#winter regiment would be easier if they let us use 5

[mariaantonnietta]

Finally writing about my ENG Honmaru.

I said I was gonna after the end of the eng server, and I wanna follow throught before the new year. So the next few posts are gonna be about that, will do a read more to not fill up to much room.

Having said that, let's start!!

Firstly, before the server ended I wanted to use up all my kiwame sets, see all indoor clothes and finishing all maps available (until 8-4) , I did not manage to do any of them, but it was still fun! I did get a lot of indoors, and the kiwame I didn't know you got full sets for finishing a map in 8 era. I ended up with 1 left. About 8 era, the maps are beutiful. Especially the 3rd map. The fourth map I didn't know it had 3 parts, I gave up on the second when I barely would be able to reach the end with luck and i discovered in the wiki there was another part. I found hakusan invaluable here. I never gave him that much attention cause shichiseiken ability sounds better, and I liked only cause of his design and school, but holy Ibdo not regret raising him to 99 in the summer event ( i wanted my swords to have a medic). He's a beast that let's you advance. Managed to get to 8-4 with my kiwame tantou team, in which the highest lvl were atsushi and yagen, both at 45. (Yagen just barely reached while atsushi was my leading lvl tantou almost always, still had the exp advantage to the end) So there's that map and kiwame set unconquered too, but i refer I need higher level tantou or another strategy to beat that one.

The indoor clothes was cause i had many people to see their clothing and too little time, but so a lot more, I also spent the rest of koban in summer clothes, well spent.

Apart for that I did all dialogues I could aford to do with the swords I had, Hasabe and Nihongo was especially funny cause you need 20 outings with them together to get to the second part, and as I was collecting recollections with other swords at the same time, they ended up hearing all the gossip talks ( a lot of them). Some of them like the one with kasen, sayo and the dategumi are a pain to get. Uff, my dategumi and sayo were high level, but kasen wasn't. And you needed to win a stage multiple times. The shinsengumi one was also difficult. The one with hone, tanuki and otegine was essier but annoying cause it was in 8 era.

There were also a few dialogues that didn't trigger. Taikogane and souza one. Also kasen and kokin one, which I believe is cause i never finished the 2nd run of the special mission ( literally the event ended 2 lantens away, luckily i already had one from the new years tickets) yeah unorthodox choice, but it paid off. Maybe that's why it didn't trigger, but is not written anywhere as a requirement. And no idea about taikogane ( he was also a new year pick...maybe that's the reason, but i never heard this being an issue, so idk)

Apart from that, i took photos of my gallery and my list with swords in level order. And my stock. And formed my 4 formations as how best i saw fit. Will Show it here.

About the swords, showing the gallery will suffice. Cause there's a lot of images, I will post them in a separate post. But here is my final formations, left ready to battle.

First formation is my assault team, kiwame tantou with both atsushi and yagen the highest leveled. The second the leader is my first sword kashu and the rest is a uchitagana/wakizaki mixed, and all terrain, but a bit under leveled ( i liked kashuu resting). The third one is my day firmation, here Tarou my most experienced oodachi Who helped me a lot is leading, and the yari and naginata are my only kiwame of the type. Shoudakiri here with Shishio are my earliest, strudiest swords, with shishio being left as attendant at the end as he was the mayority of the time. And fourth is leading my second sword, with maeda and fudou. A second a bit lower level but still letal tantou team.

I did not save the order of smith, but i remember hirano was my second sword (tutorial) and fudou my third (first forge outside tutorial) Funny thing is my second forge in JPN is maeda , so a funny twin thing happened there ( gokotai my third) .

So that's how I got the formations. On chores I left mikazuki and ichigo, shichiseiken and hakusan, and nagasone and my extra kashu, also named kage kashu by me. Nagasone is my first 3:00:00 in JPN llike Shishiou on my EN account, so these people I wanted to assing too. Kage kashu with normal kashu in formation lets them both appear.

Also, another thing that happened is that on the last day as I enter my kage Kashu ask me to go kiwame training. I'm in tears cause I'm sure he could have asked before and didn't. ( or not, I probably messed up XD)

I also said I was gonna talk about this extra Kashu, so I will do it here. Basically, on the Great Invasion, or in a training before it, but after having choosing the starter path of dialogue with my starter kashu, and before main event when we go to moon background dimention, I got kashu to level 99 and decide it would be great to send my kashu to kiwame, so I did.

And then I was in another dimention, all the buttons were blocked and I needed a kashu to advance the story. I was sweating at the time thinking I had softlocked myself, praying that when I clicked ok on the notification I could use the forge to get a kashu ( I had the resources, it was that or waiting kashu return) .

To my surprise after clicking the button I notice there's a gift in my mail box. Yeah, the developers had thought about it and had sent me a kashu kiyomitsu. (Or they accounted for the fact that kashu could be broken, either way, I'm trankful)

I imagine being him, just appearing, and having to deal with the mess mikazuki had left. And when my kashu got back things became even weirder. Remember I started the path with normal kashu and now I had kiwame kashu. So the rest of the event it the dialogues went in tandem, in one it was kiwame kashu and in the next it was normal kashu. This happened even in the expeditions!! When normally 2 of the same sword can't be present ( i hc they are treated as one by the time machine) but in here the both appeared ( nor at the same time in windows and the signature indicated only 6 as always, but these 2 were to the same expedition even if the machine didn't register it that way) and it made the experience feel more unique. So I couldn't get rid of him. I locked him in and kept him in level 1, until the end of servers where I fed him all my sweets and let him go collect resources, he ended up at level 80. He and shishio also have an onamori.

I never wanted to send him to kiwame, as another reason I wanted to keep him was so I could see both versions of kashu, but him asking me on the last day I log in really made me a bit emotional.

I took a screen shot of the moment. I decline cause I do not have a pigeon and he would be going to the void.

Well, now the data may be gone, but l like to believe they are in a musou situation right now ( not exactly like musou, able to exist in a place), and with the resources left and them gathering more they will be fine. There's even a kiwame set left, for someone who may one day do the travel. Or maybe won't. But there still should live well. I left shishio as attendant, he was attendant since I got him, he's great and I trust him.

My attendant. And of course, to end this post, a photo I took a bit before this, to my darling first sword.

I really loved this honmaru. I hope they are well somewhere, beyond the pixels realm. Bye, bye!!

[prvtbugsbuggins]

Caboose and his ungodly amount of sisters.

A post for both my reference and for you all to enjoy.

The idea of Military Alphabet being used as names was inspired by Red Battalion, Blue Regiment by @tinfoil-jones. It's a great fic u guys plz.

More stuff under the cut.

Caboose and his sisters were all taken from a pool of war orphans during the great war. All of them had their homes glassed and barely escaped with their lives. The oldest at the time was little more than a small kid, so many of them don't remember having parents or a life before they were taken into the SPARTAN III program. For all they know, this was all normal to them.

Indiana was the oldest and was the one to remember what parental love was all about, so she was the one who kept an eye on everyone else and did her best to be sure that they had love while growing up. Their training was extremely harsh and she made sure it was as fair as it could be.

Here are the siblings, from oldest to youngest. Once they were old enough to leave the program, all of them chose their own names. Caboose was chosen as the last name, and all of them keep it as a sign of solidarity.

Name: Indiana ‘Indy’ Carnation Caboose

Rank: Lieutenant General

Armor Color: Dark brown and tan

Designation: INDIA

Description: Freckled pale skin with green eyes and red hair that she keeps short. Absolutely stacked. 9Ft tall even. Is missing a leg but has a cool cyborg one to replace it. Defacto ‘leader’ of the Spartan Siblings and tends to call the shots. Is high enough rank to make sure her siblings are treated well no matter where they end up.

Currently: Alive and still in active duty. Works mostly with Holly.

---

Name: Holiday ‘Holly’ Yuletide Caboose

Rank: Major General

Armor Color: Green and Red

Designation: HOTEL

Description: Tan skin with brown eyes and black hair that she keeps long. 8’11’’ tall. Is built more slender but can still break your neck. Is the one who usually keeps track of all the siblings and makes sure they are okay. Organizes the yearly get together.

