#sunny mornings in wyoming sure look perfect

[be-an-echo]

happy (belated) valentine's day!

[reveluving]

So I don’t really know Miguel but I do know Joe and I think if he knows you’ve been having it rough lately he would pick you up and take you to a spontaneous location out in the Wyoming wilderness surrounded by wildflowers with the Grand Tetons in the distance and he would’ve packed things for luxury camping.

He also would’ve bought all your favorite food and you guys cuddle while under the open sky.

Ah!! Haven't had the chance to keep up with the show yet but I needed this so much! 🤧💗

Searched Grand Teton on Pinterest and omg, you know I'd do just about anything to see it with my own eyes 💗

Watching Joe has been an experience, coming from someone who's never been to the U.S, so the idea of living in a log cabin at an area like this is so nice!! But that's besides the point!

Just the thought of Joe and his girls quietly making food downstairs while they let you take a nap for a bit so the two of you can have a picnic? 🥺 The girls would also write little cards which are both wacky and meaningful before slotting them in the basket.

You're immediately surprised when you open your eyes to see Sherry, Lucy and April in front of you, sharing a cheeky grin.

"What's going on?" You'd murmur in the pillow, half-smiling at the sight before you.

"Dad's gonna drop us off at the Flags!" Lucy would say. You'd raise your brow, you don't remember that being in today's schedule.

"Ah, well, I'll be ready in five minutes." Before you could move the blanket off, Sherry stopped you.

"S'okay, dad wants you to get ready for later."

"... For what?" I narrowed my eyes at them playfully, prompting them to giggle.

"He wants to take you out on a date." April replied, their amusements growing louder. You could only imagine what Joe had in mind, but for now, you pulled April in a bear hug. Sherry and Lucy would jump on the bed with you, wrapping their little arms around you as the four of you laugh.

A heavenly sound to a certain game warden himself, listening in from the floor below.

You'd say your goodbyes to the girls, telling them to send your regards to Mr & Mrs Flag before getting ready. It wasn't too sunny nor cloudy the whole day; the best hint you got out of the girls about the date was their emphasization on the 'out' part.

You'd hear Joe's truck the same time you'll come down, noticing the basket on the kitchen counter. Before you could even take a peek, Joe comes in with a playful "Ah-ah, hands off the goodies, ma'am."

You'd pout but listened to him anyways as he grabbed the basket in one hand before wrapping his arm around you with the other. You'd give him a quick peck on his lips before asking, "Do you... Do you remember anything about the girls staying over at the Flags today?"

"Nope, we just called them about it this morning."

"And... Rick's okay with that?"

"You know he actually has a soft spot for the girls," Joe grinned, suddenly peppering your cheek with kisses, "Plus, I made sure to call when his wife was with him so he can't say no."

You'd gasp, playfully nudging him for his lil' trick. He'd laugh with before motioning you to the truck, "C’mon, little lady."

He'd drive at a comfortable pace, giving you both a chance to talk about whatever, be it work, a show you've been watching or even the family of red foxes you and the girls saw walking in front of the house.

Or if you don't wanna talk, that's fine too! He'll just hold your hand, steering the truck with the other. He'd stroke the back of your hand with his thumb or even pat your thigh rhythmically, occasionally humming the song on the radio.

Your look of awe as you'd take a good look of the view was absolutely endearing. It wouldn't take long for the two of you to arrive, a perfect stop where you'd see both the beautiful flowers and the Grand Teton itself.

Joe wouldn't let you help him with with anything, telling you to just 'stand there and look pretty for me'. The basket had sandwiches, bites, some salad and fruits, no-bake desserts the girls had made and a flask of iced tea.

"It was all we could prepare in two hours." Joe rubbed the back of his neck. You'd shake your head, swaying with him as you'd embrace one another.

"It's perfect."

And that's how you'd spend the day together, pointing at the pretty lil' birds flying by, feeding each other the delicacies him and the girls have made, reading the cards they’ve written for you, then chilling on the mat together; letting him pull your to his chest as you'd listen to him ramble.

"I love you." He'd whisper in your ear, kissing the crown of your head and reminding you that even the Picketts need a little break.

[booksalwaysandforever]

Holding on to the Memories

So, this is my first time writing, so forgive me if it’s terrible. I have been in the twilight mood lately, so this is my twilight fanfic. Also, I am always open to story requests, suggestions for future chapters, and helpful criticism.

Summary: Lauren is the Cullen’s adopted baby sister. Her life has always been a dream. One day, while the everyone is out hunting, life isn’t a dream anymore.

