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applepiewinchesters · 5 years ago

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Unlikely Friends (Alec Hardy x Reader)

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

Requested by: Anonymous

The babysitter just had to cancel, on a Monday, when you had absolutely no one else to watch your son, Archie. He was only two, so he definitely hasn’t started primary school yet, and you lived in Broadchurch alone, no family, no nothing.

All of your friends had jobs as well, so none of them could watch him. So, it looks like Archie was coming to work with you.

Hopefully your boss, DI Hardy, wouldn’t mind, he wasn’t exactly the most compassionate man. He was kind when he wanted to be of course, he was a good cop too, no matter what the media labeled him.

Oddly enough, he seemed to have a soft spot for you as well, he was kinder to you than the others, even Ellie.

So, you came into work that morning, one hand holding Archie’s as he toddled beside you, the other holding a diaper bag containing things to entertain him for the day. People stopped to coo at Archie, who just giggled back at them.

When you got to your desk, you grabbed Archie, setting him on top of the desk along with his diaper bag. You stopped him from grabbing your scissors before a shadow appeared beside you, looking over, you saw Ellie, smiling.

“Bringing the little man to work today?” she asked, reaching out to pinch Archie’s cheek playfully, he smiled.

“Ellie!” he squealed in his cute little voice. Ellie picked the small boy off your desk, turning to you for an answer for her question.

“Yeah, unfortunately Alice had to cancel, she’s sick or something, I didn’t have anyone to watch him so hopefully Hardy doesn’t get on my arse about it,” you explained, sitting down at your desk as Ellie tickled Archie, making him giggle again.

“I’m sure he won’t, everyone here knows he’s got a soft spot for you,” Ellie said, giving you a playful wink.

You groaned, throwing your head back, “Yeah, and I’ll never understand why,” you spoke, throwing your hands up in the air.

Archie reached out for you and you happily took him from Ellie’s arms, grabbing a toy from his bag and sitting him on your lap.

Ellie shrugged, “Probably fancies you or something,” she told you, you laughed and shook your head.

“Yeah, sure,” you said, turning to your computer as you powered it up.

Ellie laughed, going to sit at her desk. After a while, Archie got a bit fussy, so you set him on the floor beside your desk to play with his trains on the floor. Thankfully, Hardy was shut up in his office, not really paying attention to anyone, so it seemed he hadn’t noticed your little visitor for the day.

After making sure Archie was content, you turned back to your computer, continuing to type out some files.

Unbeknownst to you, Archie had silently gotten to his feet and padded away. Considering he was so small, he sort of went unnoticed, that was, until he wondered into Hardy’s office. The door was cracked, and Archie was a rather curious little guy.

Alec was sitting at his desk going over documents from the Latimer case, he didn’t even notice the door open or the sound of little feet walking towards him until he felt a small hand tug at his shirt.

He nearly jumped out of his skin, not expecting anyone to be there, “Shit!” he cursed, looking over to see a chubby cheeked little boy standing beside his desk chair.

Archie only laughed, clapping his hands, “Shit!”, he repeated, he was into that phase now, unfortunately for you.

Alec’s eyes widened and he shook his head, “Oh, no, no, don’t say that,” he spoke.

Archie giggled again, “Shit, shit, shit,” he said, like it was a song.

Alec couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corner of his lips, he knew he was yours, the only question was, why was the little guy here? He looked out the window of his office to see you glued to your computer screen.

Was it bring your kid to work day? Was that even a real thing?

The detective shook his head, setting down the document he was holding and turning his chair to face the small boy, “Mummy busy, eh?” he asked.

Archie smiled and nodded, “Workin, shhhh,” he said, putting a chubby finger to his lips.

“Oh yes, your mums very busy, suppose that’s my fault,” Alec spoke, more to himself than the little boy, who was now currently trying to climb into the man’s lap.

Alec let him, he missed having a small child, Daisy was the cutest little thing when she was younger, always laughing and running around, Archie sort of reminded him of that. The better days Alec liked to call them.

Once Archie was on Alec’s lap, he made himself comfortable and began to grab at the papers on the man’s desk.

“Ah, ah, no, not those,” Alec said, stopping the boy’s hands. He reached into his pocket for his phone, pulling up one of those little kids shows that Daisy used to like, he handed the phone to the little boy who smiled and laughed at the song the cartoons were beginning to sing.

Alec continued his work; the little guy wasn’t being fussy anyway. He was an easy kid it seemed.

You on the other hand finally looked up from your computer, your vision a bit blurry from staring at the light. You swore you’d only looked away from Archie for ten minutes, so when you looked down to check on him and saw just his trains lying there, you panicked.

Standing quickly from your desk you checked the immediate area surrounding you. Not there. “Archie?” you called, looking around a few desks.

“Have you seen Archie?” you asked one of your coworkers, who shook their head.

The panic was settling in a bit more then, your hands were shaking as you quickly walked past the door of Alec’s office, but something out of the corner of your eye made you back track quickly.

There, sitting on Alec Hardy’s lap, was your son, happily giggling at whatever he was watching on the man’s phone.

“Sir?” you asked, Alec looked up from his papers, smiling a bit when he saw you.

“Ah, Y/N, believe I’ve got something that belongs to you,” Alec said, motioning to your son on his lap.

“Sir, I-I’m so sorry, I only looked away from him for a minute, his babysitter cancelled today, and I didn’t have anyone else to watch him…” you were rambling, and Alec cut you off.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it, little man here’s been helping me,” Alec said, reaching down to tickle the little boy’s side, making him squeal.

“Really?” you asked, laughing a bit.

“Yeah, he counted ten pens and told me all the colors he knows, smart boy you’ve got,” Alec said, making your smile widen.

“He’s always been,” you answered sheepishly.

Archie finally seemed to notice you were there, when he did he dropped Alec’s phone on the desk and reached out to you. Alec stood from the desk then, holding the little boy in his arms as he brought him over to you.

“Alright, say bye to Alec, we’ll get you some food okay?” you told Archie.

Archie nodded, surprising you both when he wrapped his little arms around Alec’s neck, giving him a tight squeeze, Alec smiled a bit, hugging the boy back softly.

“Bye Awec,” Archie said as Alec handed him to you.

“Bye buddy, don’t give your mum too much trouble yeah? She works hard,” Alec said, saying the last part more to you.

You could feel the blush creeping up your cheeks as you looked down, “Thank you sir,” you spoke.

“Call me Alec, please” your boss told you.

You smiled, “Alec,” you said, the man’s lips twitched up into a smile.

Turning to leave the room, Alec spoke again before you left, “If you ever need help with him, just ask, I’ve done it before I know how hard it can be sometimes, and he’s welcome back anytime,” he told you.

You smiled and nodded, “Thank you, that means a lot actually,” you said.

Alec looked down, becoming his more reserved self again, “Course,” he said, shrugging.

You left then, carrying Archie to the small kitchen area to make him some toast. You’d never admit it but seeing how good Alec was with Archie absolutely melted your heart.

Maybe Alec wasn’t such a shitface after all.

A/N: This was such a cute request thank you so much for the idea! I hope you guys enjoyed it and thank you for reading! Love you all! ~ Sara :)

#alec hardy #alec hardy x reader #alec hardy imagine #ellie x alec #ellie miller #broadchurch #broadchurch fanfiction #broadchurch imagine #David Tennant #danny latimer #gracepoint

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byunskjm-blog · 6 years ago

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Changes ( II )

Genre: Angst, Fluff, CEO! AU, Idol AU

Pairing: Junmyeon x Reader x Baekhyun

Length: 2.6k

Changes Masterlist

Baekhyun was an idol under SM and one of the few friends you had made during your time there.