Currently: Alive and still in active duty. Works mostly with Indiana.

---

Name: Winter Solstice Caboose

Rank: Chief Warrant Officer 5

Armor Color: White and Winter-mint Green

Designation: WHISKEY

Description: Pale skin with blue eyes and white-blonde hair that she keeps short. 7’9’’ tall. Is built more slender and is stupidly flexible, giving her a rep as an escape artist.

Currently: Alive and still in active duty. Works as a battlefield tactician and invents war-games for training purposes.

---

Name: Tango Rio Caboose

Rank: Second Lieutenant

Armor Color: Black and White

Designation: TANGO

Description: Tan skin with brown eyes and blonde hair that was kept short. Was more short and squat but absolutely stacked. 8 ft tall even. Used to bench press actual benches with people on it.

Currently: MIA. Was last seen on Reach.

---

Name: Vicky Ableton Caboose

Rank: First Lieutenant

Armor Color: Teal and Pink

Designation: VICTOR

Description: Pale skin with blue eyes and hair that’s always in a different color done in a ‘fluff hawk’ hairstyle. 8Ft tall even and built more slender. Is faster than the other siblings in terms of speed.

Currently: Alive and retired. Currently works as a DJ and plays for raves while making her own music.

---

Name: Sierra Nevada Caboose

Rank: Second Lieutenant

Armor Color: Tan and Gold

Designation: SIERRA

Description: Rust colored skin with black eyes and black hair kept long. 8’5’’ tall and was more focused on martial arts, so she was rather slender. Could one inch punch people across a room.

Currently: MIA. Was last seen on Reach.

---

Name: Charlie Beatrix Caboose

Rank: Sergeant Major

Armor Color: Green and Brown

Designation: CHARLIE

Description: Warm dark skin with brown eyes and black hair kept short. Built more chubby and squat at 8’6’’ tall. Can hug you to death though, so be careful. Used to be able to pick up cars so the wheels could get changed faster.

Currently: Alive and retired. Writes and illustrates children's books based off stories she told Caboose when he was little.

---

Name: Luna Moonbeam Caboose

Rank: Sergeant Major

Armor Color: Black and Blue

Designation: LIMA

Description: Pale skin with pale blue eyes and pale blonde hair kept long. Just pale, lol. 7’11’’ tall and built slender and trim. Is really good at psychology and has a knack for motivating people without them realizing it. Takes active interest in troop morale and writes papers on how to improve it.

Currently: Alive and in active duty. Works as a drill sergeant and her teams perform better because she gives them all lollipops when they do a good job.

---

Name: Juliet Romeo Caboose

Rank: First Lieutenant

Armor Color: Yellow and Green

Designation: JULIET

Description: Freckled pale skin with brown eyes and blonde hair kept long. Built like a muscular country farm-girl at 8’7’’ tall. Can pick up fully grown cattle and move them where they need to go.

Currently: Alive and retired. Works on a farm where she raises various livestock with her wife. Caboose gets to name all the baby animals born on said farm.

---

Name: Fox (Foxy) Trot Caboose

Rank: First Lieutenant

Armor Color: Orange and Black

Designation: FOXTROT

Description: Tan skin with blue eyes and red hair kept short. More wiry and slender than most other sisters and stuck more to stealth tactics than outright assault. 7’10’’ tall.

Currently: MIA. Last seen on Reach.

---

Name: Echo Echo Caboose

Rank: First Lieutenant

Armor Color: Dark Blue and light Blue

Designation: ECHO

Description: Dark skin with brown eyes and black hair kept short. Quite muscular and built at 8’6’’ tall. Usually specialized in hand to hand combat and liked to use knives and other bladed weapons.

Currently: MIA. Last seen scouting uncharted territory.

---

Name: Ollie Oxenfree Caboose

Rank: Major

Armor Color: Pink and White

Designation: OSCAR

Description: Pale skin with brown eyes and black hair, kept short. Is more slender and built more for stealth and misdirection type of combat. 8’4’’ tall and can pluck your heart out of your rib-cage if need be.

Currently: Alive and retired. Works as a therapist and specializes in PTSD traumas.

---

Name: November Showers Caboose

Rank: Lieutenant Colonel

Armor Color: Dark Red and Orange

Designation: NOVEMBER

Description: Tan skin with brown eyes and orange hair kept short. Is built like a bruiser at a good 8’10’’ tall and a body to put bodybuilders to shame. Likes to count how many teeth she can knock out of someone’s head with one punch.

Currently: MIA. Was last seen on Reach.

---

Name: Kiki Piña Colada Caboose

Rank: Major

Armor Color: Light Pink and Light Yellow

Designation: KILO

Description: The smallest sister at 7’8’’ tall and slender. Pale skin with blue eyes and pink/blonde hair kept long. Enjoys looking pretty but is scarily good at assassinations. Likes to use her unassuming looks against people. Has beaten up selfish lovers.

Currently: Alive and in active duty. Trains special forces troops.

---

Name: Bravo Blue Caboose

Rank: Lieutenant General

Armor Color: Blue and Black

Designation: BRAVO

Description: Pale skin with blue eyes and brown hair kept short in a buzz cut. Likes piercings and body mods. Has an unbelievable pain tolerance and likes to freak out her recruits using it. 8’10’’ tall and built like a linebacker. Sometimes will stand there and let people attack her and laugh at their attempts to hurt her. Will kill you if you make her siblings cry.

Currently: Alive and in active duty. Works on top secret things that are secret. It’s mostly boring stuff, like paperwork. She hates it.

---

Name: Quinn Sable Caboose

Rank: Captain

Armor Color: Grey and Purple

Designation: QUEBEC

Description: Tan skin with green eyes and brown hair kept short. Tends to dye tips of hair purple. Is covered in tattoos. Is very muscular and big at 8’7’’ tall and can pop someone’s head off their body like a grape. Makes a newsletter for all her siblings so they know what’s going on with each other.

Currently: Alive and in active duty. Trains forces in how to work together as a team and not die.

---

Name: Zelda Triforce Caboose

Rank: Captain

Armor Color: Dark green and Light Blue.

Designation: ZULU

Description: Dark skin with brown eyes and long dreads dyed in a wide range of colors. Built to be trim and slender. Could choke you out with her legs. Is 8ft tall even. Probably has ADHD and is very excitable.

Currently: Alive and retired. Currently makes VR video games and programs for a living.

---

Name: Michael Jaybird Caboose

Rank: Major

Armor Color: Blue (the best blue)

Designation: MIKE

Description: It’s Caboose, our boy. 7Ft tall even with brown hair, blue eyes, and is built like a brick house. Gives the softest hugs, though.

Currently: Alive and in a mix of active duty and ‘retired’. Pets dinosaurs and plays ‘games’ with his squad.

---

If possible they all try to meet up together at least once a year and they actively send letters to each other. They will call if close enough, but since everyone is doing something different, it's unlikely that two siblings would be on a planet together at the same time. All of them are extremely protective over each other, especially to Caboose since he is the baby. Despite some being retired, they still have and wear their armor because it's so ingrained in themselves. Eventually many more will decide to retire and pursue other interests once they figure out what they like.

Also all of them have a barcode tattooed on them somewhere. Not for evil purposes, but because it's easier to scan a code that can't be removed and make sure you aren't going to kill your Spartan by accidently giving them a medication they are allergic to.

Feel free to use if you like as well. I will be using this as a reference for my own works, lol.

[downwiththeficness]

Masterlist-Downwiththeficness

Here are links to all of my stories. It might not look like it yet, but I do write for a whole host of genres and fandoms. I’ll add on as I post more stuff.  Fics below the cut.

Fandoms include: True Blood, Blade: Trinity, From Dusk Til Dawn, The Mandalorian, Bright, and Narcos (More coming soon!)

Do not run any of my fics through an AI generator of any kind. Do not post my fics on any other site.

