#then a two hour flight to Philly

[lostinmirkwood]

I think I dozed for less than an hour on my flight. I’ve been awake for almost 22 hours now.

[zegrasdrysdale]

[ photograph ] j. drysdale

paring : Jamie Drysdale x fem!reader

summary : (Y/N) decides to fly out to Philly for Valentine’s Day after watching Jamie say in an interview that he’ll probably be spending the day alone

warning(s) : just some tooth rotting fluff with no angst for once, a heavy makeout

author’s note : this is just a (not so) lil fluff filled thing bc i wanted to write something for belated valentine’s day. sorry or you’re welcome (idk)

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“Yeah, uh, I don’t actually have any plans tomorrow,” he explains to a reporter through the screen on her phone. “Everyone I know here does have plans and everyone else I know is across the country so I’ll most likely spend the day putting together furniture in my new apartment.”

That was the moment she decided that she was getting on the first flight she possibly could to Philly so Jamie didn’t spend Valentine’s Day alone. No one should have to spend the day alone. She doesn’t have any plans and she’s off from work for about two weeks because they’re doing renovations so a little trip to Philadelphia doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world.

Last year he spent the day with Trevor on the couch and watched movies in their shared apartment. This year, he is in Philly and Trevor actually has a girlfriend. Not very ideal for Jamie.

She isn’t Jamie’s girlfriend, but she is one of his best friends and could never let him be alone on Valentine’s Day. Especially not after hearing what his actual plans are for tomorrow. She’s going to at least help him put furniture together in his apartment.

A flight out of LAX is scheduled for 10 that night. It’s six so she has about two hours to pack for a week long trip to Philly. She even buys a ticket for Saturday’s game at MetLife since she wants to see Jamie play a game while she’s in Philly.

By eight, she’s out the door with a suitcase that’s packed full of clothes and non-liquid toiletries. The jersey Jamie sent her about a week after the trade is neatly folded with the rest of her clothes. She orders an Uber to drive her to the airport.

While in the Uber, she debates texting Jamie and telling him that she’ll be at his new apartment early tomorrow morning since she’ll be landing a little before six in the morning. It’ll probably take about 45 minutes after she lands before she’s on Jamie’s doorstep.

Maybe a surprise wouldn’t be the worst thing so she puts her phone away until she has to pull out her plane ticket.

Getting on the plane takes an hour between getting past TSA and buying snacks for the nearly five hour flight. She boards the plane twenty minutes before it takes off so she has time to get comfortable.

She’s asleep before the plane even leaves the ground.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

All the snacks she bought before the flight are going to be the snacks she eats while she’s in Philly because she slept for the entire flight. It didn’t feel like she slept for 5 hours but she did.

By six, she’s at baggage claim and grabbing her suitcase. She orders an Uber to Voorhees while she waits for her things. The car is waiting for her when she get outside.

It’s a lot colder out than she thought it was going to be. All she has on is a Ducks hoodie that Jamie gave to her the year before and a pair of leggings with Uggs on her feet. Her feet are warm. The rest of her is not. She shakes as she puts her things in the trunk of the car.

She gives the driver Jamie’s new address and she’s off to surprise her best friend.

The closer she gets to Jamie’s, the more nervous she gets. What if he found someone after moving to the Philly area? What if the whole putting furniture together comment was a lie so he didn’t announce to the entire world he was in a relationship? What if he doesn’t want her there in general?

Maybe a spontaneous trip across the country without at least letting Jamie know she was coming wasn’t the best idea she’s ever had.

A call comes through from Trevor. Confused, she answers the phone. “Good morning?”

“Are you in Philly?” he asks.

“Maybe,” she slowly replies as she watches the Philly skyline pass. “Why? It’s like three in the morning.”

“Not for you apparently,” he retorts. “I looked to see where you were because Mason said you weren’t replying to his texts so I wanted to make sure you were okay and I see that you flew across the country.”

She smiles and shakes her head. The way Trevor would find out she’s in Philly is by checking her location. He and Jamie are the only ones that have her location because she’s closest with them.

“Just wanted to surprise Jamie,” she tells Trevor. “That’s all. Tell Mason I’ll call him later because I’m about ten minutes away from Jamie’s apartment.”

“You gonna tell him you love him?” Trevor questions. She opens her mouth to object but he keeps talking. “It’s so freaking obvious so don’t even lie to me.”

A nervous laugh passes her lips. “We’ll see,” she replies. “I’ll talk to you later, Z.”

“Tell me how he’s really doing,” he tells her. “I worry about him sometimes.”

“Will do,” she says as the driver pulls up to Jamie’s place. “Talk soon.”

The line goes dead and she looks out the window at the apartment building. Jamie’s somewhere in there asleep and she’s about two minutes away from calling him to come let her into the building.

She gets her things out of the trunk and thanks the driver before he drives off to pick someone else up. She sighs and pulls up Jamie’s contact.

When she presses the ‘call’ button, it rings about four times before Jamie answers. The entire time, her hands are shaking and she isn’t sure if it’s because of the cold or if she’s nervous to see Jamie for the first time since the trade.

“It’s like four in the morning,” he croaks when he picks up. “Are you okay?”

She smiles at the sound of his morning voice. “Actually it’s almost seven in the morning and I’m currently freezing my ass off outside your apartment building so if you could come let me in, that would be great,” she says.

It sounds like Jamie falls out of bed when she says that she’s outside of the building. If he broke anything then she’s going to have to explain to Torts why Jamie will be out for six weeks.

He isn’t holding any body parts when he swings the door open and blankly stares at her from the top of the steps of the building. He blinks a few times like he’s trying to decide if he’s still dreaming or if he’s awake. She waves and a barefoot Jamie runs down the stairs to hug her.

A laugh passes her lips and she wraps her arms around his torso. “You’re actually here,” he says against her ear. “I thought you were lying to me.”

“Nope,” she replies. “I’m here. I didn’t have anything else to do so I thought I’d come surprise you. Help you put together some furniture for Valentine’s Day.”

Jamie pulls back from the hug just enough to look at her. “You saw that interview?” he asks.

With a nod and a smile, she replies, “It sounded like a very boring way to spend Valentine’s Day so I thought I’d come keep you company. Maybe watch you play at the outdoor game this weekend. I have another week off from work and spending it in the Philly area with my best friend didn’t sound like the worst idea.”

“You are actually insane for buying a plane ticket without knowing if I’d be here or not,” he tells her. “I could’ve left for Toronto before you got here since we play them tomorrow.”

“Yeah I know how your travel schedule works,” she retorts. “That’s how I knew you’d be here.”

He shakes his head and grabs her suitcase. “You have some of the best timing because I took a maintenance day today so I have a day off from practice, but I leave tomorrow morning for Toronto,” he says to her as they walk into the building together.

“Listen, I’m spending a week in the area,” she replies. “I get to watch you play at the outdoor game on Saturday when I wasn’t planning on being on the east coast at all. If you’re gone for a day or two then it’s fine.”

The smile that forms on Jamie’s face makes her heart do somersaults in her stomach.

She can tell how excited he is that she decided to visit him. She knows how much he has been missing Anaheim so she brought Anaheim to him for a week.

When Jamie opens the door to the apartment, she is very surprised by how decorated it is and how much of the stuff he had in his Anaheim apartment has made its way to this one. It still needs some work done, but that is why she’s here. She’s here to help him finish putting it all together.

“I need to build some shelves,” Jamie tells her. “And put together the guest bedroom. The frame still needs to be built for the guest bed too. This is what my plans were for the day.”

She turns her head to look at him as he closes the door behind them. “So it wasn’t come ruse so you didn’t have to admit to the world that you had a secret girlfriend?” she questions.

If she should expect Jamie to have a girl over then she might as well get the girlfriend question out of the way early on in her visit.

“Uh, no,” he replies. “No secret girlfriend. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had any time to find a girlfriend. Yorky has tried but he’s not the best wingman.”

She can’t help but laugh. Jamie smiles and rolls her suitcase to the unfinished bedroom.

She decides to make some coffee for the two of them so they can get started on the day’s plans. They have to put together the guest room and build some shelves. It can’t be very hard to do either of those things. Right?

Wrong.

It turns out that Jamie can’t follow simple instructions to save his life. She has had to refrain from throwing whatever is in her hand at him so many times because he can’t read a piece of paper.

“Jamie, what am I supposed to do with this screw?” she asks as she holds up an extra screw. “Do I have to put it in your head so you can use your brain or something? You missing one in there? Do I need to get Trevor on the first flight out of LAX to come help you figure out how to read the instructions?”

Jamie looks up from his spot on the floor and throws the instructions at her. “Here, you try to read this and tell me if it makes any sense,” he retorts. “It’s all confusing. My parents helped me build shelves when they came to visit a few weeks ago. I didn’t have to do this. Maybe it’s just an extra.”

She grabs the pamphlet and reads the directions. The screw was supposed to be put in when putting the shelves in place. A shelf is missing a screw.

“You dumbass,” she says. “It’s not an extra screw. It was supposed to be put in on the bottom shelf to make sure it is secure and even. You now have an unsecure shelf in your guest room.”

Jamie flattens out on his back on the carpeted floor with a groan. “This is why I’m a hockey player and don’t work in home improvement,” he says as he rubs his eyes. She laughs and tries to keep her eyes on his face instead of on the sliver of skin that peeks out between what is a new Flyers t-shirt and pajama pants. “This is so dumb. I am not about to take that whole thing apart to put one screw in.”

She walks over and slaps the pamphlet on his stomach. He gasps and sits up with the paper in his hands. “Then get it together, Drysdale,” she tells him. “We have a bed frame to build.”

“Fuck the bed frame,” he sighs as she grabs the box in the corner and drags it into the center of the room. “You don’t need a bed to sleep in tonight.”

With a light laugh, she teases, “If we don’t get it set up then I’m gonna be sleeping in your bed until we get it put together.”

Jamie mutters something that sounds like “would be okay with me” but she pretends she doesn’t hear it. She can’t hear it or else she will just say “fuck it” and sleep in Jamie’s bed the entire time she’s here instead of putting the bed together.

The mattress is sitting up against the wall next to where the box with the bed frame was. He has everything he needs to put this bed together and he hasn’t done it yet. Not even over the All Star break when he had a few days off before going to Mexico with the Flyers.

Putting the bed together takes less time and a lot less arguing back and forth. Within an hour, the mattress is on top of the bed frame. Five-foot-eleven 185 pound Jamie flops on the mattress to make sure it’s secure and won’t fall apart if someone were to jump on it.

They do not need to have another shelf problem with the bed that she will most likely be sleeping on while she’s in the area. If it is like the shelf and it’s not safe to sleep on then the couch is in the living room for a reason.

The two of them stand in the doorway and look at their work when they decide the bed is secure. “We make an amazing team,” she comments. “Aside from the shelf.”

Jamie groans and walks down the hallway to his own room. “Shelves are stupid anyway,” he replies. “Who is actually going to use them in this room aside from me just putting a handful of books and pictures on them?” She laughs and goes to unpack her stuff now that it’s safe to do so without stepping on wood, metal or a screw on the floor.

The Flyers jersey that he sent her gets hung up in the closet along with her shirts, hoodies, and nicer pants. She’ll pull bras, panties, and socks out of the suitcase as needed. The beanie she brought to wear on Saturday is put on the bedside table.

Then she pulls out the gift that she brought for Jamie. It isn’t much but she’s hoping that it means as much to him as it does to her. The pictures she brought were taken at such important moments in Jamie’s career and she hopes that he doesn’t mind having a few pictures of his best friend around the apartment.

She walks down to Jamie’s bedroom and knocks gently on the door. There are footsteps behind it before the door swings open. “I, um, had these printed and framed in case I ever came to visit you,” she tells him as she holds out the three picture frames. “Thought you might need some décor.”

Jamie looks down at the pictures and shifts through them.

One of them was taken on Jamie’s Draft Day. He has on a Ducks jersey and she has on his Ducks hat. He looks so happy. He has an arm around her shoulders while he holds up six fingers and is smiling at the camera. She has a smile on his face and is looking up at him with a proud look on her face. Messy ponytail and all.

The second one was taken the day Jamie made his NHL debut and scored his first goal. It’s a selfie she took of her, Jamie, and Trevor at dinner that same night. They’re both holding their pucks because they went right from the arena to a restaurant to eat.

The third one was taken during the 2021 World Juniors tournament where Canada placed second. She’s putting the silver medal back around his neck after he had given it to her. “Silver just means you lost” is what he had said to her a moment before this was captured. She had told him that she was a winner to him and put the medal back around his neck. There is heavy eye contact between the two of them in their matching jerseys.

It was as the third picture was being taken she realized that she loved Jamie. The first two pictures, she knew she had feelings for him, but the third was when she realized that she wanted to be there for him as more than just a friend.

“I had no idea you had any of these,” he says after he’s done looking through them. Jamie looks up at her. “All at different points of my career.”

“Been with you since day one,” she replies with a smile on her face. “You didn’t think that I wouldn’t be here with you while you succeed in a whole new city, did you?”

Jamie laughs and shakes his head. “Absolutely not,” he tells her. “You always make sure you’re a presence in my life.” He pauses and looks right at her. “It’s one of the things I love most about having you in my life.”

She could almost cry when he says that.

There have been so many times over the years where she thought she was annoying or that he wanted her out of his life. She followed him to California when he started playing with the Gulls then the Ducks. He asked her to come with him, but she thought for months it was out of pity.

He has erased years of insecurity with one comment.

“Thanks for keeping me in your life,” she replies after a brief moment of silence.

“You’re like Trevor,” he teases. “You’re always around. It would be hard for me to get rid of you.”

She smiles up at him. “Except he would never fly across the country to see you,” she retorts. “Especially without at least telling you he was coming to see you.”

Jamie laughs. “No, he wouldn’t.”

They look at each other for a second before he walks past her. He has the picture frames in his hand as he walks into the living room. She follows him even though she is confused with what he’s doing.

He puts the picture of himself, Trevor, and (Y/N) on the coffee table under the lamp next to the couch. It’s the most public place in the entire place so it makes sense that that’s the picture that is put in the living room.

The picture of the two of them on Draft Day goes on a little table that leads to the hallway with both bedrooms and bathrooms. The table is under a little mirror that’s been hung up. A little less public but it also joins the other pictures that were taken that day. It looks like it belongs.

Jamie glances at her and walks back into his bedroom. She follows right behind him and stands in the doorway of his room. Her eyes are on the picture of the two of them at the 2021 World Juniors as it’s placed on Jamie’s bedside table.

“This one means the most to me so it deserves a little more privacy than the others,” Jamie tells her without a look in her direction. “You were there for me and picked me up when I was down. I didn’t want anyone else there but you. You were the one that convinced me silver was okay. The team worked hard to get to that moment. The medal was very well deserved because we did everything we could to make it to that game. I did everything I could to get the team to that game. We just came up a little bit short.”

She pouts and walks further into the room. He finally looks over at her. “I didn’t know you felt that way,” she softly says to him. “I didn’t know that I was the person that convinced you it was okay to wear silver around your neck.”

“I needed silver because my gold medal was you,” Jamie shakily admits. His voice is soft. “You’re my gold medal.”