“Don’t you have a schedule today?” A part of your job was not only assisting Suho but also keeping into account the schedules of idols and their activities.

“You really think I was gonna leave you in the rain? I saw you on my way to the venue and had the car stop so I could get you.” This boy was truly too pure for the world. His concern and care was always with others. It was a feature of his that you absolutely adored. “Why are you walking in the rain anyways?”

You would’ve answered him, but how could you do that without exposing yourself and all you went through today? “Walking helps me think.” The answer was as true as it could get. Walking did help you think it just sucked that it so happened to rain today of all days.

“Well do you have a way home that doesn’t require you catching pneumonia?”

Sehun was currently in Daegu for some photo exhibit, all your friends were in Busan, and well the only other person you could think of was not an option anymore. Your head was facing the floor as you shook your head.

“Well listen i’m gonna be late to this photo shoot and if I am Xiumin and Chen will have my head. So why don’t you just come with me and when it’s over i’ll take you home.”

It probably wasn’t the best plan but you knew Baekhyun wouldn’t let you walk home in this weather and you couldn’t risk making him late, so you agreed.

Seeing you nod your head created a wide smile on his face. Quickly he ran back to the parked van with your hand still in his. Now that you think of it, your hand never left his grasp since he first grabbed it.

The car was heated and you have never been more grateful in your life. Your hair and clothes were drenched from the rain and you still had the box of your things. It wasn’t like Baekhyun didn’t notice it, he chose not to ask about it because the timing just wasn’t right.

After a 15 minute drive you reached the location that CBX would be doing their photo shoot at.

You were willing to sit in the car till he was finished but Baekhyun had a different idea. After he got out of the car he went around to your side and opened the door. You looked up at him to see him holding his hand out for you to hold on to. You weren’t gonna ignore him, so you took it and got out of the car.

The rain was still falling and there was no sign that it was letting up anytime soon. Wasting no time you made your way into the studio where Xiumin and Chen were already starting their solo shoots. As soon as Baekhyun was spotted they hurried him to get ready. You were left alone not knowing what the hell to do or where the hell to go.

Eventually someone came out and led you to where Baekhyun was. You entered the dressing room to see people frantically rushing to get him ready for the shoot. From the mirror he could see you arrived and the smile on his face lit up.

“So i checked with the staff they said it was ok to stay here while I go and do my shoot.” He was talking to you while looking through the mirror. You nodded and moved to sit down on the couch that was available in the room.

After his hair and makeup was done he got up and handed you his hoodie that he was wearing on his way over here. You looked up with him with a confused expression.

“Your clothes are drenched and if you stay in them any longer you’ll catch a cold and that’s the last thing anyone wants.” His kindness was overwhelming and you sure as hell didn’t know what you did to deserve it. “Wear this and the costume designer will loan you some pants to wear.”

Once again you didn’t find the ability to say no to him, you nodded and accepted the hoodie. Soon after a lady came to you with leggings. You went into a bathroom to change into the clothes they gave you. The leggings were a good fit and Baeks hoodie was a bit too big on you but you liked the warmth and comfort it provided you.

By the time you came back to the room Baekhyun was gone. There was a note that read, ‘Get some rest’. You smiled at it because you loved the sincerity it held. You had been listening to him all day so why stop now? You laid down on the couch in an attempt to sleep. It helped that his hoodie smelled like him because it gave you a sense of security. You found it easier to sleep that way.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad dream that you had but you did see someone you didn’t want to in it. Slowly but surely you woke up to see Baekhyun crouched down in front of you giving you the gentlest of shakes to let you know it was time. You didn’t know how long you were asleep for but it definitely helped.

His smile was beaming which couldn’t help but affect yours. “Listen I know I said i’d take you home after this but the boys want to go out to eat and asked you to come with.”. Going with the theme of today which was not saying no to him, you agreed. Besides you were starving and it was nice to eat with people who would bring up your mood.

Everyone said their thanks to the staff including you and they went on their way. You took the same car you came in and started the drive to the restaurant.

You knew how much Baekhyun hated silence, so to find him singing one of their new songs was no surprise to you. “Do you like it?” His gaze was fixed on yours.

You were quite confused because you didn’t know what he was asking about. Your eyebrows furrowed showing that you were lost.

“The song. Do you like it?”

“Of course i like it.” That was probably one of the most honest things to come out of your mouth today.

“Chanyeol wrote it for us, it’s for the OST we are working on. It’s top secret.” He put a finger to his lips indicating that you needed to keep quiet about what you heard.

It all made sense as to why the song was so good. Park Chanyeol had produced it. The people singing it were just an added bonus.

You laughed at the fact that Baekhyun would even think that you would leak anything. Even though you knew it was a joke, you hoped that him and the other boys trusted you enough to speak freely around you.

It was a short drive. Of course it would be somewhat empty, they weren’t gonna bring one of the nations most precious idols to a full restaurant so they could be bombarded by fans.

You all piled into the small family owned business and ordered the food. Meat was an obvious choice for all 4 of you. You ordered a couple other side dishes to go with it and some alcohol which you were more thankful for than the rest.

While you waited for your food to come, Xiumin and Chen initiated small talk, asking how you ended up at the shoot in the first place. You began talking about how you were walking in the rain when Baekhyun saw you and picked you up. It seemed unbelievable to them.

“Wait so you're telling me, Byun Baekhyun did something from the kindness of his heart?” Xiumin questioned with a smile on his face showing he was on the brink of laughter.

You didn’t know what was so funny. Did they have an inside joke you didn’t know about? You turned your head to Baekhyun who was sitting beside you. Baekhyun kicked the shin that belonged Xiumin who was about to laugh at him.

“Yah i can be nice. I am always nice for a matter of fact.” He was being very defensive which only made the other two want to laugh even more.

“You literally said you were gonna push Xiumin onto the train tracks when we were in Japan.” Chen brought up the memory from the time they filmed their reality show.

You couldn’t help but laugh at hearing something like that. Who knew under all that kindness laid a very aggressive person?

“He deserved it. You saw it yourself, he was going to kill me.” Baekhyun said giving a response to the stone that was thrown his way.

“Yeah because you kept getting in my picture brat.” Xiumin was now the one defending himself from the slander.

Baekhyun chuckled at that memory of Xiumin getting so mad at him that he was on the verge of attacking him.

“Well I may not be nice to you but to everyone else I am an angel. Aren’t I?” His attention along with the other 2 boys were on you.

You just laughed and nodded your head in agreement. “He is just an absolute delight,” your tone was semi-sarcastic.

Unfortunately the conversation was cut short when the waitress approached them with the food they ordered. Xiumin was going to grill the meat but you insisted you do it for them. It was the least you could do to repay them for the graciousness they showed you today. You were used to grilling for your friends back home since they were usually either too lazy or too drunk.

Chen was pouring you all drinks while Baekhyun handed out some plates. After the meat was cut all three boys eyes were on you as they waited for you to raise your glass with them and do a toast.

The only thing you could think of was, “To new beginnings.”

Not questioning it they repeated after and downed the liquor in one shot. Baekhyun was drinking water because he really wasn’t a person who could handle his alcohol well. It was opposite of Xiumin who was known to drink often and have a pretty high tolerance. You and Chen were at the same level, you weren’t pros like Xiumin but you could handle your alcohol better than Baekhyun.