Happy Reading!

Title: In the Blood

Pairing: BrasaXF!OC

Summary: Lilah began having strange dreams, then strange visions, followed by strange encounters. The deeper she goes, the more she’s pulled into a world of blood drinkers and gods.

Word Count: ~35,000

Prologue Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven Part Twelve

Read on AO3

Title: Skygazing

Pairing: Cara DuneX F!OC

Summary: Set in the time Cara spends on Sorgan. Veda is the owner of a local bar who just happens to need a little security now and again, and Cara just happens to step in. Veda takes Cara to a local harvest festival that celebrates the transition between Fall and Winter, the giving and taking of the harvest. As they walk through the woods to give an offering to the gods, Veda gives Cara an opening to take a step forward in another way.

Word Count: ~4,200

Read Here

Read on AO3

Title: A Need So Great

Pairing: Horacio CarrilloX F!OC

Summary: Eva Moore is assigned to work the last year of her contract with the DEA in Colombia. She just wants to get to the end of her tenure, but she keeps getting drawn further into a string of murders in the city. It isn’t long before she’s forced to face the ghosts of her past.

Word Count: ~96,000

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8.5, 9, 10, 10.5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Read on AO3

Title: In the Bond

Pairing: BrasaXF!OC

Summary: Lilah often wished she’d never said yes to working with the Gecko brothers—usually while dodging gunfire. At no time was she regretting that decision more than when she’s hanging upside down from the ceiling, staring down a group of hungry culebras and one (1) extremely powerful sun god.

Word Count: ~118,000

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Read on AO3

Title: A Thing Most Desired

Pairing: Kandomere/Bright!FemOC

Summary: Rosalind was eight years old when she knew she had a soulmate. At eighteen, she vowed never to find him. To protect her family, Rose makes the decision to tempt fate and she finds that walking away is easier said than done. Kandomere/Bright!FemOC AU

Word Count: ~121,400

Read on AO3

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, Epilogue

Title: The Five Trials of Marissa Polznik

Summary: Marissa Polznik lived what she considered a simple life. She’d been on almost every continent, had seen almost everything the world had to offer—or so she thought. Having agreed to become consort to their king, Marissa must use every ounce of skill and experience to escape this new world of vampires, blood, and death.

Word Count: ~32,000

Fear   Cunning   Strategy   Adaptation   Decisions

Read on A03

Title: The Guarantor

Summary: Frankie went to work every day knowing that there would be an end. A deadline. Reconnecting with her adoptive father, Godric, throws that deadline into question. Teaming up with Godric’s child, Eric, obliterates it entirely. With an uncertain future ahead, Frankie has to learn if she can trust the people around her, let alone herself. Eric Northman/Bisexual!Fem!OC

Word Count: ~158,000

Read on AO3

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37

Title: A Need Unleashed

Summary: Horacio Carrillo was a man of control…until he wasn’t. His carefully regimented life begins to change the second he scents Eva Moore, an unobtrusive omega whose secrets lead the two of them into dangerous territory. Horacio must protect her at all costs while battling a fierce need that threatens to bring him to his knees.

Word Count: ~43,000

Read on AO3

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Title: Shadow and Veil

Summary: Eva Moore’s life was a carefully constructed fiction.  Every day, she did exactly what her mother in law, her husband, and his  best friend expected of her. No mistakes. And, that was going pretty  well for Eva right up until a huge complication literally tried to run  her over. Now, she’s faced with trying to keep the pieces of her life  from falling apart while attempting (and failing) to keep her feelings  for her husband’s new business partner at bay.

Word Count: ~179,000

Read on AO3

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47

Title: The Usurper

Summary: Lilah McNamara stole things for a living. It was tedious work and often dangerous, which made it just exciting enough to keep her interested. After botching a routine job, Lilah finds herself standing amid monsters. Wholly unprepared for the horror of living under Amaru’s reign, Lilah decides to use her well honed skills to thwart the queen’s plans and prevent the end of the world.

Word Count: TBA

Read on AO3 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,

[mommymooze]

Sleep Doctor

Hubert X Reader. Warning: blood war violence, rudeness, bad dreams

You are often compared to Mercedes, both of you are talented in healing, as well as both of you have doting, motherly personalities. Both of you are nurturing, protective, supportive, bakers of treats, a trusted confidante.

There are differences of course. Her faith is in the goddess, yours is in the human spirit. Your reason magic is powerful as well. You don’t have a creepy brother, just a lazy sister. You cook delicious meals, you love brewing potions and concoctions. While she is laid back and chill, you are assertive and firm. You give advice and then enforce it.

Mercedes suggests that someone get more sleep, rest, take their time to recover. Maybe gently remind them after a few days if she stills sees dark circles under their eyes. You tell them they need more sleep and that you will be waiting for them at their room to make certain they sleep that night and perhaps the next two or three nights.

Linhardt enjoys sharing duties as the healer for the Black Eagles Strike force with you. His favorite taunt is to use your name as a threat. “If you do not rest that leg and let it heal, I will advise (y/n) of the situation.” Everyone is quite aware that Emperor Edelgard fully supports your extremely strict and regimented methods to ensure that the Strike Force is in tip top condition.

One of your pet peeves is finding injuries long after a battle is over. Linhardt will only leave his minor wounds untreated if he is too tired to get to it. Dorothea does very well seeking treatments promptly. Petra has a great understanding of the responsibility of your body being a temple and to keep it in constant repair. Bernadetta only hides injuries if she feels that she has made a mistake and tries to use it as self-punishment. Caspar is highly maintained and checked by Lin, so he’s in great shape. Emperor Edelgard is preened by the healers every time she returns, to make sure not the tiniest scratch is left unattended lest she get an infection. Ferdinand does frequent the healers, however he has been known to often get infections, not understanding the seriousness of the smaller, less important wounds he has received in the germ and disease filled conditions of war.

Then there is Hubert. He stands and gives reports to his Lady, while his own blood is pooling at his feet. His mindset is Duty Before All Else. Immediately upon arrival from a mission, he must report to Emperor Edelgard, then he may stop by the infirmary, but more likely will return to his tent or quarters and write his reports of the mission results.

At first you try reasoning with him. Advising him he is losing enough blood that by the time his report is finished his body is completely exsanguinated. You attempt to physically remove him from the Command tent and he strikes you with magic. Trial and error provides the answer for your most successful method of treating the irritatingly stubborn man. Healing him upon his arrival, during his report to the Emperor upon his return. The moment Hubert warps to her tent you are summoned from the infirmary. Your materials already await you in the command tent.

“Stand over here on these towels.” You order the dark mage.

“I must present my report…” Hubert angrily chastises you.

“I tire of my carpets being stained, do as she says.” Edelgard orders, he complies.

You remove his cape, cravat, and outer coat. You stand behind him as he is advising the Emperor of his latest completed duties in the never-ending effort to win the war for the Empire. You in turn untuck his white and red stained shirt from his pants and pull it up in the back clipping it out of your way. The blood has dried around his undershirt and you cut it loose from the stab wound that is just at the base of his rib cage, thankfully below his heart by a few inches. Had the assassin had a better angle, well, the Spymaster would not be with us right now.

Pressing a cloth that is thoroughly soaked in alcohol onto the wound to remoisten and allow removal of the remaining undershirt material as well as cleanse the wound preventing infection, you apply firm pressure into the hole and begin removing the soiled cloth from the deep stab wound as you hear him exclaim.

“…and then we proceeeeek!..Flames woman! Trying to finish the job!” The dark mage yells, his left arm coming back to smack you away as the burning sensation of the liquid goes deeper into his flesh.

You easily duck his attack as you remove the foreign materials, making certain the wound is absolutely clean. Minor deep healing spells take care of the immediate damage. There will still be bruising to his left kidney. You pull out needle and thread to pull the two sides of the wound back together, making it easier for the healing spells to take hold and lessen the scarring. That particular wound finished, it is not difficult to trace another slice into his flesh, this time blood is soaking into his shirt collar as he sustained a dagger’s blade to the side of his head just behind his ear. Head wounds bleed profusely, if they do not penetrate the skull they cause little problem as long as they are cleaned. A nice curved needle allows you to pick up the skin on each side to bring them back together again. A final healing spell there and the bleeding subsides.