Warnings: Self harm, bullying, very very sad and will make you cry. 

Length: pretty long

Chapter 1

“You guys mean to tell me that I get to be home alone all day?!” I squealed excitedly.

“Yes, dear. We all need to hunt, and Renesmee and Jacob are down at the beach with the rest of the pack.” Carlisle said with a small smile on his face, happy that I was so excited.

“I didn’t think you’d be so happy to get rid of us, brown bear.” Emmett said as he ruffled my hair slightly. I gave him a small glare as he used my nickname from when I was little.

“I am excited, Emmett. This means that I get to control the TV for once.” Everyone started laughing as Emmett frowned at you.

“I don’t control it that much, do I?”

“Yes, you do.” Everyone said in unison.

“Plus,” I started, “I will be free of having 8 vampires watching my every move, there will be no one digging around in my head,” I scowled at Edward who gave me an apologetic look, “and no one will be able to mess with my emotions,” I finished as I glared at Jasper.

“It’s not our fault we’re vampires and you’re our human sister,” Jasper said.

“I know that, but that still doesn’t mean I like it when you mess with my emotions.” I said as I gave him a small scowl. “Nor do I like it when people dig through my head or know what I’m going to do before I even do it. I can never surprise you guys,” I pouted.

“Hey, we act surprised, don’t we?” Edward pointed out.

“It’s not the same!” I complained, earning myself a laugh from everyone. “Okay, you guys should go now. All of your eyes are pitch black. It’s kinda scaring me.”

Everyone laughed again and gave me a hug as they walked out to their cars.

“We’ll be gone until after supper tonight, so you’re on your own for meals.” Esme told me as she gave me one last hug.

“Mom, I know. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. If I need anything, I’ll call Jacob and Renesmee and they’ll come home. And if something really bad happens, I will call you or dad or Emmett or Jasper or Rose or any of you and you’ll all come running. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”

“Oh honey, I know you’ll be okay. I just want to be sure.” She gave me another hug and kiss.

“Dad, can you come get Mom?” I called. “Unless you come and get her, I don’t think she’s going to leave.”

“Darling, Lauren will be okay. She’s 15 almost 16, she’ll be alright staying home for one day.” Carlisle said, suddenly appearing at my side.

“Thanks. I know the drill, call Jacob and Renesmee first and then you guys. Now go! Bella and Jasper look like they’re going to snap soon.” I said as I tried to push them to the door.

“Alright, bye sweetheart. We’ll be back before you know it. Just try not to break anything. Don’t do anything Emmett would do.” Carlisle said with a small grin on his face.

“Hey!” Came a shout from outside. I started to giggle because as much as Emmett hated it, Carlisle was right.

“Okay Dad. Bye, love you.” I said as I gave him his last hug. “Bye guys! See you later! Catch a big bear for me, Emmett!”

Everyone shouted out their goodbyes and I love you’s as they drove away. I stood in the doorway for a moment longer and then raced back into the house to enjoy my day alone.

I spent a good portion of the morning wrapping and putting the finishing touches on gifts for my family. It was going to be my 16th birthday in less than a week, but I wanted to give everyone else gifts. I already had everything I could ever want, and all I really wanted for my birthday was to see everyone smile. So I decided to give them all gifts. It also gave me something to work on in my spare time.

I was going to give Alice a snow globe of two sisters ice skating. She and I had started a collection of snow globes together when I was a couple years old. We added to it every time we went on a shopping trip or anytime one of us had a birthday.

Rosalie was going to get a beautiful locket, with an inscription inside that said A sister is worth 1,000 friends. Hopefully she wouldn’t put an embarrassing picture of me in there.

Emmett was going to get the games Cards Against Humanity and What Do You Meme. Little did he know, I was going to kick his butt when I played with him.

For Bella, I got her a new charm for her bracelet. Currently, there are only three charms. Jacob’s wolf, Edward’s diamond heart, and the Cullen crest. I was giving her a small open book, because when I was a kid, she read a lot of books to me and gave me over half of the books in my collection. I owe my love of reading to her.

Edward’s gift was a bit more difficult, but I think he’ll like what I gave him. It was a handmade book of all our favorite songs. My lullaby, both Renesmee and Bella’s lullabies, some of my favorite songs, and a few of his favorite songs. I painted the front cover of the binder with a beautiful collage of music notes and pictures of him and I playing the piano. He didn’t really need the music for all the songs, what with his vampire memory and all, but this way Edward would always have a part of me.

