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jaehyunzzmilk · 4 years ago

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dinasty (part 2)

pairing: prince jaehyun x concubine reader

word count: 3.4 k

genre: Historical Mafia AU, smut, light angst

summary: after the perfect escape, you have to find a way to fit in your new life, leaving the past behind may seem easy when you're working for 4 princes and one of them is interested in you, right?

notes: hello again, part 2 is up and we have a new love triangle, thank you for liking the first part so much, and prepare for even more surprises

this doesn't have any relation to real facts and history, it's just pure fiction for entertainment purposes

warnings: violence, blood, cheating, unprotected sex, oral (female receiving)

main characters: jaehyun (prince), yuta (samurai, villain), ten (thai mafia, villain), kun (China's emperor warrior)

Reality - Part 2

Part 1 here

"- Nice tattoo!" the man says.

It was dark and his face was only visible through the moonlight.

You freeze, the man stays still looking at you like you were his prey.

You try to cover your body but your only reaction is to grab your stuff and run, praying he wasn't gonna come after you.

Arriving at your room, breathing heavily you try to think about what just happened. A guy like that had to be a prince or someone really important. Ms. Lee told you to be lowkey and on the first day you let a man see you naked in the bath area. "Whatever" You were just too tired to think, you didn't do anything wrong anyway, so you were gonna pretend that it didn't happen. The Korean Palace was gonna punish you for going to the wrong bath?

Suddenly you realize Kun's necklace isn't with you. "Fuck, I must have dropped there" but now it's too risky to come back and look for it so you decide to do that tomorrow. You lay down on your mattress and try to fall asleep.

Next morning Ms. Lee showed you the rest of the Palace, the kitchen and assigned your tasks. It was a lot of work and details, each of their meals had to be perfectly planned. They had someone even to taste the food before them so they know it's not poisoned.

"- I'm gonna be responsible for the King's meal and you're gonna be responsible for the four prince's meals."

-Four?

"- Yes, Taeil, Doyoung, Johnny and Jaehyun. Now you should prepare their tea, they always drink green tea in the morning."

While preparing the tea you wonder which one you saw at the bathing area and if you should tell Ms. Lee what happened yesterday.

You're walking with the trays to the dining place when you try to talk to her.

-Ms. Lee!

-"Yes"

-So yesterday...

You realize you still don't know much about Ms. Lee and even if Kun trusts her, you don't. Also you can't help but think that serving tea was much better than your life at the concubine's house, so you try quickly to think of something else to say.

-Well, yesterday… Before I met you… this man helped me at the harbor, he was wearing black clothes and had a samurai sword.

-"Stay away from him!" She turns at you. "They are dangerous, they will kill everything and everyone on their way, people you don't want to mess up with."

By Yuta's facial expression when you mentioned Ms. Lee's name you weren't surprised she said those words, you wonder why but she wasn't gonna be the one to give you the answers. Otherwise, you still weren't afraid of him, he was gonna be the last of your problems here.

-"Now let's get in there, first you bow and then you serve them the way I showed you, don't look at them in the eye and don't say anything." She says.

In silence, you enter the dining room along with the other servants behind you bringing the food plates and you stop in front of the tables on the floor where all the princes are. There are two on each side, the two oldest and the youngest, all of them are sitting on cushions, they all have long hair and are wearing beautiful hanboks.

-"Your highness, may I introduce you to your new servant 'y/n', she is my niece and she is gonna work with me in the kitchen from now on." Ms. Lee said while you bowed, you were still too nervous to look up and look at them. "Now, may we start with the tea." Ms. Lee turns to you and signs that you can go and serve them.

Holding the teapot you go to the first prince, the oldest, Taeil, he is very handsome, with his light brown hair, face delicate and mature at the same time. Slowly you pour the tea into the cup by his left, he doesn't do anything, just stays still looking down and you wonder if you did something wrong. On his right it's Doyoung, after you pour the tea he gives you a small nod which makes you feel calmer. He is also very handsome, shiny black long hair, perfect posture, he sure looks like a prince. On the other side, Johnny, you can feel he is looking at you, the first to say "thank you" after you pour the tea. His face is gorgeous, even if he is sitting down you can feel how tall and strong he is. And then, Jaehyun, the man from the bath. You freeze when he looks directly at your eyes, you try to stay calm and pour the tea but can't help but shake a little bit. He is the definition of perfection, he had perfect skin, perfect face, everything about him.

Jaehyun keeps staring at you even when you stand up and comes back to Ms. Lee side.

-"Seems like someone likes our new servant!" Johnny says laughing. The other boys look at him but Jaehyun remains silent and serious, still looking at you.

They give the first sip to their tea. Taeil stops and smells the cup.

-"Did someone… put ginger on the tea?" He asks.

Ms. Lee turns at you with her eyes wide open.

-"Did you put ginger when you were making the tea?" She says in a low voice. - Yes, that's how we usually drink it in China, I'm so sorry.

-"Don't..." Taeil says taking another sip "- From now on keep in that way". You see Jaehyun smirking with the corner of your eyes.

Your whole body relaxed, you felt like you were going to faint. Ms. Lee bows and tells them to excuse both of you. As soon as you enter the kitchen's door she grabs your arm.

-"You have no idea how lucky you were this time young lady, Taeil is the most picky to all the food we make, when he started speaking I thought I was gonna have a heart attack"

-Me too! But I'm so sorry, I swear I'm not doing anything again without asking you first.

-"Good! Now get back to work"

Later after you finish your schedule you come back to the bath area to look for Kun's necklace. You look everywhere but it's nowhere to be found.

-"Looking for this?" Jaehyun stops behind you holding your necklace.

You turn around and he comes closer to you.

-"I asked if you're looking for this?" Now he is inches from you.

-Ye- yes!

Jaehyun walks behind you and gently moves your hair to the side, putting the necklace on you.

-"Does that belong to your boyfriend?" He is so close it's almost he's whispering in your ears. You get goosebumps.

-Excuse me?

He smirks and comes back to look you in the eyes.

-"I fought in the war 2 years ago, I remember those from the chinese soldiers." He tilts his head to the side and looks at you from head to toe. "Or you did?"

-A prince fighting at the war?

-"And a very bloody one but yes... it would be a shame being a prince and let your people alone bring victory to your country"

-It does… belong to my boyfriend.

You hold your necklace in your chest.

-"And where is your precious boyfriend when a pretty face like you is talking to the enemy in another country?"

-It's complicated!

-"I have time!"

-Why? Do you want the full story to snitch on me?

-"Sweetie if I wanted to snitch you out I would have already!"

He was right.

-You wouldn't believe if I told you anyway!

-"Try me, I've seen it all"

You both sit on a stone beside the water.

-Well, when I was 9 my family was struggling, we didn't have food, money, anything… so my father sold me and my sister to a concubine's house. She went to a different house than mine so I never saw her again actually. But anyway after years of being a slave in all forms to that house I fell in love, to someone from the thai mafia, of course things got out of control, I was so dumb. When I tried to run away he found out and did this tattoo on me, I was in so much pain because I fell off the roof trying to run away that I didn't even felt the pain of the needle, I just stayed there, still. Then I met Kun, I fell in love again, he helped me to escape, and it worked.

-"And I assume that story of being Ms. Lee's niece is all lies."

-Yes! She helped to raise Kun and met his mother so it's the only reason she's doing this until he arrives.

-"Oh so he's coming."

-He works for the Emperor and he said they would kill both of us if he ran away, so he is gonna wait a little bit and ask to retire, he wants to do it the right way, then he'll join me.

-"If you allow me to say this but… I would never have let you to come alone, sometimes you don't have to do it the right way" He gets up and walks to the exit of the bath. "But I'm glad he did and we could meet"

You give a small smile with the corner of your lips.

-"Oh and by the way..." He turns at you. "The staff's bath area is on that way." He points to his left.

-I know now. Thanks.

He smiles and leaves.

Weeks passed and you were getting used to your new life. You were doing your job right, even making some different dishes from your hometown to the princes. Meanwhile you unexpectedly started spending time with Jaehyun. Since your conversation at the bath, you both got closer in a natural way. On every free time you had you spent time together, you mostly liked to walk on the garden because it was more private, he told you about his childhood, how he had to give up on so many things to be who the kings expected him to be, how he felt like he was on a prison his whole life and how he found joy on learning how to fight because it was the only way he had to express himself and not follow the rules. You were surprised at how wholesome he was, he made questions about your life in a way that you know he wasn't being just pity, he was interested in how other realities exist outside the Palace.

One afternoon Ms. Lee asked you to go to the flea market to buy fruit for the dinner's banquet. You went alone since now you were familiar with that.

Because of the summer there were a lot of different kinds of fruits on sale. You bought peaches because you knew Jaehyun likes it. After buying everything you needed you see some crowd gathering between the market, you approached them and notice some weird men you've never seen before. They were thieves. They were on their horses, destroying the sellers' stands, pushing everyone in their way, they even tried to put a food stand on fire. You saw a little kid who got lost from their parents and was crying right in the middle of the path where the thieves were. You run in his direction and catch him, putting him safely to the side of the road, when one of the men slaps your face "Get out of the way slut!"

The slap was hard so you fell on the ground when suddenly you see another group of men coming that way, they all had black clothes and katanas. The samurais. They were so fast, they fought the thieves in a blink of an eye. There are people running and dust everywhere, you feel a hand on you. "Let's get you out of here" you recognize the voice, Yuta holds you and takes you to a safe place.

-"Why every time I see you, you're in trouble? Didn't I tell you to not walk around alone?"

-I was just buying stuff at the market when they came out of nowhere.

-"You're bleeding, let me see your lips" Yuta takes the fabric that was covering his mouth and carefully wipes the blood on your lips.

-"You're gonna need ice if you don't want to get bruises..."

-Don't worry, I've had worse wounds! - You laugh.

-"You didn't tell me where you came from"

-You didn't either, and why are you doing this? Helping me when you told me to stay away?

-"Well you should!"

-I'm not afraid of you.

Yuta looks at you, his mysterious gaze turns into vulnerability.

-So, I will tell you my story if you tell me yours! - You say.

-"Years ago the king had a deal with Osaka’s emperor, since he traveled there and they proposed to do an alliance and protect each nation together, but when the war happened and the emperor asked for the samurais to fight on their side here in Korea. We came and it was all a trap, a lot of us died, the emperor stole our ships and made all his people be afraid of us spreading lies, that we were dangerous. Since we couldn’t come back home we settled ourselves here, but the funny thing is every time the small villages are in danger, like what you saw today, it’s us who come first to help them. You asked me why I saved you, where I came from, we take care of everyone, no matter what."

-I'm sorry!

-"Now your turn, what’s your dark pass?"

-Apparently like you I was also a victim of the war in my country, but other than having a sword and fighting I was just a concubine trapped in a house for so many years, let’s say I just involved myself with the wrong people and ran away.

-"It’s called a katana… the sword. And maybe I can teach you how to fight." He smiles.

-Me?

He gives you the sword.

-It's much lighter than I thought.

-"Careful, it's lighter but the blade is gonna be the sharpest of all swords. Here... You must hold like this!" He took your hands and taught you how to hold the sword, carefully he showed you some self defense moves.

-"Now if someone ever tries to slap your face again, you do this..." Yuta grabs your wrists and pins you agains't a tree, you can't move obviously, he is so close to you and you feel the sexual tension building.

-"Get away from her!" You hear a familiar voice screaming. It's Jaehyun.

Jaehyun gets off his horse, he was mad, you never saw him like that. You jump in front of Yuta.

-No wait! He saved my life! - You scream.

-"What? Y/n do you know who he is? He is a murderer." Jaehyun looks at you.

-"If you arrived 10 minutes earlier you could have joined us but the little prince was busy at his Palace right?" Yuta provokes him.

-"That's enough!" Jaehyun comes closer but Yuta doesn't even flinch.

-Please Jaehyun, let's go!

You grab his arm and take him away from Yuta.

- "This doesn't end here bastard!" - Jaehyun spits at Yuta's direction.

You come back to the Palace with Jaehyun and he takes you to the bath area.

He is sweating, you could see his veins popping because of how mad he was.

- Jaehyun please, everything is alright, you need to calm down!

- "No it's not, look at you, you're hurt" he grabs your face and touches your lip with his thumb.

- It's ok now, I was at the market when some thieves arrived, I was protecting a little kid who was gonna get hit by their horses, they got mad because I was in the way but I swear it was nothing and Yuta helped me and everyone in there!

- "What? How do you know his name?"

- When I arrived from China he saw me at the harbor, I was so weak from the trip he helped me and even took me to Ms. Lee! I don't care about your old family issues, he helped me and that's all.

- "I'm sorry I'm just… the Palace guards heard the thieves were at the market and when I knew you were there I got my horse and went after you, I just couldn't let anything bad happen to you y/n!"

He grabs your face with both of his hands and kisses you. You try to push him but still can't open your eyes and break the kiss completely "Jaehyun we shouldn't..."

- "If you don't want it then tell me to stop" your heart is beating so fast, you swallow hard and look up at Jaehyun, "I know I'm not the only one feeling this" He says kissing you hard again.

He is right. "Touch me" you say, grabbing his hands and placing them on your breasts. When he is caressing his hands on your breast he removes your necklace, dropping it on the ground. He unties your dress and slides the fabric until your lower body, he is on his knees in front of you and he passes his hands on the back of your thighs until your butt and kisses your thighs slowly. He keeps eye contact with you and licks your clit, you moan and grabs his hair in response to his tongue going faster.

In your head it felt so wrong because you were in love with Kun, but Jaehyun made you feel so needy, mind and body.

Jaehyun gives a hard lick on your clit and makes his way up to your stomach leaving a tray of kisses until your breasts, he sucks one nipple while his other hand and flicks the other one. He gets up and kisses you, the kiss was so wet, for a moment you forget that anything else exists while he kisses you hard, licking and sucking your bottom lip. He takes off his clothes, his hard dick slaps on his toned abs, pre cum leaking over his tip. Jaehyun lifts you up "Let's go inside" taking you to one of the hot tubs.

When you felt the heat of the water on your body, the feeling of pleasure and lust took over you, Jaehyun pulled you down onto his lap and gave you another kiss, you wrapped your arms around his neck when you feel his tip on your core. "Oh my god" you scream while his hands holding your waist puts you down until his whole length was inside of you. The feeling was so different, you got a harder friction because of the water and you start moving up and down to get used to his size. Jaehyun's shoulders and biceps tense while his cock is stretching you out. You bounce on him screaming in pleasure, body trembling as he helps you to move faster.

He was pushing all the way into you, hitting your g-spot. You arch your back and moan his name, clenching every time he enters you. You're almost out of breath when he sucks your neck and presses his thumb against your clit. "Jae, I'm gonna..." you can see he is close as well as he sucks your neck even harder and moves his finger faster. You scream when you feel your orgasm, your arching pussy made his cock tighter while he couldn't hold it anymore and released into you as well.

You both stay in the water for a bit recovering from the climax, he pulls you to his chest and you close your eyes.

-Am I dreaming?

-"I think the reality right now is better than your dreams."

"Reality" you thought, back at your own senses you couldn't help but be disappointed at yourself. Because of you Kun was risking his own life to help you to run away and now you're with the prince of the place he arranged you to work for. Maybe you were just a filthy concubine, maybe you deserved everything they did to you, even your tattoo. You roll your body and rest your head at the border of the hot tub, a tear coming out of your eye.

Part 3 coming soon

#jeong jaehyun #jaehyun smut #jaehyun x reader #yuta x reader #nct smut #nct royal au #concubine au #historical au #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nctzen

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supernaturallyobsessedchic · 4 years ago

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Emergency! Part 2

Part 2 – Accidents

Summary: Dean and Cas of Squad 51 discover Dr. Kline involved in a car accident. The car accident killed another driver involved, but orphans the daughter. The Reader has to cancel her and Dean’s date night for her to go into work. Squad 51 is on the rescue again, a house fire. The night begins to calm down, Dean is off finally and heads to the reader’s house for much needed R n R.

Warnings: Smut (P in V, Protected and Unprotected sex (always use a condom)), Language, Dirty talk, Car accidents, scary situations, mild angst, fluff

Word Count: 1,925

Mobile Masterlist

Emergency! Masterlist

a/n: The timing of these is not a daily event, it can bee weeks/months apart. Sadly, I’m jumping it ahead, I just don’t know how far ahead. Joys of me being creative.

They sat on his couch, starting out watching Netflix. Then it turned into a make out session.

Their lips danced with one another, their tongues gliding across one another.

Her hands guided down his chest and stomach.

The mere contact caused a moan to escape his throat to which she swallowed down.

They pulled away finally for air, their lips plump and swollen.

“If we keep this up, I’m not gonna last.”

“Neither am I, Dean. I’m getting to the point I want you in me, and fuck me so hard…”

His lips crashed into hers once again, only kissing her harshly quick. He pulled away.

“Keep talking dirty like that sweetheart, and maybe I will.” He growled.

“Fuck me Dean, I want you in me, now.”

He picked her up, kissing her again. Her legs wrapped around his middle as he carried her to his room.

“As you wish sweetheart.” He says between kisses.

Jack Kline, one of Rampart Emergency hospital’s youngest doctors. He does specialize in surgeries, baby deliveries, and even orthopedics. He does a little of everything at the hospital.

He drove down a residential street to get to work. He approached a four way stop. The intersection was pretty empty. He was the only one there. He looked both ways, despite cars parked on the curbs, and the summer season with the trees low branches fully bloomed of vibrant green leaves, he could see no car coming down from either direction. Determining it clear, he slowly accelerates. Only to be hit on the passenger side, the impact hard enough to knock him out.

Dean slowly pulled out of her, her legs trembling from the sheer force of her climax slowly calming down.

“You okay sweetheart?” Dean asked.

“Oh yeah. More than okay.” She hums.

He smiles, and works out of the used condom to throw it away.

He heard her phone vibrate on the nightstand next to them.

She groaned.

“I got it for you.” He says. Getting up to get it. He hit answer.

“Y/N Y/L/N’s phone, Dean speaking.” He answered.

“Hi, my name is Dr. Singer, tell Ms. Y/L/N we need her to come in if possible.”

“Sure thing, I’ll let her know.”

The phone call ended quickly.

“Work?” she asked.

“Yeah, Dr. Singer, they need you to come in.”

“He didn’t say why?”

“No, because I’m not you.”

“Well, I’ll shower really quick and then I better go.”

She gone into work, heading for Bobby’s office.

“What’s up Bobby?” she asked walking in.

“I called you in here because, one someone called in and two…Jack was involved in a car accident.”

“How is he?”

“Just some bumps, bruises, minor cuts. Nothing major. But the other car, the driver died on the scene, and orphaned a seven-year-old girl.”

“Does he know?”

“He doesn’t. I almost don’t want to tell him because he will beat himself up over it.”

“We all beat ourselves up over loss. It’s normal. But he needs to know the accident wasn’t his fault. My brother’s a cop, he said the accident wasn’t his fault. That driver ran a stop sign and caused a chain reaction.”

“Still, you know how Dr. Kline can be.”

She nods.

“Now, your just doing Nurse Ruby’s 6am-6pm shift. She was scheduled to be in the ICU working the Eastern halls, you better head up there.”

“Will do, see you later.”

Bobby waves her off with a kind smile.

Back at Station 51 the very next day, Dean came in at his usual time. So far a quiet morning.

“So how are you settling at the new place Cas?”

“It’s great, closer to the station, it has extra room. My neighbors are pretty friendly. One of them, Meg, she happens to work with Y/N at the hospital.”

“Wow, small world.”

“Yeah. How about you? How’d your date with Y/N go last night?”

“She had to go into work, a nurse called in. She called me on her break letting me know that. But the date went well.”

“Think there’ll be another date for you guys?”

“She and I are planning on seeing a movie tomorrow night since I’m off two days.”

“You two, I swear are meant to be.”

“We’ve only had two dates Cas, slow down.” Dean chuckled.

The stations alarm going off.

“Station 51, Squad 51, Station 64 Squad 64, and station 72, structure fire. 623 North Lions street.” Said over the alarm’s intercom.

“Here we go, another one.” Cas says, jumping into action, running to the squad truck.

“Another one.” Dean says. Getting in the driver seat roaring the engine to life and everyone in the station left to the location.

“Jack, it was not your fault.” Bobby tried to soothe the young doctor.

“But a girl is orphaned because of me.”

“Because of her dad driving recklessly. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Y/N pitched in. “My brother said he ran a stop sign according to eyewitnesses in the area. He was speeding, and ran a stop sign.”

“We can fix wounds as if they were nothing. But how can we fix this? How can I fix this?”

“You’re not gonna let this go are you?” Bobby groaned.

“Not until I know someone can take care of this girl.”

“I’ll go make calls, you go home Kline, you need to rest.” Bobby insisted firmly.

“But—”

“Jack, go home. We got this.” Y/N says.

“Fine, just, call me. Keep me in the loop. Please.”

“We will, no go home and rest man.” Y/N says as Bobby left the office.

Jack left with a slump in his shoulders, as he walked back out of the hospital to take a cab home.

“Who told him? I knew this would happen if he found out.” Bobby asked.

“Think it was Abaddon. Don’t think she was thinking it through, as always.”

“How’d she find out in the first place?”

“She stood outside your office when I saw you the other day. My guess she overheard.”

“I’m gonna have a talk with her, she needs to watch it, or it could lead to major HIPPA Violations.”

“Alright, well, my shift is technically over, and my three day weekend starts. Need me for anything before I go?”

“No, go home, rest up. have a great weekend.”

“Bye Bobby, see you Monday.”

But she couldn’t make it out the door fast enough when a squad brought in a familiar face.

“Cas?!”

“We had a fire, a back draft shot him across the property.”

“What are his vitals?” she asked, kicking back into nurse mode.

“BP 130 over 85, breathing labored and shallow,” Dean began reading off of his chart. “Head injury sustained, pupils uneven and dilated.”

The emergency medical staff managed to cut Cas out of his clothes. And she saw a bruise right around his ribs.

“Possible broken ribs, get him x-rayed, and lets get other scans to find any bleeding. Especially of his head. Stat, go.” Y/N ordered.

The medical team taking Cas to radiology to get scans necessary to find anything else wrong so they can work on fixing him up.

Y/N turned her attention to Dean.

“Dean, are you okay?”

“He knocked me out of the way, Gabe opened a door, we thought the fire was under control. And he knocked me out of the way just as the backdraft happened.”

“Dean, he’s fine. Just banged up. It could have been worse, but it’s not. He’s fine.”

“Son,” John says, tearing the couple’s attention.

He saw Dean’s distraught expression as his son turned to face him.

“Y/N, can you take him home. I can have Michael drive the squad back to the station. But I don’t want him alone tonight.”

She nods. “I can do that Mr. Winchester.”

“Please, call me John. And thank you.”

She managed to guide Dean to her car, and she drove them to Dean’s house.

“Jack, I have good news.” Bobby says.

“What’s that?”

“That girl, she has an aunt that lives up north. She’s coming down to pick up her niece. She got full custody of her yesterday.”

“That’s good, at least she has family to take care of her.”

“It is.”

“’Scuse me.” A sweet girl’s voice was heard behind the doctors.

“Hi sweetie, how are you doing?”

“Good, I heard I’m gonna live with my aunt. I’m just so happy and I just want to say thank you.”

“Thank you? Really?” Jack asked.

“Yes, my dad wasn’t a good dad. He was mad at me for getting an D on my report card, he hit me a few times and we were going home.”

“Did everyone in your family know your dad abused you like that?”

“Yes, my aunt always threatened to take me away from daddy if he hit me again or hurt me again.”

“Then I’m glad to know you’re going to be safe from here on out.” Jack says with a smile.

The girl smiles back and gives the young doctor a hug.

“Thank you again doctor.” She says sweetly.

“It’s no problem sweetheart.”

Just as Y/N and Dean turned in for the night, Dean lied down flat on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Dean,” she says quietly. “You okay?”

“That could have been me.” He says just above a whisper.

“But it wasn’t, and you know he’s going to be fine. Meg updated me and Cas is going to be okay.”

He nods.

She turned towards Dean, kissing him on his cheek, then down to his jaw line.

He closed his eyes to her giving him this attention.

Just as her lips pulled away, he turned his head to her meeting her lips with his in a sweet kiss.

Their lips moved in perfect sync with each other.

Dean moved, hovering over her, his hips between her legs, humping against her clothed core. Pulling a moan out of her.

“I need you sweetheart.” He says quietly.

“I’m here baby, you’ll always have me.” She says, bringing him down to kiss her more, deepening the kiss.

He worked his boxers off of him, she also worked out of her panties.

He lined at her entrance, and gave her a glance.

“I’m on the pill, you’re good.”

He slowly pushed the head of his half hard cock through her soaking folds until he was fully seated in her.

Their lips meet again in a loving kiss as they slowly moved against each other. His hips guiding him out slightly with each thrust. Hitting her sweet spot with calculated and angled thrusts.

She met up with his slow pace, a thin sheen of sweat building on both of their faces and bodies.

His pace began to speed up just as his breathing picked up as well.

Her hips were beginning to jump out of rhythm.

Their lips pulled away, but only slightly, just ghosting over the surface as their breathing began to pick up faster.

“Dean,” she whined.

“I’m almost there, I got you baby girl.”

With three more thrusts her walls clamped down hard around him, milking him of his release. Their thrusts slowing, getting them through their high.

His hips came to a stop, still fully seating in her as he rested on his elbows, brushing her hair from her sweaty face.

“You okay?” He asked.

“I’m so good, you?”

“Better, now that I’m with you.”

