#that or Siobhan went and told them about her parents plans and asked for their help- that would be pretty awesome then

[supersecretnerd]

Siobhan's friends, Sweetie and Sloane, were absolutely adorable. I wish they had more lines in the movie :(

[queenshelby]

Our Little Secret (Part 51)

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Infidelity, Age-Gap, Triggers, Smut

With the wedding coming up, Cillian and you made even more of an effort to remain on good terms than you ever did before. While he was away, filming the Peaky Blinders Movie, you video called him so that Mara could see her daddy every day.

Every day, before she went to bed, you allowed Cillian to read her a story over the webcam, whenever he was able to.

It was a small gesture that meant a lot to Mara, and it helped her and Cillian to maintain a connection despite the distance.

Your therapist welcomed the positive communication and reminded you that you were doing an implacable job by keeping him involved even despite his busy schedule. 

During that time, you also noticed a slight change in Cillian's behavior. He seemed more relaxed, more at ease with himself, and with you. 

"So, what's the plan for Mara's birthday next week?" he asked one evening when he skyped in from London.

"I was thinking a party actually. She has been at daycare twice a week and made some friends. I was going to invite them and their parents. My mum, Siobhan and Emma are coming too, and I think even your mum is driving down from Cork. I also invited two friends from my mother's group," you said, filled with enthusiasm for Mara's big day.

Cillian chuckled, his eyes filled with warmth. "Sounds like you got everything planned out," he said, sounding genuinely pleased. 

"You know it would be nice for Mara if you could come,"  you added, hoping that he might be able to make the trip.

"I would love to," he said, "but you know I can't leave the set, Y/N. I have a busy schedule filming and I'm just hoping that things will ease up a bit in the next couple of weeks," Cillian said with sadness in his voice. 

You couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment, but you knew that filming was important for Cillian's career.

"I know, but what I am saying is that you are more than welcome to come if you wanted to," you repeated, looking him straight in the eyes through the camera.

"And I appreciate that, really," he nodded, taking a deep breath. "But I still need to wrap up this movie." 

"I understand," you said softly, biting your bottom lip. "And, you know, you can always celebrate with her when you come back by taking her to the zoo or something. She probably won't remember the party anyway, but she will also remember the zoo," you chuckled, seeing how it was Mara's favorite place to go these days. 

"You are probably right you know," Cillian conceded, his expression softening even further. "Now, did you call the carpenter to fix up the shelving in the living room? I told him that you would call and to invoice for it. You might need that done before the party," he continued, seeing how one of the built in shelves had collapsed after you tried to carry out some DYI work on it. 

"No, he can't do it until the week after next, but Sean offered to fix it for me before the party which is nice,"  you informed him, noticing how Cillian's expression changed for a second.

"Sean, huh?" Cillian chuckled; his expression unreadable but you could hear a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Don't start, Cillian! Don't fucking start!" you shot back with irk, already feeling the familiar burn in the pit of your stomach.

"I didn't even say anything," Cillian smirked, his eyes glimmering as he studied your reaction.

"Then why are you acting the way you are when I bring up his name?" you asked, rolling your shoulders back, trying to release some tension in your body.

"I'm not. It's none of my business who you spend your time with so long as you keep Mara out of it," Cillian growled, scratching the back of his neck impatiently.

"You know what, I was actually thinking about inviting him to the party, as a friend of course and only if you would allow it. Because he has been a big help those last few days, running errands for me for her party while I was sitting my exams and he asked me whether he could come," you told Cillian nonchalantly, secretly enjoying his reaction.

"Oh, did he now?" Cillian said with a sigh as he adjusted the display setting. "So, you two are getting more serious then?" he enquired  without looking at you.

You could tell he was slightly irritated, he clearly didn't want to give you the satisfaction of seeing it on his face.

"Well, we are still taking things slow and we not being too serious about it. We agreed on no labels, but I still only consider him as a friend, with benefits,"  you replied, being brutally honest while watching Cillian's reactions closely.

"So poor Sean is still in the friend zone then, eh?"  Cillian quipped, the corner of his mouth curling into a slight smirk before he quickly hid it.

You noticed it, and it stung a little, but you tried not to let it get to you.

"Yes," you confirmed, doing your best to maintain a neutral expression. "He has been very supportive and helpful lately and I like having him around, but there is no pressure between us. We are both free to see other people. That's the way it is for now."

Cillian nodded, turning his gaze back to the camera. "Fair enough and thank you for clarifying your relationship status for me. I just hope he knows that too, because I am not the one who needs convincing Y/N," Cillian said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Whatever Cillian. Can you just give me an answer?"  you asked, your patience wearing thin.

Cillian's smirk faded, to be replaced by a look of annoyance. "What do you want me to say, Y/N? I don't want Sean around my daughter," he said firmly.

You let out a frustrated sigh. "Why not? He is a decent person and Mara won't even know who he is. There are other people there who are no more than friends either and there most certainly won't be any public display of affection," you argued , trying to reason with him.

Cillian sighed deeply, knowing that he couldn't win this argument. "Fine. He can come, but only if you make sure that nothing happens between the two of you that Mara might see, at least not until you are serious about him which, it clearly seems, will never happen," he relented , eliminating any obvious doubts in your mind.

***

Your mind began working overtime to decide a strategic approach to the situation. On one hand, you were glad that Cillian was allowing Sean to attend the party, but on the other hand, the caveat gave you a sense of unease. 

You explained the situation to Sean on your next date when your mother was looking after Mara and, much to your surprise, he was very understanding about it.

"My parents separated when I was twelve Y/N. I get it, so don't worry, okay? I don't even have to come. I can help you set up and then leave before Mara and your mum arrive," Sean suggested, trying to make things as easy as possible for both of you.

"I really appreciate that Sean, but I don't want you to feel like you have to leave on my account, especially since you have been helping me so much those last few days," you  told him sincerely.

"And I like helping you Y/N, because I know that being a single mum can be hard. Your ex hasn't really been making an effort to be here for Mara lately, so if I can do anything to help, I will," Sean replied with conviction.

"Cillian is away filming. That's his job Sean," you explained wearily, wondering if he had brought this up to upset you or validate his actions. 

"I know, but he should really make an effort to be there for his daughter's first birthday, don't you think?"  Sean queried, a hint of frustration coloring his voice.

"Maybe, but it's not my place to say or judge what he does, because he is still looking after us both," you responded, attempting to defuse the tension that had suddenly risen between you. "So, lets change the topic shall we?" you suggested, trying to keep the mood light and pleasant. 

"I am sorry Y/N. You are right," Sean sighed, taking a deep breath before giving you a gentle kiss.

***

Later that day, after you picked up Mara and Sean went his separate way to catch up with some of his friends, he couldn't help but feel slightly let down by the conversation he had with you about the upcoming birthday party and confided in a friend about it.

"Dude, you're acting like you are in some kind of relationship with this chick," his friend Mark joked, taking a swig of his beer. "You told me that you two agreed to be friends with benefits. You don't owe her anything other than your time while you are hooking up and she doesn't owe you anything either! So why do you even want to go to that kid's birthday party?"

Sean sighed, shaking his head as he stared out the bar window at the busy cobblestone street outside.

"Because I want to make an effort for her daughter and make her see that I could actually be right for her, you know?" Sean replied, finally giving voice to his true feelings. "It's just that she is so damn stubborn most of the time, and I know that she still has feelings for her ex, which I can't really compete with."

Mark chuckled, slapping Sean on the back. "Well, he is Thomas Fucking Shelby, man," he laughed, burying the rest of his beer in one swift gulp. 

"You are not helping Mark!" Sean rolled his eyes at his friend's remark. "I am trying here, you know?"  Sean said, sighing again, exasperated.

"I know, and Y/N is a lucky woman to have you," Mark smiled, clinking his empty bottle against Sean's before signaling for another round. "But dude, you need to just relax and stop worrying about her ex. If she wants to be with you, she will. It's that simple."

"She said she just wants to be friends and I don't even want her to meet you guys because I am worried that I will look like a fool when she decides to go back to  her ex," Sean sighed, sitting down on the couch in his apartment, feeling frustrated. "I mean, how am I seriously going to compete with someone like him, a famous fucking Hollywood actor?" Sean mumbled to himself as he paced around his apartment. 

"You may not be able to, but she may also just play hard to get, which is what a lot of women seem to do these days," Mark reminded him thoughtfully as he watched Sean struggle with his thoughts. "Maybe you should focus on being the best version of yourself for your sake and not for hers, and then she will soon see if you are right for her or not," Mark added with a raised eyebrow. "Or you could find something that makes her ex look really bad. He is famous enough, so surely, with the right help, you can dig up some dirt," Mark suggested with a sly grin and Sean's brow furrowed as he contemplated Mark's words, his mind racing with ideas of how he could ruin Cillian for you, once and for all. 

"Maybe I should try, yeah, but I don't want to fight dirty. Despite, I don't even know him or anyone who hangs out with him other than Y/N herself," he said, his morals preventing him from considering such a devious course of action.

"Well, let me help you then," Mark offered, pulling out his phone and conducting a quick online search. "I work for the Irish Times after all," his friend smirked,  focusing on the task at hand. 

Tags:

@sunbeamseas @saint-ackerman @oatmealisweird @naxxsstuff @amanda08319 @r-m-cidnah @elysiannook @cillshot @infireddabdab @tastycakee @harrysbestiee @lilybabe22 @adalynlowell @henrywintersdearestgirl @ietss @thatgirlthatreadswattpad @ryiamarie @axionn

@nela-cutie @futurecorps3 @delishen @nosebleeds-247 @thirteenis-myluckynumber @gills-lounge @hjmalmed @lost-fantasy @tiredkitten @sidechrisporn @smallsoulunknown @charqing-qing @hopefulinlove @aporiasposts @shycrybaby @me-and-your-husband @hjmalmed @lacontroller1991 @galxydefender @aporiasposts

@galxydefender @hunnibearrr @saint-ackerman @lunyyx @gentlemonsterjennie1 @ihavealotoffandomssorry @nadloves @lost-fantasy @nolucesn@mcavoy-girl @hjmalmed @bloodybagels @obeyme4life @richiesgroupie @blushykiss @tatumrileyslover @teawithsatanx @orijanko @rhaenyra4ever @xcinnamonmalfoyx @budugu @nadloves @kmc1989 @bloodybagels @obeyme4life @richiesgroupie @forgottenpeakywriter @smailaway @sophiaaguirred @blondie-22

[lifeofkaze]

A Very Hexley Birthday

A/N: Seeing all those beautiful edits on my dash for the birthday of my favourite twins in the Potterverse (I said what I said), I knew I couldn't possibly do any better. So instead, let's have a look what Ethel and Jim are up to on their birthday, shall we?

This is for you, Bestie! @the-al-chemist

Happy Birthday, Jim and Ethel! 💛❤️

Naturally, Ethel and Jim Hexley and Héloïse Perrault belong to my favourite person in this world @the-al-chemist. The attending guests belong to @slytherindisaster (Lysander Mercury), @kc-and-oc (Siobhan Llewellyn, Bradford Pendleton, Oliver and Eliot Gerard, Ivy Anders), @hogwartsmysteryho (Vinny Raymond), @that-scouse-wizard (Cledwyn Ironwood), @cursebreakerfarrier (Galen Stagg), and @unfortunate-arrow (Anthony Rosen).

Even though the golden arrows of the September sun were showing themselves on the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Jeremiah Hexley was in a rather glum mood when he reached for the huge bowl of porridge at the Hufflepuff House table.

It was just out of his reach and his fingertips only grazed the rim; he simply would have needed to stand up to get it, but that would only draw attention to the tall, lankish boy, which was something he generally tried to avoid, but especially so today. So Jim sat straight again and reached for a slice of toast instead.

“I wish you the finest of mornings,” he heard a voice call out to him, “isn’t it a wonderful day outside? You should have seen the colours of the sunrise; no one can paint anything as beautiful as that.”

The voice belonged to Lysander Mercury, another Hufflepuff boy from his year, and undoubtedly Jim’s best friend. He had a spring in his step as he walked up to Jim, and his thumbs were hooked under the straps of his suspenders; he hadn’t bothered putting the black jumper of their school uniform over them yet.

He sat down opposite Jim with a graceful motion, grabbing the porridge bowl in the same instance and pushing it over to Jim. Giving Lysander a grateful look, Jim helped himself to a healthy portion and drizzled a teaspoon full of dark golden honey on top, just the way he liked it. But even the prospect of his favourite breakfast wasn’t enough to lighten Jim’s mood, and it wasn’t lost on Lysander.

“Why such a long face, old fellow?” he grinned, and his stress on the word ‘old’ wasn’t lost on Jim, quite the contrary. “It’s not a day to be brooding!”

Jim opened his mouth to explain himself, but was interrupted by the sound of quick footsteps approaching from behind him; a moment later two pairs of arms were flung around his neck and Jim almost knocked over his bowl of porridge in his attempt to not be thrown off the bench.

“Happy Birthday, Jim!” two girls shouted into his ears in perfect unison, of course they did. The sound of their excitement cut through Jim’s eardrums and he winced as he pushed them away.

“Uhm, thank you,” he muttered, “Happy Birthday to you as well,” he said in the direction of the smaller of the two.

Ethel Hexley, his twin sister and complete opposite and in every aspect imaginable, grinned and clapped Jim on his back so hard he almost lurched forward. “Thanks, kiddo. One more year of making sure my little brother has at least some fun in his life.”

“Like a proper big sister should,” her best friend Selene Fraser added with a knowing nod. Not even the Sorting Hat had been able to separate these two, and sometimes Jim wondered who out of them three actually were the twin siblings.

“But, er, you know Effy’s only older by a few minutes... so she isn’t really my big sister, if you want to put it that way…”

Jim trailed off when he saw something whisk past him into the direction of the porridge bowl. Before he had the chance to dive straight into it though, Lysander had already gotten hold of the brown and white ferret Ethel and Selene shared custody of; Alan’s nose twitched as Lysander held him out to Ethel.

“Take your ferret back, Hexley,” he said, “I’d say you two are looking like the actual twins here, but seeing as it’s unfortunately your birthday as well, I’ll let it pass. Consider this my present.”

“Seeing as Alan definitely is the best looking guy I’ve spoken to today, I’ll take that as a compliment, Mercury,” Ethel immediately shot back, with that unmistakable glint in her eyes that Jim knew promised nothing but bother, very wordy bother.

Lysander had already leaned slightly forward as well, his eyes fixed on Jim’s twin sister, ready for their morning round of bickering and Jim sighed.

“Could you two, uhm… maybe, just maybe… perhaps stop it? Just for today?”

“Leave him, Effy, he’s not worth it. Not a match for you anyway,” Selene muttered to her best friend; Jim gave her a grateful look.

“True, Sels, I won’t have my birthday spoiled by a wanna-be artist in suspenders,” Ethel said indignantly, and Lysander opened his mouth in protest. Selene elbowed Ethel into the side, before setting Alan onto her shoulder and linking arms with her, quickly pulling her away before things would escalate. Again.

Selene turned around after a few steps and called over her shoulder. “Come to the Quidditch pitch after classes, Jim, will you? We have a little surprise for you!”

*

Throughout the whole day, Jim wasn’t sure what made him more uncomfortable: all the attention he got because it was his birthday, or the prospect of a surprise set up for him by Ethel and Selene. The sheer idea of everything these two could have been planning was enough to upset Jim’s stomach and he couldn’t even enjoy his favourite roast beef for lunch.

When their last class of the day was over, Jim reluctantly made his may over to the Quidditch pitch, as he had been told to. He had wanted to ask Lysander to come, but then again, bringing Ethel and Lysander into the same space was too much for him today; or any day, to be precise.

As soon as he stepped through the opening in the wooden perimeter of the pitch, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. Ethel and Selene had laid out several red and white chequered picnic blankets in the middle of the immaculate green lawn, just like the ones their parents had at home. He could see baskets full of sandwiches, little cakes, fruit and cheese on every single one of them, alongside countless jugs of pumpkin juice.

