eyes and the soft opening of his mouth made your throat ache, and suddenly you were all too aware of just how much you hungered for Steve Harrington. And the hunger wasn't entirely related to the crunching of your empty stomach.

With more haste than you intended, you snapped your face away from Steve's and focused on the screen. Steve shifted subconsciously, suddenly going more rigid. You shook your head, your raven hair bouncing about, before clearing your throat. "How about I get those snacks."

"I can come with if you-"

"Stay and watch the movie. I'm pretty sure I've mastered the whole script of this one. Besides, I get an employee discount." You tried to put on your most winning smile to make sure Steve didn't feel like he was to blame for your weird behaviour. From the way his shoulders drooped at you turning him down, you weren't successful on that front.

You stood in line at the concession stand tapping your feet in exasperation. You were hungry but more than that you were antsy. Suddenly, a jock who was standing around with his drunk buddies made catcalls at you. His wolf whistle not at all subtle.

"Hello, Dolly!" He slurred, stumbling towards you -his breath holding the stale notes of cheap beer. You rolled your eyes. "Hey now, don't be like dat. Come on, sthmile for me..." He motioned to grab your ass when, out of the drunk jocks blindside, an arm grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around followed by the sound of a fist connecting to an open jaw.

"Get your hands off my girl!" Steve declared.

"Nobody shaid she was taken, man!" The jock protested. Then one of his friends scurried to try and tackle Steve, but your heightened senses picked up on this and you simply stuck your foot out to trip him. He crashed into the dusty ground, grazing his chin.

The boys looked at you with open mouths.

"Is this my cue to declare that ‘nobody touches my Harrington?’" You teased with a sly wink.

Steve shrugged, "That would be nice actually."

You took an instinctive step towards Steve, and he seemed to mirror your actions, but before you could reach him, another jock blindsided him and managed to tackle him.

As Steve wrestled with the musclier jock, you walked over to a group of bystanders who came to watch the commotion, grabbed a soda from one of them and marched over to the fight. You pulled the plastic lid off the paper cup and poured ice cold soda all over the jock -and Steve in the process. Both shrivelled from the cold touch of the ice and broke away from each other.

"Nobody touched my Harrington!" You said with serious eyes before helping Steve up.

When the crowd dissipated, you laced your fingers into his. "So… Is this the customary tradition one performs when asking a girl out?"

Steve squeezed your fingers, "Only if it worked."

"It did," you replied before closing the distance between you and kissing him passionately. Behind you, you heard the kids make kissy noises and the occasional 'Eeww'.

When your lips broke apart, the two of you laughed in glee as Steve wrapped his arms around you. As he walked you back to the car you couldn't help but notice the smell of blood on the ground where the jock scrapped his chin become more and more enticing. You swallowed hard, trying not to focus on Steve's neck pulsing with more vigour from the fight.

Midway through the movie, you noticed the drunk jock from before stumble into a dark corner behind the concession building. "I'll be right back," you told Steve, who was half asleep nuzzled in the crook of your neck.

***

When Steve had noticed you'd been gone for much longer than he anticipated, he got a little anxious. His hands kept fidgeting about, his mind racing back to the image of that asshole jock trying to grab your ass. When he couldn't talk himself down anymore, Steve went looking for you. After searching behind several cars and hey stacks, he finally found you, but he was not at all prepared for what he saw. You, standing over the drunk jock from before, fangs extend and bloody with a look of pure elation on your face. Steve's jaw all but fell to the ground as he flung his arms in the air in exasperation.

 ***

"Steve?" You asked, caught off guard and feeling the life drain from your body -a feeling that held more irony than you liked. You glanced down at the unconscious jock at your feet and then back to a nervous Steve. You noticed him pacing about, hands on his hips. The silence was killing you.

"Steve, I can explain-" you started, your eyes shining with sadness from the eventual panic and fear he'd undoubtedly have towards you now.

Steve held up his finger and wiggled it around, "You know, I've kept up with a lot. Demogorgon’s, demo-dogs, a kid with magic powers, literally almost getting eaten alive, but… but Vampires? Can't this stupid upside-down place cut me some slack?" He sounded like a grumpy old man who was addressing a group of annoying kids that would steal his newspaper every morning.

"Okay, I guess this is exactly what you think it is..." You walked towards him. He took a step back, pointing at the jock with crinkled eyebrows.

"Is he dead?"

"No. No! Of course not. I- I usually don't… He was just so drunk, and an asshole- besides, he won't remember anything tomorrow." Your voice came out shaky. “Are you mad at me?”

 Steve nodded his head repeatedly, "Okay. Good, good." He then kept quiet for a long minute. "My girlfriend is a vampire..." he whispered in bewilderment.

”A vampire?" He questioned the universe, looking up at the sky like it held the answers. "What else are you going to throw at me? Werewolves?"

"Did you say… girlfriend?" Your cheeks blushed.  

Steve looked at you as if you said something offensive, "That is what you take away from all this?"

You shrugged, "A girl's gotta have priorities."

Steve laughed nervously before he continued to pace, his mind in deep thought.

You wiped the blood off your lips with your sleeve, taking a slow step forward. This time Steve didn't recline away from you. You felt a glimmer of hope. "Steve, talk to me." You whispered. "Please," you pleaded.

He looked wounded by the way your voice quivered just then and instantly he strode over held you close. After two or three breaths, he let you go again.

"Is this… a permanent condition?" He asked.

"So far," you said playfully.

"Don't joke."

"Sorry," you bit your lips and rose your shoulders above your neck with a pout. You noticed a small smile try and force its way onto his face.

"And��� is this," he waved in distaste at the passed out jock, "eating of people also a permanent thing? Because it may put a dampener on any future family dinners where you're the guest and we're the three-course meal."

You held back a laugh, "It doesn't have to be."

Steve let out a breath of air, "Aww, good because if you ate my Mom we'd have some serious baggage!"  

You looked at him in surprise, searching his eyes. "Are you not afraid of me? How are you so… okay with all this?"

"If I told you half of what I go through… Half! You'd understand why." He made a 'mind blown' gesture with his hands. "Besides, you're the only non-boring person in this town… And now it makes sense why."

"Does that mean we're okay?"

"That depends," Steve placed his hands on either side of yours. "Were you sent here to do some evil bidding by some nightmare monster that exists in a parallel dimension called the Upside-Down?"

You furrowed your brows, unsure if he was being serious or not. "No?"

He squinted his eyes at your uncertainty. You cleared your throat and spoke again, "I mean, no! Certainly not."

Steve wrapped his arms around you, relief in his voice, "Good because I don't want to ask Eleven to vanquish my new girlfriend."

He leaned in, about to kiss you when he remembered where your fangs had been a few minutes prior. He gave you an odd look, "Maybe we should make it a rule that we only kiss after a thorough brushing after your… meals."

You giggled into his chest, "Deal!"

As Steve walked you back to the car, arm placed protectively around you, you asked: "What's an Upside-Down?"

Steve just sighed and let out an annoyed moan, "Oh, don't get me started!"

***

Note: This fic just kept getting out of hand, it just kept growing longer and longer... I may do a sequel, but no promises. Enjoy and sorry for the wait!

[squeallywrites]

Winter Heart

Ravi/OC

A/N: If you like this idea, let me know and I might do the other members too.

~~~~~~~

It is said that the gods liked to walk amongst humans. Their curiosity peaked, though in the last few centuries. That’s how Aurora found herself out late one night in a park. The summer breeze was cool as it blew through her tight curls, but it didn’t chill her to the bone. That was the annoying thing about her powers. The moment she gets cold, her godly features reveal themselves to the mortals. She didn’t want that to happen, especially since she rather liked this new body of hers. She had a deep, rich, almost black brown hue, reminding her of the night sky. Her long hair was done in twists, reaching her waist with sections of bright blue accenting each twist. Her features were on the average side, nothing really making her stand out other than her skin. Then again, this was South Korea. Any foreigner stands out like a sore thumb.

She was relaxing on the grass, watching the boats pass by on the Han River when a small Frenchie Bulldog runs up to her.

“Oh hello there!” She smiles at the pupper as he happily wags his tail

A guy ran up to her, not far behind the pup, panting as he gives her a quick bow, “Oh thank god, you caught him. Something spooked him back there.”

“Glad to help.”

He plops down, the dog happily bounding over to his lap.

“What’s his name?”

“Badass,” the owner smiles wide.

Aurora looks at him. That’s not a name you hear often. “And the owner’s name?

“My name’s Wonsik.”

“I’m Aurora.”