The attention was on eating instead of talking but Baekhyun being the person he was couldn’t stand silence. He talked the whole time no matter if he was eating or not. “We should do this more,” Baekhyun said with his mouth full of meat and lettuce.

“I’m pretty sure she has a life and a boyfriend or something. She can’t spend her time with us.” Chen said in response to Baekhyun.

When the word ‘boyfriend’ slipped past his lips you froze and your whole body became tense.

“Am i right?” Chen asked with sincerity.

“A-actually I don’t have a boyfriend and as of today my schedule will become pretty open.” Your eyes were looking down at your lap as you spoke.

“Wait don’t you work for Junmyeon? How can your schedule be open?” Baekhyun asked in genuine confusion.

All you had to do was give them a look for them to understand the situation.

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking,” Xiumin spoke up.

You shook your head letting him know that you didn’t mind. “All good things come to an end eventually. But like I said, new beginnings.” You had found the courage to say all that which was a big step.

“So profound,” Chen spoke in awe of what you said. You all broke into a fit of laughter because of that.

“Well now you have no excuse to say no when we invite you out,” Baekhyun said and the rest agreed with him.

You just laughed and took another shot. You continued eating some more until your stomachs were full. By this time you felt the effects of alcohol kick in. Chen was nearly about to pass out and as expected Xiumin was pretty close to sober maybe just a bit tipsy.

Chen was whining about wanting to sleep already, so Xiumin had no other choice but to take him back to the dorms. Baekhyun told him it was ok to go and that he would pay for the bill and take you home.

After he covered the tab he went to check to see if you were ready to go but to his dismay you were crying. He was shocked and questioning why the sudden mood change.

In order to look at you properly he kneeled before you and lifted your chin so he could see your face. Your eyes were getting red and the tears were streaming down your face like a waterfall. “What’s wrong?” His voice was soft and gentle and it let you know that it was ok to let him in.

“Everything is wrong. I lost so much today and I don’t know if I will ever recover from it.” You didn’t dare break eye contact with him because within those eyes you felt a warmth and reassurance you needed.

“You will. Trust me, right now is just the hard part, but once it passes everything will be so much easier. You just have to pull through and weather the storm.”

The smile on his face did what you thought was impossible in that moment, it made you smile.

“Now stop crying. It isn’t a good look on you.” Even in a time like this he could still joke, but you were thankful for it. You didn’t want to be treated differently because of something like this.

Both of you laughed and you lightly pushed him in retaliation for his remark. You both got up and made your way out. A side effect of alcohol for you was dizziness, so Baekhyun took hold of your hand and led the way to the car. You were grateful for that because if not you probably would have fallen face first.

As promised Baekhyun took you home. It was later than expected, 3 am to be exact. With the box of your stuff and wet clothes in your hand you said your goodbyes.

“Thank you for today. It helped more than you think.”

He flashed his wide, signature rectangle smile toward you, “You better not ignore my calls or texts.”

You giggled at how persistent he was, “I won’t, don’t worry.”

You were about to turn and walk away when you realized you had his hoodie on. “What about your hoodie?” You asked not knowing what to do because you couldn’t take it off now because there was nothing under besides your bra.

“Hold onto it. It gives me an excuse to see you again.” That was all he said before giving her a wink and driving off.

You were taken aback at how shameless he was. You stood there for a couple more seconds and let out a long, exasperated sigh. After everything that happened today that sigh was well deserved.

You stumbled your way to the elevator still a little tipsy from the liquor. The elevator ride seemed longer than usual and so did the walk to the front door. But when you got there you were sure you had lost your mind. Was your mind playing some sick trick on you? Was this a hallucination? Was this another side effect from the alcohol or were you really seeing him? “Suho?”

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sgtbellamyblake · 7 years ago

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not a very good santa claus

Summary: Bellamy deals with the responsibilities of being Santa Claus.

Word Count: 1,655

A/N: Hi again! So I decided to write another Christmas drabble one-shot thingy because I couldn’t get the idea out of my head and the lovely Emily made a really cute moodboard for my other Christmas one-shot and it really inspired me. I’ve had a rough day and these holidays have certainly not been the best for me but writing these little things have really given me something to work on, something to feel productive about… I don’t know maybe this is dumb but it’s been a distraction for sure. I’ve written about the kids once again, really excited to keep writing about them! Already kinda know what they look like and everything… working on the personalities. I love me a good family fic can you tell? Sorry for rambling. Merry Christmas!

[AO3]

For the first time in a while when Bellamy wakes up he feels well rested. There isn’t an annoying alarm clock, no cold little feet pushing against his ribs and when he turns to lay on his back in bed he realizes there’s also no Clarke. The room is bathing in sunlight streaming through the window and when the smell of cinnamon, sugar and vanilla hit him he remembers it’s Christmas Eve.

With each step he takes down the staircase he can hear there’s a lot going on, but then again when isn’t there? He can hear a familiar film playing on their TV, high pitched voices talking over each other and his wife’s trying to create some sort of order and peace amongst the cheerful caos.

He tries to peek into the kitchen quietly to watch them from the outside for a bit longer but two year old Levi shrieks as he sees him. “Dada!” He lifts his arms up, one of them holding a soggy cookie and Bellamy lifts him up from where he sat on the counter. Clarke breaking her ‘no sitting on the counter’ rules on Christmas Eve… as if they haven’t sat on the counter and done worse things before.

He kisses the little boy’s dark curls and leans over to peck Clarke’s lips before she’s turning around to look at the clock on their oven. “Almost eleven in the morning. That’s a record… at least for Bellamy post-kids.” She raises her eyebrows. He used to be a heavy sleeper until he became a dad. Sleeping in on the weekends nowadays meant seven in the morning, eight at most.

“Merry Christmas Eve, Daddy!” Rory smiles enthusiastically and he kisses hers and Jack’s head. It still astounds him how much she looks like Octavia when she was Rory’s age.

Said little girl and five year old Jack are quick to jump in and try to show him all he’d missed while he was asleep, starting with the mess of green, red and white frosting all over their hands, scattered throughout the counter top and clumsily scribbled over the gingerbread man and tree-shaped cookies.

“They’re for Santa Claus.” Jack says as he licks his fingers. “And we’re watching The Grinch.” He says, pointing his food coloring stained finger at the TV playing in the living room. It’s Bellamy’s favorite Christmas movie.

“And you couldn’t wait for me to watch it?” Bellamy argues playfully and Levi giggles. “You’ve watched it like a million times, Daddy.” Rory tells him and Clarke chuckles.

“Fine, fine. I’ll let it slip this time… but only because it’s Christmas Eve.” He says.

“We’re also tracking Santa.” Rory tells him, dropping her makeshift piping bag and running over to the dinner table where Clarke’s laptop is set up. Jack follows right behind her and Bellamy has to put Levi down so he can toddle behind his siblings. He follows them everywhere now.

Just when Bellamy’s about to wrap his arms around Clarke she trails behind the kids and he’s left on his own.

“Okay, let’s clean our hands before touching the computer.” She grins nervously and hands Rory and Jack baby wipes before leaving Levi with his cookie in hand, otherwise he’ll scream his head off. He isn’t going to touch the computer anyways, or so they hope. Kids and technology these days…

Bellamy’s drinking orange juice straight from the carton when Clarke comes back into the kitchen and catches him red handed.