Carlisle had always loved my paintings, so I made him one that he could hang in his office at work. It wasn’t anything too complex, just a rainbow watercolor background and a stethoscope twisted into a heart, but I’m sure he would love it.

For Esme, I made a cookbook filled with my favorite foods that she had made me over the years, and a few new ones for her to try. Like Edward, she didn’t really need the recipes, but she loved having things I made. On the front of the book, I had painted a collage of different foods like a meatball sub, cookies, cupcakes, salad, and lots of other things. Hidden in one of the back pages,  were pictures of the entire family throughout the past 16 years. One when I was a baby, one when I was a toddler, when I was six, 10, 14, and a few weeks ago. It was the perfect gift for a mother.

I wasn’t nearly as close to Jacob as I was to everyone else, but I got him a gift too. He was still my big brother. I gave him my best wolf drawing, and a dog tag with a heart cut out of the middle. That heart was attached to a necklace I would keep.

For Renesmee, I made a box filled with her favorite candy, a photo album of us growing up together, and a best friend forever bracelet. To me, Renesmee was more like my best friend. We had sleepovers together all the time, watched movies all night long while stuffing our faces with junk food, and went everywhere together. Since she didn’t sparkle in the sunlight as much as the rest of the family, I could bring her to places like the beach or an amusement park on a sunny day without drawing attention.

The hardest person to find a gift for was Jasper. For as long as I could remember, Jasper had been the person I turned to for everything. When I scraped my knee when I was little, when I needed help in school, when I was bored out of my mind and wanted someone to play a game with me, it was always Jasper I turned to. I gave him a CD, and a stuffed horse. Jasper said he always loved it when I was singing. Whether I was humming to myself or singing my heart out to my favorite song, he said he had always loved it. So, the CD was full of me singing my favorite songs, and songs he used to sing to me when I was little. The stuffed horse held a speaker inside, so that whenever you squeezed it, you would hear me say “I love you��. I bet that if he could cry, he would.

When I was finished with the gifts, I played the piano and my guitar for a while. Edward was finally teaching me how to play my lullaby on the piano, and I was teaching myself all of my favorite songs on the guitar. I got bored pretty quickly, so I turned on the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, one of my favorites, and made myself lunch.

After lunch, I decided to turn on the TV and see if anything good was on. At that moment, an ad for a new movie came on the TV. I didn’t see what the name was, but I really didn’t want to know. Although I had only seen a few seconds, the image of a “vampire” holding a young girl in a headlock was enough for me. I lived in a world full of vampires and I knew the risks, but I always tried to push them out of my head. Plus, I was always with one of my siblings, or my parents, so I never really had to worry. They would protect me, no matter what. However, at the moment, I was all by myself. My family was the largest coven of vampires, aside from the Volturi, and every vampire that came through this was stopped at our house. Most of the time, my siblings were able to hide with me in my room and keep me safe. But they were probably in Colorado or Wyoming, up in the mountains at this point. What would happen if a rogue vampire came through here? What if they lost all control when they smelled me? What if Jacob and Renesmee couldn’t get to me soon enough to save me?

A million what ifs crossed my mind as my anxiety got a hold of me. I had had attacks like this before, but one of my siblings was always there to help me. Jasper could always calm me down, Edward could answer every question that crossed my mind, and everyone else would just hug me and remind me that everything was okay until I had managed to calm myself down. But I was all alone. Nobody was here to keep me from my own mind, to keep me from spiraling into a dark place. My head was spinning, my stomach hurt, and I could hardly breathe. I raced to the bathroom, running into almost every piece of furniture on my way there.

In less than 5 minutes, I had thrown up everything I had eaten that day. Currently, my stomach was heaving as though it wanted to throw up, but there was nothing left in my stomach. I began focusing on my breathing, trying to calm myself down. If I could get my breathing under control, I could work through every question in my head. As soon as I had calmed myself enough to make the room stop spinning, I heard my phone buzz. Hoping it was Alice, checking up on me, I reached up to grab it from the edge of the sink.