His words have her speechless. Her jaw drops in surprise. She has no idea why he’s saying this to her now.

He reaches out to her and brushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She takes a step forward and feels her heart race in her chest as she looks up at him. Her body shakes as she realizes that their relationship is changing.

A line that she never expected to cross is about to be crossed. She can see it in Jamie’s eyes as they examine her face, landing on her lips.

“Can I kiss you?”

She nods because she doesn’t trust herself to speak. She is afraid that she’s going to admit how long she’s been in love with him if she says a single words.

So she nods, and Jamie leans down to capture her lips in a soft, hesitant kiss. He’s testing the waters to see if she’ll push him away.

She’ll never push him away.

Not when she finally has him like this. Not when she finally knows what it feels like to kiss Jamie Drysdale.

When she feels him begin to pull away, she wraps her arms around his neck and leans more into him to deepen the kiss instead of Jamie breaking it. Her fingers find a home in his hair.

She is scared he will regret it if the kiss breaks, and she doesn’t want that. She doesn’t want to see that look. It might break her if he looks at her like that if the kiss breaks.

Jamie cups her cheek and brushes his thumbs over her cheekbone. She melts against him with a sigh.

“(Y/N),” he mumbles after a second. “I need to breathe.”

That’s when she lets him pull away. The sight of his red, swollen lips and unruly hair is almost too much for her. There’s a hint of a smile on his face and something overcomes her.

“I love you,” she tells him. “I’ve loved you since that was taken.” She points in the direction of the picture on his bedside table. “It’s always been you, Jamie. That’s why I flew across the country on Valentine’s Day. I wanted to be with you today because I miss you and I love you.”

Jamie smiles and brushes his thumb over her own lips that are as red and swollen as his are. “I love you too,” he says. “I think I’ve been in love with you since I saw you at my first NHL game in my jersey. I’m very happy you came to the east coast to watch me play in the Stadium Series game this weekend. I was going to probably fly you out anyway.”

She laughs and shakes her head before burying her face in his chest. They’ve been in love with each other for years and are only now saying something about it after Jamie was traded to Philly and she’s stuck in Anaheim for right now.

“Only took me bringing you pictures to finally kiss me,” she teases.

He rolls his eyes. “Shut up and come here.”

Their lips meet in a heated kiss. Everything they’ve been feeling is coming out in the kiss. Jamie tugs her until she is sitting on his lap while he’s sitting on the mattress. She drapes her arms over his shoulders.

It’s that moment when she realizes they put together a whole bed for no reason because there is now no way she is getting in that bed now.

She pushes him down until Jamie is lying flat on his back and their chests are flush against each other. Her hair creates a curtain around their faces despite his fingers curling in her locks.

“Wait, hold on,” Jamie says. She pulls back from the kiss. “Have something to ask you before we get distracted.”

“Hm?”

“Will you come to family skate on Friday before the game at MetLife?” he asks. “As my girlfriend?”

The biggest smile forms on her lips. “You’re going to have to give me skating lessons because despite watching you play hockey for years, I have no idea how to skate,” she tells him.

“I will give you skating lessons,” Jamie laughs. “You’ll come though?”

She nods and kisses him. “I’ll come.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

yourusername

liked by jamie.drysdale, philadelphiaflyers, and 193,872 others

yourusername life recently w my 🤍

view all 15,982 comments

fan1 JAMIE HAS A GIRLFRIEND ????

masonmctavish23 ig i forgive you for not answering my texts last week

yourusername we can hang out when i get back into cali on wednesday

masonmctavish23 good. i’m mad that jamie stole you from us

fan2 oh my god. this is so cute

fan3 you were at metlife ??? i think i walked past you at one point

yourusername i had on the drysdale jersey

trevorzegras oh this is all i’m gonna hear about when she gets back

leocarlssoon it’s about time. i was praying this would happen bc the way jamie talked about you was insane

jamie.drysdale let me live !!

philadelphiaflyers Thanks for coming out

jamie.drysdale skating w my girlfriend for the first time was the best feeling 🩵

yourusername being your girlfriend is the best feeling

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[roosterforme]

Batting Practice Part 2 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Despite his best efforts, Bradley hadn't stopped thinking about you since Monday. When Bob decided they needed a Team Mom, he sees an opportunity he can't pass up. 

Warnings: Fluff, angst and swearing

Length: 3700 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female single!mom Reader

Check my masterlist for more Top Gun fun! Batting Practice masterlist.

When Bradley arrived on base Tuesday morning, he saw Bob right away.

"I can't thank you enough, Rooster. Piper had so much fun yesterday, and I really think this is going to be good for her. The other kids seemed excited too."

Bradley zipped up his flight suit and grabbed his helmet. "The kids were easier to instruct than I expected. They made it fun." His mind automatically pictured Everett. And Everett's mom. 

"So you'll be back for practice on Thursday?" Bob asked, reaching for his own helmet.

Bradley scoffed. "You think I'm going to bail on the Tiny Eagles? No way. We have a championship to win, and I plan on being named coach of the year."

Bob laughed. "That's the spirit."

Nat strolled over, sipping coffee inside the hangar even though you weren't supposed to. "How was pee wee football?" she asked with a smirk.

"We've been over this before, Phoenix," Bob said with a sigh. "It's tee ball."

"She's just fucking with you," Bradley said, looking from side to side before he stole Nat's coffee and took a big sip.

She groaned in response. "Just finish it," she told him. "So, tee ball? How was that?"

"Fun!" Bob exclaimed. "Piper loved it. All the kids were great. And all the moms came up at the end of practice to introduce themselves and tell us we did a great job."

Nat burst out laughing as Bradley finished her coffee. "Yeah... I'll bet they did! They would probably love to show you two even more gratitude."

Bob looked confused, but Bradley just smiled against the coffee cup. "Moms are not my type. I told you that already, Nat." But he felt like such a liar. He could picture you so clearly in his mind, and he could remember how your voice sounded. Really, he was more excited about practice on Thursday than he should be, simply because you and Everett were going to be there. 

Maybe he would wear a Phillies hat to match with Everett.

"Rooster... every woman is your type," Nat said, patting him on the shoulder as she grabbed her helmet and headed for her Super Hornet. 

--------------------

Work was insanely busy, and Thursday arrived before you knew it. You were still answering client emails when Frank knocked on your door at lunchtime. 

"Come in!" you called, and thankfully he brought you a sandwich. You jumped up at the prospect of actually having something to eat, but Frank wrapped you in his arms before you could take a bite.

"I've missed you all week. You work too hard," he whispered, placing a soft kiss next to your ear. "Wanna come over this weekend?"

You should say yes, especially since Everett was going to have a sleepover at your sister's house. Plus, this would be your last free Saturday for a while, since tee ball games would be starting up.

"I'll have to let you know," you told him as his lips connected with yours. 

But you were thinking about how it might feel to kiss Coach Bradley with his mustache.

Where had that thought come from? You let out a startled gasp, and Frank slipped his tongue between your lips. 

Bradley would definitely be a better kisser than this.

"Frank," you managed to say. "I'm starving, and I have so much work to do."

He sighed and squeezed your waist through your suit. "Try to come over this weekend, okay baby?"

You just nodded and unwrapped the sandwich as he left. Only four more hours until tee ball practice. You couldn't believe you were as ridiculous as the other moms, but here you were, thinking about your kid's coach while you ate lunch. 

But it didn't stop there. After you picked Everett up at school, he rambled on about tee ball and his coaches for the entire drive to the ballfield. And you started thinking about Bradley again.

"Can we go see the Phillies play again this year?" Everett asked as you pulled into the parking lot. 

"You know, Ev, it was supposed to be a surprise. They play the Padres on a Sunday afternoon, and I've been planning on getting us tickets."

After hesitating for a beat, you parked next to the Bronco again, which you were smart enough to know was a really dumb thing to do.

"Yes! Can we take Coach Bradley with us too?"

You pressed your lips together and shook your head. "Sweetie, he's your coach during tee ball hours. I don't think he's going to have time to go to a baseball game with us." 

Everett jumped out of the car and looked up at you as you took his hand. "But he likes the Phillies. I think he might want to go."

Once again you changed into your sneakers while you walked across the grass. You didn't want to get your son's hopes up, and you couldn't help but think that he wouldn't be so starved for attention if Danny came around more often. Your ex was legitimately the worst. 

"We can talk about it later, okay?"

You almost tripped over your own feet when you looked up and saw Bradley. He was talking to one of the overzealous moms, and he had his arms crossed over his chest, nodding along with whatever was being said. His biceps looked good, but you also immediately noticed the Phillies hat on his head. 

Bradley's eyes shifted to the side as you approached the bleachers, and he kind of smirked at you. He didn't even seem to notice when the other mom placed her hand on his forearm. But you did. You wished it was you touching him instead. 

"Mommy, I need my bag," Everett said, and you shifted your attention to your son. You helped him get his cleats on, and then you waited for the coaches to blow the whistle to start practice. 

"Can I have everyone's attention for a minute?"

You looked up to see Bob heading toward the bleachers where all of the parents were sitting. So you took the spot next to Everett on the bottom row, and Bradley shifted to stand closer to your end. 

"I just wanted to reiterate how excited we are to coach your kids this season," Bob said. "Coach Bradley and I have worked out most of the scheduling and whatnot, but we do need to have a Team Mom or Team Dad to help us with some tasks. Things like bringing extra snacks and drinks, and being in charge of sending out texts if the weather is bad. Also they would need to be available to help us with anything else that might come up."

You let your gaze shift from Bob to Bradley, and he was already looking at you. He nodded once as his lips quirked up into a smile. 

"Does anyone want to volunteer?" Bob asked. Almost every mom around you raised her hand without hesitation. 

Bradley didn't look away from you, and it was making you feel flushed. He slowly, purposefully put his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow as if to say c'mon, raise your hand.

You didn't have time to be the Team Mom. You didn't even really want to be the damn Team Mom. It was something extra that you really didn't need to do. 

But... you felt your hand slip up into the air as if gravity no longer had any hold over it. Bradley's smile grew as you sat in front of him like a little girl hoping he would call on you.

Just as Bob was about to choose a different parent, Bradley nudged him with his elbow to stop him.

"Right here," Bradley announced, nodding and gesturing to you. "She's our Team Mom." You slowly lowered your hand, and you felt a little giddy at being selected.

Bob looked a little confused with the abrupt decision, but he just smiled at you and said, "Sounds good. Thanks for volunteering. Now let's get started with our practice."

He blew his whistle, and Everett launched off the bench. You could hear him tell Bradley, "You wore a Phillies hat! Just like me!"

Bradley laughed and said, "Sure did, kiddo. Thought we could match." He glanced at you one more time before he led the kids out onto the field.

-----------------------------

Bradley shouldn't feel so proud of himself right now. But he did anyway. He didn't even know what he was playing at with you. But as soon as Bob told him they needed a team parent, he wanted it to be you. 

"Jesus," he muttered under his breath as he set the ball on the tee for Henry to try to hit. You were probably married. Bradley probably just made himself look like an ass. But you raised your hand anyway when he tried to silently encourage you to.

"Nice hit, Henry!" Bob said, and Bradley clapped as the kid ran for first base. 

Bradley set the ball up again, this time for Everett. 

"You ready?" Bradley asked, earning him a big smile. "Just keep your swing nice and steady."

He watched Everett absolutely nail the ball and hit it right past Bob. He looked up at Bradley in surprise.

"Run, Ev! Run to first base!"

Bradley watched him take off like a shot and run past Bob, only stopping once he had stomped on the base.

When Bradley glanced over to where you were sitting, the smile on your face had him fumbling to get the ball back on the tee. You waved your fingers toward where Everett was jumping up and down, and then you looked at Bradley and bit your lip. Then you waved your fingers at him too before ducking your head.

He forced his focus back to the next batter who also hit it hard enough to take a base.

"These kids are actually good," Bradley told Bob as he helped guide Amber to first base while Bob pointed Everett to second. "But we need to practice running bases next week."

"Can't wait to play the Tiny Hawks next weekend," Bob said. "The Eagles are looking good."

Bradley and Bob high fived as the kids all gathered around them in the infield at the end of practice. "Great practice, Tiny Eagles," Bradley told them. "Now get some good rest this weekend, and we will see you on Monday for our next practice!"

The kids all started to run toward the bleachers, and the coaches followed them at a more leisurely pace. "Damn," Bradley muttered when he looked toward the parking lot.

When Bob gave him a concerned look, Bradley shook his head and said, "Everett's hot mom parked by me again. I've actually been thinking about her since Monday."

Bob's mouth dropped open. "You mean the Team Mom?"

"Yeah," Bradley whispered, nearing the bleachers and watching you switch Everett's cleats for sneakers.

"You have a crush on our Team Mom?" Bob asked a little too loudly for Bradley's liking. "That's why you picked her? Is that a good idea?"

Bradley just shrugged and took a deep breath. "Too late now, yeah?"

--------------------------

You felt a tingle wash down your spine and goosebumps break out on your skin. You glanced to your left, and sure enough, the coaches were standing right there. Bob was looking at you, and Bradley was running one hand over his face and readjusting his Phillies cap. 

Maybe you had imagined it. But you could still remember how he was looking at you, goading you, urging you wordlessly to raise your hand earlier. 

Because he had a crush on the Team Mom? On you? There was no way.

But as you stood, Bradley headed in your direction. He smelled good again, and he was so handsome. And his voice was so deep. You really wished your other two senses had experience with him as well. 

"Team Mom," he said with a smile. "Can Bob and I get your phone number for future correspondence and incidentals?"

"Mmhmm," you hummed, and when he handed you his phone, you added your name and number for him.

"Thanks again for volunteering," he said with a smirk.

You didn't know what to say, and you could feel your face growing warm as your nose scrunched up in embarrassment. "No problem," you managed, but instead of leaving, he inched closer, and his smile grew.

"I hope you don't feel like I pressured you." 

You just shook your head, mesmerized by the low register of his voice. "No. I'm happy to do it."

Everett suddenly popped up next to you, standing on the bleachers. "Mommy, check to see if Coach Bradley wants to come with us to see the Phillies this year. Please?" 

You turned back toward Bradley, about to tell him that Everett was just being overzealous, but Bradley was grinning at Everett and adjusting the bill of his cap.

"I don't know if your dad would like that, kiddo," Bradley said, examining your face carefully.

But then Everett's face really lit up. "He wouldn't care! He doesn't even live with us anymore."

You scrunched your nose again in embarrassment. Nothing like having your kid basically announce to a hot guy that your ex husband ditched you.

But Bradley's lips curved into a smirk. "How about your mom and I talk about it, kiddo?" he asked, and Everett gave him a high five. "Now that I have your number?" 

You just nodded as you started to shove everything you brought into the gear bag.

-------------------------

You had scrunched your nose up again, just like a kitten, and Bradley felt the urge to reach out and touch you. He'd love to take you and Ev to a baseball game. He thought he might even like to hang out with you one on one, now that he knew Everett's dad didn't live with you any longer. But now he was wondering if you were single or seeing someone else.

Bradley watched you hurriedly packing up Everett's gear while he ran off to say bye to Bob. But Bradley didn't walk away, instead he texted you so you would have his contact information as well. 