“Bellamy!” She scolds him and he shoves the orange juice back in the fridge. “Shit, sorry.” He laughs lightly and pins her against the counter before she can say anything else, peppering her neck with kisses as she tried to push him away. “Bell, I love you too but the kids are right there.” She tells him, and he shrugs. “They’re busy following Santa…” He’s quiet for a moment after that, as if trying to figure out how to word the next question. “Why gingerbread cookies, though?” He frowns. He’s not the biggest fan of gingerbread cookies.

“Because they wanted to make those.” Clarke smiles and turns to start putting the cookies on Santa’s designated plate. “This was my last job as Mrs. Claus.” She whispers. “Yours was to wrap the presents and later tonight eat these cookies.” She reminds him and Bellamy freezes in his place. Wrap the presents. Santa has to wrap the presents because Santa doesn’t have elves to wrap them for him. His three little elves believe Santa’s real so they can’t wrap their presents themselves and Mrs. Claus had bought all the presents already. Her job’s done. His isn’t. Santa’s screwed.

Clarke’s wiping the counter and talking to him when he focuses on her again and has to shake his head. “Sorry?”

“The kids are calling you.” She repeats.

“Right,” He nods and walks out of the kitchen to Jack and Rory hovering over the laptop, the Santa Tracker on the screen. He had no idea that was even a thing. “He’s in Australia right now, Daddy.” Rory tells him and Jack speaks up. “But why? It’s not time for bed yet.”

“That’s because depending on where you are in the world the hours of the day change because Earth is turning. Right now our side is facing the sun so it’s daytime for us but Australia’s side is facing the moon so it’s nighttime for them.” Bellamy tries to explain as best as he can to the five year old. At least he’s not in Australia right now. It’s still not even midday… he can manage to find some time to wrap the presents.

____

So he doesn’t manage to find the time to wrap the presents. It’s kind of impossible when he’s got a house full of kids and a wife who thinks he’s already done the only job he had. He couldn’t possibly sneak off, not even for half an hour. Not that half an hour would be enough for all the presents he had to wrap but it was something.

Then they have to get the kids and themselves ready for dinner at Octavia’s and actually go to Octavia’s. The whole time they’re there he can’t stop thinking about the bags full of unwrapped presents hiding in their closet. What if they don’t have enough wrapping paper?! Or tape?! Octavia gets him some tape just in case, and he still hasn’t told Clarke about it because she’ll freak out. He’ll wait until she’s asleep to get to work.

They leave Octavia’s after spending the evening with her, Lincoln and the kids and arrive home with a sleeping toddler and two half asleep kids, who aren’t ready to give into sleep until they change into their Christmas pajamas, track where Santa’s currently at and lay out a glass of milk and cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeers.

An hour later Clarke and Bellamy are lying in bed and Clarke’s putting up an alarm for one in the morning to put the presents up under the tree. He panics because he’s not sure he’ll be done by then but he prays she falls asleep fast. It doesn’t take her long, never does (mother of three) but she’s a light sleeper. Getting out of bed feels like mission impossible but when he manages to he slips into the closet and gets to work.

He wraps Clarke’s presents first just in case she wakes up and then starts on the kids’. He’s halfway through Levi’s when he hears someone clearing their throat and he feels like a deer in headlights.

“What are you doing, Bellamy?”

Bellamy takes a deep breath and speaks “First of all, it’s Santa Claus and second of all, I can explain.” He raises his arms up in defeat.

“You forgot.” She crosses her arms over her chest and he nods. “You should’ve told me. It was unfair of me to leave them all for you to do.”

“No, I could’ve done it. I just forgot and I didn’t wanna-“

She doesn’t let him finish before she’s leaving him in the closet alone. Yikes, he’s not gonna hear the end of it in the morning. He keeps wrapping in silence and a few minutes later she’s back… with a bottle of wine and two glasses in hand.

They toast to another Christmas together and spend the night wrapping the kids’ presents. ____

“You have to eat at least one and a half so it looks realistic.” Clarke whispers, as she finishes setting up the presents under the tree. She snaps a quick picture of the lit up tree in the dim living room while Bellamy sits in front of the plate of cookies. “You’re Santa Claus and you forgot to wrap the presents so at least do this.”

“I told you it was an accident. And why do I have to eat them? Can’t we just… hide them away and then you can eat them some other time?”

“No, they’ll get gross.”

“They’re already gross.”

“The kids made them with love.” Clare tells him and he stops arguing.

“Just do it! At least one cookie!” She adds in a hushed voice. “And half a carrot.” ____

They’re woken up barely a few hours after they went to bed and had a little too much wine.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Rory shakes his arm and he feels two other little humans crawling over the covers. “Santa came!” The seven year old tells him and even if his eyes are closed he can hear the smile in her voice.

“And he ate our cookies!” Jack cheers and Clarke turns in bed to look at her son. “Santa ate all of the cookies?” She asks groggily and he grinned with a nod. “All of them!”

Clarke raises an eyebrow and shifts to wrap her arm around Bellamy’s back. “Santa ate all of the cookies?” She whispered, kissing his jaw.

“All of them.”

#bellarke #bellarke fanfiction #g did a thing #one shot

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maddieautobot273 · 7 years ago

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AC Syndicate - Juno’s Curse (Part 2) - Jacob Frye X OC

Here is Part 2 of my miniseries Juno’s Curse! Jacob and Madeline have a romantic evening together and the magician revisits her previous nightmare, with new developments being revealed! Madeline decides enough is enough, and chooses to find out if her dreams are true. But will she try to hide it from Jacob?

Caution: Hint of slight NSFW (If one could even call it that, if anything it’s something inbetween xD)

Shoutout to @oreanagalena / @blindgeishateahouse and @babelast thank you for your wonderful comments in the last update, they really meant a lot to me! <3 Hope you both have a great weekend!

*********

Jacob took Madeline to a pub in The Strand for some afternoon fish n’ chips before shifting to another pub down in Southwark to join some of the Rooks for some pint. Long after nightfall came, the pair took a stroll through the park near the Cathedral in the City of London, talking and catching up on things they’ve missed before making their way back to Madeline’s lodgings.

While Madeline was busy preparing for the festival and other performances in between, Jacob had been busy with helping Sargent Abberline in nailing some newly discovered thugs around the city. They may have not been as dangerous as the Templars, heck even some Blighters, but they sure did cause quite a bit of trouble. Enough trouble for Freddy to have need to call Jacob and his sister in for assistance.

“And then to top it all off, there was another sighting of Spring Heeled Jack down in Devil’s Arche with the Ghost Club,” Jacob continued, his voice containing a hint of complexity. “I’ve never really believed in ghosts and goblins all that much, but that logic is always questioned whenever he comes back for an encore.”

“Spring Heeled Jack? Madeline repeated in surprise. “I’ve heard stories about him when I was a girl. There’s supposedly been sightings of him back home in Scotland. I’ve never actually seen him, but I’ve known people who say they have.”

“And what do they think?” Jacob asked.

“Some believe him to be some bugger in a costume just trying to cause a ruckus,” she answered. “Others believe it to be the real deal,”

“Well then, the next time he shows his face again, I’ll find out myself,” Jacob proclaimed triumphantly. “If I can handle fighting a man armed with a shroud to make him immortal, I’m sure I can handle a man who can summon duplicates of himself,”

Madeline stopped in her tracks, lightly jerking Jacob back with her as she did have a hold on his arm as they walked. “He can do that?”