Naturally, Ethel and Selene were standing in the midst of the people already gathered there, laughing and joking and having a wonderful time, and Jim’s heart sank a little. He saw many familiar faces; he saw Siobhan Llewellyn and her best friend Galen Stagg, who were feeding slices of roast beef to a very content looking Alan; he saw Oliver Gerard who was laughing with Ethel about a lively story she was telling; he had brought his brother, Eliot, a Ravenclaw boy Jim didn’t really know, and who was looking very comfortable talking to Selene, who was standing next to Ivy Anders and Vinny Raymond were sharing some cake; he could even spy the eternally grumpy Cledwyn Ironwood, who never got tired of proclaiming he wasn’t Ethel’s friend but, just like Jim, had obviously stood no chance in declining the invitation.

All of these people were there, but all of them were Ethel’s friends, not his. Jim sighed; he knew Ethel and Selene had meant well, but they just didn’t understand him, they never really did.

“I ‘ope we aren’t late, non?”

Upon hearing the familiar French accent, Jim’s heart skipped a beat before beating doubly as fast as before. He turned around and his eyes went wide when he saw the group of people who had quietly come up behind him.

“Bon anniversaire, Jim!” Héloïse swept in and quickly kissed him on both cheeks in close succession, before pushing an immaculately wrapped gift into his hands, the edges of the paper sharp and the bow perfectly tied. Jim tried to thank her but his words came out as a horrible stutter and he felt the heat rise to his face; it felt particularly warm where Héloïse had kissed him.

Next up came his dear friend Bradford, who shared his enthusiasm for painting; he extended his hand to Jim to wish him a happy birthday as well, and the gift he was handing over to him felt suspiciously like the elaborate sketchbook Jim had seen on his last trip to Hogsmeade.

His roommate Anthony was there, too, as always accompanied by his wolfhound Conall. Jim bent down to pet the animal and scratch his ears. He had to smile when he saw how enthusiastic Conall was at the prospect of all the attention; at least one of them was, then.

Even Lysander had been invited, or had in any case decided to show up; you never knew with Ethel and him. But whether he had actually been asked to be here or not, Jim was glad to see him.

By Brady’s side, more quiet than the rest, stood Brady’s friend - or at least that’s what they claimed to be - Carolyn Nyberg. Jim was surprised to see her here; he and Carolyn didn’t really have anything in common but Brady, but then again, they were seldomly seen without each other these days. She inclined her head and quietly congratulated him.

The question as to why Carolyn had come, though, was quickly answered when Ethel spotted the new arrivals and bounded over to them. “It’s so good you came! I’m so happy all of you could make it to our birthday picnic. Most of you, that is,” she said with a pointed look in Lysander’s direction, but before he could shoot back, her attention had already shifted to Carolyn.

“Did you manage to make what we talked about?”

Jim could see Carolyn was trying hard not to roll her eyes. “Please, who do you take me for? That was a child’s play.”

Brady gave her a pointed look. “Be nice, Caro, it’s their birthday.”

She sighed, but her face softened and she reached into the hidden pocket in her dress, producing a small, stoppered vial with purple liquid inside. She weighed it in her hands, looking at the mugs of pumpkin juice on the picnic blankets. “I’d say six drops per mug should be sufficient.” She moved the vial out of Ethel’s reach when she extended her hand towards it. “Not one drop more, you hear me?”

“Loud and clear.”

Jim’s apprehension about Ethel putting a potion into their drinks soon vanished when he saw what it was that Carolyn had brewed on his sister’s request. After drinking from the modified juice, everyone of their guests had a distinct spring to their step that made them jump a little every time they moved. He remembered how much fun Ethel and Selene had had when they had turned the floor of the courtyard elastic with the Spongify charm; it had gotten them three weeks worth of detention and a passion for jumping as high as they possibly could.

Not being particularly keen on moving around like a bouncing ball, Jim had only taken the tiniest sip of pumpkin juice when Ethel had offered it to him; it was enough to give his step a tolerable spring, but not enough to make him bounce like the others, and that was just the way Jim preferred it to be.

Jim usually didn’t feel comfortable among so many people, but he had to give Ethel that, even he was enjoying himself. He watched Héloïse and Selene sharing excited whispers about the latest story of the Muggle detective they were so keen about, while Brady was bickering with Siobhan over one thing or the other, and Lysander was busy trying to place Alan on top of Carolyn’s head, who told him very sternly to stop it if he didn’t want a swig of Veritaserum served with his next meal.

Happy that his and Ethel’s friends seemed to be having a good time, Jim sat down on one of the blankets, partly because he wanted to eat something, and partly because he needed a step back from the hustle and bustle.

It wasn’t long, however, before Ethel spotted him. She walked over to him, jumping into the air with each step, and slumped down onto the blanket beside him.

“Aren’t you enjoying yourself?” she wanted to know. For a very brief moment, concern flickered over her freckled face. “Because I did my very best to make this fun for both of us. Look, I even invited that horrible friend of yours,” she said and pulled a face in Lysander’s direction; he stuck his tongue out at her in response before turning away.

“No, uhm, I just needed a short break,” Jim answered and set down his plate. “You, er… you did a great job, Effy, you know? I’m having fun, I think… It’s a lovely birthday party, really… so thank you. I, uhm, I didn’t expect this, to be honest.”

“But why?” Ethel asked; she looked truly baffled at his words.

“We’re just so… uhm, how do I say it… we’re just so different, you and I. I’m quiet and, er, shy, I guess and you’re so… loud and popular and we’re just not much alike.”

Ethel dipped her head back and laughed loudly. “I’m not popular, Jim,” she sniggered, “I just don’t leave people alone. Tell them you’re friends often enough and they end up believing it,” she grinned and waved to Cledwyn, who rolled his eyes and looked away. “There’s nothing more to it than that. I bet you could do it, too.”

But Jim shook his head. “I’m not really so sure of that... I think.”

Ethel nudged him into the side with her shoulder. “Give yourself more credit. You’re my twin brother after all, that has to account for something. If this is any help, we may be polar opposites, but you’re still my favourite person in this world.”

“Uhm, what about Selene?”

Ethel pursed her lips. “Okay, maybe it’s a tie.”

Jim had to smile at that. Remembering something, he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a piece of parchment, tied to a scroll with a crimson piece of ribbon.

“Happy Birthday, Effy,” he said, for once without a stutter.

Ethel’s eyes went wide when she saw the picture Jim had drawn for her. It showed the two of them, laughing with each other. Ethel, despite being smaller than Jim, had his head in a headlock and was ruffling his hair while he was trying to escape, but he was laughing just as much as she was. The drawn versions of themselves were moving over the parchment in fluent motions. Jim had asked for Héloïse’s help with enchanting it; with his French still being awful, it had been one of the most awkward and complicated conversations in his entire life.

“It’s beautiful, Jim, thank you,” she said and flung her arms around his neck. When she let go, she looked a little sheepish. “Now I feel stupid for what I got you, although I’m pretty sure you can need it.”

With a wink, she produced her own gift. Jim could see she had wrapped it in her typical Ethel-style, with way too much wrapping paper and loads of colourful ribbons; one of them looking suspiciously like the hair tie their grandmother had gotten Ethel for Christmas. He blushed deeply when he read the cover of the small red book the parcel contained:

101 Foolproof Ways to a French Witch’s Heart - A Guide for Modern Gentlemen

“Effy… that… um… you… why…” Jim stuttered, his face a deeper shade of red than the Gryffindor banners hanging from the wooden tower behind Ethel.

His twin sister only sniggered. “Read it and thank me later.”

She got to her feet and pulled Jim along, motioning to the entrance of the pitch, where Selene was in the process of levitating a giant birthday cake onto the field. It had enchanted lion and badger figurines on top; the lion was throwing tiny pieces of cake after the badger, who caught it with its mouth.

“Come on now, dear brother,” she said as she linked arms with him and half marched, half dragged him across the lawn towards their friends. “We have a cake to cut.”

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 79

Chapter Summary -   Danielle's decision.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously

Right so, a few things, football is referencing Gaelic Football, it is an Irish sport and the season ends in September with the final game being played on the third Sunday of the month and there is huge excitement surrounding it and most Irish country people would go to Flannery's or Coppers in Dublin for it, both are...shall I say, unique places, more like a cattle mart than a pub/night club.

Connemara is a Gaeltacht region in County Galway, the first language is Irish and it is a general farming area.

There are a few airports in Ireland, I had Danielle land in Cork Airport as if she didn't suffer enough (I am from Cork, so I like to joke it is terrible....I'm not joking, it is.)

Siobhan is pronounced Shiv-awn.

We are going to be with Danielle's family for a bit, her aunt will be based on my mother-in-law, spiteful, filled with self-importance and an all-round female genitalia.

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @jessibelle-nerdy-mum @nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1 @winterisakiller @fairlightswiftly @salempoe​ @wolfsmom1​

If you wish to be tagged, please let me know.

Danielle sat on the plane, she was under no false pretences, she knew she looked like hell. If she was not so heartbroken she would have made a joke that she had some sort of superpower. She had a willing, handsome Tom Hiddleston, asking to pleasure her, and she declined him. Tom's face at her pushing him off her told how much she was crushing him, the only consolation she could give was that her own face mirrored his. She kissed him chastely on the cheek as she sat up on the bed, then she apologised and left.

As it moved on the runway, she felt the tears fall down her face. She wanted to be in bed with Tom, kissing and cuddling him but she knew it was for the best. She had said it to him before she left, they needed to take the time to assess themselves, perhaps, after some reflection, they may arrive at the same point once more, when Tom asked her what about if they did not, she could only shrug and say that at least they had tried. The flight was fairly full and the man next to her gave her a confused look as she wiped the tears from her face and looked out the small window.

When she arrived in Ireland, the Welcome sign caused her to feel some pang of joy in her stomach. She was relieved to have gotten the evening flight back, though it was to the wrong part of the country. Rather than driving, she went and got a taxi into the city and from there got on a bus to bring her back to Galway. A text to her cousin telling her she was arriving at midnight to the city was responded to with one that said that she had been drinking, so to stay there until morning. Not wanting to get a cab all the way to her grandmothers, she started to Google hotels in Galway, scoffing to herself about how she was a far cry from a globe-trotting singer, before becoming upset once more about how things had gone with Tom. As if by fate, he sent a text, just asking if she minded if he kept onto Mac until the day before he was going to Milan, he promised to walk and care for him properly. She could only bring herself to text back the word "sure" though several times she felt like texting more, saying that she was sorry, that she still loved him, but she stopped herself, as hard as it was, she was not going to be weak and rush back to him, she was going to look after herself, ensure she was happy before she even considered Tom and a relationship.

*

In London, the one-word reply filled Tom with relief that she had responded at all. As he looked at Mac, who seemed to sense there was a severe upheaval after occurring and was looking at him, he was glad to have the dog for company. In the time since his mother and sister had the dog accidentally brought to them in London before Christmas, he had become incredibly attached to the canine. He remembered the day he had found him on set, underfed and incredibly mangy, he rang Danielle out of instinct. She was not a vet, but she was a paramedic and the daughter of one, and he remembered how she told Emma how she used to tend to the weaklings for her dad, so he assumed immediately she would have some inkling as what to do. Since then, he had thrived as a loved pet and companion, and in truth, Tom was heartbroken at the idea that it was highly plausible that as well as losing Danielle, he could lose Mac too. Mac seemed to know what Tom was thinking and responded by getting up and walking over to him. "Hey, Mac." The dog groaned. "I am sorry for all of this, it is my fault." At that, the dog whined. "I am really going to miss you and our walks." The word 'walks' caused the dog to raise his ears in interest. "Not at this hour. At least I get to have you a few more days." Mac wagged his tail. "Do you think she'll give me access to you?" he half-joked, thinking about how his parents seemed to spend more time arguing after the divorce over where he and his sisters went on particular days and holidays than they ever did talking when they were married.

*

Danielle sat in the car with her cousin, whose only words were "You look as bad as I feel" since seeing her as they drove back to Connemara.

"Just so you know, you are Mam's focus at the moment," Siobhan warned her as they passed a sign telling them there were coming into the Gaeltacht region.

"Dare I ask?"

"'Your parents were married before they were your age, your dad is rolling in his grave that you fecked off to England and what good has it done you,' you know how she is."

"I am sure he wouldn't be too put out by it," Danielle stated, looking out the window again.

"Hey, are you alright, like, you're not going to puke or anything?"

"No, I am just tired, Travelodge is not renowned for its comfy beds."

"No." Her cousin agreed. "So, what's the craic, why are you here today and not on Wednesday like you said?"

"I needed to come home."

"Who do you owe money to?" Her cousin joked.

"I rather owe the money."

"What is worse than that?"

"There are things far worse." Siobhan looked at Danielle as though she was mad, but at only twenty-two, she had little idea of what issues Danielle had. "Has Laura not got someone new for your Mam to scare off?" She decided to get the conversation off her.

"Yes and no. There's a fella from her job, lovely guy and everything, Evan, but Mam doesn’t know about him."

"Good plan."

"Yeah, so you know, if you could not tell her..."

"Call me Jon Snow."

Siobhan laughed, Danielle gave a small smile. "So what about you, any hunky English lads?"

"At present, no." Danielle felt as though her chest hurt saying that.

"Meaning?"

Danielle cursed at her cousin's curiosity. "It's complicated."

"What happened?" There was a genuine tone to Siobhan's voice, one that told Danielle it was not about her making small talk, but intrigue.

"Well, one guy was a bit too full-on, really nice, but was too ready for commitment, we were not really compatible, he is actually engaged, or maybe even married now and has a baby coming."

"Well, as long as they're happy, what else."

"Another, we were not really…it just isn't working."

"How d'you mean?"

"It just went off track," Danielle explained.

"You realise that makes no sense, right?" Siobhan scoffed. "But I think I get it, it stopped being fun."

"There was a thing with him talking about his ex, it made me feel like shit."

"Yikes, fair enough, no one wants the ex pulled out and thrown in their face." Siobhan agreed. "How bad?"

"Effectively how it broke his heart, which is grand, at the time, but he said this over half a year later and after four months with me, in a very public manner."

"Okay, and the asshole of the year award goes to…what was his name?"

"Tom."

"Tom, welcome to the 'Asshole Hall of Fame’."

Feeling her hurt was after being justified but also not wanting to talk about it any longer, Danielle turned the conversation around, "What about you, any lads in college?"

"Maybe."

"So a yes, then."

"We are just having some fun, I mean, we met in Flaherty's last year…"

"Say it was after the All-Ireland, say it, I beg you…" Danielle pleaded.

The football," Siobhan admitted, causing Danielle to erupt in hysterics.

"Where's he from?"

"Waterford."

"Do they even know what a football is?"

"Shut up," Siobhan growled. "He's nice, but…"

"You're twenty-two so it's not like you are looking into a mortgage with him?"

"Exactly. Speaking of houses, Mam is going to try and push to sell Nan's place."

"What?"

"Yeah, she wants to do up hers and dads, but she is stretched with loans for other things, so she wants Nan’s sold so she can use the money from the sale to do it."

"It won't get a hundred grand, divide it up and that is less than twenty each way after solicitors," Siobhan said nothing. "What? What are you trying to say?"

"Right, you have to swear you won't tell Mam or Laura this?"

"Siobhan, I swear on Mam and Dad's graves, I will not tell anyone this." Danielle placed her hand on her heart as she spoke.

"Mam wants you out of the sale."

"What?"

"She thinks that because you are a grandchild, you shouldn't get a say." Siobhan seemed as though a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders by telling her.

"Fuck that, Dad left me his share of nan's, that house is a quarter mine."

"You never were interested in that stuff."

"I'm not, but I am not being swindled out of it either. I said it before, I didn't give a fuck who used the house for what gathering, but when I came home, I get to use a room, since I am barely around. I pay my share of the property tax, the repairs and the upkeep so I am not getting pushed out so your Mam can get some overpriced kitchen for it, she can fuck the fuck off."

Siobhan laughed. "You are so like your dad."

"Good, he was the only one she couldn't bully, I'll have to visit him before I deal with her to ask him to give me the strength to."

"Want to go now?"

Though she was exhausted, Danielle knew there was a turn not too far away that would bring her to her parents' graves, so she nodded. "Yeah, if you're not busy."

