#since his mother owns a restaurant in canon + he has restaurant influences already

[twistedlovelines]

I think the chef aus are really cute so don’t worry!! I could definitely see Riddle not having passion for cooking at the start and instead striving for perfection and following the process too rigidly that seeing reader experiment and happy cooking has him confused and frustrated.

Even could be a nepotism plot line like everyone is super aware that his mother is a famous chef that they’re expecting the same from him instead him becoming his own chef

Maybe in the later season (I haven’t seen the show but I’m basing it off cooking shows in general) he’s come out of his shell a bit and starts appreciating reader (crush) when his mother comes to guest judge and hes distraught torn between pleasing the woman that taught him everything and being true to himself

I realized this is getting long and rambly sorry ;p

waugh!! do not worry about rambling in my inbox, ever!! i love reading your guys' thoughts and rambles <33

and yesss it's definitely something his mother pushed him into, due to her being a michelin star chef in this au!! i think he's been in nearly every french fine dining restaurant worth its salt since a young age (his mother didn't see a reason for him to diversify his palate because she wanted him to excel in french cuisine without any distractions), which would also make it interesting for him to be paired with a chef who specializes in chinese cooking (specifically szechuan cooking) due to the high levels of spice and robust flavor!!

and yeah i could definitely see how him being related to a famous chef could make the other competitors see him as an extension of his mother, lol- in culinary class wars, there aren't any renowned chefs brought in for guest judging (there are two famous and extremely skilled chefs serving as the main judges, but guest judges so far have been only random people + mukbang influencers), but if we're considering the set-up of culinary class wars, i do think itd be interesting for him to be introduced as one of the younger white spoons!

(For culinary class wars, there are 100 competitors, divided into black spoons [80 competitors] and white spoons [20 competitors]. The white spoons are highly acclaimed and well-known, with multiple having michelin stars to their name, while the black spoons, who are skilled at their craft, aren't as well-known or acclaimed as their white spoon counterparts.)

I think the dynamic you're mentioning would work really well for one of the mixed-spoon team competitions, especially if reader is a black spoon! Riddle, as head of his own restaurant, isn't used to having to cooperate with others, but has already had his cooking critiqued for "having less flavor" (if we're considering the competition takes place in the twst equivalent of south korea, where the potency of spices and flavor of the peoples' palates are different compared to france). it throws him off the edge, especially after winning competitions in his home country and coming with the belief that he has one of the best philosophies when it comes to cooking. but reader, who specializes in chinese cooking, suggesting a twist on his style of cooking, would be a way for him to begin becoming more open-minded, particularly if he and another white spoon on the team are having disagreements about how to approach the dish.

it becomes even more apparent that his mindset is lacking when later on (after they win the team match), he is eliminated and reader is chosen to continue in the competition. i don't think he'd undergo a full arc in the competition (just bc of time), but i agree he begins to learn to think for himself and opening his mind to other possibilities due to his loss and reader's influence during the competition!!

aughh i just really do love a chef au for riddle so much sbjdfjsfd

[lokisprettygirl]

Deadly Locks (Detective! Daemon Targaryen x Female Reader) (Non Canon Au) (Dark )

Read Chapter 7 here // Series Masterlist

Chapter 8

Summary: Tension grows between you and Daemon amidst the killer being caught, learning the truth about his mother's past and your date with Pierce.

Trigger Warning: Rape and torture, 18+ , smut, It's a crime thriller so there would be some squeamish dark stuff, read at your own discretion, mention of rape, assault and murder, miscarriage, Speeding and driving under the influence, Reader has long hair, Daemon's hair is up for imagination, Cigarette consumption, some geographical errors

“Mam, would you like to order now?” You were asked for the third time in the last hour and you no longer had the energy to respond. He wasn't coming, you knew that. It was your birthday and you were at the edge of your patience with him, you had called a bunch of times and texted over and over again but he wasn't answering, he had told you this morning that things would change tonight, that he'd make them better but as usual he wasn't there.

��Ummm sorry I don't think he's coming so I'll just leave, sorry for wasting your time” you apologized to the server as you got up and walked out of the restaurant, it was raining heavily and the sound of the rain blocked the sounds of your heart breaking. You knew you had to let him go, his job would always be his first priority and you'd always come second to him. What had happened in the last few months, if that wasn't enough to make him want to be with you when you needed him the most then what will?

You knew you had to break both of your hearts tonight and let him go because being with him was bringing you more pain than happiness these days, he was never there with you.

And you were done, you were finally done.

**********

Daemon was anxiously awaiting a call from any of his acquaintances or colleagues, hoping for an update on the case. He had been waiting for more than twelve hours since the Barber Killer was apprehended but he had received no new information.

He was pacing back and forth in the living room and you didn't know what to say to him, the energy between you two had been awkward since last night when you told him that you had agreed to go out on a date with Pierce. There was no dancing around anymore, you had made it official that you were moving on from him.

“Daemon maybe you should just–’ you opened your mouth to speak but he cut you off,

“Don't you have to get ready for the date? It's 6 pm already” he raised his brow and stared down at you so you sighed.

“I'll just take a raincheck…I think we should be–” he cut you off again and this time you were visibly upset by the snarky tone of his voice. You wanted to say that you needed to be with him today because you needed him and he needed you but he wasn't even listening to you.

“Just go..go out . I'm sure you are excited ”

“You're right …I am excited indeed , it's not as if the guy who abducted and raped me and wanted to kill me got caught today or anything”

You got off the couch and slammed the door shut as you went inside to get ready. He sighed deeply as he could tell he had hurt you somehow, he just didn't know what he had done, he was the one who should be upset, you were going out on a date with a guy you liked in the very least, he should have been the one to feel hurt.

The next time you came out of the room you had a dress on, he remembered the dress, he clearly remembered the dress.

Daemon had received an urgent call from the 999 dispatch center, alerting him that you had called in regards to a possible intruder in the house. He was immediately dispatched to your location, having received a promotion to the officer position just a few months prior.

He hastily approached the front door, knocking on it with urgency as he stepped onto the porch. The house was relatively new and lacked a security system because none of you were able to afford it just yet.

As soon as you opened the door he saw the Blue dress you had on, it wasn't immodest but it wasn't innocent looking either, plenty of naked flesh was visible for his eyes

“Darling are you alright?” he asked you softly, worry was evident in his voice.

“Mmm i knew they'd send my favorite officer” you mumbled seductively before you pulled him inside by grabbing the crisp collar of his navy blue uniform.

“Are you fucking joking?” He asked you making you chuckle in response, “You made a 999 call because you wanted me to get here?”

“Yeah?” The smirk on your face infuriated him and made him want to kiss you at the same time.

“You are insufferable at times, you know that? Insufferable and reckless..you're scrappy and you think it's really cute don't you?”

“Is it not officer?” You asked him as you pressed him against the door so he groaned before he cupped your cheeks and flipped you around..

“You know you could get arrested for this hmmm?” He whispered in your ear so you smiled.

“So arrest me” you pulled your wrists up and he took the handcuffs out to tie your hands behind your back before he turned you around and pulled your dress up, his lips latched onto your neck immediately. It was the sight of him in the uniform that turned you on so heavily, he was so tall and so handsome, it made you want to do illegal things at times just so he'd punish you like this.

“I'll give you what you want.. and I'll give it you good but the next time you'd even think of pulling some shit like this I swear to god I'd fucking make you sleep in the jail for a week” his voice was sharp and commanding which only made your panties soaked

“Goddd keep talking officer” you moaned loudly so he chuckled before he lowered down your drenched underwear and unzipped his cock, you let out a loud gasp as he entered you in one quick motion,

“You're unbelievable my scrappy girl” his voice was barely a whisper in your ear and you weren't any better,

“but you love me”

“I do…I love it when you're being this way”

“Fuck me officer daemon please”

“How do I look?” You asked him so he cleared his throat as he snapped out of the memory lane.

“Beautiful”

Pierce was going to pick you up from Daemon's house and he had chosen to take you out for dinner to a fancy restaurant. You were glad you had made an effort to put a dress on.

“So ummm how are you ? Like really how are you…cause I saw the news and it must be hard” he asked you so you gave him a smile.

“I don't want to talk about myself..how are you doing” you asked him and he eased up a little, he was really nervous about the date, you could tell. He was a nice guy but you weren't able to give your undivided attention to him when your mind kept drifting towards the menace that was your ex boyfriend Daemon.

About half an hour later you looked to the side and spotted a similar face in the window, he immediately ducked away in an attempt to hide so you put your fork down and excused yourself.

“Give me a minute…I'll be back“

You placed the napkin down on the table before you made your way out of the restaurant and turned to the left to face him.

“What do you think you are doing?”

“I'm enjoying a smoke” Daemon said to you so you rolled your eyes.

“What are you doing here?” You asked him and he chuckled

“Just making sure you're safe”

“I'm not your responsibility –”

“You are…i promised..I gave you my word”

“Well you promised so many things before as well but you broke them over and over again so it really doesn't make a difference…just go home”

You huffed before you turned around and went inside the restaurant again to say goodbye to Pierce because you knew Daemon won't really leave and you won't be able to concentrate on the sweet guy in front of you because the truth was you were still hung up on the love of your life and there was no denying it anymore.

Pierce was sweet and amazing but you didn't want to lead him on especially knowing that you still held feelings for the man you had broken up with two years ago.

He looked like a sad puppy as he offered to drive you home but you assured him that you'd reach home safely and you waited for him to get out of sight before you stormed out of the restaurant and Daemon glared at you.