~~~~~~~

Months Later:

Why she agreed to this, she’ll never know. Aurora watched as the four men she befriended over the last year perform for the camera. It was very risky for her to be here, but she wanted to show her support for the guys. The director yelled cut and the guys ran for their hot packs and coats.

“I’m so glad you came!” Wonsik bounded up to her, pulling her into a hug.

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss it,” she smiled.

Coldbay chuckles behind her, “She says even though she missed the last two times we were filming this past month.”

Aurora rolls her eyes at the blonde, “Well, sorry that I had other plans already.”

They laugh as Wonsik nudges her arm.

“Come on. We’re moving onto the next shot.”

~~~~~

As the night continues on, she wraps her coat around her when Xydo comes up to her, “Hey Aurora.”

“Hey, goofball. What’s up?”

“Did you get your hair done? I really like the ombre.”

Aurora cocks her head in confusion, “Wha-“

That’s when a shiver raced through her body.

With a gasp, she runs.

“Aurora!” Ravi calls after her.

~~~~~~

Resting against a wall as she pants, Aurora feels her powers returning. Her hair has already turned back to fully white and her dark finger tips have begun to give off a frosty glow.

My time is over now. I don’t even know if I can say goodbye.

“Aurora?”

She freezes. Looking up, Ravi is standing right in front of her, eyes full of worry.

“Are you okay?” He asks as he kneels. Aurora just looks at him. Sighing with a wisp of condensation flying through the air, the rapper reaches for her hands.

“Why did you run away?”

She rolls her eyes, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“No.”

She stares him in the eye, “Are you seri—“

“Yes, I’m serious. I mean, yeah, your eyes and hair are white now, but I don’t see that as a reason.”

She takes a deep breath, “I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

Aurora looks away, “I’m… a god. I’m not human, Wonsik.”

Silence.

“What?” He mumbles.

“I’m a god.”

“Yeah, I heard that, but, like, gods exist?”

Aurora smacks his arm, “YA!”

“Seriously though, I don’t mind that at all. I like you for you. That is unless you’ve been putting up an act this entire time, then I want to get to know the real you,” he squeezes her hands.

“Wonsik…”

“Plus, I’ve been wanting to ask you something and I guess now’s a good time.”

She raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything. He gets a goofy grin as a bright blush fills his cheeks, “Are you the god of love? Cause damn did I fall hard for you.”

Laughter erupts from her as she smacks him again; her blush matching his, “Wonsik, what the hell?!”

But before she can think against it, she captures his lips. He pulls away in shock before diving back in, smiling into the kiss. Aurora was still giggling as she pulls away, “You should go back before they wonder where you went.”

He groans as he stands, annoyed that they have to pause this until he was done with the shoot.

“Will you stay?” Wonsik asks.

“I’m probably going to head home.” Rules be damned. “Do…you…want to come over later?”

He chuckles, “Shouldn’t you be able to tell the future?”

“That’s not what I do, you goober,” she laughs, “I’ll see you later then.”

With a peck on his cheek, she backs away before a swirl of snow envelopes her in a mini tornado and just like that, Aurora is gone.

“Wow,” Wonsik mutters.

“Hyung, there you are!” ChillinHomie yells from behind him, “We’ve been looking for you everywhere! Let’s finish up so we can go home.”

Wonsik turns and heads back to the set, now eager to get everything done.

[fightevilandthengetblownup]

OT3FIC: Great Dane

7 - "I miss moments like this more than anything."

She hadn’t been back there in months, so long in fact Jo couldn’t actually remember how long it had been since she’d been slumped over this desk with a now cold mug of coffee and a hundred coffee rings around the desk top. There were books upon books spread out around her, and the old laptop she’d left behind however long ago it was on one side of the desk. It had been over six hours that she’d been pouring over the books spread around her, and longer still that she had been reading the books in the piles next to the couch against the wall.

So far she had had no luck at all, and was contemplating calling it a wash for once as she tossed back the cold, bitter coffee with a scowl. It was bad enough that Jo’d had to make the trip back to Duluth for this research, for it to be a dead end and her to have to call back the werewolf with no answer for his current investigation or to have to divert through South Dakota to check in Bobby’s research before making it back to the place she thought of as home now would just be too frustrating. Almost as frustrating as the taste of bitter old coffee that had clearly been in the jar for too long.

Letting out a sigh, Jo was surprised to feel two hands on her shoulders as she lent back in her chair, jumping a little as she never expected anyone to be awake or around this time of day. It was almost five in the morning, and Harry had tapped out three hours earlier, and the researcher had never rented out the now two spare bedrooms with him in the place - something Harry had laughed at when she had mentioned it a while back, that maybe she’d need a place to crash between a hunt and a long drive or that he much preferred the peace of being alone after how crowded it had used to be - so she practically flew out of her skin at the touch as she jerked around.

“Hey, just me.” Grey let go of her immediately, hands held up in surrender as Jo had spun to look at him, both of their eyes wide in surprise though his softened much quicker and at the soft look on his face Jo felt her own heart drop back into her chest rather than her throat. “Sorry, I didn’t.. I didn’t think of how that’d surprise you.”

“Here. It’d surprise me here.” Jo replied easily as she managed to get her breathing back under control, smiling up at the other as she let out a shaky breath. “Here it’d be a surprise, unlike at home.”

She smiled wider at the chuckle that got as the shadow moved back closer from where he’d stepped back out of her range originally, hands moving back to her shoulders like they were magnetically pulled there as Jo turned back towards the desk with a sigh. The books were five deep stacked up around her and her eyes just hurt.

“Will said you had left unexpectedly, and that you’d said something about researching.” “Yeah, Garth called-” “Oh?” “Some weird hunt happenin’ out his way and he had absolutely no clue what it was.” “You worked it out yet? I know if anyone would it’s you.”

“You’ve got too much faith in me, hun.” She replied gently, leaning back into the touch as the other rubbed at her shoulders, working the tense knots that had formed over the last few hours being hunched over book after book out of her back with those dexterous hands of his. Jo moaned quietly as he worked out a particularly tense muscle into relaxed jelly, tossing her head back to look up at him. “Still got no clue. Might need to swing past Bobby’s a while actually.”

There was a long pause between them as the shadow’s face morphed from a smile into an almost scowl before he schooled it quickly behind a supportive if a little forced looking smile again; blue eyes fixated on her own browns with a longing Jo hadn’t seen in a while.

“I’ll miss you if you need to.” Grey replied softly leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead as Jo closed her eyes, his fingers digging in a little tighter for the briefest of moments, before he righted himself back up. “It won’t be the same at home without you.”

That got a flush out of the blonde as she tried to bite down on the smile that brought up. It was true though. Home never felt quite right when any of them had to be away for long - though Jo supposed she was luckier than the other two in that she was more frequently the missing puzzle piece for longer than the others. Will did sometimes get called away on assignment, having to stay night after night for upwards of a full week away on a case at Jack’s insistence; and Jo knew that it felt a little strange falling to sleep and waking up with only the one other body on those nights. Sometimes Grey was gone overnight or even for a handful of days, and those ones felt even more off for her to just curl up in the one set of arms.

“I know, hun-” “Can’t you, like, move all this stuff home? Can’t you do this back at the farm rather than have to come here?”

Jo shook her head at that, rolling her eyes to herself that of course the other jumped to the immediate solution that would help her be home for longer. Spend more time between hunts at home, or at home researching for anyone who called, rather than on the road towards the bar or the slightly opposite direction from home to come here instead. “I could, but I’ve got to keep these here. Other hunters stop by to look things up, it’s helpful for Harry to have on hand, and I..” The blonde paused, swallowing thickly down on the words that had almost come up that she knew wouldn’t be understood the way they were about to come out. That she had to stay connected to the space, that it had been something connected to her longer than she wanted to admit, that it had been her chance to make what her childhood had been before that had been ruined. That she needed to still have the memories it held for her, and access to relive them at any moment. Shaking her head again, Jo pushed out of her chair and gave a sigh at the curious yet confused look she was receiving from the other. “I’ve got my reasons.”

“Oh?” Grey replied, a tad sharper than he normally would have, but the look on his face was smoother than the tone he spoke in as he moved to wrap an arm around her waist. “And what are those? Cause I can’t imagine there’s too many happy memories in this place, right?”

The blonde gave a chuckle at that. He, of course, was not wrong. But pausing for a moment, Jo looked out the darkened window to see the first lightening of the sky from pitch black to navy blue happening to the east. Eyes lighting up at the though, she smiled up at the other as he lent in for a kiss, lips soft and gentle and warm compared to the chill of the drafty library study room.