Much to my dismay, it wasn’t Alice. It was the complete opposite. Maggie was texting me once again. For years, she had been making fun of me and tried to bully me into doing whatever she wanted me to do. When my family moved here to Forks, when I was in sixth grade, she hated the fact that I was getting most of the attention. She didn’t do much harm for the first year and a half, but she kept looking for things to make me snap. She began breaking into my locker, ripping up my papers and writing insults about the teachers on others. The teachers never believed me, so I was always getting in trouble. After I had successfully gotten suspended at the end of seventh grade, she stopped, for about a year. Then things got worse. Way worse. Every day, I would find an insult about my clothes, body, family, everything. I tried my hardest to ignore it, but I just couldn’t. Now that almost all of my siblings, other than Renesmee who pretended to be only 2 years older than me and would graduate in May, had graduated and weren’t in school with me anymore, Maggie took that to heart. She had sent me a picture and a video of me. I knew I shouldn’t look at it, but Maggie liked to blackmail me and post crap about me online, so I looked, just in case she would try to do something. There was a message with the picture.

Wow, look at this girl in a swimsuit. She looks absolutely terrible. Look at the stretch marks on her stomach, she’s so fat!

That was the reason I never wore a bikini. I didn’t necessarily think I was fat, but I did have some small stretch marks on the bottom of my stomach. I was already self conscious, but this just made things a whole lot worse. I didn’t want to look at the video, but I did.

It was a video of me and my ex boyfriend James. We didn’t date long, but we did for a few months last year. It was a video of us making out in a closet. I remember that, we played seven minutes of heaven at Maggie’s birthday party last year. Why the hell did she video tape it? My phone buzzed with one last text from Maggie.

It almost looks like they’re having sex. Wouldn’t it be a shame if someone posted it on the school Instagram feed for everyone to see?

At that moment, there was a new post to the school Instagram page by Maggie. That bitch! Why the hell would she do that. I chucked my phone across the bathroom as hard as I could, managing to shatter the screen and a tile fell off the wall. Sobs racked my body. I couldn’t breathe. The only way to breathe again was to take my mind off what had happened. But how? That’s when I spotted my razor on the edge of the bathtub.

The only way to get my mind off everything was pain. My phone started buzzing and wouldn’t stop. I knew it was Alice calling me, but I ignored it.My phone was so smashed from being thrown across the room, it probably wouldn’t answer anyways. I looked at myself in the mirror.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered to my shaking reflection. I pressed the razor into my leg and pulled it across my skin. It hurt like hell, but that was a minor detail. I continued to cut until blood started gushing out of my last pass. Shit, I had cut my vein. I didn’t want to die, did I? I loved my family, but....I didn’t want to deal with life anymore. I didn’t want to feel pain anymore, nor did I want Jasper or anyone else to suffer with me. I didn’t want to live anymore. It was too hard. This was easier. I managed to make a few more cuts in my legs before black spots started appearing in my vision. Suddenly, I was too weak to hold the razor anymore. It fell to the floor as I fell back and hit my head on the wall. Just before I blacked out, I heard voices shouting. Someone would be here for me soon.

“I’m so, so sorry” I whispered. Not a second later, my world went black.

[crescentmoon223]

Two Worlds Collide Chapter 18

Read it on AO3 | Rated: NC-17 | Stella x Scully

Chapter 18

(read it from the beginning here)

By the time Saturday rolled around, Scully was more than ready for a day off. The work week had felt long, even though it had actually been short, since she and Stella had flown home from Wyoming on Monday. Despite her exhaustion, she was really enjoying her fellowship. She felt invigorated about her career in a way she hadn’t since leaving the FBI and was finally fully confident she’d made the right move, switching to forensic pathology.

But now that her fellowship was drawing to an end, decisions needed to be made. Her lease was up in two weeks. Her flight home to Maryland had been booked since before she arrived in London. Except now, she wasn’t sure she wanted to take it. She needed to have a talk with Stella, the terrifying kind of conversation that could make or break their relationship, and Scully was already so worried about it she could hardly breathe.

She and Stella barely seen each other this week. They’d both worked long hours, and although they’d managed to spend a couple of nights together, there hadn’t been much time for anything but sleeping. So, when Scully woke next to her on Saturday morning, she snuggled deeper under the covers, intensely grateful for this time to just…be. Beside her, Stella’s eyes blinked open. She watched Scully with a kind of lazy satisfaction on her face.

She was breathtakingly beautiful in these first moments of the day, when she was still relaxed and sleepy, blonde hair tossed over the pillow behind her. There was a peacefulness about her, an innocence lurking in the azure depths of her eyes before she buttoned herself up for the day. How would she react to the things Scully needed to say?

“We should go out to dinner tonight,” she said impulsively. “Someplace romantic but private.”

“Special occasion?” Stella asked, hands roaming over the hem of Scully’s sleep shorts.

“Not really. We just haven’t gone out in a while, and maybe we need some time to talk.”

Stella’s fingers, which had just reached the band of Scully’s underwear, paused. “Talk?”