“Get some rest Winchester, I’m not going anywhere.” She says, holding him close. Feeling him relax in her hold as they cuddled.

“I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too Dean.”

Dean Girls:

@pandazombie69, @luci-in-trenchcoats, @supernatural-jackles, @becs-bunker, @evansrogerskitten, @winchesters-favorite-girl, @mlovesstories, @jayankles, @jeaniespiehs20, @akshi8278, @lyarr24, @anotherspnfanfic, @flamencodiva,

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jedimaesteryoda · 5 years ago

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The Reader: the Crow’s Eye’s True Nemesis

Lord Rodrik “the Reader” Harlaw is introduced in Asha’s first POV. He is her (favorite) maternal uncle, and good-brother to the late Lord of Pyke (as well as possibly the eponym for Balon’s firstborn son). He is the Lord of Ten Towers, Lord of Harlaw.

Lord Rodrik was seldom seen without a book in hand, be it in the privy, on the deck of his Sea Song, or whilst holding audience. Asha had oft seen him reading on his high seat beneath the silver scythes. He would listen to each case as it was laid before him, pronounce his judgment . . . and read a bit whilst his captain-of-guards went to bring in the next supplicant . . . Lord Rodrik Harlaw was neither fat nor slim; neither tall nor short; neither ugly nor handsome. His hair was brown, as were his eyes, though the short, neat beard he favored had gone grey. All in all, he was an ordinary man, distinguished only by his love of written words, which so many ironborn found unmanly and perverse.

-A Feast for Crows, The Kraken’s Daughter

Rodrik is indistinguishable as far as physical appearance goes. He possesses neither the muscular frame of a warrior like Victarion, a handsome face like Jaime Lannister or even a disability or disfigurement like Tyrion. He is very unremarkable and uncharismatic, a guy who couldn’t stand out in a crowd as opposed to the handsome, charismatic Euron.

What truly distinguishes him is that instead of being a hyper-masculine warrior who likes to pay the iron price and has a gung-ho attitude towards the Old Way, he is, as his sobriquet suggests, a bibliophile in an anti-intellectual warrior culture that disdains reading, likely due to its association with greenlanders.

He also happens to be the guy who is always right: stating to Asha that she won’t win the kingsmoot, the Old Way is dead, that Euron’s plans to sail to Slaver’s Bay and attack the Reach were bad ideas, etc. Hell, his advice to Asha to read Haereg actually provides her the tool she needs to effectively overturn the decision of the kingsmoot.

One must also note his sigil: a scythe. While the scythe is often associated with the personification of death in popular culture, Death AKA the Grim Reaper, one must remember that, unlike the sword which is designed solely for war, the scythe is actually a farmer’s tool used for harvesting grain. The scythe stands in direct contrast to the House Greyjoy words “We Do Not Sow.” It fits with Harlaw being the most fertile of the Iron Isles, and the Reader’s more peaceful, constructive approach as opposed to the Greyjoys’ purely martial approach.

"Asha, my two tall sons fed the crabs of Fair Isle."

-A Feast for Crows, The Kraken’s Daughter

“The Old Way served the isles well when we were one small kingdom amongst many, but Aegon's Conquest put an end to that. Balon refused to see what was plain before him. The Old Way died with Black Harren and his sons . . . his dream of kingship is a madness in our blood. I told your father so the first time he rose, and it is more true now than it was then. It's land we need, not crowns. With Stannis Baratheon and Tywin Lannister contending for the Iron Throne, we have a rare chance to improve our lot. Let us take one side or the other, help them to victory with our fleets, and claim the lands we need from a grateful king."

-A Feast for Crows, The Kraken’s Daughter

His attitude towards the Old Way is the opposite of the general revanchist attitude seen among Ironborn like the Greyjoy brothers. He sees it as a bygone relic of a distant past that no longer works in the present. He knows the dream of Iron Islands independence is a pipe dream. Part of it is the personal losses he suffered in the Greyjoy Rebellion. He lost both his sons in that war, his sisters ended up going mad after Gwynesse lost her husband and Alannys lost her two eldest sons and her youngest was taken as a hostage.

Moving from that, and showing keen political acumen, he sees an opportunity for the Iron Islands to take advantage of to improve their situation. He suggests the Ironborn use their fleets as political leverage to gain some land on the mainland, which for millennia had been an Ironborn aspiration. During the reign of Qhored the Cruel, the Ironborn had an empire on the western coast that extended from Bear Island to the Arbor. The reign of the Hoare kings from Harwyn to Harren Hoare had them ruling the riverlands. These conquests provided the Ironborn with the resources that their small, rocky islands lacked with their holdings in the fertile riverlands and Reach providing them grain and foodstuffs, and even the poor Bear Island providing an access point for timber, the essential raw material in shipbuilding. Even Balon’s plan involved that aspect with regards to conquering the North. The Reader suggests gaining land on the mainland not through conquest, which in Ironborn history has always shown to be short-lived, but through diplomacy, a grant via negotiations with a king on the Iron Throne. This would allow them to have holdings on the mainland, but in a more stable and permanent manner than in the past given their dominion would be state-sanctioned.

Also, let’s look at a scene in Victarion’s last POV in A Feast for Crows.

In the yard Victarion came on Gorold Goodbrother and old Drumm, speaking quietly with Rodrik Harlaw.

-The Reaver

The Reader is noted to be talking with the Lords Goodbrother and Drumm. What do we know of them?

Gorold Goodbrother is Lord of Hammerhorn on Great Wyk. His fief is removed from the coast of Great Wyk, with much of his wealth being derived from his mines rather than the sea. He holds his maester in such high regard that he refused to let Damphair send him away.

Dunstan Drumm is Lord of Old Wyk. He is also one of the failed candidates at the kingsmoot.

What’s more, the fact that they are "speaking quietly” suggests that they are trying to avoid being heard. Just what could they be discussing? After, they were spotted talking, Rodrik and Dunstan voice their concerns about Euron’s taking of the Shield Islands and inviting the wroth of House Tyrell. The Reader was likely making alliances with other dissenting lords, and building a political base of his own.

Then, there is this scene later in the chapter when Euron proposes sailing the entire Ironborn fleet to Slaver’s Bay. Rodrik challenges his plan with facts.

"When?" The voice was Lord Rodrik's. "When shall we return, Your Grace? A year? Three years? Five? Your dragons are a world away, and autumn is upon us." The Reader walked forward, sounding all the hazards. "Galleys guard the Redwyne Straits. The Dornish coast is dry and bleak, four hundred leagues of whirlpools, cliffs, and hidden shoals with hardly a safe landing anywhere. Beyond wait the Stepstones, with their storms and their nests of Lysene and Myrish pirates. If a thousand ships set sail, three hundred may reach the far side of the narrow sea . . . and then what? Lys will not welcome us, nor will Volantis. Where will you find fresh water, food? The first storm will scatter us across half the earth."

A smile played across Euron's blue lips. "I am the storm, my lord. The first storm, and the last. I have taken the Silence on longer voyages than this, and ones far more hazardous. Have you forgotten? I have sailed the Smoking Sea and seen Valyria."

"Have you?" the Reader asked, so softly.

Euron's blue smile vanished. "Reader," he said into the quiet, "you would do well to keep your nose in your books."

-The Reaver

While clearly not the kind of guy who goes looking for a fight, he is no coward either, given it takes guts to basically call Euron a liar to his face in front of everyone. With a simple question, he manages to be the only person to visibly get under Euron’s skin. It’s the only time we ever see Euron lose his cool as he basically responds by threatening Rodrik.

"Are we slavers now?" asked the Reader. "And for what? Dragons that no man here has seen? Shall we chase some drunken sailor's fancy to the far ends of the earth?"

His words drew mutters of assent. "Slaver's Bay is too far," called out Ralf the Limper. "And too close to Valyria," shouted Quellon Humble. Fralegg the Strong said, "Highgarden's close. I say, look for dragons there. The golden kind!" Alvyn Sharp said, "Why sail the world, when the Mander lies before us?" Red Ralf Stonehouse bounded to his feet. "Oldtown is richer, and the Arbor richer still. Redwyne's fleet is off away. We need only reach out our hand to pluck the ripest fruit in Westeros."

"Fruit?" The king's eye looked more black than blue. "Only a craven would steal a fruit when he could take the orchard."

"It is the Arbor we want," said Red Ralf, and other men took up the cry. The Crow's Eye let the shouts wash over him. Then he leapt down from the table, grabbed his slattern by the arm, and pulled her from the hall.

Fled, like a dog. Euron's hold upon the Seastone Chair suddenly did not seem as secure as it had a few moments before.

-The Reaver

The Reader is able to successfully get the whole room on his side in opposing Euron’s plan to sail for Slaver’s Bay with Euron effectively losing control of the situation, and fleeing the scene. While Euron was always able to effectively dispatch his fellow Greyjoys from his brothers to his niece, Rodrik manages to succeed in politically outmaneuvering him. He managed to go up against the man who decisively won the kingsmoot and win. The Reader is clearly no warrior, but he manages to be a skilled politician.

Euron has a formidable rival in Rodrik Harlaw. Unlike Euron’s fellow Greyjoys, Rodrik commands his own seat that can be used to oppose Euron. Harlaw being the most populous and wealthiest of the Iron Isles also effectively makes the Reader the most powerful lord on the Iron Isles. Rodrik’s vast store of knowledge from a lifetime of reading allows him to be the man who pulls Euron’s curtain, with actual facts being the antidote to Euron’s tricks. Not only that, but Harlaw has enough skills as a politician to potentially build a coalition to oppose Euron.

We shall see where it leads as the series goes on.

#ironborn #rodrik harlaw #iron islands #asoiaf #a feast for crows #euron greyjoy #euron #asha greyjoy #harlaw #goodbrother #westeros #victarion greyjoy #aeron greyjoy #house greyjoy #pyke

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lostbbygorl · 4 years ago

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REVERSING EACH DAMAGE (LEVI X F!READER):

Mr. Ackerman frequently visited the Magaths home after that afternoon. Isabel would sometimes accompany her elder brother, but Levi came alone most of the time. Levi and Y/N were getting closer and closer, and unknowingly, Y/N had fallen for Mr. Ackerman! She didn’t understand these new feelings at all, but she did know that no matter how difficult they were, she liked them.

One day, Mr. Ackerman decided to bring his aunt, Ms. Katrina de Lancey and her daughter, Amanda with him, much to Y/N’s annoyance. Ms. Katrina was a nosy, snobby elderly woman. She and Y/N had met in Shiganshina previously when Y/N had gone to visit Nifa and cousin Elias. Lady Katrina had tried her hardest to belittle Y/N, and force her to answer her interrogative questions, which Y/N didn’t give her the satisfaction of succeeding with. Never having been denied anything in her life, Lady Katrina was flabbergasted and decided that Y/N was someone she deeply distrusted and disliked.

“ Ms. L/N, meet Amanda, my daughter”, Lady Katrina introduced. Y/N smiled politely at Amanda. Amanda was a very thin girl with her braided brown hair and square glasses. She was dressed in different shades of brown, and she was awkwardly fidgeting with her fingers. She didn’t smile or say a word the entire trip to the Magath’s household, and occasionally whispered to her mother. Never before had Y/N met such a plain, boring girl!

“ Amanda is engaged to my nephew. They’ll be married by next summer”, Lady Katrina said, staring intensely at Y/N for a reaction. Lady Katrina had figured out that Levi was in love with Y/N, and that unlike the first time they met, Y/N now returned Levi’s feelings. To say she was furious would be an understatement! How dare Levi fall for a poor, rude girl whilst engaged to her daughter (who had no desire to marry Levi either)? Levi winced for a fraction of a second and Y/N remained calm even though her mood just got spoiled. Why was she bothered by this news?

“ That’s terrific news, my lady. I congratulate both Amanda and Mr. Levi. I’m sure they’ll be ever so happy together for the rest of their lives. I can’t wait for the invite, Mr. Ackerman”, Y/N murmured.

Suddenly, the door to the fireplace burst open and an apologetic Mrs. Magath made her presence in the room.

“ Y/N, read this quickly!”, she said out of breath, handing a letter to Y/N.

“ A letter, at 9.00 PM? It must be urgent”, Mr. Magath said. Y/N’s hands trembled as she finished reading. She threw the letter at the wall, and an inhuman shriek left her mouth! Lady Katrina held onto Amanda, and Levi rushed to her side.

“ Stupid, selfish, foolish girl!”Y/N screamed.

“ What happened?”, Uncle Magath queried in a concerned voice.

“ It’s that idiot, Sasha! She went to Yarkcel with the Forsters. The group noticed she was missing for a whole day when a letter notified them of her whereabouts' ', Y/n said, fully crying now.

“ And where is Sasha?”, Uncle Magath asked.

“ In Ragako, miles away from Yarkcel, engaged to Mr. Yeager who she plans on eloping with! Sasha has eloped!”, Y/N loudly completed, breaking down in Levi’s arms.

“ Ragako isn’t that far from here! Theo, grab your coat and your horse this instant! You must find our niece”, Mrs. Magath ordered.

“ Don’t need to tell me twice”, he replied getting up.

“ I’ve been ordered to go home immediately”, Y/N sniffled.

“ I’ll arrange a carriage for you, ma’am”, Levi comforted.

“ I’m deeply sorry for this unexpected fiasco. I assure you that your journey back to Trost will be safe and comfortable. It’s the least I can do”

“ Mr. Levi, I can’t thank you enough!”

“ Don’t mention it, ma’am”.

The scenario back at home was incredibly messy! Mrs. L/N was sobbing on the couch out of worry for her youngest daughter, and the L/N sisters clutched onto their mother. Christa was back from Ermich, and Mr. L/N was out searching for Sasha in Ragako. Christa and Y/N shared a look. The entire night, nobody got a wink of sleep. Mikasa tried getting her mother to eat, whilst Ella fanned her. Ella wasn’t entirely shocked at the news of her sister running off. Sasha was a reckless, mindless flirt! She was desperate to snatch a handsome officer, and now she’d been seduced! Y/N had confided about Mr. Yeager’s true nature to Christa only.

“ He’s a notorious womanizer, Christa, and Sasha had to run off with him of all people! God, I swear I’ll behead that man when I see him next!”, Y/N snarled. Christa stroked her back, attempting to calm her down.

“ You’ll do nothing of the sort. Calm down, we’ll see what happens”, Christa soothed.

“ You’re right. I must divert my mind from all this”, Y/N sighed. She then implored Christa about her time in Ermich, which excited her.

“ Oh it was marvelous for the most part. Remember those letters I sent to Mr. Smith? Well, it turns out Marceline isn’t a true friend! She hid them from him. Mr. Smith reached out to me by himself and apologized for leaving me so suddenly. We spent so much time together!”, Christa giggled. Finally, some good news, Y/N thought. The two sisters chattered all night before falling asleep together. In the morning, they awoke to hyper shouting! At once, they ran downstairs to see what the commotion was all about.

There she was, grinning from ear to ear and dressed in a posh whiter gown: Sasha L/N! She was holding hands with a serious looking Mr. Yeager, and Mrs. L/N was stroking her cheeks and talking hyperly to her. As one track minded as ever, Mrs. L/N was just glad that Sasha came back home married! Rita, the maid, served lunch at the table. The atmosphere in the room was tense. Papa and the rest of the sisters didn’t say a word. It was only Mama and Sasha who spoke. Papa interrogated Mr. Yeager. Sasha finally switched her attention from Mrs. L/N to Y/N, who she was seated beside.

“ Isn’t my husband handsome?”Sasha poked. She was under the impression that Y/N loved Mr. Yeager, and that she had stolen away the heart of her much more popular elder sister’s object of affection. Y/N nodded coldly, not wanting to discuss this imprudent match at all! She made no eye contact with Sasha, and was too busy fearing what events would lay out in the future. Mr. Yeager didn’t love Sasha at all, and he was only after money. Y/N internally winced at the heartbreak Sasha would experience should Mr. Yeager not ditch his womanizing ways.

“ Our wedding was intimate, but my god, it was heavenly!”Sasha gushed.

“ I looked like a goddess in my wedding dress, If I do say so myself, and Mr. Yeager was as handsome as ever. Oh, silly me, I call him Zeke now. Anyways, only Uncle Theo and Auntie Magath were present, along with the priest, Mr. Nick, and Mr. Ackerman. Of course, me and Zeke too”. Y/N’s head shot up at this news. What was Mr. Ackerman doing at Sasha’s wedding?

“ What was Mr. Ackerman doing there?", she questioned.

“ Oh, Mr. Ackerman searched for us everywhere before we got discovered in our hiding spot: a quaint little inn on the outskirts of Ragako”, Sasha began.

“ Who do you think paid for the wedding? Mr. Ackerman had us married at a small church the very next day. But you mustn’t tell anyone, promise you won’t!”Sasha instructed.

Later on that afternoon, Y/N cornered Mr. Yeager. She tried so hard to get her anger under control, but she couldn’t.

“ Listen to me, you blasted buffoon from hell”, she started with a look so vicious Mr. Yeager flinched and took a step back.

“ I know of your true nature, and I know of your drama with Isabel Ackerman. I’ve been enlightened about all the lies you spit”, she continued. Subconsciously, Y/N neared Mr. Yeager’s face.

“ If heartbreak of any sort ails Sasha, and I discover that you’re the root cause of it, nobody will ever hear from you again”, Y/N threatened.

“ I’ll expose every dirty secret and lie of yours. Moreover, if word about the little fiasco between you and Isabel gets out, you’ll be met with the same fate. You’re so fond of playing with the adolescent feelings of 15-year-old girls and leading them on, now you must keep your promise to Sasha. Never again will you court or seduce any other young girl, as Sasha is now your wife who you claimed to be so enamoured with back at Ragako. Have a nice life”, she spat before stomping off to her room. Christa sensed Y/N’s disapproval and anger the second she slammed the library door shut and dashed upstairs to her room. Christa entered the room tentatively, horrified upon witnessing the sight of her dear sister sprawled on her bed, weeping into a pillow.

“ Y/N? Y/N? Oh, do answer me, darling. Are you still dismayed about the wedding after threatening Mr. Yeager?”, Christa urged, gently shaking Y/N.

“ Not only that”, Y/N sniffled. She finally sat up and wiped her tears.

“ Remember when I told you that Mr. Ackerman proposed to me? Well, it turns out ages after that little event, I’m hopelessly in love with him”, Y/N tearfully confessed.

“ Mr. Ackerman paid for Sasha’s wedding and all the commissions and all that. I’m not entirely sure, but I think he was behind your rekindling with Mr. Smith too”, she finished.

“ All of that is great. Why do you cry?”, Christa probed.

“ It’s because I have a strong feeling he’s fallen out of love with me! I’m much lower than him in rank socially, and I’ve rejected him once in a horribly rude manner, and now with this whole elopement tosh, I’m from a family ripe with scandal”, Y/N sobbed, her figure shaking so much even the bed creaked.

“ Why would any man of birth as noble as Mr. Ackerman still love me? He’s over me, and I’ve just learned to love him”, she finished, her voice laced with bitter regret and sorrow. Christa pulled her into her chest in a hug.

“ If he truly loves you, he’ll overlook all of this”, she assured.

“ If he didn’t truly love you, he wouldn’t have gone as far as to search for Sasha and secure her marriage. If your hunch is right, as they always are, and he’s urged Mr. Smith to contact me again, then that’s not for my happiness, it’s for yours. Don’t you see, Y/N? He’s doing everything in his power to win you over! He’s fixing all his mistakes”, Christa explained, her expression one that said: “ How does someone of your level of intelligence not realize the things I just enlightened you about?”

Y/N smiled at her sister. She realized how stupid she had sounded 2 minutes ago.

“ Christa, what would I do without you? All you’ve said makes so much sense to me now. I just wish there was a way for me to meet Mr. Ackerman now. He’s the person I most wish to see as of present. And oh how I wish to wed him. But alas, that could never be”, Y/N sighed.

“ Why not?”, Christa inquired.

“ For he’s engaged to another woman against his will. And worse, she seems to be highly uninterested in him, and he has never been interested in her".

#captain levi x reader #levi x y/n #levi x reader #aot fanfiction #aot levi ackerman

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oboevallis · 4 years ago

Note

Are you gonna do another part of the Christmas storie?

a christmas to remember pt 4

so sorry for such the long wait!!!! i kind of did a uncharacteristic christmas for the shepherds since i didn’t know how to write a fancy styled one so these are some of the traditions my family and i do, sorry if this is bad

“Didn’t expect you’d still be up.” Carolyn said walking into the kitchen.

“Sorry, I was just getting some water.” Link said holding up the glass.

“No need to apologize, please sit.” Carolyn gestured to the kitchens table, and sat down. “How’s your trip so far?”

“Really good, thanks for having me.”

“Of course. Your my favorite of all of Amelia’s previous suitors.”

“Oh, thanks.” Link was taken aback by this.

“I’ve never seen Amelia this way over someone. My daughter loves very deeply and that can leave her vulnerable. Thank you for loving her, she may not be the easiest but she’s deeply kind.”

“If I’m being honest, I’ve never felt this way about someone before. It baffles me how much I love her.”

“I don’t mean to be blunt, but are you planning on proposing?”

“Actually I have, I’ve been carrying around a ring since Scouts been born. I just can’t figure out the right time, and what she’d want.”

“I think I have an idea if your interested.” The older woman smirked.

_______________________________________

“Merry Christmas Eve.” Amelia whispered to her son as she picked him up from his crib.

“I thought you’d still be asleep.” Link said as he walked into the room.

“I could say the same for you, why are you up so early?” Amelia asked skeptically, for her boyfriend to only shrug.

“Just felt like it.”

“Your nervous aren’t you? I mean this is gonna be a lot of people.”

“I can handle a crowd no need to worry about me.” Link smiled while he took his son into his arms. A knock on the door causing the two to turn around.

“Hey, i just wanted to meet my newest nephew.” Lizzie cooed peaking her head through the door.

“Oh yeah, come on.” The youngest shepherd gestured for her sister to come further into the room.

“May I?” Lizzie asked gesturing towards the baby, link happily passed her the baby. “Oh my goodness you are so adorable. Ugh I miss when my babies were this little. You guys made a cute one.”

“Are you guys the first ones here?” Amelia asked.

“Yeah, I like to get to things earlier than Kate and Nancy. Give myself more points with mom.” Lizzie chuckled.

“If I’m gonna be honest, with Derek out of the picture, I think I’m the favorite.” Amelia chuckled.

“Oh shut up, your terrible.” Lizzie laughed along with her sister.

“Nancy’s my favorite today, if I’m going to be honest.” Carolyn joked as she stood in the door way. “Link, can I have a hand?”

“Yes ma’am.” The man said as he made his way to the door.

“What did I say about you calling me ma’am.” The sisters could hear him apologize in the distance.

“Oh my god he’s hot.” Lizzie whispered when it was just the two of them in the room. “Kate and Nancy both said he was but like wow.”

“Right?” Amelia chuckled as she took her baby back from her sister.

________________________________________

“Aunt Amy your up next!” A voice yelled from down in the basement.

“I’ll be right there!” Amelia yelled in response.

“Oh can I take him?” Nancy asked gesturing towards the baby.

“Sure.” Amelia agreed passing her baby over to his aunt. Then made her way down to the basement, where most of her nieces and nephews resided.

“You ready Aunt Amy? Whens the last time you played ping pong?” Jake, Nancy’s oldest asked.

“Don’t worry about it. We both know I’ll inevitably beat you.” Amelia smirked picking up the paddle on the table. She picked up the ball in the table and served. The two went back and forth until she missed the ball.

“I guess you still don’t got it.” Jake tauntingly said.

“Oh shut up I still have it. Just serve.” Amelia tossed the ball back to her nephew.

“Aunt Amy just admit you lost.” Her niece sighed from the couch, after the game had gone on for an extra ten minutes than it should have.

“I want a rematch later.” Amelia sighed throwing the paddle back down on the table.

“You know those aren’t the rules.” One of her nephews reminded as he crossed off her name and advanced Jake into the next bracket.

“You all suck.” Amelia sighed as she made her way back up the stairs.

“See your still a sore loser.” One of her nieces laughed.

“In taking my baby back.” Amelia told Nancy as she took her son back.

“You lost?” Nancy chuckled at her sister.

“Maybe.” The younger woman sighed as she sunk onto the couch with her baby on her chest. “Where’s Link?”

“Oh I’m not sure, I haven’t seen him since.”

“You guys probably scared him off.”

“I’m sure you did that all on your own.” Kathleen said walking into the living room passing a glass of wine to Nancy.

“I’m honestly surprised he stayed with you after the stunt you pulled.” Nancy added.

“Ha ha.” Amelia sarcastically laughed.

“Well he knocked her up,he didn’t have much of a choice.” Kathleen whispered to Nancy but loud enough for her other sister to hear.

“Oh like you and Steven didn’t get married when you did just so mom didn’t know you were knocked up before marriage.” Amelia directed towards Kathleen.

“We were already planning to get married, I just happened to get pregnant when I did.” Kathleen defended.

“Ah, we’re already throwing passive aggressive comments to one another.” Lizzie said as she walked into the living room where all of her sisters were.

“There are my girls.” Carolyn smiled as she walked through the front door seeing her daughters in the living room. She made her way into the living room and sat herself down next to her youngest. “I’m glad we’re all together. It’s been way too long.”

“Well not all of us.” Nancy sighed running her finger along the rim of her glass.

“At least I have all my girls.” Carolyn corrected with a sad smile, she desperately missed her late husband and son. “How’s the ping pong tournament going?”