“I didn't mean to cut your date short” you snickered sarcastically as he said that.

“Uhhhuh is that why you were being so discreet about being here?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were safe”

“Take me home daemon”

On the way back home none of you said a word. An argument was about to ensue and it has been years since you had argued with him.

As soon as you reached home you went to his room to change and he sat down on the couch to calm his nerves, he didn't lie when he said that he was trying to keep you safe but he was also driven crazy by the thoughts of you enjoying your date with Pierce and falling for him in the process.

“I didn't even want to go” you said to him as you stormed out of the room wearing a night robe, your face was ridden of the makeup you had worn and hair was tied up in a bun, you looked so beautiful and so homely as if you belonged to him.

“Then why did you say yes to him?”

“So I can move on and turn a new leaf”

“I want you to move on darling but not with him or anybody else” you glared at him as he said that.

“I broke up with you for a reason dae-”

“I can change”

“I don't want you to change yourself for me. Look…before this thing happened to me i..” your eyes teared up as you spoke to him making it difficult for you to continue but you knew you had to say this to him “Before I suffered through this thing I had a warped understanding of your job and what you do and how important it was. At times i didn't really understand that it's because of people like you that this world is somehow safer for people like me and I don't think i gave you that benefit of doubt, that understanding that–”

“Stop..y/n stop..” he walked towards you and wrapped his arms around your shoulders to pull you closer to him “You were there for me when I was nothing, you were there for me when I got shot and was bedridden for days.. and i wasn't there for you when you needed me.. time and again I have let you down – we lost our–” his voice choked on his tears as he remembered the incident that had sealed his fate and made you drift further away from him “We had a miscarriage and i should have been there for you to take care of you and i wasn't..i deserved that..i deserved you wanting to leave me and look for someone who'd treat you better than this”

“But I can't move on ..you ..I miss you so much…everyday, every night in the past two years i have missed you-” you confessed to him your true feelings and his heart skipped a beat.

“I can change not because I have to..but because I want to..I need you sweetheart –”

“I saw the ring ..I saw it in your closet”

His grip on your shoulders loosened as you said that.

“So?”

“So? That's your response?”

“I don't know what you want me to tell you”

He stepped away from you so you groaned internally. Why was he being so difficult?

To Save him the further discussion his phone rang and it was Otto, he was called to the precinct in relation to the case so you gave him a smile and looked away.

“Go..it's important”

“So are you..come with me”

“I don't think I want to go there ..i don't want to see him”

“You should..that bastard is not speaking, he hasn't said a word until about an hour ago when he asked to see me..so come with me.. I don't want you to be alone here” you nodded as he said that.

“I need to change” you walked past him but he grabbed your arm

“We will continue our talk if that's alright with you”

“Okay..i didn't want to hurt you daemon”

“I never wanted to hurt you either but I'm sorry that I wasn't any better” he kissed your forehead so you closed your eyes and cherished the lingering touch of his lips before you walked away from him to change.

As you both reached the station Rebecca was already there and she seemed terrified, no longer there was a look of smugness on her face which you didn't really understand the cause for, sure you were afraid to be in the same place as the killer as well but she seemed terrified of something else.

Corlys took you and Rebecca to the interrogation room, Daemon followed as well, you stood outside the glass wall and you could see the killer on the other side, he couldn't see you ofcourse but that didn't make it any better. They had placed a similar mask over his face and the moment the killer's eyes opened, you were struck with a jolt of anxiety and instinctively took a step back. You could feel your heart racing and your breathing becoming shallow. It was as if the reality of the situation was sinking in for the first time

“It's him..that's him..that's him” your lips trembled as you spoke so Daemon walked closer to you and linked his fingers with yours.

“That's him Daemon…i ..oh god”

“Ssshhh it's okay you're safe sweetheart” he cooed in your ears as he wrapped his arms around you

“That's not him” Rebecca intervened so you turned around to look at her, Corlys and Otto were intrigued by her statement as well.

“That's not him?” Corlys asked her so she denied again.

“That monster raped me and beat me up everyday, i would recognise his eyes and that's not him” she said as she stormed out of the room leaving everyone confused.

“It's him daemon trust me”

“I trust you okay?” Daemon asked Jake to take you outside and as soon as you were gone he glared at the killer with a complete look of hatred.

“What does he want from you?”

Otto questioned him so Daemon turned his head to look at him

“I don't know. I need to speak with him..i need to interrogate him”

Corlys tried to interrupt the discussion but Otto shot him a look and allowed Daemon to investigate.

The murderer was handcuffed to the table as Daemon entered the investigation room, he ripped the mask off his face and his eyes flickered as he looked at his features for the first time. They indeed had similar eyes, not just the color but shape as well.

“I have been wanting to meet you brother” the killer spoke smugly which only angered Daemon further

“I'm not your fucking brother”

“Oh but you're..well not really mine but you're little Jamie's brother aren't you”

“Who's Jamie?” Daemon asked him as he sat down and composed himself. He had to stay professional and treat him like any other criminal to get as much truth out of him as possible.

“Jamie is the one that got us in trouble..you think I'd have gotten caught being a bloody idiot?”

“I'll ask you again, who's Jamie?”

“Arghhh some detective you are”

The killer's relaxed demeanor was hard for Daemon to wrap his head around. Despite the abhorrent acts he had committed, his calmness seemed to defy reasons. It was a chilling reminder of the killer's ability to compartmentalize and maintain a sense of composure even in the face of the most heinous actions.

Otto and Corlys were baffled seeing the interaction between the two, a psychiatrist was watching the interrogation to evaluate the killer.

“Jamie is one of us, he's in here” the killer pointed towards his head “now I don't allow him to come out very often because you see he's not like us. He's a child, a fucking nine year old”

“What do you mean by us?” Daemon asked him.

“Us ..me and mother” the killer chuckled

“You really think this is going to work? That pleading insanity is going to get you off the hook?”

“I never said that I killed those women, have i?”

Daemon rolled his eyes in frustration as the killer gloated. He got up and he was about to head out when killer spoke again,

“You confessed to Detective Corlys” He chuckled as daemon said that

“Ohh he's just trying to upstage you my guy .. besides it was Jaimie who said it…not me..and I need a lawyer”

“You are lucky she kept you..she didn't keep me, she abandoned me” Daemon turned around to look at the killer who suddenly seemed so different and guilt ridden, his eyes were teary and his voice no longer held the arrogance.

As Daemon stepped out Otto followed him and asked him for his opinion which only made Daemon chuckle bitterly

“Well get that man a lawyer..why don't you?” Otto sighed as he realized Daemon was still pissed at him for the suspension and for not believing in him.

“It was nothing personal, I'm your senior..you need to show me some respect around here”

“Yes sir, definitely, well I need to go home and be with my girl since the case is not mine anymore”

Otto sighed as Daemon walked out, as soon as he saw you he wrapped his arms around you protectively to escort you out of the station.

“Rebecca, she left the precinct in such a hurry –” you spoke to him but he dismissed you.

“It's not my problem darling…they'll handle it”

“It's your case, you have worked so hard on it–”

“It's not my case..can we just go home now?” He asked you so you didn't argue further..

“What did he say, did he confess?”

“He's beating around the bush..trying to fool everyone with the theatrics”

“Did you see his face?” You asked him so he sighed and nodded.

“Yeah..”

“Are there any similarities between him and your mother?” you asked him curiously and you noticed how his jaw had clenched and how his knuckles were straining so harshly on the steering wheel.

“He's my half brother-”

Every hair on the back of your neck stood up as he let out that information so nonchalantly.

“What?”

“My mother was twenty one when she had a child, that's when she had her first episode, as soon as he was born she got obsessed with this idea of raising him like a girl, the father supposedly died and she was left with the child alone for years in a house in the middle of the woods, he didn't go to school so he never really knew whether he was a girl or a boy”

“I don't understand..”

“She met my father during a grocery trip when she was thirty..that's when she realized that she didn't want to waste her life away like this and they got married, she never told him about the child she already had, she said that she had abandoned that nine year old in an orphanage somewhere outside the city and she never looked back” your mouth stayed open as you processed the information, his mother was mentally unstable, there was no denying that but what she had done to that poor faultless kid was purely evil.

“Okay but…ummm how do you know it's him? How are you so sure? That child she had, he could be anywhere” You asked him and his eyes teared up in response. A part of him felt for that boy she had abandoned like a trash as if her own kid never meant anything to her, but that child grew up to be something so horrible, he understood his hatred towards women who were around the same age as his mother was when she had abandoned him but he didn't understand his need to kill and torture other women who never meant anything harm to him.

“The location to the killer's lair..the one that made me find you..she had sent me that anonymous mail with the exact location..that's how I know”

“You need to tell them Daemon –”

Your eyes widened in realization as he said that. You didn't even know what to say to him anymore.

“She'd be taken away–”

“And she fucking deserves it..she made a monster out of him-”

“No he did it himself..”

“Daemon -”

“He's going to confess sooner or later and he can talk about his mother if he wants to”

You nodded in disbelief as he said that, he was trying to protect her.

“Sorry..i thought you wanted to get justice for those women that died so brutally and for me and your mother is equally responsible for that..if she had any inkling about this then she should have come forward after that first woman died..but she waited and watched them die to save her own arse”

His eyes welled up with tears as you said that, he knew he was in the wrong here and he knew he had to fix it. After everything he had been through he had vowed to always do right by people and now he was disappointing the only woman that had been his rock since he had met her, he can't have that, he'd never forgive himself if he was to hurt you like this again.

As you both reached home, you stepped out of the vehicle and went inside quickly to get away from him but he followed you immediately..