Scully resisted the urge to flinch. Instead, she scooted closer, fingering the lacy bodice of Stella’s nightgown. “We don’t have to spend all our time fucking.”

Stella’s expression softened, but there was a wariness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. No doubt, she was as aware of the upcoming date on the calendar as Scully was. “Speaking of fucking, I believe I promised to take you shopping today.”

“Shopping?” Still caught up in her own internal battle, it took Scully a moment to follow Stella’s change of topic. The vibrator that needed replacing. Right.

“Yes.” Stella’s fingers were moving again, teasing Scully through her underwear.

“Who needs a vibrator when I have you?” Scully tilted her hips toward Stella’s hand, trying to increase the whisper soft brush of her fingers.

“Why settle for one when you can have both?”

“Good point.” She closed her eyes as Stella drew circles over her clit through her underwear, teasing. “Stella…”

In response, Stella crawled on top of Scully, straddling her, hips frustratingly still. “We should wait until after we’ve gone shopping.”

“What? No.” She squirmed beneath Stella’s weight, uncomfortably aroused. She felt Stella’s heat through the thin layers of cotton separating them and knew she was just as aroused. She also knew Stella was getting off on this little game. Distraction. That’s what this was. She was distracting Scully from the conversation they needed to have. And it was working, because nothing seemed as important right now as the press of Stella’s hips against her own.

“Patience, Dana.” Stella rolled her hips, just once, and Scully arched into the contact.

Two could play this game. She reached between them, teasing Stella through her nightgown, feeling her wetness, seeing the heat in her eyes. Then Stella was touching her too, stroking her mercilessly through her pajamas, driving her wild. They kept on like that until both of them were breathing hard. Scully’s panties were soaked, her clit throbbing when Stella broke free and slipped out of bed.

“Get dressed,” she called over her shoulder as she walked toward the bathroom. “We’ve got shopping to do.”

Scully glared at her back, bringing her hand between her legs. She just needed a quick minute to finish herself off, and then she’d be more than happy to go shopping.

But Stella turned around, her expression smug. “None of that.”

“I hate you,” Scully grumbled as she climbed out of bed, rummaging through Stella’s drawers for something to wear.

“No, you don’t,” Stella called as she shut the bathroom door behind her.

“No, I don’t,” she agreed quietly as she stripped out of her pajamas and got dressed.

Stella returned a minute later, face damp from washing, but the hungry gleam in her eyes let Scully know she was sticking to the rules she’d set. She pulled Scully into her arms and kissed her, hard. “It’ll be worth it. I promise.”

They finished getting ready—which involved a lot of unnecessary touching, both of them finding any excuse to bump into each other, hands brushing against fabric, hips rubbing. Stella’s nipples were hard beneath her blouse as they walked outside, the taxi she’d called already waiting at the curb for them.

“Brunch first,” she announced, giving the driver an address near one of her favorite shopping districts.

Horny as she was, Scully’s stomach grumbled hungrily at the thought. She and Stella had been too busy teasing each other to eat, or even to fix coffee. Fifteen minutes later, the taxi pulled up in front of a café with ample open-air seating, which seemed perfect for the unusually sunny June day brewing around them.

They were seated at a table for two near the back of the patio. Stella ordered poached eggs and sausage with a side of hash, while Scully ordered avocado toast, which earned her a reproachful yet amused look from Stella.

“So, have you got any plans for the rest of the day?” Stella asked sweetly as she sipped her tea.

Scully leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Fuck you.”

“Oh, you will,” Stella answered smugly. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, dammit.

Scully was tempted to kiss that smile off her face, but she knew Stella would only enjoy that even more. So, they ate brunch, legs occasionally bumping beneath the table. Once, Stella’s hand even found its way onto Scully’s thigh, squeezing firmly. As much as she hated to admit it, there was something to be said for Stella’s little game.

Scully couldn’t remember when she’d spent this much time thinking about sex, anticipating it, wanting it, needing it, her every thought consumed by the beautiful woman on the other side of the table. Stella held her gaze, devouring her with her eyes as she sipped quietly from her tea.

After they ate, Scully excused herself to the bathroom, only to be followed by Stella. They went about their business quietly until they were at the sink washing their hands. Stella glanced around to make sure they were alone before pressing Scully against the door, effectively blocking entrance to the bathroom as she brought her mouth to Scully’s, meeting her for a hungry kiss.