"It's only twenty minutes extra, Mattie was always so good to me, sneaking me a two euro for the shop."

"God you are so young, it was fifty pence for us."

"Well, the rate of inflation," Siobhan laughed, putting on the indicator of the car to go the road to the graveyard.

Danielle looked at the ornate stone in front of her, and the plot that contained her parents remains. Her gaze fell on the carvings that were their names and dates of birth and death. She hadn't realised her mother was older than her father until her mother died. When they celebrated their birthdays, numbers were never used. She'd felt somewhat foolish that she hadn't known that. She thought about her dad and herself, standing at the grave after her mother had passed, she never felt much point about graves, they never meant anything to her, she rather think of her mother down in the library and community centre, going to the active retirement with the other women, or doing knitting, she never really thought of her in some hole in the ground, and her father was someone she thought of going for a walk or turning turf, but it felt right to visit the grave, if just to think about them for a moment.

When she returned to the car, Siobhan gave her a sad smile. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just weird being back, not having them here."

"Did you leave because they were gone?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Do you like England?"

"It's grand, I think I would rather be here, but it's easier to get work there."

"I think I am going to go to Canada or Australia as soon as I am done."

"England wants nurses too." Danielle pointed out

"Maybe, but the further from Mam, the better."

"Fair enough, it's as easy to get from London as it is Dublin really."

"Too easy for my liking," Siobhan agreed. "You swear you won't tell her?"

"I am not going to tell her you told me, but I am going to prepare for it."

"I sorta guessed you would." There was still a slight doubt in Siobhan's tone.

"Look a secret for a secret, fair?" Danielle suggested. She always liked her younger cousin, they rarely talked growing up because of the age gap and because Matthew and Bernadette Hughes, though siblings, spent as little time together as they could, meaning Danielle, Laura, Siobhan and their brother Richard were seldom in each other's company, but the rise of social media meant that Siobhan and Danielle interacted online often enough. Siobhan nodded, seemingly relieved that Danielle was trusting her too, though she doubted anything Danielle would tell her would be too important, she had already explained to Siobhan about non-disclosure agreements. "I only sort of broke up with my boyfriend yesterday."

"Okay," Siobhan had to assume that that was not the secret, it was something noteworthy, but hardly a secret.

"You don't like comic book movies, sure you don't?"

"No."

"Right, hmm." Danielle had to think for a minute. "You like Taylor Swift, right?"

"Her songs are good, yeah." Siobhan had no idea what Danielle was getting at.

"Do you know anything about her boyfriends?"

"She is with them for about forty seconds, I don't think she knows anything about them. Like, is she even with half of them or just after publicity, honestly?"

"I have no idea," Danielle conceded. "I really don't. Not the point, do you know who Tom Hiddleston is?"

"Oh, the really sexy guy from The Night Manager."

Danielle cursed herself for not thinking of that, to begin with. "Yes, him."

"Yeah, one of the girls in college is in love with him, like fucking obsessed, she has a page to him and everything online, she made us watch a few things with him in it."

"Really, what did you think?"

"He's hot, but not obsessive hot, he has a really sexy ass, I saw him in this ghost movie, the man is…why are we talking about an actor?"

"The Tom I am sort of no longer with, that's him."

"What?"

"I was with Tom Hiddleston."

"And no one knew?"

"Well, his family, our friends in London…"

"But the media?"

"No, we made sure we were never seen together in public."

"So there is no proof you were with him?" Siobhan asked sceptically.

"We have pictures, just not published."

"How the hell did you bag an actor?"

"I just did." Danielle shrugged.

"But it's gone?"

"Yes," Danielle stated sadly.

"Why did you break it off, you look really upset?"

"Because he did an interview about Taylor Swift a month ago and the way he spoke was as though she was the love of his life and he was with me so I feel like it just was too much of a low blow."

"Okay, your boyfriend saying that sort of thing in front of people you know is just mean, saying it in an interview to the world, that is fucking cruel, but no one knows about this?"

"No, and they won't either, will they?" Danielle looked at her cousin.

"Not from me, they won't," Siobhan swore.

[liw-the-melancholic-apple]

How it may have gone - Humble Beginnings

A fic taking place in the marauders era. While the political climate seems to head to a conflict, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter are still just teenagers. Dealing with typical teenage problems.

But this year their little group grows. Who would have known that more prefects would be a good thing?

Masterlist

Six: The Christmas Party I

“I hate the fact that you have all afternoon to pack and sort things out and we have to rush tomorrow!” Nica glared at me.

“It only means that you have something to do tomorrow. I’ll just have to wait until it’s time to get ready for the party.”

“I expect you to help me”, Milla said passing the pumpkin juice.

We finished our lunch and walked over to the Gryffindor table where the Potter-posse was still ferociously digging into their food.

“Sit, sit, sit”, Pettigrew said while grabbing the big  bowl of chocolate pudding.

“Why do you act like you haven’t eaten in days?”, Nica asked, when she sat down next to Potter.

“We were carrying out a very important mission this morning and missed breakfast”, he answered.

“What could possibly be so important that you’d miss breakfast for it?” Blair sat down between Pettigrew and Milla and eyed the fruit cake but didn’t take it.

“Somebody needed to be taught a lesson in respect”, answered Black while waving at the water bottle in front of me, I passed it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Flint said some nasty things yesterday in Charms”, Black explained.

“So, we decided to die his hair pink and give him some matching robes”, Potter smirked.

“How did you get into his dorm?”

“We didn’t. We waited for him in the foyer, hexed him and then spent an hour in McGonnagal’s office”, Remus sighed. “Hey, is there still a blueberry muffin in that basket?”

“Yep!”, Chloe threw him one.

“What did he say?”, Blair asked. The boys all remained suspiciously quiet for a while. In the end it was Remus who answered, consciously calm and through clenched teeth: “Flint found out that Milla is muggleborn.”

“Guess you can imagine the kinds of things he said”, added Black.

“You hexed him for me?” Milla’s big blue doll-eyes welled up a bit as she looked from one of the boys to the other.

“That’s what friends are for, right?”, Potter winked at her.

Milla jumped up and first hugged Pettigrew, then Potter on her side of the table, ran around the whole thing and threw herself in Black’s and Remus’ arms. As Remus awkwardly hugged her back, Black and I grinned at each other.

“Thank you!”, Milla whispered trying not to cry.

“Anytime”, Pettigrew answered. “Don’t you dare cry, by the way, I’m not good with tears. Or girls, for that matter.”

That last comment was enough to have us all laugh for a couple of minutes.

When we strolled into the foyer Black had an arm around the still teary-eyed Milla and the conversation turned to Christmas break, which we would all leave for in two days.

“Are you guys gonna see each other, then?”, Potter inquired, with his lighter in front of my face.

“Usually, Milla and I woud see each other – thanks – but she’s chosen to abandon me”, I answered before inhaling the smoke.

“Please, abandon you! I’m going on holiday with my family. And you’ll survive! Crick, Jonas and Tristan will all be home for Christmas.”

“Wait, you live close to Cricket?”, Remus suddenly asked.

“Yep, we all grew up together in Marlowe’s Creek, why?”

“We live in Godric’s Hollow”, Potter answered. “And the boys all visit the second week of break.”

“Why’s that interesting?”, Blair asked.

“I told you about the party Crick and I go to on New Year’s Eve, right?” She nodded her head yes.

“That pub is in Godric’s Hollow. It’s the next town over from where we live.”

“So you’ll get to see each other over break? That’s not fair!”, Nica cried out. Potter looked me up and down for moment. “That pub is not Morgana’s Raven by any chance, is it?”

“You’re going, too?!”

“All of us”, Black answered and high-fived me.

“Not fair!”, Nica cried again.

Pettigrew wondered why Potter, Milla and I had never run into each other if we lived so closely to one another and Milla explained that we usually only went to Godric’s Hollow between Christmas and New Year’s to go to the Winter Market, which Potter found boring and childish.

We stayed outside and chatted until the first bell rang and all of my friends had to run like the devil was after them to make their classes in time.

I decided to smoke another cigarette and make a plan for packing my trunk. As much as I hated getting ready to leave, I was really looking forward to Christmas.

Upon entering the foyer I ran into Crick who told me that his parents would also take Felix and me home. Our parents were good friends and usually didn’t bother to all come to the platform. Last summer my parents had dropped the four of us off.

We went to the common room together and found ourselves in our favourite nook, discussing the plans for the holidays, Jonas’ progress with Elaine – none – and the party that would take place tomorrow.

Crick wasn’t sure how he should talk to Blair, because they both knew it wasn’t really a date and I told him to just be his lovely self and maybe compliment her.

“Tell her how amazing she looks in her dress! She’ll love to hear that”, I suggested thinking back to the weekend before and the dressing room incident. I had kept my promise to not tell anybody but I had also gotten a lot more conscious of what I said about my clothes or my body in front of her. Maybe, I thought, if she got some more self-esteem I could stop overthinking every single conversation.

From his date we moved on to mine who I’d meet on the third floor with his friends. Crick found that it was nice of me to go with him although I didn’t fancy him just so he could spent the night with his friends and not be the odd one out. I told him that Nica had cried the year before when all of us had gotten invited and she hadn’t. So, I knew how much it probably meant to Pettigrew to be able to go. He always was outshone by his three friends, either by their performance in the classes, their witty comments, or – if I was being honest – their looks.

Although Remus had all of those nasty scars in his face and on his arms that he was very tightlipped about and would never explain, his jawline was nothing short of a super model and his sandy hair looked always perfect. And then there was his infectious smile and outrageous height, that had enough girls gushing over him.

Black wasn’t the most wanted chap in the entire school for nothing either. He wore his dark brown hair to his chin and always in a “I-just-got-out-of-bed” kind of way that was effortlessly handsome. Combine that with the way his face looked as if it was chiselled out of marble, his dark grey eyes that always seemed to look into your soul and had that stormy mysterious quality to them and his bad-boy demeanour and you knew most girls dreamed of him when he gave them his signature smirk.

Potter was more ruggedly handsome than his friends. His messy hair and crooked smile made you feel safe but also invoked a sense of adventure. He was taller than Black and had a gangly quality to him, but he knew how to control his body and he had that confidence. Add to that his protectiveness – that not everybody got to see, Lily Evans was the best example of that – and you got yourself quite the charming chap.

Pettigrew was by no means ugly, but in comparison to his friends he was very average looking. His dirty blond hair just sat on his head, without doing much for him. His freckles were sort of cute, but not manly and his blue eyes always seemed watered down. Aside from that he was shorter than Black and the tiniest bit podgy. All in all he just didn’t stand out.

Crick listened to me describe the other boys with an open mouth. When I had finished he asked me to describe him as objectively as possible just so he knew I paid attention to him.

I closed my eyes, so I wouldn’t cheat and started: Crick was roughly the same height as Potter, towering over most girls in the school. He was built like a rugby player, broad shoulders, muscular arms and flat stomach. His blond curls were usually fairly short and gave him an American look that paired perfectly with his greenish blue eyes, diamond cut jawline, bushy eyebrows and toothpaste commercial smile. I knew for a fact that he was one of the most wanted guys in school.

“Why, thank you, Tea. That did wonders for my self-confidence.”

“You do not need any more self-confidence.”

We bickered a bit about whether or not he was self-conscious before he asked me whether Milla was going to the party alone. She was. Remus hadn’t asked her to go with her. Just yesterday Black and I had gotten worked up about that after dinner. According to Black Remus had made a couple more remarks about her and that he didn’t have a date for the party but he didn’t take any of Black’s hints that she would definitely say yes if he asked.

Milla had actually turned down two blokes in the last week. Ratchett from our year in Ravenclaw – an arrogant know-it-all none of us could stand – and Lamar, a seventh year Hufflepuff. She had told both of them that she had promised my little brother to be his date so he wouldn’t feel intimidated. The boldest lie I’d ever heard her tell, since Felix had given in to Siobhan Johnston after all.

When I asked her about it she denied that it had anything to do with Remus and said she just wanted to have fun with us girls and the boys without being held back by some random chap. I didn’t push it any further but I was sure she still waited for Remus to ask her.

“Why doesn’t she just ask him?” Crick’s face was covered in confused wrinkles.

“Because ‘a’ she still isn’t sure whether she’s into him and ‘b’ Milla is the most traditional girl you’ve ever met. Nica would go and grab the boy, bully him into saying yes, but Milla will wait for the boy to ask her. Simple as that.”

After an hour of gossiping and theorising we both headed to our dorms to start packing. A daunting task. I was never a tidy person and the idea of having to pack up my life terrified me. I decided to start with the big wardrobe and just threw everything that was in it on my bed. I would need clothes for tomorrow during the day, the dress for the party and my travel outfit. With those things on my desk I folded up the remaining clothes and sorted them into piles according to the kind of stuff they were.

I moved on to my drawers of bras, knickers and socks and by the time the other girls got back to the dorm my bed was covered in neat piles of clothes. Before I cleaned out my nightstand and the bathroom I got the huge trunk from under my bed and opened it.

“I don’t believe it!”, I yelled. “Remember how I went on about being stupid for having left my favourite ring at home?”, I asked the other four who had all turned to look at me.

“Yes, hard to forget.”

I held up the silver ring with a gigantic black gemstone on it, that I had gotten from my grandma for my last birthday.

“It fell out of my jewelbag and I didn’t see it…”

I put the ring on my desk to wear Saturday and Sunday and started filling the now empty trunk with my clothes while the other four stood in front of their wardrobes sighing. My nightstand could be cleared out completely, the only thing I left on it was the hated alarm clock. The book I was currently reading I threw into my backpack to take on the train.

A quick look around the bathroom informed me that I would need all of the things over the next two days. So, I came back into the dorm and took Milla to the terrace at the common room to smoke. After that I helped her sort her clothes onto her bed and then we went to dinner.

The others spent the evening packing while I teased Felix about his date with Siobhan.

If ever there was a long day, it was going to be this Saturday. While Slughorn’s club meeting were usually rather uneventful, his parties were legendary and an absolute highlight. Waiting for one of them to begin was therefore torture.

The girls and I had decided to sleep in to shorten the day and catch breakfast in the last half hour. That plan worked out rather well. When we entered the foyer four boys stood in front of the staircase shaking their heads.

“D’you know how long we’ve been waiting here?”, Remus asked with a stern look.

“Sorry, we don’t do waiting for parties well”, Chloe answered with a grin as she walked right past him.

“Why don’t you just have your smoke now? Just today we’ll break the pattern. I’m sure Peter will survive that”, Nica suggested.

“Or we could have second breakfast at your table”, Pettigrew countered.

His idea found a lot of supporters and so the nine of us sat down at the fairly empty Hufflepuff table. Before I could even scan it for coffee, Black held up a huge mug filled to the rim and shoved it in my hand. Then he filled one for himself.

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!” We clonked our mugs together and wiggled our eyebrows when we saw Remus and Milla sitting next to each other arguing about the last raisin roll.

“You already had breakfast! Be a gentleman for Merlin’s sake!”  Milla won the argument and chewed her roll triumphantly while Remus buttered a scone grinning.

“What are you gonna do until the party starts?”, Potter asked Blair.

“No idea. I still have some packing to do but other than that, I think it’s gonna be a lot of sitting around…”

“Oh no!”, Pettigrew screamed. “No sitting around on the last day in Hogwarts this year. You will do something adventurous.”

“Like what?”, Nica asked eyebrows raised.

“We were thinking a snowball fight first, followed by a round or two of truth or dare, lunch, maybe we could introduce you to some our favourite short cuts in the castle and we also thought of playing a round or two of quidditch. After all we represent the two winning teams of this season.”

Potter was right. Hufflepuff had positively diminished Slytherin in the December game a few weeks back, which had probably led to the comments Flint had made about Milla and the insults  I had to endure since then.

“I don’t know about the truth or dare”, Chloe said eybrows furrowed, “but the rest sounds great! If we went for the snowball fight first at around…”, she checked her watch, “ eleven we could take lunch at one o’clock and fully warm up for the tour of the secret passages.”

“Spoil sport”, Black smirked. “Fine we cut the truth or dare”, he sighed stealing a muffin from her plate.