“Y/n-”

“Just don't say anything..don't make it worse” your voice came out in broken whispers and that only made the guilt unbearable for him .

“Listen to me” he grabbed your arm to turn you towards him so you glared at him.

“No you listen..you suffered.. because of her, all your childhood you suffered, you were abused and bullied and arrested, you suffered Daemon but you grew up and you learned the right from wrong, you are a good man but it's not because you were raised like that because life gave you every reason to lose your way and go insane but you didn't ..you want to know why? Because you are a good man ..deep down..from here” you placed your hand on his chest right where his heart was so he wrapped his arms around you to hug you as tightly as he could.

“But not everyone responds to trauma the same way you did ..he never had a chance, he had no one to teach him good from evil. I get that but you have to remember that he chose evil..there's so much hatred in that man and your mother is the reason for that”

Your voice trembled as you spoke, you knew he'd have continued to hurt other women if he hadn't been caught. There was no saving someone like him. He was too far gone.

“I'm sorry darling I'm sorry.. I'll do right by you I promise..I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you” he mumbled softly so you clutched onto him and once both of your tears had stopped you pulled away from him to look at him.

“I need a shower…my skin is crawling after seeing him-” you said to him as you walked past him so he nodded.

You grabbed a towel and stepped inside the shower, you had left the door open, though you had no idea why. As you stood under the hot shower some of your worries slowly dissipated, the nagging fear you had when he was out there roaming freely in the world was gone for now and you felt so light ..

You gasped as you felt his fingers around your waist before he pulled you closer to his body, he was naked as well.

“Is this okay?” He whispered in your ear so you nodded and turned around, your fingers traced over his features as you looked up at him, that's when his fingers curled around your wet locks and he pulled you in for a kiss, you responded to the kiss with equal passion as your arms wrapped around him. Your tongue invaded his mouth first and he was taken away by the sheer intensity of the moment, he had been wanting to do this ever since he had brought you here but he didn't want to hurt you, he wanted to be patient but he really needed you tonight and by the looks of it perhaps you needed him again as well

“We need to talk baby–” you mumbled against his mouth as he picked you up and pressed you against the wall

“We will talk” he mumbled before his lips latched onto yours again so hungrily “I love you..i still love you as much as the day you had left..even more” he whispered between the kiss, making your heart flutter in response.

Maybe there was hope for you two, maybe things weren't as bleak as they seemed in the light of the day. Maybe you were ready now to walk two steps further and meet him halfway if he was willing to do the same... because at the end of the day having him by your side was much better than not having him at all.

Daemon was drenched in rain from head to toe as he walked into the restaurant to find you but they informed him that you had left just now, on the drive back home he found you walking yourself home at such late hours so he immediately asked you to get inside but it was as if you weren't even listening to him.

His heart suddenly felt heavy at the silence because he feared the worst, he feared that you were done with him now and there won't be any other chances.

As you both reached back home you stood in the middle of the living room and just glared at him mindlessly while he tried to dry you up with a towel. This is what made it so hard for you to just up and leave because when he was there with you he was everything but you had to acknowledge and accept the truth now.

“Scrappy-”

“I'm done..we are done..it's done okay?” your voice held no emotions whatsoever as you uttered those cruel words to him.

“Don't say that please don't say that” he immediately went down on his knees and began to apologize but he could tell that you no longer wanted his apologies, he knew he had broken his promises enough times to finally push you away from him.

“This is how it's going to be..for the rest of our lives..I'd wait and you won't show up..I'd wait for you to show up everyday, I'd always be the one waiting and waiting and i don't want to do it anymore”

You said to him as you walked past him and he was numb, so numb that for a moment this felt like a vivid nightmare that he hoped would end as soon as he's awakened.

“Y/n don't go please..” his words made you halt in your steps for a moment but then you were gone, you didn't look back, not even once.

The night of your birthday was supposed to change your lives but he wanted it to change for better, for once in his life he wasn't late because he was working himself to the bone, he was late because he was stuck at the jewelry shop, they had messed up with the ring he had chosen for you and he wanted it to be perfect, he was going to ask you to marry him that night but you didn't give him a chance.

You were done. You were finally done with him.

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Note : I hope the back and forth flashbacks aren't confusing. There's hope for these idiots

Taglist

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[sequinsmile-x]

Riptide

Chapter 3 - The End 

Words: 7k

Rating: Mature. Major character death. Mentions of canon typical violence. 

Read over on ao3 via this link, or below the cut!

Please let me know what you think.

July 2026

Her mother convinces her to go for dinner. Emily had put her off for months, not wanting to try and hold herself together like she usually did in front of Elizabeth. The ex-ambassador may have been well into her 80s now, but she was still formidable. Aaron had always been good at being their go between. At stopping Emily from getting so riled up by her mother that she would react.

She knows he would want her to go, which is how she finds herself sitting opposite her mother in a restaurant, not making much conversation and pushing her food around her plate.

“The trial is next week isn’t it?” Elizabeth asks, making Emily freeze. “I read about it online.”

Emily looks up at her mother and puts down her fork, reaching for her glass of wine instead. “Yes, it’s next week.” She clears her throat. “The prosecutors seem to think they have a very solid case.”

“That’s good. I’m glad. He deserves to go away for the rest of his life.”

Emily nods in response. The idea of being in the room with the person who had taken Aaron from her was sitting on her chest, pressing down and making it hard to breathe. “I’ll be glad when it’s over.” She admits.

“You do know it’s not your fault, don’t you?”

Emily looks up at her, and her mother is looking at her firmly despite the kindness to her tone. She isn’t even sure where that has come from, why her mother seems to know exactly what she’s been thinking for so long. Aaron did always say they were more similar than Emily would care to admit.

Emily opens her mouth to answer but no words come out. So she shrugs, and the stern look on Elizabeth’s face sets harder.

“Emily. It was completely random. There was nothing you could have done.”

“He was there because of me.” She finally says, a hoarseness in her voice that had settled there months ago and just wouldn’t leave. “If I had just…he was there because of me.”

Her mother puts her hand over hers on the table. “He loved you. The way a mother always hopes their daughter will be loved. And he was a good man.” Elizabeth pauses, a crack in her own voice Emily wasn’t expecting. “He wouldn’t want you blaming yourself for this. There was nothing you could do, and it certainly wasn’t your fault. Ok?”

Emily looks at her mother, sees the certainty in her eyes and for the first time since she found out Aaron was dead she feels something unfurl in her chest. A small release of pressure that finally created some room in her lungs for a slightly deeper breath. She lets her mother’s fingers link with hers and she squeezes them, giving her a slight nod.

“Do you want me to come with you to the trial?”

Emily shakes her head, a smile on her face. “No, it's ok. Penelope is coming with me.” She looks at her mother for a second, and thinks that somehow Aaron was still managing to repair their relationship even though he wasn’t around anymore. “Thank you, Mother.”

“Anytime, Emily. I do love you, even if I haven’t always gone about it in the right way.”

“I love you too.” _________

Emily has lost count of the number of times she has been in a courtroom. Giving evidence in the cases they had solved, dealing with defence attorneys who belittle their work, tried to make them sound like they didn’t know what they were talking about.

This was different. She was sitting in the gallery, Penelope sat next to her, and there was nothing she could do here. She couldn’t influence the outcome. All she could do was listen as both sides recounted different versions of the same day, the same hour, that had changed her life forever.

She sees Jack and Jessica arrive. They sit in a row behind her, Jessica leans over the seat and gives her a tight hug. Jack sends her a smile, the unanswered texts she had sent him hanging between them in a way that felt stifling.

Emily sits there, day after day, listening to details of how Aaron, and the other victims, had died that day. Details she knew off by heart, things she would never allow herself to forget. Penelope sat by her the entire time, despite how affected she was by it - not able to cover her own emotions as crime scene photos were displayed for everyone to see. It had been her job for many years, and Penelope had seen worse, but this was her friend. Someone she had loved, and she struggled. Emily remained stoic, holding herself together as if she was fractured glass as she focused on the outcome she hoped they would get.

On the third day of the trial the prosecution shows the CCTV of what happened. Emily hadn’t been prepared to see it, to watch Aaron get shot by a man who didn’t even give him time to put his hands up. She jumps in her seat when it happens, despite there being no audio. Penelope grabs her hand between both of hers and squeezes tightly. Emily is grateful for it, using her friend as something to keep her present.

The jury is only adjourned for four hours before the verdict comes in. Emily feels like her chest cracks open when the guilty verdict is read out. She hears Penelope and Jessica cry, turns to see a look of relief on Jack’s face with tears running down his cheeks.

She keeps her own emotions back until she’s outside, telling Penelope she needs a moment. As soon as the fresh air hits her the tears come. Relief, devastation and just about everything else pouring out of her as she finds a bench outside the courthouse to sit on. She sits with her head in her hands and sobs. The sounds tearing out of her are completely unbidden, something she cannot control.

“Emily?”

She looks up to see Jack standing next to the bench, an unsure look on his face. She tries to wipe her tears away but they are immediately replaced. “Jack. Are you ok?”

He gives her a half smile and shrugs, and he looks so much like Aaron it breaks her heart even more. “Can I sit?” Emily nods and turns her body towards him as he sits next to her on the bench. “I...I wanted to apologise.”

Emily furrows her brows at him, wiping at her cheeks again. “What for?”

“For blaming you.” Jack says, looking at her sheepishly. “I always knew it wasn’t your fault, that the only person to blame was the guy who did it, but I was just so angry.”

“Jack.” She sighs, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s ok.”

