#thanks fore my friend lena for help with this

[grandmaster-anne]

Relative Values: royal siblings Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips on miscarriage, horses and Harry and Meghan

Interviews by Audrey Ward | Published 29 July 2018

Zara

Peter and I are 3½ years apart. Because I was younger I was always trying to play catch-up with him. When we were little we fought a lot and he was pretty mischievous, but he would often say that if I did something he would get in trouble for it.

I joined him at boarding school in Dorset when I was eight. My mum [Princess Anne] originally said I wasn’t going, but I wanted to go where my brother was and my parents probably got fed up with me as well. It was different back then. They were always travelling. When they separated [Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips divorced in 1992] it was obviously sad, but the way they did it was not harmful to us. I don’t remember it as a painful time. And I had Pete.

I loved school, I loved sport and being with my mates all the time. I don’t know how much work I did. You do get homesick, but I had so much fun, and Pete was very protective. All his friends were too. They kept me out of trouble. After Dorset, I joined him at Gordonstoun. He hung out with a group of lads who liked to have fun, but he always knew how to get away with stuff. When he was made head boy, I thought, “How did you manage that?”

After school I decided to commit to riding to see if I was any good. I managed to find a horse called Toytown and it went from there. We went up the levels together, me and Toytown. I had a very good horse in him. Taking part in the world championships was a career highlight, along with winning silver in a home Olympics. My grandmother [the Queen] loves the horses. It’s easy for her to understand it. She’s very proud of all her grandchildren, everyone is doing such different things.

I met Mike [Tindall, the former England rugby captain] in 2003. In the beginning of our relationship, Pete was very watchful of how Mike treated me. He wanted the best for me. Did I ever hook up with any of his friends? No way. It was the complete opposite: “Don’t go near my sister.”

I think Pete found it quite strange when I had my first child [Mia, 4]. I’m not very maternal. If someone had a new baby and said, “Do you want to hold my baby?”, I’d go, “No thanks,” but I really enjoyed all of it when I had Mia. I shocked myself. There’s quite a big gap between Mia and Lena: Mia is about to start school; with Lena, who is a month old, I’m going back and doing it all again.

I had a miscarriage in 2016 and afterwards loads of people wrote to me and Mike to say they’d been through the same thing. In our case, it was something that was really rare; it was nature saying, “This one’s not right.” For me, the worst bit was that we had to tell everyone — everyone knew.

At the time, Pete was again very much the protective brother; he was very concerned about me, as was Mike. Everyone was. It was a time when my family came to the fore and I needed them. I had to go through having the baby because it was so far along. I then had another miscarriage really early on. You need to go through a period where you don’t talk about it because it’s too raw but, as with everything, time’s a great healer.

I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Pete, for his work, for his role as a family man. At his wedding to Autumn [Kelly, a Canadian management consultant, in 2008], I was so proud, and it was the same with William and Harry when they got married. I was happy for them to experience the next chapter of their lives. Pete is someone who I’ve looked up to all my life. When I was growing up, he was a great person to have around, he was very level-headed, very calm, considered and grounded. He’ll be there no matter what I need.

Peter

Zara and I always did a lot of stuff together as kids, anything from riding to helping out with the farm — or not helping out with the farm, depending on which way you looked at it. We were brought up in a very active environment. If it wasn’t raining we’d have to be outside; if it was raining we just had to put on the right clothing to go outside.

Most little sisters are annoying and Zara was no exception. She tried to boss me around and tell me what to do. Wild is probably an unfair attribute to attach to her, but she was certainly at the centre of anything that was happening that was fun and boisterous.

I have a huge sense of pride in Zara as an equestrian. What she achieved at the age she did was remarkable. She was never really fazed by — or she never seemed to be fazed by — a major championship or event. People trusted her to deliver in a high-pressure situation.

I’ve worked in sports marketing and sponsorship since I left Exeter University. I’ve spent time at Jaguar Racing, Williams and the Royal Bank of Scotland, where I headed up their global Formula One sponsorship programme.

Harry and Meghan’s wedding was a really happy occasion. The weather and the fact that it was at Windsor helped everyone massively, it just added a slightly more relaxed feel to it. Windsor is such a special place. Autumn and I were the last ones [in the family] to get married there, and it was almost 10 years ago to the day. There’s definitely a different feel to things when they’re not in London or at Buckingham Palace.

Zara and I live 200 yards apart. It’s very difficult to keep my daughters and her elder daughter apart. At weekends it’s always, “What’s Mia doing?” When Mia arrived it was quite difficult to compute. Zara has always been the little sister and suddenly I thought, “Christ, you’ve properly grown up now.” That rather annoying little sister is now a well-respected equestrian and an exceptional mother. If my daughters come close to achieving what Zara’s achieved, I’d be happy.

STRANGE HABITS

Zara on Peter He sings really badly, but my singing voice is not very good either

Peter on Zara I genuinely don’t know. I can’t come up with a single one

[templeofgloom]

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken

Summary: Young Lara Croft is at the crossroads in her life. Meeting an elderly archaeologist gives her some insight on what she should do. Based on the original 90's version of Lara Croft and her backstory.

Lara Croft took a deep breath.

This was fine.

Before her father had time to say anything more she turned around. "Sorry, Father. I think I should go and mingle."

She stepped to the door and opened it. If her father wanted to say something more he'd have to cause a scene.

But he was too much of a coward to!

Lara stepped out, her heels clicking on the marble floor. She was trembling and didn't want her father to see it.

"Lara!"

She turned to look at the blonde man. "Oh, there you are. Dear." She spat out the last word out like a curse.

The Earl of Farringdon paused for a moment, before smiling again. "Yes. Had a good talk? With your dad?"

"Absolutely."

God, he was so... Boringly pleasant.

She had known Thomas Farringdon since she was ten, and had been as unimpressed by him when their parents had made them play together.

Lara wanted to spat on the polished floor. Of course, even then, her father had wanted her to marry the boy one day!

Her father's words echoed in her mind.

"You would be a fool to turn down an earl, Lara! Don't be a child!"

She was in her twenties! She had experienced things her father had no idea of!

She turned to glare at the man next to her. Or him.

He reminded her of a dog. And not even one of those sleek racing greyhounds, or feisty hunting dogs that would disappear into the undergrowth, running after a fox. If he was like that at least Lara could have respected him.

No, the blonde young man was like a Labrador, kind and friendly and loyal.

And so very very boring.

He offered his arm to her. "Shall we go?"

"Yes," Lara told him.

Instead of taking his arm she started to walk towards the main hall where most of the quests were.

Thomas walked after her. "Um, so. About the wedding..."

"Wedding?"

"I thought you talked about that with your father? I mean, my parents think, my mother told me to ask you when you-"

When Lara had gone to talk with her father it had been with the intention of telling him she was breaking off the engagement. But she hesitated now to tell it to him.

"I'll see-"

He was still following her. She looked around the room full of quests, trying to think of an excuse.

She felt like she was suffocating at the sight of aristocrats talking to each other, exchanging superficial greetings.

Her eye caught something.

An old man who looked completely out of place, standing up the stairs, apart from rest of the people.

He was not, apart from his battered old fedora, dressed untidily as such. But the quality of the tailoring on his old-fashioned suit and bow-tie set him apart from the other quests who would not have been seen dead in anything but the latest haute couture.

Lara started walking towards him. He seemed to be examining the stained glass window.

"I see someone I know," Lara lied.

The earl looked up. "Oh?"

"Be a dear and go get yourself some refreshments. I am going to catch up with him."

"Who?" He looked at the old man. "Doctor Jones?"

The name was familiar somehow.

"Yes." Lara turned to look at him. "So?"

Finally the earl took the hint and walked off.

Figuring out she might as well talk to the weird old guy, Lara stepped to the man.

Doctor Jones turned to look at her, and Lara noticed he had an eye-patch covering his right eye. He glanced at the earl. "Was that boy giving you trouble?"

So, nothing wrong with his hearing, at least.

"That boy is my fiance," Lara informed him. "Also yes."

"Long story I take it."