Your hands glow lightly as they run along his body, searching for any additional injuries. The stubborn mule of a man certainly will not reveal any weak points. Two ribs on his left front are heavily bruised, healing spells correct that situation.  Finding no other serious injuries, you return the cape and coat to Hubert, pat him on the shoulder, and proceed to the infirmary.

The trouble with being at war is that it is prohibitive to good sleep. There are quite a few members of the Strike Force that have issue with sleeping, some nights it is interrupted by dreams or memories of personally tragic events during the war, others cannot get to sleep in the first place, their minds tormenting them with frightening thoughts. While in Enbarr or at Garreg Mach, you are available to assist your fellow Strike Force members with issues of nightmares, night terrors or simply general insomnia. Your schedule is changed to accommodate the availability for such. You are available from sunset until 5 or 6am to assist with these issues. After that you return to your room to sleep until noon. The guards patrolling the areas are trained take notice if someone is calling out loudly in their sleep. There is also a physical sign, a request for assistance, by placing a red card slightly peeking past the bottom of the door, alerting them to retrieve you to the location for necessary assistance.

Your counsel at night is always kept between you and the patient. Having someone there to talk to is the best medicine for most parties. A trusted ear, a caring heart, letting them know they are not alone, simply being there is at times the answer to the current situation.

Hubert again, is the one most difficult to work with. His living space is highly covered in magic spells and sigils. The layout is such that if he is screaming in his bed it would not be heard through his closed door. He is not one to ask for help unless it is from complete desperation. Only by observing the reticent Spy Master can you tell that sleep has been evading him more than normal. His eyes are sunk further back into his skull, the blackness seems to surround his eyes. He taps his feet to keep his body moving, reminding himself to stay awake. This dedicated, enervated man is your most challenging patient by far. As today’s strategy meeting concludes, you request that he remain behind to discuss a matter with him and Emperor Edelgard.

“Hubert, when was the last time you slept.” You ask, hands on your hips.

“Three days ago. There is no time for sleep when you are running a war.” He answers.

“There is only so long before your body will take what it requires. The next battle is less than a week away. It is critical that you sleep now.” You plead, looking to Edelgard for support. “I agree. Hubert, pass along what duties you can and carve out time for sleep every day until the battle. Provide both of us a schedule of when you will set aside time for rest.”

Hubert stands, bowing to his Emperor and glaring at you sharply before he leaves the room.

You have found, through trial and error, ways of making him sleep. Forcing him into specific routines that subconsciously prepare him for sleep. Once he is in bed and relaxed usually a palm resting on the back of his hand is enough to make him lay still enough to drift off. Sometimes he is more agitated, so you will read to him dissertations regarding the history and foundation of white magic in a monotone voice. The text is very dry, of no interest to him, yet the words distract his thoughts enough, allowing sleep to take him.  

Today was no such day. Overtired and restless he shifts in his bed anxiously.

“Tell me a story.” He finally requests.

“I did not think you a fan of fairy tales or knights.” You reply softly.

“You have a large family. Tell me a story of your youth.”

You begin to weave the tales of your younger days. The family going into the woods to pick buckets upon buckets of blueberries, your brothers getting distracted by seeing who could climb the highest in a tree, Mother panicking that they would fall and break their arms and legs. Scrubbing the purple from your siblings before getting them to bed then helping mother preserve the berries in wine bottles to enjoy during the winter. You are softly retelling these events until you realize he has fallen asleep.

It is not dark in the room, the curtains are pulled close to reduce the sunlight. You pull out a novel to read. Hubert is a quiet sleeper. He’s not like Caspar who crawls around and tangles himself in his sheets while he slumbers. You look up from your book as you see Hubert moving his feet, giving a weak kick.  He is pulling his arms up to his chest and his face is drawn into a frown. You drop your book. Your hand brushes his cheek softly as you try to gently wake him from his nightmare.

“Hubert, I’m here for you. Everything is all right. Shhhh.” You softly whisper.

The dark mage startles from his sleep, his eyes wide. He looks about the room finally realizing he is within his own bedchambers. He looks very distressed, his hands trembling. You instinctively pull him into a hug, holding him tight against your chest as you lay gently on him.

“Breathe, just breathe.” You urge him, taking long slow loud breaths to have him match yours.

It takes a while before he finally begins to relax again. You know you can’t stand hunched over him much longer, so you walk around the bed to lie next to him on top of the covers. You pull him to face you as you card your fingers through his hair and encourage him to relax. The exhaustion of his body takes over and he falls asleep again.

You awaken after a short nap due to movement under your arm. Opening your eyes you find Hubert looking back at you. Instinctively you slowly pull your arm from across his chest back to yourself.

“Did you rest well?” you whisper.

Hubert rolls onto his back. “Surprisingly, yes. My headache is gone.”

You quietly slide out of the bed, straightening your clothing. Making your way to the other side, you return the chair to its proper place and gather your things.

“Do you often accompany your patients in their beds?” Hubert asks, a slight sneer in his voice.

“Never.” You reply. “You are a…special case.” You reply, closing the door behind you.

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

The next day Hubert is much more coherent at the morning strategy meeting. Once the meeting adjournes, the Emperor requests that the two of you remain behind.

“I notice an improvement today.” Edelgard smiles at the Minister of the Imperial Household.

“Of course, My Lady. I refuse to disappoint you.” He respectfully bows.

“We are scheduled today from 10pm until 3am. Granted, 5 hours is not much for the average person, but to Hubert’s tortured soul it is quite the luxury.” You quip, causing Edelgard to giggle.

The dark mage scowls in your general direction. You both excuse yourselves as the Emperor has another appointment to attend.  You join him as he heads toward his office.

“Was it so horrible to rest yesterday? Do you not feel some improvement?”  You inquire.

“You were witness to my sleep. It is anything but restful.” He grumbles.

“Which is currently the point of my assisting you.” You respond in a logical manner.

“If there is nothing further you require, I have significantly less time to complete my duties. I bid you good day.” Hubert sniffs as he heads to his office.

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

You are waiting outside of Hubert’s quarters for his arrival. He arrives 15 minutes late. There is no apology for his tardiness. He completes his routine for preparing for bed and finally pulls his covers up to his chin, only to stare at you. You’ve brought knitting to keep you company, a quiet pastime.

“Do you need a diversion?” You ask softly.

“No.” He responds, continuing to stare daggers at you.

A few minutes later he decides to stare at the ceiling.

“Why do you do this?” Hubert wonders aloud.

“For your health of course. Sleep is extremely important. Your body needs the rest, so does your mind. It affects your nervous system, your immune system. All creatures need sleep.” You answer matter of factly patting the back of his hand.

“Why do you care?” he asks.

“I’ve come to know everyone very closely. You are my work family and my friends. I would be devastated should anyone die from something I can possibly prevent. Just as you protect us all from spies, assassinations, poisoning, and the like, I do the same protecting everyone from sickness, injuries, infections etcetera. There is only one Hubert Von Vestra. I would like to see him live past the end of the war. “

“Hmpf.” Is his only response.

Hubert closes his eyes as you quietly knit. His breathing slows as he drifts into the land of Nod. You silently slip from his room to check on the other occupants of the Imperial Palace to find that it is a rather quiet night and there are no disturbances amongst the Strike Force. You return to Hubert’s quarters to see him still resting, which is surprising. You know he is a light sleeper, however even if he woke up, he remained in bed. You count that as a victory. As 3am nears, you head out to retrieve a carafe and water, preparing coffee in his parlor just at the time he should awaken.

“One moment.” Is heard coming from the door to his bedroom. A few minutes later Hubert emerges from his bedroom dressed for work and looking shockingly more alert than you have seen him in the past two weeks.