“It isn’t.” He says, shaking his head at himself. “You love him too.”

Emily nods at that, her chin wobbling as she tries to stave off another round of tears. “Yeah, I do.”

They sit in silence for a couple of minutes before he clears his throat. “I was thinking, next time I’m in town we should go for dinner or something?”

She smiles at him, a genuine smile that feels foreign to her. “I’d like that.” _________

A naive part of her expected it to get better after that, that the trial being behind her and Jack speaking to her again would make her feel better. Some days were easier, the pain was still there, the gap she felt in her chest very present, but she could make it through. She could laugh at Tara’s jokes at work and not feel guilty. She could go for a drink with the team and feel like she was living again.

But then other days she’d wake up and it would feel fresh. Like she was right back at the beginning. She’d find something of his she hadn’t seen since before he died, and it would feel like any progress she made turned to dust.

Emily doesn’t go into their shared office often. It was, besides their bedroom, the place she felt him the most. She’s doing paperwork at the dining room table when her pen runs out, and she finds herself rooting through the drawers of his desk for another one, because she only had specific types of pens she liked to write in and she knows he liked them too. Her hand touches an envelope and she frowns as she pulls it out.

The envelope itself is unmarked, but there is a piece of paper in there that she can see his familiar scrawl on. She settles into his desk chair, curls into it like she used to curl into his lap, and she pulls the paper out. A quick scan of it tells her it’s the speech he intended to give at their wedding, and she feels her chest tighten as she reads his words. She tries to imagine his voice, to picture him saying it infront of their loved ones, a shy look on his face as he told everyone they cared about just how much he loved her.

I’ll keep this very brief, because Dave has already embarrassed me and my wife enough.

Anyone who knows Emily and I will say that this has been a long time coming, and not just because it took me three years to ask her to marry me. Since she first walked into my office, now her office, almost 20 years ago there were many times when it felt like we were heading towards something. Things kept getting in our way, and I gave up hope that we’d get the chance. Then I saw her almost 4 years ago and took a gamble. I called her.

She was so mad. She yelled at me - a lot. She cursed at me too, but I managed to get her to agree to go to dinner with me and we never looked back.

I have some thank yous I’d like to say on behalf of my wife and I. Firstly to my son Jack, for being the most patient 20 year old on the planet, and for pushing me to propose when I asked if you thought it was a good idea.

I’d like to thank Elizabeth for raising such an amazing woman, and for bringing the love of my life into this world.

To the BAU both new and old, I thank you for being family to both of us. For helping us through the tough times as well as helping us celebrate the good.

And finally, to my wife, Emily, thank you for being you. For loving me, and for making me feel that love every day.

Emily only realises she is crying when a tear falls onto the paper, blurring a word Aaron had written. She wipes her face quickly and puts the paper away into its envelope. She places it in her nightstand, a little piece of him that she can keep.

_________

JJ invites her around for dinner. It feels almost like a pity invite, and it falls on a day Emily could do without it. When she wakes that morning it’s a bad day, the pain of losing the man she loves as sharp as it was the day it happened. She considers cancelling, but JJ looks so worried when they are at work that day she realises she can’t.

So she forces herself to go, smiles tightly through dinner with Will and the boys. Will takes them to bed and leaves her and JJ to it, sensing that they need some time. They make small talk, both carefully avoiding the elephant in the room, the tension that had existed since Aaron had died.

“Have you thought about dating?” JJ asks, seemingly out of nowhere. “Nothing serious of course.” She adds when she sees the look on Emily’s face. “Just, you know. Put yourself out there. He wouldn’t want you to be alone.”

Emily knows JJ just wants her to be better, to allow herself to have happiness in her life again, so she takes a deep breath to calm herself before answering. “No, I haven’t thought about dating.”

“Em-”

“I tried...hooking up with some guy a few months ago and it was awful.” She averts her eyes from her friend, embarrassment flooding through her. She laughs wryly at herself. “We didn’t get any further than his hand up the back of my shirt and I froze. I walked away crying.”

“It will get better, Emily.”

“This is never going to get better JJ.” Emily says, her voice unwavering as she reminds herself there are children upstairs, that she shouldn’t shout. “There is no end to how I feel about this. He’s been gone almost a year, and some mornings when I wake up it still takes me a moment to remember. And for those few seconds I’m actually happy. Because he could just be downstairs making me my morning coffee. But he isn’t.”

JJ tries to grab her hand on the table but she pulls it away. “I’m sorry.”

“I can’t move on from this. I am doing my best to rebuild my fucking life around this mess. To be able to get up and live because I know he would have wanted that for me. Do you really think I don’t know that? How disappointed he would be if he was somewhere where he could see this?” Emily shakes her head at herself. “You have to let me deal with this in my own way, ok? Please. I am doing my best. And this might be as good as it ever gets.”

JJ nods, tears gathered in her own eyes. “Ok.” She wipes a tear from her face. “But please speak to us if you need to. We love you, and we care about you. We want to help you where we can.”

“Ok. I will.” Emily says, and for the first time since Aaron died, she means it. _________

She sits on the ground in front of his grave, she blows out a breath as she gently rearranges the other flowers there, emotions welling in her chest when she sees cards from the rest of the team. Emily places her own flowers down and puts her palm on the headstone, fingers tracing the granite that held his name in the way she used to trace his skin.

“Hi honey.” She says. “I can’t believe it's been a year.” Emily doesn’t try to stop the tears, knows it’s pointless. “I’d give anything to change what happened that day, I miss you so much. It’s not really getting any easier.”

She looks around the graveyard, feels the wind pick up some of her hair until she tucks it behind her eyes. “Jack and I are going for dinner later, it was his idea. You’d be proud of him. He was on the dean's list again.”

“I hope you’d be proud of me.” She sobs. “I know I haven’t really held it together, but I am trying so hard.” Emily wipes her face. “I don’t really know what I believe in, where I think you are or if there is anything after all of this. But if there is something, you wait for me ok? Because one year without you has been torture, I can’t imagine an eternity.”

She leans forward and presses her forehead against the headstone. “I love you.”

The wind catches in her hair again, and for a moment she lets herself believe it’s him saying it back. _________

December 2021

Six months later and they still haven’t found a house and it’s his fault. Aaron knows he is driving her crazy. Emily and Jack both told him as much every time he rejected a house for the tiniest reason. His son asked him what his problem was, taking Emily’s side easily as he often did.

He turns down the idea of a 3 bed in Arlington. It was admittedly a beautiful house, but it just didn’t feel right. Something about it that just didn’t seem like them. He turns his nose up at it, claiming he didn’t like the kitchen, and he sees her face fall as she sighs, sending an apologetic look to their increasingly haggard looking real estate agent.

Aaron can tell she is pissed at him as they settle into bed in his apartment that night, her back turned to him as she lays down, fury rolling off of her in waves.

“Em.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

He winces at the anger in her voice, the clipped tone rarely used on him these days “Sweetheart.”

She sits up, turning to look at him. Her eyes are swimming with tears and it feels like a physical ache in his chest to see her upset, especially when he’s sure it’s his fault. He reaches for her but she shakes him off. “Do you even want to live with me, Aaron?”

He frowns at that, confused by the question. He opens his mouth to speak, to reassure her, but she speaks again, cutting him off before he gets the chance.

“Because you asked me. You said you wanted to live together, and you keep finding things wrong with every place we look at. And I don’t know why.” She looks away from him, and he watches as she wipes her fingers over her cheeks, the tears she was failing to hide from him falling down her face. “All I can think is that you regret asking, and you don’t know how to tell me.”

“That’s not true, love.” He says, stopping her before she can spiral any further. “That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?” She asks, throwing her hands up in the air. “Because that place we saw today was fine, Aaron.”

“I don’t want somewhere that is just fine.” Aaron says, reaching out to put a hand on her sheet covered thigh, squeezing the muscle when she doesn’t shy away from his touch. “I want somewhere we love as much as we love each other.”

Emily’s frown falls away, her face softening as she listens. “You’re an idiot.” She smiles at him and reaches out to cup his cheek. “You’re my idiot.” She strokes a thumb over his cheekbone. “But an idiot nonetheless.”

Aaron drags her into his arms, wrapping her in his affection easily like he always did. “We’re going to live wherever it is forever, Em. It’s where we’re going to grow old together. I want it to be perfect.”

She kisses his neck and buries herself further into him. “It’s not the house that matters, Aaron. It’s us being there. Together. So please, for the sake of my fucking sanity, stop rejecting places over things we can fix.”

He laughs and nods, running his hand up and down her back. “Ok, sweetheart.”

They find a place two months later, and it’s perfect. Three beds, one for them, one for Jack and a spare for a shared office. A garden they can sit in on warm summer nights, and a porch swing they can cuddle up in under a blanket on chilly fall evenings. He can picture their life there. Her planting vegetables and him secretly replanting them correctly, and never telling her so he can see the joy radiate off of her face when they grow. The two of them growing old, playing with any children Jack might have in the future. It all flicks across his brain like a memory, like he’s watching a movie of everything that is to come. Something he knows they’ll have because they’ve fought through so much to get here.

They move in on their second anniversary, Emily insisting she drives them to their new home, not wanting a repeat of the car accident they were in the year before. Aaron mentions, again, that it wasn’t his fault and she smiles at him, kissing him as she takes the car keys from his hand.

As Aaron watches her help Jack carry his boxes into their new home, despite the fact he’s only months away from moving out for college, laughter coming from both of them he doesn’t think he’s ever been happier. _________

July 2022

He’s not sure what makes him think of it, what makes the idea nest in his brain. When it’s there, taking up every thought he has when he looks at her, he wonders what took him so long. Why they had been together over three years before he even thought about it.