“That was the last one, Black!”, she growled.

“Shouldn’t steal my fun, then…”

We finished breakfast, went for a quick smoke and made plans to meet in the foyer at eleven.

[jq37]

Ok last one. What's the tea on Prompocalypse?

So...that was something, huh?

This is gonna be quick and dirty (relatively speaking, it’s still too long already as I come back and make this edit) because I have work tomorrow and there are def stuff I want to talk about more and I will (esp if I get asks) but I have work in the morning so let’s just get some words onto the screen aight.

The episode titles have had a pretty consistent naming scheme up until this point so the one word, non alliterative title had me at a 7 on the foreboding scale before we even started.

Everyone was in prom wear! And lol, Siobhan is the only one in a dress. That's almost exactly what I pictured Adaine wearing to prom. That exact shade of blue-green. And Emily looks like a waiter. 

I wonder what Bren's plan was for if they'd thwarted the crowning entirely. Got baller initiative, some nat 20's on crown keepaway and smashing, and killed Penelope/Dayne before the bad guys could finish them. Would he just try to crown someone else or would the curb stompage have stood? Not that Goldenhoard would have been a pushover I imagine but jeez. He couldn't have been as strong as his true form.

Sidenote: One of my favorite little character things is Zac and Siobhan helping each other do math.

Fig dimension dooring Gorgug to the stage and then skateboarding away. Amazing.

"I'm going for her crown vs. his crown."/"In this climate?"

OK, shoutout to Zac fo asking for those bombs because they are OP as hell. 

I love how they just charged in and started trying to kill people, no questions asked, no explaining themselves to the other students, just bombs out immediately. 

My man Riz just couldn't catch a break. I understand the out of story reason the police haven't shown up is that Murph was rolling garbage, but what's taking them so long in story? Where? Is? Sklonda?

"I'm going to jump on the back of the Hangman."/”Presumptuous."

But also, by the end of the fight he's just like, "Do anything any party member tells you to!"

Lou losing it over Riz claiming best friend status. But damn, they kinda are the closest to each other in the party. Wild. 

"You know what baby girl? Why don't you ready an action until I get there," said Siobahn to Ally, hilariously for a number of reasons. 

They keep saying Teen Wolf and I have no idea what part of the movie they're referring to. This is the second ep in a row.

Lou trying to recruit a super sad Ragh.

They started off this fight really strong. Doing double digit damage and rolling over 20s. I was like, "Damn, they've leveled up. They're doing great!" Of course, we were still in the first third of the ep so I didn't know where we were going. But Lou was right. "Wild first turn."

"And then I shoot him."

I'm half convinced Riz jinxed everyone by saying, "Remember the corn fight?"

Kristen cast ONE spell and then said, "I don't have a lot of spells left." THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRY AND SAVE ADAINE'S WORTHLESS FAMILY. YOU ARE THE HEALER. YOU NEED ALL YOUR SPELLS.

The students running to get food on the way out. Mood.

They messed Dayne *up*. This was the high point of the battle, objective-wise.

Sidenote, why would Dayne have needed to be at the Seacaster Manor raid? It feels dumb to ris him when he was such an important part of things. Was it literally just because he didn't like Fabian? And he disliked him enough to try and kill his parents? Yeesh.

Kirsten @ Ragh flipping out over Dayne: I see what's going on here.

Ragh really made this fight harder than it had to be. If Gorgug hadn't been grappled before Penelope got the crown they might have had a fighting chance.

So Penelope just straight up let what's her face (Sam I think) get palimpsested? Major yikes. Like I know it's a good thing they killed her but I kinda wish they hadn't so we could learn exactly what the insane thought process was there. She comes off as crazier than Biz because Biz was trapping girls he didn't respect, not his actual friends, you know? Like, did Goldenhoard say he was gonna make her an actual queen or something? Because all this isn't worth just being prom queen.

"Sometimes you make a villain and they die in the first two rounds," said Brennan, as if he didn't know what he was about to unleash on the party. Geez, I don't know how long they would have survived if Penelope and Dayne had been in play for a large chunk of the fight.

Murph's idea to blind him was a good one.

I almost was like, "Thank God Gorthalax got kidnapped," because that was the only good explanation for him seemingly ditching Fig.

Ally: Was that his best friend? (Emily: What./Siobahn: NO.)

"I'm like an advertisement for chicken."/"What chicken adverts are you watching?"/"It's like if you went to prom and there was a dangling chicken leg."/"What prom did you go to?"

Fabian full on clocking Penelope in the face like he's playing Punch Out.

"I killed my father today. Yes."

"This is against the rules but I don't care." In hindsight, this feels like foreshadowing.

"Well, that's the risk you take when you go to Aguefort Adventuring Academy."

"Get on the fucking right team!"

Lou (a la Gimli): And *my* D6.

Brennan pulling out that GIANT final form Goldenhoard figure.

For some reason, it didn't occur to me that he'd be just a legit dragon in his true form. I was picturing like the lich from Adventure Time or something.

Also, I was kinda expecting him to "Drop the act," and majorly change in personality but he was basically the same. Just a dick.

Gorgug rolls a 4. Brennan pauses for a second. The entire party: No.

Zac goes all in every time no matter how dumb it is. I love him.

"Father, stop this."/"What?"

"Not clever enough for the library and not brave enough for the world." Oww, I felt that one. Did Brennan have that waiting to use or did he come up with it on the spot because that was brutal.

Goldenhoard goes through the whole party, trying to hit their weakest point and he gets what might have been a great hit on Fig (You're so unloveable your father would rather go to hell than stay with you.) but she just says, "You have got to stop flirting with me," and completely diffuses the moment. As unflappable as Brennan is, he had to take a sec to jump back into the insult parade after that.

"I'm going to eat you."/"OH MY GOD."/"I'm not making it sexual!"

"*The* ball, bitch."

OK, I was wondering what the deal was with Riz's dad. Because giving him that gun implies a chance to kill his dad's killer but I didn't think it could be Goldenhoard directly because of the binding. That's another point towards Riz being the one to finish him off.

Wild that they weren't able to get any of the kids (save Ragh eventually) to help them with the fight. You go to adventuring school! Cowards! You would never make it at Sunnydale and that school was mostly normals!

The one dude still just getting food while Goldenhoard has turned into a full on dragon.

When an 18 wasn't a high enough roll for Fig to make her fear check, that's when I realized my earlier apprehension wasn't misplaced. I mean, maybe it should have been when he turned into a dragon but it is what it is.

But Fig skating away and then going, "Just kidding bitch," because she got it on the very next turn was hilarious.

Kristen still not being 100% on whether Ragh is gay or not.

Who was gonna kick Ragh off the team for being gay? Maybe Daybreak would have but Gorthalax def wouldn't have. Maybe he means he would have been bullied off?

Siobahn to Kristen/Ally: Stop outing students.

I can't believe Gorgug had to kiss Ragh in the middle of this fight to get his head in the game.

Also, I didn't get into it before because I knew this scene was coming but poor Ragh. Like, I could have told him things were gonna go this way and he's a big dummy for thinking otherwise, but poor dude. And then he finally gets it together and he gets wrecked.

"EMILY, I SOMETIMES CAN'T TELL WHEN YOU'RE REALLY FUCKING WITH ME OR NOT."

Siobhan doing the D&D equivalent of reminding the teacher they had homework.

The amount of dice that Brennan rolled for Goldenhoard was truly horrifying. That's permadeath damage.

AND HE GOT THE HEALER DOWN FIRST. This was the next moment I started sensing a TPK.

"HOMOPHOBE!"/"You hit both of the gay ones!"

Kristen taking damage from Goldenhoard's libertarian speech.

I find it such a Fig move to be like, "Can I use charm person to snap Adaine out of it," instead of the spell actually made for that purpose. 

Rolling low perception and getting no information is the worst because then it's like...OK I know something's out there but what dammit?

When Brennan said Fig would have to do opposed athletics against Adaine, that was the first time I was like, "Oh thank God she's so weak."

Murph forgetting to uncanny dodge until midway through the ep was uncharacteristic. Really shows how wild the fight was. 

"This kid likes to get his ass beat to a soundtrack."

Fabian refusing to just use the stairs like a normal person. 

Penelope going, "What's your deal?" like she's not helping an evil dragon who wants to rule the world. 

JAWBONE

JAWBONE JAWBONE JAWBONE

My man Jawbone shot way up on the list of cool adults today.

For real, the scene with Jawbone and Adaine was my second favorite moment of the episode and it would have been my favorite if not for a bit of divine intervention later. 

I already made a post about this but Jawbone notices Adaine flipping the hell out and he asks her if she has panic attacks and if her parents gave her any meds for it. She responds in, like, the smallest, most broken and defeated voice with a tiny head shake, "My parents just left and I don't know where they are." Gah, my heart. She was half crying. I was half awake and being kicked in the face with the full force of human emotion. It was a lot. I felt like I was a kid watching that one scene from Fresh Prince again but British-er. She gets that her parents suck and she hates them but she's 14. Everyone wants their parents to love them. It's like in our DNA.

And then Jawbone launches into the wildest motivational speech ever (including all of Kristen's, which is saying a lot) which starts with him sucking off a border patrol agent. (You understand me?/No!)

Ally, MVP of Terrible Speeches: *That* was the point?

Siobhan trying not to crack up and break character throughout that whole scene was great.

I love that Brennan was clearly trying to not encourage people to mess with their med dosage irl because he was very specific about that but also he was like, "A dragon is about to end the world so please shotgun this bottle of magic Xanax and hop on that bike."

I love that Adaine has all the magic stuff in her inventory and then also Xanax.

Aww, Jawbone offered to let her live with him because her house burned down. (I guess that info was on the news?)

And then Adaine rolls a 20 with the help from her meds (and buffs) right away! It's great when the dice cooperate.

"I came here to FUCK SHIT UP. And help children."

"Jawbone rules. I'm so glad we helped him get his life together."

Jawbone is such a sketch person but such a good counselor.

Siobhan calling Goldenhoard and absolute fucking unit sayed be at 5 in the morning when I watched this.

"I AM A CHILD. YOU ARE ATTACKING A BUNCH OF CHILDREN YOU COWARD."

"Then why is your dick out?" Adaine joining in Fig w/ the taunting Goldenhoard via accusations of flirting. 

"Why are you guys partially singed?"/"Because he's been attacking us Dad! Also Dad, he kind of used to come on to me all the time."

"Play the drums more and we'll have a full band on stage!"/"...Instead."

"You ruined prom!"/"I RUINED PROM?"

At this point I was thinking, "Geez, there's not a lot of episode left and Penelope isn't even dead yet. How could they possibly defeat Goldenhoard AND have time for tying up loose ends?" TPK vibes increase.

Adaine getting a nat 20 on Arcana, "Yeah it is what it is. You're screwed."

Hell yeah for Adaine giving Goldenhoard her low divination roll to ensure her lightning bolt hit. Not that it ended up mattering that much but still. Sick.

"Well you could have told me before this very moment!"/"I was dead!"

I just checked on the stats of an an adult red dragon in 5E and it's got 256 HP. 256! And look at the other stats! They're wild.

"This is the number of dice?"/"Yeah."/"God."

Fig goes down. Their secondary healer. So, not good. Very not good.

Brennan letting Emily burn Goldenhoard's tie as she passes out because Emily refuses to do nothing.

And Riz goes down too! The one with the med kit! At this point I was like, there is no way this can end well.

"How far away is the hospital?" I love it when they try just normal solutions in this magic game like calling their parents and going to the hospital.

It is an hour and 47 minutes into the episode before Adaine remembers she's wearing a magic coat that can make her anything (within reason). Which, to be fair, it took me a little bit too but, in my defense, I'm not staring at her character sheet.

Real talk, I didn't think she was gonna get anything from the jacket from that ask. Something to beat Kalvaxis is such a big ask.

When Brennan started going into the jacket stuff I was like, this is a really weird deus ex machina if that's what this is. But also, the kids have been hilariously chill with just having Adaine walk around in a jacket filled with people.

There was a lot to unpack there and I'll got to it in another post but I can't do another 4k epic this week y'all. I have work in the morning.

Adaine yelling for Basrar to get them their ice cream before they freaking die.

Aww Gorthalax tried to heal Fig instead of attacking.

"Daddy that was a waste of a turn."

Gorgug who has a million hit points went down and all the healers are down. There are less than ten minutes left in the episode. TPK for sure, I'm thinking.

Adaine flipping people off with a vengeance today.

Also the fact that she totally forgot that she could ask for a healing potion which is totally a thing that she almost def would have been able to get is hilarious. I mean it wouldn't have been as funny if the episode ended differently but, as it stands, hilarious.

"Does the Hangman know medicine?"

"What about this student? Is he studying to be a cleric?"

Adaine is down. That's everyone down but Fabian. Three and a half minutes left. And that's when I realize. There's not enough time for a good ending, but there's not enough time for a bad ending either. But there's no S2. This is an anthology series. What's going on here my sleepy 6am brain is saying.

Fig giving her dad bardic inspiration while passed out because Emily is Emily.

Everyone (exceptt Riz) was making their saves. I'm thinking, "Is next season different characters, same setting. Maybe a bunch of years in the future? Legacy characters?" I'm trying to put together the fact that this is the finale with 2 minutes left with the fact that they're playing different characters next season. The pieces aren't fitting. 

And that's because I couldn't have predicted what was about to happen.

Ally, clearly joking says, "Can I roll for a nat 20 and just be alive?"

Brennan, barely thinking, says, "Sure, go for it," as casually as if he was okaying a perception check.

Murph and Lou are cracking up at the absurdity of the ask. 

Ally says, "This is to the corn god," half solem, half smiling.

Siobhan holds her hand over the dice like she's blessing them.

"I know I left for a while," Ally starts as the dice are cast and...

"NAT 20 MOTHERFUCKER!"

Everyone goes WILD.

Ally punches air.

Brennan looks like someone slapped him.

Emily: You have to rip up your comparative world religions book.

BONUS EPISODE UNLOCKED

And what did we learn today? A 5 percent chance is small, but not insignificant. 

OK, there’s one thing I want to address before I tap out for the night (and it’s not spell checking. I’ll do that in the morning).

I saw some people discussing the possibility that they faked the ending. Like, they just edited it like that to give them another chance because they were all about to die. Beyond the fact that I just trust them to not have done that, the other big reason I don’t think that’s likely is because there was a much more seamless way of stacking the deck in their favor. Brennan could have had Adaine pull literally anything out of her jacket. And I truly mean anything because this is a finale. Even if he gave her something game breaking, it wouldn’t have set a precedent because it’s the last ep. And that’s beyond all the NPCs that could plausibly have come in because they know something is up and teleportation is a thing in this world. Nah, I think that was just good, old fashioned, luck of the roll and thank Helio because they needed it.

OK, that’s it for now! Join me at some point between now and next ep to unpack this because it’s a lot and apparently we have another episode to get through. Hoot growl baby!

[hollenka99]

Hollywood Forever

Summary: Seán meets up with his Granny's parents and talks to them.

September 14, 2018

Seán walked into the living room, still a little tired from sleep. He was yet to do his hair but that could wait until after breakfast. Nine o'clock had come and gone. He really should get on with everything he was meant to do today. After spending a day and a half playing the Spider-Man game the week before, he didn't have to worry about today's video. What was it, the ninth episode of the series? Either way, the most he needed to do video-wise was double check everything was ready to go.

It was good he had his immediate work sorted for today. He could film another instalment of Funniest Home Videos tonight, keep things easy. There were other things that needed to take priority. Namely, visiting the grave of an actor who died 86 years ago.

"Morning." "Hey. So, what's your plan for today?" Mark asked absentmindedly. "Uh, Hollywood. I've been meaning to visit Jameson while here. If I'm going to do it, today's the best day to see him." "Want me to come with you?" "No, no. It's fine, thanks. It's something I have do alone, you know?" "Sure." Mark nods.