When you checked your phone, you looked up at him again and laughed. "Your name is Bradley Bradshaw? Brad Brad?"

He groaned and pretended to be annoyed, but he really wasn't. "My parents probably thought they were hilarious."

Your laughter had him grinning again. "It's not a bad name! I'm sorry I laughed." But you were still laughing.

"You're not sorry," he said with a playful glare. 

When you scrunched your nose again and ducked away from him, you said, "No, I'm not."

Then Everett streaked back over and asked Bradley to walk to the parking lot with the two of you, and Bradley was helpless to say no.

"You have fun again today?" Bradley asked him as he bounced around, full of energy.

"Yes! I even hit the ball!"

"Yeah, you hit it hard. You'll be a power hitter when you make it to the major league. We just need to work on your fielding."

You were smiling but looking straight ahead at your car.

"What position do you like to play?" Everett asked, eyes wide as he looked up at Bradley.

"Usually shortstop. Sometimes second base."

"Did you used to play for the Padres or something?" Everett asked, completely in awe.

Bradley just laughed. "No, kiddo. I played in college. Then I joined the Navy, because I definitely was not good enough to play for the Padres."

"You're in the Navy?" you asked him as Bradley opened Everett's door and took the gear bag from your shoulder. Even touching your body through your suit coat was enough to require Bradley to take an extra breath before answering you.

"Yeah. So is Bob. We're both aviators."

"Wow," you whispered. "Impressive."

"Mommy! I'm hungry!" Everett called from the backseat as Bradley placed the bag on the floor.

"Me too, Ev. I'll get dinner ready as soon as we get home," you promised him, and Bradley could tell you were a good mom. You kind of reminded him of Carole Bradshaw, if he was being honest.

"Be good, and listen to your mom," Bradley told Everett as he closed the back door and then opened yours. "See you on Monday."

"See you then," you replied softly, slipping into your seat before Bradley gently closed your door.

He waved at Everett who was reaching his arm out the window as you pulled away, and then he climbed into the Bronco and headed to the Hard Deck.

Bob was already there when Bradley arrived, and Nat was on them right away. "You two look adorable in your matching Tiny Eagles jerseys."

"Thanks, Nat. I feel adorable. Do you feel adorable, Bob?"

Bob just blushed and walked away with his cup of peanuts. 

"So how are the moms treating you?" Nat asked as they both waited for drinks at the bar.

Bradley rolled his eyes. "Just fine."

"Are you hooking up with one of them yet?" she asked casually. 

"What the fuck, Nat? No! I'm there to coach the kids!"

"Chill, Rooster! It's so easy to get you riled up when you're trying to hide something! Bob said you have a crush on one of the moms."

He just shook his head and thanked Jimmy for his beer. "I don't. She's just cute is all. Not my type. Never gonna be my type," he promised, heading toward the pool table. And as if he was trying to make his point to Nat, he chatted up the first woman who approached him and left with her number. He wasn't going to call her, but Nat didn't need to know that. 

He didn't even save the number in his phone, because yours was already in there. 

---------------------

In an effort to get that mustache and those biceps out of your mind, you called Frank on Saturday afternoon and agreed to head over to his place. 

He never cooks in his condo kitchen, and he hates when anything is messy, so you're not sure if you want to stay over or not. But you pack a bag just in case. 

When you get there, he has Thai takeout waiting along with a bottle of prosecco. "I'm glad you decided to come over," Frank whispered, running his hand up along your leggings while you tried to eat. 

"Yeah," you agreed halfheartedly. "Me too."

How had your life been reduced to this? Sleeping with a man you didn't have feelings for after ending a marriage to a man who never loved you? You wouldn't allow yourself to dwell on it for too long. 

"Let's head to the bedroom," he told you, snatching you out of your seat as soon as you finished your last bite of food.

As Frank ran his hands along your body and undressed you, it was easy enough to close your eyes and let your mind drift a little bit. Then his hands felt good, running up your sides and removing your shirt. It felt nice when he removed your bra and squeezed your breasts. It was even lovely when he pushed you down onto his bed and pressed you into the mattress with his weight. But when he started fucking you, it was just so mediocre. He somehow lasted too long, and you knew that you'd never be able to get off with him tonight. 

"You're so sexy, baby. Am I making you feel good?" Frank asked you softly.

You let your disappointment wash over you, but Frank didn't seem to notice the sad little gasps you made as he came before withdrawing himself and removing the condom. 

You checked your phone as you got dressed, and you nearly dropped it on the floor. You had a text from Bradley. A screenshot of ticket options for the Phillies vs Padres game the following month.

Bradley Bradshaw: Do you think Ev would prefer to sit behind home plate or in the outfield?

Now your heart was beating faster. Now you felt a little silly inside. Now you could imagine getting yourself worked up for a healthy orgasm.

"Everything okay? You keep looking at your phone," Frank said as he pulled his underwear back on. 

"Actually...." you started, and the lie was out of your mouth before you could stop it. "It's my sister. I need to go pick up Everett. But thanks for dinner."

Frank kissed you softly, holding your body against his before you broke away with a quick goodnight. You practically ran across the parking lot and jumped into your car with a smile on your face. Then you responded to the text.

Everett is going to think any seat is the best seat.

Bradley responded almost immediately, which shocked you since it was eight o'clock on Saturday night. 

Bradley Bradshaw: Well then why don't you tell me where you'd like to sit.

You pictured yourself sitting in his lap, and you felt very warm. When you started your car, you turned on the air conditioner as you drove away. 

His lap. 

You could picture yourself there so easily, like you'd already spent time snuggled up with him.

What was wrong with you?! You barely knew this man! 

It only took you five minutes to get to your house, and as soon as you walked in, your hand was sliding down inside the front of your leggings and into your underwear. You eased yourself down onto your couch as you touched yourself exactly how Frank never seemed to be able to. 

You stroked your clit just right with your middle finger, and then you came so quickly, it surprised you. 

When you caught your breath, you located your phone and responded.

Your call, Coach. What view do you like the best?

------------------------

Bradley was sitting at his kitchen island, considering all the filthy things he wanted to send back to you.

You were definitely flirting with him now, right? You had to be single, right?

He quickly typed out his response and hit send before he could change his mind.

Any seat where I can see you.

---------------------------

I am thrilled by how much love you all had for the first part of this story! I hope you keep on loving Coach Bradley! Thanks to @beyondthesefourwalls and @mak-32!

PART 3

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[whocaresstillthelouvre]

The All-Star Game

Batter Up Chapter 5

Pairing: Baseball player Joel Miller x Female Reader Rating: Explicit. 18+ (Minors DNI) Summary: This is not how Joel wanted to spend his All-Star Game, at least you make the best of it for him. Warnings: smut, fluff, family dynamics, nurse/patient roleplay in the shower, oral (m receiving), cum eating, unprotected p in v sex (reader has a previously discussed IUD... be safe), a doctor mistakes reader for Joel's wife. Words: 4,900

A/N: Been fighting writer's block, twelve hour work days, and total brain fry. Thank you for being so patient with my lack of updating folks. Not gonna lie, I read through my first piece Golden Walkway earlier and was like "how TF is my first ever ff/smut piece that good?!" while I'm absolutely banging my head against the keyboard trying to write out four sentences tonight. The biggest shout out to @frannyzooey for filling my Google Doc with notes and simplifying my gobbledegook. I absolutely do not feel worthy of your kindness. *insert Wayne's World not worthy GIF*

Masterlist Series Masterlist Playlist

⚾️⚾️⚾️

Day 1 Travel Day For All-Stars

And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate

Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake

I shake it off, I shake it off

“God damnit,” Joel growls. “Why do I always forget that that’s your damn alarm?”

“Mmph, it works. Wakes me up.” You sit up and stretch before reaching to pick up your phone.

The same phone you stared at while willing yourself to sleep, attempting to ignore the circling "what ifs" of the dreaded conversation you knew you had to have with your parents, only able to do so after focusing on the soothing sound of Joel's breathing.

You get up, slip on his shirt and crack open the curtains letting the morning sun peek in. 

“Guess I should look at my phone, hm?” Joel slowly sits up and settles his back on the pillows while you readjust, his big brown eyes disappearing behind the tired crinkles that line the sides as he lets out a rumbly yawn.

“Might be a good idea, I’m sure Sarah wants to talk with you.” Running a hand through his sleep tousled hair, you give him a kiss.

“Called her on the way home yesterday, let her know not to worry and that I’d be fine without her.” He sighs. “I think she knows I have somebody.”

“Hm. I didn’t want to get into it this soon, but I’m going to have to talk to my mom at least. She knows I’m here in Philly and I didn’t get on my flight.”

“Well, shit,” he grimaces. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be good. I texted her saying I’m fine and I’d talk to her tomorrow. Just nervous, but at this point, there’s no going back…they were already going to find out today. So instead of doing it in person, I’m just going to have to do it over the phone.”

“Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out.” His hand grabs yours and squeezes it.

“We will, I just want to have a nice morning with you, I'll deal with them after lunch.”

“But first, coffee?”

“But first, coffee.”

——

“Well, here goes,” you dial your mom’s number and hit the green phone circle. She picks up after two rings. Crap.

“Hey mom,” you nervously swallow, trying to sound chipper. Joel’s hand soothingly pets your back, grounding you. 

“Hi sweetie, what’s happening? Your dad and I are very confused.”

“Yeah, um about that, is dad with you?”

“He is… is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is good. Um, could you put me on speaker?” You haven’t had to feel this level of nervousness with your parents in almost twenty years. 

“Hi Duck, what’s going on?” Your dad calls you by your nickname, so he’s not mad… yet. “Was looking forward to seeing you, I don’t know why you’re not here. Mom and I didn’t hear from you, so she checked your location last night and you’re in Philadelphia? Not New York, not the airport, not Texas, but Philadelphia, why is that? We were worried, Duck.”

“I know, I’m sorry about that. So, things got… complicated. I was packing for the airport and was watching the Liberties game when, um, Joel got hurt.” You exhale, trying to calm yourself by focusing on the feel of Joel’s hand on your skin. “I, uh, drove down to help take care of him because, um, he and I have been, together since, well, November.” You breathe out the latter word, hoping your quiet breath will hide the shame in keeping Joel a secret for that long, for not respecting your parents and your own relationship. You feel so small, so fragile, so young, confessing to your mom and dad like you’re in trouble. 

“November?” The only word your mom responds with. Your dad stays quiet, and you’re reminded of why you wanted to do this over the phone. So you wouldn’t see their expressions. Although, maybe if they were here, they would be able to see the way Joel looks at you, how happy you are, how perfect he is for you.  

“Yes, um, remember when I flew in for your birthday? We ran into each other, and I don’t know, it just worked out. I know this is a lot.” 

Joel’s hand lands on your shoulder, tugging you back to lay against him, his arm wrapping around your chest as he presses a soft kiss to the top of your head.  You love him so much, you let a tear slip out as you wait for any sort of validation. 

“So, you and Joel Miller have been together for, what, nine months? And we’re only finding out about it now?” You try to gauge your dad’s voice, sensing disappointment, praying it’s not anger. “Is it because you got caught at his place? When were you going to tell us?” 

Okay, there’s anger. 

“Tonight actually, um, Joel and I were going to tell you tonight at dinner. I’m really sorry and I know this is complicated because there’s a bit of history between him and you, but daddy, I love him.”

“Bit of history?” he replies, incredulous. “He was my star player for twenty years, he was rude to the media, coaches, and reporters and I always had to pick up that mess. He was great on the field and in the clubhouse, but he was a pain in my ass most of the time, and now you’re telling me you’re in love with him… and have been for almost a year?”

You bite your lip as you will the tears away from your eyes. You’re so thankful for Joel’s touch right now. He’s respecting you, but you can tell by his breathing growing louder and quicker that hearing your dad’s raised voice is upsetting him. Maybe it’s better to be not in person, that way Joel doesn’t run the risk of throwing your dad through a wall. 

“Yes,” you croak out. You feel like a child answering him. Eyes downcast, tears rolling down your cheeks.

“And all of a sudden, right after he’s no longer on my team, he’s your boyfriend?”

“I’m sorry dad, it’s not something we planned on, it just… happened and I know you’re mad and I’m sorry that it took this long for you to find out and I’m sor—“

“Sweetie,” your mom’s voice breaks through your anxious words, “are you happy?” 

“Yes,” you whisper, Joel’s arm squeezes you tighter, “incredibly.”

“Well, that’s all we want for you. If it’s with Joel, then we’re good, right?”

You breathe out a sigh of relief at her words, her acceptance, her demand of your dad to recenter himself and his ire. You turn to look at Joel and see tears sitting in the waterline of his eyes that are focused on you. He gives you a small smile. 

How could you not love this man? How could anybody doubt the power of what you two share?

“That is what we want for you, but I am concerned. People will have questions. Joel is a part of this team’s history and now my daughter is dating him.”

“I understand that.”

“I know you do, Duck. You can make your own decisions, you haven’t lived under our rules for a very long time. I trust you. As long as you are happy and you understand that there will be roadblocks up ahead with the public eye, then I can be on board. People talk, the internet talks and you’re signing yourself up for a lot of people talking about you. I know you realize that, but does Miller?”

“I do, sir,” Joel says, the first words spoken from him, with the “sir” sternly emphasized. “Look, I don’t care what anybody has to say, people’s opinions never mattered to me. I know you’re well aware of that. I love your daughter. She has been with me every step of the way since I learned I was no longer a Capital. I apologize that this is all at once ’n that this is how you’re finding out, but I do not apologize for the way I feel about your daughter. I love her.”

You watch Joel’s lips as he speaks his confession to your parents, wondering how you could be so lucky to have found him and to have his heart the way that you do.  

“Listen, I know you two are smart, and Miller, you know at the end of the day I respect the hell out of you. If my daughter is happy, that’s all I can hope for as her father. As much as I worry about her, I know she can make her own decisions.” 

“As a father to a college student now, I understand that sir. You have my word that I will stop at nothing to keep your daughter happy.” 

“We know that Joel,” your mom’s soft voice soothes the conversation. “I just wish we would have known about this sooner. I’m a bit upset that it took you long enough to let us know. We just want you to be aware of what issues might arise for you two.”

“Whatever happens, it’s just white noise to us. It’s my choice—it’s our choice,” you say. “We’ve talked about everything before, we are fully aware.” 

“I can’t tell you what to do Duck, Mom can’t tell you what to do. Miller’s a good man, underneath it all, I know that. If you are happy with him, then we are happy for you.”

“This is the happiest I’ve been.”

“We’re glad sweetheart, so glad,” your mom chokes out. At least they’re happy tears. “We’ll be here for you, always. I guess we won’t see you this week.”

“No, Joel needs me, I don’t want to leave him.” 

“Alright then, feel better Miller, we love you Duck,” your dad’s voice softens. “Take care and keep us updated, okay?”

“Thank you sir,” Joel respectfully responds.

“I will. Love you guys, bye.” You end the call and let out a big sigh of relief. 

One down, two more to go. 

“I’m proud of you baby,” Joel breathes out against your hair.

“Heh, thanks. I think?”

“I know you were nervous.”

“Oh, yeah. Still kinda dumb how I’m intimidated by them but… I think it all worked out in the end.”

“It did baby. Why does your dad call you Duck?”