“Come with me.” Jo whispered the words out against his lips, blinking her eyes open to meet his own - the thread of confusion back in place before he nodded - and grabbed a hold of his wrist the instant their lips parted again. “I need to show you somethin’.”

Grey followed along at her insistent tugging, hand sliding up to hold her own and entwine their fingers together, as Jo herded him through the quiet dark, creaky hall, through the main living space and out the back door. They made their way down the back stairs - the same stairs they’d talked on or walked up and down in past time and time again - and Jo smiled softly to herself remembering the way his hand had brushed against her cheek once upon a time and the fire that had been in his eyes to avenge her then and there. They passed the little rickety shed near the cold room that made her pause for a second, squeezing the shadows hand tighter as she remembered forcing him in there, sitting over the lap he once had and rubbing a towel over his wet hair. If she’d known then, when he had been so sad over the unworthy demon and she’d been so unhappy in her own life, what she did now - she would have followed the towel in and kissed him until he’d smiled. She would have wrapped her arms about him and not let go for an instant until he was hers and she was his and things were on the path to where they were now. Where they were together and happy, and they would eventually have the other, where they had one another.

Looking up at the sky, Jo tugged again, hurrying over towards the back fence and threw herself down on the ground against the worn fencing, looking skyward as the sky began to glow the colors of the sunrise. Grey stepped closer to her, and Jo smiled up towards him, patting the ground beside her with a quiet laugh. “Sit down, you goober.”

“What are we sitting down for?” He asked, even as he immediately moved to sit beside her, back against the fence right beside her. Jo moved slightly, pulling his arm around her shoulders and leaning her head into his own with a quiet sigh. “What’re we doing out here?”

“Do you remember doin’ this? Us. Sitting here. And you were comforting me about not bein’ a horrible person?” Jo replied, snuggling in closer against his warmth as she kept her eyes skyward as the red began to bleed out from the horizon across the sky towards them. There was a quiet pause before she could feel the nod of his head, and then the other laid his head down against the top of her own. Letting out a breath, Jo smiled softly to herself. “I didn’t really care about what had upset me at that moment-”

“What do you mean?” “I mean, I had my best friend in the whole wide world beside me. He was carin’ for me, and lovin’ me, and looking out for me how no one else ever had-” “Jo.” “Shhh, I’m not done.”

Jo tilted her head a little ways and let out a quiet laugh as she met his eyes to see the softness in them and the way he lifted his other hand to his lips and turned the key. She laughed again, a quiet giggle, as he reached with that free hand to ‘place’ the key in her own hand, curling her fingers closed around the nothingness and smiled down at her.

"I miss moments like this more than anything. I miss the moments where it was just us and the world disappeared when the rest of the world was so hard, and cold and hectic and painful-” The blonde continued, opening and closing her palm under his fingers as she spoke, shuddering softly as his fingers ran along her palm and up to her wrist and back down again. There was a brief noise, one she could tell was confusion, before she let out a very quiet laugh. “I miss how we used to be - but at the same time?”

“At the same time, what, Jo?” Grey asked then, and Jo tilted back to see his blue eyes shining and catching the first morning rays such that they were ever so blue. The type of blue that would come as soon as the red that she once said she loved so much had faded away - eclipsed by the brightness and lightness and softness of the blue that always came after it. “I mean, I loved these moments too-”

She let out a quiet breath as she turned her head back towards the sky, watching the dark red and orange bleeding together and blinked back the tiny pricks at her eyes realising that Grey was probably here as the other would have been awake by now where he was. The the sun would already be up and the sky bright and blue and crisp, and the dogs would be going for their runs across the field with the curly haired man and Grey would have come to see her while the coffee percolated. That she was a few hours behind but many hours away from what made her days now, what made her days light and her nights safe.

“But now is so much better.” They finished in uniason, her fingers reaching out to curl in his and Jo tilted her head and smiled the same as the sun as it came over the horizon back up at him. Now was definitely so much better, but she could never let go of the place that held such happy, solid memories for her. No matter how happy she was now, or miserable she had been between them.

[awellboiledicicle]

Ok So I got to Spring year 2 and Kent came home from war, and i’m dating Sam, so it’s all interconnected-- but knowing me, I wouldn’t put together “gruff man coming home to the valley from war” with “Sam/Vincent’s dad” when I first met Kent.  So the following probably occurred:

When Kent hiked out to Hard Rock Farm, the packed earth path went from the uneven land that was maintained by the city to owner maintained... something. The pathway up was crushed down brighter white stones that lead up to larger colored stones set into the dirt where the white ended.  There was a small sign at the top of the way that said “dolomite, pardon the dust”. The fact it was next to a giant slab of gemstone that was clearly meant to be a stepping stone was.. likewise interesting. The house, at least, looked mostly normal.  There were fruit trees along the cliff to the front, a cat lazing on the porch, a green lawn, and... was that a chicken statue in the window? It was. It was definitely a giant wooden chicken staring out the window at him. It was wearing a top hat. Well, at least the coops in the distance looked normal? 

He knocked on the door and he really didn’t know what to expect. Jodi had insisted that this.. Farmer Mok was a good person. A little prone to getting caught up in talking about something if you let them, a little oblivious occasionally, very passionate about things. Likes flowers and chickens. Most of that information came from Vincent, actually, who heard them talking about the farmer and started talking like it was his job. Apparently they help his teacher occasionally and ‘put cool things’ in the library. Sam ignored the topic and fled the room with a joja cola when Kent had tried to ask him about them, so he took that to mean there may have been a problem between the two-- that or there wasn’t much to say. The door gave him a bit more insight into the farmer, because there was a mezuzah hanging along side it. There was also a series of light catchers on the small window on the actual door.

When the door finally opened, he didn’t know if he was surprised or not.  Short, with broad shoulders and a wide face. A worn blue hat covered their head, but he could see sunburn that stretched to the hairline. Glasses.  Armed with a sword. “Uh.. Good morning? Can I help you?” He shifted a bit, suddenly aware he was a stranger at home again.  “Yes, hello. My name is Kent. I’ve been gone for awhile... overseas.” A look of recognition seemed to flash through their eyes and their posture shifted, he recognized it as the one most people held talking to old vetrans. He didn’t know how to feel about that. “My wife told me a new farmer moved in while I was gone and I wanted to come say hello. So, hello.” “Well then, my name’s Mok--” They nodded and held out a hand, smiling. “Nice to meet you, Kent! Good to have you home!” They shook hands and he went home feeling very good about this meeting in general.

And then Farmer Mok went to see their boyfriend Sam, completely missing out, mentally, on the fact that Kent was Sam’s dad. Because it was planting season and they were tired and they just wanted to relax after climbing up and down hills. 