“Thank you for doing this for yourself as well as for the rest of us. I will see you again this evening.” You articulated as you gather your personal items to leave. You swear you almost hear a soft ‘thank you.’ from Hubert as he locks his door and heads to his office.

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

Hubert is working until midnight tonight, never a regular schedule for himself, his duties rule his sleep schedule. You leave Ferdinand’s quarters in time to head to the kitchen and obtain a cup of coffee before you must meet with the dark mage. Ferdinand sleeps well most of the time, however as the war becomes more brutal and savage, he is plagued with nightmares more frequently. After you were called to his room this night, he finally agreed to take a small sleeping potion. The thought of dark circles under his bright and shining eyes is like having storm clouds blocking the sun. He is the source of the Strike Force’s positive energy. They need him brightly shining in the lead, a beacon of hope.

Your arrival at Hubert’s door is matched with his. His posture is much improved, not hunched over barely able to stand. He greets you with a nod and waves you into his quarters. You pat his shoulder as you walk past him. He prepares for bed and once he is under the covers calls you into his bedroom. He has already placed  the chair in its normal spot, close to the head of his bed. Taking your seat you place your hand on top of his.  His hand does not move.

“You keep touching me. Why do you do that?” Hubert asks, staring at the ceiling.

“It is another one of the basic needs of humans. Some need it more than others. Certainly you have observed in battle, when the Professor is encouraging Caspar in the middle of a fight, if Caspar receives a simple pat on the head, he can rush forth taking out several squads of enemies at an amazing pace. When Bernadetta is extremely anxious, sitting next to her with a leg or shoulder touching her, she visibly relaxes. Emperor Edelgard relaxes with gentle hugs. Ferdinand prefers a one armed hug when being comforted through a tough time. The professor responds to hand holding and shoulder touching. Dorothea gets herself anxious and worked up sometimes, then only a full squeezing hug can get her to settle enough to speak with her.

“I was not aware of such needs, nor of your detailed observations of our team members.”

“I must admit, you are my most difficult patient in this regard.” You smile softly.

“Explain.” He says flatly.

“Beyond contact with our Emperor, you do not touch others nor does anyone touch you.” You begin. “Even when contact with another is made, it is not skin to skin, always to clothing, always with gloves. Certainly your upbringing, family history, interpersonal relationships, work schedules, work agenda and severe lack of personal time factors into this.

When one is in the infirmary, healers constantly touch the patients. Verbal reassurance is good, physical touch is required, and is extremely reassuring. When a patient is unconscious, the body still reacts to touch. When Petra was heavily injured a few battles ago, Dorothea was there for hours holding her hand, stroking her cheek. The body does react, relaxes. Somewhere in her brain, she knows someone is there for her and she needs to get better in order to rejoin them. Unconscious patients still tense up, faces furrow. Touch causes them to relax, leading the body to focus on healing.

On the battlefield, I am shocked at the condition I have found a fallen person, yet they are still alive, simply because someone else is there with them, touching them, encouraging them to hang on to that precious thread of life for yet a moment longer. That comrade being there has performed a miracle. There is no other way to explain it. Reason magic is cast through verbal incantations, physical movement, mental intentions. Healing magic is through touch, with the exception of physic, because no rule is absolute. “

“Hmmm. Continue.” Hubert watches your face closely, turning his palm to yours, taking your smaller hand into his without thinking.

“Now my observation of you, Hubert. I have heard you say that you are unworthy of anyone being close to you based on your workings below the surface, your bloodstained hands, duties you have carried out in the darkness. I disagree. You are not to judge your own worthiness. Only others can perform that task. They will base it on their own life, experiences, beliefs, circumstances. If they cannot understand you and appreciate you for who you are, all of you, then perhaps they are not worthy of you. The Emperor knows you, knows what you do for her, suspects what is done outside of her vision, yet she is there for you, accepting you for who you are, as you are. Over these years of war, all of the members of our team have learned more about you, perhaps scratching beyond the surface of you, yet they are still here. They still support you, believe in you, rely on you. They find you worthy of their protection, their support. Tell me of one person in the Strike Force that has not helped you in a battle. I certainly can tell you about how many I have had to piece together after they shielded you from certain death. I have lost count of how many holes I have patched up on you are a result of your protecting each and every one of them.”

“Physical Attributes are difficult to overcome…” he argues.

You laugh at the thought. “Have you never heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Beauty is found within? To me, my mother is the most beautiful woman in the world. Having so many children her stomach never went back to being flat and fashionable. She has spots on her face from being in the sun. Wrinkles in her hands from working them hard for many years. Her nose is crooked because she broke it as a child and never had it properly healed. Most people on the street would look at her as the typical matronly old woman, but to me she is more beautiful than any goddess, I would not change a thing. My sister was being courted by Bernard, her now husband. Bernard was awkward, tall and lanky. At first I noticed he was all knees and elbows, his teeth seemed to be too large for his mouth. But my sister loved him, and he loved her. When I last saw him, I saw a tall handsome man that would do anything for my sister, just looking at him you could tell he adores her. When he looks at my sister, his smile shines bright and I consider him beautiful inside and out. Ask Dorothea how far good looks will get you. She is a beautiful woman, however knows that beauty fades. She has found someone who loves her for her. That when she is old and wrinkled and gray, they will be there for her and she for them. “

“I have much to think about. Good night.” Hubert says softly closing his eyes.

You remain holding his hand until it relaxes which is not until he is in a deep sleep. He sleeps quietly and restfully. A very good rest for him indeed.

The next morning Hubert joins you in his parlor, sitting at the table with you as you silently enjoy the first cup of morning coffee together.

As you pour a refill, you finally break the silence. “Today we prepare, early tomorrow we leave for yet another battle. I know you will not sleep tonight, if you wish to try, even for an hour or two, I would be happy to help.”

Hubert briefly scowls then retracts it to a minor frown. “I can sleep on my own. I do not need you as a crutch.”

You place your hand atop his now white gloved hand. “I am not a crutch, I am an enforcer.” You smile.

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

You are too busy the night before leaving to think about Hubert. Ferdinand has a particularly strong night terror. Bernadetta had a major panic attack. Linhardt could not find a comfortable place to sleep, wandering and laying about all over the palace. You would find him in the middle of a pathway, taking him to a more secluded and safer place to sleep only for him to move to a different poor location for slumber. You finished bottling your last batch of healing potions and pots of salves for minor wounds and burns. You begin filling the wagon with as much bandages and bindings as you could stuff into it. You and the other healers riding in the wagon will take turns sleeping, resting now because once battle starts, you would not sleep for perhaps two days or more.

A few more days on the road, scouts have returned stating there is a small army preventing anyone from passing, apparently a mix of kingdom and church soldiers. A brief strategy meeting is held and soon the caravans realign, with the support teams like yours toward the rear. A few more hours at a slow pace as they advance to the enemy location. Now explosions are heard as the mages on both sides attack, the infantry running in behind the Cavalry and the fliers doing their best to snipe from the skies. Your group hurriedly throws together the medical tent, secures a location for water, sets up cots, supplies. Ready for patients, you head out toward the field of battle. Those that are no longer fit to fight are sent your direction. You assess their condition, stop severe bleeding and direct them to the correct tent location. You see a Meteor spell go off in the middle of the battle, sincerely hoping that is Dorothea and not the enemy that is the source. You watch Linhardt in the back lines, healing who he can, keeping them on their feet. You want to go out there and help, but you remain at your post.

The battle continues until sunset. You are surrounded by patients. Fortunately nobody in the Strike Force has serious injuries, or at least they have not yet made it to the medical tent. You finish cleaning the slicing wounds of a very young, perhaps 17 year old, soldier’s arms before sewing the sides of the wounds back together and then casting a healing spell on them to remove the final trace of any visible wound.

“(Y/n)” a deep voice comes from behind you.

“How are you doing Hubert? Is there somewhere I am needed?” You ask, looking absolutely exhausted.

“Do you have any healing spells left in you?” He asks, a frown on his brow.