“Lizzie and I have already been eliminated.” Amelia said leaning her head against her mother’s shoulder.

“Nothing out of the usual.” Carolyn remarked.

“Hey, I remember being really good at ping pong.” Amelia defended.

“It’s probably just been a while since you’ve played sweetheart.” The girls mother comforted.

“Derek used to play ping pong all the time to improve his surgical dexterity.” Kathleen reminisced, she distinctly remembered when they were kids and they would spend hours in the basement playing together.

“Especially after the plane crash to rehabilitate his hand.” Lizzie added, she knew first hand how much he played after the nerve transplantation. The five ladies sat in silence thinking about Derek. A set of screams coming from the basement jarring them out of their thoughts. “Sounds like my kids.”

“It’s always your kids.” Kathleen sniggered, as she sipped her wine.

“Well at least my kids love me.” Lizzie added as she exited the room to check on the ruckus happening downstairs.

“I miss when my kids were this little.” Nancy said rubbing her hand across the baby’s back as he laid on Amelia’s chest.

“I don’t want him to grow up.” Amelia agreed looking at her sons eyes that were slowly closing with exhaustion.

“Poor baby’s still got jet lag.” Nancy chuckled at the sleepy baby.

“When we get back home the daycare workers are gonna hate us for how messed up his sleep schedule has gotten.”

“He’s so cute I can’t imagine them being mad for that long. May I?” Nancy extended out her arms to take the baby.

“Yeah, sure.” Amelia passed the sleepy baby to her sister, allowing her to stand up. “I’m going to go find Link.”

“I’m sure he’s busy why don’t you just relax.” Carolyn patted down the seat that her daughter just vacated. Amelia looked at her mother skeptically but obliged.

________________________________________

“Pizzas here!” Steven, Kathleen’s husband, announced as he came down the basement stairs where everyone was debating on the Christmas movie they would watch. For how fancy all of her sisters were, it always surprised Amelia how on Christmas everyone just let themselves be.

“I don’t know why we debate this every year, we just end up watching ‘miracle on 34th street’ since it’s grandma’s favorite.” One of Lizzies older girls pointed out.

“Actually it’s one of my least favorite holiday movies.” Carolyn chuckled as she looked at her daughters and smiled. “It was your grandfather’s favorite, that’s why your mothers are so insistent on it.”

“There wasn’t ever a Christmas, daddy didn’t make us all watch it.” Kathleen added as she pulled the movie up onto the screen. Twenty minutes into the movie everyone was eating, when Link finally came into the basement.

“Where have you been?” Amelia whispered as Link sat down beside her, eating the pizza crust left on her plate.

“Around.” Link whispered back, reaching out for their son who was on his mother’s chest and allowed his girlfriend to lean into him. After the movie was over they brought their son upstairs to let him sleep in his crib.

“He’s so beautiful.” Amelia cooed as she carefully put the baby in his crib, she then turned around and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. “Where were you all day?”

“Get some snow clothes on.” Link smirked walking out of the room. Leaving behind a confused Amelia.

“Link it’s almost midnight.” Amelia whispered as she put her boots on trying not to wake anyone up since the majority of the kids fell asleep during the movie.

“And?”

“Where are we going?” Amelia asked as her boyfriend closed the door behind her. Link responded by taking her hand and leading the way, after about ten minutes she recognized where she was. “How do you know about this?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Link smiled as the two walked into the woods. They got to two trees where an old hammock was, and where Link hung up Christmas lights around the trees.

“How’d you know about this place?” Amelia asked astonished, on the verge of tears.

“Your mom told me that you and Derek would come out here and talk, she said it was the one place you guys could feel your Dad after he died.” Link solemnly smiled taking her hand and leading her to the hammock.

“How is it I have the best boyfriend?” Amelia asked after a couple of minutes of silence as the pair laid in together.

“About that... I’ve been thinking maybe it’s not working out.”

“What?” Amelia shot up to look at her boyfriend. “Your really breaking up with me on Christmas?!”

“What? God no, of course not!” Link dug around in his pockets desperately searching by for something. “Damn it, where is it?”

“Where’s what?” The ortho surgeon then sighed in relief and passed the small box to his girlfriend. “Link-“

“Amelia Frances Shepherd, you’ve shown me nothing but love and you’ve given me the best kid ever. Before I was content with my life but you’ve shown me this life I’d never would have imagined for myself and I love it so deeply and I owe that to you. So what the hell, why don’t we get married.” Link smiled looking into his girlfriends eyes. “If you want to of course.”

“Of course I want to.” Amelia wrapped him in a hug, and l let him put the ring on her.

“It was my grandmothers ring. When my parents came to visit after Scout was born my dad gave it to me. I’ve been carrying it around ever since and I just didn’t know when to propose and then your mom suggested this, I hope it’s okay.” Link rambled.

“It’s more than okay, it’s absolutely perfect. Thank you for the best Christmas gift.”

“Merry Christmas Amelia.”

#amelia shepherd #amelink #atticus lincoln #baby amelink #greys anatomy #mama shepherd #greysanatomy #greys fanfic #kathleen shepherd #Nancy shepherd #lizzie shepherd #scout lincoln #carolyn shepherd

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ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes · 5 years ago

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Blue Eyes Part 4

Summary: After the Garrison is shot up, the youngest Shelby daughter finds a new home in London. She strips herself of her last name and tries to live a peaceful life far away from her brothers’ chaos in Birmingham. But fate leads her right back into it after she runs into Alfie Solomons.

Part 4: Ella and Alfie go out for the first time. Tommy attempts to reconcile with his sister.

“What happened last week?

Tommy was just a second into lighting a cigarette and raised an eyebrow. His aunt strode into his office without warning. “I got married, Pol, you were there.” He replied tongue in cheek.

Polly glared at him. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about.” She snapped. “I’m talking about why your sister left without telling us.” As far as Polly was concerned, her nephew was lucky she’d given him a week to enjoy his wedded life. Now she was going to confront him about Ella.

Tommy exhaled a breath of smoke and set his lighter down to the side. “She decided to leave. I don’t see what that has to do anything with me.”

She narrowed her eyes. “She left after talking to you. Now she won’t speak to anyone, not even Ada. You need to tell me what you said to her.” She folded her arms over her chest and rooted herself in his office, a clear indication she wasn’t going to leave until he was honest.

He already felt a headache coming on. “She was asking ‘bout things that weren’t any of her business.”

“Like what?” Polly demanded. She didn’t care when he pinched the bridge of his nose with a look of displeasure at her persistence. “Like what?” She pressed.

“Don’t know what to tell you. She’s the one who left for London. It’s not my job to keep tabs on her. She can’t get upset if things happen here and she’s not told.”

Polly rolled her eyes. Sometimes getting the Shelby siblings to all get along was like pulling teeth. And it usually fell to her to keep the peace. “Life is short, you two need to make amends and stop with this fucking tantrum.”

Tommy didn’t react. He had a feeling his aunt would step in and try to make them play nice. “She’s not the little girl we helped raise anymore. She's changed.” He replied and went back to his ledger.

“What are you on about?” Polly asked with a frustrated sigh.

“M’fraid she might be getting involved with a man.”

“For Christ sake, she’s a grown woman. You three can’t lock her up in a tower to keep all the men away.” She retorted and turned on her heel to leave.

“I think you’d lock her up in a tower if you knew it was Alfie Solomons,” Tommy spoke just loudly enough for his aunt to hear.

She stopped dead in her tracks in the doorway. That was one name she didn’t want to hear associated with her niece’s. “You better not be playing with me.” She warned sternly and spun back around.

He raised his eyebrows as if he were surprised that would rattle her. Of course, he was fairly good at pushing Polly’s buttons. “She asked John about him. I asked and she lied to me.”

“How do you know she lied?” Polly reached over his desk to snatch up his case of cigarettes.

Tommy helpfully held out his lighter for her as she sat. “Because our Ella doesn’t take part in gossip. If she heard his name in passing then she wouldn’t bring it up days later. The only reason she’s asking is she knows who he is and what he does. I would bet a lot of money that they’ve crossed paths.”

Polly took in the information with a disappointed look. She assumed Ella would stay far away from men like Solomons. Wouldn’t she be able to tell the parallels between him and her brother? “So you got in a row about that.”

“Partially.” He nodded and stubbed out his cigarette. He leaned back in his leather desk chair and tilted his head back. “I’ve already sent men out to keep tabs on her.”

She gave him a look. “You really think that’s going to win her trust back? If she finds out, she’ll kick your teeth in.”

“She can kick me teeth in when I know she’s not involved with that man.”

Polly sighed and closed her eyes. “You know that the more you press, the further you’re pushing her away.” She warned thoughtfully. “She’s a young woman, she’s got your mother’s blood in her. She may dress a bit nicer now but she’s still a gypsy girl at heart.”

“That’s what I’m fucking afraid of.”

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

To say Ella was excited was an understatement. Wooing men had never been her strongest suit. As a young girl, she would much rather punch a boy in the face than hold his hand. Consequently, she left a lot of bad impressions on the boys who grew up around her. It didn’t help that her older brothers would threaten any guy who decided to invade her personal space. So the odds were stacked against her.

But now, Alfie had taken an interest in her. Just thinking about him was thrilling. She didn’t know what had attracted him to her, perhaps she would find out in due time.

The location of their meet up wasn’t too far so Ella was going to walk. She donned a scarlet red dress that the shop girl had convinced her to try. It turned out she was right as Ella did a few turns in the mirror, appreciating the beaded bodice and stylish fringe. She smiled and slipped on her heels, hat, and coat before stepping out.

It didn’t take long before her excitement was doused with icy water. Standing on the block corner near her apartment were two men in familiar caps.

Blinders.

She knew they were, even if her brother thought he was being tricky. They were men who weren’t around when Ella lived in Birmingham, but she had spotted them at Tommy’s wedding. Despite how clever her brother was, sometimes he overlooked how observant she could be.

“Tommy fucking Shelby.” She muttered under her breath and saw one of the men glance her way. The taller one, a lanky boy who looked like he had the devil in his eyes, attempted to look casual. But he stuck out like a sore thumb. The other looked like he was nothing but skin and bones in his hand-me-down coat.

Ella held her head high and strode past the men. They weren’t very well trained because they followed her far too closely. She rolled her eyes at her brother’s incompetent men. If you wanted a job done correctly, you did it yourself, but Tommy rarely did his own stunts anymore.

It wouldn’t take a lot to shake them off, especially in London’s evening crowd. She inserted herself into the thickest crowds, slipping through the thin cracks between groups of young men and women or families out on the town. When she figured they had lost her, she dipped into a back alley and took off her hat. Pausing for a second, she spotted the taller man walk by with a confused look on his freckled face.

Ella smiled and returned to the street, continuing on.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alfie did his best to look cool and collected. However, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been on a date. Maybe when he was a teenager? A young man? Even then, it was very rare. Most fathers would shield their pure, Jewish daughters from the Solomons boy who liked trouble. During the war, he had his fill of the nurses and French whores. But they weren’t meaningful.

When he returned, he had no time for women. For Ella Thorne, however, he would make time.

Still, his stomach was in knots. Why in the world was a man like him afraid of a little dinner? He’d faced death hundreds of times before and didn’t bat an eye. The battlefield, both in France and in London, was his forte. He was a force to be reckoned with and he didn’t care how he came across as long as people respected or feared him. Yet, he didn’t want Ella to fear him. He wanted her to look at him the way she had before. Gently and with care.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, I should’ve sent a car ‘round to pick you up.” Alfie realized his mistake when he saw Ella walking towards him.

“That’s okay.” She smiled reassuringly. “It wasn’t a long walk, did I keep you waiting?”

“’Course not.” He felt his chest tighten. Yet again, he forgot how blue her eyes were. It was as if God had taken his time with her, sitting her down and mixing all the blues he could until he found the right combination. Experimenting with the strongest pigments to see how stunning he could make the woman.

“Thank you for taking me out tonight,” Ella said softly. “I really needed this.”

Alfie held out an arm to escort her down the sidewalk. It was polite, something his mother would be proud of. “Yeah, s’been a while since I’ve taken some time for meself.” He agreed. “Always working.”

Ella toed the line while still remembering Amelia’s warning. “You’ve got a very busy bakery then?” She kept her eyes to the sidewalk to make sure her heels didn’t catch in gaps of the cobblestones.

“Very busy.” There was a hint of a smile behind his mustache. “And you, what do you do?” He was much more interested in talking about Ella than himself. He couldn’t divulge too much about himself until he knew she could be trusted. A set of blue eyes wouldn’t loosen his lips.

“I’m a typist for a law firm.” She answered with a shrug. “Nothing too exciting.” She kept close to Alfie to avoid running into people passing on the sidewalk.

Alfie caught a whiff of her perfume and felt his heart quicken. He was sure they were quite the sight, a sinful man next to such a warm, tender creature. “Sometimes exciting ain’t always a good thing.”

Ella glanced up at him as if he’d read her mind. “You’ve no idea.”

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

Alfie Solomons was a charming man. He’d been so brutal in the bar the night they’d met, but Ella realized that was all a front. A man who needed to establish himself as someone who would resort to violence if necessary. But sitting across from her, he was a smooth talker and a charismatic personality. He was warm but twisted his way around certain questions. It led Ella to believe he didn’t want to talk about his business.

Still, they didn’t run out of things to talk about. He was much more than his business dealings. He was much more educated than Ella expected on face value. Education wasn’t as important in her family. You couldn’t learn the tools necessary to be a Shelby at school. The siblings were street smart and quick-witted.

Alfie seemed to be similarly raised, yet he had taken time to become more learned on elite subjects. Perhaps it was to fit in better in London. It would be extremely helpful to speak the language of both street rats and aristocrats. Ella had a feeling her brother was trying to accomplish the same thing.

“You’re a quiet little thing, ain’t ya?” Alfie asked about halfway through the dinner. “Not boring you to death, am I?”

“No, no, of course not,” Ella said hurriedly. “I’m just not as…worldly as you.” She admitted shyly. “Never even been outside the country. I mean, you’ve been to France. I’ve always wanted to go there, I just don’t think I’d fit in very well.”

Alfie simply shook his head. “Love, those Parisian women would kill to be as fucking gorgeous as you are.”

Her face went bright pink and she ducked her head in embarrassment. “Oh, I dunno.”

“Here’s the thing,” He reached over and tilted her chin up with the lightest of touches. “I wouldn’t lie ‘bout something like that, right?”

Her eyes searched his face, lingering on the long scar across his jaw. “Would you lie about something else?” She asked quietly.

“I don’t lie often, love. I wouldn’t lie to you, know that for certain.”

She chewed on her lower lip and thought about all the things she was keeping from Alfie. Maybe he would lie to her, but she knew for a fact, that she was the first to lie.

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

Despite the secret she was keeping, Ella was unable to stay away from Alfie. He was one of the most intriguing men she had ever met and that was saying something coming from a girl raised by Irish Travelers.

Not only was he interesting but he also treated Ella like she was one of the world’s natural wonders. She had never gotten attention quite like the type Alfie gave her. He took every lull in the conversation to compliment her. No matter how many times he called her beautiful, it still made her flustered.

It got to the point that Ella stopped thinking about their dates as an insult to her brother. In fact, she rarely thought about her family when she was with him. He had a way of capturing her full attention and making her forget about the world around them. She often forgot about his reputation as well. There would be some hints to it, several people dodging his path and giving Ella a side-eye when they saw her on his arm. It wasn’t much different to the way she was once treated in Birmingham. People would either greet her politely to stay in the Shelbys’ good graces or avoid her entirely. She could only imagine the things they whispered about her behind her back. Gypsy girl. Sister of demons. Hellion.

Now, she’d created a new image for herself. One that was unique to London. And it was far from the woman she wanted to become in her new home. For a moment, she wanted a quiet life with no fuss or activity.

But Shelbys were never satisfied with silence. Something deep in their blood craved the adrenaline. And men like Alfie Solomons were akin to a drug.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Lucky guess.” Alfie frowned. He squeezed her hand while they walked through Regent’s Park. Spring was in full bloom and the gangster was happy to spend the warm morning with Ella.

“It was not a lucky guess. I had one-twelfth of a chance of guessing correctly.” She replied firmly. “And I knew you were born in November.”

“You guessed that I was born in November.” He smiled and shook his head. “Anyone could guess that.”

“Mhm, sure. It’s in me blood, I know when people were born.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “But you don’t have to believe me, not everyone does.”

He chuckled. “I like you a lot, Thorne.” He murmured. Alfie did, he truly did. In fact, outside of family members, he wasn’t sure he’d ever cared so much about someone. Ella was the type of woman he didn’t think existed. A beautiful woman with a clever wit, sharp tongue, yet a softness that was underappreciated by others. Most would focus on her strong will rather than the gentleness in her eyes and touch.

Ella smiled and glanced up at him. “I like you a lot too.” She replied with a blush spreading over her cheeks.

Alfie found them a bench to sit so they could talk. “M’fucking glad I met you.” He said quietly, tilting his head down to converse privately with her.

She took his hand in hers, the tips of her fingers grazing over his calloused palm. She smiled at the memory of one of the Lee girls insisting little Ella would be married before she was thirty just by reading the lines on her palm. Ella had merely laughed and proclaimed she was never getting married. Now, it appeared the Lee had really predicted something viable.

“I feel the same way.” Her nails grazed across his wrist, over the veins, and to the bracelet he usually wore. “I always used to scoff at love.” She admitted. “I thought it was just blind foolishness.”

Ella’s soft touch sent a shiver down Alfie’s spine. He felt undeserving of her affection but wasn’t going to deny it. “What do you think ‘bout it now?” He murmured.

She smiled at him. “I still think it’s foolish. But I’d rather be foolish with you than miserable with anyone else.”

He chuckled. “Cheeky girl.”

She didn’t answer with words. Instead, she replied by touching his cheek and leaning in to kiss him.

Alfie was unsure what he did to deserve such a gesture. Surely God wasn’t blessing him after all the atrocious sins he’d committed. But there was no way in hell she was some sort of punishment or demon in disguise. She was far too tender and her touch was sincere.

Ella’s hand rested on his cheek, her thumb grazed against the scar cutting through his beard. The pads of her fingers tickled across the skin as if she were healing him, cleansing him of sin.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thorne residence.” Ella got to the phone as she walked into her apartment.

“Ella, it’s Lizzie.” Tommy’s secretary greeted on the other line.

She furrowed her eyes in confusion. She hadn’t spoken to Lizzie in a few years. The woman had a complicated relationship with the Shelby family and Ella didn’t have too much of an issue with her. But, she couldn’t ignore the grief she had caused John. “Oh, hello.”

“Tommy asked me to call you and see if you were available this weekend.” She explained.

“Really?” Ella raised an eyebrow. Now Tommy was resorting to having his secretary call her? “Why?”

“He invited you to come to Warwickshire and come hunting with him.”

Tommy always had a reason for everything. He never just set up a casual gathering. Tommy Shelby didn’t waste time. Either he wanted something from her or wanted information from her.

Fine. Two could play at that game. “Tell my brother that I would love to.” She replied. “Have him send a car for me Saturday morning.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a while since Ella had gone hunting. For a while, they didn’t have the opportunity when they were in Birmingham. But she learned to shoot a gun when she was only eight-years-old. She’d trail along with her brothers through the forest, hunting rabbits and hedgehogs a short distance away from the vardos. Her aim was good, not as good as John’s, but she was shit at trying to sneak up on an animal. Tommy was always able to get the closest to the critters.

When she arrived at Arrow House, she was a little annoyed. Not because of her brother’s behavior, but because she had been excited on the drive to Warwickshire. Hunting with just Tommy was always the best when they were younger. She still held out hope that things could go back to the way they once were. But her rational brain knew that was impossible. Not after all Tommy had done and not after she’d kissed Alfie Solomons.

Mary, Tommy’s maid, directed her to the stables where he was waiting.

Tommy was standing outside with his black gelding and the gray she’d been admiring at his wedding. “Thought you might want to try him out.” He said as if offering the horse as an olive branch. “He’s a smooth ride but stubborn.”

“I put up with you and you’re stubborn,” Ella replied and took the reins from him.

He tossed his cigarette to the side. “I’d like to apologize for the way I spoke to you.”

His sister studied his face. He appeared genuine, but she was sure he still had ulterior motives for the day out. “Well, I’m sorry as well. I think we both said things we regretted.”

“You’re a part of this family. But you have the right to live where you wish. I should’ve told you about Charlie and Grace.”

“Mhm…” Ella was worried that he could sense the guilt radiating off her. Surely he knew she was hiding something from him.

But he merely smiled. “Should we head out?” He asked. “Need a boost up?”

She rolled her eyes. “’Course not, m’not little anymore.”

“Right, of course.” He watched as his sister heaved herself up into the saddle from the ground. It looked difficult but she’d never ask for his help, not like she used to.

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

They began down the trail, the two horses plodding along side by side. There was a chill in the air and fog hung low in the meadows they passed through. The remained in silence for a bit. Ella focused on getting used to the horse underneath her. As Tommy said, the gelding had a smooth gait but continued to try and bend to the left. He was strong, but she had fought with stronger horses before.

“Do you miss riding?” Tommy asked. They could probably talk about their shared interests in horses without breaking out into an argument.

“Yes.” She nodded without explaining it away or defending her actions.

“Well, whenever you need fresh air, you can come out here.” He offered. “There’s a bay mare that loves to jump. There are a few stonewalls on a path that she could get over without breaking a sweat. Very fast too, but couldn’t get her to behave on the track.”

Ella nodded. He must remember how she loved horses that could leap over fences and fallen logs with ease. She adored the feeling of being airborne even for just a few seconds. The thrill was unlike anything she would ever know. Although, the swooping feeling in her stomach could probably be compared to kissing Alfie. She smiled faintly.

“So, how’s London?” Tommy asked.

“Don’t you know?” She raised an eyebrow and glanced over at her brother.

“I haven’t been in some time. Been in Birmingham or here.”

“Well, I’m sure your men could tell you. They are shit at their jobs though.” She shrugged casually. “You should find someone better.”

Tommy let out a low chuckle. “Can’t get anything past you, can I, El?”

“It’s patronizing, Thomas.” She replied sharply. “I don’t need your daft boys on me tail whenever I leave the fucking house.”

“Can you blame me for being worried?” He kept a level head. The last thing he wanted was to break out into another fight with her. One more and she might move across the Pond to get away from him.

“I’ve been on my own for four years. I think I can handle myself perfectly well. If you were really worried, you could’ve sacked up and come to me personally. Instead, you’re treating me like one of your enemies.”

“No.”

“Yes, Tommy. Do you have John or Arthur followed? What about Ada?” She pointed out. “No, just me because I’m not under your thumb."

“You’re my baby sister.” He insisted. “If Finn was in London on his own, I’d do the same. You two are still young and don’t know just how dangerous the world can be.”

Ella stopped the gelding in the middle of the path. “Tommy, I’m older than John was when he went to war.” She pointed out.

Tommy paused, slowing his horse down as well. Was that true? He’d been twenty-five going on twenty-six when they left. John was five years younger. Ella was now twenty-three. He sighed. “Yes, I s’pose that’s true.”

“I think I have a right to worry about you more than you have to worry about me.” She nudged the horse on when they came into another open field. “I’m going to let him stretch his legs.” Before her brother could get another word in, she clucked her tongue and prodded the gray into a canter.

Tommy lengthened the reins, allowing his horse to extend his neck out. The gelding trotted a few steps through the long grass, tossing his head about every so often. He kept an eye on his sister, thinking about how little control he had over her. It terrified him and made him worry about the trouble she could get into. Trouble that he might not be able to get her out of until it was too late. Then he thought about the men who he’d tasked with watching her. They were definitely ready for a job evaluation when he returned to Birmingham.

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

After bagging three hares, Tommy and Ella rode back to Arrow House. The sun was high in the sky and they were both generally in pleasant moods. The hunting trip had reminded them of how it used to be and how silly it was to keep arguing. It was a compromise of sorts. Tommy said he wouldn’t have her watched anymore and Ella said she would keep in better contact with the family. They could both be satisfied with the stipulations.

Grace had arranged to have tea outside when they came back. She and Charlie were in the back lawns, the toddler sitting and pulling at the grass.

“Successful hunt?” Grace asked with a smile when she saw them return.

“No stags, although Tommy promised we’d find one.” Ella shot her brother a look.

He chuckled and sat down next to his wife at the iron-wrought table. “If we’d found a stag, you would’ve made me carry it the whole way home.”

Grace was happy to see they were in good spirits. She’d talked to Tommy before his sister had arrived. She reminded him that they were family and no matter how he felt about the wedding night, he needed to make amends as Polly had said. But she had her doubts. The woman knew how volatile Shelby siblings could get with each other when they had a reason to be.

Still, it appeared that the morning out together had been a success. Ella hadn’t left and they weren’t at each other’s throats.

Ella knelt down in front of Charlie. “I swear you’ve grown a meter since I saw you last!” She cooed and picked him up. The little boy laughed and grabbed at his aunt’s hair.

“Careful, he’ll yank out a few pieces if you let him,” Tommy warned.

“Well, he is a Shelby. Finn was a terror growing up. Took off running from us the moment he could stand on his own.”

“We were all like that.” He nodded. “Luckily, he’s taken on Grace’s personality as well.” He took his wife’s hand and she smiled.

“You’re a natural with him, Ella,” Grace said gently.

“I’ve helped Ada with Karl after Freddie passed.” She explained and smiled fondly at her nephew.

“Do you think you’ll have any of your own?” Her sister-in-law inquired.