So, they squelched their way through the Cindersnap forest, lamenting the fact that there wasn’t a hard road to walk on. Also that they decided to plant the back 15 acres with the crops and the front 15 acres with flowers and the side garden with house food and the greenhouse with exotics. Also known as they wanted to go to Jodi’s, have tea, and listen to Sam practice his guitar and maybe fall asleep on him.  “Hey, Jodi?” They called as they opened the door and kicked off their shoes, hanging up their jacket. “You in from cardio?” She poked her head around the corner from the kitchen and laughed. Jodi watched them come further into the house, stretching their back out. “You surviving planting season?” “There is no survival, only seeds.” They let out a groan as the sound of Vincent running out of his room got both of their attention. “I hear my favorite little boy running in the house.” “Sib!” The little boy jumping on their back didn’t kill them, but it felt like it. “Did you bring dessert? Mom’s making lentils and--” “Oof.” Be strong, Mok. For the kiddo. Jodi was rushing forward to take him, but they were determined to keep together till she got there. “Not today, but I have a nice pink cake planned for shabbot, Why don’t you help mama Jodi with dinner so you’ll like it, picky boy?” “But--” Jodi finally pulled Vincent off their back and they tried very hard to hide their gasp. They caught the arrival of Sam and his stealth thumbs up from his doorway, though. Most skilled datemate. Them. Yup. “C’mon, honey, lets get working on some tea so we can have some with dad when he comes back from his walk!” Bless this mom. “Okay.” Vincent didn’t look entirely convinced, but he was in the grasp of his mom now. You really can’t argue while in the air. You can, but you will lose.  “I will now babysit your other child till dinner.”  Jodi paused on her way to the kitchen, Vincent making a yuck face, and gave them a knowing look. “Door open, Sam.” The sound of Sam putting his head on his door jam kinda echoed.  “Mom, we’re gonna listen to music and talk about aliens. Oh my god.” “Door open.” “Yes ma’am.”  Sam got dragged into his room so the farmer could flop face first onto his mattress, knees on the floor and groan. He laughed and plopped down next to them. “Oh yeah, we’re getting really wild in here-- glad mom made us keep the door open. May need to pop the window.” They very politely flipped him off. He leaned down and kissed the top of their head, earning a small mrrph. “You’re cute when you’re wishing death on the world.” He flopped sideways and ruffled their hair, waiting for them to get done with the following half hearted yell into his blanket. They looked up at him with the same expression that Sebastian often had when he explained an error to him that had been a pain in the ass for weeks, and had actually had a simple solution. The Rubber Duck Sam look. The ‘thank goodness i have you because otherwise i would run into the brick wall of myself’ look. Sam preferred the Rubber Duck term because he could imagine himself as one of those cool rubber ducks with a guitar and sunglasses. “I’m adorable and never want to see another seed in my fucking life.” “You’re kinda a farmer, I think that’s gonna happen. Upside, you have cute animals too?” They sat back, arms flopping up onto the bed, with one hand coming up to pap lightly at his cheek. “I have to feed and water those animals. The fattest ones crawl in my hoodies and tickle my neck.” Sam rolled over so they were face to face, feet kicking in the air. “I am not seeing a downside.” They gently grabbed onto his cheeks, put their foreheads together and stared deeply into his eyes. “You are adorably, infuriatingly, amazingly optimistic. You big, soft, loveball.” He snorted, slightly ruining it, but that was ok because by all standards pizza breath is not as bad as other things. Sam pulled them up, and they came pretty willingly as snuggles seemed about to happen and they were correct-- though he very quickly lived up to his trickster reputation by tickling them.  “I have a reputation--” “No--” They pushed his pillow into his face, eyes closed behind their soft defence. “Saaam, please, i’m tiiired.” He stopped tickling them, also probably waving off his mother who had appeared to put a stop to anything going on. Bless Jodi, because she let the two be with a quick ‘door stays open’ mouthed to Sam.  “Ok, fine. Sorry for making it worse.” To his credit, he did sound sorry. They flopped fully back on his bed and kinda sunk in. “I wouldn’t fall asleep though, mom might not let that one go.” “That’s fair.” “So.” He crossed his legs and gave them one of his big, goofy smiles. “What’d you do today? Aside of plant seeds, i mean.” They groaned again and he laughed, rubbing at their hand in sympathy. “Don’t laugh, you goober. I had to buy twice as many seeds as I thought and the ground by the river was so muddy-- I thought the bridges were going to sink into the water! I couldn’t let the animals out, and I probably can’t till it all dries out and they’re grumpy.” A sigh bigger than the house. “And some random guy showed up this morning? Is that a thing here, you move in or something and you have to go say hi to everyone?” There was a pause in Sam’s supportive ‘mhmm’ing and the rubbing on their hand had turned to a slight twitching. Checking his face, he had a kind of unreadable expression-- at least from their angle. So, they sat up and he was looking off into the middle distance... trying not to laugh. “Babe... was this guy...” He snorted and they frowned at him. “Was this guy a blond. Was he.” “Yeah, why?” “Babe.” “Sam, what are you laughing at.” “Was he kinda tall and wearing a military jacket.” Sam was keeping a very serious tone, now, but between the actual talking, it was very obvious he was about 3 breathes away from collapsing. “....oh my god.” They looked at him, to the middle distance and back. “oh my god.” “Babe. My dad got back last night.” Sam promptly fell backwards off his bed, between the wall and said bed while Farmer Mok lowered themselves down back onto the blankets and placed his pillow onto their now red face. “If you would just apply heavy, constant pressure until I stop breathing, that’d be great, babe.” It was a muffled deadpan, but Sam heard it and managed to sit up and put his head on their arm and shake his head no through his laughing. “Just kill me now, that’d be great. Leave my chickens to Shane.” “Hun, nooo.” “You are not killing me, to save me from living with this shame a moment longer than I have to, like a loving and devoted boyfriend would do.” There was a pause from under the pillow and Sam tried to calm himself down, patting their shoulder. “I am very disappointed. I thought you loved me enough to kill me instantly in an emergency.” “I’ve literally told you about him coming home, for weeks!” “I’m filing a complaint with the boyfriend store. ‘Too attractive and laughs at me’.” He let out another guffaw as they sat up and smacked him on the head with the pillow before he got back on the bed and hugged them. “Besides, he looked too short to be your dad.” “I can’t stop laughing--” He gasped. “Besides, what did you expect my dad to be, a giant? Just to walk in here, be 9 feet tall?” “The height has to come from somewhere!” They gestured to all of him, starting to giggle in spite of themselves. “I mean, it certainly didn’t come from Jodi, she’s my size!” “Are-- are you implying--” He looked faux-offended, trying not to laugh. “That my- that my mom fucked a giant. Is that what you are.. i can’t. oh my god.” “Respect your elders, Samson. Your very large elders.” He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “You know, go far enough back, and they’re your elders too.” “Are you saying...” They took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eyes. “Jacob... was a giant.” “Oh, honey.” He placed a hand on their shoulder. “You’d be taller if he was.”

There was a beat of silence as they stared at him.

“Now I have to smother you, because you called my god punching nephew short. And also me short. And--” “You’d have to reach first--” “OK, FIRST OF ALL--”

Meanwhile Jodi is explaining to Kent that no, this is just how they bond

[sassysweetstories]

I Never Noticed

Request: “Can I have a Stiles x reader where she is Scott’s older sister by two or so years. Like when they were younger stiles and her were really good friends and he had a low key crush on her but never really noticed, and she is coming back from college since she graduated early due to being hella smart and you can take it from there”

Ship: Stiles Stilinski x Fem!Reader!Scott’s sister

Warnings: flirting, swearing, sarcasm, shyness, etc. 

Stiles P.O.V

Four Years Ago...

I rode my bike along side Scott. He grinned back at me, pulling into his garage. I followed him, hoping off my bike as I unbuckled my helmet. “My mom’s making tacos. Wanna have dinner with us?” I grin, scoffing at his stupid question. “Of course.” We hop in the house, slipping off our shoes. Scott turned over his shoulder, smiling. “Oh! My sister’s getting food and should be home later today so that we can hang out.” I try to hide my excitement. Scott’s sister and I were great friends. Here’s the thing, I liked Scott’s sister. She was pretty.. and pretty cool. Scott and I never really had friends. It was always the two of us. We weren’t popular, good at sports, anything really. And the moment we entered High School, we were considered outcasts to everyone. Well, almost everyone. 

(Y/n) was never shy when it came to us. She showed us off proudly, like we were some big award, or something. She always made us feel special, included us in meals or helped with classes, and, considering she was beyond brilliant, (Y/n) was the reason I was able to pass my classes. Every time someone tried to put us down in some sort of way, she’d come in and tell them off and make them look like an idiot. Having her around was, quite literally, the best. I couldn’t help but feel excited to see her. She was the smartest, nicest person I had ever met in the whole world. However, she was going to graduate early. I knew I was going to miss her a lot. Without her, things would get rough, real quick. 

Now...

Your P.O.V

Slipping on my jacket, I eyed my stuffed to the brim car, biting my lip. I hope I didn’t forget anything. Not that I would do that, considering I’m rather efficient. I check my list once more, though I don’t need to, it assures me either way. I nod and grin before hopping into my car. I roll down my windows to see my roommate, Lin, leaning up against my car. “Going back to see the fam?” She asks, smiling. I nod, turning on the radio before looking back at her. “Yeah, first time I’ve seen them since a year and a half ago. Studying takes up a lot more time than I thought.” Lin laughs, throwing her head back. “Oh, shut up. You’ve passed all your honors classes with flying colors. I envy the hell out of your brain. I don’t know how you can take that many honors classes. Oh! And by the way, our argument about quantum mechanics isn’t over yet! Have fun with your family!” 

I can’t help but snicker before driving off. Blasting my radio, I can’t help but think about the good old days. The nights I use to spend with my brother and his friend, Stiles. Stiles. I wonder how he’s doing? I wonder how different he looks? I haven’t seen him in four years, which is a pretty long time. Then again, I look rather different as well. But healthy food, a gym, new hair and tattoos does that to you, I guess. I always did think Stiles was a cute kid. His sarcasm and wit always made me smile. I wonder how different Scott looks. I haven’t seen him in a while, either. My family didn’t know I’d be coming home today. I’d been planning this for months now, and now, I could finally see them. It took a few hours to get back, the drive not being terrible. The traffic was shit but the music was quite a beautiful distraction. The moment I pull into Beacon Hills, I almost cry from pure nostalgia. 