The idea spills out of him one night when they are laid in bed. She is fresh back from a case, something about it haunting her, a look in her eyes he knows all too well. He doesn’t push her on it, knows she will tell him when she is ready, and he simply gathers her in his arms. Holding her close in a way he knows gives them both comfort. That's when it happens, when the words he’s been thinking for weeks are finally said out loud.

“Have you ever thought about getting married?” He asks into her hair, his hand running up and down her back.

She snuggles deeper into him, wraps herself tighter around him as if he was the only thing keeping her grounded. “That depends. Is it you I’m marrying in this scenario?”

Aaron smiles into the top of her head, she’s half asleep, her words blending together as her voice gets thicker. He knows he’s being unfair, he knows from all their time together that this is when all of her defences are down, when she’ll answer a question without hesitation. “Yes. Unless you have someone else in mind.”

The hand she has on his chest moves upwards, her fingers drifting under the neckline of the soft pyjama top he was wearing, her thumb lazily tracing over his collarbone. “You’ll do, I suppose.” She says, as if they aren’t curled around each other in their bed, in the house they bought together.

He kisses the top of her head and they lay in silence, and he thinks she’s fallen asleep until she speaks again. “You have to ask properly.” She slurs into his chest. “I’ll say yes, but don’t think I’m accepting this half assed attempt.”

“Ok, sweetheart.” He smiles, plans already forming in his head. “Go to sleep.”

He buys a ring the next day. _________

Two months later and they haven’t mentioned it since. He sometimes wonders if she even remembers the conversation, if she was too close to sleep to know what was being said. If some part of her thought it had been a dream. But then she’ll make a comment, mention something about a good wedding venue, or that she wouldn’t serve something as boring as grilled chicken at her wedding, and she has a glint in her eye that tells him she remembers and she’s waiting on him.

Aaron wants it to mean something. For the proposal to be something they can both remember fondly for the rest of their lives. He eventually decides to take her back to the restaurant he had taken her to when he first came back to DC, but he doesn’t want the crowd. Doesn’t want a restaurant full of people applauding as he struggles to get up off of his knees after she hopefully says yes. He knows she would want the sentiment, but not the spectacle. Both of them were private people at the very core of it, their relationship something precious to them both.

He offhandedly mentions it to Dave over a drink one night, eyes fixed on Emily as she laughs with Tara and JJ, a glass of wine each as they laugh at Spencer’s expense over something Aaron isn’t a part of. Within ten minutes he has a day the following week when he can have the restaurant to just the two of them, because of course Dave knows the owner and pulls in a favour.

Emily is immediately suspicious when he suddenly announces they are having dinner the following Wednesday. She narrows her eyes at him, but lets it slide, an adoring smile on her face.

He walks into the restaurant behind her, and watches as she stops. Recognition that they are the only ones there seeping in. Candles everywhere, Aaron briefly thinks he’s going to owe Dave a lifetime of cigars for this, and soft music playing in the background.

She turns and looks at him, eyes shimmering with tears he knows she will shed as soon as he speaks. “Aaron.”

“I had this whole speech planned.” He says, pulling the ring box out of his pocket. “But it all feels pointless now.” He steps towards her since she seems frozen on the spot. “I’d get down on one knee but I don’t think I would get back up again.”

Emily laughs at that. It’s shaky, choked up around tears that are already falling down her face.

“I just know I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you.” He opens the box, revealing the white gold ring with a singular princess cut diamond. “Will you marry me?”

She closes the space between them, grabbing the lapels of his jacket and pulling her to him. She kisses him fiercely, holding him to her as he wraps his arms around her back, ring box still in hand. When they pull away, slightly breathless he rests his forehead against hers.

“Is that a yes?”

Emily laughs, her hands tightening on his jacket. “Of course it’s a yes.” She kisses him again but he only allows it to be brief before he takes the ring out of the box and slides it onto her finger. He rests his forehead against hers again and whispers that he loves her.

Their moment is brought to an end by a flash of a camera and a squeal. They break apart to see Penelope standing there, her phone in her hand and tears on her face. Aaron groans and presses a kiss to the side of Emily’s head. “Dave is here. He’s cooking for us. Apparently he brought Penelope along as tech support.”

Emily laughs and turns back to him and kisses him, her hands on either side of his face as she pours as much love as she can into it. She pulls away and walks over to Penelope, and is in a bone crushing hug before she knows what's happening.

Penelope sends them the photo. They get it printed and put it on their living room wall. _________

“We should just elope.” Emily says, as she looked around the ballroom of the Four Seasons in DC. “It’s either that or I’m committing matricide.” She grumbles, but melts into his side when he wraps an arm around her and kisses the side of her head. “Aaron, if this is the engagement party, imagine what the wedding will look like.”

Aaron had to admit, when they agreed to let Elizabeth throw an engagement party for them he hadn’t quite been anticipating this. There were flowers everywhere. Adoring the walls the tables set up. Champagne being poured by waiters like it was water, and canapes that Aaron would bet money on being more expensive than what he used to earn a month as Unit Chief.

It was extravagant, over the top in every way and very much not them. But Elizabeth had been so genuinely pleased for them, so delighted to see her daughter so happy that he had convinced Emily this was a good idea.

“Em, sweetheart, it's fine. We handled the guest list. There shouldn’t be any surprise senators or ex-presidents making an appearance.”

“That's what you think.” Emily mutters under her breath.

“Emily, Aaron.” Elizabeth says walking over. “What do you think?” She says looking around, a proud smile on her face.

“It's really something, Mother.” Emily says, a smile on her face that Aaron knew wasn’t real.

“I’m glad you like it.” She loops her arm through her daughters. “Now, I’m going to steal you away from Aaron for a moment and introduce you to an old friend of mine. He was a Senator of California for many years.”

Aaron can’t control his smirk when Emily looks back over her shoulder at him, a look on her face that screamed I told you so as she was dragged away. _________

“One month to go.” Aaron says into the top of her hair as she settles into bed. He gathers her into his arms, her back against his chest.

“Thank God.” She replies, lifting his hand to press a kiss to his knuckles. “I don’t know how much longer I can deal with my mother and Penelope and their plans. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put the two of them together is insane.”

He smothers a smile into her hair, chokes back the comment that it was her idea, knowing it wasn’t worth being right over. “Soon enough it will just be you and me, travelling Europe.”

“Then it’s the rest of our lives. I can’t wait to marry you.” She whispers into the darkness of their room.

He tightens his hold on her, pulls her closer to his chest. “I can’t wait to marry you either.”

A week later it all comes to an end. _________

October 2022

Aaron smiles when he sees her name appear on his phone screen. Her contact picture is of the two of them, a photo JJ had taken at the engagement party. He’s standing behind her, his chin resting on her shoulder and his arms around her waist. She has her hand over his arm, fingers gripping at his bicep. They are both laughing at whatever Dave was saying in this speech that he all but invited himself to make.

He answers the phone. “Hi sweetheart, what did the doctor say?”

Emily groans. “You were right, it’s a sinus infection.”

Aaron can’t help but smile slightly at just how miserable she sounded. Emily was a terrible sick person and had spent the last several days insisting she was ok, even though she clearly wasn’t. He’d eventually managed to trick her into going to the doctor by saying she was really doing it for him because he was so worried about her.

“Did they give you any meds?”

She sniffs and he can hear her car door slam in the background as she gets into it. “Yeah, some antibiotics. I’ve got a meeting I have to get back to but I’ll go to the pharmacy on the way home.”

“I’ll go get it, love. You just go to your meeting and come straight home.”

“Aaron, I can’t ask you to do that.”

He already has his car keys in his hand and he shakes his head despite the fact she can’t see him. “You’re not asking. I’m offering. Just get home as soon as you can and I’ll look after you.”

“You’re too good to me.”

“Well, I love you. And in three weeks you’ll be my wife. It’s kind of my job to look after you.”

“I love you too.” She says, and he can picture the smile on her face. “See you soon.”

“See you soon, sweetheart.” _________

He’s holding her prescription in his hand, and he’s about to walk out of CVS when he turns back. Emily always liked chocolate when she felt under the weather. An indulgence she always gladly took part in. Aaron walks to the chocolate aisle, picking up packets of peanut butter cups and caramel M&Ms when he hears it.

There is shouting at the front of the store, fear laced through some of the voices and fury in others. He hears a shout at the end of the aisle, and he turns. See a man with a gun at the end of it, his hands shaking.

He doesn’t even warn Aaron before he shoots. It feels like it happens in slow motion, like time slows down as the bullet leaves the barrel and flies towards him, but he can’t move. Can’t get out of the way.

As he lays on the floor, coldness seeping in as he loses blood and consciousness, he thinks of his son. Of how Jack will now be parentless, barely twenty and hardly any family left.

His last thought, as the darkness seeps in and he’s vaguely aware of sirens outside, is of Emily. Of how much he loves her, how he wished he could have given her the forever he had promised.

He thinks of her smile, and it’s the last thing he sees. _________

The knock on the door almost as soon as she gets home surprises her. She checks her watch as she wonders where Aaron is, knowing he should have made it home just before her. Her sinuses felt like they were about to burst and she wanted to get started on the antibiotics as soon as she could.

She opens the door to see who police officers stood on her porch. “Hi, we’re here to speak to Ms Emily Prentiss?”

Emily’s throat goes dry. “That’s me.” She makes no move to let them in. “How can I help?”