Ella laughed with a wince. She stood up with Charlie on her hip and sat at the table. “I’d have to be married first, wouldn’t I?”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve got plenty of London boys falling over themselves to win you.” Grace smiled and poured her a cup of tea. “You’ve got those Shelby blue eyes.”

Tommy sighed and offered to take Charlie from his sister. “Ella used to spit at any boy who tried to kiss her. We had to make sure she wouldn’t bite them too.”

Ella rolled her eyes and plopped two sugar cubes into her teacup. “Yes Tommy, I still spit at any man who would dare speak to me.” She said sarcastically.

Her brother looked amused and let Charlie hold his pocket watch. “Forgive me if I can’t imagine you with a man.”

“I do just fine, thank you for your concern.” She replied and thought about Alfie.

“So we’ll get to meet him soon then, aye?” Tommy let Charlie down as the boy began to squirm and whine. The boy toddled off to pluck a few dandelions out of the ground and carry them around in his pudgy hand. Tommy pulled out a cigarette and offered the pack to Grace and his sister.

“Don’t know what you’re on about.” Ella took a cigarette but Grace turned it down. “Meet who? There isn’t anyone to meet.”

“Maybe you’ll just end up on your own in the countryside then?” Tommy chuckled. “Like you always wanted. Small cottage with stables full of horses.”

Grace smiled. “Sounds like a lovely retirement plan to me.” She took the dandelions that Charlie offered her. “Thank you, love.” She kissed his forehead.

“A couple of horses and a dog.” Ella shrugged. “Don’t need much else.”

“Didn’t think you liked dogs.”

She thought about Cyril who had grown attached to her. Alfie took him along whenever they took walks in the park. If they sat, the bullmastiff would rest his head on her lap. His sad eyes would close contently when she scratched his ears. His droopy cheeks would leave drool on her coat but she never minded.

“You did like Jeta Lee’s, foxhound as a girl.” Her brother recalled the dog that would always hunt for a little snack from the Shelby children if they were in the Lee camp.

“Yeah, or something bigger.” She shrugged casually and sipped her tea to hide her small smile.

Permanent Tag: @papa-geralt-of-cirilla @giftofdreams

Tag list: @deaflikehawkeye @octaviareina @mylovelykelsifer

Masterpost

PB Masterlist

#alfie solomons #alfie solomonsxoc #alfie solomons x oc #ofc #oc #fanfiction #peaky blinders #peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinders fanfiction #tommy shelby #grace shelby #tommy x grace #grace burgess #charles shelby #cyril #tom hardy #tom hardy character #cillian murphy character

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bubblyani · 5 years ago

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Deeper Relations : 03

(Freddie Jackson x Reader)

A Freddie Jackson Multi Chapter Series

Chapter 03: The Confession

Summary: Being the youngest sister of Jackie and Maggie, you were quite young when Freddie Jackson went to prison. Upon his return, you cannot help but recall your innocent love you had for him back then. And surprised by your transformation into womanhood, Freddie cannot help but form a desire towards you. Will a dangerously seductive attraction grow between the two of you? What will be the consequences?

Requested by: @97freaknik Thank you for your detailed request 😘

Author’s Note: Managed to write faster with the self isolation period lol. Trying to be productive and creative. Hope y’all enjoy this!

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

“Alright, girls! Lights off!…Goodnight!” “Goodnight Aunt Y/N!”

Scrunching your nose playfully, you smiled at your beautiful nieces before turning off the lights. As you closed the door, you hoped they would drift off to dreamland with much haste.

Making your way to the living room, you sensed the emptiness. Upon realization, you hurriedly rushed to Jackie’s room. You sighed. Not the fact that she was curled up in bed, but the fact you could spot the bottle of pills sitting comfortable on her bedside cupboard. Clicking your tongue, you felt guilt.

Guess Maggie was right about this.  

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(A few days ago)

“You’ve ever done shotgun kisses? “Ohhh yeah” “Guess I should try it out myself sometime……maybe with a friend. Hah! Maybe even with Marcus-” “Why don’t we try it?”

“Why don’t we try it?”

Those words, Freddie’s words, they succeeded in leaving you questioning even a week later. If the one had laughed right after a line like that, the humor would have shown. But the way his eyes glinted with seriousness, it frightened you. What did he mean by that exactly?

That was not the only surprise you came across, for surprises came in the form of three.

Surprise number two: Freddie’s string of dalliances with other women.

You never mean to eavesdrop, but when you accidentally found yourself do so during Jimmy and Maggie’s conversation, you couldn’t walk away from it. As much as you expected this from a gangster, the thought of Freddie actually doing so made your heart shatter a little. Regardless, he was someone you admired apart from romanticizing in your young age. And what he and Jackie had back then, it was something you longed for.

If the dalliances were true, perhaps he was actually pulling your leg that day. Just messing with you. Perhaps none of what he said was to be taken so seriously.

To your relief, Maggie confided it all in you soon after, leaving you less guilty about eavesdropping. And as you were told, what made it sadder was that Jackie knew of them. She knew of his ways, she knew of the women, which enraged you. Unfair it was clearly. Why couldn’t anything be done about it? You wondered. Which led to the third surprise: Jackie’s Addiction.

As much as she was skilled in putting on a good face to all, Jackie struggled with all the challenges her family had to go through. Having someone like Freddie as her husband definitely had not been easy. Which easily drove her into the arms and comfort of non prescribed medication.

“We have to keep an eye out for her, Y/N….” Maggie said, as you both sat in her room “She is our sister” “Yeah, of course” you nodded frantically, “Anything really…”

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

(Present)

When you heard your sister Jackie had suddenly come down with a bad stomach, you were more than willing to step up and do your part.

And there you were, proactive, helping out with the cleaning and cooking. Though your sister grew with it, you did not complain. Instead you wore a smile always. You even tended to your adoring nieces, making sure they were well-fed and went to bed on time. You did it all.

Running your fingers through Jackie’s soft blonde hair, you sat on the bed while she slept soundly. “You have to be strong, sis…” you whispered, “For the girls…for Freddie”

With drowsiness finally catching up, you decided to get some shut-eye.

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

(Few hours later)

Nightmares, only they would usually wake you up in the middle of the night. But tonight, reason for your abrupt awareness, the profuse sweating in many a region was definitely not because of one. In fact, it was far from it.

Hopping into the shower, you closed the door but left it unlocked, considerate for the welfare of your sister, who developed the habit to run in to either relieve herself from whichever end of her body allowed. With the shower curtain closed, you let the pressurized cold water from the shower head cleanse you, while you hoped to cleanse the thoughts that lingered.

An intimate dream was always welcomed by you. But one with Freddie Jackson? Why now? In fact, Why ever?

Your mind soiled with guilt, you remembered it all with detail. The way his beautiful eyes undressed you. The way his wonderful hands roamed over you. The way his luscious lips tasted yours and much else.You tightened your temples, hoping to erase them away. This was all just too disturbing. It was wrong, you thought. Yet, the feeling you felt during was simply-No! You shook your head. It was wrong to even reconsider. It was simply wrong.

With your body and mind cleaned and cooled down, you mindlessly reached out to grab the towel. “Fuck!” You muttered. As distracted as you were, you forgot how the large towel was already used. And the only towel left in the shower was rather a small one. So small, it could barely cover your entire body. Cursing under your breath even further, you wrapped it around your frame so that you could at least hide your shame by concealing your nipples and the nether region while the mass of your cleavage and rounded curves of your buttocks had its time under the florescent light. Sighing, you were at least relieved it was late, and that no one would witness your shame.

The door burst open wide, leaving you gasping as the person you least expected entered.

Noticeably drunk, Freddie Jackson stumbled into the bathroom whilst halfway unbuckling his pants, suddenly stopping in alarm upon seeing you.

“Shit! Cupcake…” He chuckled with amusement. Although, his smile slowly faded the moment his eyes properly encountered your half naked figure standing in the bathtub, “Oh…” he exclaimed softly, with a voice low and animalistic. You felt yourself blush. “The fuck Freddie!….” You hissed, squinting instantly the moment you caught a glimpse of his exposed manhood. “Freddie!” Jackie’s sleepy voice echoed from the bedroom, surprising both of you. “Babe! You back?”Her voice inquired further. Closing the shower curtain behind you, you stood still. Freddie, standing in front of the commode, cleared his throat. “Yeah! Yeah babe…just in the loo” Freddie responded, quickly locking the door behind him to your frustration. Uncomfortable, you held your breath as you were forced to listen to him piss.

If this had happened to you years ago, it would’ve gone down a quite differently. It would have been humorous and embarrassing, which would have ended with you storming off the loo before he even considered pissing. It would have turned in to an interesting anecdote, which would have been shared with the entire family. But tonight you were speechless. Tonight, it seemed wrong. And tonight, he didn’t let you off.

The pissing did not stop to your surprise. A long night of drinking, maybe?

As you waited behind the curtain, a curious part of you urged to do the unthinkable. Holding your breath, you maintained absolute silence, drawing the curtain slightly open to asses the situation. He was not, and his visible manhood was clear proof, causing you to close the curtain in an instant.

Yet the image of his exposed genital was imprinted in your brain clear enough, it would probably last your whole life. You tried so hard not to let your thoughts dwell on it’s shape, it’'s color, its length. For it was wrong to merely do so.

More gasps left your lips, the moment the curtain was drawn wide open. Holding on to the towel that could almost fall off you any moment, you breathed deeply as Freddie stared at you. “Liked what you saw, cupcake?” He asked, buckling up his pants during. Embarrassed, you averted your eyes from it. “No… cause there was nothing to see…” “Not for me…” he said, licking his lips, “I’m really liking the view from here…” His gaze was something you had never seen. It was predatory, it was lustful. It was new. Trying not to react to any of that, you exhaled deeply. “Where were you, Freddie?” You were stern with your question. “Ozzy….” He sniffed, wiping his nose with his index finger, “He had a job for me…” “Was it just Ozzy?” “Meh…hehehe” With a shrug, Freddie chuckled, for he could not lie. As long as you’ve known him, he had never lied to you, you realized. With your sister in mind, you have gathered enough courage for it was now or never. “Look…” you began, “We’re all so glad that you’re back. But you should know, your family needs you, Freddie…” you said. He stopped smiling. Yet you continued, “It must seem really easy to …” taking a deep breath, you continued, “…shag around…It’s fun I bet…it’s exciting. It’s tempting…” you said, mentally pushing away the image of intimacy with him, “I’m not gonna act like I am a fucking saint cause I’m not but…” readjusting your towel, you continued, “I care about my family. And I care about you too, Freddie” you said, “So get a grip, alright? I know you can do better than this” As stern as you were, you managed to maintain as sense of calmness with your entire delivery. It possibly could have been the most adult statement you have ever made. And to your surprise, he listened to you.

Nodding, Freddie remained speechless for a few seconds. Looking down, he merely scratched his head. “Right…” he began softly, “…Goodnight”

No name. No nickname. Just ‘Goodnight’. Turning around, he left the bathroom, leaving you alone once again.

Slowly stepping out of the bathtub, you sat on the edge. You wondered whether you have destroyed the good relationship you had with this man within a span of few minutes. Yet, in your gut you knew, you did the right thing.

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You left the next morning, and you left without a trace of guilt. Jackie had gotten better, and Freddie was home once again. And the fact he was there was enough of a reason for you to avoid any awkward encounter anyways.

A few days later, on a fine morning, you were getting ready to head out for lectures. With a piece of toast on your mouth, you walked past Maggie, only to pause on your tracks. You watched her talk on the phone with a huge smile on her face. And from the way she addressed, you could easily guess who it was.

“Was that Jackie?” You asked the moment she hung up. Maggie nodded. “Yeah…And Y/N…” she said, looking at you with the same smile, “She sounds great” “Yeah?” Smiling back, you were genuinely surprised. “I don’t know whats going on but…” Maggie began, “…apparently Freddie hasn’t been fooling around anymore. Even Jimmy was surprised. Looks like he’s been at home with the girls. This…this is a miracle, Y/N!” Maggie said, as her eyes shone brightly. “Yeah it is…finally” you said, as happiness brimmed within you.

Your conscience was cleared, the weight was lifted off your shoulders. Walking on the pavement, you felt the urge to skip with joy. You felt pride, putting yourself out there to speak up for something worthwhile. And saving a relationship you valued, you really did your part. It was going to be a good day, you knew it.

Until you suddenly felt your hand being violently tugged back. “Wha-?” Turning back with annoyance, your eyes widened with shock.

You felt powerless when Freddie Jackson pushed you against the nearest brick wall by the pub. He looked devastated. With a tired looking face, his alcohol breath landed hot on your face, leaving you startled and confused.

“Freddie?” You breathed, “It’s 9:30 in the morning, why are you drinking?s” Chuckling maniacally, Freddie looked straight at you. “Oh…wouldn’t you like to fucking know!” He drawled. “Wha-?” “Oh Come on! Do it I have to fucking spell it out for you?” “You might have to, cause I have no clue” Continuing with his chuckles, he leaned in closer to you. So close you could see yourself in his eyes. “You…” he stressed, as his smile disappeared completely, “You’ve always been so different. Different from Jackie and Maggie…” he said.

You gulped. Did you by chance defy him? Was he embarrassed because of what you said? Was he angered?

“And after 4 fucking years, you’ve grown up into someone…so…”

Unable to describe himself, he could only grunt with frustration. Concerned, you stepped away from the wall. “What are you trying to say, Freddie?” You gasped as you felt yourself being pushed back again. Pressing himself against you, he placed his lips next to your ear. “I fucking fancy you, Y/N…” Frozen, you simply couldn’t believe your ears. “Heheh..that’s right….” He chuckled as he continued to whisper, “…my cock…Oh! It gets fucking hard for you. I can’t…fucking…stop thinking about you, Y/N…” he said, brushing his nose against your temple. Chills literally traveled down your spine.

“So…what do have to say about that?”

He asked you, haunting your ears in a low voice. Still frozen with disbelief, you waited. Until a form of breath could even reach your lungs.There it was, your innocent childhood fantasy, come to life in the most, filthy and unethical manner.

“Freddie…I…” You began, impatiently waiting for the rest of the sentence to come out. For how would you answer him now?

______________________________________

Chapter 4 HERE

Tagged: @starlightmornings @rogerfxckingtaylor @daydreamerinadazedworld @courtney-thevixeniris

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joelswildflower · 6 years ago

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talking about babies // cnco baby series

so, ive been working on these preferences for awhile. like the whole thing of talking about babies, finding out your pregnant, talking about names, and all that stuff.

These preferences are from my wattpad! My wattpad acc is dreamingofjoel. so if you want to check the other preferences I have out, you can because i already have nine parts of this series published on wattpad, but i’ll be posting them on here whenever i remember to.

the boys are aged up in this!

I hope you guys like this!!

Erick

Watching Erick interact with his nephew Thiago and Aaliyah when you two were younger, you'd knew that he'd be a great father. Now that the two of your were married, you'd never talked about having children. You both were still relatively young, and having children now would mess with your plans. But after seeing Erick hold your newborn nephew, you'd wish it was yours and Erick's baby he was holding.

"Erick?" You spoke up, setting your laptop to the side.

"Sí, mi amor?" Erick answered, looking up at you from his phone.

"Have you thought about having a baby?" You questioned. Erick pulled himself up in a sitting position and looked at you. You didn't like the silence when he was thinking, especially in a conversation like this. "This is a dumb talk," you added.

"Hey! It's not dumb," Erick told you. "I just— we never talked about having a baby."

"But have you thought about it?"

"Yes. I've thought of names, and how they would look like. I want a girl first, or a boy. I am not choosy. But I definitely want a baby with you, Y/N. You are my wife, and we would have the cutest babies ever."

Joel

"Do you want children?" Hearing that come out of your boyfriends mouth was a shock. The two of you were together for almost three years, you may not be engaged but that could be because of your busy schedules but the two of you know you're gonna spend the rest of your life with each other.

"Of course, I want children," you responded truthfully. You've thought about children since you became an aunt, that might've been before you went into high school, but you knew you wanted a family when you were at the normal age of getting married and having kids. "Do you want kids?"

"With you? Of course, Y/N," Joel answered. "You're going to be the mother of my future kids, aren't you?"

"How many?"

"As many kids we can make."

"We can do that. . . . once we're married," you smiled at Joel.

"Let's elope, right now."

Zabdiel

"What if we had one?" Zabdiel asked you. You were currently at a niece's birthday party, and you offered to occupy the children outside while your brother and sister-in-law was getting the food ready.

"You want one?" You questioned, holding your youngest nephew in your arms.

"Maybe," Zabdiel responded, letting your nephew grab his finger. "I don't know, seeing you interact with all these kids. It makes me wonder how you'd interact with our son or daughter."

"You really want a baby?" You asked, and Zabdiel nodded. "You know a baby is a lot or work, and we'll both be low on sleep, and—"

"You won't make me change my mind. And as much as I love sleep, Y/N. I'm ready to start a family with you. Only if you are."

"Of course, I am," you responded. "Let's see. James, are you ready to have a cousin?" You asked your eight month old nephew as if he could talk or even understand. Zabdiel laughed at your actions, but your nephew seemed to have understood and smiled. "Now we have to. He wants a cousin," you laughed.

Richard

"Have you thought about having any more kids?" You asked Richard. The two of you haven't been going out for too long, maybe less than a year, but you two were just meant to be. You were confident this was the man you'd get married to. "I mean, Aaliyah's almost five, and being an only child is pretty boring."

"Are you trying to tell me you're pregnant? I wouldn't be surprised because we've been going at it for—"

"No!" You interrupted Richard. "I'm not pregnant. But if I was, I just want to know if you'll be okay with it." The truth was that you had a pregnancy scare. Not so much a scare when deep down you wish you got pregnant, but later that day your little red friend came. It just opened your eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be okay with you being pregnant?" Richard questioned.

"I. . . I don't know. Maybe you want Aaliyah to be an only child?"

"I think she's been an only child for too long, Y/N," Richard responded. "And I want her to have siblings. Yashua and I were close growing up, and I want her to have a sibling so they can have some crazy-ass stories to tell their families. And have a best friend forever."

Christopher

You were crying. You couldn't believe that you had to buy and take a couple pregnancy tests. You weren't ready for children, you had your entire life ahead of you.

"Babe, the timer," Christopher told you, and you shut the timer off. "Hey, no matter what happens, we'll be in this together. I love you, Y/N," he pressed his lips on your forehead.

You walked over to the sink, and grabbed the test without seeing the result. You took a deep breath, and looked at the first test. Not pregnant. You grabbed the second one with the same result, Not pregnant. The third and last one said the same thing. A feeling of relief washed over you. "I'm not pregnant!" You announced, and hugged Christopher. "Are you okay?" You asked Christopher after seeing his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. "I have to get back to—"

"Wait, did you want me to be pregnant?" You questioned. Christopher looked at you, and without saying anything you knew the answer. "Babe, we're too young for a baby. I— we couldn't handle being parents right now."

"We would learn," Christopher responded. "I just— this got me thinking. I know we haven't been together long, but I love you, Y/N. And if we were to become parents, I'll be lucky my children will have a mother like you."

"Chris," you sighed. "You're amazing and I love you. And when we're ready to have a baby together, we'll be the best damn parents anyone can have. And I'd be honored for you to be the father of my kids, just not now, maybe soon."

#erick brian colon #joel pimentel #zabdiel de jesus #richard camacho #christopher velez #cnco #cnco baby series #cnco pregnancy series #cncowners #cnco imagines

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the--blackdahlia · 5 years ago

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It’s So Easy (And Other Lies) Chapter 13

Title: It’s So Easy (And Other Lies) Chapter 13

Summary: Stevie Adler likes Duff McKagan. She has for a while now, but she is convinced Duff doesn’t like her that way. Duff likes Stevie, but so does their new bandmate Axl Rose.

Chapter Warnings: Mainly language

AN: Thank you for all the feedback!

Many Months Later

“Mom!” Duff called as he opened the door to his mother’s Seattle home. The house was buzzing with activity, as his seven siblings, their partners, and his nieces and nephews running around. Marie McKagan popped her head out of the kitchen. Her eyes lit up when she saw her youngest son.

“Hi there sweetie!” She made her way over to him, hugging him. She saw Stevie standing behind him and quickly went to hug her. “Hi Stevie! I was so excited when Duff told me you’d be joining us.”

“Thanks for having me Mrs. McKagan,” Stevie hugged her back. She loved coming over to Duff’s family’s gatherings.

“Now, how many times do I have to tell you that you should call me Marie. Mrs. McKagan makes me feel like an old Irish grandmother.” Marie shook her head. She thought after all these years, the girl would finally drop the pleasantries.

“Sorry Marie,” Stevie smiled. “Duff and I brought a bottle of wine, and I attempted to bake a pie yesterday but I still can’t find anything in the condo.” Stevie told her as Marie led her to the kitchen, where there was a pretty large gathering. Duff smiled as she walked away, then he saw his brothers gathered around the TV.

“So, you, Slash, and Stevie got a new apartment?” One of Duff’s brothers, Bruce, asked as Duff went to watch the football game that was on TV with them.

“Yeah, we found a pretty cool two bedroom. Lot bigger than what we were living in,” Duff told them.

“You’re making Stevie and Slash share a room?” Another brother, Matt, asked. “Damn, you’re heartless.”

“No, Stevie and I are sharing a room. You know, because we’re dating,” Duff told them. His brothers all got quiet before question after question were thrown his way.

“When did this happen?”

“How long have you two been dating?”

“I thought she was dating Tommy Lee?”

“What happened to she’s just a friend?”

“It’s about fucking time!”

“Guys, guys, relax,” Duff laughed. “She got stood up by Vince one night and it led us to realize that we liked each other. Because we’re both idiots apparently.” Duff shook his head a little bit.

“Wait, she was supposed to go out on a date with Vince Neil? Like that guy from Motley Crue?” His brother Jon asked. Duff nodded. “And she went for you instead?”

“Ha, ha. You’re so funny,” Duff rolled his eyes. He looked towards the kitchen and saw that Stevie was busy, so he leaned forward. “Guys, I gotta show you something.”

“Oh god, you didn’t get her name tattooed on you somewhere, did you?” Mark laughed. Duff shook his head and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a box and opened it to show his brothers the ring inside.

“I want to marry her,” He told them. “I bought this when she was decorating the apartment and I just, I’ve kept it.” He quickly put it away.

“Do you have any idea of when you want to do it?” Bruce asked.

“No, not really,” Duff told him. “I’m...I’m waiting for the time to be right. We haven’t been home very long and I just want it to be perfect.” He looked back over at her, watching as she laughed and made conversation with his mom and sisters. “She deserves it to be perfect.”

“Oh my god, he’s serious,” Matt pointed out.

“Yes I am,” Duff nodded. He stowed the ring box back in his jacket pocket and settled in to watch the game.

The day wore on and everyone sat down to eat. Duff held Stevie’s hand under the table periodically. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she looked while smiling, which was pretty much the whole day. Later, while people were breaking off to play cards, watch more football, and other things, Stevie volunteered to help with dishes duty so that Marie could rest. Duff made his way into the kitchen, where Stevie was working. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder.

“How are you?” He asked. Stevie smiled.

“It’s so nice here,” She told him. “I’m not used to having such a big family around.”

“What do you think of Seattle?”

“It’s lovely,” Stevie told him. “It’s a little rainier than LA, but it’s kind of a nice change.”

“Would you ever want to live here?” Duff asked.

“Honestly? I would love it,” She went back to washing her dishes. “Your sisters were telling me that a house you were obsessed with as a kid is up for sale.”

“That’s what Andy was telling me, but I didn’t believe him,” Duff chuckled. “Wanna go take a look at it tomorrow?”

“Sure, why not?” She laughed. Duff started placing kisses on her neck. “Duff, what are you doing?”

“I missed you,” He told her, running his hands down her sides. “Can’t wait to get you back to the hotel.”

“Duff McKagan, you are something else,” Stevie shook her head.

“You love it.”

“Yes, yes I do,” She flicked some water at him and laughed. “But I’m trying to do the dishes right now.”

“Meanie,” Duff fake pouted, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. He leaned against the counter and watched her.

“You know it,” She laughed. “Let me finish these and maybe we can sneak out of here.”

“I like that idea,” Duff kissed her cheek. “Let me help, so we can speed up the process?” Stevie just laughed but let Duff take over the drying and putting away part while she washed and rinsed. Between the two of them, the process went pretty quickly and soon they were done and ready to head out.

“So soon?” Marie asked as they got their things. “But I haven’t seen you for a long time.”

“We’re sticking around for a bit,” Duff told his mom. “And we’ll see you before we head back to LA.”

“You better,” Marie hugged Stevie then hugged Duff. “You and I need to have a chat later.”

“Am I in trouble?” Duff asked. Marie glanced over to see that Stevie had been grabbed by some of his siblings and they were talking her ear off.

“A little birdie told me you’re wanting to propose,” She whispered to her son. “And all I can say is, it’s about time.” She patted Duff’s cheek. “I’m so glad that you’re happy. And I’m so glad that it’s with her.”

“Thanks mom,” Duff kissed her cheek. “We’ll be by before we leave.”

“If you don’t, I have seven other children I can send to kick your ass for me,” Marie teased. She gave the couple a smile as Duff and Stevie waved goodbye and headed out, going back to their hotel for the night.

****

“Duff, babe, this neighborhood looks really fancy,” Stevie commented as her and Duff drove through the Laurelhurst neighborhood. “Like, this looks like the Hills or something.” The house was in the center of the neighborhood, nestled on a large plot of land that looked out over the city. It was so peaceful, unlike the neighborhoods her, Slash, and Duff had been living in over the years.