Peering around the town, I can’t help but giggle at the memories that pound my head. It hurt to see this town again, but it was a good kind of pain, ya know? There was the cafe where I had my first kiss, it being not that great but the ice cream I had after made it all the while better. Around the corner was the park I played in. My brother, Stiles and I use to spend hours playing all sorts of activities. I had a blast with those two. The second I pulled up to my house, I park on the street, my driveway up to the brim with unrecognizable cars. Huh? Must be having a party or something. Perfect. I whip out my phone, scrolling down to hit my mom’s number. Her joyous voice filled the other line. “Hey, sweetheart! Oh! I miss you so much! How’s college? How were finals? Tell me everything!” I giggle at her happiness. I really missed her. Being at college could get really lonely. “College is great! I miss you like hell. Finals were, finals. I did the best I could, considering they were approximately 98% AP classes. How’ve you been, mama?” 

She went off immediately. “Oh! Things have been okay here. As usual. Oh! I forgot to tell you that Scott’s captain of the lacrosse team! Stiles is no longer on the bench! He’s doing great, as well. (Y/n), I wish you could see them. They’ve turned into such handsome boys. You wouldn’t even recognize them!” I noticed a slight hesitation in her voice when she said that last sentence. I sighed, making my way up to the front door. “Mama, if you could have one wish, right now, what would it be?” Though we both knew the answer, I wanted her to say it, I wanted her to tell me. “I wish you were here, (Y/n). I miss my daughter, so much. I miss you, sweetheart.” Her voice was sad, broken. I take a deep breath and ring the doorbell. When she opens the door, I grin. “Wish granted.” In that moment, like I had planned, she broke down and burst into tears. Wrapping her arms around my waist while I towered over her, kissing her head. My mom held me close to her, almost desperate, as if I could slip through her fingers at any moment. 

We stand at the door for a few minutes. I am perfectly content to just let her cry on my shoulder. Finally, she pulls away, wiping her eyes before wrapping her arms around my hand. “C’mon! Does Scott know you’re here?” I shake my head, smiling as she pointed to the room where he was suppose to be. I round the corner, not enough for him to see me, but enough so that I could hear the conversation that fluttered wildly in the room. “Scott, I’m telling you! Just ask Kira out, she’s right over there! She’s hot, you’re hot, what have you got to lose?!” Before whoever was talking could finish, I came into view, leaning against the wall with a smirk. “I thought I was the attractive sibling.” There was a lot of people in the room, more than I expected. All of their eyes fell on me as I looked at my brother, his back turned away from me. When he turned to face me, he gasped. I took a step forward, smiling. “What? You’re not gonna say hi to your sister?” 

Before I could say anything more, he ran toward me, embracing me tightly. I giggled as he picked me up, twirling me around in a circle. “I missed you so much..” He whispered into the crook of my neck. I kiss his cheek, smiling to myself. “I missed you too, Goober.” For a split second, I totally forgot there were other people in the room. When he pulls away, I wipe his tears away, smiling. Like I had predicted, he looked a lot different from when we were little. “Wow, you’ve grown so much! Look at you!! You’re actually taller than me! That’s a first!” He giggled, looking at my face with a smile. “I have grown a lot! But you- you look so different!” I laugh, shaking my shoulders. “Well, a year and a half at Harvard does that to you. Mom told me you’re captain of the lacrosse team! Congratulations!!” He nods, his eyes gazing from my eyes to my cheeks then to my hair. “You look so different, (Y/n). You’ve grown so much..” 

I scoff, punching his arm, playfully. “I’m still me. I might look different but I’m still your sister.” I say, lovingly. All of a sudden, a voice broke our family reunion. “I don’t mean to be rude, but would you mind introducing us to your totally attractive sister that we didn’t know about?” I look over at the group of younger teens, most of which were eyeing me up and down. The one who spoke was a shorter boy, the youngest of the group, it seems. Scott looks between me and his friends, blushing. Almost as if he forgot they were even here. But then again, I too, did that. “Guys, this is my sister, (Y/n). She attends Harvard and I haven’t seen her in a year and a half due to her massive studies and traveling.” I grin, waving at them. All of a sudden, I heard a new voice. A voice that sounded familiar, just lower. “(Y/n)?” Turning my body towards the voice, I gasp in shock. Stiles Stilinski stood by the door, gawking at me, as I’m sure I am as well. “Stiles?” He nodded, slowly shaking his head. “(Y/n), is that you?” I nod, still eyeing him with surprise. 

All of a sudden, he lurched forward, taking me within his massive arms that use to be so tiny. Stiles use to be half my size, if not smaller, scrawny and cute. But now, now he was grown, towering over me. Tall, toned and burly. Of course, he was lanky before, that part hadn’t changed, however all of his weight was fit in just the right places. Stiles arms and chest were bigger. They looked massive. I would assume it was due to long lacrosse practices. His chocolate brown hair was longer, tousled and wild. I had the strongest urge to run my hands through them. His hands were massive, wrapping around my waist like they were meant to be there. Stiles picked me up like Scott did, twirling me around in a circle. We both giggle, loudly. His voice being a lot lower than before. It was sexy as hell, raspier. It sent shivers down my spine. When he pulled away, he looked at me again. Shocked at my new look. As was I about him. I mean, god damn. 

“You’re here- You look- Wow..”  “Likewise. You look- different.”  “Different is-”  “Good. Different’s good.” 

Before I noticed the awkwardness in the room, the one girl with strawberry blonde hair took the initiative to strut toward me, smirking. “Lydia Martin. So, Harvard, huh? You must be pretty smart.” Shrugging slightly, saddened by the fact that I could no longer look at Stiles. “Yeah, I suppose so. But, by the looks of it, you are as well.” Lydia eyes me with suspicions, brows furrowed with curiosity. “Why might you say that?” I smirk, examining her up and down, analyzing her. “I presume you’re eighteen years of age but due to your profusely large amount of make-up, you’re going for the older look. Head held up high, back always straight, sophisticated. Due to your daily attire, people assume you to be older, wiser. And they’re right. You dress the way you are. However, because of a past relationship, you’ve hidden yourself from within. You’re a lot brighter than people give you credit for. But that’s brilliant, you see, nobody suspects a dumb-blonde, well in this case, strawberry blonde, to be a riveting genius. As to which, you are. But since you’ve ended that toxic relationship-” 

I continue, their eyes on me with awe. “You’ve grown out of your shell and become the brilliant bright person you are now.” As I finish, Scott looks at me with brotherly awe and pride. When I look at Stiles, his jaw is practically to the floor. Lydia shakes my hand, winking at Scott. “I like her.” After that moment, I had become the interest of the party. A taller burly boy, Isaac, I believe, along with Liam and Derek, never left my side. Kira and Malia were a ball to be around. They were both so funny, polar opposites but they made their friendship work. For them, it somehow flowed. Malia was rather snarky, no-filter and completely done with the world. Kira, on the other hand, was quite different. She was bubbly, full of life and energy. When she smiled, it was contagious. Lydia, like I predicted, was beyond brilliant. Halfway through talking, she started talking to me in Latin, not just normal Latin, enchant Latin. 

The group was looking at us in complete awe. I noticed after a little while that Scott and Stiles has broken away from everyone else. They seemed to be discussing something important, glancing my way occasionally. I nodded and smiled at them, kindly. After talking with the group for a while, I broke away from them to talk to Scott. “Hey, I’m gonna catch up with Mom for a bit, if that’s okay with you?” He nods, smiling back at me. “What?” I ask. He merely shakes his head, grinning. “I’m just really glad I’ve got you back.” I take him into a tight hug. “Well, I’m here for good. I’ll be back later, alright?” He nods, letting me go catch up with mom. As I left the room, I couldn’t help but glance at Stiles, biting my lip as our eyes meet. He smiled shyly back at me. When I sit across from mom, she smirks back at me, knowingly. “What?” I ask, slightly confused by her new attitude. She nudges her head back at the room. “They’ve grown, haven’t they? Especially Stiles.” She emphasizes. 