“I think it’s best we come in ma’am, and that you sit down.” The female officer says, a smile on her face that seemed fake.

Emily nods and lets them past her, closing the door behind them. She doesn’t sit, instead she crosses her arms across her chest and clears her throat. “What’s going on?”

“Ma’am-”

“Please.” She says, fear she doesn’t fully understand filling her chest. “Just tell me.”

The officers exchange a look before the male one looks back at her. “We believe Aaron Hotchner lives here?”

“Yes he does.” She stutters out. “He’s my fiance.”

“I’m sorry to inform you ma’am that he was killed earlier this evening in an attempted robbery of the CVS on Columbia Pike,”

It was news she’d delivered countless times. To victims' families, to the loved ones of team members she had failed to protect. Being on the other side of this made her entire body freeze, disbelief scratching up her spine. She looks at the two officers standing in her living room, sympathy she hated on both their faces.

“You’re wrong.” She choked out. “I only spoke to him just over an hour ago.”

“He did have his driving license with him.” The female officer says. “But we do need a formal identification.”

Emily nods, hearing the unasked question. They need her to go with them, to identify whether the man who died at their local pharmacy was the man she loved.

They were wrong, she knew it. _________

She calls JJ and immediately forgets what she has said when she hangs up, unsure why she’d called in the first place. Her friend agrees to meet her at the morgue, her assurances over the phone that everything would be ok.

Emily repeatedly tries to call him, to yell at him for scaring her like this. Her calls go straight through to voicemail. He never missed her calls. She tells herself he could have lost his phone, that he might already be back at their house wondering where on earth she had gone.

JJ walks over to her immediately when she arrives, trying to envelop her in a hug that she shrugs herself out of. Emily tries to call him again, presses Aaron’s number on her phone screen. It goes straight to voicemail.

“Emily?”

“They’re wrong.” She says, swallowing against the lump in her throat. The bitter taste of denial in her mouth. “They have to be wrong.”

“Em.”

“Right this way, Ms Prentiss.” A voice says, interrupting them. Emily and JJ turn to see a kind looking medical examiner looking at them. They are led into a small room, a body on a gurney covered by a sheet in the centre of it. Emily couldn’t take her eyes off of it, trying to ignore that it looked the perfect size for it to be Aaron.

The medical examiner pulls the sheet back and time slows down for Emily almost to a stop as she takes in Aaron’s face. He almost looks like he’s sleeping, a peaceful look on his face that she has admired countless times before when insomnia plagued her, but he looks so pale. Emily doesn’t make a noise, she just stares at his body.

“Ma’am.” The medical examiner says, her voice full of sympathy. “Can you provide a positive ID?”

Emily doesn’t say anything, she just takes a step towards him. Tries to blink away the image in front of her, everything in her brain screaming for her to wake up so she could be in bed next to him, this fading into just another nightmare he would help draw her out of.

“Ma’am?”

“It’s him.” JJ says from behind her, her own voice thick with tears. “It’s Aaron Hotchner.”

“I have some paperwork that needs filling out if you can come with me?”

“Em, is that ok with you?” JJ asks tentatively, eyeing her friend who hadn’t moved, or spoken. Her eyes still fixed on Aaron.

“Can I have some time alone?” Emily says, looking at JJ and the medical examiner. “Please.”

JJ places a hand on her arm, squeezing the muscle, as she walks past. “I’ll wait for you just outside ok?”

Emily doesn’t acknowledge her, doesn’t move until she hears the door click behind them. She raises her hand, only realising it was shaking when she moves it, and touches his cheek. The coldness of his skin shocks her.

She had never associated Aaron with the cold. He was always burning hot. The heat she sought out in the middle of the night, rolling towards him and his embrace when a chill in the air surrounded her. His touch had always burned her, taking her apart again and again until she’d laugh and ask him to stop, breathless between their sheets. His love warmed her from the inside out, making something bloom in her chest that she had never expected could happen for her, that all consuming love she thought was simply the stuff of books and terrible Lifetime movies.

He was so cold. She leans down and presses her forehead against his, tears finally coming now she can no longer avoid the truth.

He was gone.

She strokes his hair back and kisses his cold cheek, his lips. “I’m so sorry.” She says not recognising her own voice. “I love you so much.”

Emily makes no move to leave, not wanting to leave him alone. She’s not sure how much time has passed when JJ walks back in and tries to coax her out.

“Emily, we should get you home.”

She sniffs, not acknowledging her friend, and she feels a fresh wave of grief roll over her. Pulling her under in a way she cannot, and doesn’t want to, control. Their future, everything they had planned was gone. The wedding, the honeymoon around Europe he had talked her into, convincing her he needed to be shown around by her because she’d lived in so many parts of it. Their house, their plans to grow old there together.

Emily runs her hand through his hair again, tears blurring her sight until she can’t see him. “He was my home.”

As they leave, the medical examiner hands her a plastic bag full of Aaron’s things. It has his cellphone and his wallet in it.

All she can focus on is her bottle of pills, the white label stained with his blood. _________

His funeral is organised for a week before when they should have got married. She sits in the house they bought together as the wake happens around her, words of sympathy passing through the room like cold rain. Sending shivers throughout her body as she tries to reconcile the fact she will never see him again.

She sees her mother out of the corner of her eye and she leaves the living room quickly, unable to cope with Elizabeth on today of all days.

Emily goes upstairs and sneaks into the home office, the smell of him hitting her the moment she walks in.

For a moment, it gives her peace, then all too soon it’s gone. Washed away by the sound of the door opening behind her, someone seeking her out to provide comfort that won’t help, won’t ease the burden of grief and guilt that have already consumed her. _________

She remembers the first time he called her when he came back. Righteous anger flooding through her veins when he casually asked her how she was. The charming bastard made her forget why she was mad at him in the first place, years of silence forgotten in an instant as soon as he asked her to dinner. He had given her hope, something she hadn’t truly felt in a long time.

He had given her love. Stupid, beautiful, all consuming love that she had wanted to bask in for the rest of her life.

Despite the heartache, the pain. She knew she would do it all again. Go through every single moment from that first day she walked into his office all those years ago, to now. All the pain they had suffered together and apart, just so she could experience their little taste of eternity again. So she could tell him she loves him one more time, and that she always would. So she could remember the warmth of his skin, and replace the final memories she had of him when he was so cold.

It was worth it, the way she felt now, for the time they had. If grief was her penance for loving him, for being loved by him, she would gladly pay it for the rest of her life. _________

“Grief is the price we pay for love.” - Queen Elizabeth II _________

[aspiestvmusings]

SCORPION SEASON 4 TEASERS by EPISODE:

THIS POST WILL HAVE INFO ON ALL THE SCORPION S4 EPISODES.

INFO/SPOILERS TBA LATER...WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.

The list is on-going (new items will be added when they become available):

Current status: info/teasers for eps 4x01 - 4x22 available..kinda

SPOILERS WILL BE UNDER THE CUT

<Reminder 1: all information is subject to change, because on TV (production) things change all the time. Dialogue/Scenes can be re-written many times during pre-production, & changes made during filming & also during post-production (editing). Scenes can be cut...easily. Changes happen all the time. So not everything teased will happen in canon, on screen. ETA: and the premiere eps already proved that...>

<Reminder 2: PLEASE READ THE DISCLAIMER/IMPORTANT NOTE ALSO AT THE END OF THE POST (REGARDING TV TEASERS!) AND REMEMBER: ALL TEASERS ARE JUST ONE FANS (ME) PERSONAL TAKES ON THINGS - MY REACTIONS TO SPOILERS (casting list, episode title, ep summary, shooting locations, etc) & DO NOT NECESSARILY MATCH WITH OTHER FANS TAKE ON THE SAME EP/STORY/SCENE/THINGS.>

GENERAL S4 SPOILER/TEASER FOR QUINTIS FANS: 

The Quintis continues to be strong in the episodes. We get constant Toby/Happy scenes and development. More focus on some eps, a little less in others. But just like in past seasons, there is a continuous Quintis storyline going on (among the other continuous plots related to Quintis). Every ep has some sweet, cute, funny, or more serious/dramatic Quintis scene. And their teamwork...both case related, and personal, continues to be strong. They are written as an amazing Team working the cases & an amazing Team outside work... being a married couple/family. Look out for some scenes you might not have expected to get. And while you should not expect kiss scenes and such in every episode, no season will pass without some shippery scenes like that...or similar to that. ;)  

And yes, we have not, don’t and will not get as many Quintis “domestic” (dates, hanging at home) scenes... as we do for the shows main ship, but that is logical, because: 

tv shows always reserve more focus...for such things...for their main ship, the secondary ship gets less focus in that way. You just have to accept this about main/secondary ships on tv shows. 

there have been no domestic scenes (except 2x16 end) to avoid building an extra set (Happy’s apartment)... this is why we’ve only seen the outside of her/their house...until now. (and no date scenes either cause the married dorks mostly go to Kovelsky’s, and they’ve avoided actually building that set...so far...too..)  

but no, I would not change it! Even if I will not object..at all...to the domestic scenes, and everything else. But what we’ve gotten..is a lot. 

Also..unlike the main ship, which has one genius/1 normal, our face ship consists of 2 geniuses so they’re both less traditional, also in what they consider date nights & romantic nights at home (re: installing security system)... and their first date, traditional dinner at a restaurant didn’t go so well... (1x20)

And since this show is a comic-book family show, then smooching is basically all that is shown on the show. So we don’t... usually... get to see their private moments. But who knows... lots has changed this season, so perhaps we’ll also be getting some domestic or date night  or similar..scenes... ;)

SEE/READ THE SPOILERY TEASERS FOR PAST EPS - ONES THAT HAVE ALREADY AIRED (401 - 416) -  HERE 

teasers for episodes that have already been aired will be moved to the other post, and this one shall  have the teasers for upcoming episodes only... 