She fitted their bodies together like they were pieces of a puzzle she already knew by heart, and Scully was ready to kneel at Stella’s altar, because surely this was the best idea she’d ever had. The thrill of the game, of the shopping ahead and the evening to follow…she was dying in the very best possible way. After a hot and heavy minute, Stella drew back, winking as she led the way out of the bathroom.

They left the restaurant, and then Scully was filled with a different kind of anticipation, a combination of nerves and heat as she imagined not only what it would be like to step inside a sex shop, but to do so with Stella.

The shop itself was nondescript from the outside, with a brick exterior and a painting of a couple in a passionate embrace in the window. The shop’s name—Shag—was printed in black letters over the door. Stella took Scully’s hand as they entered, walking with the same unflinching confidence in which she entered any situation, be it a murder scene or a sex shop.

Her heels clicked across the polished floor as she walked, and Scully caught several heads swiveling in her direction. Not for the first time, she wondered if Stella was truly unaware of her admirers or only pretended not to notice. With her, it was hard to be sure. Either way, Scully felt an odd sort of pride to be walking beside her.

The only other occupants of the store were a couple looking at lingerie along the righthand wall, an older woman browsing a display case in back, and the saleswoman behind the counter, dressed in a formfitting black leather skirt and a matching silk blouse, her hair in a neat bun at the back of her head.

Scully tried not to gawk, tried to act as nonchalant as Stella as they made their way through the store. It was less tacky than she’d anticipated, no mannequins sporting strap-ons or racks of leather and whips. On the contrary, the store was upscale, posh, and seemed to cater almost exclusively to women.

The shelves were lined with pink satin, soft music played in the background, and the racks of lingerie featured more silk and lace than Scully had ever seen—even in Stella’s closet. As Scully took in her surroundings, Stella was already guiding her toward a table on the left, which displayed vibrators of every size, shape, and color.

Samples had been set out for customers to touch, with boxed versions of each model stacked behind for purchase. Just the sight of all those toys brought the ache between her thighs back to life. Stella lifted a small, purple, teardrop-shaped vibrator similar to Scully’s old one and held it on her palm.

“A vibrator like this is a good place to start,” Stella said. “A staple for any woman’s collection, but have you ever tried a G-spot stimulator?”

The saleswoman, who had walked over to assist them, stopped in her tracks, giving Stella an impressed look. “Let me know if you need any assistance,” she said, making it obvious from her tone that she appreciated a woman who knew her way around a sex shop.

“I will, thank you,” Stella told her, before turning back to Scully. “So?”

“Um.” Scully looked over her shoulder, making sure no one was close enough to listen in on their conversation. She’d shot people, and sliced and diced bodies for a living, but she’d never discussed vibrators in public before. “I tried one once, but it didn’t do anything for me. Maybe I just didn’t know what I was doing with it.”

“Well, modern day toys have come a long way,” Stella said as she lifted another one off its stand. This one was a deep eggplant color, long and curved and wider on one end. “This is a dual clitoral and G-spot vibrator. You can use it for either or both simultaneously. It can be a bit tricky to get the positioning right. Better if you have a partner to help you.” Her eyes sparkled dangerously at this, and the ache between Scully’s thighs began to throb.

“I guess you’d need the right partner, then,” she said, playing along as she reached for the vibrator in Stella’s hand. It was softer than she’d expected, almost like human skin.

“Try a few and see what textures you like,” Stella told her, standing close enough that Scully could feel the heat radiating from her body and smell the floral scent of her lotion.

“I like the feel of this one.” Scully slid her hand up and down the length of the toy, watching as Stella bit her lower lip, gaze locked on Scully’s fingers.

“Some of them are battery-warmed,” Stella said, reaching over to press a button on the one Scully held. It began to buzz, vibrating against her palm.

Her breath hitched. She couldn’t believe she was getting this turned on in a sex shop. This day was officially insane. And also strangely fun. She pressed her hand against Stella’s, the toy vibrating between them. “I think we should get this one.”

“Whatever you want,” Stella said, the picture of perfect poise, but her nipples were hard beneath her shirt, and it sure as hell wasn’t cold in here.

They spent a few more minutes browsing vibrators. Scully picked out a small one like the one she’d lost in addition to the fancy one Stella had suggested. She’d imagined that Stella would lead her through the shelves of oils and accessories next, but to her surprise, Stella headed straight for the register, her haste betraying her outward calm. She was losing patience with her own game.

“Oh hey, Stell, look at these.” Scully stopped in front of a rack of handcuffs.

Stella arched a brow. “Surely, you’ve used those before.”