I nod, finally understanding what she meant. “Yeah, when did Stiles get so hot?” She coughs mid-drink, laughing loudly. Probably surprised by my pure honesty, she had no need to pry if I speaking without a filter. “Yes, he’s grown quite a lot since you last saw him.” I nodded, giggling. “Yes, yes he has.” All of a sudden, a loud crash came from behind us. We both turn around to see the teens on the floor, bodies on top of one another. And at the bottom, was Stiles, beat red. “Awe, c’mon! I thought she would have gone for me!!” Liam yelled, exasperatedly. When I look back at Stiles, I smirk and wink at him. He giggles, fumbling back into the other room. All of a sudden, Stiles yelped. “If you hurt my sister, I’ll kill you.” Scott said, protectively before walking into the our room, winking at me before tossing me a thumbs up. “Go get ‘em, sister.” I laugh, shaking my head. “I missed you guys so much.” She wrapped her hand around mine. “We missed you too.” All of a sudden, a new pair of hands wrapped around my shoulders. I look up to see Stiles, grinning. I put my hands on his waist, pulling him closer to me. The rest of the gang came into the kitchen, laughing and cheering wildly. God, it was great to be back. 

(I hope you liked it!!) 

[goldenponcho]

Battle for Neverland Chapter 2

Yeah, so I said I was gonna post this one chapter after another, and so far, all I’ve posted was the first, so I’m gonna go ahead and queue up the rest I have so far.

Here’s chapter 1 if you haven’t read it.

Next chapter

"Tink stumbled a bit as she emerged from the other side of the portal, "Phew!! Peter, I told you this wasn't a good i-"

She stopped in mid sentence when she realized she wasn't in the Underground House. Tink was familiar with every inch of the Never-Forest, but nothing in her direct line of vision outside the hollow tree she was now standing in was at all recognizable. "Wh-! What kind of cheap dust is this?!!" she yanked the sack from her belt, scrunching her nose with a glare, "What good is it if it just takes me to wherever it happens to fancy?!" She crossed her arms with a stomp, fuming for a moment, then sighed, "Well… at least I won't have to listen to that horrible singing anymore," she said fluttering from the portal, and onto a nearby tree branch, "so much for my nap, though..." She examined her surroundings from her new position. Tall maples and evergreens shaded the fern-covered forest floor, and a recently fallen oak rested across a patch of saplings to her left, the small trees straining to hold the large trunk. To a human, the rainbow of flowers scattered along the forest floor and the sunbeams shining through the brances might have seemed beautiful, but to a fairy, it was nothing to be awed over. Not when there was Neverland to compare it to.

That's when she noticed a faint buzzing that quickly grew louder, and she stumbled backward, landing solidly on her backside as a large, fuzzy bee landed on the bark surrounding the hollowed out hole. Its wings buzzed in short bursts as it seemed to regard Tink with interest. Tink slowly gazed toward the top of her head at the small flower she wore as a hat.

“Nooo...n-n-n-n-n!” she grabbed the petals and pulled it down further over her head, “This isn't your flower! It's mine!” She hovered backward as the curious insect pawed at her, before finally flying up and over it. “Phew!” she turned with a sigh of relief until she realized that an entire swarm was patrolling the area and only feet above her hung a massive hive.

“Eep!” She dodged two that went for her as soon as they noticed her, and she buzzed away quickly. It was a good thing bees were such awkward, slow fliers.

“Well I'm not getting back in there anytime soon.” She made some significant distance from the hive before finally landing on a branch to scan the area.

Ferns, pine cones, poison ivy... “Ooo!” she peered closer to a few trees over at the base of a sapling where a lush patch of silver sage covered the forest floor. After making sure the coast was clear of any more flying creatures that might take an interest in her, she fluttered down from her perch.

She ran her fingers over the silky leaves and sat before pausing, “...I probably shouldn't...” But the woolly leaves were so soft against her skin, and the thought of such a comfortable sleep made her yawn. “Well...if I can't get back to the Underground House, I might as well just snooze for a bit here,” she nestled comfortably into the soft leaves with another yawn, “The portal will be just where I left it when I get back.” ~*~*~*~ "En garde, fiend!!" Peter slashed at Nibs with his wooden sword, barely missing the Lost Boy's head. Wendy caught herself staring at the fireplace, and quickly looked up to where the Lost Boys were squabbling, "Tink's been gone for a very long time, Peter," she reminded him, breaking the thread from one of Michael's socks she had just finished mending. Peter turned to her, parrying an attack from Slightly in the same motion, "Tink... Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since this morning. Where has she gone to, anyway?" Wendy rolled her eyes with a deep sigh, "She went to help you pull your prank, Peter!" "Oh! That's right!!” Peter side-stepped a charging Curly, and the boy landed face first on the dusty floor. "She's probably just making sure Hook's soup is extra disgusting." "I slightly doubt that, Peter," Slightly spoke up as he darted at him again with his wooden sword, "Tink was more than slightly sleepy. She really wanted to get it over with and get to bed." "Oh, she'll be fine!" Peter insisted, casually knocking Slightly over after dodging his attack, "She can fly, and the pirates can't. What could possibly happen?!" ~*~*~*~*~

Faint voices interrupted the tranquil sounds of the forest, and Tink was slowly pulled from what had probably been the most sound three hours of sleep she had gotten in a good while. She stretched with a contented sigh before registering that there were others nearby.

Whoever these creatures were had no problem with the whole forest knowing they were there. She shook her head; definitely humans...

Tink flitted a few yards further to a dogwood that lined the edge of a small clearing, where five humans, adults, two males and three females, sat around the beginnings of a small bonfire, one of the boys having a rough go of lighting the tinder.

“Sheezus, Ethan! You're gonna bust a vessel if you keep doin' that!”

This Ethan looked at the girl who had said that from over...some sort of manuscript it seemed, making a show of scraping the flint comically fast.

“Ethan! Stop being an effing goober, and get that fire lit!” another girl, who was unpacking a long, cylindrical bag of poles and what looked to be brightly colored canvas.

“And Susannah! Get off your butt and help!”

The blond girl with the “manuscript” rolled her eyes, reaching for a knapsack near her feet and beginning to unpack half-hazardly as she continued her reading.

“Come on, Lindsay...” the other boy pleaded, “we can pitch the tent later. The priority right now should be dinner.”

The blond scoffed, “Yeah, since SOME-body didn't wanna stop and get somethin' on the way...”

Lindsay squinted with a huff, and dropped the bag of sticks, “Fine! You guys managed to get the food, right?”

Another two girls, loaded with about as many bags as they could possibly carry, made their way into the clearing.

“Emma?!”

“Yeah! Got it! Got it!” one in a knit hat raised three small, white sacks.

“Guess it's PB and J tonight...” said the last one, who had a strange, blond streak in her otherwise mousy hair. She smirked toward Ethan.

“Almost got it, Riley!” exclaimed Ethan, filing away at the flint, no sparks to be seen.

“Ethan...” the other boy placed a hand dramatically on Ethan's shoulder with a whisper, “It's time to stop.”

The boy sighed, drooping his head, “Another day, perhaps...”

Emma waved two jars in his direction, tossing one to Riley, and they all gathered around to make their sandwiches.

Humans, Tink laughed to herself, hopeless as always.

Once they had settled in with their meals, their conversation continued.

“Jared Leto's hot,” the blond lifted her strange manuscript directly to her face.

“Ew! He's a douche, Susannah...” Lindsay wrinkled her nose before taking a bite from her sandwich.

“Yeah, but he's still hot,” she finally looked up from her reading, “I met 'im back in March, ya know! Right at the end of my internship; they paid for the trip and everything. Didn't get to interview him myself, but...”

“That's still pretty impressive,” Grant, the other boy, replied, “All I did for my internship was take pictures of babies and old people. I never realized how similar they were til then...”

“Have to change any diapers?” Riley asked, looking up from a small book she seemed to have been writing in.

Grant shook his head, “It was a close call a couple of times, but no. At least my work there got me a job, though.”

“Oh! Ya'll heard about Lindsay's new job, right?” asked Susannah with a grin, finally closing whatever it was she had been reading.

“Oh, yeah!” Emma, spoke up, “Where'd you say it was at?”

“Pathway Center, a psychiatrist office in Berkeley Lake,” Lindsay straightened up in her chair, “I didn't have much competition. My mom's office works with the company a lot. She put in a good word.”

“Wish I had those kinds of connections,” Emma said with wide eyes, “I think I'll be stuck in insurance my whole life.”

Lindsay shrugged, “It's all about who you know.”

Tink propped her head up with her hand, stifling a yawn with the other. Tin spoons and tonics, human's were boring!

“So, Riley...”

The girl almost jumped as Susannah addressed her.

“What'chu up to these days? You always had a lotta' talent in school.”

“Eh...” Riley closed her book, placing it back in her lap, “Nothing much, I...I'm actually looking for something else right now.”

The answer apparently wasn't enough for Lindsay, “Yeah, but what are you doing now?”

Riley fidgeted a bit, “I, um...I work in a warehouse.”

“Ah,” her tone was as short as her reply.