Jacob nodded in confirmation. “Reminds me a bit of a magic trick, but I’m sure you’d be able to do it better. With him, it’s easy to spot him out if you look carefully,”

“Duplication tricks? I’ll keep that in mind,” Madeline snickered, resuming her pace as Jacob immediately followed at her side. “Always know what to say, don’t you?”

“Don’t I always?” Jacob raised a brow at the girl with a tease.

“Anytime, anywhere. . . most of the time,” Madeline smiled playfully as they neared her house.

Jacob scoffed, pretending to be taken back. “Hang on, now, love,” he released her arm before gently pressing her back against the front door, resting an arm just over her head. “Most of the time?”

Madeline shrugged her shoulders, glancing up at his face. “Nobody’s perfect, Jacob,”

“That may be true,” he agreed, his face inching closer to hers as she could feel his warm, slightly intoxicated breath upon her lips. “But perhaps I can redeem myself in a certain place?”

Madeline couldn’t help but smile as she cradled his face with her hands, her thumbs gently petting his cheekbones. “You may. . . at a certain time, my Ace of Hearts,”

Jacob chuckled light heartedly in defeat, hanging his head as he did so. “It appears I am not the only one who knows what to say,”

“I do miss our more intimate moments, Jacob, I really do,” Madeline reassured the Assassin as she regained his attention. “But I also missed the other moments we share, like early today. Going to pubs, evening strolls, it’s the trivial things we take for granted sometimes.”

She cupped his face again, pressing a long, gentle kiss to his lips before lightly pecking them again as she pulled away. “When the time comes, I will let you know when, sound fair?”

“I would never want to rush you, my dear,” he replied sincerely. “For that I apologize,”

“There’s no need for that”, Madeline reassured him. “Come, let’s get inside,”

Jacob moved away from the girl, allowing her room to unlock the front door and enter the house. As she ventured into the kitchen, Jacob stepped into the main hall, remaining idle as he shut the door behind him. With Madeline occupied, Jacob reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, bright red velvet box.

Wait it out… see how the evening plays out first.

Hearing her footsteps draw near, he quickly shoved the box back into his jacket pocket as he quickly made himself busy, taking off his coat and top hat as he hanged them on a rack, hoping that Madeline didn’t see the box.

‘Thirsty?” She asked.

Jacob turned, eying a bottle of pint in one hand, and two glasses in the other. “I am now,”

“Picked it up the other day, heard it was your favourite,” she smiled, leading him down the hall.

“A wonderful surprise, love,” Jacob beamed as he followed her into the living room.

Setting down on the couch at the other end of the room, Jacob took the bottle in his hand as he released the cork before pouring a glass for each other. They proposed a toast before taking a drink. Jacob swallowed the drink whole as if it were water. Madeline managed to gulp half, but it felt like a quick rush of fire had burned her throat as she shook her head to try to ease herself.

“That currently is a bit stronger than I’m used to,” she whistled. “Has a bit of a bite to it,”

“You don’t have to drink it because of me, love,” said Jacob.

“It’s fine, really,” she assured him as she set her drink down on the table before them. But just as she moved, a shot of pain coursed through her back and shoulders, her muscles aching as she hissed, flinching at the feel of it as she hunched over slightly.

Witnessing this, Jacob nearly choked as he had been drinking his second glass. Setting the drink down, his hands quickly came upon her for comfort as he shuffled closer to her. “Maddie?!”

“It’s nothing… It appears that the fatigue from working last night has finally caught up to me,” she sighed, laughter light heartedly to try and lighten the mood.

“Where does it hurt?” He asked with concern.

“My shoulders, and along my back,” she huffed. “But mostly my shoulders,”

“Here, let me,” Jacob prescribed as he carefully moved Madeline’s hair before beginning to work on her shoulders. “How does that feel?”

Madeline’s eyes shot wide open like flying saucers she felt the motion against her skin. She could feel the pain slowly diminishing from her body. “Wonderful,” she hummed.

This feeling… this sensation of his hands on her skin… it sparked her senses like fireworks. She felt his hands roamed down to massage her shoulder blades. Feeling his touch after a long while, it sent a shiver down her spine.

I missed seeing you… sometimes that can mean miss seeing all of you…

Madeline turned her head slowly to look at Jacob, locking onto his gaze. He had always teased her about casting spells, but whenever she looked into those pure hazel eyes or that devilish smile of his, she felt as if she had been casted under a spell. Without even considering it, her hand slowly placed itself into his left thigh. “Jacob?”

Jacob noticed her staring as he stopped his motions, looking back into her eyes as his fingers moved to interlock themselves into her hair to brush it back. “Yes, love?”

Madeline inched her face closer towards his, pausing for a moment as her lips formed into a playful smile. “When,”

Jacob knew exactly what she had meant. With an excited grin plastered on his face, the two-met part way, sharing a kiss as their arms wrapped around each other’s bodies, pulling them closer to one another.

“Why don’t we take this somewhere you’ll be more comfortable?” Jacob purred with suggestion. His arms suddenly snacked under Madeline’s knees and around her shoulders as he lifted her up to his chest, carrying her from the living room and up the stairs to her chambers.

Madeline couldn’t help but giggle at the playful action as Jacob pushed the door open with his boot before stalking into the room, gently setting the magician down on the bed. “You never seize to surprise me, Jacob,”

“Last chance to step down if need be,” Jacob cautioned as he began to undress himself. “I do not wish to cause you further harm if you’re still feeling pain from last night,”

“I will be fine,” She assured the man, sitting up slightly as she worked on untying her corset. “I know you’ll take care of me,”

Jacob had removed everything but his boxers as he couldn’t help but bellow a charming laughter, chucking his trousers to the floor. “I promise to be oh so gentle, after all, love. . .” He smiled as he slowly waltzed towards the edge of the bed, his finger trailing the pattern of the bed cover, before removing her boots “I am but your servant. . .” climbing up onto the bed, gently pulling off her stockings as his hands gliding against the smooth skin of her legs before he crawled closer towards her like a predator coming upon his prey.

Madeline’s cheeks fumed a dark pink as she squirmed in her place. She wanted to hide her face but she couldn’t look away, for Jacob was now towering over her.

“And most importantly,” he continued before lowering his head, placing a gentle kiss upon her chest right over her heart before glancing back to meet her gaze. “I am your Ace of Hearts,”

The two exchanged smiles before their lips touched once more, sharing one passionate kiss after another, tongues grazing one another. Jacob only pulled away for a moment to blow out the candle that illuminated on the bedside table. Making a wish to not be disturbed, the fire blew out as darkness consumed the room, allowing the pair to share their love for each other in peace.

*********

Madeline woke up to find herself back in the basement of the Magic Club. Once again, the cellar door leading to the outside was locked, only this time the mysterious door hidden in the back wall of the room was now open, allowing her entry.

“I’m back here again?” Madeline spoke aloud, seeming scared.

“Here… I am here…”

Her eyes widened as she nearly stumbled to the floor, eyes locked towards he door. That voice… was the woman trying to tell her that she was inside the room? Was she trapped in there this whole time? Did she need help?

Her mind was telling her to stay put, that something wasn’t right. But her heart was telling her otherwise. If someone was in trouble, shouldn’t she go investigate?

Madeline urged every bone in her bone to move at her command, walking towards the door. Her hands pressed against the arch of the bricked opening, she passed through the entry way. This time there was no blinding light. The room was pitched dark.

“Hello? Is someone in here?” Madeline called. “Do you need help?”

Torches suddenly came to life, sparking along the walls of the hexagon shaped room. While it did provide some light, Madeline still could not see what or who was causing the sound of the voice.