He turned to point at the window. "Wonderful work. 13thcentury, I believe. It might be even be older. Unfortunately it's hard to track that down, I believe it was moved to this mansion from a French church some time in the 19th century."

"Are you here for the windows?"

"Yes, actually. I heard this mansion was very interesting architecturally, so I managed to get an invitation. I did a favor to the count some decades ago."

Lara gave him a look. He looked old, at the very least in his 70's.

And the name was familiar...

Then it clicked. "Doctor- You are Indiana Jones!"

Indiana gave her a look and tipped his fedora. "The one and only."

"You wrote the adventures of Henry the Cat!"

Indiana gave her a surprised look before a pleased smile spread on his face. "Yes, I did indeed."

Lara blushed. "I mean, I read them when I was- very little. I did read your traveling books later, of course, and some of your historical novels."

"I hope you enjoyed them. Henry the Cat especially."

"I did."

"I did write them for kids. I wanted to write something children could read, or their parents could read to them, and it would teach them about history and different cultures in a child-friendly way. And maybe get them interested in actual archaeology and history and languages when they got older."

"It definitely worked with me."

She had treasured the books depicting the adventures of a smart little cat with a suddenly-familiar looking fedora. He had gone on adventures and traveled to different countries and learned new languages and discovered treasures in mysterious ruins. At the time Lara had not fully appreciated the way the author had woven real facts and lessons into the books, but they had first gotten Lara fascinated with mysteries and ancient civilizations, and when she had discovered the author had written books for older kids and even adults, she had been delighted.

Indiana smiled. "That's the best feedback you could give me."

Lara nodded. "Of course, just sitting behind the desk, writing, that's easy."

She couldn't keep the bitterness from her voice.

She shifted her weight slightly. Her side was still bandaged, and there was pain when she moved her body in certain ways. She couldn't have worn her favorite dress because of it, and had gone for something far more baggy than usual.

Indiana gave her a curious look. "It's a big world out there. I know you probably feel like an adult but trust me, I did think I had seen everything too when I was your age."

"Really? Had you? Had you watched your friends die in front of you?"

"Dear child..."

There was something more in Indiana's look now. Suddenly his gaze seemed sharper as if Lara was just some interesting historical artifact for him to examine.

He took Lara's hand and examined her fingers. "Frost bite."

"Yes."

"It should heal fully... You were lucky."

"Lucky, huh?"

"You are alive."

"And for what?" Lara turned to look at the party. "For this? For a marriage with some... Man who has never set foot outside England except to go on a beach holiday."

"You are still young."

Lara turned to look at him. He had to understand.

So she told him everything.

How she had been returning from a skiing trip with her friends. How the plane had crashed on the Himalayas. How she had been the only survivor, and fought to stay alive.

When she had set eyes on the small mountain village she had felt like she was saved.

But now that she was back home, she would have rather died.

"Or not died," she corrected. "Disappeared into the mountains. I was... I felt alive."

Indiana, who had been listening without a word, nodded. "But you lived to fight an another day. There is nothing stopping you from going back into the nature, to the unknown."

"There is."

Lara took a deep breath. "My father. Lord Henshingley Croft. I told him I couldn't... Even if I stayed, I can't live the life he wants me to."

It was easy to tell Indiana all this. Perhaps it was because Lara was convinced they would never meet again after this. She could finally put to words what she felt. What it was that felt so especially suffocating.

"I can't marry the man he wants me to. I don't think. I can't see myself marrying anyone. Definitely not someone picked up for me like we were two pedigree horses to be bred."

"And your father is... Old-fashioned like that?"

"I told him I was going to break off the engagement, and he told me I was free to do so. But that he would cut me off financially."

He would do it, Lara was certain of it. No more skiing trips to Switzerland, or holidays in exotic places. He would do his best to clip her wings.

"Ah. I know a thing or two about unsupportive fathers."

"What did you do?"

"I left home. Joined the Belgian army."

"To fight the Nazis?"

Indiana patted her shoulder. "First world war."

"You're old!"

"And I have seen a lot. Known many people. Believe me, you have it better than many people do. If you make preparations, and have at least some family members who will support you, you can do it. You can walk away."

"Maybe I will," Lara told him. "But I could marry the earl. Old Tom is very dull, but kind. I could wrap him around my little finger. Would it really matter I don't love him? Most of the marriages here are not based on love as much as being able to tolerate each other."

"That's not true. Well, not all of them. But want a piece of advice from an old man?"

"Why do I get the feeling you are going to give it to me whether I wanted it or not?"

"Fair. But indulge me. At my age it is sometimes fun to play the wise all-knowing sage." Indiana raised a finger. "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

"I think I have seen that on a greeting card," Lara mumbled.

She turned towards Indiana. "Anyway, once I'm back home, I will find my old Henry the Cat books and send them for you to sign.

Indiana tipped her hat. "It would be a pleasure."

Lara felt better now. There was clarity. She had clawed her way through both a Girls boarding school, and icy wilderness. She could find a way to support herself.

Be herself.

Be free.

[hrh-princessanne]

Relative Values: royal siblings Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips on miscarriage, horses and Harry and Meghan Zara and her brother Peter on her miscarriage heartbreak and their happiness for the newlywed couple

Zara Peter and I are 3½ years apart. Because I was younger I was always trying to play catch-up with him. When we were little we fought a lot and he was pretty mischievous, but he would often say that if I did something he would get in trouble for it.

I joined him at boarding school in Dorset when I was eight. My mum [Princess Anne] originally said I wasn’t going, but I wanted to go where my brother was and my parents probably got fed up with me as well. It was different back then. They were always travelling. When they separated [Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips divorced in 1992] it was obviously sad, but the way they did it was not harmful to us. I don’t remember it as a painful time. And I had Pete.

I loved school, I loved sport and being with my mates all the time. I don’t know how much work I did. You do get homesick, but I had so much fun, and Pete was very protective. All his friends were too. They kept me out of trouble. After Dorset, I joined him at Gordonstoun. He hung out with a group of lads who liked to have fun, but he always knew how to get away with stuff. When he was made head boy, I thought, “How did you manage that?”

After school I decided to commit to riding to see if I was any good. I managed to find a horse called Toytown and it went from there. We went up the levels together, me and Toytown. I had a very good horse in him. Taking part in the world championships was a career highlight, along with winning silver in a home Olympics. My grandmother [the Queen] loves the horses. It’s easy for her to understand it. She’s very proud of all her grandchildren, everyone is doing such different things.

I met Mike [Tindall, the former England rugby captain] in 2003. In the beginning of our relationship, Pete was very watchful of how Mike treated me. He wanted the best for me. Did I ever hook up with any of his friends? No way. It was the complete opposite: “Don’t go near my sister.”

I think Pete found it quite strange when I had my first child [Mia, 4]. I’m not very maternal. If someone had a new baby and said, “Do you want to hold my baby?”, I’d go, “No thanks,” but I really enjoyed all of it when I had Mia. I shocked myself. There’s quite a big gap between Mia and Lena: Mia is about to start school; with Lena, who is a month old, I’m going back and doing it all again.

I had a miscarriage in 2016 and afterwards loads of people wrote to me and Mike to say they’d been through the same thing. In our case, it was something that was really rare; it was nature saying, “This one’s not right.” For me, the worst bit was that we had to tell everyone — everyone knew.

At the time, Pete was again very much the protective brother; he was very concerned about me, as was Mike. Everyone was. It was a time when my family came to the fore and I needed them. I had to go through having the baby because it was so far along. I then had another miscarriage really early on. You need to go through a period where you don’t talk about it because it’s too raw but, as with everything, time’s a great healer.

I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Pete, for his work, for his role as a family man. At his wedding to Autumn [Kelly, a Canadian management consultant, in 2008], I was so proud, and it was the same with William and Harry when they got married. I was happy for them to experience the next chapter of their lives. Pete is someone who I’ve looked up to all my life. When I was growing up, he was a great person to have around, he was very level-headed, very calm, considered and grounded. He’ll be there no matter what I need.