The Uber ride is generally uneventful except for the 15 minutes following the driver learning Seán is going to pay his respects to Jameson Jackson. He doesn't mention his relation to the man, only that he is special to Seán's family. Lord knows that would have added more time to the conversation. Seán is too preoccupied working out what exactly he's going to say once he gets there. By the time the car has arrived at Santa Monica Boulevard, he has checked his bag for the copy of his grandmother's favourite book four times. As he was reassuring himself for the fourth time, his brain had screamed at him to cut it out already. He hadn't taken it out of the bag so it couldn't have gone anywhere. Therefore, he should cease all further checks.

The cemetery wasn't called Hollywood Memorial Park anymore, like it had been in Jameson's day. It was now the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Seán had no idea where he was going. After wandering for a while, he came across two names he recognised.

                JACKSON JAMESON                SIOBHAN 1887 - 1932            1888 - 1984

"Hey." He stood awkwardly in front of the headstone. "I'm sorry about the Anti stuff. It was Halloween and everyone was expecting it. Can't really do a pumpkin carving video without Anti showing up. That short is one of my favourites from the ones you did though." He falters for a moment.

"I guess I should introduce myself. So... hi, I'm Seán. I'm your great-grandson, which is still crazy to think about. I remember when Granny told me we were related. It was Christmas and I was 10 or 11. I was stuck indoors and super bored so she pulls out all these photos I didn't know she had. A whole bunch of albums. You don't look right without the facial hair. Anything I've seen of you in, out of the ones that have survived, you always have the moustache. So when she shows me a picture where you're super young, like 19 or something, what was I supposed to think? That wasn't you. You weren't... you yet. Which I'm sure makes absolutely no sense."

"It's funny, I'd heard of you because a lot of people have. But when Granny asked if I'd heard of her brother or sisters, nope, not a clue. For a second, she even looked at me like I really needed educating. Which, to be fair, I did. It never clicked why she got all her collection of little animal sculptures as gifts from their creator. I never met any of them. Although, I definitely went to Anthony's funeral with my mother. But that was more on behalf of Granny because she was in hospital. It wasn't like she had to wait that long before seeing him again. My Way is played at funerals ad nauseum so when the video he'd prepared started playing, I rolled my eyes. But, you know what, it was a good pick, given everything he tried to help do in the 50s and 60s. It suited him. I still don't believe he was friends with Sinatra. I swear that was just some story Granny made up to make a 10 year old boy think his great uncle was cool."

Sean finds he is subconsciously seating himself on the grass. It's not quite so daunting now.

"I'm a performer too. Well, I am and I'm not. We have these things called computers now. We can use them for all sorts of things like research, communication and even games. That's where people like me come in. I play a game, record myself doing it and then put it up on the internet for anyone to watch. For some reason, 20 million people have decided they like what I give them. I'm not complaining, it's just insane that so many people want to watch my stuff in the first place. A lot of them are so creative. The art, oh my god, the art. You would not believe the kind of things that come from me just goofing around."

"The tour's one of those things. It's a comedy show where I work out how I became the Jacksepticeye they know today. I've already been all over America. There's only one leg left, the one around Europe. It ends in good ol' Ireland, home sweet home. There's no way I'm not going to go back to all the places I talk about from my childhood. They'll be no rush. Besides, it's not like-" He stops, a deep sigh escaping. "It's not like I have a dog or something that needs me to rush back to Brighton. I'll be able to see Malcolm in Paris though. As for the other three, I'll hopefully hang out with them in Ireland."

"The community was one of the reasons I was a little hesitant to go through with my plans to recreate 'Craving For Beginners'. The community gets so into those kind of videos. And it was going to be personal, no matter what I did. At the same time, it was going to be your 130th birthday, Jameson. So after a bunch of going back and forth, I decided to say screw it. There wasn't much for me to lose. It was just a fun tribute and I wanted to do another pumpkin video. I dressed up as you, posted the teaser photographs on Instagram and suddenly, everyone was getting excited. I took forever to finally say he was an ego. I didn't really want to make him one. It was just one video made for the hell of it, you know. None of the others are based on a real person. Took me until March to tell myself he was a parody of the Jolly Gentleman and therefore fair game. The drawings I've seen since then have been amazing. I swear I saw a Mirror of Erised piece at some point with me instead of Harry Potter. You'd be surprised how many have drawn you looking fondly on or a comparison of my JJ and the real Jolly Gentleman."

"You know, they have a museum in Saint John. It's not only for you, Jameson. It's more... for the three of you. I guess it's kind of Saint John's way of saying 'Hey, these three actors that you might have heard of came from here'. I visited back in July, after performing at the Just For Laughs festival. It had a bunch of old photographs and letters, all donated by the family, of course. There's a small section on Thaddaeus House for the Disadvantaged, which is still functional by the way. This woman that worked there was super enthusiastic. She liked telling me everything about every photograph I looked at. And I thought I was over the top at times. One thing I will say, while it's cool that there's a photograph from the 1890s, when your family didn't have access to that kind of thing, I'm glad society and mortality rates have moved on so pictures like that aren't a thing anymore. God, it would be like if Alison had to sit next to me after I'd... you know. Yeah, that change was for the better. Apart from all that, it was a really interesting visit. Oh, one of the letters mentioned you visiting Ireland and briefly staying at a 'geometrically challenged village' in County Offaly." He laughs at the phrase. Who knows how many times it's made him chuckle. "Yeah, that's Cloghan for you."

Seán pauses, unsure what he wants to say next. He should talk about the book. He didn't bring it all the way to Los Angeles just for the sake of it. The problem is how to transition from the museum to his grandmother's favourite children's book. From seemingly nowhere, thoughts of the soldier brothers show up. His mouth begins moving before he's fully aware of it.

"This one time I was telling Granny about this game called Metal Gear Solid. There's a bit of violence involved. Guns and explosives, that kind of thing. Immediately, and I mean immediately, she starts going on about the medals. 'Don't go breaking your poor mother's heart like that, will you, Seán.' Do I honestly look like someone who'd sign up? Even back then, I was too busy playing videos games or running around like an idiot to think about doing something like that when I was older. Granny would have been in her late teens when it happened so I'm not surprised it stuck with her. She always insisted you were doing somersaults down there. Not sure where the actual medals are now though."

"One thing I do have is this." That's it. Well done, Seán. Good transition. From his bag, he pulls out the worn old book that had seen decades of use. "First edition, signed. She never got rid of it. I'll admit it's seen better days but it has been over 80 years. If I looked hard enough, I could probably find the sellotaped pages from when Uncle Dennis was tiny and got his hands on it. She took it with her to Ireland when she was a girl, read it to her kids and then let us read it when we were little. Every time I went there for the holidays or whatever, there it was. She had the other editions too. But this was the one she cared the most about. When her leg got infected, she couldn't recognise me and soon she was just... gone. I was, uh, 16, I think? We were all clearing the house because Gramps had died before I was born so it was going to be empty. We're packing all her books into boxes, you know, and I pick up this one. I don't know why but I start flicking through it, which leads to me actually reading a bit of it and Mum telling me I should go home and do homework or whatever if I wasn't going to help. It's technically Mum's now. God knows why Granny specifically picked Mum to pass it down to. Maybe because she's the eldest? It can't be because I was still at home. Hazel's the youngest grandchild. Either way, when I asked Mum if I could take this to LA, she told me she'd have my head if anything happened to it. I don't blame her. This isn't a heirloom as such, at least I don't see it as an heirloom, but it definitely has a hell of a lot of sentimental value. Without a doubt, her favourite scene is the one about rescheduling."

"Granny cared. Mum might not be that fussed about being your granddaughter but Granny tried to get us interested. I mean, Siobhan, I think you lived long enough to meet three of us so you had a little hand in that. I don't know if she saw what I could become but she definitely noticed I was likely to become a big fan of your movies. Which, in fact, I did. It's a good thing she was the youngest of your children, especially with siblings so much older than her. Whenever I felt fed up with everyone leaving home, she was there to remind me one day I'd be an adult who could visit my brothers and sisters whenever I wanted. She also understood my worries about Dad. I know I'm going to have to say goodbye to him sooner than most people. The guy's 82 now and only 9 years younger than her. She'd just tell me stories she'd heard about the two of you. Made me feel better most of the time."

He stays there for a few minutes. It's nearly lunchtime now and the sun is getting stronger. He should probably wrap this up and find somewhere in the shade to eat. He's practically exhausted all topics he wanted to talk about. Packing the book into his bag again, he slowly gets up.

"Thanks for all the stuff you made. I know some of it was lost because that kind of thing is somewhat inevitable after such a long time. I wish everything had survived but the stuff that did last is still great today. Back when I was a kid, I used my connection to you as bragging rights. 'I'm related to someone famous and you're not', that sort of thing. I don't think I said it enough to sound like an asshole but... I said it enough. I'm sorry for the namedropping. The truth is, I'm proud to say I'm your great-grandson. It's pretty cool, knowing we're related. So, yeah... thank you for everything. Especially for not stopping at six kids because uh, kinda wouldn't be here if you had. Maybe I should swing by again one day. Depends on how things work out. I'll see you."

Seán heads back to the entrance, glad to have spent some time with his family.

[atc74]

Blood Bond - Epilogue

Word Count: 3954

Warnings: Slight angst, the fluffiest fluff that ever fluffed

Characters: Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Moira Stewart, Ainsleigh Stewart, Rowena, Crowley, Cas, Mary Winchester

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Ainsleigh Stewart, Dean Winchester x Moira Stewart

Summary: A blood bond oath must be honored or there will be consequences for each generation until the bond is fulfilled. With each generation that passes, the bond requires more. How much will each family have to give before the bond is satisfied? Is it too late to break the curse after more than 300 years?

A/N: This was co-written with the amazingly talented and twisted, my Angel of Angst, @chelsea072498. We are beyond excited to bring you this story.  We hope you love it as much as we do! We will be alternating posting each chapter and will be posting Sundays and Wednesdays unless life gets in the way! An enormous thank you and a large bottle of wine is owed to the best beta EVER @just-another-busy-fangirl. Laura, thank you for your patience and keeping us on track!

This is a special Friday post to end the series. We want to thank each and every one of you that have followed this story from the very beginning and stuck with us through each up and down along the way. This was a pleasure to write with @chelsea072498 and I am grateful that she included me! <3

Blood Bond Masterlist

The Bunker, Lawrence, Kansas ~ Late Summer, 2017

Dean slowly led Moira through the halls of the Bunker toward their room, but stopped just short, facing a different door. They had left Duncan and Audrie with Mary in the Library.

“Dean, what room is this?” Moira asked, a puzzled look overtaking her delicate features.

“I knew from the minute I left you at the cabin the last time that I needed to do something; something big, to make up for all the mistakes I made, the things I had said and done. This,” Dean recounted, gesturing at the door, “is why I didn’t make it back before you went into labor.”

Moira’s hands flew up, covering her mouth, gasping at the sight before her. Dean wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear “Welcome home, Sweetheart.” What Moira didn’t notice was her sister and brother-in-law on the opposite side of the room, in an almost identical pose.

Ainsleigh was the first to speak, “How did y-? When did y-?” Tears were falling freely from both woman as their men lead them farther into the room.  Two pairs of cribs lined two of the walls, while four rocking chairs were positioned along another. Two separate changing tables, along with two more dressers made up the fourth wall.  The room was painted a soft yellow with gray accents and a plush rug in the center pulled the room together.

“Remember that year I spent in Indiana? I was doing construction and learned a thing or two.” Dean commented, leaving the reason why he was there out of it entirely. “I added the extra door, right across from Sam and Ainsleigh’s room, and Sam helped me with the painting. The rest: the extra cribs, decorations, and chairs, that was all Mom.” Dean looked rather proud of himself.

“It’s absolutely perfect!” Ainsleigh exclaimed, jumping into Sam’s arms.

“Thank you, Dean. For everything. For our beautiful children and for loving me.” Moira held Dean tightly as she admired the transformation he had mastered with the room.

“I always loved you, Moira. Thank you for being patient enough for me to admit it.” He kissed her gently, just as a chorus a wails could be heard echoing throughout the halls. “Must be feeding time!”

The Bunker, Lawrence, Kansas ~ Late Summer, 2018

Moira and Ainsleigh were enjoying a cup of tea in the kitchen one night. All four babies had been asleep for about an hour and they finally had some quiet time. The first few months had been hell on all of them; all four adults had been sleep deprived with the infants all on opposite schedules. But now here they were, one year later, and tomorrow they would be celebrating the Winchester Four and their first birthday. Moira looked up as Sam and Dean wandered into the kitchen, taking a seat with them at the table.

“Hell of a year, huh, ladies?” Dean exhaled as he wrapped an arm around Moira’s shoulders.

“You can say that again!” Sam added. “I still can’t believe that you didn’t tell us until you were both in labor that it was twins!”

“We had just found out when you left,” Ainsleigh retorted. “That’s not exactly something you can announce over the phone!”

“That’s what I told Dean!” Moira exclaimed.

“How did you find out? It’s not like you were going to regular doctor appointments,” Dean questioned.

Whitefish, Montana ~ Late Spring, 2017

“What kind of ice cream do you want Leigh?” Moira asked, the supermarket’s freezer door propped open on her expanding stomach.

“Cookie Dough!” Leigh yelled back to her sister.

“Excuse me, miss?” A kind voice asked Leigh as she reached for some fresh produce.

“Yes? Can I help you?” Leigh asked hesitantly, her hand went to the flask of holy water in her bag.

“I couldn’t help but notice your ‘condition’ and I am the only Obstetrician or Midwife in town; I haven’t seen you two before. How far along are you?” The woman had a gentle way about her that put Leigh at ease.

“About 25 weeks each.” Leigh answered.

“Really?” The woman seemed surprised.

“Yes. We are sure about the date of conception and are due the middle of September. But it’s really none of your business,” Moira piped in defensively.

“You’re right; it’s not. And I apologize for asking questions of such a personal nature. My name is Ana, and as I said, I am a Midwife. And I apologize for being so forward, but you both are carrying much larger than 25 weeks. Here is my card; please call and make an appointment. Have a pleasant day.” And with that, she left them alone.

A few days passed and Ainsleigh’s curiosity finally got the better of her. She knew her sister wouldn’t go into town to see a doctor, so she called Ana and asked her to come out to the cabin. They were safer here and could run her through the tests without her even noticing.

Ana came out to the cabin the next day after her appointments. They had tea made with holy water and had silver spoons for stirring. Once both girls were satisfied that she wasn’t evil, they let her examine them.

Neither Moira or Ainsleigh could believe what they were told. Twins? Both of them were pregnant with twins and due on the same day? But they had each seen the ultrasound images and sure enough, there were a total of four babies. What are the odds? Near impossible, is what Ana had told them.

From that day on, Ana came by every other week or so to check on them and visit. She encouraged them to eat right and exercise as long as they had the energy. She never once questioned where the fathers were and she became their only friend during this time.

The Bunker, Lebanon, Kansas ~ Late Summer, 2018

“I still wish you would have told me. It was quite a shock to find you in labor and then you tell me we are having twins!” Sam recalled.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Dean added.

Moira stood from the table, stretching before putting her mug in the sink. “Well boys, you better rest up; we are throwing a party tomorrow!”

~*~

They say that a child’s first birthday party is for the parents. A one year old will never remember the experience. They won’t remember the cake smooshed between their little fingers or the balloons or the presents.

With all of the events of the last thirty years leading them to this very day, it was indeed for the parents. The four of them stood around the library, watching as four sets of fingers dug into the tiny cakes Ainsleigh had made for them. Surrounded by their remaining friends and family, they celebrated their children.

Ainsleigh and Sam stood side by side watching Mary with her grandchildren when out of the blue, Sam told her he wanted another child with her.

“What?! Sam, we have one year old twins! Don’t you think we should wait until they’re a little older?” Ainsleigh looked at him like he had grown another head.

“I have loved you forever and nothing would make me happier than to expand our family, Leigh,” Sam confessed as he peppered her neck with kisses.

“Sam, I don’t even know how I got pregnant with Fin and Siobhan. It wasn’t supposed to happen. The doctors told me…”

“Maybe I can help with that.” Cas was suddenly next to them.

“Cas, what do you mean?” Sam asked their angel friend.