“Here… I am here…”

A spotlight ignited, shining on something in the center of the room. There was something there, an object, resting on a podium of sorts, shining on display. Stepping closer towards it, Madeline discovered that it was a… necklace?

“Wait… I’ve seen that before, but here?” She thought.

“I am here…”

There was the voice again, but it was louder this time. As if this mystery woman were speaking right next to her. Looking down, Madeline quickly realized that the voice was coming from the necklace. But that was impossible! No physical object could speak! This was a necklace for Christ sake! Why is she dreaming this again?

“… Are you talking to me?” Madeline asked slowly.

“I am here… set me free!”

Upon hearing the new set of words, the spotlight shined brighter, blinding Madeline’s eyes as she screamed trying to protect herself.

*******

Madeline’s eyes snapped awake, her forehead sweating up a storm. Her breathing was heavy and shaky as her eyes darted around to try and recall where she was. She was back in her bedroom, her naked body snuggled up against Jacob as her head laid on his hairy chest, the blanket of the bed covers draped over them as Jacob’s left arm was placed along her back, his quiet snores filling the room.

She sighed with relief that she was back in the real world. That was the second time she dreamt of that voice, of that room. . . what did it all mean?

Glancing over at the wall opposite of the window, she could see faint yellow rays rising on a certain spot of the wall, illuminating from the window. The sun must just be coming up by now. If there really is another room hidden beneath the Magic Club, should she go and see if it’s truly there? She wasn’t going crazy, was she?

“it can’t be a coincidence,” she thought to herself. “All of this started when I fell in that room,”

But what about Jacob?

Madeline turned her head to look at his sleeping face. He seemed well rested enough, so at peace. It was still early. Even Jacob wouldn’t be up at this hour back on the train, would he? What if Madeline left now, did some exploring, and then come back before he wakes up? They had promised to spend all weekend together, but there wasn’t no harm in taking a quick peek was there?

But what if he does wake up before she returns? What would she say if he questioned her?

“If it happens, it happens,” she scowled. “Just go quickly, and don’t try to wake him!”

With a steady breath, Madeline pulled her body back slowly from his before gently moving Jacob’s arm away from her back, setting down to his side. She turned to the side, slowly moving her left leg away from his waist, shifting to a cross legged position, her back turned towards the Assassin. She waited a few moments to make sure her movements didn’t stir Jacob from his slumber. When Madeline thought the cost was clear, she began to move forward, but stopped cold when her movement caused the bed frame to creek.

Jacob’s nose scrunched up, his head twitching slightly. He groaned, rubbing his eyes as he slowly sat up from his side of the bed. “Love? What are you doing up at this hour?”

“I, uh. . . needed to use the bathroom?” She answered, managing a cheap smile.

Once he rubbed the sand out of his eyes, Madeline’s brown eyes met Jacob’s hazel ones. He had a smug, yet also playful look on his face as he leaned back slightly, using his hands to keep him up. “Maddie, I say this because I love you, you’re not quite good at lying,”

Busted!

Madeline’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she fell back into her sitting position, fiddling with a lock of her hair as Jacob moved to sit by her. He kissed her shoulder gently before looking up at her face, brushing some of her hair out of her eyes. “What’s troubling you?”

There wasn’t really another way out of this, was there? Sucking in her gut, Madeline sighed as her hands dropped to her lap. “I had that nightmare again,”

“Again?” Jacob repeated, adjusting his position so he sat up right. “Did you remember anything this time?”

“I remember hearing a voice, and stepping through the doorway. There was this light that came down and it showed me something,” Madeline explained before pausing a moment before hissing with frustration. “Ah, it’s on the tip of my tongue!”

“Don’t beat yourself over it,” Jacob soothed, gently cupping her chin as he turned her to face him. “It was just a dream,”

“But the same one in two days?” Madeline replied with a slight strain in her voice. “This all started after I fell in the basement of the Club. Jacob, I understand if you don’t want to believe me, but I swear I’m not going crazy. The two are connected somehow!”

“Slow down, Maddie,” Jacob eased, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I never said I didn’t believe, or that you were crazy,”

“I just need to check if it’s true. I have to go the Magic Club, but I’ll be back,” Madeline replied. “Maybe it will help ease my conscience,”

“This really is troubling you much, is it?” Jacob asked for confirmation.

“I keep hearing that voice saying the same thing repeatedly,” Madeline sighed as she lowered her head. “I just have this feeling that’s telling me to go there,”

“. . . Let me go with you,” Jacob offered.

“What?” Madeline spoke with surprise.

“Whatever you’re looking for, let me help you find it,” he suggested. “Perhaps it will help you relieve some of that stress you’re feeling,”

“You might have to give me another one of your rare massages when we get back,” Madeline perked up a smile, kissing Jacob’s cheek before moving off the bed to fetch a new change of clothes.

“Or, perhaps if you’re feeling up to it, we could go for round 2?” He offered, sly grin on his face as he picked up one of his shirts.

Madeline snorted as a quick flush of pink coursed through her cheeks before she turned to face the Assassin again. “Jacob Frye--!”

“What?” he shrugged with a light-hearted chuckle. “All I’m saying is we could!”

Madeline rolled her eyes at the man before the pair worked on getting dressed for the day before heading out of the house and onward to the Magic Club.

Soon. . . This will all be over soon. . .

#assassin's creed syndicate #jacob frye #oc #oneshot #Juno's Curse #fanfiction #miniseries #jacob frye x oc #jacob frye x madeline shrike #madeline shrike #wanted to try and write a bit more #but that will have to wait for next update

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littlehouseofkarlacade · 5 years ago

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Darkness of Wonderland: NaNoWriMo 2019 Day 3

Word Count: 1674

Total Word Count: 5423/50000

Day 1 // Day 2

The rest of Lyssie’s evening passed without incident, and when it came to the morning, she went through the same routine she always had: wake up, prepare a cup of tea, and eat something. Normally it would be something small, like a piece of toast, but today… Today she felt like having a bowl of cereal. It was rare that Lyssie wanted something like cereal; she normally enjoyed warm foods in the morning, they seemed to sit a bit more easily in her stomach. However, today, as she rustled around the kitchen in preparation, she questioned herself. What was with the cereal desire all of a sudden? Had she been so stuck in her usual routine that her mind was craving something else at this point? Or perhaps it was that she just wasn’t eating enough in the morning… Well, whatever it was, she was determined to satisfy that craving for once. Normally, when it came to random cravings, she would push them out of her mind until she forgot about them, but today… Today she felt the need to satisfy it.

Interesting.

The bowl was found, the cereal was poured, and the time came to add the milk. Lyssie stuck her head into the fridge — a fridge crowded with what consisted mostly of various drinks — until she found the jug. There it was. Soon her breakfast would be ready to go. However, when she shook the jug, a troubling light thump sounded from within. “What in the hell…?” Twisting off the top, she took a look, and then a sniff. Oh, hell. The foul scent that assaulted her nostrils was enough to tell her one thing: the milk had gone bad. Horribly, horribly bad. How had that happened? Hadn’t she just bought it, like, two weeks ago…? Taking a glance at the expiration date, Lyssie saw that said date was listed as being about a week ago. “Well, shit,” she muttered. “That explains it…”

Well, cereal was off the table. Damn it, why did she always do this? She’d always had to throw out so much food, either because she had left it out for too long when it was supposed to have been refrigerated, she kept having to throw out her leftovers because she had always forgotten about them until they had gone bad… What was with her? Why was she like this? This new information didn’t help her downcast mood, seemingly carried over from last night. Oh well… Of course, there was another thing to show that she seemingly couldn’t do anything right. Awesome. She moved, going to trash the cereal and toss the bowl in the sink rather carelessly, for indeed, she didn’t care if it smashed right now. So, instead, she came up with another plan: a mere peanut butter sandwich. That was something she couldn’t mess up.