Peter Zara and I always did a lot of stuff together as kids, anything from riding to helping out with the farm — or not helping out with the farm, depending on which way you looked at it. We were brought up in a very active environment. If it wasn’t raining we’d have to be outside; if it was raining we just had to put on the right clothing to go outside.

Most little sisters are annoying and Zara was no exception. She tried to boss me around and tell me what to do. Wild is probably an unfair attribute to attach to her, but she was certainly at the centre of anything that was happening that was fun and boisterous.

I have a huge sense of pride in Zara as an equestrian. What she achieved at the age she did was remarkable. She was never really fazed by — or she never seemed to be fazed by — a major championship or event. People trusted her to deliver in a high-pressure situation.

I’ve worked in sports marketing and sponsorship since I left Exeter University. I’ve spent time at Jaguar Racing, Williams and the Royal Bank of Scotland, where I headed up their global Formula One sponsorship programme.

Harry and Meghan’s wedding was a really happy occasion. The weather and the fact that it was at Windsor helped everyone massively, it just added a slightly more relaxed feel to it. Windsor is such a special place. Autumn and I were the last ones [in the family] to get married there, and it was almost 10 years ago to the day. There’s definitely a different feel to things when they’re not in London or at Buckingham Palace.

Zara and I live 200 yards apart. It’s very difficult to keep my daughters and her elder daughter apart. At weekends it’s always, “What’s Mia doing?” When Mia arrived it was quite difficult to compute. Zara has always been the little sister and suddenly I thought, “Christ, you’ve properly grown up now.” That rather annoying little sister is now a well-respected equestrian and an exceptional mother. If my daughters come close to achieving what Zara’s achieved, I’d be happy.

STRANGE HABITS

Zara on Peter He sings really badly, but my singing voice is not very good either Peter on Zara I genuinely don’t know. I can’t come up with a single one

[doyumacy]

FALLOUT |LH| THREE

gif not mine

PAIRING: donghyuck x reader bodyguard!donghyuck

WARNINGS: mentions of taeyong. swearing, blood (i’ll let you know when there are parts with blood mentions), smut (let you know), violence, angst

WORD COUNT: 2,7K

ONE TWO THREE FOUR

“Thank you for meeting me at a late hour,” said the man in front of Donghyuck.

“Sure, no problem,” Donghyuck nodded. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“I saw you’re getting along with my daughter, and before you say something I saw you two getting along pretty girl this morning,” he looked at him.” And to be honest, I don't care how you do your work, but I needed to remind you why I hired you,” your father stared at him.

“I haven’t forgotten it, sir. I’m going at my own pace, besides it would be very suspicious to kill her right after I spend 12 hours with her a day,” Donghyuck let him know. “I’ll get the job done. You don't have to worry.”

“I do worry though,” your father placed a hand on his chin. “She’s supposed to meet with the Prime Minister in 2 months. I’m sure he’ll work with her, I mean, the UN is doing so, why wouldn't he as well?

“I don’t care what you have to do. I want her dead. She’s getting bigger and bigger and stealing my best clients,” he groaned. “This is my business and she suddenly thinks she can come over and take what’s mine? No. Get fucking rid of her.”

Donghyuck nodded. “I will.”

…

After another long week, you decided to meet with Taeyong and Lena and have dinner with them since it had been so long since you saw them.

When you arrived at the restaurant, you turned to Donghyuck and smiled kindly to him, “you can go now. Take the night off. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I don’t think I should leave you here alone,” Donghyuck said to you.

“I’m not alone, Taeyong’s bodyguards are here and Lena’s security team will stay as well,” You informed him. “I’m well secured.”

“I still don’t feel comfortable by leaving you,” he confessed.

You  grinned and put a hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder, “I’ll be fine, Donghyuck. Really.”

Donghyuck looked at you directly in the eye for a couple of seconds and wished he could kiss you. He nodded, “fine, I’ll have my phone with me all night in case you need something.”

“Noted,” you smirked, “goodnight, Hyuck.”

“Hyuck?” Donghyuck beamed.

“Well, since you won't stop calling me ‘ma’am’ I decided to give you a nickname as well,” you shrugged.

“But ma’am is not a nickname…” Donghyuck looked at you.

“You don't want me to call you Hyuck?” you pouted.

“You can call me whatever you want, (Y/N)” He winked at you.

You bit your lip and smiled at him. “Maybe I will.”

Donghyuck smirked and turned, but before he started to walk, he turned again to you, “let me stay. I don't feel good leaving you here all alone.”

You pressed your lips for a moment and then nodded. “But you’re staying as my friend, not my bodyguard.”

“Deal.”

You didn't remember when was the last time you had fun and even got tipsy. A year ago maybe? You were not a bad drinker and you could take some shots with Lena, but not with Taeyong. His alcohol tolerance was so low.

By almost 1 am, you hugged your friends goodbye and Donghyuck had one arm around you as he half-carried, half-guided you to the car. Maybe you had more shots than the ones you could take.

"I signed up to be your bodyguard, not your designated driver." Donghyuck joked as he looked for the car keys inside his suit jacket.

"You could be both," You said slowly, having to put more effort into your words than usual since you were sloshed.

Donghyuck  laughed. "Maybe so, but I preferred just doing one."

"Heeeey, you could do the partner thing soon."

"I don't remember mentioning a partner thing."

You licked your lips as you tried to remember what the phrase he'd first used was. "Designated driver. Only, instead of just dragging me to a car, we'd be getting sloshed together."

"That does sound more fun,” he said as he helped you to get in the car and fasten the seat belt.

You smiled dumbly and looked at him. “Have I told you you’re gorgeous? God, I love your skin and oh! Your moles in your cheeks are beautiful, I wanna plant some kisses on them.”

"Thanks," he said, trying to hide his smile. "It's nice to be appreciated."

"In all my life, I've never met someone that made me feel like you do," You said, speaking a foreing language.

"I don't know what you just said, but I'm going to assume it was complimentary."

You nodded. You kissed Donghyuck's left cheek because it was there. "The prettiest thing I've ever seen."  

Donghyuck swallowed thickly. He didn't need to understand the language to know that whatever you said was something he would appreciate. The kiss sent tingles down his spine, and your mouth was still resting close enough to him that you could feel his breath hot against your skin. "As much as we would enjoy that, we need to stop. It’s not correct.”

"You're right. But you're just so pretty," you whined. "It's really not fair. You should try to be less pretty; it would make my life easier."

"You can live with it," Donghyuck said.

The ride to your place wasn't long. He finally found the keycard and put it in the door for him. He unlocked it and pushed the door open. You looked pretty comfy where you were, and it made shuffling him inside your big modern flat roof house. "C'mon baby, you've got to get in bed."  

"But you're not there," You said, sounding awfully petulant about it.

Donghyuck chuckled. "No, but you'll get to sleep just fine without it."

"That's what you think."

"Love, you're drunk enough that you'll definitely pass out before the night's through."

"Aww, you called me 'love'. No ma'am."

Donghyuck was still right next to you though, so he was able to keep you from falling over. "My last boyfriend, well, Yuta was never my boyfriend, but he called me 'doll' but I sort of hated it."

"You do seem like you'd prefer the sweeter pet names. Sweetheart, things like that."

"Feel free to call me sweetheart as much as you want. Sounds beautiful coming out of your mouth."

"I think I will. After I stop working on protecting you, that is."

"Boring." You yawned. "You sure I can't convince you to stay?"

"Not while I'm working for you, and definitely not while you're sloshed." Donghyuck brought you to your room and took off your shoes when you collapsed back on the bed. "If you want to get undressed more, you're going to have to do it yourself, sweetheart," he said, then kissed your forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

“I’m coming!” You groaned, walking to the front door where someone was ringing the doorbell. You opened it and you found a smiley Taeyong holding a kraft delivery bag. How did he look all shiny after leaving the restaurant in the same state as you?

“Good morning, sunshine,” he greeted you. “You look terrible this morning.”

“I was looking forward to hearing that, ass,” you grunted. “Come on in, the sunlight is killing me.”

“I’m not gonna find a naked Donghyuck, am I?” Taeyong looked at you.

You rolled your eyes and he entered your house. You shut the door behind him. “By the way, where is he? I didn’t see him in the entrance.”