“It’s short for duck snort.”

“...Like the baseball term?”

“Yep, I used to be a crazy toddler and thought my parents chasing me was funny. One day my dad called me a duck snort because I’d always get away and ‘win’, and it kinda stuck.”

He smiles, stroking your cheek. “That’s so fucking cute. ”

“Speaking of daughters, when are you going to tell Sarah?” 

“Later. I’m all phoned out for the time being, want to rest my back and take a nap. That one was a little tense.”

“A nap sounds amazing,” you stretch and adjust to put your head on Joel’s chest, your favorite pillow.

——

“Joel,” you blink your eyes open, “the sun’s going down. I think we overslept.”

“Mm, I’m up. Been up.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You’ve had a long couple of days, wanted to let you sleep.”

“You’re due for your pills,” you yawn, getting up.

“I am.”

He winces as you hand him his medicine and glass of water. 

“You alright?” 

“Been better, just really hurts right now. Plus, I should call Sarah before it gets too late. I just texted Tommy and told him.”

“Oh?” You turn on Joel’s heating pad and hand him the remote.

“Yeah, he texted me and asked me how I was getting along and if my nurse was hot. Told him about everything. He was happy for me and congratulated me on my hot nurse.”

“He’s ridiculous,” you shake your head. “I’m going to go make dinner, I’ll leave you to call Sarah.” You kiss the top of his forehead.

“Thanks baby.” 

——

You quietly step into Joel’s room holding a tray with his plate full of steak, rice and broccoli, Joel’s go to in season meal.

“Hey sweets, my dinner is here. I gotta go.”

“Can I—can I say hi to her?”

You smile at Sarah’s sweet voice as Joel looks past his phone to you. You nod and walk over placing the tray on Joel’s lap.

“Sure, here she is.”

Well, this is new. You’ve never been with anybody who has a child, let alone a college aged kid. You know Sarah, you love her, you used to chase her around the club box years ago. 

You grab the phone, she’s gotten so beautiful. Same brown eyes as her dad, deep dimples as she smiles, long curly hair. She’s a young woman now, just as gorgeous as her dad. 

“Hi Sarah, nice to see you again.”

“Oh my god! Hi! It is! Wish it wasn’t through the phone but I, just, I wanted to say that, I-I am very happy that Dad finally found somebody and it’s you!”

“Well, I am too.”

“He told me you’re doing a better job than I ever would at taking care of him, so I don’t need to tell you to take good care of him.”

“I try,” you chuckle. 

“Thanks for saying hi to me, I’ll let you go, I know you have dinner!”

“Of course Sarah, any time. I’ll hand you back to your dad now.”

You keep your smile as you hand the phone back to Joel. You don’t know if you’ve ever seen him this happy before, eyes alight with a large grin on his face. You never noticed how his dimple matches Sarah’s. 

Your shoulders feel lighter now that the most important people know, and accept, your love. 

The secret’s out. 

⚾️⚾️⚾️

Day 2 Home Run Derby

Greeting Doctor Arroyo with a smile, you leave him in the living room to wait. 

"Joel," you peek your head into the bedroom. "He's here."

"Send him in," he replies, sitting up higher.

Showing the doctor the way, he thanks you. 

"Thanks, Mrs. Miller."

You let out a little laugh. "Not the wife, just the girlfriend."

Giving you a small smile, he leaves you in the hallway with thoughts of being Mrs. Miller swirling in your head.

After the doctor leaves, you sit on the edge of the bed.

“So, what’d he say?” 

“Still stuck like this for the next few days. Wants me to do some stretches and move around more, going to check on me in two more days again. Said I’m recovering well, told him it’s because I have a good nurse.” 

“You do have a good nurse… that’s better news than I was expecting at least.”

“Yep, and he took the bandage off from my shot so I can finally take a shower.” 

“Oh?”

“Oh is right,” his eyes darken, “but you’re gonna have to wash me, nurse.”

“I can do that, not only am I your nurse but I’m also your wife according to Dr. Arroyo.”

“Oh?”

“Oh is right,” you wink. “I told him I’m your girlfriend.”

“Should’ve told him you’re not my wife… yet.”

“I’m happy with girlfriend right now Mr. Miller.”

“My sweet independent girl.” 

“Eh, your sweet independent nurse now. Come on, let’s get you washed Mr. Miller.”

“Yes ma’am.”

——

Joel hobbles into the bathroom as you adjust the temperature of the shower. 

“It’s hot, too hot, just like you like it Mr. Miller.”

“God, I love it when you call me that. Now nurse,” he smirks, “come help me with my clothes.”

“Right away Mr. Miller,” you reply, sauntering over to him.

“What a pretty nurse you are, have a feeling you’re going to take REAL good care of me,” he raises his arms over his head as you lift his shirt up.

“I’ll sure try to take good care of you Mr. Miller. Did you want me to remove your shorts?”

“Yes nurse.”

You lean forward, grabbing the waistband of his pants to lower them down, running your gaze appreciatively over his half-hard cock.

You look up and angle your eyebrow at him. “I can see you’re quite excited for your shower Mr. Miller.”

“Mm.” 

“Go ahead and get in, it’s all ready for you.” 

“But you’re not. Take your clothes off.”

“Now, Mr. Miller, I can’t get naked for you, but I can take this off.” You slip the straps of your dress down your arms and shimmy out of it, leaving only your white cotton bra and underwear on. “You know, gotta stay decent while taking care of my patient.”

He hums in appreciation, taking in the sight. Turning, he steps into the shower with a groan of contentment.

“Feel good?” You ask grabbing a wash cloth. 

“Very.”

He leans forward, placing his arms on the wall and stretches his back as the water hits his skin. Water trickles down the deep plains of his spine, the strong muscles of his back gleaming under the sheen of water. You follow the river that falls from his neck, down his back bone, past the two lower back dimples you love, past the slight curve of his behind and down his hairy legs. He is all man… your man. It’s a shame all the water that lands across his body is wasted on the drain. 

“Is the temperature good?”

“S’perfect,” he grunts.

“Want me to scrub you sir?”

“Heh,” he turns his head to look at you, “with a nurse that looks like you? ‘Course I do.”

The drops of water sear your skin as you step into the water.

“Jesus Joel, it’s hot in here.”

“Mm,” he reaches over and turns the water cooler before turning around, his eyes darkening as he notices the fabric of your bra cups has turned see-through. “Better?” His eyes stay on your chest.

“Better. Now, let’s get you washed, sir.”

“I’m all yours.” 

You grab Joel’s bar of soap, lathering your hands up with the eucalyptus scented bar. Your hands run across his chest leaving lines of suds along his skin, and he lets out a small groan as you rub soapy circles over his stomach. 

He reaches a hand up and pinches your nipple underneath the sheer wet fabric. 

“Feel good sir?”

“Very. Such a good nurse.”

You step closer to him, his hard cock jutting against your stomach as you wash his arms. Your fingers press tight along his biceps and his shoulders, releasing the tension.

“Fuck,” Joel breathes out, “you’re driving me crazy like this.” 

“Well, get ready, I need to wash your legs and…” you wrap your hand around his erection, “this… sir.”

“Jesus Christ,” he groans and shakes his head. “Go ahead nurse.”

You reach around him and grab the soap before kneeling on the tile floor. 

Your soapy hands glide along Joel’s legs, his calf muscles firm under your touch, his thighs soft as you move closer to Joel’s hard cock dripping water and precum. You move your hands along the back of his thighs, cradling the bottom of his ass cheeks before pushing him forward and sealing your mouth over his cock. 

“CHRIST!” Joel’s shout echoes across the bathroom, his hands splaying against the glass.  

Pulling back, you look up.

“You alright? Is this too much?”

“No, no sweetheart,” his eyes soften as he reaches down and holds your cheek, “it felt really good. Go on baby,” Joel leans against the shower wall, “prove to me I’m your favorite patient.”

A long groan escapes Joel’s mouth as you suck the tip of his cock into your mouth. You take him deeper in, sucking the water off of his length as he grabs a handful of your wet hair, your mouth slurping along his length. You clench your thighs together as you feel your cunt throb with arousal.

“That’s it, that’s it,” he chants. 

Water dripping off of Joel’s skin pelts your face as he fills your mouth, your nose brushing against the coarse hair of him there, his cock repeatedly brushing the back of your throat causing a string of saliva to drool out of your mouth.

“Touch yourself, touch your pussy while you suck me baby.”

Your hand reaches underneath your soaked cotton panties, your fingers ghosting across your swollen clit. You moan as you press down and swirl around the bundle of nerves.

His hips jut forward when you hollow your cheeks around him sucking as you bob your head along his length, your free hand cradling his balls and massaging the soft skin of them, bringing him to the brink of his orgasm.

“So good baby, fucking hell,” his grip on your hair tightens, “going to give you my cum soon if you keep that up.” 

Your eyes look up to him, he tilts his head down and gives you a blissed out half smile, water cascades down his face and falls onto your skin. The way he looks at you, the line on his forearm straining as he holds your hair, his warm cock stretching your mouth open, the feel of water dripping down your throat mixed with the taste of Joel. The sensation is too much, you whimper around Joel’s cock as you orgasm. Your fingers drown with your arousal, your mouth goes slack around him as warmth spreads through your limbs. Your hand collects the hot slick that leaks out of you, spreading it all over Joel’s shaft, pumping him with your fist as you suck the tip of him. 

“Close,” he pants, “lemme cum in that mouth, wanna see your mouth filled with me.” 

You nod and moan as you tighten your grip and suck harder.

He chants your name as he empties his release into your open mouth, the last spurt of him landing on your outstretched tongue.

He untangles his hand from your hair, running it down your face to grab your chin and angle it up.

“Swallow it baby.” 

His blown out brown eyes watch in worshiping awe as you seal your mouth shut and gulp down the salty taste of him before licking your lips. 

“All good Mr. Miller?”

“Quite… best nurse I ever had.” 

—-

“He reminds me of you,” you muse, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl as you and Joel watch the Austin Capitals’ rookie phenom James Neal hit ball after ball over the fence of Capitals Stadium. 

“He better. He’s my replacement.” Joel grumbles. 

“How do you feel about not being there?” 

“Tonight isn’t as bad, I always hated the Derby, having to sit on the field and play nice with the cameras. Tomorrow is going to suck.”

“I know it will, I’m sorry this is happening to you. You deserve everything this season. I know everything hasn’t gone the way you’ve wanted but I couldn’t be prouder of how you’ve handled it.”

“Don’t think I’d be able to do it without you baby,” he kisses the top of your head as James Neal hits his twentieth home run over the fence. 

⚾️⚾️⚾️

Day 3 The All-Star Game

And the first pitch of the sixth inning is a strike. Scott steps back into the box, swings… and a miss. Strike two. Bridges winds up, and Scott hits a ground ball to first and—OH! Reynolds misreads it and it gets past him, two runs score. The American League now leads by two in the sixth! 

“I would’ve caught that,” Joel bitterly says. 

“I know you would’ve All-Star,” you console, leaning against him and wrapping an arm around him. 

“Mmf, you can’t lay on me like that.” 

“Sorry, does it hurt?”

“No, not even close. Just… feels real good having you all naked and pressed up against me like that.”

“Sorry.”

Joel plants his hand against your back, keeping you from moving away. 

“Stay, I like it. If I was on that field right now I couldn’t feel you like this.”

“Oh yeah?” Your hand runs a trail down his shorts and grips the heft of him. “Definitely wouldn’t be able to feel this.”

“Definitely not,” he groans. 

“Definitely couldn’t pull your shorts down and touch you if you were playing right now.”

“No,” he grunts, lifting his hips up allowing you to remove his shorts. 

You wrap your hand around his half hard cock. “And surely, I couldn’t jerk you off if you were on that field.” 

“Fuck, no,” he grits, hardening under your touch.

“Did you want to watch the game in peace or do you want me to take care of you?” 

“Take care baby,” he kisses you, “fuck this game.”

“Yeah, fuck this game.”

Your body overheats as you slide down Joel, straddling his thick thighs, taking his cock in hand, rubbing it along your dripping cunt and slowly settling yourself on his length.

Joel’s lips part, his big brown eyes staring at you as a long moan leaves your mouth savoring the feel of his cock stretching you. 

“You feel so good,” his head thuds against the pillow. “I haven’t felt your pussy like this in forever. Fucking missed it.” 

Your hips rock back and forth still adjusting to the size of him as he grabs your tits and massages the weight of them in his calloused hands. 

“This pussy was made for me, wasn’t it?”

You’re too blissed out to answer, too overwhelmed by the size of him. All you can muster is an isolated nod and whine arching your back while he pinches and pulls your nipples into peaks. 

“You gonna fuck me baby? You gonna fuck me like the All-Star I am? Come on baby, prove to me I’m your All-Star.”

You rise and fall on his cock, grinding your hips down each time he stuffs you full. 

“Look so good like this baby,” Joel juts his hips up “you’re the only fucking trophy I need.” 

You lean in as your thighs begin to tremble bringing his hand to your lips. Joel’s blown out pupils focus on your tongue as it traces the circles of his tattoo.

“Fucking perfect,” he rasps. 

Your pussy clenches at his praise, Joel’s cock hits the sensitive spot you want to feel him the most. 

“Cum for me, let me feel you strangle my cock, cum for me baby,” Joel’s gravelly voice encourages as he pulls his hand from your mouth, tugging you down against his chest. 

Your cunt flutters around him as your orgasm shatters into you. Your mouth going slack, drool falling out and landing on Joel’s chest as you scream his name and writhe on top of him.

“That’s my good girl, that’s it, fuck, you’re fucking gripping me baby, not going to last long like this.”

You summon as much energy as you can leaning forward to lick the golden skin of his neck as you grind your hips against his, your soaked pussy pumping his cock.

“That’s it baby, that’s it,” he pants. “Gonna cum.” 

Joel lets out a long groan as his hips jerk up into you, warmth blooming through your core as his cock empties into you. You both stay frozen collectively catching your breaths as you come down from your shared bliss. His cock slips from you as you lift up to kiss him, both of your spends dribbling down between your thighs.

“Did I make you feel like the All-Star you are?”

“Mm,” he smiles, pulling away, ”I love being a baseball player sometimes.”

You turn towards the TV. “It’s tied now.” 

“Mm, for the first time ever, I really don’t care.”

You stay cuddled in his bed for the remainder of the game, today is definitely your favorite All-Star Game experience.

Well folks, that’ll do it for this year’s All-Star Game here in beautiful Austin, Texas. The National League wins in a 4-3 victory over the American League. We’ll see you next year. 

“Good game, I really enjoyed the sixth inning.”

“Guess it’s good we get home field advantage in the World Series,” Joel shrugs.

“Always thinking ahead.” “Always. Had a plan for a whole thing after the game but life had other plans. I, uh, grabbed this when I was changing earlier,” Joel opens his bedside table and pulls out a small gray suede box.

Your heart skips a beat at the implication of what it could be. There’s no way.

“It’s okay baby, don’t panic, it’s not that. Now that everybody knows, I want you to be able to wear me wherever you go.” 

He opens the box, a delicate gold necklace with a pendant of his number hangs from it.

“Joel,” you breathe out as tears prick your eyes, “it’s so… beautiful.”