Indeed, she ate, and soon enough she was ready for yet another day of work. Another day, another dollar, another reason for her to feel that she didn’t actually matter. Fantastic. Shortly after petting and feeding Cookie Dough, she departed, beginning to head down to the usual bus stop. As she walked, she slipped her earbuds in her ears once again and turned on music on her phone, letting the sweet, melodic sound of symphonic metal begin to pour into her head. Ah, what a good way to drown out all the thoughts that were causing her to doubt herself. Music truly was the easiest way for her to do so, for instead of the thoughts, all she thought of were the lyrics, the way the instruments sounded together, the way the singer’s voice seemed to caress her eardrums. The vivid descriptions of the lyrics inspired fantastical images in her head, and she knew if she had the time, she would end up writing some sort of story based around what she imagined.

She let the tempo of the music carry her down into the small shopping center where the bus stop was, though shortly before reaching it, she stopped, feeling a sudden tap on her shoulder. “Hello?” she asked, pulling one of her earbuds out as she turned. However, there was nobody behind her. Strange. Very strange. Facing forward again, she moved to resume her listening until she felt it again. Turning around yet again, her eyes narrowed upon seeing no one there. “Really, is someone screwing with me?”

As her gaze scanned over her surroundings, she caught sight of an elderly woman next to a pillar, gesturing to her as if she was attempting to summon her over. What in the world…? Despite everything in her mind telling her that this could possibly be the worst idea she had ever had, Lyssie walked over to her, dodging turning cars as she went.

“Yeah, hi, can I help you?” she asked. “Were you the one tapping me?”

The elderly woman only gave her a smile. Lyssie stared at her for a moment, blinking. The woman didn’t seem too far out of the ordinary; she was small, slightly shorter than she was, dressed like Lyssie would expect someone elderly to dress. The only thing the woman had to make her even slightly suspicious was a strange pendant hanging around her neck. It looked sort of like a glistening spider’s web, with small white gems glittering like dewdrops. No elderly woman she had ever seen before wore something like that… the jewelry they usually wore was gaudy, large, and even a bit ugly from Lyssie’s point of view. This pendant, however… it was beautiful, unlike anything she had ever seen before.

“Hello…?” she asked again. “Do you need anything?”

The woman remained silent, still smiling. If Lyssie were to be completely honest, this woman was starting to creep her out. Who just stood there smiling at someone like that? Maybe she had dementia or something, but that didn’t explain why she wasn’t answering…

“Right, I’m just going to go now. Have a good day, I guess…?”

She turned to depart, and only then did she finally hear the old woman speak. “You look like you want things to change. Sad little retail life, isn’t it?”

Lyssie stopped in her tracks, turning back around slowly. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You look like you want a change,” the woman repeated. “Am I wrong?”

She didn’t answer immediately, completely creeped out at this point. What in the hell…? How did she know that? “I guess, yeah,” she finally responded. “But I mean, there’s nothing I can do to change anything right now, I’ve just gotta ride with it, so…”

The woman fished around in the purse at her side just then, and Lyssie watched her curiously. She was probably just seeking out some sort of pamphlet to a church or something, aiming to try and get her to seek Jesus or something to try to change her life. Lyssie already knew she wasn’t having any of that; religion was something she preferred to avoid at all costs. However, her tone of thought changed when she brought a physical item out instead.

“Take this,” she said, grabbing Lyssie’s hand and pressing the item into it. “This will bring you the change you want. You just have to want it hard enough, and it will bring it to you.”

“Wait… what?” Lyssie was nothing short of confused. “What do you mean? What am I supposed to do? How is this supposed to work?”

“I’ve just told you, dearie.” The woman’s smile returned, and she gestured in the direction of the bus stop. “You’d better be off. That bus is going to show up soon. Don’t worry, Alyssa. Your thirst for change is coming.”

Lyssie stared at her, dumbfounded. How the hell did this woman know her name? She hadn’t put her name badge on yet; normally she waited until she was at work to do that, and it was currently in her jacket pocket… Maybe she was a customer at the store she worked at? No, that couldn’t be, Lyssie would have remembered seeing her…

She looked down at the item in her hand. It was some sort of amulet, or perhaps a huge brooch, the woman had given her. Shaped like a rose, it was an almost translucent white, with the same gems as the pendant the woman wore. Lyssie turned it over in her hands — it was surprisingly heavy, though perhaps it shouldn’t have been so surprising, as it was about the size of her palm. “But, wait, I don’t…” she began, though when she looked up, the woman was gone. It appeared that she was talking to no one now.

What the… fuck…?

Lyssie didn’t have much time to think upon it, however, as she turned to see that the bus had indeed arrived at the stop. Dropping the rose in her jacket pocket, Lyssie sprinted off, just barely making it onto the bus before it pulled away. She sighed a deep sigh as she found a seat and sat down, slipping her earbuds back into her ears in hopes she could forget of all that just happened.

The bus ride was uneventful, though her thoughts and wonders about the strange rose item, or amulet, as she decided to call it, never left her mind. Her thoughts were mainly of confusion, wondering what exactly it was supposed to do, how it was supposed to help her with her current decrepit state of mind, state of life… As far as she could tell, it was just another useless object that would surely end up on her dresser collecting dust. Just like every other damn thing she’d ever been given.

The bus arrived at her workplace, and Lyssie hopped off, intending to work her shift without a second thought about the damn thing. No thoughts about it at all, it would only distract her and make her shift seem like it would just be dragging on and on and on and on.

As if the shift can’t do that on its own, she thought with some loathing.

#nanowrimo #nanowrimo 2019 #darkness of wonderland #karla writes

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olwog · 6 years ago

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Monday

Let the adventure begin. Six o´clock usually happens only once in the day, towards evening and getting up whilst it´s still dark is not one of my more enjoyable treats but I am a happy riser, at my age I´m just happy to wake up!

We´re meant to be on the 0718 Manchester Airport train from York and looking forward to starting the journey.

The plan is to fly to Bilbao in Northern Spain, take the bus to Santander and overnight in the Central Albergue then set off walking the Camino Norte where we left off last year. We’ll follow that with a cheap flight down to Lisbon for no other reason than I’ve never been there before then either road, rail or air down to Albufiera on the Southern Coast of Portugal for Costa del Folk, our bi-annual fix of music. The name of the festival is a little misleading as the content is a broad mix of all genres and usually experienced whilst lying in the sun or with feet lightly dipping into an open air pool or drifting in and out of a rhapsody on a sun-bed. In short, it usually has the edge on wellies and brollies in a field of mud.

The Camino element is another leg for me and a joining up of different tracks for the Pilgrim as she has already done the Primitivo which is an offshoot of the Norte that hugs the coast.

The sun is making an appearance as Bridie drops us at York Station and I, once again, look on in amazement at the machine that is our rail system. The bike racks on the station are full and I think of the emotional farewell to Otto yesterday and Kathy the day before. I’m not good with farewells, especially if you’ve no idea if you’ll see the person again. Both Otto and Kathy were only meant to be acquaintances for a couple of legs of their Coast to Coast walks; however, the warmth and nature of both of them coupled with the adversity of two astonishing storms has created a far closer relationship with both of them and I feel a fleeting sense of loss. The train from York to Manchester Airport is quite full but we manage to get our seats although we’re told later that the reservation system has failed and as the carriage fills as we pass through Leeds and beyond we feel lucky.