“He has the day off,” you said, walking to the kitchen.

“So, you fucked with him?” Taeyong placed the food bag on the counter and he took off his jacket.

“No… but I did try to seduce him,” you grimaced.

“You did what?” His mouth gaped open.

“I told him he has the prettiest man I’ve ever seen and kissed his cheek,” you laughed a little. “Not that I lied. And then I invited him to stay over and he said it was not correct.”

Taeyong chuckled. “Oh my, God, this is so good. And then what happened?”

“Nothing, he left!” You sighed and then goggled. “What if he sues me? Did I harass him?”

“Woah, woah,” Taeyong shook his hands in the air, “he likes you, I can tell by the way he looked at you all night and he would’ve totally fucked you if he wasn't your bodyguard.”

“I don't even know how to look at him now,” you ran a hand through your hair. “He’s so hot that it makes me mad. All I want is him to pin me to a wall and fu-”

“I don't need the details, thanks,” Taeyong shut you down, “but what I can tell you is that you will end up pinned to a wall, any day now.”

You giggled. “Hopefully.”

Monday. Long day at the office. You barely had seen Donghyuck since you spent all day inside your office and he stayed right outside the door. You felt… sad? You missed his voice that day and his gorgeous face. You suddenly hated Mondays.

Lia knocked at your door right before the lunch break and left some papers for you to read and sign and some correspondence as well. When you finished reading and signing the papers, you opened a few envelopes where some people and companies were inviting you to some events. The last envelope was different from the rest since it was red and had a black stamp on it. You frowned and pursued to open it.

Inside the envelope there was a note written with letters clippings from a magazine and said:

IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN AT NIGHT.

YOU’RE DEAD.

You put the letter on the desk and swallowed. You weren't usually scared of hate comments, but this wasn't a hate comment. It was a letter. Threatening you.

You felt dizzy and your entire body started shaking. Who had sent you that? And why? You took a deep breath and stood up trying to walk to your bathroom in your office but failed. You tripped on your heels and hit the ground.

Then it hit you. They were inside the building. You weren't even safe in your own office. You wanted to throw up. You wanted to cry.

You tried to stand up but couldn't. Your legs weren’t responding and seconds later, you bursted into tears. You were scared. So scared.

Donghyuck had been replaying Friday’s night in his head during the whole weekend. He couldn't stop thinking about you and how good your lips felt against his skin. He hated himself so much for not being able to forget it.

On Monday he barely saw you and he hated it. He got you were busy but Donghyuck needed, at least, to talk to you and hear your voice and he didn't get that.

After he ate lunch, he returned and stood in the same place he had been standing all morning, hoping you’d get out of your office and going somewhere where you two could talk but didn't happen.

Donghyuck checked his watch on his left wrist and frowned. It was almost 2 pm and you hadn't had lunch yet. He turned and knocked at the door twice and he didn't get any response. He knocked one more time and decided to open it when you didn't respond again.

And that's when he saw you on the floor, crying and shaking. Donghyuck almost ran to you and kneeled in front of you cupping your face. “(Y/N)? What happened? Are you hurt?”

You choked on your words and got closer to him, holding him tight. He held you instantly and placed a hand on your head. “Talk to me, what happened, baby?” Donghyuck whispered in your ear.

The letter still sat on your desk.

Sungho was on the phone to the police while you sat with your arms wrapped around Donghyuck who was simply staring at the offensive stationary. Less than twenty minutes later the entire apartment was invaded by police, looking for clues to who had left it for you.

“Miss (Y/LN)” the Captain took the seat across from you, “Are you okay?”

You lifted your chin slightly, “I’m better, Captain. Just angry and scared at whoever sent this.”

He didn’t miss the way you kept your eyes averted from the piece of paper.

“They didn’t send it, (Y/L/N),” he stated, “It was an inside job"

You took in a sharp breath and Donghyuck held you tighter.

“I suggest you hire more security. My men will be here as well,” he  told you, “But I can’t leave them here indefinitely.”

You nodded. "Thanks, captain."

When the police left, Donghyuck and Sungho decided it was the best to leave the office and you obeyed them. When you got home, Donghyuck told you to change the passcodes of every door in your house and he’d stay there until they knew who had sent the letter. You agreed since you didn't want to be alone in your house.

When you got home you did what Donghyuck told you and changed every passcode. You sighed and hugged yourself. You felt exhausted.

Donghyuck approached you and looked at you. “You feel better?”

“Kinda,” you admitted. “My head is killing me.”

“Why don’t you go and take a bath while I make something for you to eat?” He caressed your cheek with his right thumb. “You need to eat something.”

You nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time,” he placed a kiss on your forehead and you wrapped your arms around his waist.

“Is there a chance you could come with me?”

“Not even the slightest,” he now kissed your cheek.

You sighed. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”

You looked at yourself in the mirror and furrowed. Did you deserve this? Maybe. Was he maybe behind the letter? You didn't think so.

When you sold Kim Doyoung that powerful software one year back he was clear he wouldn't even bother you. Did he maybe hear about your meeting with the Prime Minister? Did he know you were about to sell him off so you could do business with the government?

Donghyuck was chopping some vegetables and couldn't stop thinking who could be behind the letter. It was not certainly your father since he had hired him to kill you, but who was it?

You were clean. Way too clean.

Unless… you werent.

You came back downstairs and smiled when you found Doyoung in your kitchen. You could get used to that.

"What am I protecting you from (Y/N)?" he asked softly after you two finished eating, trying to meet your gaze as you looked at him over the brim of your glass. "What is it that you're not telling me?"

You blinked a few times. "What do you mean?"

Donghycuk sighed and repeated his question.

You didn't reply. You just stood up, placing your glass down silently before you walked towards the kitchen.

Donghyuck followed you without second thought, cornering you again in the hallway leading towards the kitchen. "What are you hiding from me?" he demanded, his hand pushing against your chest and pressing you against the wall. "I want the truth."

"It's... nothing," you came in the response and it only served to infuriate him more.

Donghyuck wanted to scream at you until you told him the truth, but as you stood there, staring into his eyes and standing close enough to feel your breath on his face... Instead, he did something that surprised both of you.

Lee Donghyuck kissed you.

It was impulsive and it was reckless. It took you a second to come to terms with what was happening but your lips were moving against Donghyuck in perfect synchronisation, your lips slotting together like they’ve always meant to be like that.

Donghyuck felt like his entire body was doused in gasoline and you had the match, every inch of him ready to combust. His heart raced as the adrenaline ran through his veins and he couldn't help but note that this feeling was so addictive he didn't think he would ever be able to stop if he didn't right now.

Donghyuck loved how heavenly his lips felt against yours, how warm your touch was and how it sent electricity coursing through his vein each time your soft fingers explored a new part of his body.

You were the one to pull apart and as much as Donghyuck hated it, he felt a pang of disappointment. "Trust me."

Donghyuck swallowed and looked at your swollen red lips. "I would never forgive myself if something happens to you."

"I'm gonna be fine. You're with me." You looked at him.

[prodigal-sunlight]

Starsigns

Relationship: Gabriel Reyes/Jack Morrison Warnings: Mild language, PDA Additional Info: Space AU, Mutual Pining, Sombra ruins everything

Summary: After forty years in cryosleep, the crew of the ISS Watchpoint is finally near their interstellar destination. But even after traveling so far together, can Gabe and Jack breach the space that keeps them apart?

AO3: Still waiting on that invite, link will come later :3

Gabriel Reyes, call sign "Reaper," had been asleep for exactly thirty-nine years, three months, and eleven days. It was a long time to be sleeping, sure, but there was still another year of travel before the ISS Watchpoint would finally reach its orbital destination.

One long year of endless boredom, adrift in the middle of nowhere while they prepped systems for the multi–light year research broadcast. And people thought space travel was exciting.

Gabriel yawned as he shut down the cryogenic pod, letting the glass slide shut. It powered down with an electronic chirp, and the dim lights inside blinked off. Stretching, he pushed off the wall, floating weightlessly to the hatch, sliding through into the narrow hallway.