The others nodded with no commentary, and Riley's eyes shifted between them expecting someone to say something before continuing.

“It's, uh...ya know, a lot of walking and lifting,” she picked at a frayed tab on her book, “It's good exercise, but it's...pretty soul crushing...”

A few nods, and a couple “yeah's” preceded a few seconds of silence, which Susannah attempted to end.

“Sooo any prospects, then?”

Tink stumbled a bit as she emerged from the other side of the portal, "Phew!! Peter, I told you this wasn't a good i-"

She stopped in mid sentence when she realized she wasn't in the Underground House. Tink was familiar with every inch of the Never-Forest, but nothing in her direct line of vision outside the hollow tree she was now standing in was at all recognizable.

"Wh-! What kind of cheap dust is this?!!" she yanked the sack from her belt, scrunching her nose with a glare, "What good is it if it just takes me to wherever it happens to fancy?!"

She crossed her arms with a stomp, fuming for a moment, then sighed, "Well… at least I won't have to listen to that horrible singing anymore," she said fluttering from the portal, and onto a nearby tree branch, "so much for my nap, though..."

She examined her surroundings from her new position. Tall maples and evergreens shaded the fern-covered forest floor, and a recently fallen oak rested across a patch of saplings to her left, the small trees straining to hold the large trunk. To a human, the rainbow of flowers scattered along the forest floor and the sunbeams shining through the brances might have seemed beautiful, but to a fairy, it was nothing to be awed over. Not when there was Neverland to compare it to.

That's when she noticed a faint buzzing that quickly grew louder, and she stumbled backward, landing solidly on her backside as a large, fuzzy bee landed on the bark surrounding the hollowed out hole. Its wings buzzed in short bursts as it seemed to regard Tink with interest. Tink slowly gazed toward the top of her head at the small flower she wore as a hat.

“Nooo...n-n-n-n-n!” she grabbed the petals and pulled it down further over her head, “This isn't your flower! It's mine!” She hovered backward as the curious insect pawed at her, before finally flying up and over it. “Phew!” she turned with a sigh of relief until she realized that an entire swarm was patrolling the area and only feet above her hung a massive hive.

“Eep!” She dodged two that went for her as soon as they noticed her, and she buzzed away quickly. It was a good thing bees were such awkward, slow fliers.

“Well I'm not getting back in there anytime soon.” She made some significant distance from the hive before finally landing on a branch to scan the area.

Ferns, pine cones, poison ivy... “Ooo!” she peered closer to a few trees over at the base of a sapling where a lush patch of silver sage covered the forest floor. After making sure the coast was clear of any more flying creatures that might take an interest in her, she fluttered down from her perch.

She ran her fingers over the silky leaves and sat before pausing, “...I probably shouldn't...” But the woolly leaves were so soft against her skin, and the thought of such a comfortable sleep made her yawn. “Well...if I can't get back to the Underground House, I might as well just snooze for a bit here,” she nestled comfortably into the soft leaves with another yawn, “The portal will be just where I left it when I get back.”

~*~*~*~

"En garde, fiend!!"

Peter slashed at Nibs with his wooden sword, barely missing the Lost Boy's head.

Wendy caught herself staring at the fireplace, and quickly looked up to where the Lost Boys were squabbling, "Tink's been gone for a very long time, Peter," she reminded him, breaking the thread from one of Michael's socks she had just finished mending.

Peter turned to her, parrying an attack from Slightly in the same motion, "Tink... Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since this morning. Where has she gone to, anyway?"

Wendy rolled her eyes with a deep sigh, "She went to help you pull your prank, Peter!"

"Oh! That's right!!” Peter side-stepped a charging Curly, and the boy landed face first on the dusty floor. "She's probably just making sure Hook's soup is extra disgusting."

"I slightly doubt that, Peter," Slightly spoke up as he darted at him again with his wooden sword, "Tink was more than slightly sleepy. She really wanted to get it over with and get to bed."

"Oh, she'll be fine!" Peter insisted, casually knocking Slightly over after dodging his attack, "She can fly, and the pirates can't. What could possibly happen?!"

~*~*~*~*~

Faint voices interrupted the tranquil sounds of the forest, and Tink was slowly pulled from what had probably been the most sound three hours of sleep she had gotten in a good while. She stretched with a contented sigh before registering that there were others nearby.

Whoever these creatures were had no problem with the whole forest knowing they were there. She shook her head; definitely humans...

Tink flitted a few yards further to a dogwood that lined the edge of a small clearing, where five humans, adults, two males and three females, sat around the beginnings of a small bonfire, one of the boys having a rough go of lighting the tinder.

“Sheezus, Ethan! You're gonna bust a vessel if you keep doin' that!”

This Ethan looked at the girl who had said that from over...some sort of manuscript it seemed, making a show of scraping the flint comically fast.

“Ethan! Stop being an effing goober, and get that fire lit!” another girl, who was unpacking a long, cylindrical bag of poles and what looked to be brightly colored canvas.

“And Susannah! Get off your butt and help!”

The blond girl with the “manuscript” rolled her eyes, reaching for a knapsack near her feet and beginning to unpack half-hazardly as she continued her reading. 

“Come on, Lindsay...” the other boy pleaded, “we can pitch the tent later. The priority right now should be dinner.”

The blond scoffed, “Yeah, since SOME-body didn't wanna stop and get somethin' on the way...”

Lindsay squinted with a huff, and dropped the bag of sticks, “Fine! You guys managed to get the food, right?”

Another two girls, loaded with about as many bags as they could possibly carry, made their way into the clearing.

“Emma?!”

“Yeah! Got it! Got it!” one in a knit hat raised three small, white sacks.

“Guess it's PB and J tonight...” said the last one, who had a strange, blond streak in her otherwise mousy hair. She smirked toward Ethan.

“Almost got it, Riley!” exclaimed Ethan, filing away at the flint, no sparks to be seen.

“Ethan...” the other boy placed a hand dramatically on Ethan's shoulder with a whisper, “It's time to stop.”

The boy sighed, drooping his head, “Another day, perhaps...”

Emma waved two jars in his direction, tossing one to Riley, and they all gathered around to make their sandwiches.

Humans, Tink laughed to herself, hopeless as always.

Once they had settled in with their meals, their conversation continued.

“Jared Leto's hot,” the blond lifted her strange manuscript directly to her face.

“Ew, Susie!! He's a douche..." Lindsay wrinkled her nose before taking a bite from her sandwich.

“Yeah, but he's still hot,” she finally looked up from her reading, “I met 'im back in March, ya know! Right at the end of my internship; they paid for the trip and everything. Didn't get to interview him myself, but...”

“That's still pretty impressive,” Grant, the other boy, replied, “All I did for my internship was take pictures of babies and old people. I never realized how similar they were til then...”

“Have to change any diapers?” Riley asked, looking up from a small book she seemed to have been writing in.

Grant shook his head, “It was a close call a couple of times, but no. At least my work there got me a job, though.”

“Oh! Ya'll heard about Lindsay's new job, right?” asked Susannah with a grin, finally closing whatever it was she had been reading.

“Oh, yeah!” Emma, spoke up, “Where'd you say it was at?”

“Pathway Center, a psychiatrist office in Berkeley Lake,” Lindsay straightened up in her chair, “I didn't have much competition. My mom's office works with the company a lot. She put in a good word.”

“Wish I had those kinds of connections,” Emma said with wide eyes, “I think I'll be stuck in insurance my whole life.”

Lindsay shrugged, “It's all about who you know.”

Tink propped her head up with her hand, stifling a yawn with the other. Tin spoons and tonics, human's were boring!

“So, Riley...”

The girl almost jumped as Susannah addressed her, "What'chu up to these days? You always had a lotta' talent in school."

“Eh...Riley closed her book, placing it back in her lap, “Nothing much, I...I'm actually looking for something else right now.”

"Oh..." she nodded knowingly, "Gotcha."

Lindsay, however, persisted, "Yeah, but what are you doing now?”

Riley crossed her legs, her grounded foot bouncing quickly, “I, um...I work in a warehouse...nothing fancy."

“Ah,” her tone was as short as her reply, and the others nodded with no commentary.

Riley's eyes shifted between them expecting someone to say something before continuing. "It's, uh...ya know, a lot of walking and lifting,” she picked at a frayed tab on her book, “It's good exercise, but it's...pretty soul crushing...”

A few nods, and a couple “yeah's” preceded a few seconds of silence, which Susannah attempted to end.

“Sooo any prospects, then?”

Riley shrugged, “I've had a couple interviews. Concept art jobs, book companies looking for illustrators..." Her eyes shifted, "And I've been thinking about freelancing...”