4x19 "Gator Done” – source1  – Teaser/Fun thought, not a spoiler (don’t read into this) #H2O #DNA

“See you later, alligator?” and, btw, the case...originally...isn’t about gators at all! But instead tiny insects! Oh... 

Get ready for a lecture on DNA! 

This episode focuses on H2O... a lot! On many ways...

Team Scorpion (including Ralph & Flo) have been very busy with building &  inventing new things! I love it!  Time to reveal those new “inventions” 

The solution to the weeks case (in the swamp...where there are gators...according to the Doc...) is pretty clever... considering some other plotlines happening at that time #reversedsolution #whatsinthebox #whatsinthecanister

I kinda have a feeling that somehow in some way this episode case/story was influenced by 2017 hurricane season... #thisisjustmyguess

Go Team Patty, Ralph, Sly & Flo! 

Half of the team heads over to “Florida”/gator land! #swamp

Have I said how much I love Walter? The thing he is trying to better himself at in this episode... and his cute  awkward way of doing it ... so relatable!

The team is divided into “three teams” in this episode: 1 person in the garage, 3 “meeting the alligator” and 3 + 1 working on another project. 

Guess who stays in the garage during this episode? #HappyStaysInTheGarage #waitingonthenewsfromDocBrown  #parallelsto306

This episode is a follow-up on a storyline that has been kind of mentioned earlier this season... (think: Sly fighting for the Science Club in 404 & then the WhizKids in 414). An idea/mention from past episode has been turned into a storyline. #waterproject

Oh, and this episode tells us also a bit more about Patty. And I just love how the Patty & Sly friendship has grown over the season. #PattyIveNeverHadATardy #WeestAltadenia

#IfYouSeeAScreenshotOfThisPleaseDontReadTheseAsRealSpoilers #myreactions #notspoilers #dontoverthinkthings #Igeekoutovertheweirdestsmalldetails #QuintisFeels #HereWeGo  #Iwannasaysomuch #IhopeyouwilllikeitasmuchasIdoalready 

4x20 "Foul Balls” – source1  – Teaser/Fun thought, not a spoiler (don’t read into this)  #LetsPlayBall

This episode is all about sports & playing ball. In other words: the greatest fear of the Team Genius 

According to Walt this is the biggest threat they’ve faced...til now (I beg to differ, dear Walt & Team Scorpion  writers... we’ve seen this before... and will again... soon... ;) ) 

What is going on between Happy & Florence? What’s THAT all about? And how is Ralph connected to all of this? 

Happy is on a  mission ...and she’s scary. No-one really knows what she’s talking about....

Happy also steals a limo & kidnaps a 6 feet 4 tall athletic guy! For the sole purpose to have help reaching for stuff on the high/upper shelves. ;) #asafellowshortpersonIgetit #HappyPattyFlorenceAllinTinyClub

Several blasts from the past? We just got a mention of the “interloper” in the ep 416. And there’s another mention of him in this episode. You never guess by whom!

Who is Inmate #98763, the future step-son (whose?)? 

How do dandelions help save the day?

Guess whose is back? This episode features many many (loved & not loved)  guest characters we’ve met before, but only one is significant to the episode main plot. 

How did Cabe (kinda his doing) got the team into this weeks mess? 

There is also a small Quintis side-plot..that I see as similar to 322 thing, and it provides for some great Quintis moments/talk. And can we just  appreciate how far Happy’s come? (we again see how strong the ship is, and how much she’s evolved...and how she “learns this weeks lesson”... or... will there be a twist...coming soon...?)

The ep ends with the team having a meal together...as a family... at Not-Kovelsky’s

Just like in S1 with Drew & Ralph & baseball... the team again uses math  science to play the ballgame!

#IfYouSeeAScreenshotOfThisPleaseDontReadTheseAsRealSpoilers #myreactions #notspoilers #dontoverthinkthings #Igeekoutovertheweirdestsmalldetails #MajorQuintisFeels #HereWeGo #LetsPlayBall  

4x21 "Kenny, and the Jet”  – source1   – Teaser/Fun thought, not a spoiler (don’t read into this)  #PlanesandTeens

There is a (jet)plane in this episode. 

There are no snakes on the plane. But... the team does make an unexpected discovery... regarding cargo on the plane...

Quintis & vehicles... all sort of vehicles!  #motorcycles #planes #wheels #BeCarefulHappy #HubbyIsWorried

Toby is very worried about his wife & mother of their future kid(s), though it’s not her who gets hurt in this ep

I get a lot of s1 Pilot & Xmas ep “feels”... with some “parallels” (some things in this ep remind me of some scenes in those eps). I can find parallels/similarity to things in eps: 101, 121/122, 223/224, 305... etc

Quite a Ralph-ep! #TeenageRalph #RalphAndKenny

Walter uses/tries to use math & science to solve a personal/non-science dilemma he has... 

#IfYouSeeAScreenshotOfThisPleaseDontReadTheseAsRealSpoilers #myreactions #notspoilers #dontoverthinkthings #Igeekoutovertheweirdestsmalldetails #KindaRalphEp #TeamEp #MajorQuintisFeels #HereWeGo  

4x22 "A Lie in the Sand”    – source1   – Teaser/Fun thought, not a spoiler (don’t read into this)  

OMG! #thisepshouldhavetheothergreatstuff #seasonfinalePt2 

Team Scorpion plays/does MINESWEEPER

The case takes us to the desert .. a sandy place...in Africa. #ThisEpisodeAndCaseDoesNotSayFinaleToMeAtAll #haboob��

There are secrets keps that need to surface, but will they...before the episode ends? THAT is the question. 

OK, yes, the Quintis family plan storyline does get a resolution..kinda ...in S4/this finale.  #Icannotandwillnotspeakofthisjustyet #ButTheFinalAnswerComesAtTheVeryEnd #AfterTheDayAndTeamIsSavedWeGetToItFully

What do pterodactyls (a kind of ancient flying reptiles) have to do with any of this? Why are they even mentioned? You might find out, when you tune in for the ep. 

This episode mentions several creatures...  pterodactyls, centipedes, and scorpions... included

This is everything the Quintis fans & Happy/Quintis have wished for... forever... This is exactly what she/we wanted & how she/we wanted it. :) #accurateonbothaccounts

This is a very Team-centric episode. Kinda. (but Flo, Ralph, and Patty aren’t going to the desert... to name a few characters..so..) 

Toby, the doc, in action! 

Where have all the (medical) books gone? Tune in to find out what has happened to Toby’s “library” (book collection) 

And why is Toby “testing” his own blood?

And what does Happy say that Toby responds with a simple "I know.” ? #IveKnownSinceEps307and404ThatStartedTheJourney

The Doc is worried about the Mechanic #NoMoreStuntsForawhilePlease

A little Happy/Walt talk... that IMO is missing something (that can still be added before the scene is filmed) that should be included. #parallelsto223

Sly sets it all off... with his actions, and more... and we learn a few things about what has been going on “off screen” for a while... 

Everything is not what it seems...or sound like. Some stories are a bit “tweaked” ... sometimes... is the lesson of the hour. 

Tell her... is still valid! And it applies to several characters/storylines, actually.  

There are twists...major twists happening within the hour. #calmbeforethestorm (do I mean the sandstorm though?)

There is a small (few weeks) timejump within the episode (think s3 finale & the “3 weeks later” moment... this is done in same style)

The S4 finale...in some ways..also reminds me of S3 finale. And yes, among the many references to past eps... the island adventures are also mentioned. 

#IfYouSeeAScreenshotOfThisPleaseDontReadTheseAsRealSpoilers #myreactions #notspoilers #dontoverthinkthings #Igeekoutovertheweirdestsmalldetails #MajorQuintisFeels #HereWeGo #FinallyTheFinale  #SlyEpKinda #RevealingAnytingElseAoutTheCaseAndEpWouldBeSayingTooMuch #CannotTellWhoTheTeamIsDealingWith #Iwaswrongaboutsomething #Iwasrightaboutsomethings 

YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF SEASON 4

22 EPS IN TOTAL

PS. ? [question mark] - means that it is a guestimate, not certain date

IMPORTANT NOTICE: “Teasers” are not actual spoilers (and spoilers aren’t “accurate, detailed, word-to-word, singular truths/descriptions of a scene/plot”) The goal of spoiler teaser is to “mislead”. Teasers tease & Spoilers spoil (both are misleading & easy to misinterpret). But only because the teaser does not give the context or the details, and hence fans tend to interpret it whatever way they choose, and consider it “factual”, when teasers are usually about little things, not revealing any actual plot points. 

Read THIS POST & THIS POST on spoilers & how to “read” spoilers. And do not overthink things! Teasers are little fun comments, not spoilers that you should take as direct descriptions of scenes.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: PLEASE READ THIS “DISCLAIMER”/POST WITH INFO ABOUT “HOW TO READ/UNDERSTAND TV TEASER SPOILERS POSTED ON THIS BLOG” POST IN HERE 

Last update: March 28th, 2018

[shipcestuous]

Odd and True episode 3: also Revenge of the Shipper (because RotS was the 3rd SW episode and I KNOW that) (Submission)

This one will cover chapters 7 through 14.  Sorry for sending this in before giving you time to even post the second installment!  This review thing has gotten seriously out of hand, but then, I didn’t expect there to be so much freaking content for this family’s relationships.  I came into this expecting a cute but non-canon sisters relationship, something to read over a free weekend or something, but this…  This family is consuming my life.