"Morning," he mumbled, grabbing onto a handle in the wall to stop his flight.  Lena Oxton, call sign "Tracer," was floating upside down across the shuttle, raiding a hatch in the wall for something to eat. She turned her head at the sound of his voice, breaking into a friendly grin.

“Mornin' Reaper!" she said brightly, throwing a plastic food packet to him. It floated over easily. Gabriel grabbed the tube, giving her a thankful nod. He made a face, ripping off the top, forcing the grainy protein goop down his throat. He’d kill for some warm scrambled eggs and a plate of fresh bacon right about now. Instead, he was stuck with cold lime oatmeal.

"Who else is awake?" he asked, wiping at his mouth with the back of his palm, stifling down a yawn.

Tracer paused, considering the question as she floated some peanuts into her mouth, crunching on them thoughtfully. "Well, Mercy woke up about a week early,” she said. “She only just finished getting the medical bay back online. Torbjorn, Genji, D.Va and I all woke up different times yesterday and the day before. So the only folks still asleep are Mcree, Ana, and Mei. The doc says they should be awake ‘fore the week is out."

Gabriel paused, raising an eyebrow. "Okay,” he said slowly, leaning back midair. “But what about Jack?"

Tracer kicked lightly off the wall, spinning herself playfully. "Why d’you wanna know?" She asked, grinning with mischief in her eyes. "Aww, don’t tell me—are you worried 'bout him?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes, staring her down irritably, refusing to give the cheeky Brit the satisfaction of an answer.

"Stop giving me that evil eye, love!" Tracer huffed, crossing her arms. "Commander Morrison woke up two days ago. Genji told me he's up in the cockpit getting contact back up with mission control. The Commander actually asked to see you soon as you woke up," she added, breaking back into a smile. “Seems he’s as worried ‘bout you as you are ‘bout him.”

He felt his heart jump suddenly in his chest, his cheeks warming—probably just another after effect of cryogenic sleep. Still, he couldn’t help but be glad Jack wanted to see him. He nodded, glancing towards the cockpit. "I got it. See you later." He kicked off the wall, propelling himself up towards the front of the shuttle.

"Don't forget your rubbish!" yelled Tracer, grabbing the empty goo tube he'd abandoned, shoving it in the pocket of her uniform jumpsuit. He smirked as she grumbled behind him, feeling her glare burning in the soles of his boots. "You’re a bloody trash man, Reyes!"

Ignoring her below, he pulled himself up the hall. A short ways up the shuttle, Torbjorn and D.Va floated next to an open wiring panel, picking at the machinery inside, chatting absently. He gave them a quick wave as he brushed past, but they were distracted enough with their that they didn’t offer much except for a flash of a smile and a quick hello.

Gabriel opened the hatch into the cockpit, pulling himself in. The room was small, but everything on the shuttle was—Torbjorn said it was about conservation of space or something like that. Sure it was all fine for him, he matched the ship’s scale.

Gabriel pulled himself down along the rows of seats, peering past the high narrow backs of the chairs.

"This is Commander Jack Morrison of the ISS Watchpoint. Mission Control, do you copy? I repeat, do you copy?” There was a pause, marred only by radio static. “No response, moving to frequency channel twelve. This is Commander Jack Morrison of the—"

"Hey there old man," Gabriel said, latching onto Jack as he floated over, anchoring himself on.

Jack blinked in surprise, breaking into an grin. "Old man, huh? You aren’t talking about me, are you?"

Gabriel stuck out his tongue. "You were born like eighty years ago Jack. Cryo sleep or no, you’re still old."

Jack laughed, narrowing his eyes. "And you’re saying you aren't?"

Gabriel swooned dramatically. "Haven't you noticed Jacky?” he said, pressing a hand to his chest. “My beauty is ageless.”

Jack bit back a laugh, rolling his eyes to try and hide it. He paused, his lined expression softening. "It’s good to see you awake Gabe.”

“What, were you watching me sleeping?” Gabriel said. It was meant to be teasing, but the bite fell out of his words—they came out soft, gentle.

“Too busy for that,” Jack said softly. He reached up, resting a hand on Gabriel’s arm, running his fingers across his skin gently. “Gabe. . .You're really cold."

Gabriel pulled away quickly. He'd been touching Jack for too long. Friends or not, there was a difference in rank between them now, and some things were just crossing the line. "Well, I did just crawl out a cryogenic pod, so—"

Jack turned to face him, his soft expression quickly disappearing behind his usual serious mask. “Right,” he said, suddenly brisk. “Anyway, I have some mission parameters I need to discuss with you about the coming year.”

Looking away, Gabriel nodded, dragging himself down into one of the seats, locking his ankles underneath to keep from floating away. “Of course. No contact with mission control yet?”

“There are a couple more frequencies I’ve been told to try,” Jack said dismissively, picking up a small stack of papers, flipping through. “Torbjorn and Hana are giving the whole shuttle a maintenance review, and Angela is giving Genji a preliminary checkup so he and Tracer can head outside and check the satellite dish.”

“What do you need from me?” Gabriel asked impatiently, leaning back into the chair. He felt a tear of regret in his stomach for pulling back, wishing his arms were still locked around Jack’s shoulders. He felt an ache for his touch. But they were professionals. And they had important things they needed to focus on. There wasn’t time for distractions.

Ranks needed to be respected.

“One of your tasks was to prepare for a contingency scenario in case contact with mission control can’t be made,” Jack said, looking away, stress lining his sharp features. He took a deep breath, glancing out the window at the dark world beyond. “There’s no certainty yet, of course, there’s still a fair chance that we’ll reestablish contact, but it’s important that we’re prepared.”

“Sure. I’ve got everything ready. Do you need anything else, or can I go prep for the contingency scenarios?” Gabriel asked flatly, looking away.

Jack paused, nodding silently, looking again out the window, his eyes tracing the shapes in the sky. “That’s everything.”

Gabriel looked away, taking a deep breath. He was going to need to go ask Angela about their supply reserves. Of course, it wasn’t much help that Ana was still under. He was just going to have to wait on that, then. “Alright. If that’s everything you wanted to say, I’m just going to head down to the medical bay to discuss this with Doctor Ziegler, and—”

"I'm sorry Gabe."

Gabriel paused, turning away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jack looked down, taking a heavy deep breath. "I know you wanted to be commander on this mission. I know you've always wanted this. And you deserved it. I should have said no, turned the position down and told them that I. . .I don't know. I'm just. . .so sorry. About all of it."

Gabriel snorted, rubbing quickly at his eyes. He couldn't start crying now, not with how embarrassingly obvious zero gravity would make it. "Listen, Jack, it's fine, alright? I don't really care about it."

"We both know that's not true," Jack said softly, running his hand back through his floppy yellow hair. They both fell quiet, floating in one another's air, the only sound coming from the soft buzz of the ventilation system and the omnipresent thrum of the massive engine.

Hesitantly, Gabriel lifted his eyes, offering a tired smile, frustration lining his expression. "Still can't believe I've got to answer to you now, 'Commander’ Morrison."

Jack managed to weakly return the smile, snorting. "Trust me Gabe, the disbelief is mutual."

There was another pause in conversation, then Jack spoke again, absentmindedly scratching his stubbly chin. "Do you remember back in the training program?” he asked, his words slow, cautiously chosen. “When we dated for a few months? Gabe, why. . .why did we stop?"

Gabriel considered the question, a bitterness swelling up in his chest. "I told you back then. I had to focus on training so I could get a command position. Both of us did."

Jack's face flushed red as he pushed away from the dashboard, floating barely closer. “Gabe,” he said softly, searching Gabriel’s dark eyes needingly. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is, well, we aren’t really in training anymore. We're all the way out here. Together. Even before we went under the cryo sleep, I just couldn't stop thinking. It was always on my mind. I just kept thinking that maybe things could change. That maybe we could. . .you know what, never mind. We. . .we just have to focus on the mission. There's too much we have to think about right now. Just. . .forget I said anything."