Recognizing the awkwardness, Emma quickly picked up the conversation, “Well, you'll definitely find something. You're work is great!”

“Maybe going back to school would help,” all eyes turned to Lindsay, “I mean...there's just not a lot of profit in art, not unless you're really lucky.”

Most of the group seemed uneasy at this point, and Riley seemed to be biting her lip.

She gasped, “What about nursing...something medical! Ya know, saving lives; that would be really good for you.”

Now there was dead silence, and Susannah massaged her temple with a strained look.

Ethan, not one to notice an awkward situation, gave a snort of laughter, "Oh, yeah, a nurse named Riley Blade! That'll go over real well with the patients..." he pulled his shirt to his mouth as if speaking into a clip on mic, "Uuh...Nurse Blade to the biopsy room,please? Nurse Blade?! We're gonna need a leg amputated over here, stat!!"

Grant gave Ethan a punch in the arm, and Riley chuckled dryly, hoping the quip had derailed the conversation. She was afforded no such luck.

"No, I really think something like that might be more fulfilling for you," Lindsay nodded with wide eyes, "My mom has a lot of great contacts she could hook you up with. Knows the best schools too."

Riley cleared her throat with a curt nod, “Sure.” She tapped her nails quickly on her book, before straightening herself, “Oh! Um...I just realized I left something in my car.” She stood picking up a small sack and shoving her book inside, “I'll be right back.”

Susannah mouthed something toward Lindsay with a glare, and finally Riley was out of earshot. “The HELL was that?!”

“What?!” Lindsay cocked her head, genuinely confused.

“Are you trying to upset 'er?!”

“NO!”

“Well how do you expect her to react?” Grant shook his head, “Trying to bring up her mom...”

“UH!” her mouth hung open at the accusation, “I didn't bring her up!!”

“Uh! Ya kinda did,” Susannah retorted with crossed arms.

“Oh!” Lindsay crossed her arms as well, “So I guess I can't say anything around her anymore... She's been like this for over a year. When is she gonna snap out of it?!”

“Lindsay...” Emma shook her head with the shrug of a shoulder, “you don't just 'snap out' of something like that. She lost her mother.”

“Well, we can't walk on eggshells forever!”

Tink shook her head. Humans were so dramatic; always a squabble...

That's when Tinkerbell's keen ears picked up a light snap, and turning her head from her position in the trees, she could see Riley leaning against an oak.

~*~*~*~

Riley wiped her eyes before approaching her friends again, “Think I'm gonna head down the trail and find the waterfall. It shouldn't be far.”

The others were startled by her sudden appearance, but nodded, getting the hint that she wanted to go alone. “Alright, let us know how the water is,” Susannah said with a smile.

She was soon pacing through the forest, dodging a few spider webs that had been built recently enough for no one to have broken through them yet. She should have known it would turn out like this. She had thought she was in a good enough place to enjoy a trip with her friends, but it just wasn't happening. She dreaded the coming night. She still had the occasional difficulty with sleep, and she was certain she would be wide awake tonight.

She had never been very close to or even overtly fond of Lindsay. Part of her wanted to be angry with her. Was she really so dense as to not think maybe suggesting that saving peoples lives would suddenly cure her of grief just might be unwanted advice in her situation?

She stumbled over a protruding rock, catching herself on a tree. Taking pause, she gripped the branch so hard the bark made imprints on her palms.

Lindsay was right, though; she was getting nowhere. Art school had been a waste of her time, and now she was stuck at a job she was drastically overqualified for, barely making a living wage and hating it every day. And then her mother got sick...

Her thoughts were interrupted when pushed aside the tree branch that had been obstructing her path. There, not fifty yards ahead was an exceptionally large black bear. She took a long silent breath, backing away slowly. But it had seen her, and unfortunately it was curious.

“Woah! WOAH! BACK!!” she glanced around as she tried to remain calm. If she ran, it would run after her.

It sniffed the air with a grunt, still advancing.

“GIT!! GO ON!!!” she stomped her foot toward it, causing it to flinch back, but not for long. This bear obviously wasn't the least bit afraid of people. Her eyes shifted desperately again.

There, just through the saplings, she could see a massive tree with a large, dark hollow. Just big enough for her to fit into and be clear of the bear's reach. She calmly but quickly edged toward it. She almost fell backwards as the bear reared back to knock her over, but she narrowly evaded and caught herself, before finally wedging herself into the trunk of the tree.

The bear clawed at the bark of the tree, and that was when she remembered the granola bars in her backpack. Almost ripping the zipper open, she scooped out a hand full and tossed it out where the bear made quick work of tearing them open and gobbling them down. But it wasn't satisfied. Riley thought, as it sniffed toward her, that it still thought she had more, but as it reared back again, and leaned it's forepaws against the tree trunk, she realized that it was after something else.

She heard the buzzing before she actually saw the large, gray hive just above her.

“Ooooh! NononononoNONO!!” she tried to back further into the hole. However, it didn't shield her from the angry bees now swarming around the crevice as the bear tore into the hive, unfazed.

She squeezed herself downward, trying not to make too much noise as she felt the first stings. She would have been better off with the bear. Receiving several more stings, she forced herself further down.

And then she fell backward...

She rubbed the back of her head and neck, momentarily forgetting about the painful stings, and when she finally got a grip on her spinning vision, she noticed the open cabinet at her feet. Her eyes shifted back and forth, too dumbfounded to move. Had she fallen out of there? Pots and pans covered a counter top above her, and piles of potatoes and other vegetables were scattered over the wood floor.

She stood slowly. Had there been a house built into the tree? Surely she would have noticed. Maybe she was underground. But how could someone have gotten away with building all this under a public hiking trail?  Absent mindedly looking over the old cast iron stove, she tried to sort things out in her head. She had to be unconscious; she had to have been stung so many times she had passed out. Or died...

She removed the lid to a pot that sat over one of the eyes and immediately regretted it. She gagged on the noxious odor, and stumbled backwards in a coughing fit, nearly tripping over a barrel.

"Oh, no...caugh caugh caugh...that is not for eating!" she carefully avoided stepping on any wayward food stuffs with a bit of difficulty.

No, this didn't feel like a dream. She felt so clear headed, everything was so detailed. She quickly decided she should get out of the room before someone caught her or, assuming she wasn't already dead, died of the fumes. She slowly cracked open the door, wincing as it creaked a bit louder than she would have liked, and found that it went to a long hallway. Like the kitchen, everything was wood, the ceiling, the floors, the walls, and she slowly began to realize that the entire structure was swaying. A ship?

As she neared the other end of the hallway, she could make out an opening in the ceiling that shone a beam of light from outside, illuminating the wooden ladder below it. She could hear the sound of waves as she neared the opening and crept slowly to the foot of the steps, hoping to take a look at what or who was on deck, but all she could make out was the mainmast and a bit of rigging.

Just as she had taken her first step up the stairs, she almost lost her footing when a small, pinkish light zipped past her and out the hatchway. She quickly caught her breath, but when she directed her sight back to the hatchway, she froze. She stared face to face at a dark skinned boy, no older than about fifteen or sixteen, both of them frozen in their spot.

Riley struggled to speak, to give some explanation for her presence, but she wasn't given a chance. Just as she noticed the skull and crossbones flag that flew at the top of the mainmast, a rather rough looking man appeared beside the boy, and without pause alerted the others.

"Ahoy!! Stowaway!!!"

Riley's stomach leapt into her mouth, her legs taking over and propelling her back toward the galley as fast as they could carry her.

"There's a stowaway on board, maties!!" she could hear the man from behind her, "Hurry, ya dogs!"

She heard the rumble of footsteps in the hallway and tripped over several pots and pans and vegetable piles before diving into the cabinet. But instead of finding herself back inside the bee-infested tree trunk, she hit her head on the wooden back panel.

"What?!!" she squeaked, "Where's the hole?!!!"

Having no time to panic, she quickly pulled the door closed and huddled up in the corner. How many poor decisions could she make in an evening? One way or another, she was dead for sure.

The bi-fold door slammed open against the wall, and several pairs of footsteps could be heard storming into the room.

"Yeh see 'em, maties?' said one deep voice.

"No… I should say they're hiding here somewhere," said a higher pitched voice.

"Come out, come out, wherever yeh be!" came an Irish accented voice. This voice echoed as he had apparently picked up one of the many pots and was calling into it.

Riley covered her mouth and nose with one hand and attempted to calm her breathing. After several seconds of silence, she thought they may have given up. But that fleeting hope was replaced with fear as the door to her cabinet swung open.