“No, That was the last one.”  You say, cleaning up your surgical tools. Before you look up, he takes hold of your arm and warps you to a tent.

“Now it is your turn. You are in desperate need of sleep. There are buckets and towels to wash up and your bags are there to change clothes.”

“I sleep in the medical tent in case they need me…” you state, confused by this.

“You are out of magic, let those that can heal remain. I will step outside, you will clean up and prepare for bed.” Hubert exits, closing the tent flap behind him.

In spite of the rudeness, it feels nice to wash the blood and grime off and change into clean dry clothing not soaked in someone else’s blood. Sleeping away from the injured is much much quieter, you think as you change into bedclothes and sit on the cot.

“Done.” You call out.

Hubert enters the tent, bringing a tin cup full of water as well as a waterskin. “You must drink this. You have not had a drink since the first patients came in.”

“I’ve been preoccupied.” You gratefully take the cup and drinking the entire contents quickly.

“Now rest. Go to sleep.” His voice is quite assertive.

“Stay with me a bit?” You plead.

“Demanding woman!” He huffs, pulling the chair next to the bed to sit close by.

“Is everyone okay? Have they been checked out?” you ask.

Hubert grumbles. “Of course they are. Many have been asleep for four hours or more. Now hush.”

You suddenly sit up. “Have I stolen your bed? I can’t do that to you.”

He hesitantly touches your shoulder. “You need to rest. Stop fighting me.”

You frown and lie back down. “Could you lie next to me for a bit? Its…chilly.” You begin scooting to one side of the cot, until it threatens to tip over from having the weight all on one side.

“You are relentless.” He frowns.

You nod and lift the cover for him to join you. He lies on his back, you on your side facing him. You lift his arm bringing it around your back as you place your head and arm on his chest. Without opening your eyes you tell him, “Yes this is necessary.” You settle in next to him and quickly relax, falling asleep.

[justanotherlifeff]

Levi Ackerman × reader

Genre: Angst, Hurt/comfort, Fluff, matured themes, slowburn

Warning: There's mentions and descriptions of underage rape and suicidal themes and self harm and other triggering stuff.

(Y/N) POV

"You mean to say that you managed to convince Marie to transfer from the survey corps just two days before the expedition?" Hanji asked me with disbelief. "Yes" I simply answered. "Well, we don't even have time for replacement... Why exactly did you do that? And don't bring up the reports on her endangering the squad. If that bothered you, you would've done this earlier." Hanji asked in a flat tone. "I thought I could make her obedient. However, if she has the guts to try to open her shirt and try to seduce my husband, I don't think she would ever listen to me. I need obedient soldiers in my squad, not people who try to steal their superior's husband." I answered with the same flat tone.

"Huhhhhhh? That bitch did that? Oh sorry.. I keep forgetting that I'm the commander now and I should be.. Ahem... A bit more reasonable but yes, Marie will be transferred to the Garrison tomorrow as getting the paperwork done would take time. I have sent the papers to Commander Pixis already before talking to you because I knew that you must have a reason for making this decision." Hanji answered giving me a mischievous glint. I gave her a victorious smirk of my own because I got an useless burden off my shoulder. I went back to the stable and saddled my horse to go back home. Hanji was in Utopia district with her squad.

She left for Utopia 3 days before the expedition. Marie gave me her letter requesting transfer only a few hours after the talk we had at my office. I left for Utopia with Levi and Farlan that evening. Levi and I had dropped off Farlan at Historia's Orphanage on our way to Utopia. It was an 11 hour journey and so, we reached Utopia at dawn. The first thing we did was send the letter to Hanji's office by a cadet, take a small nap, had breakfast and went straight to Hanji's office. It was already afternoon when I was called to talk to Hanji. We already were done with lunch by then. "So, how did that go?" Levi asked me. He was already in the stable when I arrived, his horse ready to go. "It was alright. Hanji approved of the transfer. We just have to go back and I'll see that everything goes smoothly." I answered, as I saddled my horse.

Levi answered with a "hmm" and was silent till I was done with the saddling. "Do you want to see how Farlan is doing on our way?" Levi asked me. I personally felt uneasy not having Farlan near me, given that I spent every second of my time home with him. I knew that Levi felt odd too as he always looked after Farlan whenever I was cooking or cleaning or busy with something. "Yeah. That's a good idea." I muttered as we both got up on our horses and galloped out of the stable and out of the scout regiment branch.

"(Y/N) SAN!" the kids in the orphanage yelled happily as they ran towards me. I didn't see them for a while and so, didn't mind when they all tackled me to the ground. "Oi calm down! I already have to fight titans and having to fight you kids now aren't helping!" I told them trying to sound irritated but the smile on my face betrayed me. "Oi brats. Get off her." Levi walked towards them and they all got off me immediately. Obviously, they were all scared of him. "(Y/N)! Welcome back!" a smiling Historia came towards me from inside the orphanage as we stood at the yard. She had Farlan in her arms.

"Yeah... I just had to see Farlan before going." I muttered with a smile as I took Farlan from her arms. "He's doing very well so far. The kids love him." Historia smiled at me. "Thank you for taking care of him. I'd not trust anyone about this besides Hanji and Mikasa." I answered her with a smile. Levi was already beside me and took Farlan from me. "We will be late if we delay more now." he muttered, holding Farlan. "Yeah... We have to keep going..." I muttered sadly. I wasn't ready to leave Farlan alone for so long, that for a life threatening expedition. I trusted mine and Levi's ability to survive though. I kissed Farlan's forehead before Levi handed him to historia again. We bade eachother farewell before going back on our way.

The next day

I woke up at dawn. Levi woke up a little later after I was done making breakfast. The expedition would start today. After taking a bath, a very long one since we won't be able to do that for 3 days. We both dressed in our new uniforms, ones that were heavily insulated to protect us from the bitter cold. Green overcoats with a fur lining inside, our usual white pants as they are warm enough and fingerless gloves to protect our hands from frostbite but retain the perfect grip on our swords. Our boots were good enough to keep the cold out of our feet. Wearing earmuffs weren't an option as that would hinder our ability to hear clearly and decrease survival rate further.

It was assumed that all the titans that aren't already killed are either abnormals or ones that were too weak to travel to the executioner from hell or didn't go there by chance. Dealing with abnormals are much much harder than normals. The districts in wall Maria were safe as the gates were sealed in every district, even in Shiganshina. That bastard beast titan did that one thing right. It would take us 20 hours to travel half of wall Maria as we intend to, however, we cannot leave one spot missed. There's a chance that we could encounter the beast titan, the cart titan and Reiner. We just couldn't afford to leave a small area untouched. We could fight for 10 hours before the sun sets. The first expedition is solely to take out any titans, not the shifters, however, you can never be too careful. We usually kept our horses at a small shed we made in our yard.

After saddling the horses, we galloped towards the headquarters, I went to the supply room to get mine and Levi's gear. We were a bit late as Levi insisted on getting clean properly and bathed for nearly an hour. Levi was assembling all the soldiers in our team and asked me to get his gear for him. Just as I was at the entrance of the supply room, I saw Marie getting out of there. "Oi Marie. What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be going to the Garrison barracks?" I asked her with suspicion. "Yes. I was taking my gear." she answered simply before she left.

"Why didn't she do it earlier? Was this intentional? Did she mess with mine or Levi's gear? No... I did her a huge favour by not ruining her career. Anyone with common sense knows that there's still a high chance that I'd survive with a messed up gear, a higher chance for Levi. No one in the right mind would try to sabotage my gear. That's practically ruining their lives by themselves." I thought as I strapped onto my gear and walked out of the room with Levi's. There wasn't any time to check the gear now. There's 30 minutes left till 6am. We need to be going now.

"Listen you all. I will be repeating the plan once again. Once we all get in position, the team furthest, the one near the wall Maria would shoot flare signals. The closest to them would do the same and it will go on till it reaches the members closest to Trost. The same will be done in the opposite way to indicate the start of the expedition. Levi heichou and I would be in the middle. If squad 1-4 faces any major problem, notify Levi heichou as you all are under him. He will be in squad 5, closest to you. Squad 7-9 would do the same but with me. I'll be in squad 6. Use smoke signals to contact any of us the same way we would start the expedition.