Jack fell quiet, eyes turned away, seeming almost unaware that Gabriel was watching him. The orange mission jumpsuit sharpened his lean, well–built figure against the silvers and grays of the shuttle's interior wall. He cut an unearthly silhouette against the window, framed by the beautiful inky void, starlight reflecting off his golden hair.

He was beautiful, but more important than that, he was Jack. His Jack, always there, always pushing to be stronger, faster, better. Always ready to do what had to be done for the sake of others and for the sake of the mission. Always there, always close. But not close enough.

He was sick of this thin thread between them. He needed Jack, and he was pretty damn certain Jack needed him too.

Gabriel grabbed Jack's shoulder, pulling himself in close, feeling the warmth of Jack's skin on his. Their fingers slipped into the spaces between, a perfect, wonderful fit. They floated together, sharing their breath, their moment of quiet peace.

Gabriel lifted his eyes, meeting Jack's, his heart pounding heavily in his throat. "Jack," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Can I—"

"Yes," Jack said softly, already leaning in. Their lips slid together, pressing into each other, their skin brushing close. Gabriel slid his hands up along Jack's neck, pulling him close, savoring the closeness, the warmth. He could feel Jack’s pulse, steady and strong, pumping life into them both.

Jack pulled back for just a moment, catching his breath before sliding back with a renewed hunger, a need. He pressed himself close, moving with a desire and a purpose.

They intertwined themselves, digging into one another, as if desperate for this moment, this connection, to last between them forever. They breath was heavy, as if drinking in what they’d waited for, what they’d been wanting for so long now.

It wasn’t forgiveness, exactly, at least, not yet. But it was an invitation. Another chance to try, another chance at what they had both been waiting on. Gabriel pulled back slowly, his lip brushing across Jack's softly, before leaning reluctantly away, his eyes still tracing Jack’s mouth.

Jack offered a flustered smile, catching his breath. "I guess I didn't realize how much I missed that,” he said softly, his voice quiet and breathy. His hand tightened around Gabriel’s. “How much. . .I missed you."

Gabriel closed his eyes, leaning his cheek gently against Jack's, breathing in the smell of his skin. It was a soft, leathery smell, familiar and comforting. "Missed you too, Jackie," he murmured, resting in the warmth of their shared embrace. 

“Aw, how cute." The communications panel lit up on the dashboard. "And you say you two were in training together? Adorable. I’ll give it, say, seven out of ten. Points off for pacing and poor visuals, but not bad, not bad at all."

Turning an unnaturally bright shade of red, Jack scrambled back to the panel, holding down the answer button. "Who–who is this? How do you have this channel?" he stammered.

The staticky voice chuckled. "Sorry for the wait commander—our satellite was down due to a few unfortunate circumstances. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it. You can call me Sombra. I'm the main computer officer for mission control, at your service.

“I'll be guiding you through this next year. But there'll be some things I think the two of you can do on your own, si? Unfortunately, I don't believe we packed any protection, so you’ll be on your own there!”

[rtirman-blog]

16        Friends, Romance and                          Roses

I realize I have not talked about my relationship with girls since telling you about my second “romantic” encounter.  That was the day I almost got hit by that bus, across the street from my school. Truthfully, I cannot remember a girl from that moment all the way until entering Mrs. Dow’s 5th grade class at Seaman Avenue.  

 By this time, you might have a good idea of what I was self- conscious about in relating to girls. Probably, it was being the smallest boy in the class. Add to that, me being scared of girls and it is plain to see why I avoided them…but that doesn’t mean

I didn’t like them. Secretly, I had a crush on Sally Dumper, who happened to be one of the tallest girls in 5th grade, and probably the smartest.  She lived on Randall Avenue, which was one block south of our house.  Then there was Susan Hart, another tall girl.  You know, maybe the girls weren’t so tall.  But in comparison to me, I would have seen most of them that way.

 It was in sixth grade, when the number of my romantic encounters jumped from two to three. We were to have a dance.  As I recall, it was the end of the year dance, celebrating our transitioning from elementary school to junior high school.  If our grades were okay, we were to leave Seaman Avenue Elementary School in June, and   enter 7th grade at the Freeport Junior-Senior High School, which was downtown.

 My two best friends lived on Randall Avenue.  We lived on Lena Avenue, the first street north, and parallel to, Randall.   My first best friend at home, and at school, was Roger Walters. He was short, just like me.  I think he was taking B-12 shots to help him grow.  Roger was in my class in both 5th and 6th grades. Not only that, we were in the same homerooms until we graduated from high school.  

 As for my other friend, John Murray, he was a year younger than me, but two school grades behind me. When John was around 7 years old, dressed as a cowboy, he jumped over the embers of a leaf fire, an ember popped, and a spark hit his furry chaps.  The chaps went up in flames, severely burning his legs.  The end result- John lost a year of school and had the ugliest legs in the neighborhood. He quickly came to terms with his condition. I don’t recall him ever being self-conscious about them.  John was so good looking and such a great guy, his legs proved he was not infallible.  

 Back to Roger! It was Roger who became my “wingman” for my third romantic encounter.  He already had his date for the Sixth Grade Dance. He told me I should ask Carol Lee Gill. Believe it or not, Carol Lee lived on Randall Avenue (or was it Pearsall?).   Whatever, Randall Avenue should have been called the Avenue of Friends. As I recall, Alan Donnheiser, Sally Dumper, Donald Bretzger, Richard Darcy, Tommy Wolf, and Arty Reichert, all lived on Randall.  There may have been more, but I can’t think of any.  Also, I’m not sure if I’m spelling them all correctly.

 Back to my wingman- Roger. He wanted me to ask Carol Lee, perhaps the shortest and best looking girl in our class.  I couldn’t imagine her saying yes, to me.  I could not even imagine calling her.  It scared the living bejesus out of me.  I had no choice. With Roger standing by me, I called her.

Ring, ring…”hello”

 “Hello”, I squeaked, “Is this Carol Lee?”

 “Yes, who is this?”

 “It’s Richie”, I mumbled.  “I want to know if you would go to the school dance with me?”

 “I would like that very much, thank you for asking me.”

 Yippee!! I had a date for the dance, and she was one of the prettiest and nicest girls in the class. I’m sure Roger had something to do with her saying yes.  He was very popular.  But I wonder if Carol Lee was now wondering if I was going to get cleaned up for the dance. I had no idea what to do to prepare for this date! Maybe Roger’s mother will help me.

 Lo and behold!  My own mother came to the fore.  I really am not sure of this, I think she had shown up on some Saturdays before that time, but it is not clear in my memory.  Anyway, she showed up, and bought me a new suit, shoes, shirt, and tie. She also told me she would return the day of the dance to help me get ready.  And she did just as she promised.  I can’t remember ever being in a suit.  I had a corsage of sweet peas and carnations to give to Carol Lee.  I can’t remember presenting the corsage to her, or even how we got to school.

 At the dance, we each were given a dance card on which you would write the name of a partner for each of the ten dances. We were encouraged to fill our dance card with different partners. Naturally, I would dance with Carol Lee for the first and last dance.  Somehow, I made it through the first nine dances.  I don’t know how this happened, but both Carol Lee and Roberta Feinberg had me down on their dance card as their Dance #10 partner. What a mess! The best dance of the night, the Virginia Reel, and two cute girls were fighting over me.  The truth be known, they each wanted to do the Virginia Reel, an I was the best Virginia Reeler in the school.

I apologize, I just lied to you.  I was not the best Virginia Reeler.  

I can’t remember how it was resolved, but I had two girls fighting over me.  I suppose I can’t count that as a romantic interlude, but it had never happened to me before, or since. Also, I don’t think I kissed Carol Lee. Even so, I’ll count her as a romantic interlude because I really did like her . I can’t count Roberta…I don’t even know how I got on her dance card.

 When I came back to school on the Monday following the dance, in front of the entire class, Mrs. Sturmer told me how handsome and how well dressed I was for the dance.  I was very proud of myself.  I think there wasn’t a person who was at that dance who wasn’t amazed by how clean I looked.