“That first night I had the chain was the night I had you in the back of that club. I tried for so long to stay away from you, and yet you were always there, like some forbidden treasure I could never have… now we’re together and this is the happiest I’ve ever been.” Joel swipes the tears from your cheeks as they fall, “I love you so much sweetheart.”

“I love you too,” you smile as you take the box and remove the necklace. 

“Put it on baby, lemme see it.”

You clasp the necklace behind your neck and lower your arms. Joel pets the gold pendant against your skin. 

“Beautiful,” Joel whispers.

⚾️⚾️⚾️

Series Masterlist

[hidingupmysleeve]

Seattle, Mt. Rainier National Park, Levanworth, the Enchantments, Washington State October 11-15, 2024

Last week I visited my childhood friend (since 8 years old!) Laura who moved to Seattle, WA over 3 years ago. This trip was planned pretty last-minute, as I booked the flight two weeks out. Usually, I book my flights months in advance. I have had a lot going on in my personal life the past six months and knew I needed to see my friend, get away, and be outside. We got so lucky - the weather was perfect. Peak Fall foliage as well as larch season. There is only 3 weeks out of the year where you can see larches which makes it even cooler that I got to experience it.

Mt. Rainier National Park is where we saw prime Fall colors, but I will say that park is like Disney World on steroids. It was a Saturday, and while our first hike wasn't too crowded, our second hike was insanity. We had to park 2 miles away from the trailhead, but eating lunch with the super close views of Mt. Rainier did not disappoint.

The next day, we went to Levanworth, WA to explore the town and hike. Levanworth is a cute Bavarian-style town about 2.5 hours outside Seattle. We decided to get an air bnb (with a hot tub!) and it was so much fun. We were first greeted by two adorable dogs (they do this for every guest, unbeknownst to us) and our hot tub had scenic mountain views. We ate Bavarian sausage, shopped around the cute village, and relaxed in the hot tub underneath the stars.

We also went to a fun bar called Larch, where we sat next to a couple in their mid-fourties who were celebrating their wedding anniversary. We got to talking, and found out that the husband played college baseball with Phillies players Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Pat Burrell (Philly is our hometown). They were telling us funny stories and showing us pictures on their phones. We ended up staying longer than we intended because we all had such a good time chatting, but that's what I love about travel - meeting people with random stories/connections.

The next morning, we got up around 6am to head to Colchuck Lake. This turquoise blue Alpine Lake is part of the Enchantments. It was a 10-Mile out-and-back hike with 2,500ft of elevation. This hike is very popular, and because it was a Monday holiday (Columbus day) we figured we had the best bet in beating the crowds. Our planning worked in our favor because and it ended not being too crowded!

When we reached the lake, I was in awe. I have never seen water that beautiful before. Pictures do not do the summit justice. There were snow capped mountains, larches, and barely anyone around. We ate lunch by the water and took in all the views. I felt such a sense of peace and solace. I told Laura multiple times throughout the trip that I wanted time to stop. It was just what my soul needed.

Even though Laura is my childhood friend, we've always said that is secondary/an afterthought. Our friendship transcends time. I say this, but we did make a joke that this trip was celebrating our 25-year friendship anniversary since we met two couples celebrating theirs. With Laura there is ease, safety, and belly laughs. Truly so grateful for our friendship and this trip.

[hed-romancer]

so i made it to philadelphia

somehow. i got on one of the very few commercial flights leaving western north carolina (wnc) and holy shit. my mom kept asking me if i had any fun plans for my last weekend in wnc before my move and i kept telling her i didn't. turns out the hurricane had plans for me!

i work at a grocery store. wednesday when i worked, i asked everyone who came through my line if they were ready for the storm. only maybe 1/4 of anyone was seriously preparing. and that's a generous statistic. people were seriously unprepared. myself included.

thursday was my day off. rainy day off. i love rain! very relaxing, got a coffee, packed some.

friday i got a ride into work and the storm finally hit. by 7:30 we lost power and couldn't open the store. we stayed around to shelter in place and tried to save as many cold items as we could and stock the dry stuff. lost cell service around noon. i got home at 2 and the weather was alright by then but by 3 we had no water- the pipes were down. i practiced my instrument for the first time in a few months. friday night some of my neighbors started a bonfire and i went out and joined them for some food (salvaging the last of what we could before it went bad) and talking. very fun. (this time around i'll meet my neighbors before a disaster strikes!)

saturday i went back into work and we still had no power. we spent the whole day getting rid of previously cold food that had gone bad. the local fire station had a cell hotspot for verizon so i went there and finally called my mom to tell her i was okay. one gas station had gas so there was a blocks-long line of empty cars leading up to it as people left their cars to try and get gas. that gas station ran out, another one got gas, the same thing repeated. people waited hours for gas, waited hours to get groceries at the store right next to the one i worked at. since no one can flush toilets (unless they collected rainwater ahead of time or had a creek to get water to use in the toilet), the bathroom in my apartment and my workplace smelled BAD. i somehow got enough water from my sink to fill a bucket and i used that to take a rag-shower, then poured the leftover in the toilet. i read a book and had another bonfire with my neighbors. sirens- fire/police/ems- went off constantly.

sunday the store i worked at opened because we finally had power, and our store's line wasn't as bad (only 30 min wait time) but it was still intense. we ran out of still water in the first hour and were close to running out of sparkling water when i left at 2. two of my coworkers lost their houses. five haven't been heard from yet. some people had cell service so i looked it up and my flight was still set to leave on time. i'd heard from my neighbor who worked at the airport that the road to the airport was alright (for a while no one could leave wnc at all). sunday was my last day working there, and i was supposed to meet some coworkers for a drink after at this brewing company. the brewing co is now underwater. so's my favorite taco shop there. i read another book and had another bonfire with my neighbors.

when i left this morning, my apartment still had no power or water and i still had no cell service. my flight left as intended and i'm in philly now but it's so strange. i turn on the sink and water comes out. i use the toilet and it flushes. i went to a restaurant and they gave me a refill on water without me asking and i was aware that if i didn't drink it all they'd just pour it down the drain. i can call people now and read fanfic again.

[veggie-miilk]

I was gonna draw out tiny little sketches of these but fuck it idgaf

Here's some 𔓘⭒๋࣭ ⭑Lottie lore/headcanons 𔓘⭒๋࣭ ⭑because she's my favorite character to think about right now.

Lottie has this uncanny fight or flight response to where 2 things will happen. 1: If you make her scared or frightened by accident or on purpose she will gain the strength of a 800lb gorilla and beat you're ass to atoms. Or 2: She will book it like Usain bolt, straight up Tom and Jerry yo ass. Nobody, and not even herself knows why - or how she does this.

Lottie is canonicaly friends with the Devil, yes... Satan, Lucifer himself. She frequently summons him to "dispose off'" her more embarrassing fanfics. They have BFF bracelets :)

Lottie enrolled to school after the school shootings happend.

Lottie whole big story arc is her overcoming her shyness and getting together with Darnell, she's just taking baby steps right now though.

Lottie really likes to bake, from cookies, to cakes, you name it and she's really good at it. One time, she made these Chocolate bon bons for Pico n' gang and they loved them so much, that after they were doing eating the whole fucking bag, they asked for more. Lottie, however, declined their offer because its was her great, great, grandmother recipe and her mom only just passed it down to her. (So just think of that one fosters home episode with Ms. Foster's cookies, and Pico, Nene, and Darnell as Frankie)

Her favorite drink is milk and honey tea (that one drink from ponyo, goated movie btw)

Pico is currently training Lottie to become stronger.

Lottie has the fanfic writer curse so like, ever other month or so, she'll get into these batshit insane adventures, (aka getting jumped by über kids for no damn reason)

Lottie doesn't like to cuss or lie.

Lottie was raised in the "nicer parts of Philly" (aka the suburbs)

She stutters alot.

When she's nervous, she'll usually fidget with her knuckles or comb her fingers though her hair, or worse, pull on it (but that's only when she's in distress)

Out of everyone, Lottie is the most normal girl in there school, she basically sticks out like a sore thumb.

Lottie doesn't like hurting/killing other people, she just does it out of self defense, she'll feel bad immediately afterwards and mourn them, no matter how dangerous they were.

Lottie likes My Little Pony. (We stan a proud pegasister) her favorite is fluttershy :3

Lottie writes some of the most, gut wrenching, toe curing, uterus clenching smut you will ever see.

Despite that, Lottie isn't all that dirty minded. In fact, she'll get embarrassed if she even thinks about it.

She loved collecting Cute stuffed animals, and useless knick-knacks. She also likes wearing cute clothes.

She likes to illustrate, her artstlye is based off of Strawberry shortcake/ Shojou Manga/ MLP.

Lottie completely lacks social intelligence, making her seem awkward and clumsy to others.

Lottie learned how to bandage up other people since becoming friends with Pico (and also nene I guess but she doesn't really know if their friends or not and she's to scared to ask)

She tired weed once and she got so fucked up that she cried for hours until she passed out (blame pico)

She's a couple inches taller than Pico.

She's a bit clueless but she's very academically smart.

Shoutout to the two, maybe three people who's actually gonna see this and care about my oc's :]

[roadtogracelandx45]

Courage Under Fire |Pre War 3| Band of Brothers

some how I missed posting this. opps.

master list

part 2

ao3

wattpad

@marycorleone

Pre War Three 

Dec. 1941

Bill looked up when he heard the slamming of the front door that led to the Stewart house, Olivia had just stormed out of the house and was going down the short flight of steps. 

"Hey Doll, what's wrong?" he asked, pulling himself away from the small group of friends that he was with playing dice. 

"My fucking mother is what happened." She cursed, patting the pockets of her skirt for her pack of smokes, cursing again when she didn't find them. 

Amused about how flustered she was, Bill pulled his own pack out and held it out to her.

"Thanks." She muttered as she took it from him. 'She comes in and is acting like she runs the whole goddamn place. Overrides Andie."

Katherine McHale was James Stewart's ex-wife and the mother of the twins, Marla and their 5 older brothers and a woman who hated that she birthed two girls and took her anger out on Olivia who was the favorite from the time she was born.

"What is she even doing here?" He asked shrugging off his coat to put it over her shoulders, if there was one thing about Olivia that he would always remember was that she always hated the cold weather. And Philly got to be freezing compared to Charleston. 

"Mine and Bobby's 18th birthday, she thinks that because 18 years ago she had to get cut open to have us, she deserves a party too."

Bill was all too familiar with Katherine McHale, she came once or twice a year to see the kids with whatever man she was with at the time. And she always raised a fuss wherever she went. Olivia's hair wasn't done in the right style, the clothes she was wearing were too raggedy. She was too much like a tomboy, she shouldn't be chasing after her brothers or Bill and his brothers. She wasn't the perfect version of the southern belle that Katherine had envisioned.

And Katherine hated it.

"She is sleeping with Marla and me too. We have to say the rosary every night and in the morning." 

Bill couldn't help himself. He started laughing, she sounded so defeated and angry that it was almost funny.

"It's not funny Bill! She is sleeping in my bed with me! Do you know how uncomfortable that is?" She questioned as she finally lit the smoke she had in her hand, "She read my diary! While we were at school. She knows everything."  

"Everything?" Bill paused in lighting his own smoke surprised, he knew that both Stewart girls and James kept journals and recorded everything in them.

"Mhmm," She hummed through an exhale of smoke, "She threatened to send me to the convent that Aunt Cissy is thinking about joining because I lost my virginity." 

 "You what?" He was surprised and hurt that she actually did that, especially after it being such a hot-button topic for them and the whole reason why he ended up cheating on her with Evie.

"Yeah, after the deb ball." She answered, her eyes focused down the street to the mail truck that was slowly making its way down the street. From what he had been told about the party from not only Olivia but Robert who went as one of the other girls' escorts there had been a lot of drinking before, during, and after the party, and well into the morning hours. 

"Don't look at me like that Billy, it just happened." She didn't feel like she had to explain herself to him, sure, they had done everything but the deed when they were together. And she felt guilty about it but she couldn't bring herself to do it. They had tried, twice, but nothing ever came of it but frustration on Bill's part. 

"You can't really be mad about it. You slept with Evie numerous times. You made your choice and I made my own. We are both our own people." 

"I know," he admitted as she slid closer to his body for his heat, he knew there was time she wanted to forgive him and take him back then he would make the same mistake with Evie and set them back to square one. 

A place that Olivia and Evie could never get past.

Mostly out of hurt on the former's part. 

It was a vicious merry-go-round that never stopped. 

They fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the shouts of laughter and curses from the boy down the street playing dice and the quieter laughter and conversations from the older men including their fathers.  Bill almost felt at peace with her leaning against his side, humming softly. It almost felt right for them to be like this. 

"Olivia Franklin!" Katherine exclaimed coming out of the house startling them out of their peaceful moment and for those playing the dice game down the street to stop and look. 

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like Katherine?" She sassed in return, "I am smoking. I am not fucking."

 Bill turned his head so it was buried in her hair to cover up his laughter. Sometimes she was so serious that everyone forgot that she was just a girl. 

"Olivia, who taught you how to talk like that?" Katherine put her hand on her heart trying to settle her rapidly beating heart. She held her free hand out to tick off names, "Uncle Finn, Grandpa, Great Grandpa, Great Great Grandpa, Great Grandma. My brothers."

  "Me." Bill laughed, "Henry."

"Papa G." She added with her own laugh, but with Bill's dad, it was Italian curse words, words that Bill never really picked up. 

 "Basically anyone really," Bobby added, he had come down the street with a stack of mail. He held out a smaller stack that included a small box to his twin who grinned. "You definitely made an admirer out of Nix. And his family. I am sure if he wasn't getting married on the 18th, there would be a formal engagement proposal in that stack of letters."

 His eyes went to Bill who was glowering with anger and jealousy. There had been several times in the past few months when Olivia went out with one of the other boys in their class where he had reacted the same way. Bill was very set in the mindset that Olivia was his and his alone. And her dating was messing stuff up for him. 

"I am going to go inside and read these." She said before handing the unfinished smoke to Bobby and going back into the house. 

"Nix as in Lewis Nixon? Helen's cousin?" Katherine asked, blocking her path back into the house.

"Yes. Lewis Nixon. Who is getting married in a few weeks. That I will never marry." Olivia was firm on that, she cared for Lewis and he cared for and loved spoiling her but they were both holding out for that great love.

And they knew they weren't it for each other.

 "Great guy, though, great in bed." She smirked before pushing past her mother and into the house. Her twin's laughter followed her as she shut the door and went up the stairs.

 "Katherine, just let her go." James Sr, the twins' father said having come down the street, worried that his ex-wife was going to slap his daughter again. 

"Did you hear what she said to me?" 

"I did but as of Sunday she is an adult and she can say and do what she wants."

James had always raised his daughters to be equal to his sons and she would have the same chances at least within their family if not the real world. He knew that she had dreamed of going to get her nursing degree but they couldn't afford it so she was going to settle for volunteering at the VA hospital in hopes they would hire her into their program. 

They were all too proud to take the money from Fredrick, who had been extremely adamant that a chunk of money be left to Olivia, Robert, and Marla. And that money can be used for school or weddings. 

"Do you know," Katherine spat, "that she is having premarital sex?"