“When Moira brought Ainsleigh here and I healed her, I healed all of her, old injuries included. That is how she was able to conceive your children, Sam,” Cas told them plain and simple.

“Cas? You didn’t think to mention that to me, to us, at anytime? We would have taken precautions,” Ainsleigh blurted out.

“Leigh, knowing you could conceive wouldn’t have changed anything for me. The love was always there, our children are an added bonus, and I want more.” Sam wrapped her in his arms.

“Are you sure, Sam? We never planned on having Fin and Siobhan with the life we live and now you want to have another baby?” Leigh pulled back and searched his face, looking for any sign he might change his mind.

“I have never been more sure,” Sam answered.

Leigh heard a throat clearing behind her, she turned to see Dean looking apologetic.

“Sorry, Leigh, but Sammy and I have to cut out for a couple hours. I already told Moira we would do the cleanup when we get back. But, Sam, we gotta go,” Dean explained.

~*~

Sam and Dean had been gone for a few hours when Leigh started worrying. She and Moira had not said a word about where they might have gone or what they could be doing, but each knew the other was thinking it. It wasn’t until the babies were bathed and in bed that Leigh spoke up.

“Moira, Sam told me today that he wants another baby,” Leigh told her sister as they sat enjoying a glass of wine.

“How do you feel about that, Leigh? Do you think you guys are ready?” Moira asked.

“We never planned on these two, let alone another one. And with Sam and Dean still hunting, I don’t know. I just don’t know. I know the Bunker is safe, but…” Leigh was cut off when they heard the heavy metal door open and close, signaling that the boys were home.

Sam and Dean walked down the spiral staircase in the war room followed by another man. Both women stood as they walked into the library.

“Moira, Leigh, this is Mick Davies, British Men of Letters. Mick, Moira Stewart and Ainsleigh Winchester,” Dean quietly mumbled, knowing how Moira felt about them.

“Ladies, it is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard wonderful things about you from the Winchesters,” Mick greeted them, kissing each of their hands in turn.

“Dean, a moment please?” Moira snapped as she tried to hide her displeasure.

“Sweetheart, before you chew me a new one, it’s not what you think. Just hear us out, okay? All of us?” Dean pleaded with Moira and she relented, returning to her seat next to Ainsleigh.

“Before you ask, no, we have not been conspiring behind your backs. The hunts we have gone on with Mom in the last year are the truth. She gets her intel from Mick and we help her take down the threat. Everything we have told you is legit,” Sam started.

“Sammy and I have made a lot of changes in the past year. All for good reasons; the two of you, our children. And we want to continue to make changes that benefit everyone in the long run,” Dean added in.

“How long, Dean? How long have you been having covert meetings with this man?” Moira was poised for a fight, but Dean wasn’t going to give in.

“This is the first. That is the truth,” Dean told her, seeing her relax a little.

Mick opened his briefcase and handed each of them a large manilla envelope. “Mrs. Winchester, Ms. Stewart, this should answer most of your questions.”

Ainsleigh and Moira shared a look and opened the envelopes together, dumping the contents out in front of them.

Documents scattered over the worn wooden table; clean birth certificates for each child, new identification, driver’s licenses and passports.

“What is all of this?” Moira looked to Dean.

“We made a deal with the Brits. We are turning over everything to them in exchange for all of that.” Dean gestured to the documents as he rounded the table to her.

“We’re getting out. For good,” Sam told Leigh as he pulled her to her feet as she squealed, throwing her arms around Sam’s neck.

Moira, a natural skeptic, wasn’t convinced. “So what? You give up the Bunker and we are free and clear? New lives and everything?” Moira stared Mick down.

“Mostly, yes. Except these are the identities you were born with. These will be the lives you should have been living. We have scrubbed your criminal and death records. We have also established credit scores for all of you. Sam and Ainsleigh’s marriage is now legal, as well.”

“What’s the catch, Mick?” Moira asked him again.

“Sweetheart, there is no catch. Sam and I have been talking about this. This is what we have both always wanted, but never in a million years dreamed we could have. Normal lives, a family; the apple pie life, Moira. This is as real as you and me,” Dean vowed.

Moira continued looking through the documents. All of the information was accurate; full names, dates of birth, parents, all of it seemed legitimate.

“There is just one more thing that I have for you then I will be on my merry way.” Mick handed each woman another folder. “Inside you will find the deed to a home, for each of you. Your gentlemen were very specific on what they wanted you to have and we found them. The homes are in a safe neighborhood with good schools. They are fully paid for. You are free to go and live your lives in peace, starting tomorrow.”

Mick bid them goodnight and showed himself out, leaving them alone for the first time all day.

“Babe, is this all for real? We are finally getting out?” Ainsleigh looked up at Sam expectantly.

“Yes. I told you earlier today that I wanted another child with you. This is all happening. We just want what is best for both of you and for the kids. This is it. What we all have always dreamed of.” Sam waved to his brother and Moira, before taking his wife’s hand and leading her out of the library.

Moira lowered herself back into her chair and finished off her glass of wine, staring at their future on the table.

“Sweetheart? Are you okay with this? I want this to be a fresh start for all of us. You and our kids mean everything to me and I made this deal, we made this deal, for all of us. This is the life we never thought we could have but always wanted. Moira, I love you and this is just the beginning.” Dean pressed his lips to hers passionately. Pulling her by the hand, he led her back to their room.

Lawrence, Kansas - Mid-Winter, 2019

Moira had prepared a wonderful family dinner for all of them. It was Leigh and Sam’s two year anniversary and they would be arriving shortly. The table was set. The twins were dressed and playing quietly for once and Dean was in the shower.

She placed the finishing touches on the salad, placing it and the bread on the table, just as the door opened and children squealed with delight to see each other, even though it had only been a couple of hours.

“In the kitchen!” Moira yelled over her shoulder as she pulled the lasagna from the oven to let it cool a bit.

~*~

“Moira, thank you so much. This was delicious as always.” Sam rubbed his stomach as he leaned back in his seat.

“Sam, I am happy to cook for all of us, less leftovers!” Moira stood and raised her glass. “To my sister and her husband, the love you share is beyond words and you were made for each other. It is has been a long road, but the journey has been worth it.  Happy Anniversary!” She toasted the group.

“Thank you, Moira. You are the best sister in the world.” Leigh stood to hug her sister.

“Sam, I have an anniversary gift for you. Well, two actually. Here, this one first.” Leigh handed Sam an envelope.

“Baby, I thought we weren’t getting each other gifts?” Sam took the envelope from her and in it was a check for a large sum of money.

“What is this, Leigh? Where did you get this money?” Sam was bewildered, to say the least.

“I haven’t, well, we haven’t been entirely forthcoming with both of you.” Leigh started. “Our parents left us a large trust fund that we came into control of on our twenty-first birthday. Pastor Jim invested it wisely and it grew more than we realized. This is for the bookstore and cafe you want to open.”

“Are you serious? This is amazing. Thank you Baby. This isn’t just for me, this is for us, our dreams, our future.” Sam kissed his wife soundly.

“Before I forget, here is your other gift. Tradition says that the second anniversary gift is cotton.” Leigh handed Sam a thin, flat box, tied with a silver ribbon.

The look on Sam’s face was priceless as he pulled the gift from the box, holding it up to get a better look.

“Come on, Sammy, what is it?” Dean asked from across the table.

Sam was still speechless, but turned the gift around so his brother could see.  He was holding two tiny shirts; one said ‘I’m the big sister!’ and the other ‘I’m the big brother!’

“Are you really?” Sam asked Leigh quietly and she just nodded her head, her smile brighter than the sun.

While Sam and Ainsleigh were busy discussing the details of their latest endeavors, Moira turned to Dean and handed him an envelope just like the one Ainsleigh had given Sam.

“Moira, what is this?” Dean asked her.

“Just open it.” She giggled.

Dean looked at her in amazement when he opened the envelope. He too, was holding a check for a large amount.

“I already called the realty company. You close on it next week.” Moira wrapped her arms around Dean’s neck.

“Shouldn’t we put this money aside for Duncan and Audrie?” Dean questioned her.

“No, trust funds have already been set up for them, as well as Finlay and Siobhan. Don’t worry about the money, Dean. Our parents made sure we would be okay.

“I am going to own my own garage,” Dean marveled aloud. “Thank you, Sweetheart. I love you so much.”

“And I love you,” Moira murmured against his lips.

Lawrence, Kansas - Six Months Later

Moira smiled when she heard the front door open.

“Daddy!”

She walked into the living room and saw Dean scooping the twins into his arms. “Hey, you.” She walked over and gave him a kiss. “How was your day?”

“Good. Great. We’ll get to that later.” Dean kissed the top of his children’s heads. “I missed you three today. What did you do today?”

“We went to visit Auntie Leigh, Fin, and Siobhan today.” Moira smiled. “The cafe is looking great. Sam was working on bookshelves for the store. He’s expecting more books to arrive tomorrow.” Moira saw Dean’s face. “What?”

“I always hated that Sam gave up law school. It seems like he and Ainsleigh found something even better.”

Moira agreed. “They’re happy.”

Dean kissed her lips. “So am I.”

“Daddy, where’s the surprise?!” Audrie asked.

“You promised them a surprise? For what?” Moira asked.

Dean opened his mouth but Duncan spoke first. “Pretty ring for pretty momma.”

“Thanks, Buddy.” Dean laughed. He bent over and set the twins down. “Let’s do this right, Munchkins.”

“Do what?” Moira stared at him. “Dean?”

His green eyes sparkled. “Moira, come here.” She walked to him. He kissed her softly. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, Dean.”

He kneeled in front of her. “You’ve been it for me since I was a kid. I knew it, but I was scared to admit it. In the last three years, we’ve created an incredible life that I never thought I deserved.” He took her hand. “You didn’t give up on me. Moira, I was a shit to you, over and over. You loved me when I didn’t love myself. You loved me when I didn't deserve it.” His hold on her hands tightened, his palms sweaty. “You’ve given me two beautiful, amazing kids. This change wasn't the easiest thing in the world for me and you helped me transition. You supported my decision to stick close to you and the twins for the first few months and wanted to work on cars here at the house. When I told you I was ready to try my hand at a garage, you helped me find the perfect place, you helped me get things going, and you never once complained….”

“Dean,” Moira smiled at him. “It's because of how much I love you. You have wanted the apple pie life for as long as I have known you. I want you to live out all-well, most of-your dreams.”

“Why not all?” He asked with a slight smirk.

“I don't share well with others.” Moira winked.

Dean laughed and pulled something from the chest pocket of his flannel. “Moira Stewart, marry me.”

“You didn't say please!” Audrie exclaimed.

“Ask nice!” Duncan made a face that reminded his parents’ of his Uncle Sam.

“Moira, will you please marry me? I'm already the luckiest man in the world because I have you in my life. I've always been a selfish son of a bitch…”

“Daddy!”

“And I want more.” He slipped the ring on her finger. “Don't embarrass me in front of my kids, Woman.”

“Stand up,” She ordered.

“Moira?” Dean’s face showed his panic.

“Stand up so I can kiss my fiancé.” Moira laughed. He stood and pulled her into his arms for a passionate kiss that earned giggles from their children.

Moira wiped the tears from her eyes. “Think we can do this before April?”

Dean looked surprised and nodded. “I was hoping way before April.”

“Good.” Moira smiled. “I would like to be a Winchester before I give birth to our new baby.”

~*~

Six weeks later, in a very small ceremony with only family, Dean and Moira stood before Cas as he performed a wedding ceremony in Enochian. Once Cas declared them husband and wife, Dean kissed Moira deeply.

He rested his forehead on hers and smiled. “We did it, Mrs. Winchester.”

She laughed. “Yeah, we did.” She felts tears falling from her eyes. “I am so glad we got here, Baby.”

“No crying, Sweetheart.” Dean wiped her tears. “You're so beautiful.”

Moira wrapped her arms around his neck. “You are a fucking work of art….”

“Momma!”

“Aunt Moira!”

“Sorry.” She kissed her husband-it gave her such a thrill to finally say that-and looked at Ainsleigh and Sam with a smile. “This life is pretty good.”

Ainsleigh linked her arm through Sam’s. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Momma, I want pie!” Duncan said suddenly.

“Cheeseburger!” Audrie looked at Dean. “Daddy, are we having cheeseburgers?”

Fin and Siobhan joined in. “Mommy, we want hummus!”

Dean made a face. “Sammy, no! They're just kids!”

“You parent your kids, I parent mine.”

Dean shivered. “Let them live a little!”

Ainsleigh and Moira laughed at their husbands. “We aren't fighting over food today!” Moira looked at Dean. She giggled. “Don't piss Sam off or we may not have a sitter for tonight.”

“Hummus! Hummus for everyone!” Dean bellowed.

Moira rolled her eyes. “You’re such a dork.”

“I might be a dork, Sweetheart, but now I am officially your dork.” Dean winked at his bride.

A blood oath had been made more than three hundred years ago, but the blood bond that it created would last a lifetime. True love had never been the intent of the spell, that usually only existed in fairy tales. The bond that was fulfilled that September night will forever tether these souls together and it would take an act of Heaven and Hell to break it.

Blood Bond Tag List:

@winchesterprincessbride

@like-a-bag-of-potatoes

@mamaredd123

@death2thevirgin

@tankcupcakes

@dustycelt

@ashstrom87

@spntrista

@feelmyroarrrr

@docharleythegeekqueen @paintrider13-blog

@just-a-touch-of-sass-and-fandoms

@just-another-busy-fangirl

@waywardjoy

@ellen-reincarnated1967

@iwantthedean

@d-s-winchester

@winchester-lover95

@bellatrix-skr

@itseverythingilike

@ohmychuckitssamanddean

@badsongwinchester

@maui137

@kitchenwitchsuperwhovian

@tas898

@evansrogerskitten

@hexparker

@grace-for-sale

@melbelle45  

@grrlplay  

@scxrchy

@goldenolaf25

@charliebradbury1104

@driadgoch

@janewaymarco

@meeshw777

@alicat-life

@jinksy-ride-with-your-ass

@crystalleeannluvsu

@redheadedbitchchester

@autopistaaningunaparte

@stileslover13-blog

@hellsmother

@growningupgeek

@mogaruke

@mamapeterson

@mrswhozeewhatsis

@mamabear82nd

**If your URL is crossed off, we cannot tag you**

[fardell24b]

Lawndale and Sandi Griffin’s Genie - Chapter 2 Part 3

Daria arrived at Jane’s house and knocked on the door. There was no answer. ‘Maybe she is still asleep,’ she thought. She knew that Jane wasn’t a morning person, often requiring coffee to properly function. She found that the front door was unlocked. ‘figures, Trent forgot to lock the door,’ she thought.

Jane was on level 157 of Pac-Man when Daria entered the room. “Did you and Trent play games all night?” Daria asked.

 A ghost got Jane’s Pac-Man, bringing an end to the game. “Yo Amiga!” Jane said, getting up stiffly and ensuring that she didn’t disturb the sleeping form of Trent (although she knew that wouldn't wake him anyway).

“Of course,” Daria said. To say that Trent Lane fell asleep was practically a tautology.

“So what is this about a genie? And what it has to do with what happened at school yesterday?” Jane asked.

“Mom asked us about what happened at school and Quinn says that she wouldn’t believe it,” Daria said.

“And?”

 “Mom then asked Quinn why wouldn’t she believe it, and Quinn said that the events were totally fantastical, which they were,” Daria began.

“I see,” Jane said.

Daria then repeated everything that Quinn had said. (albiet, with more sardonic commentary).

 Jane then told Daria about Tom and herself running into Sandi and Jean at the bowling alley and her 11th birthday present from Trent.

  Sandi and Jean walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where Sam and Chris were already having their breakfast. Sandi could tell that Sam hadn’t told Chris about the emerald. She then went and grabbed her box of low-carbohydrate cereal from the pantry. Jean put some toast into the toaster. “What is your plan?” She asked.

 “We will go to school and, like, try to stay out of sight,” Sandi said, wondering how it had come to that.

 “Good plan,” Jean said. She could see Linda come down the stairs.

 “Good morning!” Linda said.