“Yeah, it’s kinda an expensive neighborhood,” Duff explained, a fond smile finding its way on his face. “Andy and I used to ride our bikes through here all the time when we were kids. People who live here used to get so annoyed with us, but every time we passed this house, we knew that one of us was going to live here someday.”

Duff pulled into the driveway, where the real estate agent was waiting on them.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” Stevie laughed.

“Well, I thought I’d be going by myself honestly, because I wasn’t sure if you’d want to go look at the house or if you’d even want to live in Seattle,” Duff admitted. “But I’m glad you’re here with me.” He kissed her hand before they got out of the car. Stevie looked towards the house and was completely in awe of the huge building.

They took a tour of the house and the grounds, and Duff watched as Stevie fell in love with the house with each room they went into. Duff could tell she was processing everything, and she was already decorating the place. He just wondered if she would really be happy living there and not in LA.

They headed back to the car after they took the tour, the real estate agent giving them all the contact information they needed if they decided they wanted to put an offer in on the house.

“Well?” Duff asked as they settled in the car and started to drive off.

“I loved it,” She told him. “But we have the place in LA we just bought. And the band is there...”

“Yeah, but we’re not always practicing and touring,” Duff pointed out. “And Slash can take over the condo when we’re not there. I mean, I’m sure he’d love the alone time.”

“You really want this house, don’t you?” Stevie asked, looking over at her boyfriend.

“Uh...well yeah, but only if…”

“Because I really want it,” Stevie cut him off. “There’s so much I could do with that! And there’s room for a home studio! And it gives us a chance to leave LA when we’re not busy.”

“I thought this was going to be a lot harder to convince you,” Duff laughed. “So, you want it?” He pulled up to a red right.

“Yes!” Stevie kissed him as the light turned green. Duff started driving again, heading back to their hotel.

“I’ll call the agent before we leave,” Duff told her. “Fuck, we’re buying a house sweetheart.”

“It’s exciting,” Stevie sighed happily. “Our own house.”

****

Duff and Stevie made an offer on the house before leaving Seattle. They told Marie about it and she squealed and immediately started calling all of Duff’s siblings, telling them to put good luck into the air for their youngest brother. After that, they headed back to LA to meet up with the band. They had a few shows to play on the strip, back to their roots with their loving fans.

Axl and Izzy had come over to Stevie, Slash, and Duff’s condo for dinner after practice one afternoon. They were having a very heated discussion about who would win in a fight between Wonder Woman and Superman while they waited for their food to be delivered. The phone rang then, pulling Duff from the heated discussion.

“Excuse me,” Duff got up and went to answer it. He was gone for a few minutes as Stevie and Izzy defended Wonder Woman to Axl and Slash. He came back with a smile on his face.

“Who was that?” Stevie asked, looking up at him from her seat.

“Uh, that was the realtor,” Duff told her. “They accepted our offer.”

“Wait...you’re kidding?” Stevie asked. Duff shook his head.

“The house is ours babe.”

Stevie jumped up and wrapped her arms around Duff, kissing him deeply. Duff kissed her back, holding her close to him. The band all watched, amused, until Axl realized something.

“Wait, that means you guys are leaving,” Axl told them. “Does that mean the band is breaking up?” Duff and Stevie looked over at Axl, Izzy, and Slash.

“Well, no,” Duff told him, sitting down and pulling Stevie into his lap. “We figured that when we’re taking a break from tours and the studio, we’ll be up in Seattle, but we still will keep the condo for when we need to be here. But Slash, it’s all yours when we’re not here man.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you two leaving your blonde hair everywhere,” Slash teased.

“And when we start getting settled, I thought we’d have you guys all up,” Duff gave a wink to Slash, who knew what the plan was. He had been with Duff when he picked the ring out.

“Well, this sounds like we need to celebrate,” Izzy commented. “Bring out the beers!”

Forever Tags: @anathewierdo @dekahg @marvel-af-imagines @feelmyroarrrr @nanie5 @imboredsueme @gemini0410 @aiaranradnay @babypink224221 @mogarukes @xxwarhawk @sandlee44 @shatteredabby @caswinchester2000 @supernaturalwincestsblog @lauravic @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk @teller258316 @horrorpxnk @tommyleeownsme @marvelismylifffe @mrslogansixxpixx

Guns n Roses Tags: @duffshairdye @slashscowboyboots @hauntedapricoteggsclam @bitter-13-suite @arianareirg

It’s So Easy Tags: @str4nge-haze @viralwolf02

#it's so easy and other lies #duff mckagan #steven adler #duff mckagan x steven adler #guns n roses #fanfiction

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catbowserauthor · 6 years ago

Text

A small AU bit on "The Darkness Within"

So, this small piece originally sprung up from a very simple idea. The original thought behind the monster in 2003 TMNT's "The Darkness Within" was that it granted each person's deepest desires and that's why it was so hard to break its hold. They didn't end up going that angle and Laird originally had Mikey's deepest desires as having an amusement part like ranch all to himself. That is not the deepest desires I see for Mikey at all. Hence, this short bit. @brightlotusmoon This one may turn into an AU story at some point:

***

"Leo! Where have you been?"

The eldest turtle blinked, surprised. He knew this wasn't read but Michelangelo certainly looked the same even though the atmosphere didn't. They were on the stuck in an underground hell hole, not the Lair and yet the atmosphere around them looked like the home to a T. But then, it would make sense, he surmised. After all, Michelangelo had always been a fan of family and home. Though, it seemed that the other turtles couldn't appear in his hallucination.

"Michelangelo..." Leo began, slowly, carefully. "I know this may seem odd but we aren't in reality."

Blinking, Michelangelo responded "Whatta ya mean, we're not in reality?"

Taking another inhale, Leonardo confirmed, "It's a trap, a trick. Lies. That monster that took Angel's brother... it centers in on your deepest and darkest desires and makes them real."

"Wh..what?" Michelangelo asked again, "This...isn't real?" He looked around, as if trying to make sense of such a thing, ran his fingers over the looked-so-familiar stone.

"No," Leo said softly, "It's all a mirage...

"NO!" Michelangelo jerked away from his brother suddenly and sharply, rightly startling him. For all their spats at times, him and Leo usually got along so well. "No, stop lying to me! YOU'RE the illusion then!"

Okay, okay, so this wasn't how Leo thought saving his brothers would go but he would amend and adapt. "Michelangelo, don't be foolish. We were all coming to save Angel's brother, remember?" He gestured around them "This isn't where we were. You know it."

"We're ALWAYS trying to save somebody or stop someone!" Michelangelo argued. He paced, angry and Leo had never seen such intensive emotion from him before. "That's no proof!!"

"Mikey," Leo tried, grasping his brother's arm "if this is real, then where are Donnie and Raph? Why can't we hear Donnie hammering away or Raph pummeling that punching bag and where is Master Splinter?"

Michelangelo paused. "The..they're here. They're off doing..whatever it is they're doing."

"No. They're not here because they are stuck in their own illusions," Leonardo corrected. "They can't appear!" He gestured around, once more. "Call them and see."

"NO!" Michelangelo snapped again "You're crazy, bro!" He paced away from them, laid a hand on the Lair wall "RAPHAEL! DONATELLO! MASTER SPLINTER!"

Silence.

"C'mon, bros! Donatello! Raphael! Show Leo that he's WRONG Raph!" He paused and when no response came, his skin paled, if only slightly. "Master Splinter?"

He took off at a run and rushed through the entirety of the false-Lair. He came back, feeling flustered and reached for his Shell cell only to find it missing. "No, I always have it cause Donnie'll kill me if I don't or if I break it and..."

Leo, feeling enough time had passed, stepped forward "Mikey this is an illusion. You have to accept it and then we can break free and save Donnie and Raph and Angel's brother." "No!" Michelangelo pulled away again, putting his hands to his head "No, you have to be lying to me. The others will be back later. They will..."

For all his patience, Leo was getting frustrated. He knew this would be difficult but Michelangelo was being ridiculous, "Michelangelo listen to your--"

"Papa?"

That soft, gentle voice shut the turtle leader up mid sentence.

Appearing from behind Michelangelo in the 'door' of the Lair was a small child, female, entirely turtle in appearance. She stepped inward and approached the orange banded turtle, "Papa, what's wrong?"

Leonardo felt like his world crumbled around him and his breath came short.

Falling to his knees, Mikey stroked the girl's long black hair, "Nothin' it's nothin'."

"Dad?" another voice called and from the side room appeared another turtle girl, slightly younger. Then from the same door that the first had come through, another child, male this time. "Dad?"

"It's okay, everything...everything is okay. Your other uncles are gonna be back soon. Everything's okay..." Michelangelo repeated, though he was starting to breathe hard. He reached out and grasped each of the children tightly and pulled them tight into his chest. "It's...it's okay. Every-everything is fine. It's just fine." He buried his face into the youngest girl's dark black hair, "I...you're here. I'm here...we're all here."

"Uncles Donnie and Raph and Grandpa aren't." the older girl argued. She pointed to Leonardo. "Just Uncle Leo."

Michelangelo's face caved and tears gathered in his eyes, starting silent journeys down his cheeks. "N-no, they aren't."

Leo stepped forward, approached and stroked his brother's head. "No, they aren't here. That's why Mikey has to come with me...to find them. Cause I know Raph wouldn't turn down a chance to play with nieces and nephews. Donnie either. They'd be here, spoiling you all to death."

Shaking some himself, Leo offered a hand to Mikey. Oh, those heart broken eyes that looked up at him. Those blurry baby blues that pleaded, begged, sobbed 'please don't tell me this isn't real.'

Reluctantly, Michelangelo lifted a limp hand and let Leo clasp his and pull him to his feet. He stood slowly and then turned and stroked the hair of the eldest girl "You look after your brother and sister, okay?"

She nodded firmly and stood firmly and tall. "You can count on me, Papa."

He nodded, smiled with tears in his eyes, "I...I know I can." He lay a hand on the boy's shoulder "You keep these two from killing one another, okay?"

He nodded, smiling "Uncle Leo taught me well, Dad." He reached out and wrapped arms around Leonardo who stiffened and then turned back to Mikey, "And I have your spirit!"

Choking a bit, he nodded "y-you do."

The youngest one pushed forward and pulled on Michelangelo's hand, "You'll be back, right Papa?"

Michelangelo locked eyes with her and she looked up at him with blue eyes that were mirrors of his own. "I...I...I will..."

She nodded and released his hand after a moment. He pulled away quickly and Leo wrapped an arm around him as they walked off.

"Papa!"

Michelangelo half turned.

The girl had stuck a thumb into her mouth and she inquired, her voice quivering "Am I still your Masterpiece?"

Tears rolling, Michelangelo stammered "Y-you'll always be my Masterpiece, Little Sistine."

Turning away from the three, Michelangelo's voice quaked and broke as he screamed "It's all a lie! None of this is real!"

The atmosphere shattered like glass.

#tmnt #2003 tmnt #mikey just wants love #mikey wants children #mikey wants a family #the darkness within au #fanfiction #big brother leo #psychological torture #iron woobie mikey

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thearrangment-phff · 6 years ago

Text

LXVII.

October 2018

There was irony for Isabella to attend an event to mark World Mental Health Day. She had no idea what was wrong with her and yet she hid her pain and smiled for the cameras. She urged people to open dialogue about mental health but she could never do it herself. She urged others to be kind to each other and seek help if they needed it but she could never do it herself. Every word she read of her speech spilled of hypocrisy that only a few knew about. She cried herself to sleep that night and every night for weeks.

The hardest day for both Harry and Isabella was the wedding of Eugenie and Jack. Harry needed to pretend that his marriage went perfect and Isabella needed to pretend that she was perfect. Isabella need to be dressed up by Christine and Charlotte as she didn’t have enough energy to even do it herself.

When Isabella joined Harry in the car her attitude completely changed. She was smiling and waving like nothing was wrong. It broke Harry’s heart a little bit to see her faking everything but he knew it was best for everyone. Then the thought of his mother came into his mind. He wondered if Isabella and his mother would find much in common with their marriages. But his mother would’ve never approved of a marriage between he and Isabella in the first place so he pushed the thought out of his mind.

“Are you okay?” asked Isabella.

“Are you okay?” asked Harry in response.

“I’m fine,” answered Isabella.

“I’m fine too,” replied Harry.

“I can’t wait to see her,” said Isabella in an attempt to make small talk in the car.

“It will be a good day.”

“No doubt Eugenie will look beautiful,” agreed Isabella.

The fake smiles, laughs, and small talk exhausted Isabella. By the end of the night, Isabella was left alone like always. Once Harry had kissed his son's goodnight Charlotte and Christine blocked Harry from going to sleep.

“What’s wrong?”

“We have a question for you,” started Charlotte.

“Have you and Isabella... had sex?” asked Christine.

“I don’t understand why you would-”

“We were dressing her this morning and we noticed something. Her stomach was bigger,” interrupted Christine.

“She gave birth a couple of months ago and with very large twins no less. I’m sure it’s nothing but I’ll have doctors look at it tomorrow if it’s such a pressing matter,” said Harry trying to go to bed.

“No. Not like that,” argued Charlotte.

“Harry she might be pregnant,” clarified Christine.

He had no words for a couple of seconds. Harry felt like the wind was knocked out of him, “It was one time. We were both had too much to drink,” whispered Harry.

“It only takes one time. She may be pregnant again and the doctors warned her about another pregnancy so soon. Harry she could actually die this time a number of ways.”

“What would you have me do? I have no power over her.”

“She’s unresponsive anyhow. We don’t need permission to drag her to the doctors. This time we do things right,” explained Charlotte.

“Are you suggesting an abortion?” asked Christine in horror.

“Would you rather she die in childbirth?”

“She would never want an abortion,” replied Harry.

“Would you want your sons to grow up without a mother like you did Harry?” asked Charlotte.

“Two very different circumstances and we all know you should not have said that to make your point,” answered Harry.

“But the results are the same. Two motherless sons. I want what is best for her and that is her living a long life so she can raise her children, spoil her grandchildren, and live long enough to see her great-grandchildren born. Forgive me for caring about her!” argued Charlotte.

“She will never forgive you. She will never forgive any of us if we make this decision for her,” continued Harry.

“Then we consult a doctor from the royal household and he will agree with me,” huffed Charlotte.

“Are we not going to even ask what she wants? This is her body,” asked Christine.

“It stopped being her body when she agreed to marry Harry,” replied Charlotte.

On the birth of Isabella’s youngest niece, Juliana, Isabella was stuck in London. Imre video chatted with her so that she was still able to be there.

“How are you?” asked Isabella.

“Exhausted. I always think it will be easier with the next one but it never does,” answered Kathleen.

“How are Maria Stella and Magdelena? Are they thrilled to be big sisters?” asked Isabella.

“Magdelena is but Maria Stella is not thrilled at the idea of another little sibling. She is too spoiled but Imre can’t say no to his firstborn,” laughed Kathleen.

“They are such angels. I miss them so much.”

“How are Harry and the boys?”

“Wonderful. Harry has been working but he tries to spend so much time with Charlie and Bertie. And the boys are just so big! They cannot stop eating,” half-lied Isabella.

“I cannot wait for you to hold Juliana in your arms. She is such a little angel. You know, rumors has it that Adelaide is pregnant and with 4 babies born by the end of this year who knows how many babies will be born in 2019,” beamed Kathleen.

“How you heard anything about Luisa or Christine?” asked Isabella.

“Not in the past couple of days as I have been preoccupied.”

“Christine says that she cannot even get out of bed because of doctor’s order of bedrest until she gives birth. Luisa is still in the early stages of pregnancy but last time I heard it’s been a very difficult beginning. You know about my troubles but did you have any?” talked Isabella.

“Well not to your extent. I just had a couple of weeks of morning sickness but nothing worse than that,” answered Kathleen.

“So many children but people forget the sacrifices women make to have them. I know I did.”

“You just had it worse than others. No one could have predicted your pregnancy going the way that it did. You are always so hard on yourself ever since you were a teenager.”

“With all due respect, you didn’t know me very well back then and you still don’t Kathleen,” replied Isabella.

“You are right. It’s been made clear over the years that we have differing views but nothing about my love as a sister and admiration for you has changed. I would never say anything to hurt you, Belle.”

“Yes... while I understand that I must remind you that your beliefs are founded on hatred and an imaginary man. Goodbye Kathleen.”

Isabella shut her laptop and left the room. No matter how many times Isabella had wanted to like Kathleen her sister-in-law's religious and political views had always been the first thing. The American Archduchess had tried had to get Isabella’s approval but even 8 years later and 3 nieces, Isabella could never fully like the older women.

“Belle, what’s wrong?”

Isabella had come face to face with her ladies-in-waiting, two of which who were holding Charles and Albert in their arms, “Nothing. I wish to go to France. I think a couple of days at Chambord would do me well.”

“France? Kathleen just gave birth perhaps going to Switzerland would be better,” suggested Christine.

“I don’t want to go to Switzerland. I have yet to go to Chambord and I own the damn place, it would do me good to spend time away from the life of London.”

“Does Harry know about your decision?” asked Olympia.

“He will soon. A week in France with my husband and sons it just what I need.”

“Isabella.” The group of women turned their attention to Harry. The five women stood there until Charlotte had cleared her throat and the four ladies had left them alone.

“I was just speaking about going to the Chateau de Chambord for some time.”

“Why would you want to go to France right now?” asked Harry.

“I’m tired of London and wish for something more familiar. Besides, the French air may do the boys good before the winter here.”

“And it would just be the 4 of us?”

“Of course.”

“Not even Charlotte, Christine, or the other two will be joining us?” asked Harry.

“No. It would simply be the four of us... and of course the dozens of people who work in the château as well. The chateau itself can’t live without them.”

“This is very sudden but I think I can work something out and spend a weekend there.”

“I was thinking a week,” replied Isabella.

“Then you would need to wait a little longer because I can’t spend a week in France right now.”

“Then come to us when you have time but I want to leave as soon as I can.”

Harry looked at her, “Alright. I’ll join you when I can but ask that the boys stay with me.”

“What?”

“The boys stay with me, Isabella.”

“No. No, I want the boys with me. I haven’t had proper time with them.”

“You will be going to France alone either way. What happens next is up to you,” said Harry.

“Fine. They stay and come with you,” agreed Isabella in defeat.

Upon arrival at the chateau, Isabella got accustomed to how Chambord was run. She met with everyone who worked on the grounds and especially those whom she would see on a daily basis. For the most part was left to wonder the Château and in the gardens. Her ancestors had built this palace centuries ago and now it was in her possession.

“Ma’am this is Count Johann Kinsky. He has been taking care of some of the financials of the running of the chateau and asked to speak to you.”

“Thank you, Norine,” smiled Isabella.

The elder woman nodded and left the room closing the door behind her. Johann had stared at the door waiting for it to be closed before talking, “Thank you for meeting with me.”

“Kinsky. You have to elaborate more on that.”

“My father Ferdinand is a second cousin to both Marie and Georgina, The Princesses of Liechtenstein,” replied Count Johann.

“And your mother?” asked Isabella.

“Countess of Ursel. Charlotte is my mother's cousin, she’s the one who gave me this position.”

“Of course she would participate in nepotism. What about your grandparents?”

“Kinsky grandfather, Baroness grandmother, Ursel grandfather, and Croy princess grandmother.”

“Baroness grandmother? Is she a Belgian or former Habsburg subject?” asked Isabella.

“None, she was German. Through her, I am the third cousin to the current King of The Netherlands.”

“Interesting. Kinsky's usually going for princesses, not baronesses.”

“My grandmother’s cousin was the former prince consort of The Netherlands mother. I don’t think a title really mattered when a connection like that triumphed,” explained Johann.

“Anyhow, what did you have to speak to me about?” asked Isabella.

“The tours have sold nearly ten times than they usually do. The revenue is beyond what this chateau use to make. I wanted to recommend using that money to renovate some parts of the chateau.”

“That money will go back to the trust and before you say anything else, I have little to no say in that. It was decided a long time ago what percentage of the money would go back to the upkeeping,” said Isabella.

“I was talking with The Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein and he said-”

“I could not care less about what he has to say,” interrupted Isabella.

“It was to my understanding that he is in charge of the trust. I was told to report to him regarding anything financial but your visit happened to come before I could talk to him,” said Johann in confusion.

“Why did you come speak to me if you were going to go over my head anyhow?”

“I thought you should know what is going on in your home,” answered Johann.

“Chambord has never been my home. I simply own it because Queen Fabiola thought it would make me more desired and powerful. I’ve owned this magnificent piece of history for years and this is the first time I ever visiting.”

“Forgive me for making assumptions.”

“You are forgiven but I would like for you not to bring anything like this up again. I care little for the financials of things, that is why I leave that to my godfather Alois,” replied Isabella.

“Should I not update you on progress as well?” asked Johann.

“Do what you wish in that regards but I could care less. I won’t be living here any time soon and it will stay open for all those to tour.”

“Should I tell your husband as well?”

“What is mine is mine. He will have no say in anything,” answered Isabella.

“Thank you for meeting with me ma’am,” ended Johann feeling vastly uncomfortable.

#PHFF #prince harry fanfiction #prince harry fanfic #royal fanfiction #royal fanfic #fanfiction

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darkling-er · 7 years ago

Text

Hope’s Savior ( John Seed x OC ) | Part 10

Summary: Trinity-Hope Johnson finds herself in the middle of a holy war, leading the Resistance, while having a complicated relationship with one of the cult’s herald. And she thought her first case would be easy. Oh how wrong she was!

Pairings: John Seed/Fem!Deputy, John Seed/OC, Earl Whitehorse & OC ( uncle&niece ), Joseph Seed/Fem!Deputy ( kind of ), might add more later

Warnings: mild language, violence, eventually smut, masturbation, oral sex, you know guys the usual, use of drugs ( bliss and other, thanks to Sharky ), fluff ( does that even need a warning? ), manipulation, angst, mention of mental illness ( insomnia, depression ), mention of child abuse ( from John’s side ), torture, I think that’s it? I swear it’s not so bad!

Word Counter: 4794

Notes: In this chapter I mention my hon’s oc, Liza Evans. You can check Liza’s story, and our interactions here: link , interactions with Liza and my ocs (others). I’m in love with hon’s oc, I’m sure you’ll like her too. ♥

Only you, can make this change in me...

The world is on fire again. Dark clouds of fire and ash cover the once green and vivid Earth. Hope’s nose is filled with the smell of burned flesh, human flesh, she thinks and she knows she’s right. Her friends, the people of Hope County are dead. And she stands on the pile of dead bodies, not even recognizing one of them as they melt in the fire. A fire that doesn’t affect her, which doesn’t hurt her. She shakes of fear and fury. But there are no screams, like last time, only an all too familiar song:

For it’s true, you are my destiny...

Then the dead bodies suddenly all stand on their feet. Looking at her, though their faces are melted and disfigured, she knows they are looking at her. All screaming silently, not making a noise, but a high pitch reaches her ears. Too high, too painful and she covers her ears with her hands, but to no vail, it doesn’t help. The music, the screams it’s all too much for her to take. Hope falls to the ground, but an even louder voice shakes her out of it:

“TRAIN! HUNT! KILL! SACRIFICE!” It’s Jacob Seed’s voice, and it repeats over and over and over again, getting louder than before and she can’t taki it anymore, she screams as well.

“Train! Hunt! Kill! Sacrifice!” She cries out, suddenly a gun in hand, killing the high pitch noise makers, every person getting a face as she shoots them.

Disfigured face, shoot, Dutch... Burned body, shoot, Sharky... Unknown bloody face, shoot, Earl... and it goes on again and again and again and she doesn’t stop even as tears fall down her face, knowing she’s killing her friends.

Then it stops, the high pitch, the music, everything. The ash falling from the skies stops as well. And then blackness comes to swallow her whole and Jacob Seed’s proud voice can be heard:

“Excellent.”

Waking up on the bench of the church in Fall’s End is a lot better than waking up tied up to a chair. So Hope doesn’t complain as her muscles hurt, when she gets up from the furniture. Her muscles hurt all the time, she gets cuts and wounds every day, thanks to the fighting, so who cares anyway?

She’s covered in sweat, even though the church is quite cold. Her ears still hurt and she feels a liquid sliding down her earlobe. She touches it then moves her hand in front of here view. Blood. And as if she wasn’t panicking already, a cough comes from behind her, startling her.

She doesn’t think as she gets her pistol from her holster, turns around and shoots blindly. The sound of the gunshot echoing in the house of God scares her. Her own actions scare her. With wide eyes, panic creeping up on her she looks at Pastor Jerome, hands shaking, lowering her gun.

The man seems scared, but not hurt, as the bullet went past him and hit the walls instead of his flesh.

“Oh God! I’m.. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry Jerome, are you okay?”

She puts down her pistol and stumbles as she gets near the man, the Pastor catching her by the arm.

“Yes, don’t worry, Deputy. Nothing bad happened, that’s what matters.” He says and then looks at the young woman’s bleeding ear, touching the still fresh blood. “Deputy, are you all right? You’re bleeding!”

She shakes her head. No, I’m not fucking all right. The she nods slowly, calming down, closing her eyes. She can’t mention her dream, or the real time she heard Jacob’s commands, could she now?

“I.. yeah, just hit it into the bench when I woke up from a nightmare.” She feels bad lying to the man.

He showed her nothing but kindness and comfort, and here she goes betraying him with her lies. Jerome seems to notice it too, the hurt in his eyes visible, but says nothing as he sighs and lets the girl go.

“Did you sleep in here?” He asks looking at the bench she was sitting on a couple of minutes prior to this moment.