Manchester airport is quite busy and they seem to be having issues with security as we’re redirected to another basement room where there are long, zig-zagging lines of people. The staff are upbeat and manage the situation well but it doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s a pain.

The EasyJet flight was good and made up the time that was lost pre-take off so we arrive just about on time. On exit we make our way to the travel desk to acquire the bus ticket in to town, we need it as soon as possible as our coach to Santander will leave at 1700 whether we’re on it or not. There’s no need to worry in this instance as the journey takes less than half an hour and drops us at the same depot as the ALSA bus that will take us onwards, we even have time to visit a restaurant/bar!

The buses run like clockwork, usually bang on time and easily identifiable and even when you cock it up by trying to board the wrong one the driver couldn’t be more helpful in redirecting us.

We’re in the Santander Central Hostel and at 25€ per person per night including breakfast it’s at the top end of albergue range but it’s clean and there are sheets and blankets. It’s full of other peregrines all with a single objective, to reach Santiago de Compostela at some point.

My objective is to see the countryside and enjoy the weather, no more, no less and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

We reach the terminus and everything comes flooding back, the terminus is definitely in the middle of Santander and the Hostel is definitely not far away. It’s also not good value for money when you consider there are two of us and we’re housed in nothing more than an albergue facility; don’t get me wrong, I’ve payed £100 or £150 per night (or rather, the company has) but I draw the line at what is an over priced bunkhouse although Angel, the owner/manager seems friendly enough and everything is clean.

We take advice for the bright lights of Santander and after a short wander we find what we’re looking for, a bar selling pinxos which is the Basque equivalent of tapas. A brief conversation in pigeon Spanish later and I establish that the tortilla is indeed ‘sin lactosa’ or without milk and, as a consequence, safe for me to eat. The Pilgrim goes for the heavy duty ‘con lactosa’ that includes blue cheese and a strange mix of caramelised onion that’s moe like a jam layer that sits between the cheese, the potatoes and the egg. After a few mouthfuls of both we establish that my traditional, reduced threat variety has the edge but both are devoured with relish along with more than one wine and cerveza (not in the same glass).

A couple of hours sets us up with the nightcap that is required and we settle in the dorm ready for me to give the other occupants the benefit of my nocturnal moose impersonations.

The Pilgrim has taken the top bunk and hung a walking stick from a hook that’s been carefully screwed to the wall for the purpose of creating a handy resting place making it easily accessible for the prodding of the moose-man if/when the volume becomes worthy of a risk assessment and aurally damaging. She’s under strict instructions to avoid my face and genital areas, other than that, a prod could land anywhere – and does! She’s quite skilled at this and It doesn’t wake me up but does silence the moose impression for a while and by 2 am everyone is happy and asleep.

Tuesday

We get up late in the morning, it’s gone 0830 and we’re normally up and ready to walk by now but the weather is kind and unlikely to go over 24 degrees which means that walking at midday is entirely acceptable.

Breakfast is included in our fee and a couple of slices of toast later and we’re ready to roll.

The first part of the walk is through the suburbs of Santander and whilst it’s uninteresting in terms of scenery it is interesting how the city works. We’re also greeted many times by local people who recognise the rucksack and pained expression and greet us with the words ‘Buen Camino’. Literally, it means ‘good way’ but the extended meaning is ‘Have a good pilgrimage and may it go well’ it also makes us feel good and we reply with ‘Gracias’ or ‘Buenos Dias’ and it leaves us with a smile.

As we leave the city with the Parque del Dr. Morales on our right we note the traffic activity is reducing and within another 50 metres we’re on to a track that follows the railway giving us views of the mountain ranges in the distance.

It’s late morning now and the sun quite strong, we are passing through numerous tiny villages some of which are undefined save for the sign with the village name and a line through it to say we’re now leaving. Some of them consist of half a dozen houses spread out over a mile so it can be quite a surprise that we were ever in it let alone leaving it!

There is quite a lot of road slog although there is little or no traffic then we arrive at the rather charmingly named Estacion de Boo and decide on taking the train to the next station. It takes about 4 minutes, covers about 3 miles and takes us across the river and this is the real bonus as it saves us the best part of 10 kilometres (6 miles) of following the river inland to get to a footbridge that is safe. There is another option and it is one that we were going to attempt. It’s against the law but the locals do it, they cross the river via a one-and-a-half metre wide foot-way next to the train track. The trains are purported to run every 30 minutes and it takes only 5 minutes on foot; however, on an arse-covering principle, I recommend that you DON’t use this as you could end up hurt, dead or locked-up – or an unpleasant mix of all three.

We arrive at Estación de Mogro and the Pilgrim spots the yellow arrows pointing in the opposite direction what we expected but we take that route anyway as it runs parallel to the Camino which is on the other side of a significant hill but merges at a point 3 kilometres along the road. At the station we had covered 18km (11 miles) and the map is telling us there are another 7km (just under 5 miles) to Cudon and it’s across some hills. The upside is the scenery and beautiful weather, the downside is another 7km!

The Camino follows several roads that wend their way across the hills and some of the views are very special especially where the countryside allows us to see the Atlantic; it’s currently placid but it is the Bay of Biscay and getting angry is its only pleasure.

We’re at a junction when a Spanish man in one of those utility vehicles about the size of a bus opens his window to help. We’re OK with the directions but he confirms that we’re using the right route and also describes where the accommodation is that we need to be looking for, “Behind the Church”, he repeats and we nod our thanks. When people see the rucksack and the shell they respond with kindness and help that makes you feel good but the best is yet to come.

The next few kilometres is covered relatively quickly although we do take twenty minutes out to stop at a roadside bar to slick the dust.

It’s been a bit of a slog and we’re about ready to stop when we enter the hostal and ask about a room.

“Los Siento, Completo”, (Sorry, we’re full), was the response and after 25 kilometres over a numerous hills under a full sun it wasn’t what we wanted to hear.

Then something that happens only occasionally happened, “Espera aquí, por favor” (Wait here please). Then she rang a number of other hotels and found one that she then negotiated a “Pilgrim’s” price 45 euros for a double room (down from 65). She then got her husband up from his siesta and asked us if we’d like a lift!

The journey is across town and ends up being 7 or 8 kms which would be a 16 kilometre round trip. As we alighted The Pilgrim whispers I think that was a ‘brown’ journey referring to the colour of the ten euro note and I couldn’t agree more so I offered him the note as soon as he opened the rear door to retrieve our rucksacks…and he refused! I offered again and repeated “Quisiera” (I would like) but he was having none of it and refused again then he shakes our hands and wishes us “Buen Camino”) and is off.

Such kindness and generosity are a feature when you travel and it saddens me when others are ripped off or robbed as we tend to find more positives than negatives.

The hotel is more than adequate and the meal that we have is good value especially for a hotel so we’re smiling.

Tomorrow is another day on the Camino Norte on the north coast of northern Spain.

Enjoy the snaps…G..x

Camino – Santander to Viveda Monday Let the adventure begin. Six o´clock usually happens only once in the day, towards evening and getting up whilst it´s still dark is not one of my more enjoyable treats but I am a happy riser, at my age I´m just happy to wake up!

#Camino #Camino del Norte #Spain #Walk #Walking

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