If the issue isn’t major, use red signals to ask back up from the closest team. If the issue is major, use black signals and we will be there as soon as possible. If a snow storm starts, retreat immediately near wall Rose. We will be moving in a straight line and so, we will all be able to meet at one point in that case. The teams furthest from wall Rose will have to cover a distance of about 1508km in this expedition. We would have to adjust our speed with that. Every one hour, we would shoot green smoke signals that would be used at the start of the expedition too to help everyone detect each squad's position. Speed will be adjusted according to that.

The signals will start from the squad closest to wall Maria, and the other team will adjust to their speed and position and shoot a signal again and so forth. The formation cannot be broken at any cost. We will travel 503 km each day, search every spot for titans. It would generally take about 7 hours to travel that distance each day but we need to make sure no titan slips our hand. We would take a look inside every city, every building, and make sure no titan escapes our sight. The supply wagons will be stationed with squad 5 and 6 as those are the most heavily guarded squads. Squad 1 and squad 2 will be moving together when we are near the districts and will separate as the districts end. Just one more advice to you all, stay alive." I lectured the soldiers.

We were on top of Wall Rose, a cold wind blowing and a somewhat calm atmosphere. The place outside the walls were white with snow. Winter expeditions had a different advantage towards us. The sunlight level is lower during winter and thus, titans will be less strong. Taking them down in open ground will be easier. However, there's no telling for sure if the new recruits can do that. After all, things like that come from experience.

"Let the expedition begin!" I shouted as we got down the wall with everyone else and were on our horses. I wondered how uncle Erwin felt when he did that. This feeling of fear, guilt, determination and excitement... Did he feel all that too? As I was the strategist in our team, Hanji left the entire team under my command. Levi was in charge of keeping everything in control and our biggest weapon. His experience would help me make quick decisions about unfamiliar scenarios. Basically, Levi was controlling my decisions with his experience while I controlled the team with my strategies. This was the beginning of the 67th expedition.

3 hours later

My squad was in position, traveling in the middle of the formation. We didn't encounter any titan yet and I was glad to know that Hanji's predictions may have been right. Most of the titans were killed by the executioner from hell. The survey was going well, however, squad 8 would be travelling in a village as we speak. They will have to search every building there. We decreased our speeds as the map says us to do so, to let squad 8 pick up the pace with us within the next hour. However, just as I thought everything was going smooth, a black smoke signal was detected from squad 7.

"Diana, take command of the squad. I'll go take a look at that." I instructed my second in command and charged towards squad 7. It took me about 7 and half minutes to reach squad 7 only to find that another smoke signal had been shot in squad 8. Damn it... They couldn't take the abnormal even with perfect manoeuvring grounds? It took a total of 15 mins to reach squad 8 and two people were already dead there. 5 abnormals were chasing them and they were trying their best to avoid them. Obviously they couldn’t hold off that many abnormals.

Just as I looked back, there was a titan standing next to the building behind me. An abnormal. It had a grotesque smile and dived at me but I jumped away at immediately. I went to use my 3DMG to get away from it but the strings shot out and away from the equipment, suddenly breaking with the force. I took a quick look at the torn metallic string and it was clear that it was cut. Marie sabotaged my equipment. The titan dived at me again and jumped away at the last moment, gripping it's hair to use it as a rope and used the force on it as the titan got up to fly upwards and slashing the titan's nape barely, using the blades on the titan's back to slow my fall down. I met squad 7 on my way there and I needed quick reinforcements.

Not just recruits, I needed Levi here as getting 4 abnormals without a 3DMG was impossible. I shot a black smoke signal, hoping that squad 7 would understand the emergency. I saw squad 7 doing the same thankfully and I knew my squad was smart enough to inform Levi. With that, I tried my best to hide from the abnormals, that the three remaining members from squad 8 was keeping busy and I searched for the bodies of the two deceased members so that I could take one of their gear.

Levi POV

We have only encountered one abnormal so far and it seemed like shitty glasses did a good job predicting the amount of titan we could face. Things were going pretty well till I saw a black flare being shot from squad 6. (Y/N)'s squad needs help? How is that possible? "Mikasa, take command." I commanded Mikasa as she was the most capable out of all my squad members and rushed towards (Y/N)'s squad. After reaching there, I found no Titans, however, (Y/N) was nowhere to be seen. "Oi, where's (Y/N)? What's with the black flare?" I asked her second in command. "Heichou, (Y/N)-san went to check on a black flare that came from squad 7.

They shot another black flare just now. I assumed that (Y/N) san asked for backup." she explained. I noticed that black flare too. "Okay. I'll be going then." I told her before galloping to squad 7. No titans were there and I could see a black flare from squad 8. They should be in a village now. That's probably where they encountered titans. I didn't waste any time and sped my way to squad 8. It took me about 23 minutes to reach and I found three recruits barely hanging onto their lives, trying to keep away from 4 abnormals. (Y/N) was nowhere to be seen. I didn't waste my time and sped towards the titans and just as I tried to use my 3DMG, the wires broke when they were shot. I was taken aback by that.

I probably maintain my gear better than anyone else in the survey corps. What the fuck just happened? Before I could react, an abnormal caught me from behind. I was struggling in its hand when the titan suddenly fell flat on its face, dropping me. I landed on my feet to see (Y/N), running at me.

"Levi, Marie sabotaged my gear. I'm guessing she did the same with yours. I had my doubts that's why I was able to escape the titans. There's a body with a 3DMG attached to it 2 houses from here. I got mine there too. I'll hold them off. Hurry!" (Y/N) briefed me on the situation and I left her to handle it while I ran towards the location she pointed me to only to find a titan standing there. However, it was a 2 meter class. It sped at me as it was an abnormal and I got up the stairs of the house next to me, used the railing to jump high enough and cut the titan's nape flawlessly.

I could see another 12 meter class drop in the distance as I reached the bodies. One of them didn't have a gear. I assumed that's the one (Y/N) is using. I took the gear from the other soldier and strapped it on quickly and joined the fight. (Y/N) killed one more titan and assisted me to get the fifth one. "You guys are very less in number. I'll send someone from my squad. Fall into formation for now." I commanded the 3 soldiers left as (Y/N) called both of our horses. "Hai!" the soldiers saluted before I motioned them to be at ease and got on my horse as (Y/N) got on hers.

We travelled together towards our squads as I told her, "You should've just expelled her out of the survey corps." "Yes. I know. I figured that she would take the chance I gave her and use it properly. I'll have to talk to Hanji about it and get her a criminal offence." (Y/N) answered, with a grave expression on her face. "It'll be alright. See you later." I told her as I parted from her after she reached her squad.

Day 2 of expedition

We were closing in to the titan forest near Karanese district. Only mine and (Y/N)'s squad will be going through the forest as our positioning was like that. The peaceful atmosphere didn't last for too long after we entered the forest. It seemed like hoards of abnormals were in there, just waiting for someone to enter. My squad, including me shifted to ODM gear, getting as many titans as I can. I was getting them all flawlessly while Mikasa was a big help too. The others were struggling. There were about 40 titans in this forest and after I was done with about 20 and my squad got 10 more. I heard the sound of one more ODM gear and (Y/N) came to assist.

I was fascinated by the graceful moves she was making with her body, the flawless use of ODM gear and the clean cuts she made. She moved in perfect harmony with me, assisted me in my kills and took assist from my moves too. She made me feel like both a proud mentor and a husband. She got 4 more titans, Mikasa got one as I took down the 5 remaining titans. "(Y/N), what are you doing here? Where's your squad?" I asked her as she landed. "Well, we entered the forest before you, cleaned up about 28 titans. I had to take down most of it but the squad got like 7 of them. Some titans fled in your direction and I followed them and got here and helped you out." she explained. This is why I loved her. One person who doesn't have to be the damsel in distress was all I've ever asked for. The rest of the expedition was more or less peaceful.