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind...” Hope starts and Jerome chuckles lightly, holding up his hands:

“Deputy, it’s alright. But you could have asked any of us, we surely would have found you a bed.”

She nods, then starts to walk out of the church:

“I just wanted a place to rest for the night, I still have lots of things to do in the Valley... I’ll talk to you later.”

Hope feels bad about leaving the man like that, but she can’t seem to handle people, not while her dream is still fresh in her mind. As he exits the church she bumps into Adam’s chest.

“Are you okay?” The man asks, looking down at her, it’s easy for everyone to tower over her small form.

“Yeah, why is everyone so interested how I’m doing today?!” She asks annoyed and goes on her way toward the chopper she landed yesterday night.

The chopper reminds her of John Seed and she groans out loud, not wanting to deal with the youngest Seed brother in her head right now.

“Wow, someone’s grumpy.” Adam chuckles as he follows her.

Hope enters the chopper and the gun for hire does the same, making the young woman annoyed again.

“Why are you following me?”

He raises an eyebrow and looks at the junior deputy weirdly:

“You didn’t call.”

She snorts as they take off from the ground, leaving Fall’s End behind as they move toward west.

“Yeah, that usually means that you don’t have to come and follow me. When I call you, you come. That’s how this works, asshole!”

The man rolls his eyes:

“Well yeah, we were worried about you. Liza called me to check up on you after yesterday, so I did.”

Hope frowns at that. Liza Evans, the woman who she considers as her friend, who tends to listen to all radio channels to help out the Resistance with all kinds of information called Adam. To check up on her... After yesterday’s events...

“Fuck...” She sighs out, knowing that the woman probably heard her conversation with John Seed.

“What happened yesterday?” Adam asks her.

So she didn’t tell him at least. Good...

“Nothing of your concern.”

Silence falls upon them and she feels like apologizing for being rude to the man, when he changes topics:

“Where are we going?”

They’re already near their destination as she answers him:

“To the Lamb of God church. A woman named Grace needs our help there.”

Hope lands the chopper and exit it. Her rifle on her shoulder, pistol in holster and AR-C in hand. Adam holds his bow as they approach the church. Peggies are already outside, shooting at the belltower, where Hope spots a woman, Grace, probably.

The cultist don’t expect Adam and the Deputy so they fall to the ground dead pretty quickly.

“Hey, belltower!” Grace motions for them and Adam stays down the ground as Hope climbs the ladder on the side of the church.

The woman look at the sniper rifle on Hope’s shoulder and asks:

“How good of a shot are you?”

Hope smiles, remembering her longest shot to be about 150 meters:

“Not to brag, but pretty good.”

The woman scoffs, but smiles:

“Good... Name’s Grace. Got word soemone was out makin’ life miserable for the cult. You got good timing. See those graves down there?” She points at the cemetery of the church.

“Yup.”

“A couple war heroes buried here... My Pops is one of ‘em. The Peggies are trying to defile ‘em. They’re trying erase our history... demoralize us... get us to break so we’ll roll over. Huh, not on my fuckin’ watch. Ain’t nobody gonna touch my Pop’s grave while I’m still breathing. I’m a good shot, but I need someone to watch my back. They’re be here any second.”

“Alright, we’ll help you, don’t worry!” Hope takes her place on the roof, and tells Adam to get ready his pistol, if his bow won’t be that great against an ambush.

There’s no much time to prepare as the peggies are already on their way toward the mausoleums to destroy them. Grace wan’t kidding, she’s a good shot, as she takes out the peggies one by one. As some of them get closer they throw molotovs on the roof, Hope almost getting herself caught on fire. Sharky would love this... She thinks as she takes out the peggies that get too close to the graves.

“How pathetic are they, trying to destroy graves? Like, seriously? What is wrong with these people?” She shouts in between shots to Grace.

“Fuckin’ coward, that’s what they are. Don’t respect anyone, not even the dead.”

After firing up the guys with the flamethrowers and no more peggies are left alive Hope goes up to talk to the woman:

“Gotta admit, it would have been tough, without you... I owe you. Not a lot of people would have stuck their neck out like that.”

“That’s what I do.” Hope smiles at her, Grace returning a small smile.

“Means a lot to me. My pops always said, as long as we keep believin’ in each other, there’s still hope. If we stick together, look out for one another... Cult will never break us.”

Hope smiles, her anger from yesterday evening toward Dutch and the Resistance fading away. She had her doubts, she was angry that people kept acting like she was some soldier, just a tool for their cause. And here it is this woman, talking the truth. The reason why she keeps fighting and not just give up. People need to stick together.

“I ain’t about to get all sappy and shit, but if you ever need help, gimme a call. I got your back.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that. Right now I have that asshole over there with me though.” She motions to Adam with a teasing smile. “But I’ll call you, if we need help, keep safe.”

“Same goes to you, Deputy.”

They stay to loot the peggie corpses for useful stuff, as Dutch calls her. She feels ashamed after their yesterday fight, but the man sounds same as always.

“See you met Grace. Known her since she was a kid. Honest. Tough. Every bit the soldier her daddy was. Probably ten times the shot, too. She’ll watch your back when the shit hits the fan.”

The chopper got destroyed by the peggies while they were fighting - Thanks assholes - so Adam and her start walking. Adam being left behind a bit.

“Deputy.. not to be... a pain... in the ass... but... slow down?” Adam asks, breathing heavily.

Hope turns around, while walking backwards, still moving faster than the man, with a big grin on her face.

“Awwww, is our big grumpy man being tired? You wanted to come, so suck on that.” She laughs turning around.

“Seriously... gonna... pass out.”

Hope thinks he’s just being dramatic, but a big thud sound makes her turn around. Man on the ground she jogs up to him, crouching at the man’s side.

“Adam, you okay?” She asks, poking the man, who grunts in return, but unconscious.

“Great...” She scoffs, then sits beside him, dragging him off the road. They don’t want to get hit by a car or anything.

She’s waiting for the man to wake up, considering to call help after a few moments, when her radio crackles to life.

“Deputy... you’ve had your fun. But all sinners must confess. This is the will of the Father. My men are coming for you.” Wow, he sounds pissed, and I haven’t even done any big damage today. She wonders if the man remembers yesterday night as he finishes with: “I’ll see you soon.”

Why did that last sentence send chills down her spine? Why does she feel excited about this? Why did he sound so... sincere with the last sentence. Why, why, why... She doesn’t have much time to prepare as the search party comes for her.

Just as she starts shooting them down, getting her and Adam behind a tree, not wanting to get a bliss bullet yet again her radio crackles again:

“John is fucking determined to sink his hooks into you, Deputy.” Yeah, no shit! “I know you got out by the skin of your teeth last time, but don’t underestimate this bastard. Dutch out.”

And as the man says out, Hope gets a bullet into her leg. Same that got the arrow days ago.

“Oh for fuck’s...sake...” She says but feels dizzy as the white dots appear in front of her, and she’s soon out.

Moaning into the blackness Hope feels like shit. Her leg hurts, her body hurts and weirdly enough she doesn’t feel the effect of the Bliss. How long has she been out, if it wear off?

“They put up a good fight.” An unfamiliar man’s voice can be heard and she wants to say ‘Shut up I’m sleeping’, but as she closes her eyes and catches a glimpse of the ceiling, she realizes she’s in a bunker. John’s bunker!

“Wake up, Sinner!”

“Fuck you...” She spits out, but is still feeling dizzy and sleepy, her body aching for going back to sleep.

“Be easier to just put a bullet in ‘em.” You did that, it hurt, you fucker...

“That is not the will of the Father.” She wants to say fuck your ‘Father’ but feels that would not be a smart move, also she can’t even speak straight, she can’t even see straight, just blurrs all over.

“Take them to John. He’s ready to hear their Confession.”

She kicks powerlessly at the man who grabs her hurting leg, and the pain sends her right back to sleep, with the knowing next time she’ll wake up, she’ll have to face John Seed.

Muffled screaming and metal clamping wakes her up. Having a headache it doesn’t help her relax. It’s annoying and she wants to shut the source up. She groans, but the scream just becomes louder so she opens her eyes, though she wishes she didn’t. She looks down at herself, tied to a chair and for a moment she thinks she’s back with Jacob and it scares her to hell. Then her memory starts to work and remembers they took her to John. Why does that make me relax?

She looks down at her bloody hands - her own blood from the fighting, climbing and crawling made her hands filled with bruises. She tied to the chair, with rope, not tape that Jacob used on her. But it’s not comfortable either, even more uncomfortable. Her wrists feeling already hurt by the ropes on them, she must have move around a lot while she was asleep.

She looks up from her hand and in the back of the strange room is another person, tied to a chair just like her. The woman, by the sound of it -because her vision is still not yet clean- is jumping and moving around in her chair, trying to escape or to get Hope’s attention. She blinks and opens her eyes wide to get her vision back to clear - keep it like this and I’ll lose my sight one day.

“Hudson!” She says as she recognizes her co-worker. She’s still in her uniform. Jesus, she’s been in that for weeks?! She looks miserably to Hope, still trying to get words out of her mouth, which is covered in tape. But not hers, not Hope’s. And she has a feeling why it’s like this. She wants to say to her that she’ll get themselves out, though she knows that’s a lie. Now they are both in the same position.

Hope keeps her mouth shut as a metal door behind her, where she can’t see, is being shut forcefully.

Hudson keeps quiet, seeing the person coming into the room. But Hope doesn’t need to see to know who it is.

Steps echo on the metal floor and a cheerful whistle can be heard. We’ll meet again...

She gets a jump as John Seed gets into her view, placing a bowl down on the table next to her chair. Water and a sponge. Then he doesn’t even look at the junior deputy as he goes along, metal box in hand, still whistling.

He stops at a wooden table of some kind. Which has a... Jesus is that a human skin?!... taped to it. The Baptist sets down his box on the table, then opens it and a bit too dramatically wipes the table from the dust on it as he sets down his tools on it. I have a feeling those aren’t usual tools for fixing the heater or something...

He stops whistling, both hand on the table, waiting for something. Or just being a dramatic ass as usual...

In the sudden silence she can hear her own heart pounding in her chest. She’s not that terrified, only god knows why not. She doesn’t dare to speak up first. Over the radio it’s her territory, she feels in a false safe, but here. This is the den of the wolf, and he’s ready to swallow it’s prey if it dares to make a sound.

She looks him over for weapons, seeing none, but she knows better than to think he can’t do damage to her. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbow, his hair is neatly done. She imagines how she must look like: her sweater from the whitetails being big on her, her overused jeans being dirty and bloody. She looks like she came from a war to do netflix. While he looks like he’s ready to fuck everyone’s shit up in court.

The man inhales as he turns around and it makes her shiver a bit, completely lost in her thoughts now trying to focus on John Seed. Oh for fucks sake! She thinks as Hope watches the man smirk at her, hand on the table, other hand hanging at his side, almost behind his back. She can’t help but look at his belt, kind of hanging in the air on his jeans, breaking the whole neat form a bit. Why the fuck is he hot? No! Stop it, don’t think about that! As the man starts talking Hope rolls her eyes, knowing this will be a long ass monologe.

“My...’parents’.Were the first ones to teach me about the Power of Yes.”

Hope frowns as John turns back to the table. This is new. This isn’t something about Joseph and the Voice, the grace of God, no. This is something more personal, more real. And Hope can’t help but feel like she’s being invited to get to know his past. She sits quietly, waiting for him to continue. He gets a stapler out of the metal box and a piece of human skin, sticking it next to the other skin. Eww...

“One night, they took me into the kitchen, and they threw me on the ground, and I experienced pain after pain after pain...” He slaps down the stapler on the desk and Hope gets starlted a bit, while Hudson makes a crying sound of fear.

Hope isn’t exactly afraid, she’s more intrigued with the story. So he was abused by his parents, great... Makes sense... Don’t feel sorry for him, don’t feel sorry for him, don’t feel sorry for him... But she can’t help and imagine a young boy, crying on the kitchen floor while his parents beat him. Shit, I feel sorry him...

He turns around, looking at Hope, but his stare wanders around, imagining the story he tells her, she thinks.

“And when I didn’t think I could take anymore, I did.” He gets something out of the box, a tool of some kind and she follows his every move with her eyes. As the man steps closer to her, a smell of cologne hits her nose. God, it’s been so long she felt the something so good. Always fighting the scent of blood and dirt around her. Even in Fall’s End, with the gunpowder and everything unpleasent. And here it is John Seed with his too good scent, she can’t help but inhale deeply which she tries to hide as an annoyed sound.

He turns on the lamp next to her on the table, positioning it so it blinds her for a second.

“Something broke free inside. I wasn’t scared, I was...” He seems to think for a bit as Hope watches the key hanging around his neck, right on his collarbone with the ‘Sloth’ carving. “...clear.”

He starts to connect the head of the tattoo gun with the machine, and Hope gulps at that, not wanting to know that sooner or later that will touch her skin. I wanted a tattoo once, now I’m not sure about this...

“I looked up at them and I started to laugh. All I could say was... Yes.” He doesn’t break eye contact and as he starts the tattoo gun, trying it out Hudson groans through her gag, but Hope doesn’t flinch. I’m not gonna give him the satisfaction.

He looks kind of dissappointed, raising his eyebrows as he looks away, turning of the tattoo gun, putting it down.

“I spent my enitre life looking for more things to say ‘yes’ to.”

Hope gasps as he quickly moves toward her, making it impossible to not look at him as he grabs the neck of her sweater, tearing it open down to her sternal line. Oh fuck, you got to be kidding me. She thinks, realizing she doesn’t wear a bra - it was removed from her when she was brought back to the whitetails just as all of her clothes. Her breasts aren’t out completely but it’s enough to make her feel exposed, face turning red.

It’s obvious to John she doesn’t wear a bra as well. A smile on his face as he looks at her exposed skin, eyes wandering around. She tries her best not to breath so heavily, not wanting more attention to herself.

“I opened every hole in my body and when those were filled, I created more.” He looks up at her flushed face and her lips. Hope doing what she always does when feeling anxious bites her lover lip a bit, making John stop for a second, considering something even, but he straightens up, not breaking eye contact.

“But it was Joseph who showed me just how selfish I was being.” He grabs the bowl with the sponge and starts to clean her chest with it. The cold water making her having goosebumps and the liquid sliding down on her making her nipples harden against the fabric of her sweater. The feeling of skin to skin making her thoughts go wild, trying to think about anything but John Seed’s hand against her chest.

“Always receiving. Always taking.” He looks up at her and continues to clean her skin with the sponge. “The best gift isn’t the one you get, it’s the one you give. And giving takes courage. The courage...” He finishes cleaning her, putting the bowl and sponge back to the table next to her as he turns around continuing.

“...to own your sin. To etch it on to your flesh.” He looks at Hudson, for the first time since he stepped into the room, then turns back.” And carry it’s burden and when you have endured - when you truly begin to atone - to cut it out like a cancer and display it for all to see.”

He motions to his own chest, trying to mimic what he’s talking about. Then he chuckles. “ My God, that’s courage.”

He turns to his desk with the human skin on it, getting out a knife sharpener from his metal box while talking, pacing around the room. Letting his voice to raise as he does.

“I’m going to teach you courage. Teach you how to say yes so you can confront your weaknesses. Confront your sin. You will swim across an ocean of pain and emerge... free.” He points the sharpener at Hope’s direction, walking toward the young woman. Placing the cold metal to her skin, right on her chest, then sliding it down to her clivage, which makes her trying to shift and get away from him. He smirks at her, a sadistic smile on that beautiful face. Why are the pretty ones the craziest?

“For only then can you truly begin to atone.”

He turns around, stopping at his desk, leaning on it with a pose he could totally make front page of a psycho version of Playboy. His voice smooth, but the it’s filled with the heavy consequenses they carry.

“So, who wants to go first? Hm?”

Fuck him... Hudson’s mouth is taped, so there’s no way she could say yes to the man, not that she would if she could anyway. This is a game between them, between the Deputy and the Baptist. They all know it.

She has to think quickly. Her heart says she should just say it and be over with it already. Let him win this round, make Hudson free from the man for a short time. But her pride, her stubborn head makes her stay silent. I won’t let him win...

“Which one? Hmmm?” But there’s only silence following him, his eyes starting to burn with fire, his voice collected still, but not for long and the junior deputy knows that.

“This..is..lesson..number..one.” His voice starting to get cold, smile fading a bit.

Hudson screams a sound that is similar to “no”, fighting against her restraints. Hope glances toward the woman, feeling her own walls break at the look of her. Pity building in her, her heart aching. She parts her lips, but closes it. Even if she said yes, he would keep both of them. This makes no difference. He will torture them both even if she says nothing. The word would just make his ego bigger, so she tries her best to ignore Hudson, looking at the man’s eyes, challenging him.

“Someone’s got to choose!” He shouts, eyes burning in anger and he suddenly turns around and flips the whole table he was leaning on a few seconds ago.

“For Fucks Sake, we’ll start with you!” He shouts angrily at Hope, walking toward her, face hard, then an evil smile comes across his face as he leans in to her face. I knew it...

“You won’t regret this, I promise.” He leans out and walks toward a crying Hudson.

“Now, before we begin I think it’s only proper that Deputy Hudson goes back to her room. Confessions are supposed be privatey after all.” He grabs her chair and starts leading her out toward the door, to stop next to Hope.

Hudson crying John stops her, hushing her.

“Shhh...shhh... I am not here to take your life.” He looks at the junior deputy. “I’m here to give it to you.”

John leans in toward Hope, grabbing her neck smoothly with both his hands, thumb circling around her pulse. Then he starts to choke her, giving more force as he speaks:

“I’m going to open you and pour your worst fears inside.” He cuts all her air away and she opens her mouth, desperatly trying to get away, trying to breath again. A moan escaping her lips which can be easily mistaken to a pleasure sound. “And as you choke, your sins will reveal themselves. Only then will you truly understand the Power of Yes.”

He stops choking, but leaves his hands on her throat, smoothing away the previous pain with his fingers, a smirk on his face as he takes a look on her more exposed breasts.

“Fuck you!” She spits at him, making him to release her as he steps back.

A surprised chuckle comes from him, looking down at her as he wipes the spit from his beard and then taking his fingers in his mouth, tasting it. Hope looks at him, disgusted and flushed by his action. He humms, then looks into her eyes, a look of a predator... a look of lust on his face and Hope can’t help but remember how he said in their last conversation that he wants her beneath him...

“Baby’s first words.” He chuckles again, meaning that the deputy never spoke to him in real life, only through the radio.

Then like nothing happened he takes Hudson’s chair and smirks at Hope.

“I’ll be right back.” And he takes out Hudson with him through the door, where Hope can’t see to leave the deputy on her own in the room.

A/N: So fucking tumblr decided to delete my chapter at least 3 times in a row, so I had to rewrite everything... Meaning it’s probably a sloppy and poor version of the original one. My anger and annoyance making this chapter probably my worst one ever. So sorry for that. And screw you tumblr...

Tags: @onl-you , @redaurora17

#hope's savior #trinity-hope johnson #my deputy #far cry 5 fanfiction #far cry fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #john seed x deputy #john seed x female deputy #john seed x oc #far cry 5 #my ocs

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writinanon · 7 years ago

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Country Skies

With the help of @wafflii I have fallen into another AU. Expect another chapter of Reverberations and possibly Covenants soon. I want to find the right creepy atmosphere music for Covenants before I delve deeper into it. Also I’m not very good with timelines and there’s a bit of confusion for FC5′s timeline so I’m just going to wing it.

Stella belongs to me but Tammy belongs to @wafflii she’s a sweet heart.

The tender age of 10 was the last time that Stella saw her Dad. He’d just come home with burns on his face and had trouble adjusting. Her mother couldn’t handle it and filed for divorce. An incident with him having night terrors had been all she needed to gain sole custody of Stella. They talked on the phone for a while, her Dad calling almost every night but it slowed to a week, two weeks, a month, once in a few months, and then finally on her 13th birthday was the last call he made to her. Stella had been crushed, had wondered if something was wrong, he didn’t sound well. Her mother wouldn’t let her go and see him. A small part of her hated her mother for that. Stella would never forgive her for completely cutting her Dad out of her life or for forcing another man into it. She never called James ‘Dad’ or ‘Father’ she always called him James. He never really seemed bothered by it but it bothered her mother and they had many fights about it.

Stella hadn’t thought much of her Dad for a while now, she’d tried to find him, still tried around Father’s Day and his birthday, but she had a life now and couldn’t spend all of it chasing Jacob Seed. She transferred into the Sheriff’s Department of Hope County because they needed a new Anthropologist to figure out if bone remains were human or animal, and once properly identified if they were Native American and for her to go through the proper channels. She was 23 and while she was still working on her master’s degree she had all the necessary skills to identify bones and knew the proper channels to connect to in case it was a disturbed Native American grave site. She was given the title of Junior Deputy Sheriff, which she felt was a little much, Deputy Sheriff would have been fine. She vaguely recalled hearing about a Joseph Seed running a cult but it hadn’t come up in the last few months. Until today. Today a US Marshal had shown up with an arrest warrant for Joseph Seed. And since Stella had no experience running the radio Nancy would be staying back and she would be going with them to arrest him. The Sheriff looked contrite. Stella didn’t really understand why until she walked into the church. Her eyes had scanned over the congregation, looking for weapons, before she skimmed over Joseph Seed. He was shirtless and had many tattoos and what looked like words carved into his skin. But she almost froze in shock. Just behind him to the left was her Dad. His face didn’t hold any recognition.

“Rook.” The Sheriff said and she glanced at him before looking over at Joseph Seed. His face was determined and he didn’t know who she was either. Why would he? They had never met even though she knew all about Joe and Johnny. Her Uncles that her Dad wanted to find again. She placed the handcuffs on him. She was duty bound, it was her job to arrest him.

Jacob couldn’t shake that he knew the young Deputy that had handcuffed Joseph. Her eyes had been on him the whole time and he swore he knew them and her face. John was grumbling about her escape from baptism as he looked through the files.

“Ah here she is. Junior Deputy Stella Jean Rook.” Jacob felt like he had been hit with a brick and he snapped his attention to his youngest brother.

“Jean.” He stressed the French pronunciation. Because he had wanted to name her after little Johnny but didn’t want to name her Jane. John looked up confused. “It’s supposed to be pronounced like it’s French. Her mom had a thing for French.” He lied easily.

“Brother?” Joseph asked carefully, looking between him and the photo of the young Deputy, piecing it together.

“She was born November 15th, 1994. Hell, of a snow storm that day. She was born Stella Jean Seed.” He looked at the picture of her, smiling brightly labeled as Sinner. His daughter was a Deputy Sheriff. His daughter had come to arrest his little brother. His Little Star was Public Enemy Number One against Eden’s Gate. He recalled her eyes back in the church. They hadn’t left him once, until the Sheriff called to her. She looked so shocked and afraid, worried about him.

“I’m a horrible uncle.” John said and looked crushed. Faith patted his back lightly.

“Joseph was going to let her die in the helicopter so I think that makes you even.” Jacob rubbed his face reminding himself that not even he had known exactly who she was. He looked back down at her picture. Ellie was doing well for herself. He’d have to pull any remaining information out of that Deputy that his Hunters had snatched up. Staci Pratt.

Stella huffed and settled into the bushes as she heard a heavy vehicle coming her way. She had stopped a few of the Reaping Trucks now. After checking on Rae-Rae and finding her dead and Boomer alone Dutch had let her think over what she was going to do. She wasn’t sure, she didn’t know what to do. Should she free her companions? Wouldn’t her family think she’s siding with them? Should she side with her Family? She missed her Dad so much. Boomer nudged her side and whined softly. She ran a hand down his back.

“Thanks boy.” She smiled faintly. Now was not the time to get distracted. She took aim and blew out the front tires of the truck. The Peggies scrambled, calling for bliss bullets but she took them down with a few well-placed kneecap shots and shoulder hits. Once she was finished she opened the truck only to find one frightened looking woman there.

“Please I wanna go home!” She cried, tear tracks of makeup down her face.

“Okay. I’ll take you home. Where is home?”

“You aren’t with them?” The shock and suspicion in her eyes made Stella want to cringe but she stepped up and offered her a hand.

“Deputy Stella Rook.” She introduced herself. “I’m with the Sheriff’s department.” The woman blinked before launching herself at Stella and hugging her tightly.

“I thought I was gonna die.” She was rambling about how they would probably have hidden her body and Stella patted her back awkwardly before helping her down out of the truck. The woman was a little over half a foot shorter than her. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Stella rubbed the back of her neck and smiled a little more genuinely as they headed down the road. Missing the Peggie recording her escorting her latest rescue. “So, it’s a little dangerous to run around on your own, mind if I walk you home?”

“Yes, please.” She clung a bit and Stella nodded, patted her head and slipped free of the warm gentle grasp. “Sorry. Oh, right I’m Tamara Zoey Barnes.” The pair shook hands and headed toward Tamara’s house.

Stella took refuge with Dutch, still afraid to face the people of Hope County knowing her family was causing them so much grief. He shook his head and clicked his tongue at her, treating her small scrapes as she handed over more information and stolen weaponry. Boomer gave a happy bark as she tossed him a scrap of beef jerky.

“Well kid I gotta say you’re makin’ ‘em scared of grabbing people down here that’s for sure.” He looked at the few Reaping movements that had thinned out considerably. Stella smiled a bit and looked at the map. Her eyes stuck to the top of it. The Whitetail Mountains were her Dad’s Domain. So far, she had slunk around on the fringes of Holland Valley and the Henbane River. Dutch knew about her family, he hadn’t turned her over to them because she told him she wasn’t like them. And she wasn’t. She didn’t want to be part of a Doomsday Cult. But she missed her Dad and she remembered all the stories of her Uncles that he would tell. She didn’t remember him ever mentioning an aunt but maybe she came later? She looked younger than John. Her radio crackled to life and both stilled.