  Lawndale Offices of Vitale, Davis, Horowitz, Rhiordan, Shrechter and Shrechter 8:00

Helen looked up from her piles of paperwork to see her boss, Eric Shrechter, walk into her office.

“Helen, you wanted to see me?” he asked.

 “Yes, Eric. Something has come up regarding the High School, and I need some time off this afternoon to talk to some of the other parents about the issue,” Helen said.

 “What sort of issue?” Eric asked, wondering what had come up.

 “That is confidential and on a need to know basis,” Helen said strongly. She didn’t want anyone else in the law firm to know about the genie.

 “Can’t your husband be there?” Eric asked.

 “He could, and he may be, but I need to be there myself. I would like to know more about this issue first hand,” Helen said.

 Eric thought. “It depends on how busy we are today,” he said, finally.

 “Oh, alright,” Helen said as Eric left the office. She immediately went back to work.

  “...In conclusion we agree that Sandi having the genie is a bad thing and that we need to sleep on it,” Stacy finished summarising the notes from their discussion at Tiffany’s the previous afternoon.

 “Very good, Stacy,” Quinn said, encouragingly.

 “So, your sister said that we need to consider the fact that Mrs Griffin or Ms Li may get the emerald?” Stacy asked.

 “Cousin,” Quinn corrected.

 “Oh, Quinn, we know that Daria is your sister,” Stacy said. ‘If this isn’t the time for this, there is otherwise no time,’ she thought.

 “We were just being polite about it,” Tiffany added.

 “Oh,” Quinn said. ‘Of course, there is an obvious resemblance, such as there is between Mom and Aunt Rita,’ she thought. “Thanks. Anyway, Stace, you were saying?”

 “So, Daria suggested that we need to consider the fact that Mrs. Griffin or Ms. Li may get the emerald?” Stacy asked.

 “Yes,” Quinn said.

 “Right, which situation do we consider first, Mrs. Griffin or Ms. Li?” Stacy asked as she took down the notes.

 Quinn thought about it for half a minute.

 “Qui-inn?” Tiffany asked, wondering if she had dozed off.

 “Most likely Ms. Li, because Sandi most likely will go to school today,” Quinn said.

 “Ok, so you think that Jeans mischievous nature will cause her genie nature to come to Ms Li’s attention?” Stacy asked. ‘A likely outcome!’ she thought.

 “Exactly,” Quinn said, although she was sure that she wouldn’t have had put it exactly the way that Stacy had.

 “But there is no way to know what sort of events would happen as a result of Jean’s mischief!” Stacy said, starting to hyperventilate again.

 “I know, we may need to organise some sort of distraction,” Quinn said.

 “Bu-ut what sort of dis-traction?” Tiffany asked, confused. ‘It would have to be a very good distraction,’ she thought.

 “I am sure Daria would have an idea,” Quinn said.

 “But what do you think?” Stacy asked. ‘I am certain that she will come up with something. She does come up with many of ideas in the Fashion Club,’ she thought.

 Quinn thought and came up with an idea. ‘It seems crazy, but it might just work,’ she thought. She then told the other two.

 “But are you sure that would work?” Stacy asked.

 “It would have to, unless Daria and her art friend can think of something else,” Quinn said. ‘I am certain that Daria would help me improve the plan,’ she thought.

 “What if it doesn’t work?” Tiffany asked.

 “Then Ms. Li may find out,” Quinn said.

 “But it must work!” Stacy said.

 “Relax, Stacy, we may come up with something else,” Quinn said. ‘Multiple plans, and contingency plans for all of them. Definitely Daria’s territory or maybe of that tycoon guy on that cartoon about those living statues,’ she thought.

 They continued their discussion.

  “Quite an interesting situation, it would be worthy of a Sick Sad World episode!” Jane said when Daria had finished her commentary.

 “And most viewers would say ‘what the hell are they thinking’,” Daria said.

 “’A genie in a Maryland suburban High School? Magic in the burbs, next on Sick Sad World!” Jane said, imitating the usual SSW announcer.

 “It may work,” Daria said, with a tiny smirk.

 “Told ya,” Jane said.

 “Besides, we need to be going if we are going to meet Quinn, Stacy and Tiffany with sufficient time before homeroom,” Daria said.

 “Whose idea was that again?” Jane asked.

 “Mine.”

 “And Quinn agreed?”

 “Jane, if we’re going to stop this problem before it gets out of control, we need all the help we can get!”

 “True, but the fashion fiends?” Jane asked. ‘Unless they’re growing up somehow,’ she thought.

 “They aren’t as dumb as they appear; at least Quinn and Stacy aren’t,” Daria said.

 “I guess so,” Jane said, unconvinced. Daria noticed the ET game cartridge where Jane had thrown it aside earlier. She picked it up.

 “Isn’t this the worst game of all time?”

 “According to Trent, Wind bought it,”

 “That sort of makes sense. Not only is he a failure at relationships, he is also a failure as a gamer,” Daria said.

 “Yeah,” Jane said as she lead the way out of the room.

 “Do you think it would be safe to leave Trent in your room?”

 “He knows not to mess with my stuff.”

  Lawndale High School 8:40

After arriving early to school Anna Pearce was looking for Jean. She was curious to know why Jean was a genie and curious as to what the emerald could do...

 “Anna? What are you doing?” Her friend, Lisbeth Siobhan ‘Chipmunk’ Ogden, asked as they appeared to be aimlessly wandering the school’s corridors.

  “There was a genie at school yesterday, and I am sure that it will be here today,” Anna said.

 “Maybe,” Chipmunk (Chip for short) said. Whilst she had heard of the rumours the previous day and had seen the extra floor on the science block, she was sceptical.

 “You were here yesterday,” Anna said, as they entered the Industrial Arts Block.

 “It is rather fantastical, even with that extra floor.”

 “Maybe if you went to the library with me after school, instead of going to Track training, you would have better deductive reasoning skills,” Anna said.

 Chip wasn’t sure what Anna was talking about. “But I am good at it!” she said, referring to her position in the Track team.

 “Oh sure,” Anna said, in a teasing tone. Chip rolled her eyes.

  Jeffy Brown’s car pulled into the LHS student parking lot, close to the school. “Thanks for the ride, Jeffy,” Quinn said.

 “Anything for you, Quinn,” Jeffy said, sincerely. Stacy and Tiffany got out of the back seat, Stacy remembered to lock the door, but Tiffany didn’t.

 “Do you know where to meet Daria and Jane?” Stacy asked.

 As if on cue; Trent’s Plymouth coupé, being driven by Jane, pulled in next to Jeffy’s car. Jane turned off the engine and got out. Daria also got out.

 “Oh,” Stacy said.

 “I see that taking Trent’s car was a good idea,” Jane said.

 “Wasting time searching for them would not have been well spent,” Daria said.

 “Hi, Daria, have you and Jane come up with anything?” Quinn asked.

  The Fashionable Trio plus Jeffy and the Amiga Outcasts filled each other in on their discussions as they walked towards the school.

  Daria reached the door first. “That is a good idea, Quinn,” she said. She was going to say something else (with a mixture of encouragement and sarcasm), but she was interrupted by Jane.

 “Quite surprising that you would come up with it,” she said.

 “Well, Jane, this situation is quite shocking. As a result, I have started to re-evaluate what is important,” Quinn said, seriously.

 “Oh!” Jane said, at a loss for words at the (slight) change in Quinn.

 Daria didn’t know what to think about it either. She knew, however, that the changes in Quinn were slight. ‘It is at least a few steps in the right direction,’ she thought.

 “But how are you going to set it into motion, Quinn?” Jeffy asked.

 “We need to find a few others and talk to them about it. The bigger the distraction, the better,” Quinn said.

 “The question is; who would be suitable?” Jane said.

 “Andrea, Jodie, Mack, and though I loath to admit it, Upchuck,” Daria said.

 “Upchuck? Really? Eeeeww!” Quinn said.

 “There are brains in our grade who would do it better than Upchuck!” Stacy offered.

 “Ok, Upchuck as a last resort. That leaves the other 3, and those other ‘brains’ that Stacy mentioned,” Daria said.

 The group turned a corner, heading towards the HSIE block.

 “Now to find one of those people, preferably Jodie and Mack,” Jane said.

 “Joey and Jamie can help as well!” Jeffy said, as he trailed behind. ‘They aren’t as dumb as you think either,’ he thought.

  Whilst Anna and Chip were passing through the Industrial Arts block and the Amiga Outcasts, Fashionable Trio and Jeffy were discussing whom would help them in their planned distraction of Ms. Li from Jean’s nature, Elias exited the library on his own search for Jean. He was sure that she needed a friend. He also wanted to keep an eye on Sandi, to ensure that she wouldn’t make any wishes that would change Lawndale any further.

[cassiebones]

On the character asks: 11, 22, and 23

11.  What do they think of creation? Do they believe in evolution or do they believe in God? What is their religion like?

Dottie: She was raised by a scientist. Her mother believed in God, but never really stuck to a religion, so Dottie was raised agnostic and never went to any kind of church. She believes wholly in science, while also believing that it cannot solve all of life’s questions.

Greta: She grew up religious, but now hates it with every fiber of her being. It was the reason her parents wouldn’t get a divorce, despite fighting all the time and taking it out on her. It was the reason they punished her as harshly as they did. The only good thing religion ever got her was her girlfriend, Ana, because they met in her parents’ church as children.

Singh: His parents are proudly Hindu and so is he. They live in India while he resides in the States, but he still observes all the holidays and wears the traditional clothes that his mother sends him. 

Julie: She can’t remember much of her upbringing, other than her parents’ punishments and them sending her to the “Camp”, and how her sister, Mae, was her only ally, so whatever religion her family observed is buried somewhere underneath all that. She chooses to believe what science tells her, because it’s not like she can dispute it, anyway. 

Rowan: They’re grandmother, Siobhan, was hardcore Irish Catholic (like FROM Ireland) and that’s how she raised their mother, Aisling, who rebelled against most of it and ended up giving birth to Rowan when she was seventeen. Rowan spent much of their early days in church with their grandmother, who forced them into dresses until they finally told her that they didn’t want to wear dresses to church. At least, not the ones that Siobhan favored. Since they had a young mother, she was open to allowing her child to express themself any way they felt fit. Siobhan took longer to accept it, but eventually allowed Rowan to dress any way they wanted in church, which meant a few suits and even cutting their hair incredibly short. Siobhan learned to ignore the whispers and stares directed at their grandchild as Rowan learned their bible verses. They, like Julie and Dottie, believe in evolution, but they still have the Catholic faith and read the bible to their grandmother in her retirement home.

Bailey: She was left at the doors of a church when she was four, with nothing more than a ratty blue blanket and a letter that identified her by first name only: Bailey. The nun, Sister Catherine, gave her the last name Bishop and took her to the hospital to be checked over, before sending her into the system, where she was surrounded by other nuns in group homes and homeless shelters for the youth. She was only in that system for a year before she was adopted, but she was scarred by the experience. As an intersex person, she was called an abomination more than once. When she was adopted by Henry and Ida White, she was relieved to learn that they didn’t require her to have any kind of faith. She wouldn’t have, anyway.

Dean: He is tiny and pale and freckled and a devout Jewish transboy. He had a Bat Mitzvah (at his stepfather’s urging) when he turned twelve, but he wants a redo now that he is in the care of his foster parents. A redo that they’re happily giving him. He says his prayers and celebrates every Jewish holiday and he believes in the stories that he reads in the bible. That being said, he does have an interest in science, but he doesn’t let the two interfere with each other.

Ana: Her father was a preacher and her family owned a church in the Bronx. She is the second-youngest of eight and grew up a devout Christian. Despite being disowned by her parents for their “religious concerns” regarding her bisexuality, she still believes in the bible and still wears a silver cross around her neck.

22. Does your character trust people right off the bat or does it take them some time?

Dottie: Yes and no. She lost her mother young and was adopted within a year, but some of her foster parents were needlessly cruel even when they appeared nice, so she has some reservations when it comes to new people. Especially as an older, black, lesbian teenager.

Greta: It takes a lot for Greta to trust people. She could barely trust her own parents because of how they treated her. Ana is the only one she can truly let in. She loves her siblings and foster parents, but it’s still hard for her to trust them fully.

Singh: He’s a gay Indian boy living in Greenwich Village, so it can be dangerous to trust some people. He’s cautious, but he doesn’t close himself off completely.

Julie: She has seen more than her fair share of cruelty, so trust doesn’t come easily to her. That said, there have been people who’ve pleasantly surprised her, so you never really know...

Rowan: They try to trust as openly as possible, but as an enby, that too can be tough. They’re strong and resilient and bounce back pretty easily, but not everybody can say that.

Bailey: She is really shy, but not untrusting. But, like most of her siblings, she is cautious about what she says and who she says it to. 

Dean: There was a time that he trusted his stepfather. And then his stepfather became violent toward him and his mother, so he is not easy to trust. He tries to remain positive, though.

Ana: She is as trusting as a person can be. She believes that everybody--even the parents that disowned her and the siblings that refuse to acknowledge her existence--have good in them. Greta hates this about her and loves it at the same time.

23. Romance or affection? Quickest way to their heart?

Dottie: Big gay mush. She’s all for the flowers and the hand-holding and the soft kisses on cheeks. She’s the one that tries to do the big gestures, but sometimes it doesn’t go as planned.

Greta: She SAYS that she’s not into “all that romantic crap” but she still gives Ana violets for pretty much every occasion and takes embarrassing selfies of them together and she’s usually the one who initiates hand-holding.

Singh: He swoons, he sighs, he LOVES affection. Especially from a cute guy.

Julie: Julie doesn’t know how to handle affection, but she loves the love stories in her books and probably wouldn’t mind somebody doing that kind of stuff for her.

Rowan: Overly dramatic, goofy bisexual who thinks that they are a stud and will try to woo you with flowers and fireworks that they definitely obtained illegally. 

Bailey: So very shy and awkward bean who turns bright red when somebody gives her so much as a piece of candy or a paper Valentine. 

Dean: He’s a 12-year-old boy. He’s not much into romance, but he does get a little flustered when a certain somebody shows him attention and he has NO IDEA WHY THIS HAPPENS.

Ana: Over the top lover of all things romantic and affectionate. Her grump of a gf acts like she hates it, but Ana knows that she secretly loves all of it.

[sean-chris-13]

Our Story

“It wasn’t love at first sight. In fact, I wasn’t even going to try….

"I was going to college at SUNY Fredonia living in an apartment with a couple of friends off campus when I first heard about Siobhan. It was early in the school year and Kevin (my former roommate) and his girlfriend (now wife) Rachel invited me over for dinner and to return some laundry that had somehow gotten mixed up from the last semester.

"It was nice just hanging out for a little, talking, and playing with their dog Manny. Rachel was texting with her cousin Cooey occasionally and said I should text her too. I said no. Eventually, it got to the point when I’m getting ready to go and Rachel tells me she gave this "Cooey” my number.

“‘Oh.’

"And I didn’t mean 'oh’ in a good way. I just didn’t see the point; this is a girl on the other side of the state. I didn’t know anything about her or even what she looked like. I didn’t know her real name! Actually, I think Rachel did say her name once, but she just kept calling her Cooey and I just called her 'Rachel’s cousin.’

"So I started walking back to my apartment and I get a text from 'Rachel’s cousin.’ Probably just 'hey.’ I don’t remember. It didn’t matter. I wait a few minutes and text her back; nothing too interesting. She’d text me every so often and I would text her back when I got the chance between video games or songs I was listening to. I wasn’t going to put any effort into it. I’d probably never meet her.

"But it turns out I was going to meet her. She was coming to Fredonia to celebrate her 21st birthday with Rachel in late October. She and Rachel asked if I would join them in celebrating and I didn’t really have a reason to deny. It’s not that I didn’t think Cooey was nice, I was just indifferent. Worse comes to worse, I gained a new friend.

"Before she showed up, friend or stranger or more, I figured I owe her the courtesy of at least learning her name. She added me on Facebook earlier and I saw her name was 'Siobhan’ and I said 'what is that supposed to be?’ I got the answer from a YouTube video. To be embarrassingly honest, it was the very first effort I gave her. It was pretty cool to me that we both had Irish names, but a little weird that she and my brother Jimmy have the same middle name.