 I was thankful Mother showed up to help me.  After that, she came home to see us more often.  I can’t speak for Al or Mickey, but as for myself I looked forward to Mother coming to be with us on Saturdays.  I never asked her where she had been or why she left home.  On the Saturdays before she would get there, Mickey and I would straighten the house so she didn’t have to spend time cleaning it.  No adults with three boys made for a pretty messy place. The three of us knew how to clean. Daddy’s GI parties were exactly that!  We always had a good supply of brown soap to wash dishes and scrub floors.  The trouble with us was we were lazy, and we didn’t mind a messy house.

 On one of Mother’s visits, I started on the attic level, and swept all the floors and down the steps until I reached the living room.  There was a huge pile of paper, junk, dirt, and dust. We threw it all out. We then dusted and vacuumed, and  cleaned the kitchen. The whole house was ready for Mother’s visit.  I looked out the dining room window. In the lot across the street, I noticed beautiful roses. I went across the street to cut some of them for Mother. As I was cutting the roses, the woman who lived next to the lot came out of her front door and started yelling at me to get out of her flower garden.  As loud as I could, I told her my Mother was coming, and wanted the roses for her.  I was crying when I told her about me wanting the roses for Mother.  I ran back across the street…without roses.

 After Mother showed up, she was very happy to see the house so clean.  She said that my aunt and grandmother would be there would be there soon, so I could go to the movies with Mickey.  They were going to fix a nice supper for us.

 When we came home from the movies, I walked into the door, and there on the dining room buffet was a huge bouquet of roses. Mother said that the woman across the street brought them over.  After I yelled to our neighbor, through my tears, why I wanted the flowers, she felt horrible.  So while we were at the movie, she cut two dozen roses off her bushes and made that beautiful bouquet.  Mother asked that I go across the street and apologize for cutting her flowers and thank our her for the wonderful gift.  Unlike the tulip incident years before, my mother received the flowers and I didn’t get a bloody nose.

[ladyloki83]

Rosalie Gilbert (Pilot Part 2)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, 12

Rosalie PoV:

Elena came home and just barged into my room with a smile on her face, she told me about her little run in with Stefan Salvator and how he despaired on her. She left my room telling me that she was going to meet up with Bonnie at the Grill and asked, “Are you going to get ready to go to the Grill?”

“Elena, I can’t. I’m just not ready to see Tyler I did good avoiding him today.”

“You sure Rose?”

“Yeah I’m good. Just going to be hanging with Aunt Jenna. You go have fun tonight for the both of us.”

“Alright but you better be awake so I can tell you what happened in your absents.”

I shake my head, “Alright now go get dressed before your late.”

she leaves my room to get ready and when its time fore her to go I hear her talking to someone that wasn’t Aunt Jenna. I leave my room to stand by the top of the stairs to see Elena talking to Stefan. They talked for a bit before I hear her say “Let me put this down you don’t have to stand there.”

I hear him say, “No I’ll just stand here.” I don’t think Elena heard him. She put book down on her table turned to see he wasn’t there. I looked back to him to see him staring at me I smile at him and wave he just nods at me. Then Elena finally walks back to the door he reminds her that she was going somewhere and she ends up inviting him to go with her. As soon as she shut the door I was back in my room and I noticed a crow sitting on my open window. I walked to my the widow shooing the bird away as I started to shut the window I thought I saw someone standing by the tree but when I looked back nothing was there. I walked to my bed to finish writing in my journal adding how weird that both Elena and I see this crow and then a man.

When I placed my journal back on my desk I went down stairs to see Aunt Jenna in the kitchen with a burger and a bowel of fruit. “So that’s why my fruit goes so fast.” I say causing her to jump a bit.

She throws a grape at me, “Oh my god! Don’t do that! I thought you went with Elena but I see I was wrong do you want me to get you something?”

“Yes, Aunt Jenna I won’t do that again and no I didn’t go with Elena. Its just us tonight so what are we watching? Elena says I must be awake for when she returns home so horror or action movie? Don’t worry about food I’m not hungry okay.”

We ended up watching ‘Die Hard’ until Elena came home she saw me and pulled me off the couch and up the stairs to my room. She told me about him showing up here and how everything went at the Grill. I was happy for her it seemed that a guy is what she needed. Tomorrow was going to be the back to school party. He told her that he would go if she was going to be there.

“Okay, Lena off to bed you go so you can dream of lover boy. I need my beauty sleep now.” I said as I tried to push out the door.

“Goodnight, Rose.”

I went to shut my door only to notice that Jeremy was still awake I walked to his room and leaned on his door “So Jeremy anything good happen to you tonight?”

“No. Hey Rose?” Jeremy called out as he saw me leaving.

“Yes, Jeremy.”

“I know that your not ready to deal with Tyler but I thought you should know…” he paused

“What Jeremy what should I know?” he knew I hated when he paused like that but he would always do it.

“Well you remember that girl I told you about that I liked a lot?”

“Yes, Matt’s little sister Vicki right? What about her?” I asked wondering what he was trying to tell me.

“Well I guess now that your out of the picture she’s been…well you know…throwing herself at him.”

I blinked a bit trying to stop the tears, Oh… I see… what do you want me to do Jeremy?“ at the end I could no longer hold back my tears.

"Oh Rose, I’m sorry, I’m such a jerk. You don’t need to do anything for me yet just whenever your ready.” said Jeremy as he hugged me.

“Jeremy, I’ll have a talk with her at the party okay now get to bed.”

“Well then get out of my room so I can go to bed Rose.”

I walked out of his room but when I got to my room I didn’t bother closing my door I was to busy thinking of Tyler. I just got into bed and let sleep take me not to wake til the morning. School went well Stefan put Mr. Tanner in his place about the History of Mystic Falls

****hrs later*****

I drove us to the party Jeremy disappeared and Elena went over to Bonnie. I walked around looking for the ice chest for those that had to stay sober and grabbed a Dr. Pepper. I stood by the fire for a bit until I hear Caroline I turned to see that she got a hold of Stefan. I walked over and say, “Caroline, I think Bonnie needs you she got upset Elena and I tried but I think you can help her better.”

“Oh alright I’ll go but only because you asked. Watch him for me.” said Caroline as she walked away.

I turned to Stefan, “Sorry about her, she can be very… well whats the word I’m looking for. Blonde… Anyways I assume your here for my sister.” I point over to her, “She is right over there.” She was with Bonnie both holding on to a beer bottle.

Stefan looked at me and smiled, “Are you sure you’re okay with that? I mean you just saved me from Caroline. Just to send me on my way to your sister. Are you sure I’m safe with your sister? All you and I have done is share a few classes, smiles, and nods. Wouldn’t you like to make friends with me?”

I smiled and tried my best to not laugh. “Well don’t you consider this conversation as a way of making friends? As I send you on your way to my sister as you put it yes you will be safe with her. And yes I’m okay with it you have a way of making my sister smile. Now go! You and I can talk more some other time.” As I pushed him to walk towards my sister not giving him time to reply to me.

I notice Jeremy walking off to the forest so I went after him I caught up to him and said, “Hey where are you going?”

“Rose go back to the party trust me you don’t want to follow me right now.”

“What’s going on is this about Vicki and Tyler?”

“Yes! Now go back!”

“No! I’m going with you.”

“Fine!”

We heard someone saying no stop as we got closer but stayed far back not to see and I called out “TYLER!”

He stopped what he was doing because I saw his head peak out from behind a tree to look at me. I whispered to Jeremy to get Vicki out of here as Tyler walked over to me. “What was that all about Tyler?” I almost yelled at him.

“What do you want from me Rose?” he yelled as grabbed me from my arms and pushed me to be up against the tree behind me. “You dumped me remember. You said and I quote 'I need sometime alone.’ and I gave it to you.” He was drunk and I could smell it the beer on him.

“You’re right Tyler, I did need the time. Thank you for showing me why I can’t trust you anymore. That was Matt’s sister Tyler you must not even want me ba…"before I realized what happened I found myself kissing Tyler back. His hands were every where that he could put them I had to admit that I missed his touch, his kisses, but I didn’t want my first time with a guy to be against a tree.