“Hello Stella!” John sounded cheerful as ever. “I have that new friend of yours, the raven haired one, and we’re going to baptize her! If you’d like to join us for a do over you know where we’ll be.” Usually John tried to talk to her about sins and about how only family understood the plight of duty. He always tried to coax her out and to try and get her to come and see his ranch. She frowned as she tried to remember anyone that had black hair and then she realized he was talking about the girl she’d rescued a few days prior.

Tammy looked around at the men with guns around her. All she had wanted was to come home from studying, maybe relax for once since she hadn’t been able to afford this trip in a few years. The tall man with intense blue eyes was staring at her with a weird smile on his face. They were standing next to the Henbane and he had been talking about sin and washing things away and honestly Tammy was too freaked out to pay much attention. He had apparently asked her a question though and she blinked at him.

“What?” He chuckled and waved his hand over the river.

“I was asking if you’d like to be baptized and begin atonement? No time like the present to pull out all those nasty pervasive sins.”

“What sins? I don’t have any sins! What are you talking about?”

“Everyone has sins, even my darling Deputy Niece could stand to atone.” He scanned the horizon as he said this, looking for someone. Tammy hoped it wasn’t that girl that had saved her the other day. “I’m sure you aren’t nearly as aggressive in your sins…” A somewhat familiar dog snatched a gun out of one of the men’s hands. Then two of them were taken down with arrows to the chest.

“I don’t have any sins I haven’t even had sex.” She muttered still shocked. This caused the man to turn and look at her sharply and allowed the dog to make off and distract more of the men. The man was suddenly pushed away from Tammy and a hand took hold of hers.

“Run.” It was the girl from the other day and she was half leading half dragging her away while she whistled and the dog came to run along side them. The redhead threw something over her shoulder that caused an explosion and blocked anyone from pursuing them further. They made it to a pick-up truck and the girl shoved her inside, followed by the dog, before climbing into the driver’s seat and peeling out driving off the main road and onto the back roads swiftly. “Gotta get tree coverage, John’s got air support.” She muttered more to herself and Tammy gripped the door handle tightly. To think all she’d wanted to do was come home.

Stella managed to get them to Rae-Rae’s Farm. She had cleaned up most of the blood and herded the woman so she didn’t see the fresh graves. Boomer settled in his bed that she’d dragged into the living room, sleeping on the couch felt more respectful rather than taking over the bedroom. For the most part that girl, Barnes, didn’t look too beat up. A stray bruise or two but mostly unharmed. Her Uncle hadn’t intended to hurt her much she was just the quickest way to get Stella into the open. John and Joseph seemed to think that she was lost because she’d been told lies about them. They urged her to ‘come home’ and be back wither family. She would probably be struggling with it more, if her Dad was the one delivering those messages.

“Thanks for saving me. Again.” Barnes said and Stella shrugged. The woman grabbed her in a hug again. “No, I mean it that guy was so weird, and he kept talking about sins and looked at me funny when I said I couldn’t have sins because I’m a virgin and…” She got lost in a tangent and Stella patted at her shoulders to try and calm her down.

“Don’t mention it.” She said and got her settled on the couch. They’d go see Dutch in the morning. Maybe he could shed some light on things. For both of them.

#Far Cry 5 AU #Jacob would probably have been a decent Dad before the events of the game #At least that's what I'm going with #Timeline? What Timeline?

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sarah-bae-maas · 7 years ago

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A Court of Hearts and Darkness Chapter Twenty Five

It’s been over a century since the epic and bloody war against Hybern, but a new, unprecedented horror lies in wait to threaten everything the Inner Circle holds dear.

At a mere 17, it seems that the only one who can save them is the Heir to the Night Court, Feyre and Rhysand’s daughter Eleana, but as a creature so vile promises to kill everyone she loves, she must combat the urge to succumb to the darkness herself. The key to success lies hidden within her mate, the bastard born Kaden, who is as oblivious to the bond as her Court is oblivious to the war on the horizon.

With the help of her cousin and warrior Felix, the son of the famed Nesta and Cassian, they will try to save everything they hold dear, hopefully before the darkness takes them all.

(This fic was written pre-acowar, so please bear in mind there are some small differences but it can still hopefully be enjoyed!)

Okay so two things so be noted. Firstly, the fist section of this with Rhys? Yeah, that was meant to be at the end of 24 and I completely forgot to put it in. My bad. Two, for the first time EVER I listened to music as I wrote one of the scenes. For max. impact, when Felix’s POV kicks in, listen to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9PXLTLuuSE as you go.

Link on Ao3 Masterlist

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

***

-Chapter 25-

Rhys swirled his drink with a spoon, enjoying watching the colours of his coffee mix together. He was waiting for Eleana to come home. Unsurprisingly, she had snuck out during the night to go be with her mate. He wasn’t not mad that she snuck out, not at all, he was disappointed. Not in her, but in himself, for making his daughter feel like she couldn’t just tell him that she wanted to go see her mate.

Soon enough though, he heard her quiet footsteps sneaking through the door, and very strangely, also the quiet whispers of his nephew and Kaden.

“Laya?” Rhys called to her as she was about to climb the stairs to her room. All three children turned to look at him, shocked looks in their faces.

“Father, what are you doing?”

Rhys stood, abandoning his drink on the table to approach the three younglings. “I think that question is better asked by me.”

After Eleana had revealed to everyone her history with Kaden, it had taken a while for his family to be calm enough to leave. Nesta and Cassian were especially upset. Here was this young man who had saved the life of their child, of their niece as well, and he had been living in squalor for the past year, an upgrade from the dungeon his family had kept him in. A man who had been unspeakably abused, and yet could still dance freely with the woman he loved. Cassian wanted to go straight to Kaden’s father, Azriel’s brother, and do to him what he’d wanted for years: kill the fucker. Nesta talked him down though, and said the death of that despicable man can only be granted by Kaden and Azriel, they deserved to pull the life from the already soulless male.

“It’s good we ran into you, actually.” Felix pushed in front of Eleana. His back was straight, hair strangely tidy, and clothes much more typical of fae than Illyrian – more composed, elegant. He was in diplomatic mode.

“Why is that?”

“Because we were convening so we could discuss a strategy to make you open the investigation into the creatures again.”

Rhys raised his eyebrows, gesturing behind him for them to take a seat. “And why is that?”

The three young ones sat on the couch. Rhys sat across from them, hooking one leg on his knee with his hands resting in in his lap.

“Because it was stupid for you to stop in the first place,” Eleana muttered under her breath. Rhys knew he wasn’t supposed to hear it, so he didn’t bother responding.

“We have re-evaluated everything we gathered,” Kaden answered, “and we think that we have enough evidence to prove that something is going on. Having ourselves experienced what these creatures are like first-hand, a potential hull in activity seems more dangerous than if we could find newer sightings of them. The fact that they have suddenly stopped makes us think that something big is going to happen – if Az and Cassian hadn’t taken over from us when we gave you what we found, we would’ve realised much sooner and brought it to your attention.”

“It concerns us deeply,” Felix continued, “that we know, undoubtedly, that something sinister is happening in Prythian and that we have the opportunity to do something about it and we’re not.”

Rhys considered their words. He had poured over the files they had given him, over and over and over again. From a surface level, they did seem like they were related through the old children’s story book they had also provided. That’s where their evidence ended though. For the life of him, Rhys couldn’t validate everything they claimed. Some of the killings, definitely, but their link to the stories was often a stretch. The biggest hole in their tale was how much they claimed happened in Prythian’s sacred mountain. Rhys himself had gone, ready to destroy what had threatened his daughter, but there was nothing there they claimed to have seen. Absolutely nothing. The wards were the same, there were no tracks from animals, no inclination whatsoever that anyone or anything had been inside since it was originally sealed. With everything stacking against them, Rhys had decided that it wasn’t worth the resources to continue.

He did have an idea though.

“I’ll give you this,” he addressed Kaden directly. “You finish your trials, you pass, and when you come to Velaris you can lead the investigation. I’ll give you whatever you need, and you can do with these leads what you will.”

Kaden looked taken aback, and glanced at Felix and Eleana to gage their reactions.

“This would be under the supervision of Felix,” Rhys added.

Kaden looked relieved at that, and looked very intensely at Eleana. Another conversation Rhys wasn’t to be a part of, it seemed, but whatever they said led to Kaden looking at him and slowing nodding.

“You have yourself a deal, High Lord.”

_____

Eleana followed Kaden into his room, a sly smile on her face. He held her hand and was leading her forward, therefore he couldn’t predict her plans, but oh how she planned to say goodbye to him tonight.

She was horribly nervous, making her stomach full of food roll and twist in a nauseating way, and it was all because tomorrow Kaden would be starting the Bloodrite. A situation where he would be called to fight the most savage of Illyrians, a barbaric place where she could never dare to help him. He would be the youngest by far. Felix was, back when he competed to earn his tattoos, but Felix had always been superior to his counterparts. He was only in his twenties, and yet he had helped wage wars, led the Elite, done unspeakable work for the High Lord, and all because of how immaculate his Bloodrite was. He never acknowledged it, but Felix was a prodigy. She had no idea what the world would have to throw at him to bring him down.

Kaden, although mighty in his own right, was no Felix. That was no detriment to him, there was no other Illyrian that compared to her cousin, but her cousin was the only other person to complete the trials so young.

And she worried for Kaden.

But was also very, very turned on at the ideas of him having Illyrian tattoos.

“Azriel and Morrigan are asleep,” he told her, unaware of the scheming going on in her head. She wanted to say goodbye, or see you later, in a way he would cherish while away – a way that would make him want to come home to her as soon as he could.

She pushed the door shut behind him, Kaden not turning at the sound. He shrugged off his jacket and threw it over a chair – if that’s what you could even call it. It was a wide circular chair that swivelled, like a little pod, filled with cushions. It was in front of his window, so that it could always be facing the sun. He had bought it for her, claiming she needed a better reading spot than his bed. Cassian and Nesta, not knowing what else to do, had given Kaden a large sum of money since finding out what he did for Thea. They gave it to him so he could buy, or build, a home so he could leave his tent. And although he tried to refuse, he ultimately couldn’t, but he also was content to stay where he was for the time being. So instead he spoiled his family and lover. And part of that included the chair he had gifted to her.

He raised his shirt over his head and discarded it on the floor, gazing at the moon through his window as he then undid his belt. Eleana approached him and wove her arms around him from behind, kissing the spot between his wings – one of the few places with full feeling left on his scarred back. He leant into her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Are you going to stay tonight?” he whispered.

In answer, she grazed his neck with her teeth.

He hummed contently, and turned his face enough to kiss her head. “This everyone-knowing-about-our-relationship thing is real’ handy, you didn’t even have to sneak out tonight.”

She laughed lowly, and started running her hands down his chest. “You’re quite tall, aren’t you?” she asked innocently.

“Indeed I am.”

“And very strong.” Her hands squeezed his biceps as she said it.

He nodded his agreement. It was true, after all.

“Then fucking me against the wall really shouldn’t be a problem.”

His dick twitched at the words, especially when she accompanied them with a small bite to his pointed ears and hands that effortlessly undid the button on his pants.

“That can be arranged.” He twisted around and captured her in a kiss, her surprised hands settling around his waist. He let his tongue sweep into her mouth, letting her know that if he had his way with her his tongue could be a truly magical thing. Not that she didn’t know – he had made her moan with it plenty of times. He tilted her head back with his hand, bettering the angle so he could deepen the kiss. He wasn’t satisfied though, and moved his lips to her neck.

“You are… glorious,” she breathed.

“I’ll fuck you against the wall, rose, but first I want to see you.” He stepped away from her, a smirk on his face.

She backed up to, her expression matching his, and undid her dress so it could fall to the floor. She only had these scandalous, white lace panties beneath, and with eyesight as good as his he could see the small wetness gathered there. He did that – his greatest accomplishment to date.

She discarded those, too, and his length became hard at the sight of her toned body.

She stepped forward, but he upraised a hand in protest. “That’s not what I meant.”

She cocked her head.

He brushed a wave of magic against her, focusing on her two most sensitive areas. Her legs tightened together at the sensation, and he saw her nipples become raised and hard.

“I want to see you touch yourself.”

Her breath shuddered, and she bit her lip and nodded. She stalked to the bed, sashaying her hips in a way she knew he was weak for, and sat facing him, far enough back so she could prop her feet up and open her legs, exposing herself fully to him while still being close to its edge. She gave him a wicked smile, and said his name as she let her fingers ever so slightly touch her centre. Then she did it again, but this time she stroked her fingers down harder – there was no illusion now that her moan was genuine and full of pleasure.

Kaden finally removed all his clothing, and with no patience started stroking himself in time with her, devouring the vision of her pleasuring herself. Her breathing became laboured, as did his, and her eyes fluttered closed as the circular motions she was making on her sensitive centre became faster. With one hand, she idly brushed her fingers up her stomach, padding lightly over nipples before pinching them hard, then kneading her breast. She looked at Kaden through her eyelashes, and his knees shook. So much so that he kneeled down in front of her, peppering a kiss to her inner thigh as he did.

He stopped touching himself in favour of devouring her instead, his favourite pass time. He wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her forward, eliciting a quiet oh! from Eleana.

“Are you close?” He raised himself up slightly to kiss the skin just below her navel.

She whimpered a yes, and in response he grabbed her hands away from her body and guided them instead to pull his hair. He was inches away from her, when her voice stopped him.

“I – I wanted to do this for you. To focus on you.” Her voice was an unfinished whine, the kind that only ever emitted from a female on the precipice of an orgasm. She propped herself up on her elbows to talk to him. As she looked at him, the way her lips parted and hips slightly moved, it made him think that just the sight of him between her legs made her nearly come.

As he spoke, a pressed a finger in a straight line down her middle. “There is nothing more satisfying to me than this. Than the noise you make when I’m inside you, the way you choke on your words when I use my tongue, how you scratch me and bite me to mark that I am yours.”

She shivered at his words and lied back down. “Then do your worst.”

He replaced his lone finger with his mouth.

She gasped deeply, her back arching and her hands going behind her head to fist the bed sheets. He smiled as he worked her tongue on her deliciously wet centre – she always did that when he tasted her, whatever she could grab a hold onto. Sheets, a headboard, a rug, the leg of his piano, the curtain of a dressing room, sometimes her breasts. If she didn’t have something to grasp, then she took longer to finish. And right before he did make her come, she would stretch her fingers then fist them – again and again – and then she’d scream or moan his name.

Just like she was now.

Kaden wondered how she would react if he was to tie her hands in a way where she couldn’t do that.

Her thighs tightened around his head, and with one final flick of his tongue she was done. He wasn’t though – she wanted something from him, and he was determined to give it to her, a parting gift before the Bloodrite.

When he stood and looked down at her, she was smiling happily, her hair spread around her and her hands tangled in it. He reached out a hand and helped pull her up into a sitting position, smiling back at her.

He hooked her arm around his neck and bent down, sliding his hands under her thighs and in one swift movement he picked her up. “Now about that wall…”

She looped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. “Please,” she smirked.

He walked with her in his arms until she was pressed against the wall, not yet entering her. First, he lowered her slightly so they were perfectly aligned. Then he adjusted his tight grip on her thighs.

As he did this, her head rolled back in anticipation, her legs wrapping around him tighter just to feel some sort of friction.

Her breaths became short and sharp as he pushed his considerable length into her – it was the perfect angle to hit her in exactly the right spot. As he thrust into her, he also pushed her harder into the wall, slamming her into it in a way that would be impossible to do if she’d had her wings out.

More satisfying than having her in the first place was hearing her whimper his name as she grew towards another climax, her hands tightening on his shoulders and head thrown back, a perfect part in her lips. It was lucky the walls in his room were warded to be soundproof, as the exquisite noises Eleana was making were loud enough to wake the whole city.

Kaden leaned forward and pulled her bottom lip with his teeth. He had yet to bite her the way she sometimes did to him, and as he moved his hips in time with hers he thought he very might die if he did the Bloodrite without knowing what it was like. So as she gasped and went taut around him as he brought her to the edge and pushed her over it, he lowered his head and bit into the soft skin between her shoulder and neck.

She was like a candle sparking to flame, her skin aglow from his touch.

Kaden was different.

The moment he tasted her blood, he stopped. It was like he was incapable of moving – or not. Instead of finishing, he pushed away from her and to his knees, clutching his now pounding head in his hands. His brain felt like it had been stunned, his eyes shut as they were burning. He could hear muffled calls from Eleana, distantly felt her hands on his face, his back. Every scent was intensified, especially the smell of her skin and the moisture between her legs. He was sweating – hard – and the drops rolling down his back were the only thing he could immediately feel. When he did finally open his eyes, everything was hazy, like a film has been placed over his iris’. The only thing in focus was Eleana, who looked hysterical.

He saw her mouth moving with perfect clarity, saw it forming the shape of his name but could not hear her words. She ran from him then, throwing on one of his shirts and a pair of his shirts, intending to leave to get help.

But he grabbed her hand as she passed him and pulled her to him. He could hear her now, she was worried and confused, so he just held her. She held him back, as firmly as she could, one hand clutching around his torso and the other losing itself in his hair.

He didn’t know what was happening, or why. One moment, he had been in the throngs of passion, and now he felt like his heart was clawing his insides, desperate to escape the confines of his chest.

He didn’t know what was happening.

Eventually, he regained the strength that had been suddenly stolen from him and let Eleana guide him to his bed. She helped him lie and then slid in next to him, curling against his side.

She waited a few minutes for his body to become normal, then asked, “What just happened?”

He turned to his lady love, unprepared to answer. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what had happened, but he did feel the need to pull her closer to him, half across his chest with their faces across from each other. With her on top of him, he felt instantly better.

Her neck was bruised, and he could see the puncture marks he had made there. He reached up and pressed the area with a finger, testing to see how tender it was. When she didn’t grimace or flinch, he assumed it meant that his actions had been okay. He had never marked her the way she did him.

“Does it hurt?” he asked her.

She shook her head, propping herself up on her elbow so she could look down on him. “Are you seriously fretting about me right now when that just happened? Kaden, I’m worried. Should I go get Felix, a healer? It’s the night before the Bloodrite-”

He silenced her with a kiss, feeling monumentally better. “I don’t know what happened, but I’m fine now. It was like my body snapped, but it’s all okay now. But what about this?” He tucked her hair behind her ear then ran his hand down her neck, sending healing magic through the hurt. He may be content to let his marks heal on their own, but she never marked him in such obvious places. He was in a good place with the High Lord and Lady, and he could imagine how drastically that would change if they saw that on her neck.

His other hand wandered down her body, sliding underneath the shirt she was wearing so it could settle on her lower back. “Did you like it?” He accompanied his question with a kiss to the wound.

She shifted atop him. “Yes.”

The hand on her back went lower, underneath the shorts to grope her ass. Her breathing hitched, and he could tell she was becoming aroused again. “We shouldn’t,” she said. “Not after what just happened.”

“How did it feel?” He kissed her neck again.

She groaned, but in impatience. “No, Kaden. Let’s sleep. You need to be up bright and early.”

“I don’t know what I did,” he said gently.

“What you did?”

“To have a woman like you. To feel a love like this. I didn’t even know it possible, but here we are. I’m not scared of the Bloodrite, I’m scared of myself. I’m scared at how much I would do for you, at how much you mean to me. I… I couldn’t imagine a life without you in it. I love you, so much.”

Her expression became tender, and she rested her forehead on his. “When you bit me, I had never been so aroused in my life. Had never felt an orgasm so strongly.” Her words were whispered, as if the air around them was listening in and she only wanted him to hear. “Now sleep.” She patted his chest and snuggled into him.

____

Kaden was silent as Felix strapped down his wings, binding them to his body and rendering them useless. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but at least he still had his arms.

He had said his goodbyes to everyone that morning, and he meant everyone. Felix’s whole family had shown up, all offering advice and luck. The High Lord had given him a firm hand shake and wished him the best, and Cassian had smothered him in a hug. Mor had very subtly and quietly shaken with fear, and Azriel affirmed that Kaden was ready and hugged him briefly. Eleana was last, and even though they had spent the whole night together he still held onto her tightly, and wiped away her tears of worry as she wept. He held her for a while, long enough for Felix to be the only one left once they were done. You were only allowed to have one person accompany you to the Bloodrite, and Kaden had chosen his best friend and commander. He didn’t realise that meant though that the whole Elite would meet him at the camp before the trials began, his whole team also giving advice and helpful anecdotes from their time in the Bloodrite. Kaden would be the last of the Elite to receive his tattoos.

And now he was here, one in a swarm of thousands of bloodthirsty Illyrians ready to prove themselves in the most brutal way.

The dust around them was swirling from all the feet shifting. Autumn may have come, but the base of the mountains had yet to lose the essence of summer.

“How are you feeling?” Felix questioned, inspecting Kaden’s binds.

“Kinky.”

“I’m being serious.”

Kaden laughed and patted Felix on the shoulder. “I’m feeling fine. If you and Azriel believe I’m ready then I’m ready. You’d never let me walk into a death trap.”

Felix, although being completely supportive, was still acting strange. Or not strange per se, but sad. Felix knew that once Kaden got his tattoos, that was it. He would still be an honorary member of the Elite, but that chapter of his life would be concluded when he moved to Velaris to restart the investigation and begin his training with the Inner Circle.

Kaden knew Felix couldn’t control what he was feeling – and he also knew he wanted no part in making him feel that way.

“It’s just a week – I can handle it. Do me a favour, though?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Would you move my stuff from the tent into my room? I don’t know whether I can be bothered doing it when this week is over or not.”

Felix nodded numbly. “I’ll give it all to Azriel during the week.”

“Why would you give it to Azriel?”

“Because I’m not overly keen on just waltzing into his house.”

“Felix, when this is over I plan on living with you.”

Felix’s eyes widened, and he gave Kaden an incredulous look. “Fuck off. I don’t need you moving in with me out of pity – I told you, I’ll sort my shit out.”

Kaden rolled his eyes and started stretching out his arms, getting used his restricted wings. “I’m not doing it out of pity you ass. I want to live with you.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, and I’m not, but you’ve told me multiple times you will never move in with me, and have rejected me every time I’ve insisted. So you know what? Invitation rescinded. You can’t live with me.”

Kaden laughed lightly at the look on his friend’s face. “Training and living in Velaris sounds great on paper, but my whole life I’ve lived as an Illyrian. To suddenly shove that all away, to go from where I was to living in one of the most luxurious houses in the city, is too much too soon. I also don’t think I could get through it all if I didn’t have you right there ready to help me.”

Felix tapped him on the nose. “Eleana will be in Velaris. Are either of us under the illusion that she won’t leave the moment you do? Go to Velaris, Kaden. Be with Eleana, and live the life you always deserved and should’ve had.”

Horns started ringing, a signal that the warriors needed to start congregating around the entrances. Kaden huffed, he should’ve started this conversation earlier. He forgot how bloody stubborn Felix could be.

“I love Eleana, but I’m not ready to live on her doorstep. There’ll be days I stay with her, days I stay with Azriel, but I want to know I have a home still. Get my room ready, Felix. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Kaden could tell his brother-in-arms was trying to supress a grin. “Alright.”

With that, they farewelled each other with a hug.

Kaden walked with his fellow Illyrians, all ready to run into the mountains as soon as the signal was given.

It was quite the sight.

Thousands of warriors alone were going into this entrance, Kaden a single bee in a thriving hive. They all blended together, him sticking out like a single sun flower in a field of lavender. You could see his blonde hair from anywhere, it was uncommon among the Illyrians as desertion – it rarely happened, and when it did it was notable.

The mountains themselves were just like any other, it was their insides that made them infamously sinister. The Bloodrite, held every five years, was always done here. Inside was kilometres of caverns and tunnels, all interconnected with the other mountains. Once they were inside, the entrances were sealed shut with magic provided by the High Lord. Somewhere around here High Lord Rhysand was patiently waiting to lock them inside. When the week was over, he would come back and signal to the people inside, who at this point had been living in darkness and without seasons or time for a week, that it was time to exit. Those who had lived through the ancient ceremony would be immediately given their tattoos, and those who died would be fished out within the next few days.

Kaden didn’t recognize anyone near him, and he refrained from making eye contact. The High Lord, Cassian, and Azriel had all warned him of the same thing.

You look different. There will be Illyrians who know your father and your brothers. You’re half fae. You’ll have a target on your back the moment you step foot into the mountains. Tread cautiously.

Kaden should be heeding their warnings, but as they were all herded into the entrance to the mountain there was only one place his mind went. He still had no idea what had happened to him last night. Well, he had one theory. But it was preposterous, and he would have to talk to Eleana about it.

Eleana.

His chest pinched at the thought of her. He laughed through his nose, garnering strange looks from the Illyrians around him. But it was too funny not to – it had only been a few hours and he already missed her more than anything. He was ridiculous.

In time with their heavy footsteps, drums started banging from all corners of the mountain, joining the already blasting horns.

It was time.

The beat got faster and faster, until all at once the entrances were open and the Illyrians hurtled inside.

Kaden sprinted, wanting to explore the caverns and find the best vantage point possible for the next seven days. He would not actively try to kill anyone, but if a situation arose where it was life or death? He would not hold back. You may not be allowed any magic in the mountains, but with his training he didn’t need any.

He was going to move in with Felix.

He was going to find his mother.

He was going to stop the creatures in Prythian.