James had put two and two together after the deb that he went down for, and honestly, he couldn't get mad at her for doing the same thing that her brothers had done.

"Yes, as long as she doesn't end up pregnant before she is married, it's fine." 

"I knew I should’ve raised them. She wouldn't be doing this."

"No, she would just be dead and buried in the Stewart family cemetery." Robert spat as Bill slipped past them into the house to go check on her. 

Thankfully Marla took the younger kids to the park and weren't home yet and were out of the line of fire for Katherine. 

"You don't know that Robert."

"Yes! I do! If it wouldn't have been for Lewis stepping in, you would have killed her last summer."

"That isn't true!" 

**

Bill knocked on Olivia's bedroom door once and slipped into the room just in time to see the window close. 

"You good?"

 "Fine." She returned, shrugging off his coat and holding it out to him. 

He took steps to take it back from her but instead pulled her to him, dropping the coat to the ground. 

"Bill? What're you doing?" He shook his head and pressed his lips against hers.

Finally, he kissed her like he had wanted to since she came back from Charleston.

  "We can't do this." She muttered putting her hands on his chest to push away from him.

 "Who is going to stop us babe?" She chewed on her bottom lip in thought before raising herself up on her toes and kissing him again letting him pull her in closer to him. 

Maybe she needed to stop being so straight-laced and doing things for herself. 

She had always followed the rules and was a good daughter, sister, and friend, and looked at where that got her. 

A whole lot of nowhere and hurt. 

And it was time to not be like that anymore.

***

December  7th, 1941 

South Philly 

"You are so going to hell." Marla teased her sister who came out of the confessional booth, her cheeks flushed, a smirk playing on the corner of her mouth. 

"So? Adam and Eve did the same thing. If God didn't want us to do stuff like this then he wouldn't have created man and woman or given us temptation."

The younger Stewart sister laughed and looped their elbows together, ever since this thing with Bill started, her sister became a new Olivia, one that she enjoyed. 

It was a mix of the old Olivia and the one from Charleston, so they were getting the best of both worlds.

"Did Bill say anything about what he wanted to do tonight with you and Bobby?" She asked, they were the last two to leave the church. 

Bobby had fled the first chance he got, followed quickly by their brother Lee and his pregnant wife.

 Their father had stayed home with the other grandkids who were too young to attend a full two-hour-long mass and he was using the twins' birthday party that night as another excuse to not attend church. 

Their stepmother Andie was teaching a Sunday school class so it would just be them. 

"No, he had to go right to the factory for work." She said, "He was going to try and get Bobby on too." 

"Daddy won't like that." the younger girl mused as they started down the street towards the house, "he doesn't even like you going down to the VA hospital." 

"I know he doesn't but that's the only way I can get into the nursing program. If I get picked.”

'You could just join the Red Cross."

"Shut your mouth Marla Elizabeth. You know what Great-Great Pawpaw would do if he knew his precious "Liddy" was in the Red Cross." Olivia personally thought there was nothing wrong with the Red Cross but her great-great-grandfather and in turn great grandfather had issues with it.  

"Just a suggestion." The younger girl shrugged before pausing by the corner store that had the news playing, "The Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor." 

 "What did they just say?" One of the other girls that was passing asked stopping dead in her tracks like most of the other people on the street.

"Shh." Olivia hushed as she gripped her sister's hand desperately.  

"Liv, aren't Nicholas and James there?" Marla asked, squeezing her cold fingers.

 "Nicky is. So is Uncle Tommy." She answered, "Jimmy is on the Enterprise I think." Her heart was jumping from her throat to her stomach like it was its business. 

"We need to get home now," Marla commented she knew that her father or older brothers who were still home preparing for the twins' birthday party weren't going to leave to hunt them down like they would have if they hadn't just got this news. 

 "Liv!' she demanded, pulling her hand again. The older sister nodded her head numbly and let her pull her to the house.

**

To both Olivia and Marla's surprise, Bill was sitting on the couch next to Bobby who stood up once his sisters came into the living room, he crossed the room quickly and pulled them both into hugs. 

"Everything is going to be okay." He assured them, he had been repeating that since he had turned on the radio when he got home. "I am sure they are safe." Bill held his hand out to Olivia who pulled herself away from her brother and took it. He tugged her until she was sitting on his lap.

 She curled into him almost instinctively, her fingers catching the ones that were resting on her hip. 

That's where Evie found them almost an hour later, cuddled up on the couch, lips moving in silent prayer, they had all known even without the president announcing it that they were going to war and the boys. Almost all the boys in the neighborhood could be drafted and the ones who couldn't be drafted would try and join up. They both knew Bill well enough to know that he would do this. Same with Robert. 

Evie was sure the first thing tomorrow morning Bobby would go down to the recruiter's office and join up. 

And Evie worried for Liv, the twins had never been separated by far distances. They had thought it would be good to try and separate them when she was going to Charleston but there was a fit thrown, and it was agreed that he would go with Olivia and Marla. 

Honestly, Evie couldn't see the twins not being with each other, their dad tried to separate them when Liv was going to Charleston but Bobby rarely pitched a fit for himself. Pitched one. He refused to be away from his sisters and he would have run away to be there.

It was that freaky twin thing. 

"Evie." Olivia's voice shook her out of their thoughts and she turned to look at the girl, she was surprised to see her holding her hand out to her.   The girl took it and sat down on the couch next to the couple, as messed up as it was, maybe this was something that they needed to get their friendship back on track. 

[sumiandwaynetozimzamza]

6/16/2024 - Home sweet home! We made it! Whew! Our unplanned stay in London was a surprisingly nice experience. Our brief time at the airport hotel included an AMAZING chicken makhani curry with mango chutney, the chance to drink a couple of British ales whist watching a little futbol, and (after a long and interrupted “travel day” yesterday) a welcome 8-hours of solid sleep. Sumi seems to dig the traditional English Breakfast (complete with a crumpet!)…which is what she had this morning. :) We were rebooked on two American Airlines flights (London - Philly - Portland) that went off without a hitch. …upon our arrival back at the house we discovered an absolutely wonderful ‘welcome home’ gift my sister dropped off containing fresh flowers, South African wine(!), chocolate, coffee and other goodies to get us thru at least till Tuesday. (Becki ROCKS! Thank you!)

[thenationaltreasuregazette]

To the editor,

After Abigail and Riley contact Ian, Ian calls Ben in FBI custody and tells him 'and the FBI agents listening in on this call' that they should meet him on the flight deck of the USS Intrepid at 10am tomorrow.

Therefore, between ~4:15pm on Saturday, June 19th and 10am on Sunday, June 20th, there is a whole missing twelve hours (!) where Abigail and Riley have to make their way to New York after negotiating with Ian.

My personal headcanon is that Ben had all of the cash from Common Sense on him when he got nabbed by the FBI because it's Ben . Riley maybe has $20 cash on him and the only thing Abigail has are her earrings from her gala outfit. Either they scrape together enough cash for a bus ticket (?) or they have to travel with Ian and co. (Ian seems unlikely to let them out of his sight and Abigail obviously doesn't want to leave the Declaration, but from the dialogue of the car phone call scene it seems like Ian 'doesn't know' where Abigail and Riley are hiding nearby).

They also have to have slept at some point.

TL;DR there's a whole ~twelve hours of Abigail & Riley bonding time that is missing from the movie and the possibilities are endless! Thoughts?

Hi Anon,

Thanks so much for your question!

First of all, I am a walnut and the timeline article has been updated to reflect that yes, Ian tells us what time the adventure resumes on day 3: 10am on the deck on the Intrepid.

Which is actually great! Placing the Washington, D. C., Philadelphia, and New York legs of the adventure on different days makes for a neat separation of events by both place and time. It also makes the travel logistics more plausible, and takes the total time elapsed from around 24 hours to more like 48.

While that does leave the gang a little more time to rest, that assumes they can rest. If they can’t or won’t sleep due to danger, anxiety, travel, or all of the above, that weekend must feel like it lasts an eternity.

Like I said before, they must be e x h a u s t e d by the time this thing concludes.

But as you point out, the timeline the movie presents us with significant instances of missing time.

That’s missing as in unaccounted for, not missing as in wrong, btw. One of the many things I love about National Treasure is its pacing. Each sequence gets to take center stage when its time, but the movie certainly doesn’t drag. If nothing plot-significant is happening, we don’t need to see it.

In the film that is.

In the land of fandom, well…*evil laughter*

So.

National Treasure presents us with three significant instances of missing time:

The drive from D.C. to Philadelphia

The wait between their arrival in Philly at sunrise and clothes shopping/cypher decoding in the afternoon.

The trip from Philadelphia to New York.

Let’s take each in turn.

And boy oh boy, this one got out of hand. More under the cut if you’re interested.

D.C. to Philadelphia

First there’s the middle-of-the-night drive from D.C. to Philadelphia. We do see one scene from this time where Riley is dozing in the back seat as Ben tells Abigail about Common Sense. I really love this scene because it’s more intimate and quiet than anything that’s come before it. I am an absolute slut for quiet moments inside loud stories.

Up until now the movie has been all high stakes and big decisions. Now, because they’re forced to travel, the characters have to slow down. The only thing that has come close so far is the stop at the park in front of the Jefferson memorial, and even that included two huge decisions: Ben decided to face his father and Abigail decided she was going wherever the Declaration was.

The only decision made in the car is that they need to go shopping.

Even in this brief moment, all of their personalities are on full display. Riley is being skeptical and hilarious even as he’s half-asleep in the back seat using the Declaration as a pillow. Ben is full-steam-ahead on his mission, both literally and figuratively in the driver’s seat as he plans their next move and reveals he was already think about it by swiping the book from his dad’s. Abigail is reserved but curious. She still seems to be sizing the guys up as they banter back and forth, and is ready to match Ben’s historical references. Unlike Riley, she appears just as wide awake as Ben, and continues in the role she’s taken on since the test for the Ottendorf cypher, as the second-in-command. Hence she is in the passenger seat, versus in the van when she was in the back. Damn I love media analysis.

The whole scene lasts less than 30 seconds, and as we discovered in our timeline, the drive from Washington D.C. to Philadelphia takes about 3 hours. So what else did they talk about?

I’m particularly interested in Abigail’s perspective here, because this is the first chance she’s gotten to actually talk to Ben since she got roped into the heist. She started asking questions the moment she got pulled into the van, but Ben wasn’t answering. Then she learned more about him and the Gates’ family history with the treasure while observing his interactions with Patrick, but this is the first chance she has to really talk with him.

Ben must still be pretty wired from the heist and the discovery of the cypher, but it’s as late as 4 am by the time they’re on the road. His eyes could be getting heavy and talking to Abigail might help him stay alert, even if they’re talking about nothing. We know she doesn’t ask about Patrick’s weird question until they’re in the dressing rooms, but there’s plenty else they could have covered.

As I talk about here, Ben was curious about Abigail from the moment they met, and that was when she was refusing to help them. Now she’s not only demanded to come along on his crazy quest, but she’s become actively involved. From the moment she puts lemon juice on the Declaration of Independence, Abigail a personal stake in the hunt—now her job, career, and reputation are on the line. Ben has to have questions about that.

As for Riley, he’s hungry. He tells us as much. The canon scene seems to be near the beginning of the trip, given that Riley is making basic observations about the car (it’s a “sweet ride,” “This car smells weird.”) so he probably starts lobbying to stop for food at some point.

As the night wears on and the adrenaline wears off, Ben and Abigail realize that they haven’t eaten all night either. Abigail may or may not have had a chance to eat before the gala. When the alarm in the Declaration’s case goes off, she actually has her coat on to head home. Depending on how long it took to respond to the alarm, she may not have left the Archives at all. And I doubt Ben could eat anything before the heist.

My personal headcanon is that they stop at a 24 hour Burger King (et al). They make Riley order so they don’t look too suspicious in their gala clothes (mostly in case the FBI starts canvasing the fast food joints off every exit from D.C. to Philly. I suspect the night crew themselves would not give a shit). Everybody uses the bathroom.

It’s at this moment I’d like to give a shoutout to Abigail’s eye makeup. In the aforementioned scene in the car she’s still got perfect smokey eye, but that's a whole lot of dark eye makeup and that only ends one way: full Winter Soldier.

It's also fairly hard to get off. It only comes off with certain products like makeup remover or baby oil, and that much dark makeup would take like...full minutes of scrubbing to remove.

I imagine that in the fast food bathroom she notices that it’s starting to smudge. There's not much she can do about it at the moment, but whether because it's messy, uncomfortable, conspicuous, or all of the above, all that makeup is gone the next time we see her in the dressing room.

Which brings us to part 2.

Philadelphia

In some ways this is a continuation of the previous stretch of time. The only shot we see in between is the car driving into Philadelphia at sunrise. I’m separating them though because, well, they feel different to me.

Road trips are a special kind of liminal space. You don’t have to talk but you can’t leave, and at least one person has to be awake.

Once Team Treasure gets to Philadelphia, they can stretch their legs, run errands, get a break from each other. It’s different, so we’re counting it differently.

They arrive at sunrise but we don’t see them again until Abigail and Ben are at Urban Outfitters and Riley is outside the Franklin Institute sometime around 2 pm. (Per the cashier’s “almost three.”)

The Franklin Institute opens at 9:30am, and with the FBI hot on their trail (and Ian, though they don’t know that yet) they don’t have a moment to loose.

So what were they doing??

The screenwriting answer is: waiting until it was closer to the actual time on the $100 bill to generate more tension racing for the clue.

But here at the National Treasure Gazette we’re in the business of taking the story as-is. So in the universe of the film, what were they doing?

My best guess is sleeping, or at least trying to. I imagine something would have to happen in order to make Ben pause, even for a little while, so picture this: They’re winding their way through downtown Philadelphia. Riley is groggily complaining that he wants to sleep more. At this point Abigail in inclined to agree. Ben won’t hear it until he makes a bad driving decision. Not anything major, but he takes a turn too soon or too late, he drifts into another lane, or he doesn’t see another car until he’s forced to swerve out of the way. Okay. Point taken.

If they don’t get their wits about them, they’ll be caught before they find anything.

They park in an out of the way spot. Riley agrees to take first watch because he already slept a bit. Ben tries to argue and it takes both Riley and Abigail to convince him to relax. Only once Ben has finally resigned himself to resting does Abigail attempt to close her eyes too.

Nobody sleeps well, if they sleep at all. They jump at every siren and set of footsteps that gets too close to the car. All three of their pulses are racing, and although Ben’s body needs to rest, his mind will not stop chasing after the treasure.

At some point they send Riley into a drug store to grab a few necessities—granola bars, bottled water, maybe some bandaids. A bottle of ibuprofen because Abigail’s shoulder is starting to bother her and at least one of the three of them has a pounding headache at any given time from here to the finale. Riley takes pity on Abigail’s increasingly smudged makeup and grabs a travel pack of makeup wipes as well. Abigail hasn’t paid too much attention to Riley up until this point, but she’ll always remember that gesture.

Literally all of this is conjecture except:

The car is parked on a nearby street

Abigail doesn’t have her party makeup on by the time they’re shopping

But I had fun.

And finally, there’s the matter of Saturday night.