As soon as he moved away from my lips to my neck I spoke, "Not here Tyler. Not against this tree…Oh god that feels…” part of me didn’t want him to stop but if we didn’t he would regret it when he sobered up. “Tyler please…stop…”

He leaned his head on me until he got his breath back to normal. “Rosalie, when your ready to be a couple again you know where to find me.” I grabbed his hand in mine and we walked back to the party to grab some drinks when I see my brother and sister. I notice that Jeremy is carrying Vicki both Tyler and I run to see that Vicki had a big gash on her neck. I call for an ambulance and everyone is just standing around.

As soon as gets here they get Vicki in it and Matt is riding with them. Bonnie is letting us know that she is taking Caroline to the Grill to get her sober. I turn to Tyler and ask if he needs a ride home but he tells me he’s good and not to worry that I should get my brother and sister home.

“Tyler, please don’t break my heart I don’t think I can handle it. Oh and you better let Vicki know that you don’t see her like that.”

He grabbed me by the waist and said “Yes ma'am. I will tell her and I’ll try not to break your heart.”

I take my brother and sister home and as soon as we walk in Elena stays in the living room and Jeremy goes to his room and I follow after him as I make sure Elena is okay. I walk into his room and see that he’s sitting on his bed. I push him to lay down and join him in his bed and hold him to me as he holds on to me for dear life. We say nothing and we stay this way all night its been a while since he’s needed me this way and tonight just showed that he’ll always need me.

[harryandmeghan0-blog]

'It's been a horrible road... it's hard for guys too': Zara Tindall fights back tears as she reveals Mike's heartbreak because ...

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'It's been a horrible road... it's hard for guys too': Zara Tindall fights back tears as she reveals Mike's heartbreak because ...

The Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall today spoke of the heartbreak of suffering two miscarriages with her husband Mike, in an emotional and revealing interview.

One of the nation’s favourite royals, the former Olympian discussed the impact both deaths had on the couple – in her first televised interview about their double loss.

Speaking about the miscarriages, she told BBC Breakfast presenter Sally Nugent: ‘I think that’s the hardest thing in our situation, is that everyone knew.

Zara Tindall, with her husband Mike and their daughter Mia in Oxfordshire in August 2016

‘And very much when things like that happen, normally it’s just your family and friends, but unfortunately everyone knew about it.

‘Actually I had so many letters saying ‘I’m so sorry, we’ve been through the same thing’, which was incredible – and thank you to all those people.

‘But it just showed how often it does happen and I have a very supportive family, Mike’s incredible – and it’s hard for the guys too.

She continued: ‘It’s very different for us because we’re carrying the child, but for guys I guess it’s kind of that helpless feeling, which must be incredibly high and horrible for them. At the end of the day they’ve still lost a child too.’

Mrs Tindall’s baby Lena is held today by her friend Dolly Maude, a maid of honour at her wedding, as the royal competed in the The Whately Manor International Horse Trials

Mrs Tindall talked about her riding today as well, and how horses are ‘very much in my life, in my family’. She is pictured competing in The Whatley Manor International Horse Trials today

Mrs Tindall added: ‘Being helpless is horrible isn’t it… for anyone. So… you know, he’s… it’s been a horrible road but, you know, actually now we’ve come out the end of it, hopefully it makes you a stronger family.’ 

Mrs Tindall revealed she suffered another miscarriage before becoming pregnant with Lena, who was born in June this year

She carried out the interview with the BBC to also tell of her joy at riding horses again just three months after the birth of her second child, Lena.

The equestrian champion, who won BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2006, first revealed to a newspaper in July how she had suffered two miscarriages before having her second child.

The 37-year-old royal also announced in November 2016 that a pregnancy announced the previous month had ended in a miscarriage.

Mr and Mrs Tindall had announced in November they were expecting a baby, saying they were ‘very, very happy’ and looking forward to 2017. 

But in July this year, she revealed that she suffered another miscarriage before becoming pregnant with Lena, who was born in June.

In a joint interview with her brother Peter Phillips, she told the Sunday Times: ‘I had a miscarriage in 2016 and afterwards loads of people wrote to me and Mike to say they’d been through the same thing.

The former Olympian and granddaughter to the Queen was on BBC Breakfast this morning

Baby Lena was held by Ms Maude as Mrs Tindall competed in horse trials in Gloucestershire today. Mrs Tindall’s mother Princess Anne is also pictured (right)

Mike Tindall holds his daughter Mia (left) before watching his wife Zara (right) compete at the Badminton Horse Trials in Gloucestershre in May 2016

‘In our case, it was something that was really rare; it was nature saying, ‘This one’s not right’. For me, the worst bit was that we had to tell everyone – everyone knew.

‘At the time, Pete was again very much the protective brother; he was very concerned about me, as was Mike. Everyone was. It was a time when my family came to the fore and I needed them. 

How at least one in six pregnancies ends in a miscarriage

One in six pregnancies in women who know they are pregnant become miscarriages.

But more will happen among women who don’t know they are carrying a child.

Miscarriage is a when a baby dies within the first 23 weeks of a woman’s pregnancy. 

The main symptoms are bleeding from the vagina, which may be accompanied by lower abdominal pain.

There are various reasons women may have a miscarriage – it is common and is not usually caused by something they have done.

If a miscarriage happens in the second trimester – between weeks 14 and 26 – it may be a sign of an underlying problem.

Often, miscarriages are one-off events and women will go on to have successful pregnancies.

The majority of miscarriages can’t be prevented, although being generally healthy will help reduce the risk.

Losing three or more pregnancies in a row – known as recurrent miscarriages – is uncommon but still affects around one in 100 women. 

‘I had to go through having the baby because it was so far along. I then had another miscarriage really early on. You need to go through a period where you don’t talk about it because it’s too raw but, as with everything, time’s a great healer.’

The Olympic medal-winning equestrian is married to ex-England rugby captain Mike Tindall, 39. The pair have a four-year-old daughter Mia as well as Lena. 

Speaking about the tragedy last year, Mr Tindall described has described his daughter Mia as a ‘saving grace’ at the very difficult time.

He told the Sunday Times: ‘One thing you do learn is how many other people have to go through the same thing. The saving grace for us has been Mia… however down we feel, she will come running up in our faces.’

A Miscarriage Association spokesman said today: ‘Thanks to Zara Tindall for talking about the experience of miscarriage on BBC Breakfast today and highlighting the needs of partners too.’

During today’s BBC interview, she also spoke about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in May, saying she was ‘so uncomfortable’ on the hard benches at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

Mrs Tindall, who was famously seen with her mouth wide open during the pastor’s electric address, added that her baby was ‘quite active through the service’.

She also spoke of her admiration at Serena Williams returning to tennis after having a baby, and how she inherited her hard work ethic from the Queen and Princess Anne.

Mrs Tindall talked about her riding too, and how horses are ‘very much in my life, in my family – being able to still have them in my life and part of my career is great’.

Watching the royal wedding from a wooden church pew was ‘so uncomfortable’, admits Zara Tindall

She was heavily pregnant as hundreds of millions of people worldwide watched her attending the royal wedding in May.

And Zara Tindall admitted today that she was ‘so uncomfortable’ on a wooden benche at St George’s Chapel for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s nuptials.

The royal, who was caught on camera with her mouth wide open during the pastor’s sermon, added that her baby was ‘quite active through the service’.

Mrs Tindall was seen at the wedding with her mouth wide open during the sermon

She said: ‘I was so uncomfortable. And obviously when they build churches they don’t think about pregnant women. Perched and trying to get comfy. She was quite active, let me say, during the whole service. She was kicking, a lot.’

It had previously been suggested that their unborn baby was making its presence felt at the special occasion with a well-timed kick or two.

For her husband Mike was seen placing a gentle hand on her bump during the wedding ceremony at the chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Mrs Tindall styled her baby bump in an embellished green frock coat by Claire Mischevani for the wedding, teamed with a hat by Rosie Olivia Millinery.

Mrs Tindall styled her baby bump in an embellished green frock coat by Claire Mischevani for the wedding, teamed with a hat by Rosie Olivia Millinery

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6142437/BBC-Breakfast-Zara-Tindall-speaks-heartbreaking-miscarriage.html