He was going to prove his father and brothers wrong.

He was going to teach Eleana to dance. She was going to be so good that whenever she saw dancers on the streets she would no longer feel ashamed or scared to join them.

He was going to kill anyone that stood in the way of that vision.

He said those mantras in his head repeatedly as the entrances opened and Illyrians ran and shoved into the mountains. Let the games begin.

____

It did not take long for the Illyrians to disperse. It was mostly dark, but the occasional torch was hung on the wall, placed permanently there with magic. That did not stop Illyrians killing each other for them.

Kaden had quickly learnt to fear what eternal darkness could do to a man.

From the spot he had settled in, he often saw groups of Illyrians that had allied marching past, looking for either more team members or for opponents. Kaden had been sneaking along when he noticed some strange shadows forming on the top of the wall. Upon close inspection, he could see a small alcove had been either naturally made or dug out. It was the best spot he had cased yet, so he ran and jumped up the wall, grabbing onto its edge to pull himself up. It ended up being smaller than he thought, only tall enough for him to crouch and only big enough for one person. He could lay, though, which gave him a space where he could sleep.

It was also handy, as he could eavesdrop on anyone that came past. The majority of conversations so far had been mundane, but a few had been of interest.

A group of four had walked past, talking about how their only goal in the Bloodrite was to murder a member of their squadron who had been caught, and not punished for, preying on young women. A pair was planning on killing their cousin, so that they would inherit their frail uncles land. There were four men who looked ready to brutalise, speaking about killing anyone they saw.

It was going to be an interesting week.

____

Three days passed non-eventfully, but Kaden had no doubt the stories about the Bloodrite were not exaggerated or over-dramatized. He would explore during what he thought were the days, and crept back to his crevice to sleep at night. So far, the most valuable place he had found was a natural water reserve an hour away. The first thing he’d done was drink deeply, and then he’d used it to make mud to smear over his blonde hair, making it less obvious when he was hiding. He had made very subtle tracks as he explored, so that he could find his way back if need be. If anyone else saw them, they were easily explained away as rodent tracks. He had made some in random directions as well, and could tell the difference between the decoys and actual ones by the distance between the would-be toes.

He’d scarcely eaten, but what he had had been rodents he’d cooked over the torches or insects. It wasn’t a meal worthy of Velaris, but it would do for now. It made him miss Felix’s cooking, but then he remembered he would soon be able to have it every day, and his feelings eased.

At this moment, he was in his crevice lying on his stomach, looking down at the cavern below him. He dipped his head back though when he heard scuffling, lest someone see him. With his now dark hair, he wouldn’t be as visible to those below unless they looked for him, but few people were scanning the ceilings the way they should be. Especially in the foreboding darkness.

He squinted to see who was below, and although he could hear lumbering, dragging footsteps, he could not see anyone. There was a twinge in his stomach though at the sound, a familiar dread he couldn’t quite put his finger on. And then he heard a slight echo in the distance, a strange clicking.

He ever so slightly scooted back in his crevice, flying rather than fighting whatever group of Illyrians were on their way, and buckled down for the night.

He had been in and out of a fitful sleep when he heard haggard breathing from below. Curiosity getting the better of him, he looked over to see a half-dead male dragging himself along the ground, covered in blood.

Kaden could hear no other noise, so, against his better judgement and at the wrath he would inevitably incur from Felix, he swiftly crept down to help the fellow solider. Another piece of advice he hadn’t asked for was to help no one. He had been assured that he had no allies, but Kaden was not one to let the innocent die.

He approached the man, his haggard breaths only hitching from the amount of pain he was in. At hearing Kaden’s footsteps, he looked up, and Kaden’s stomach turned as he saw the man was missing one eye – it had obviously been gouged out recently.

“What happened to you?” Kaden asked as he bent to his knees.

The man, probably only a decade or two older than Kaden, was too weak to reply, and slumped on the ground. From closer, Kaden could see he had other injuries. His back had been savagely clawed, and segments of his wings were shredded. And his foot was… gone. From the looks of the ankle left behind, it was forcefully pulled off.

What Illyrian, no matter the agenda, could do such a thing?

Kaden tried to heal the man, but his magic had been cut off. High Lord Rhysand had made sure all magic became obsolete with the closing of the entrances. So instead, he used the binding from the male’s wings to tie the wounds as best he could to slow the bleeding.

He was silent as he worked, but the male wasn’t. He was desperately trying to say something, but no words were making their way from his mouth, just pained moans. Kaden, gently, told the man to be quiet and preserve his strength.

It quickly became clear that there was nothing Kaden could do. Try as he might, and as much as he hated himself for it, this man was going to die. Kaden thought he was ready for the possibility of witnessing death while in these mountains – he had come to discover he was not.

“Sir?” he addressed the man.

He got a humpf in response.

“There is nothing I can do for you, and with so many days left…” Kaden stopped his thought. He breathed a shuddered breath, and offered him mercy. “Would you like me to kill you?”

The man may be weak, but he still had steal in his glassy eyes. With what was likely his only remaining strength, he nodded, but first said, “No… Illyrian… don’t… west t-tunnels.”

A warning of some sort.

“Okay.” Kaden hands shook as he held the hand of the Illyrian, and started reciting ancient Illyrian prayers, meant to send the man’s soul peacefully to the Other Side. Whether Kaden believed in the words or not, the man seemed relieved to be hearing them. And as Kaden said the final verse, and his hands moved from the male’s hands to his throat, his final words were punctuated with the sound of the male’s neck snapping.

Kaden forgot to ask his name.

He moved the body some ways away. He would return for it when it was time to leave, but for now the last thing he needed was a rotting corpse. Kaden felt sick from the experience, and mulled the male’s warning over in his head countless times. What he gathered was that whatever Illyrian had attacked him was residing in the tunnels to the west. But at this point, Kaden didn’t actually know what direction was west. There were ways to tell, he knew from Azriel’s story of his Bloodrite, but all he had was the story, not instructions on how to do what Azriel did. He honestly had no idea how Azriel managed not only to navigate this place, but to find his brothers while doing so.

Felix would’ve been able to figure it out.

He drew patterns in the fine, loose rocks that covered his crevice, thinking of the family he was returning to.

More than anything, he wanted to return to his – wanted to return to Eleana. To speak with her, and lay with her. Not with any intentions, just to close his eyes and feel the heat of her skin and drown in her scent.

He was a water wraith, and she was a priceless jewel he couldn’t stop until he had.

Kaden did not want to be like the dead Illyrian he just shoved in a corner somewhere.

_____

Day six, and it was eerily quiet.

No Illyrians had come past, no rats or insects. Kaden had to abandon his crevice because he had to go so far to hunt. Occasionally, he heard screams echoing through the rocky tunnels around him, but that was to be expected. He welcomed the violence if it meant he wasn’t alone. But never did he run into another soldier. Or should he say live solider? There were bodies littered everywhere.

His stomach had not stopped churning since he’d heard the bizarre thumping and clicking of the group of Illyrians that likely killed the nameless male, and at this point, as Kaden ventured deeper into the mountains, he hoped to run into more people.

And he didn’t.

When he should have.

The beads of sweat that ran down his back were not from heat or exertion. They were from nerves. He didn’t know if he had genuine reason to be afraid or if the darkness was consuming him and turning him mad, but either way his body was rigid and ready to defend.

Only one more day. Or was it? It was hard to tell the time in a place like this.

Torches that were once lit were now extinguished. Sometimes, Kaden would go hours with nothing but his fingers running along the walls to guide him.

He was washing.

Kaden retraced his steps to the springs he’d found. In his lonesome, he decided it wasn’t a terrible idea to bathe, to scrub the grit off him. Eleana would be there to welcome him once he came out, and he wanted to be in a state where he could take her instantly. Or, he would wait until he got his tattoos, and then winnow her away to let her have her way with him.

She would likely take control, and he loved it when she did. Loved it when she clawed his chest as she rode him.

He didn’t usually think about her this often, but since their last night together, she had been a constant in his thoughts. Not that she wasn’t usually – there just used to be moments where he wasn’t all-consumed by her, but they weren’t nearly as fun.

But he was digressing.

The water came up to his hips, and he dipped down to wash his face and scrub his hair. So far, the Bloodrite had not been what he’d expected. He had seen some atrocities, but had not faced the ones Azriel and Felix were convinced he would. He snorted, he wasn’t as important as they thought he was. Azriel’s Bloodrite had been as bloody as it was because of his relationship with the future High Lord and with the most powerful Illyrian in an age. Felix’s because he had something to prove, and there were a lot of elders out there who didn’t like the fact that there was another Cassian in their midst, and from a family with already infinite power too. Felix had won their respect, but he fought tooth and nail to do so.

As he was getting rid of the last traces of dirt from his skin, his ears perked up at the sound of someone coming. And not someone from the sounds of it, but multiple people.

He turned towards the arched entrance to the water room, and watched as a group of ten, maybe more, sprinted past without even looking in his direction.

But that’s not what’s peculiar.

It doesn’t matter that they ran past him, but to run past water?

They were fleeing from something.

Kaden got out of the water, shaking off and jogging in the direction the other Illyrians ran. A group of so many bolting was not a good sign, and he didn’t want to stick around to see what might have made them all so fearful.

He could hear their footsteps and indiscernible voices, and see them in the light of the intermittent torches. He sped up slightly so that as he ran he might be able to understand what they were frantically saying.

“What the fuck was that?” someone hissed.

“I don’t know – fuck, I’ve never seen something like that in my life. And Pauly, fuck. He didn’t stand a chance.”

Kaden heard a cracked sob, wondering if this Pauly was the attacker or the victim.

“Monsters like that shouldn’t fucking exist. And Jamie, he just died. I watched at he was torn in half by nothing. There was nothing there.”

Kaden’s heart started racing, and not because he was running. He thought for two seconds, weighing the cost of what he was about to do.

He did it, despite his reservations.

He called out to the group, shouting to get their attention. It worked, and they skidded to a halt, all bracing themselves for an attack they were sure was going to come.

One male stepped forward, the oldest by the looks of it, and scanned Kaden up and down. “What do you want?” he sneered.

Kaden raised his arms non-threateningly. “I just need to know what you saw back there.”

The clicking. The sinking feeling in his stomach. The lack of life. The warning not to go to the west.

No Illyrian.

That is what the nameless man said to him.

Meaning, it had not been an Illyrian that had hurt him.

That was three days ago, and Kaden no longer thought it a coincidence that in that time all traces of life disappeared.

“Why should we tell you?” the male spat. “I know who you are, what you are. I should kill you now and get the reward your brothers are so generously offering.”

Kaden nodded. “You could do that.” He swallowed hard. It shouldn’t surprise him that his brothers would pay for his death even after all this time – it’s not like they could accomplish it on their own. Felix and Azriel were right to lose sleep over him. “But if I suspect correctly, and what you tell me is that there are creatures back there, things that shouldn’t exist, that defy possibility and reason, then I might be our only shot out of here.”

The male’s breathing was laboured. “Follow us, it’s not safe here.”

____

They ran for hours, and only stopped because half of them were injured and could no longer continue. Kaden sat with them, waiting for the most opportune time to hit them with questions.

He didn’t have to ask.

“There was something off from the get-go. We were meant to meet up with a team from the west mountains, but they never got here,” the male from before explained. He was sitting with his legs crossed with his head in his hands. “We didn’t think anything of it, just bypassed the meeting point and went more their way. We could tell by the colour and texture of the rock that we had made it to a new mountain range, and we soon started to worry for our comrades. Bodies were turning up everywhere, more than we had been warned there would be.”

Another male came to sit by them, two feet shorter than Kaden and a long braid down his back. “They weren’t just dead either. Some of them were gaunt in a way I had never seen before, and others were arranged ornamentally. At my camp, I was an apprentice embalmer and I have never in all my days seen bodies that looked like that.”

“Although we all felt trepidation at the thought of continuing, we thought maybe it was just some test being thrown our way. We continued on, and that’s when we were attacked.”

Kaden furrowed his eyebrows. “What was it – or what did it look like?”

“There were three things, we think,” the braid said. “I swear there was something there doing unspeakable things that we couldn’t see. The other two… one was small, maybe the size of a dog, but it was scaly, and rather than walking it hopped on two legs. It’s knees though, they bent the wrong way, and its mouth was like – was like a Venus Fly Trap. Its tail was long and thick like a python, and just as deadly as the rows of teeth it had. The other thing, I – I could’ve sworn that before it killed Pauly it did something else, in his head. He was yelling bloody murder to things that weren’t there – that couldn’t possibly be there.”

Kaden’s chest constricted, and he held his breath so as not to alarm the others of his terror.

It was Felix that had first presented the idea that maybe the reason why the creatures had become dormant, and why Azriel and Rhys couldn’t find them, was that whatever was creating them was lying low, gathering strength for a large-scale attack rather than sequential small ones.

Kaden believed his brother to be correct. And it seemed that the creatures were here, now, locked in this mountain with them.

And from the sounds of it…

Another Impeath.

Another Colloden.

Cauldron knew what else.

“We need to get the fuck out of here,” Kaden told them. “I’m familiar with these creatures, and no one in these mountains stands a chance. We’re mice in a snake den.”

“How are you familiar with them?” braid asked.

“You said you know who I am, then you would know I’m a member of the Elite. Felix Warbringer is also a close confidant of mine, and the Heir Eleana is my – is the greatest love I’ve ever known. Anything they know I know. We will die here if we don’t leave.”

There was a beat of silence. “So the rumours are true,” the original male sniggered, “the Heir has fallen into bed with another half-breed, a bastard at that. Alright then, Kaden, but no matter what you say we have another day before the Bloodrite is over. How do you propose we live that long? Because I saw what those monsters are capable of, and no one will survive the night.”

“We get us and everyone else the fuck out of here early.”

Braid scoffed. “Fuck off. There’s no way to open it from the inside.”

Kaden frowned. “Oh, there’s a way.”

As Kaden mulled over how to get out, the group rested. He had been right in his previous estimate, it was a group of ten, most injured and all exhausted. So exhausted, that when he’d asked who was going to be a lookout, they said it was pointless, and they should all just sleep while they could. The training in Kaden was affronted, and so he stayed awake to watch for anything suspicious.

His eyes started to droop, so he rubbed his hands on his face to try and wake up. He yawned loudly, and in the back of his mind wondered why he was so tired. Even after the run, he should still be right to go. He was so exhausted that his vision had started to become wavy and fogged, and his eyelids so heavy that he could barely keep his eyes open.

What the fuck was happening?

He tried to stand, but stumbled when he did.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw things slithering up to him and the others. His heart raced in alarm, but before he had the chance to call out, the creatures, four of the dog sized things that had been described to him before, pounced on two sleeping Illyrians – killing them instantly. Their jaws opened impossibly wide, snapping down and tearing flesh from bone, feasting on their vulnerable targets.

The others awoke, but with no weapons and with so many incapacitated, half of them were dead before their eyes opened.

Kaden looked on in shock at the slaughter in front of him, and did that only the he could possibly think of. Not just to save himself, but the thousands of Illyrians that will die if they remain in these mountains.

_____

Felix leant against the doorframe, watching as Eleana and Rhys participated in a very intense game of cards.

“You’re done for old man, just let go,” Eleana goaded.

“Oh young one, how little you know.”

Eleana laughed and looked to Felix, winking at him before going back to her game.

She had been especially happy lately, and although Felix knew she was still fearful of the outcome of the Bloodrite, she at least knew Kaden was alive. Magic barred in the mountains or not, nothing could stop the tether between mates.

Tomorrow he would have his friend home, and they would be able to celebrate through the night. Eleana, being the busy body she was, knew Kaden had decided to reside with him for the foreseeable future, and had already invaded his home to decorate and re-vamp Kaden’s will-be bedroom. She also ordered Felix to start learning how to cook in quantities of three, because she was going to be over. A lot.

Felix was watching her smile at her father, happy that she was so content, when her face fell.

She flinched back as if someone was yelling at her, and her eyes widened in panic.

“Laya?” Rhys leaned forward. “Butterfly? What is it?”

“Oh my – Fuck. Shit.” She whipped her head to Felix, her cousin tensing and coming to her side. “Kaden, he – the creatures, they’re there. They’re killing all the Illyrians.”

Felix swallowed hard, hands shaking at her rested them on her shoulders.

“The creatures are where, Eleana?” Rhys asked for clarification.

“They moved mountains, Father. When you sealed the soldiers in for the Bloodrite, you sealed them in too. It’s a massacre.” She stood, her gaze unfocused and darting around. She started pacing around the room, pulling on her hair and biting her lips.

“Eleana.” Rhys followed her and grabbed her wrists, stopping her from pulling out her hair. “Tell me everything. Now.”

Felix was petrified on two fronts: his best friend was trapped with things that could easily kill him, and his uncle might not believe it.

“He – he’s there, and they were attacked, and the creatures are everywhere. They have to get out of the mountains.” She looked to Felix. “There’s another Colloden. But without his magic, he can’t see it. Oh rutting Gods.” She bowed her head. “What can we do? Father, please believe me, believe us. You have to help.” She looked up at him then, her eyes centred on him. “Let me show you.”

Felix stood aghast as Eleana let Rhys riffle through her mind to see what Kaden was showing her. His uncles face paled, and he saw his throat bob as it hit him how truly dire the situation was.

“Felix, get Cassian to prepare the war lords. We’re opening the mountains, now. As for you, prepare the legions to help evacuate the mountains. The Bloodrite is officially over.”

“As you wish.” Felix nodded and turned on his heels to winnow to his father, but Eleana’s scared voice halted him.

“What can I do, Father?”

“Nothing,” was Rhys’ strained response. “Under no circumstances are you to enter the mountains.”

“But Father!”

“I said no. You can come with me, and help me take down the wards and kill any creature that tries to exit with the Illyrians – that’s all.”

“But Kaden – I have to find him.”

Rhys brought his daughter into his arms. He looked pained for words, understanding Eleana’s need to rescue her mate but also not wanting to put her in any danger.

Before Rhys could suggest a solution, Felix interjected. “I’ll get him, Laya, don’t worry. I know how to navigate that place like it’s my back yard.”

The two sets of purplish eyes landed on him.

“Thank you,” gasped Eleana.

“You’ll need backup,” stated Rhys.

Felix shook his head at both of them. “Stay safe, Laya, don’t do anything reckless. And I think I’m better off going on my own. The less people to look after the quicker I’ll be.” He spun to leave, and said over his shoulder as he left, “tell me when the wards are down. I’ll be waiting.”

_____

Felix waited at the door to enter the mountains, receiving constant updates from Eleana. He was surrounded by war lords in a frenzy, anxious to get their soldiers out of such an unnecessarily dangerous situation. There would be very limited people entering the mountains. Once the doors were open and magic was functional again, Rhys, Feyre and Eleana will send out vast messages to any survivors, guiding them out and making sure they actually leave. They would all be assured that they, even though leaving early, had successfully completed the Bloodrite.

Besides Felix, there were three other squadrons entering, all special operations in reconnaissance. One would be tasked with observing and gathering information on the creatures, and both others main objectives was to capture any creatures live to bring them out and study. Both teams had about fifty, and Felix knew, as did they, that those numbers would likely be halved from a threat of this size. But that was part of being Illyrian. They knew the risk going in.

Felix closed his eyes and let the turmoil around him fade away, letting the killing calm bring his body to a heightened buzz. His senses went into overdrive: he could hear the blood thrumming through the veins of the people around him, could feel every thread of his clothing being pressed to his skin and the weight of his weapons pulling him to earth, could taste the bitterness in the air, and could smell the metallic scent of blood as he neared the entrance.

He stood with his arms crossed, patiently waiting to save his brother.

When Eleana gave him the signal he could go in, he was like a hurricane of fire.

Felix was aware that there were creatures that he would not be able to see, and as a preventative measure, he wrapped himself in his vibrant red and orange flames that the Cauldron had gifted his half fae ass, coded so that no fae or Illyrian could be licked by its heat.

As Felix walked into the darkness, the shadows convulsing at the light, he unhinged himself. The power he usually kept at check was now unveiled and at its full capacity. His killing power was sent like a pulse through the caverns, sweeping the area for any sign of life – attacking anything unsavoury or savage.

He was like an untamed beast in a maze filled with demons – let’s see who wins.

As he walked, he noticed a staggering amount of bodies to the west. Figuring Kaden had common sense, he headed east. Every hundred metres or so, Felix would bellow Kaden’s name. He knew his friend was alive, and he also knew that Kaden would be looking for him. They would meet somewhere in the middle, and then Felix could help him escape this damned place.

Felix felt like a fool as he prowled deeper into the mountains.

He should have predicted that this would happen. These creatures, and whatever was creating them, always resided in rocky, cavernous areas. The Impeath that had nearly killed him was Under the Mountain, the Colloden that had taken and toyed with Eleana was in a cave, the stampede that Eleana was nearly trampled by were all Under the Mountain too.

He knew, he fucking knew, that whatever phenomenon this was wasn’t over and that they should be expecting a larger scale attack soon. And he didn’t even fucking consider that the Bloodrite would be the perfect opportunity to strike the Illyrians – a group that had been largely targeted before.

If something happened to Kaden, he would never forgive himself.

He started to run, his flames still whipping around him like a shield, and Felix was sickened by the amount of death around him. The creatures had thoroughly scoured the mountains and at every twist and turn Felix was confronted with the ravaged corpses of Illyrians. He had seen hundreds at this point, and it just made him scream louder for his friend.

Sometimes he would pass people who were alive and running for dear life. They may have their magic back, but without weapons or siphons the killing power was a risky game to play in such confined quarters. He would shout at them where to go, and having usually recognized him, they swiftly did as he asked.

Felix had foregone is siphons today. He knew in a mood like this he would just shatter them.

He rounded another corner, slowing down. Up ahead and to his left he could hear water trickling, and if he knew Kaden, then Kaden would have been here throughout the week. On the ground, he could see where a group of people had very quickly run in this direction, and small puddles – at least one of those people had been bathing when they’d decided to make a hasty retreat.

He followed those footsteps at a much faster rate than he had been going before, conscious of how long it had been since Kaden had called for Eleana’s aid through their mate bond.

“KADEN,” he shouted again, his voice becoming hoarse.

He burst out another wave of his killing power, and halted in his tracks when after the blow he heard a symphony of whines and cries.

And not from any person.

He slowed down, unstrapping the sword from his back.

He had wounded whatever lied ahead, but they were not dead. With his feet dragging in the dirt, he braced himself for whatever was to come. He let his fire dull slightly, still aflame so that there was light cast, but not so full in case he lost control in this fight.

Then he heard them.

Clicking and clawing they were a catastrophe coveting calamity. He felt water drip from the ceiling on his face, and he wiped it away with a sneer.

And then he saw them.

Unimaginable, innumerable monsters all intent on him.

From all around him, pressing in on him like a fist constricting a throat, there was creature after creature, teeth snapping and growling as they saw him.

One lunged.

He brought his sword down in a hard stroke, the metal slicing into the thing’s scaly flesh, causing it to make a high-pitched screech. He pulled his sword out, kicking its dying body away from him while simultaneously pulling a throwing knife from his boot and aiming it at his next target. It struck true, but that was only two down in what could have been a hundred. As Felix pivoted around, he was overwhelmed in the swarm of creatures coming for him. With a hand raised, he sent his fire at its highest capacity towards everything to his left. The smell of burning flesh filled his lungs, but Felix did not let it distract him – nor did he let his flames whither. More droplets landed on him, and he let them run down his face as he grimaced. Staying in the same spot, he focused on the creatures to his back. Breathing shaky and nervous, Felix wondered how he was going to get out of this one.

Prayed that even if he didn’t, Kaden would. He hadn’t heard from Eleana in over an hour, and Mother he wished he could speak to her. Speak to his father, ask, beg, him for help.

At every turn, there was something new. Creatures his worst nightmares couldn’t have conjured. He blasted power to his right, his Illyrian magic burning through the flesh of the monsters the way his flames did. The way they came at him meant that he was always in the same spot, but forever turning to defend himself from a new threat. And those goddamned water droplets only served as a distraction.

Felix furiously burst his power out of him, using all he had every time he did. And he was succeeding, he killed tens every time.

But they just kept surging to him, wave after wave after wave. With an intent he had never seen in an animal. A twisted purpose he had only seen from the most brutal of killers. This wasn’t hunting for survival, they were killing for sport.

The well that was his power was being emptied ever so slightly every time he threw out a wave of power – whether it be the killing or fire.

Slash after slash, Felix put down every demon that came at him – every despicable creation. He no longer had doubt – these creatures had been made for this. To destroy.

His fire surged again, this time as a ring around him that pressed out then up then in, singeing whatever was in its way. The creatures practically glowed in its light, their skin turning rancid as he burned through them.

But those fucking water droplets.

Felix, as trained as he was, as skilled as he was, looked up and away from his enemies.

And fell to his knees.

Not because he had been struck, but because it was not water cascading down onto him. It was blood.

Stabbed into the roof, held there by swords through the chest, the rope that was meant to be binding his wings stringing him up, was Kaden.

Did you know that when you die your eyes don’t close?

Kaden’s black eyes, lifeless as they were, stared through Felix like the blackness between the spirts on Starfall.

Felix, as trained as he was, skilled as he was, acclaimed as he was, intelligent as he was, as driven as he was, looked for too long.

Long claws stabbed through his back and out his sternum, piercing his heart. Felix choked on his own blood, his eyes never leaving Kaden’s, not even as his life drained from his body.

#acohad #acotar #acomaf #acowar #fanfiction #a court of hearts and darkness #feysand #nessian #moriel #elucien

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