Philadelphia to New York

As you point out Anon, there is a massive chunk of missing time in between Saturday afternoon, when Ben is being questioned by the FBI and Abigail asks Riley to call Ian, and Sunday morning on the deck of the Intrepid.

Ben’s situation is fairly predictable. He’s in custody with the FBI, and at some point they move him from Philadelphia to New York. I’m inclined to think they move him that night, shortly after the phone call with Ian. The longer they wait, the more time there is for something to go wrong. I’m no kind of expert on FBI protocol, but I suspect they’d want to get all the pieces of their plan in motion as soon as possible, and that includes moving Ben.

That leaves us the questions of who and how?

Sadusky would not be doing this himself. He’s in a different car in the FBI caravan, or maybe even on a helicopter to ensure he gets maximum prep time. He’d pass babysitting duty off to one of his subordinate agents, probably Agent Hendrix as punishment for not taking the tip seriously (We’re gonna put a pin in Edge of History for now, yeah?).

That means one of the other agents gets stuck with him. Probably Agent Johnson, because per their setup in the surveillance van during the Intrepid sequence, he seems like someone Sadusky relies on. Sadusky would want someone trustworthy there to make sure Hendrix didn’t mess up again.

Ben talks their ear off about history for the entire drive. Not anything related to the treasure hunt, just random stuff he thinks is cool. It’s two hours of Ben Gates’ finest “Did you know?”s and “Umm, actually”s. Hendrix and Johnson are annoyed at first, but eventually they start naming random years and letting Ben spout off things that happened. It passes the time, but man are they relieved to reach Manhattan.

But what about Abigail and Riley?

As you point out, the two of them have to travel from Philadelphia to New York with basically no resources. There are only a few ways they could get there.

The Bus Route

You make an excellent argument that if there’s any cash left after the shopping trip, Ben probably has it. He’s the one paying the cashier—“Can I see one of those $100 bills I paid you with?”— so he would likely have whatever is leftover in his wallet. Plus, he’s the architect of this whole caper. He’s the one making the plans, calling the shots, and probably also keeping the cash.

And that’s if there is any money left. It’s hard to make out exactly how much Abigail dumps out of the book. One $100 and one $20 are clearly visible, along with three other bills. Let’s say that they have $340. Oh, plus the $32.57 that Ben already had in his wallet. They pay at least $200 for their clothes—“ one of those $100 bills” plural—and they don’t have any $100s left, or Ben wouldn’t need to trade his watch to get one back. Maybe they spent all $300 on the clothes (it is Urban Outfitters, like, way to use your resources wisely guys. Maybe try Marshall's?), or maybe they broke the remaining hundred earlier for food or supplies.

In any case, there’s probably not much. It’s possible that Riley has a few bucks in his wallet or pockets since he hasn’t changed since the heist. If he’s been making purchases for the group (since until the shopping trip he’s the only one dressed normally) he could have some of the change in his pockets.

Abigail followed Ben out of the Archives without a purse, so unless she had anything in her dress or jacket, or kept some change during the day, she doesn’t have any additional resources to work with. She does have her earrings, but since she’s not wearing them at the clothing store, my guess is they’re in the car, and therefore with the FBI. If she does have them on her—like maybe she took them off in the changing room and slipped them into the pocket of her new jeans or jacket—then there’s a chance she could barter them for cash or bus tickets.

I suppose they could have divided any remaining cash between them in case one of them got caught or separated, but based how surprised Riley seems by the idea of splitting up at Independence Hall it doesn’t seem to my like they considered such a plan until that moment.

I’ll also offer the possibility that Riley could try to hack into a ticket kiosk at the bus station if they couldn’t pay. I think this is less likely thought, because doesn’t have his laptop with him, only a c. 2004 cell phone. While I’m sure he could do this with the right equipment, I don’t know that he’d have access to said equipment at the moment. Perhaps he could do it from an internet cafe like he does with Shaw’s phone in New York, but many of his hacks seem to rely on preparation—like breaking into the camera feeds at the National Archives, or sneaking a receiver into the Buckingham Palace computer network in the deleted scene from Book of Secrets. So the plausibility of this route is up to you.

If you like any of these configurations, then Riley and Abigail could have bought bus tickets to New York. And actually, the Philadelphia bus station is just a block from Reading Terminal Market, where Riley and Abigail hide from Shaw and discover the true National Treasure, Meat Lady. It would depend where in NYC the bus was stopping, but the Port Authority bus terminal is in midtown near the Intrepid, not in the financial district where Trinity Church is. My point being, on the New York end of the journey they might face an additional expense of taking the subway or a cab.

As far as sleeping goes, they might try to get a late night bus to avoid the issue, killing time on either end as needed. If they had the money to spare, maybe they nursed the cheapest beer in a nearby bar until it closed, then headed to the station. Maybe they sat in the bus station well into the night, but if the FBI or local police are still searching for them, they probably want to be at the bus station for as little time as possible. Not to mention that such places often discourage loitering, but as two decently dressed white people, they might have less trouble in that department.

The Sadusky Route

I’ll also off the possibility that Ben includes transportation for them in his deal with Sadusky somehow. Something along the lines of “My friends will turn themselves in in NYC once we recover the Declaration.”

If Sadusky were to agree—though I don’t know how likely that is—Riley might receive a mysterious phone call telling him two bus tickets will be waiting for them. In this case their safety is assured but they’re likely to be followed.

In any of the routes that take them on a bus, Abigail and Riley would spend a lot of time together.

Remember, it’s Ben that Abigail’s really connected with so far. He’s the one she’s been flirting with, he rescued her from the catering truck, she learned about his family and his relationship with his father, and he’s the one she risked her career with testing the Declaration. She was talking to Ben only during both the late night car ride and while clothes shopping. To her, Riley has been the weird sarcastic guy tagging along.

That’s not to say she hasn’t had any interactions with him. Her “I look pregnant?” comment is directed to Riley, so she’s clearly not afraid to engage with him. But she has gotten to know Riley way less than she’s gotten to know Ben.

She’d probably be curious about how Riley got involved in the treasure hunt, and for preparation purposes I’d imagine she’d have lots of questions about Ian—who his henchmen are, their dynamics, the kinds of weapons they carry, etc.

But after that the conversation might run a bit dry. Riley doesn’t know much about history; Abigail doesn’t seem like much of a conspiracy theorist. Though, idk, she jokingly brought up bigfoot during their first meeting so Riley might see how far he can run with that.

As a fic writer, you have some choices to make. You want to give Riley and Abigail enough to talk about and things to bond over, but you probably want to to leave the juiciest information for Ben. It’s Ben who’s going to want to know how she fell in love with history, who her favorite president is, the time periods she’s most interested in, her worst professor, etc. At least I imagine her conversations with Riley are more about the situation at hand or random topics of interest.

"You ever see the movie Stargate?"

"I'm not too big on movies.

How about the TV show?

(Abigail gives an apologetic smile)

Right. Not big on TV either. What do you do for fun, go to the opera? You know what, don't answer that. Let me tell you a little bit about ancient aliens."

Based on the two scenes we see from the beginning and end of this journey—in the park and then in the cafe—Abigail is standing and pacing, and Riley is sitting, first in a dejected stupor, and then on the computer. I imagine this physicality would continue in a bar or bus station. Abigail has a lot of nervous energy to work out by pacing or fidgeting and Riley’s more prone to staring off into space.

Unless Riley got going on a conspiracy theory topic that he's really passionate about. Then I imagine he's all hand gestures.

The Ian Route

And then of course there is the path most full of danger and dramatic possibilities—a deal with Ian.

Let’s start with how Ian and the boys are traveling. They appear at Trinity Church with two vehicles. Ben and Shaw arrive in a black Lincoln town car with New York plates, Shippen is holding Patrick across the street in a black Range Rover with a Washington D.C. license plate, and Ian is already waiting on foot.

The plates suggest to me that they’ve had the Range Rover for the whole journey, but given that Ian has “nearly unlimited resources” they’ve probably been swapping out cars frequently to avoid detection.

But we know that they travel in multiple vehicles. If Shippen was sent back to the D.C. area to get Patrick, that means Ian, Shaw, Powell and Phil would still be traveling to New York, likely in at least two vehicles. They’re big guys with lots of equipment and no financial restrictions; they have no need to pack into one car.

Which means there’s plenty of room for guests/shot-callers/hostages to travel with them!

Shaw complains to Ben that Abigail is "the one calling all the shots now." He may know or suspect that Ian has other plans in the works to get the power back, but until Patrick arrives as a hostage it seems like Abigail is genuinely in control of the situation.

As such she could barter passage for herself and Riley as part of the deal: “If you get us to New York and get Ben away from the FBI, we can show you to the treasure.”

As you point out, this option has one massive benefit: Abigail gets to keep an eye on the Declaration in person. In any of these configurations I’m sure she stressed to Ian that he needs the glasses Ben has to get any further. There is no other way to read the map and no chemical procedure that can replicate the glasses. If the Declaration is damaged in any way, the deal is off. But in this case she gets to ensure first hand that they’re not going to try anything.

If Abigail is demanding to ride with the Declaration, that also means she’s riding with Ian. I doubt he would let it out if his sight either, lest Abigail and Riley try to escape with it. And Riley is riding with Abigail, because splitting up would be the most dangerous thing the two of them could do at this point.

Ian wouldn’t want to be outnumbered, so he’d have his boyfriend number two man Shaw riding shotgun.

Now that is a recipe for one awkward car ride.

Unlike a version where they take the bus, Abigail and Riley probably aren’t talking much here. They can’t. They need to give away as little about themselves as possible.

Likewise, Ian and Shaw can’t talk freely either. Shaw might get the occasional phone call which he answers with a few cryptic words. “Yes. No. Then deal with it.”

Of course Riley knows Ian and Shaw, but as I discuss here, I don’t think he was with the crew for very long before the Charlotte betrayal. The last time he tried to make casual conversation with these guys he got a gun pointed at time. The doesn’t deter him too much, as he does the same thing later in the underground chamber, but any attempts to start a conversation here are probably met with glares, signs, and maybe an “I see what you’re trying to do but please stop” smile from Abigail.

I think Ian might be more disposed to talk to Abigail, both because she’s calling the shots at the moment and because we do see that he has a polite streak, at least when in comes to people who aren’t his enemies. He’s quite cordial and supportive with Ben when they uncover the Charlotte, and he’s polite to the little boy at the Franklin Institute. He might see it as being in his best interest to not alienate Abigail when she’s the one arranging this deal. If she stays happy the he gets his treasure.

So there you go, one awkward car ride with a side of contempt.

As for how they slip away from Ian, I imagine that’s part of the deal. Until Ben escapes custody, Abigail could call the FBI and reveal Ian’s plan at any time. So if she said that she and Riley would be watching from a distance, they might have no choice but to go with it.

Conclusion

My conclusion is that I’ve been thinking about Team Treasure’s late night burger run for a while now, but I hadn’t really considered how they all get to New York, and all the possibilities that chunk of missing time in particular has for interesting character interactions.

Any of these scenarios have the potential to significantly deepen Riley and Abigail’s relationship. Over the course of the night, they might very well have gone from barely acquaintances to actual friends.

Which ones do y'all like? What scenarios did I miss? Leave a comment!

Thanks so much for your question! Feel free to send another any time.

[seabreeze2022]

Photo safari to Tanzania Jan. 2024, part 1

Nancy and I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go on a photo safari. A friend of Nancy's mentioned she was leaving in 30 days for her 30th trip to Africa. Nancy said that would be cool and her friend said “come with us.” So we did.

Ruth and Bob had been with our guide Raffy recently and he was starting his own guide service. So here we are on a 10-day safari with a new business owner who is going to pull out all the stops for his first clients. Plus Ruth is almost as knowledgeable about the birds and animals of Africa herself.

Above is Ruth, Nancy, Dana and Bob at the gateway to the Serengeti about day 7 of our adventure.

Here is Raffy, Nancy and Ruth having breakfast in the middle of the Ndutu Conservation Area. This is typical of our days. We are always the first jeep out of camp as the sun is just lightening the sky. After several hours of viewing lions, zebras, wildebeest, and gazelle. Raffy parks us in the open and we break out the breakfast provided by the camp.

Did we get to see animals up close?

You bet we saw them all, here is a tonsil check on a male lion of the Upper and Lower Marsh Pride. Hopefully, I have your attention and will start over at the beginning of the journey.

Nancy and I flew Miami-Philly-Doha, Qatar on American Airlines. Doha is about the cleanest prettiest airport in the world. Since we had a 7 hour break there and needed to get on Tanzania time. We opted for a private cubicle to sleep in. Pay by the hour, nice bunks and just what we needed. Leaving Doha at 0115 in the morning we flew 5 hours to Killamanjaro Airport (JRO) in Tanzania.

Changing of the Guard. Turns out that the Captain flying us from Miami to Philadelphia is none other than a former First Officer of mine in Miami, Brandon Lozano. On our flight was his soon-to-be in-laws, Dawn and Mike. We have to get back quickly from this journey since we are invited to Brandon and Jackie’s wedding in Key Largo. Super smooth flight, Capt. thanks for the ride!

Doha airport and Nancy in our “Sleep N’ Fly” bunk room.

Kilimanjaro Airport and Qatar aircraft we arrived on. My visa had been approved prior to the trip but Nancy’s had not. Turned out not to be a big deal, and they allowed her in the country. Everyone we met in Tanzania could not have been nicer, starting with the Customs and Immigration officials. This country knows their future lies with tourism. Every person we met including all the camp staff, asked us to tell our friends about Tanzania and to come back soon.

This is “Simba” a 10-year-old 300,000-mile 4-wheel drive Toyota Jeep Land Cruiser. Raffy and John met us at the airport and drove us to our first lodge, Shamba. We were the only guests at the five-cabin lodge. Outstanding staff and great food. “Simba” is Swahili for Elephant.

This cabin has a loft with a huge bed upstairs, bath and kitchen downstairs.

Mosquito nets surrounding the beds is standard in Africa. Even though there very heavy rains the weeks before we arrived, we only had one or two mosquito bites.

Sitting by the “Camp TV” in the evenings as it chilled down. Nancy at dinner.

While we waited for Ruth and Bob to arrive in Arusha, Tanzania. We spent one day with Raffy in Arusha National Park. This was going to be our appetizer for the parks. A small park but it did have a monkey we would not see in any other park. So we got to see our first giraffe, elephant, zebras and baboons.

Once into the park, Raffy took a side road through the heavy woods. It was a road less traveled. Which is Raffy’s style. We ran across several giraffes which made the entire safari worthwhile in Nancy’s eyes. Things would only get better. The only giraffe in Tanzania is the Masai Giraffe.

Above is a very elusive “Harvey’s Red Duiker”, which is a very small deer. We saw a couple and were lucky to get this photo. I think they get the prize for the homeliest-looking deer.

This is the seventh-highest mountain in Africa, Mt. Meru at 14,980 ft. It is inside the park. Many hikers spend three days hiking up to the summit. Each group of hikers is required to have 2 armed Rangers to protect them from predators.

Above Nancy is standing up in the jeep and taking photos. Tremendous viewing with the top raised.