“Well, yeah.” She and Mulder had played around with their cuffs a lot back in the day. “But I don’t carry cuffs anymore, and police issue handcuffs aren’t exactly designed for comfort, anyway. They lead to a lot of unfortunate bruises and chafing. But these…” She lifted a pair of pink fur-lined cuffs. “These look fun.”

Stella’s tongue darted out to wet her lips as she looked from the cuffs to Scully’s face. “You should get them, then.”

“I think I will.” But when she looked over at the register, the pretty saleswoman was gone. In her place was a man, dressed just as nicely in all black. He was cute…in a younger man kind of way. And she felt stupidly flustered at the idea of handing him her new vibrators and kinky handcuffs. Knowing Stella would find this ridiculous, Scully tossed her hair over her shoulders and walked ahead, plopping her purchases in front of the salesman with a polite smile.

“Did you find everything you were looking for?” he asked as he began ringing up her purchases.

“Yes, I did. Thank you.”

Stella stood beside her, fingers tapping absently at the countertop, eyes roaming over the various sexy knickknacks on display.

“Nothing for you?” he asked her.

Stella looked up at him. “Not today. Just helping her shop.”

“A good friend,” he observed, his gaze dropping to Stella’s breasts.

Instead of feeling jealous, Scully suppressed a smile as she waited for Stella to tell him off, or perhaps even more likely…drop him with that icy look of disapproval that left men and women alike cowering in her wake. But when Scully looked over at Stella, she was giving him the look, the one that made Scully wet every time she was on the receiving end of it, the one that said, “I want to devour you.”

And okay, now she was jealous. And pissed. What the fuck, Stella? Scully huffed as she accepted the hot pink bag the man passed across the counter to her, fuming silently as she signed the receipt and strode out of the store ahead of Stella, who had an awfully satisfied look on her face. What game was she playing now? Scully couldn’t keep up.

“What the hell was that?” she spat as they reached the sidewalk, but as she rounded on her, Stella grabbed her elbow, pulling her in for a sloppy kiss, tongue delving deep into Scully’s mouth as their bodies bumped together.

When she pulled away, Stella tossed a satisfied glance over her shoulder at the window to the shop and the man behind the counter, whose mouth was hanging open comically as she’d obviously intended. “That,” she said, as she took Scully’s hand, guiding her toward an available taxi at the end of the block, “was for letting Anwar flirt with you at the office last week.”

“Payback’s a bitch,” Scully muttered, smiling now as she followed Stella down the street.

“And so am I.”

[jacewilliams1]

A long cross country and a lesson learned

My wife and I planned our second cross country trip this past October to Oakland, California, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, to see our son’s family and our 20-month old grandson. We did the trip three years earlier in my Seneca V and looked forward to our second adventure.

The first trip west was totally amazing for a number of reasons; the most notable was there were absolutely no headwinds! None… our trip out included stops in Moline, Illinois, Ft. Collins, Colorado, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, before our final destination at Hayward, California. With no headwinds we made great time, and without making any intermediate fuel stops along the way, we saved at least $750.

The Seneca is a great cross country airplane—assuming everything works.

The second trip started out auspiciously enough on a fine, crisp, sunny day from my home base (XLL) in Allentown, with clear skies forecasted along the route to our first stop in Louisville, Kentucky, about a three hour flight. Leveling off at 10,000 feet we were on our way and not being so blessed this time, we did have a 20-knot headwind!

About an hour into the trip I received an alert from the multifunction display that the cylinder temperatures in my left engine were into the red zone. Checking the engine monitor, I saw that my fourth cylinder was indeed well above the red line. Oh boy! I immediately pulled the throttles, enriched the mixtures and opened the left cowl flap. It didn’t take long for the temperature to drop back into normal range and so we continued on.

The airplane had just been in for an annual and my thought was that there may have been a slight obstruction in the fuel injector of the number four cylinder. Nonetheless, my wife kept an eye on the temperatures and we were both happy they were stabilized. With an hour to go until we landed at LOU, she told me the temperature on the fourth cylinder was into the red zone again. I repeated the previous routine from an hour ago and once again the temps decreased. Obviously this was an uncomfortable situation and with a little less than an hour to Louisville, I was confident we would find a mechanic who could sort out and fix whatever the problem was.

Once safely on the ground, I was put in touch with an A&P on the field who assured me he would be able to take a look at the plane the next morning. By the next afternoon, the fuel injectors were found to be free of debris and he assured me that he felt confident I should not experience the problem again, and if I did, to just continue what I had been doing. So with a sigh of relief, we took off for our next destination in Wichita, Kansas (KAAO), where we would spend the night before flying on to Moab, Utah.