Anyway, Od and Tru arrive in Chicago, and Od quickly latches onto a ghost-hunting mission.  Tru, for her part, still has some valid concerns.  “My eyes moistened with tears over her belief in me–and yet, I still found myself not believing in her.  I still worried about her sanity, dreadfully.“  They’re attacked by a mugger, but when Tru is threatened, Od wallops the guy.  Protective siblings are another one of my favorite things.

The following scene of Od and Tru taking shelter at a hotel for the night also mirrors the scene of Magnus and Od finding shelter in the previous chapter.  Except that this time, it’s a contrast.  Magnus had just exposed Od to some upsetting truths, and then he brought her to a brothel of all places for shlter.  Here, Od is still shielding Tru from the truth about their parents, and brings her to a nice hotel and ensures she’s well taken care of (even if she is also talking to Tru about ghosts, which make her uncomfortable).

Od also reveals that while she was away from Tru and traveling with the circus, she fell madly in love.  Tru narrates, ”Jealousy stung my heart.  All that time that she’d been gone, I’d pictured her as being as miserable and lonely as I was.“  Od claims she and the person she loved were forcibly separated a year ago, and Od was told they just weren’t meant to be together.  If nothing else, this kind of parallels her and Tru, too.  Also, Tru continues to be so explicitly jealous, and I love it.

Tru then has an upsetting premonition, and Od comforts her, holding her hands and telling her that they can face whatever they need to face, because they’ve already faced worse and ”we’ve done it before, Tru.  We’re lionhearted.  Both of us.“  I love how Od always gets upset on Tru’s behalf whenever Tru claims she’s weak.  I love how, even though she’s Tru’s protector, Od also seems to wholeheartedly believe in her sister’s own strength.

In the next chapter, we’re back in 1896, just after Maria moves with little Od and Tru to Oregon.  Maria has a miscarriage and is rushed to the hospital, and six-year-old Od desperately sends a mental message for Magnus to ”come help us.  I’m still mad at you a bit, but please, please, we need you!“  In Oregon is where Tru gets polio, and Od takes on that protective role toward her sister (“my Tru,” she calls her) even though she’s still so young herself. The girls are taken in by their aunt and her husband during this time.

Next chapter, the present-day (well, the 1909 present-day, haha) Od and Tru reach Philadelphia.  Od runs into a young man she recognizes, and immediately Tru’s heart stops (figuratively, of course) with the fear that this is the “beloved” Od had spoken of. Apparently it’s not, but it is Cy, a boy she mooned over when she was younger in Oregon, so Tru tries to make him leave them alone.  Though Od isn’t really happy to see the guy (she alludes to an incident in the past that left her life “in shambles”, which I presume we’ll learn about later on), even turning her back on him as he’s inviting her to join him on a supernatural adventure because she’s just that upset.

Instead, Od opts to look into this lead with just Tru.  Tru is starting to believe Od about all of this “monsters and magic” stuff by now, which of course pleases Od.  And then the girls visit their mother’s address, although Od fears that Maria will “bring up all sorts of awful things” (probably family-related bc honestly, are any even semi-important characters in here who aren’t part of this family?). Her fears are moot for the moment, since nobody answers the door.  (Turns out she left the house the previous week, according to a neighbor.)

In chapter 10, we get another Od POV flashback–this time it’s from 1905, 4 years before the current plotline of the book.  It’s Tru’s eleventh birthday, and she asks Od to tell the story of her birth again because it’s tradition.  Od notes that she “vowed to never tell her the truth about our father’s absence on the day of her birth, or of the fact that he had kept our mother hidden away in a remote part of the world for more than seven long years while married to another woman.  Tru didn’t need to know that our mother continued to work in the city to pay off debts and that Aunt Vik referred to Mama as ‘immoral’ and ‘sinful’ whenever she spoke of her….  I didn’t know how Mama earned money.  Aunt Vik kept us so sheltered, I wouldn’t have understood it if she ever named our mother’s profession.”

I know I’m just retreading old ground here, but I love how determined Od is to protect her younger sister.  Not just physically, but emotionally.  Even if the truth eats away at her and it would probably feel better for her if she could share it with her closest person, she keeps it from Tru anyway to protect her.  And I. Love. That. So much.  (Even if I also can’t wait for Tru to inevitably find out because I’m always a slut for angst.)

Anyway, that same night when Tru falls asleep (“with a birthday smile lingering on her lips”), Od is startled by banging at the front door.  She sneaks out of the girls’ room to see who is her aunt and uncle’s visitor, and it’s Maria.  She’s worried for Od as her fateful 15th birthday is approaching, and she also asks Viktoria if Magnus has come by because Maria is worried for his safety.  She also comments after a brief exchange with Od that she’s “so much like your uncle Magnus.”

Viktoria shuts the door on Maria (who has been “drunk as a fiddler,” Vik says ,“and running around with strange men”), fearing that she’s going to be a bad influence on the girls.  Maria bangs on the door, crying for her daughter.  When Od returns to the bedroom, Tru is awake and hears the screaming, so Od claims it’s La Llorona, the weeping spirit seeking children, so Tru won’t have to know the truth.  Od tells her something similar to what Magnus told her before she learned about her father: “You’re safe and loved.  Don’t worry.“  And that’s the way the chapter ends.

Back in the present, the sisters eat at a restaurant, and their waiter asks about Tru’s cane.  She’s understandably wary, but then learns the man’s little sister also had polio and just got put into a wheelchair.  Tru and the waiter, Ezra Blue, quickly bond (their surnames are even similar, Grey and Blue) but tbh most of it is over the shared experience between Tru and Ezra’s five-year-old sister Celia.  Tru tells him, “Tell little Celia you met a polio survivor who now hunts monsters.”  (Not super relevant to our shippy interests here, but it’s a powerful and badass moment.  Although Od immediately jumps to the conclusion that the guy has a crush on Tru and vice versa.  If it does turn out to be true, there’s still the Od-and-Ezra and Tru-and-Celia parallel to point out here.)

Back at the hotel, Tru tries to ask Od how she knows Cy, the guy they ran into earlier.  Od keeps trying to change the subject.  She tells Tru, “Let’s stop talking about Cy, please.  This is our journey, not mine and his” and calls Cy the last person in the world she wanted to see.  That night, they fall asleep with Od’s head on Tru’s shoulder.  “I trapped my arms around her and held her close, as if I were the older sister and she my little Odette.”

The next chapter is another Od flashback, this one from two years prior to the present.  After the death of Viktoria’s husband, Od has to get a job where she’ll live under her employers’ roof (“without the warmth of my sister beside me”), and she worries about what will happen to Tru, and to Od’s schooling.  Viktoria (I was wrong, btw; she was the oldest of her siblings, not Maria) says that she stopped attending school at Od’s age when her mother, and it “forced me to grow up and take care of my younger siblings, and I don’t regret a single second of my sacrifices.“  In order to provide for Tru, Od agrees to the job.  She’ll be working for Cy’s family.  I think we’re all getting bad vibes off this situation by now.

In a situation that parallels her parents, Cy tries to seduce the younger hired servant.  But Od instantly responds, "I can’t let anything come between my sister and me."  But eventually she caves because he’s persistent.  It’s not exactly nonconsensual, but it still rubs me the wrong way (as it’s supposed to) because he’s her employer’s kid who therefore has power over her, and she’s also completely ignorant about what sex is and wouldn’t have let him do it if she’d understood what he was doing.

Even when she gives in, Od reflects that ”I should have kept my thoughts on Tru at all times and found relief from my loneliness elsewhere.  But he was there to comfort and hold me, and all my other nights down in that basement hollow had proven so cold and desolate“ compared to how she was used to sleeping beside Tru’s warmth.  In other words, she only did this because she was lonely from Tru’s absence, and here was someone offering her what she hoped would be comfort.

Back in the present, Od decides because of Tru’s wishes that the sisters will join Cy’s hunting party, but even then, Od says it’s because she’d regret missing this chance and she wants to catch the Leeds Devil instead of Cy doing it. When they do join up with Cy and co., he’s obviously trying to win Od over again by being nice to Tru, because it’s that obvious that Tru is the key to her heart. The rest of the posse they join up with want the sisters to stay behind because they’re sexist jerks and because of Tru’s leg, but Od keeps going on about how great Tru is, because of course she does.  But even so, they leave them behind, alone.

In the next chapter, we’re back to Od’s POV from two years ago.  She recalls her uncle Magnus urging her not to "grow up and make the same mistakes as your mother,” referring to Maria’s relationship with her employer Louis.  But now, Od is pregnant, and she loses her job and is sent to a facility for girls pregnant out of wedlock to help them avoid “social ruin.”

When Od writes to Tru, she claims she’s traveling with the circus.  Even in this, she keeps the truth from her sister in order to protect her.  By now, she’s created this entire mythos of magic just to shield Tru. And maybe it’s not completely right of her to do that, but all of it is done out of so much love.

She decides she’ll name the baby Trudie Marie if it’s a girl, for her sister and mother, and Duncan Magnus (no idea about the first name, but the second is clearly for her uncle).  She ends up having a girl, who is born only 4 days after Tru’s 14th birthday.

And that’s where I’m going to leave off this time.  The next installment will probably be the last, but who can say?

I love how close the sisters are and that their relationship continues to be so central to the story and each other. Even though that’s the title, you sometimes never know. They love each other so much.