"Her visit kept getting closer and I started to worry more. I was pretty sure she was interested in more than a friendship judging by how often she text me and how flirty the texts were. So did she want a relationship, a friend, or just a friend for the weekend she was visiting to keep her from being a third wheel? Would I ever hear from her afterword? And, if she does want a relationship, how? Up until her arrival I just ignored all the questions I had.

"Then she was here. Rachel pulled up to my apartment and there was 'Shavon’ in the front passenger seat. I said 'hi’ and we all went to Tops for ingredients to the Ziti she was making. I hadn’t really seen her well enough yet, but I remember thinking her voice was lower than I imagined. Eventually we made it to the store and when she got out of the car I realized she was taller than I previously thought. Of course, none of that mattered to me. I was making a conscious effort to not think of her in that way. She was still cute, though. For the first part of our shopping experience, the girls split up and so I followed Rachel. I knew Rachel and I didn’t expect anything to happen with Cooey and I. After a few minutes of trailing Rachel and adding commentary to her selections, I remember Cooey’s texts about being excited to meet me. I found her and tagged along for the remainder of the trip with minimal conversation. I had text with her some before, but it’s different in person. It was more awkward. Without a screen to hide behind or as much time as you want to respond, everything is different.

"After Tops, we went to Rachel and Kevin’s to let Siobhan make her ziti while we all hung out. We all talked about nothing in particular and just got over the meeting stages for Cooey and I. At the end of the night, I decided I had a good time but I wasn’t convinced it was going to last for anything but the weekend.

"Over the next couple days we got closer. We didn’t need Rachel to start our conversations anymore. In fact, there were some times when it was just us, and it was just fine. I showed her my freezing cold apartment, introduced her to my roommates and played her some guitar. It was a nice weekend.

"Then, at one point she said something about me being cute and kissed me. She’s always been a bit more impulsive than me, but I can’t deny I kissed her back. The next morning the four of us went to Bob Evans for a goodbye breakfast and we two held hands under the table.

"It was after she left that I realized I was in for it. She was still texting me, and what’s more, I was much more willing to text her back. Our conversations got more in-depth. We send each other pictures of our day. My pictures were mostly of my room and me lazing around while she sent pictures donning an orange apron at Gymboree. She wasn’t just Rachel’s cousin anymore. She was Siobhan. She was my friend. She was something just a bit more.

"We talked daily until she came to visit again in December. This time, however, she wasn’t visiting her cousin; she was visiting me. She was making an effort and I realized I owed it to her to either make my own effort or shut it down.

"The next time we saw each other was January and it was in my hometown of Wellsville. Her first night there she ended by insistently asking me to define our relationship. I was going to officially declare us dating at the end of the week if it went well, but she’s impatient; we officially started dating that night, January 13th 2014.

"She again visited me in Fredonia in February for our first Valentine’s day together. My roommates Meaghan, Katie, and I were considering getting a kitten, so on Siobhan’s way to see me she got a kitten. I told her I had to ask my landlord permission first and she just responded 'well ask now because he’s on his way.’ Enter Fitz. He’s the little black and white beast we call our first-born child and follows us wherever we end up.

"I moved back home to Wellsville for the summer with Fitzy. She continued to visit me monthly wherever I was, but if this was really going to progress we had to see each other more. Despite some significant apprehension, I agreed we would get an apartment in Fredonia for the next semester. We got Fitz’s younger sister Rhian in July and we moved in together in the middle of August.

"It worked as well as we wanted. I enjoyed it immensely and think she did too. We didn’t do much, just lived life together. She got a job for some money and to occupy her time. We went for walks around the SUNY campus and sat in Starbucks. My friends were her friends. We took naps and she cooked (I’m not much help in the kitchen). I’d go to class and then we’d take the bus to Walmart for supplies.

"Our time there went fast. For the next summer we wanted to stay together. I needed a job other than my summer position at Allegany Arc and we concluded that in all likelihood it would be easier to find a job in her home of Albany so that’s where we went. We loaded up the cats and set off 6 hours to her parents’ house in Albany.

"Albany was my adventure. She’d moved to Fredonia for me and now it was time to repay the favor. She showed me around where she grew up and points of interest around the area. I spent time getting to know her parents and looking for a job. I’d watch movies and listen to her dad Dan play guitar and have conversations with her mom Carrie about whatever was on her mind. Most every day, I’d take their dogs Scotty and Frankie for walks around the pond down the street. Eventually, Wal-Mart responded to my résumé and I started working there. After some time of saving money, we wanted to move back west.

"Siobhan got a job at GEICO near Buffalo and I was able to transfer to the Wal-Mart in Lockport where we were headed next. We found a small apartment on Craigslist, packed up a moving truck, and had immediate regrets. The power wasn’t on in our new apartment that only had one small window, a terrible smell of smoke, and a flea problem. We suffered there for as short a time as we possibly could while our neighbors tried to burn the place down and we looked for anywhere else to live. I walked back and forth to work while she borrowed her mother’s car to go get harassed on the phones at the little green lizard’s place.

"Two apartments later, a slightly used Jeep, more adventures around the state, and two promotions for me, we arrived to about right where we are now. We’re up to three cats with our newest addition of Stella, we’re still at GEICO and Wal-Mart, and still have the red Jeep (Carrie’s Honda is safely in Madeline’s care).

"My final anecdote leads me to the reason we’re asking people to join us in October. Now, our engagement didn’t go as I had planned. I didn’t plan anything too extravagant, but it was still able to become completely unraveled. At one point, I realized that I was going to marry her. We’d talked about it, and it was time for me to do something about it. Well, one day a couple weeks before Christmas she found a non-traditional ring she made clear that she wanted so the next day I took the Jeep back and bought it while she was at work. I showed my family the ring she had picked out and called her mom and dad to ask permission. Once I was given their blessing, I waited for a good time to do it.

"Well… I kinda forgot about something. There was another ring I was giving her for Christmas. My Great-Grandma Betty had helped me get a promise ring for Cooey at Christmas. It was kept at my Grandmother Dixon’s house and I was so ready to propose it just slipped my mind. So, we’re at Christmas with the Dixon side of my family in Belmont when the little box with the ring is placed in front of Cooey. I start to understand at that point there might be a slight dilemma. Siobhan gets her promise ring and loves it and wants to call her mother. The issue is, I did not tell her mother about the promise ring and the last thing I want is for the engagement to be ruined for her. I walk with Cooey and try to text her mother, but I’m not getting any response. The poor woman is confused and concerned that I’m keeping this from her mother and that I’m being so secretive. At one point she thinks I’m either breaking up with her or dying or something else terrible. She’s sobbing on a bench with me in a small park in the middle of Belmont, New York and I know if anyone has to let her know about my plans, it has to be me.

”'Listen…. This isn’t the only ring I bought you.’

“So the truth comes out. I tell her about the engagement ring I left in my bag at the church and this entire story I’m writing now. I’m pretty sure she hit me. I didn’t have the ring, but I got down on one knee and asked the question. She said 'yes,’ as you might expect since this is a wedding website you’re on.

"But this wasn’t quite our engagement. I still had the ring of course. She just knew it was coming, but I still had to at least try to surprise her. So one day I did nothing. I was supposed to do dishes and laundry, but instead I went down and, unbeknownst to her, picked up her engagement ring from being sized and waited the rest of the day in bed. She was not happy when she made it home. We had to go out to eat since I didn’t do any dishes but that was part of the plan. The meal we had wasn’t great and the restaurant wasn’t special to us. We actually haven’t been back since we got engaged in the parking lot. We finished our meal and on our way to the car I lagged behind her and pulled out the ring.

"The only time I figured I could surprise her was with the most innocuous day and that’s what I tried to do.

"Besides, it’s not about where; it’s about us. She and I. Wherever we are is special to us, as cheesy as it is. I want to spend all my life with her, not just the special and fun parts. The days where we don’t do anything are just as important to me as the days we do a once in a lifetime activity. I truly love her and hope you can be with us on October, 13th 2017 to share that with us.”

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 86

Chapter Summary -  Danielle does not feel well, but thankfully figures it out, leading to more time talking and in turn, repairing the relationship.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog​ @jessibelle-nerdy-mum​ @nonsensicalobsessions​ @damalseer​ @hiddlesbitch1​ @winterisakiller​ @fairlightswiftly​ @salempoe​​ @wolfsmom1​​

If you wish to be tagged, please let me know.

Tom looked at Danielle, unsure what to do, she was clearly overstressed with the issue with her aunt and seemed completely out of sorts in general as she insisted she needed to go to bed early.

The auctioneer had confirmed Danielle's suspicion, Bernadette's claim the house and the meagre plot of land with it was worth a hundred and sixty thousand was way off, it was only worth ninety-five. She had gone to the solicitor again with her information and had called her aunt and uncle to inform them before she began to feel incredibly ill. Tom watched as she doubled over, complaining of stomach cramps and a headache.

"Can I get you anything?" He offered pathetically, completely at a loss as to what to do.

"No, I'm fine."

"Elle, you are as sick as a dog."

"I don't know what it is." She whined. "How am I so sick all of a sudden, ever since Christmas?"

"Maybe it's me." Tom joked, earning a groan from her. "What does it feel like?"

"Like what I imagine it would be like if you were to do that scene in Alien where the creature bursts out of your chest, only in my stomach." She explained. Tom winced slightly. "I haven't gotten this in years."

"Wait, you had it before?"

"Yeah, before I got the…wait, I got the bar changed a month ago."

"Right…?"

"I am…shit," She turned around and headed for the door.

"Elle?"

"I need to get to the shop before it closes."

"Elle, are you mad, it's half nine at night and you are sick."

"I'm not sick."

"What?"

"I am not sick, I know what's wrong with me."

"Good, okay, so what is it?"

"I am getting a period."

"What?" "A period, I had to go on the bar because they were so bad, I changed the bar and now I am reacting badly or something because my body is acting like it is not there."

Not wanting to argue, and with two sisters, Tom knew that though he knew something of female anatomy, he was nowhere near qualified to make comment on anything, he grabbed his shoes again. "I am driving." Danielle did not argue.

*

After getting the supplies they needed and Danielle took something to help the pain, she seemed to become more upbeat…somewhat. "God, I cannot wait to go home." She moaned.

"When do you think…?"

"I have no idea. As I knew would happen, Lourda and Michael cannot afford to buy out Bernadette, and according to the solicitor, if she really pushes it, they may fold and sell it in its entirety."

Tom folded his arms and leant back against the counter. He had only been at the house for just over a day and he loved it, knowing that it meant so much more to Danielle, he could only imagine how she was feeling. "What do you think you can do?"

"I am trying to see if I can get the twenty-five thousand to pay her myself."

"What?"

"If no one else can buy her out, I am going to see if I can, by myself."

"Can you raise that much?"

"I had planned to get a new car, but if I keep onto my one, I can get a loan against my house and then yes, I can."

"How long have you been considering this?"

"Since the moment Siobhan told me she could try this stunt. I always planned to try and convince my family to sell me their shares in this place when I was younger, now I may actually get it."

"So you would then own…"

"My share in the house would be half the overall," She confirmed. "I would keep the same arrangement as is currently here, though obviously, Bernie would lose her ability to have any input in the place."

"Obviously." Tom nodded, he looked at her. "You really want this."

"I do, I love it so much, I have so many good memories here."

"Can I ask about your parents' house, why were you not as interested in keeping that?"

"My parents and I moved three times in my life, so none of those houses gave the feeling this has. Nan's was constant, my parents was where was suitable."

"Do you think you can get the loan?"

"Living in England isn't working in my favour, I guess I'll have to wait and see." She shrugged before wincing again. "I want to Google hysterectomies right now, fuck I forgot how much this hurts."

Tom looked at her sympathetically. "What if this is a permanent thing now, you reacting badly?"

"Jesus, don't curse me like that." She warned.

Tom understood her somewhat, she had tossed and turned for the majority of the night, waking him on several occasions before saying she was going to get some painkillers and sneaking down to the couch downstairs to sleep. He realised her plan after ten minutes and herded her back into the bed, telling her that he would sit in the armchair across from her for the night if she decided to stay there. "Was it always…?"

"Not as bad, but when as I grew more and more, it got worse, and now I am enduring it again, fuck I am going to go through my own weight in painkillers at this rate." Tom pulled her close to him, kissing her gently. "I am sorry I ruined things."

"Elle, you said it was done, so it is."

"But we can't have any fun."

Realising that she was not referencing the argument but her inability to be intimate because her body was doing what it is supposed to do, he smiled slightly. "We will again when you are back to normal, but you said you didn't want to do anything here, so at least this makes sure you stay on that. Also, there is more than one way to be intimate, it doesn't have to be sexual." He pulled her to him again, his arms around her. "I am so glad I still have you my darling Elle." He whispered in her ear. "I love you so much."

"I'm sorry I ran off."

"I'm sorry I rubbished your feelings." Tom added, "Though I am not sorry we came here, it is gorgeous."

"How about you get that shower you wanted and we can head out for a while, I can show you more?"

"Perfect. I will be back in a moment."

"The water should be hot enough by now."

Tom nodded and went to fetch a towel. "Shit, I forgot, Luke said he was going to ring," He handed her his phone, "If he does while I'm in the shower, could you tell him Ollie got onto me and could he double check the TV show confirmation with the film company, he'll know what that means."

"You're lucky I love you." Danielle sighed with a smile, causing Tom to grin.

"I am, I truly am." He agreed, kissing her before going and readying himself.

As Danielle threw together some food as a lunch, Tom's phone rang; seeing it was not Luke, she left it go, the second time it rang, it was Luke, so she answered. "Hi Luke, Tom said you might ring."

"Is he there?" Luke sounded somewhat perplexed.

"He's in the shower, he told me to tell you, he was talking to Ollie and to double check the TV stuff." She recited.

"I did and it is confirmed," Luke answered.

"Should I tell him that?"

"Please."

"Okay."

"I am not prying, but Tom told me you were in Ireland at present." Luke inquired.

"I am."

"So then, he is in Ireland too?"

"Yes, we are at my Nan's place. I had an issue that was stressing me out so he came over." Danielle explained.

"Well, better than the jet-setting fiasco of last summer."

"Well, I don't own a jet."

"I am sure he will forgive you for that; if it is any consolation, he doesn't either." There was a hint of a smile in Luke's voice. "While I have you, I was wondering if you were going to the premiere in London?"

Danielle frowned. "I had not even considered it."

"I am aware you would not have gone as Tom's other half, but there are limited tickets for friends and family also. Tom is getting a few since of course, it is in London. Are you interested?"

"I am not sure, I have too much going on here, I am not going to be in Britain for a few weeks at this stage."

"Oh, I see. Can I ask if it is something serious?"

"Family drama."

"Everyone has that." Luke consoled. "I hope it resolves soon."

"Yes, well, my aunt is going all out on hers, so I m unable to plan anything, and thank you, I hope the same."

"I am sure Tom will ask you also, but if you change your mind, all you need do is ask. Tell him I have his ready for whomever he wishes."

"Thank you, Luke." She smiled. "I will tell him what you said and I am sure he will be on to you again soon."

"Thank you, Danielle, have a pleasant day."

Danielle laughed to herself as the call ended, going about getting everything ready for their afternoon. Several minutes later, Tom came downstairs, wrapping his arms around her, ensure to keep away from her tender stomach. "Luke rang, the TV thing has been confirmed, I told him about Ollie, your extra tickets are with him and someone else rang but I didn't know who it was, so I didn't answer."

"Thank you, love," He kissed her neck. "You make a great secretary." He looked at her for a moment. "I had planned to ask you about going to the premiere, but considering what you are doing here, I said I would not make you feel pressurised."

"I would have, but with my aunt." She gave him an apologetic look.

"I know," he reached for his phone. "It's Odette."

"No idea who that is."

"She is the PA for the Skull Island tour."

"But I thought Ollie was your PA."

"Not for this, he can't make it."

"Fair enough, I will let you call her back and I will get us ready to go." She kissed his cheek as Tom smiled and went on the phone again, thinking to herself as he did so.