This leg started off well enough until about an hour and a half into the trip it happened again! And once again, by pulling the power back and putting the mixtures full rich, things cooled off pretty rapidly. I decided to fly at 60% power with the mixtures higher than normal. When the fourth episode happened 45 minutes later, I knew I wouldn’t have enough fuel to make it to Wichita. So I amended my IFR flight plan and headed into Springfield, Missouri.

By now I was really curious what was going on, and particularly uneasy. Although I was getting high cylinder warnings, as fast as they came it seemed that with corrective action they decreased back to normal. So although a bit anxious, I was willing to fuel up and get into Wichita for the night. The trip from Springfield to Wichita was only about an hour and it was now getting dark. Fortunately the cylinder decided to behave, and we got into AAO without any incident. We checked into our hotel, found a place for dinner, and a had a couple of well-deserved drinks.

Those multi-point engine monitors are great, but what if they’re the problem, not the solution?

I didn’t sleep well that night thinking about all the possibilities of what was happening. It occurred to me that a cylinder should not increase 100+ degrees in less than 15 seconds and then cool back down in about the same amount of time. So the next morning I called a friend of mine who runs Lehigh Valley Avionics. I explained what was going on and questioned him if this situation was caused by my engine monitor. To my relief, he agreed with me, and for the first time in over 48 hours, I had some reprieve from all the anxiety that was building inside me, not to mention my wife. My friend explained to me what he was sure was the culprit and advised me what steps the next mechanic should take to alleviate the problem.

Our next stop was Moab, Utah, another four-hour leg, where we had planned to tour Canyonlands and Arches National Parks over the next three days. With three days on the ground it would be a perfect place to have things finally fixed now that I was quite sure what the problem was. Four hours is easily doable in my Seneca, unless of course, I had to keep the mixtures rich and run at 60% power. Although I felt that the readings I had been getting were now from a faulty probe, if the CHT red lined again I certainly couldn’t ignore the warning. And of course, two more warnings forced me to again amend my flight plan for a fuel stop in Pueblo, Colorado.

Flower Aviation is the FBO where I filled up for the next three-hour leg to Canyonlands. Although we stopped at many FBOs along the way, many not planned for, inside Flower’s building it was like taking a step back in time to how it was in the late 1800s. The place was really amazing, offering a number of amenities, friendly service, low fuel prices, and an awesome, well-stocked general store where we picked up a number of gifts for our grandson.

Fueled up and ready for the flight over the Rockies, we departed the 10,496 foot runway 8 and were immediately cleared to 16,000 feet, except that was the same time our nemesis cylinder decided to heat up again. Keeping the airspeed up while pulling the power made for a slow climb the first five thousand feet until I was able to stabilize and climb to 16,000. This was the one and only time my wife was ever afraid while flying with me. In front of us were the Rocky Mountains and it seemed like we would never get high enough to clear them. I told her that it wouldn’t be a problem and when we eventually leveled off I heard a long sigh from the right seat.

Although there was one more hot cylinder issue to deal with at 16,000 feet, we made it into CNY while the FBO was open and the mechanics on the field assured me that they would get to work on the probes first thing in the morning. During the next day, while we embarked on some great tours around this fantastic part of the country, the mechanic from Redtail Aviation, Josh Griffin, kept me up to speed on his progress. His confidence allowed me to enjoy this part of our adventure and I actually looked forward to our final destination in Oakland and a long visit with my son’s family and our grandson.

This makes the trip worthwhile.

The four-hour trip to OAK went without any glitches and flying at 75% power again was wonderful, although it was difficult not to look at the engine gauges every five minutes. Landing in Oakland and having my son and grandson meet us at the FBO made this exasperating trip a lot more tolerable.

Looking back on everything that happened along the way, I questioned myself if continuing the trip after the first hot cylinder warning was the right thing to do. I have always been a cautious pilot and after 44 years and 3800+ hours, I have had my share of experiences that I have learned lessons from. The first time when the temp came down so quickly I figured whatever got into the fuel injector had found its way out. The second time I was only an hour away from my destination and, knowing that things were restorable, I was comfortable continuing the flight. In retrospect, I feel I made the right decision. Although the first part of this cross country was not nearly as inexpensive or enjoyable as the first one was, my great co-pilot of a wife gave a thumbs up yes when I asked her if she’d ever do it again.

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from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2020/02/a-long-cross-country-and-a-lesson-learned/