Nancy face to face with her first of many elephants. This is an older male. He was a half mile behind a female with a juvenile. Elephants have 7 sets of teeth. They wear each of the sets out in about 10 years. This guy was probably on his last set. He was not in great shape. You may have heard about elephant graveyards. Where there are multiple elephant skeletons. These graveyards are in the easiest food-gathering places for elephants that have lost their teeth. Once they lose their teeth they basically starve to death.

This is our lunch break at a park site, that provides picnic tables and restrooms. Armed park rangers are nearby and ready to escort hikers to the top of the Mt. Meru.

This is life in a third-world country. Using gravity, not much to break; just saying….

Out of permitted photos. check out part 2. above.

If you are interested in your own African Safari, check out Raffy’s website: https://maweafricanventure.com

[zegrasdrysdale]

[ aftermath ] t. zegras

paring : Trevor Zegras x fem!reader

summary : (Y/N) helps Trevor deal with Jamie leaving and breaking his ankle all in 24 hours

warning(s) : injury, some angst

author’s note : it’s me. hi. i’m the problem, it’s me

༺═──────────────═༻

She definitely believes in the snowball effect after the last 24 hours of her life. It’s one of the reasons why she’s currently on a flight in the middle of the night to Raleigh to meet her boyfriend’s hockey team at their hotel.

Both her life and Trevor’s life have changed so much in 24 hours. Trevor left with the Ducks for their road trip expecting to have a fun trip. His best friend was finally 21 and could enjoy all that Nashville had to offer.

Then Jamie got the call that no player ever really wants to get from their general manager.

Hours later, he was on a flight to Philly and leaving the Ducks and a distraught Trevor behind in Tennessee.

She should’ve gotten on a plane then and there. Instead, she tempted fate.

The next day was Trevor’s 200th career NHL game, and he had to play it without his best friend on the ice with him. (Y/N) happily watched from their apartment in Anaheim.

Until Trevor went down along the boards after 3 shifts and two minutes total on the ice. She was on her feet as she watched her boyfriend get helped down the tunnel. He wasn’t putting any pressure on his left leg as the trainers helped him.

She blew up his phone with texts and calls until one in the morning California time. He never replied. Then she texted Mason and asked where the Ducks were staying in Raleigh. She booked a flight and asked Mason to get Trevor’s room number when they got there.

Luckily there was a nonstop flight to Raleigh that left from LAX at three that she just barely made. She packed a duffel bag and ran out the door to catch the flight.

After nearly five hours in the air and multiple timezone changes, (Y/N) lands in North Carolina. She left at three in the morning and landed at eleven in the morning. Mason’s text with Trevor’s room number and a he’s cranky comes through as she grabs her duffel from baggage claim.

Honestly, she should’ve gotten on a flight as soon as Trevor told her that Jamie got traded. This is what happens when you tempt fate.

She orders an Uber from the airport to the hotel where Trevor is staying with the Ducks.

Why he traveled with them after getting hurt is beyond her. Maybe it isn’t a long term injury and it’s just a sprain.

Either way, she’s about to find out.

After a ten minute debate with herself, she lightly knocks on Trevor’s door.

It’s a second before the door opens. As soon as it swings open though, her heart breaks at the sight behind it.

Trevor stands on crutches with his ankle wrapped. His eyes are red and puffy and it looks like he hasn’t slept a wink in two days. Honestly, he probably hasn’t.

"Trev," she pouts.

He shakes his head and quickly spins to walk back into the room. She follows him and lets the door shut behind her. "I don't want you here, (Y/N)," he tells her. The voice crack tells her all she needs to know. He does actually need her here.

"I don't care," she replies. "I'm here anyway." Trevor leans the crutches against the middle table and sits on the bed. "You haven't exactly had the best few days so I came to make sure you're okay."

"I'm not fucking okay!" Trevor shouts at her before rubbing his face and running his fingers through his hair to compose himself. "My best friend plays across the damn country now after getting traded out of nowhere and I might have just broken my damn ankle in a milestone game. I'm going to be out for like two months again."

(Y/N) crouches down in front of him and puts her hands on his knees. "I'm sorry, baby," she softly says. "I can't even begin to imagine how you feel right now. I know Jamie's in Philly right now and I know you won't talk to anyone else about how you feel so that's why I'm here. I don't want you to bottle up your feelings."

"It just sucks," Trevor says, voice shaky. "Everything's changing and I don't like it. I'm probably going to have to go to Jamie's and pack his apartment so I can send his stuff to him, especially now that I'm out and won't be able to do anything."

She gets up and sits next to her boyfriend. She grabs one of his hands and holds it on her lap. She rubs the back of her hand with her thumb. Trevor leans over and drops his head to her shoulder. She wraps an arm around his shoulders and plays with his hair.

"I'm here," she whispers. "I don't care if you don't want me here. I'll always be here."

"I know," Trevor replies. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm just frustrated and confused and in pain."

(Y/N) kisses his temple and buries her face in his hair. "It's okay," she says. "You're feeling a lot right now so I don't blame you for anything you say right now. Just know that I'll be here the entire time. As for Jamie, you know he's a phone call away whenever you wanna talk to him. He'll answer every single time you call him."

He nods. "Yeah," he mumbles. "Can we lay down until I meet with the doctor?"

"Of course," she replies. "Whatever you wanna do. What time do you meet with the doctor?"

"Three," Trevor tells her as he gets comfortable. Well, as comfortable as he can since he's hurt. "I have to leave at two."

That's enough time for both of them to take a two hour nap.

She sets her alarm for 1:30 then settles in next to him. She wraps a leg around his waist and rests her head on his forehead while he wraps an arm around her shoulders.

"Thank you for coming," Trevor whispers, his voice tired. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to," she assures him. "Close your eyes for a bit. I'll wake you up when it's time to leave."

He nods and within seconds, his breathing evens out. She smiles and falls asleep herself knowing that Trevor is finally getting some rest.

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MASTERLIST

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[curhartwrites]

I'm on the Board of Directors for a small venue called The Painted Mug Cafe here in Philly. It's mostly an event space and show venue right now, but our goal over the next few years is to be able to open for regular cafe hours. It's important to me. Everyone on the board is Queer, and we created this space to fill a need in our community. Most of the Queer spaces in our city are bars and clubs, and none of them are accessible to disabled Queers like me (I'm mobility impaired). They're loud, dark, closely-packed places accessed by steep flights of stairs, where there is rarely a place to sit down, and where the imperative of most people in the space is to drink and flirt. Don't get me wrong, I like to drink and flirt. Those are two of my favorite pass times. But that's not true of everyone, and it's not true of any of us 100% of the time. Some of us are Party Gays who want to show up to a place full of moving Queer bodies, get blissfully intoxicated, dance and sing along to loud Queer music, and stumble home in someone's arms. And that's beautiful. I love everything about it. But some of us work more than one job and can't be out until three in the morning, or we're neurodivergent Queers who are uncomfortable in loud spaces with bright colorful lights. Some of us are physically disabled and can't safely be in a place where we might be knocked over by enthusiastic drunk dancers. Some of us have kids. Some of us are kids. Some of us are in recovery for substance use disorder, and are uncomfortable being in bars. This is why I love being a part of The Mug. We serve coffee and mocktails, and baked goods made by a local gay pastry chef. Our walls serve as a gallery space for Queer visual artists in the city. We host sober karaoke, all-ages drag shows, non-competitive and encouraging workshops for new performers, and weird theater and music. The money that we make goes directly into keeping the lights on and paying our staff a fair wage for their labor. Everything after that is being saved so that we can make the building more meaningfully accessible by adding a ramp, widening hallways and door frames, and remodeling our bathroom. Everything we do is in service to our community. We talk to our neighbors. Our featured performers let us know when they're home safe after a show. If someone on our staff shows up to a meeting and says that they're struggling to pay for groceries, we feed them. Being a part of this feels vitally important to me. When I left my hometown and ran to Philly looking for community, the Queer people here were ready to catch me. It's a blessing to be able to give some of that love and labor back to them now that I've been here long enough to have grown some roots. But it's also frightening, especially lately. Queer and trans people are always facing friction, but it's getting especially heated right now all across the country, and we're here being very loudly Queer and trans. If you're in Philly, come show us your support. Come to events and see what we're about. Donate so we can continue to build a haven for our community.

https://thepaintedmugcafe.com/

[liebgotts-lovergirl]

A December To Remember ~ Joelix Hallmark AU Part 1

[Read it on AO3]

Summary: Alix, an aspiring actress from Philly, is stranded in LA while trying to fly back home for the holidays when she unexpectedly encounters a stranger she somehow recognizes.

Dedication: To Kimmy & my Dovely for encouraging this fun lil creation💖

A/N: Just a lil Hallmark AU + Past Life AU Combo for the holidays lol. Gotta offset the angst from the upcoming chapters of FOF 🤭

Taglist: @latibvles @softguarnere @mccall-muffin @brassknucklespeirs @holdingforgeneralhugs @emmythespacecowgirl

A cancelled flight, a dead phone battery, a failed audition, and the nearest family member six and a half hours away; At this point, Alix was pretty sure God was just using her life for comic relief and she'd had about enough of it.

With a huff of resignation, the aspiring actress half-collapsed onto the first bench she saw outside the airport, accidentally sending her iPhone clattering to the ground just inches from her reach in the process.

Muttering under breath, she leaned as far over as she could, straining her fingers toward it when a passerby in a hurry– some smarmy asshole in a suit barking into his Bluetooth– kicked her phone a little farther down the sidewalk just to be a dick.

He strode over to the nearest cab and yanked the trunk open, depositing his suitcase and briefcase inside without so much as a greeting to the driver, who was leaning against the hood of the cab taking a smoke break.

Alix got to her feet, about to retrieve her cell and give that self-important jerk a piece of her mind when to her surprise, the cabbie beat her to it.

"Hey asshole," he called over, nodding over to the phone which lay a few feet away on the sidewalk. "You gonna pick that up or what?"

The businessman ignored the question, instead slamming the trunk shut and snapping rather curtly, 

"725 South Figuroa and step on it, will you? I have a meeting." 

The cabbie flicked some of the ashes onto the ground casually before moving to pick Alix's phone off the ground. 

"Think I'm gonna pass on that one, boss. 'sides, I'm done for the day."

“What? Oh come on-” the man sputtered angrily but Alix had already begun tuning him out as she studied the rough-talking cabbie opposing him.

The driver's finely-drawn face had an almost fox-like quality to it, as though his mind was always at least two steps ahead of its current thoughts. Deep brown eyes, a strong aquiline nose, and a heartbreaker’s smirk that made her heartbeat quicken like a shot of adrenaline. 

The venom in the cabbie's expression instantly softened the moment his warm whiskey eyes met hers. Their fingers brushed and Alix swore she could feel the pin-pricks of delight lingering on her skin like sparks…like kisses. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feather-light kisses on frozen fingertips…Huddled bodies in reddened snow…Whispered pleas and broken promises…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Look buddy, I'm in a hurry here," the man on the Bluetooth thundered, bringing Alix back to reality.

The cabbie quirked an eyebrow and took a long drag off his cigarette before replying curtly,

 "And like I said, I'm off the clock so you can take a fuckin' hike, pal." 

The cabbie was at least a good 5 feet shorter than the customer he was arguing with but he didn't seem the least bit intimidated.

There was a ferocity in the cabbie's eyes that would've made even Rocky Balboa cower and for a brief second, Alix was somewhere else. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thick brown hair stuck to his forehead…faded fatigues…blood and dirt smeared across bruised cheeks...The same ferocity blazing in his eyes but there was an underlying warmth too, like a silent promise, like he was squeezing her hand from far away…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alix shook her head, bringing herself out of her reverie and sitting back onto the bench just as the infuriated customer pried the trunk of the car open to grab his briefcase and stormed off to hail another taxi.

The sweet, slightly-nasal timbre of the cabbie's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Anyway, where you headed, gorgeous?" 

He was eyeing her curiously as he plopped down beside her, the flecks of honey in his eyes twinkling in the fading sunlight like gold dust.

“I thought you were off the clock,” Alix remarked wryly and the driver shrugged, a roguish smirk quirking up the corner of his lips.

“For that jackass, sure. But for you? Never.”

Alix giggled at his forwardness but her laughter quickly faded as she remembered her destination. 

“McClellan Park,” she sighed and the cabbie’s eyebrows shot sky-high. 

“Jesus, that far, huh?” 

“Yep,” the aspiring actress answered with a grimace. “My cousin lives there. Looks like I’ll be staying with her again until the snowstorms back home let up.”

She was sure that the handsome cabbie would pass her off to some other unlucky driver– it would be a six and a half hour trip from LA, after all– but he didn’t. 

Instead, he made his way back to the cab and opened the door for her with a lopsided grin that made her heart skip a beat.

"Guess we better get moving then, gorgeous, 'cause it's gonna be one hell of a drive."

[philipkindreddickhead]

More comments on that poll: its the first time anyone has called me a terf. Lol.

Also just remembered I was FORCED into a 5 hour layover in philly and that airport is the worst airport Ive ever sat in. Literally went to one gate where the worker was like "ummmm its gate 37 actually" and then sat at gate 37 until the lady was like "flight to boston!" And I had to be like "heyyyy soooo where tf is our flight?" It was at the first gate the whole time. Disorganised. Dirty. Bullshit. Incredibly inconvenient when I am managing two rolly suitcases and a disabled mother. Get it together.

[graysquirrel7]

Trains are so much more comfortable and accessible than planes, when properly funded and supported. The commuter train I used to take before I moved had accessible toilets, large areas on every car for wheelchair and other mobility aids, reserved seating, lots of legroom, and even outlets and tables so that you could break out your laptop, tablet, or even a portable board or card game and pass time.

You genuinely have space to exist while on a train.

Meanwhile, I have not been on a plane ride in the last 20 years that did not involve sacrificing personal space and comfort for long, stressful hours, to effectively be pinned in place with whomever was assigned seating around you.

15 hours coast to coast? I'll take it. Flying from Seattle to Philly or Boston is almost that long a time commitment anyway. For me, I typically end up with two 4ish hour flight legs with an hour layover in the middle, meaning 9 hours, and that hour isn't spent chilling at an airport bar. It's powerwalking from one end of a large airport to another to stand in line to spend another 4ish hours cramped and stressed. For an extra six hours I'll have space to stand? Stretch? Eat a meal that isn't 6-12 inches from my face and the back of some stranger's head? To plug in my laptop or phone charger so that I'll be 100% when I get to my destination? To have space enough to play travel or card games with a travel companion (or interested stranger who isn't overstimulated and stressed out from being on a plane)?

I spend much more than 6 hours recovering from the hell that is modern commercial passenger flying.

Sign me the fuck up.

“Nobody’s going to want to sit on high-speed rail for fifteen hours to get from New York City to LA.”

Me. I will sit on high-speed rail for fifteen hours. I’ll sit on it for days. I’ll write and read and nap and eat and then do it all over again. I’ll stare out the windows and see America from ground level and not have to drive. I’ll see the Rockies and the deserts and cornfields and the Mississippi River and your house and yours and yours too. I’ll make up stories in my head about the small towns I see as we go along. I’ll see the states I’ve yet to see because driving or flying there is a fucking slog and expensive to boot. I’ll enjoy the ride as much as the destination. And then I’ll do it all over again to come the fuck home.