Day 3, end of expedition

The expedition was over as we reached Utopia district at evening. I had a titan kill of 54 as I had to assist the squads under me a few times. (Y/N)'s titan kill was 43 as she had to assist the squads under her too. All squads encountered heavy numbers of titans and apparently my training helped them. 20 people from our team died. A total of 177 titans were killed. We got 5 more black flares in the entire expedition. I got 3 and (Y/N) got 2. Most of the titans were abnormals as Hanji predicted. There were a few titans that were too deformed to move fast enough and we killed them easily. It was the same as every other expeditions. The parents of the dead demanding answer. This time, (Y/N) was the victim as she made all the plans and she was in charge.

"YOU GOT MY SON KILLED! HOW COULD YOU! YOU DIDN'T EVEN BRING HIS BODY! ARE YOU EVEN HUMAN?" a woman was shouting at (Y/N). (Y/N)'s head was bowed. I didn't know what she was thinking. "That's enough. Your son was useful for the recapture of Wall Maria. He killed a titan before going out. I'm sure he won't appreciate it if you call the people he gave up his life for monsters." I told the woman, putting a hand on (Y/N)'s shoulder but she shrugged it off.

"Levi, I need to deal with this on my own." she told me before facing the woman. "I am very sorry for your loss. I truly am. Your son was very brave. I wasn't there when he died but I heard from his squad mates about how he took down a titan as Levi heichou says so. Levi heichou tried his best to save as many people as possible and so did I. I'm a mother myself, so I know how it feels. If something happened to my son, I would feel as if death for myself is better. I won't judge you for being angry. You have every right to be angry. It was your son who laid his life on line. No mother would ever want their children to do that. I understand that. If calling me the monster helps you ease your pain, I will gladly take that name for myself." she told the woman, who now looked at her with surprise.

The woman broke down and started crying before sitting on the streets. (Y/N) kneeled in front of her and rested her arm on the woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry. No one deserves to die. Your son deserved a better leader. I'm sorry we weren't good enough." (Y/N) told the woman, her eyes showing remorse but her face as hard as a stone. "(Y/N), we have to go and report to HQ and pick Farlan up." I told her as I stood beside her. (Y/N) got up and got on her horse. The other parents of the dead saw this scene and didn't question (Y/N) anymore. They understood the message she wanted to give.

The bodies that could be recovered were distributed before we went to pick Farlan up and travelled to Trost. We reached Trost at 3AM. I held Farlan to my chest the whole time as I was warmer than (Y/N). Farlan wore warm clothes but still, you couldn't be more careful. (Y/N) left for home with Farlan while I went to report to Hanji on her behalf. Our team was lucky that most of the abnormals we faced were concentrated towards mine and (Y/N)'s squad. Hanji's team lost 40 people. Infact, they had to stop at Krolva district to take in reinforcements from the Garrison. It wasted time but was effective in getting rid of all the titans on their path.

"So, we have to make do with 140 scout members for the next expedition." I stated, raising an eyebrow. "No. We will take support from Garrison. They will send their most elite soldiers with us. The next expedition won't be too hard as we took down most of the titans left anyway. By the way, what did you want to tell me about Marie?" Hanji asked me before I explained the whole situation of her destroying our gears. "She actually did that? Well, I'll talk to Pixis personally about it. I'm sure he will take action as he's (Y/N)'s father. Other than that, he was never much fond of indiscipline except for when it comes to drinking." Hanji answered.

"Wait, you know?" I asked her, quiet surprised. "Yes of course I do. She told me on your wedding day. Didn't she mention it to you?" Hanji asked me. "Well, she might have forgot. Things weren't very steady back then as she was pregnant and all." I muttered. So Hanji knows. I'll have to ask (Y/N) about it. "Well, I'll have to make reports now. Being commander is such a pain... It even affects my titan research... Anyway, you may leave." Hanji told me and I left. At least we were all safe for one more day. The 67th expedition was over.

To be continued...

[AUTHOR'S NOTE:(Y/N) and Levi left from Trost to go to utopia at 7PM and reached Utopia at 6AM. (Y/N) was called in Hanji's office at 2PM and they reached Trost at 11 PM that day.

Given that Orvud district is 80 km far from the Reiss Chapel, and that the distance between wall Rose and Wall Sina is 130 km, it could be assumed that every district is 20 km long, and the distance between the reiss Chapel and Utopia district is 30km. It could be assumed that Historia's orphanage is near the Reiss Chapel as she owns many lands there and possibly other lords had land there too. So, Levi and (Y/N) would reach Historia's Orphanage by 24 minutes.

Taglist: @reality-is-often-disappointing, @kingtamakimurder

[greekowl87]

False Flags - Ghost Ship 5/?

The First Fic: (False Flags Redux) | Ghost Ship: (1) (2) (3) (4) or if AO3is your thing. 

A/N: It's been forever since an update. Apologies. This fic isn't forgotten. Just had a major case of writer's block for the past several months. Sorry for any typos or grammatical errors...no beta. Tagging @baronessblixen @today-in-fic @improlificinsarcasm

The previous day still lingered on the back of Scully’s mind as she woke up slowly the next morning. She was tired as Mulder’s injury had caused them to be up most of the night. But she looked towards the morning with new promise. The cotton bed sheets had not lost their crispness and going on to the third day of their vacation still had the allure of being a true vacation where everything seemed removed and they existed in their own little world. She could hear the waves crashing through the bedroom’s open window. Mulder nuzzled her neck as he began to wake up as well.

 She sighed contentedly as he hugged her close and whispered, “Morning, Scully.”

Scully relished in their warmth, not quite ready to face the cool spring air. “Good morning,” she whispered

He gently caressed her bareback as she turned onto her side. He graced her with a lazy smile. Scully sat up in their bed with the tv on mute. Mulder lay next to her, his head resting on her lap. He grunted slightly as he jostled his shoulder in an attempt to snuggle closer to her. “What is it?” she whispered.

“Shoulder,” he muttered.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

Scully detangled herself from him and went quietly to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and some Tylenol. Their couples’ surfing lesson went from being a great romantic idea to her playing doctor and nursing her partner after a nasty fall from the surfboard. While nothing had been broken, he had rolled his shoulder pretty good and would be sore for the next few days but at least part of her was relieved it came from a bad wave instead of the line of duty. She collected the necessary things in the kitchen and from her bag and returned to bed.

. . . . . 

Yorktown, Virginia January 1, 1863

Scully awoke from her light sleep when she felt her immediate source of warmth leave their cocoon of blankets and the floorboards of the carriage house to creak as her husband made his way across the small room. Through a hooded gaze, she watched him pull on a pair of his trousers and make his way to the couch in front of the fireplace.  His shoulders were hunched, his gaze watching his feet: he had another nightmare. She could tell from the way he stood as if he was carrying Christ’s cross himself.

“Mulder.” She sighed. “Mulder,” she urged, “come back to bed. You’ll catch your death in this cold.”

“I’m fine.”

“Did you have another nightmare?”

He nodded miserably from the shadows. She sighed and wrapped herself in her night coat and hissed as her feet hit the icy floors. She shuffled and took his arm, trying to lead him back to bed. 

“Come on, Mulder.”

“Did I ever tell you I saw battle elsewhere? Parts along North Carolina’s coast and Manassas before I came to Norfolk,” he whispered in hushed tones. “I did not really belong anywhere. It wasn’t crazy or feel unusual at the time, but I got hit at Bull Run. Did I tell you that?” He brought her hand to his left shoulder and pressed it against his bare chest. “I should’ve died,” he continued. “I should’ve died on that damn battlefield so I could have joined my dead wife and child.”

Scully stilled. Mulder continued to walk them back to bed where Scully turned down the covers again and took off his trousers in exchange for his sleeping garments. 

“I should have died, Scully,” he continued absently as if in a trance. “It was the middle of summer. I forget which day of the battle it was but I was on the ground amongst dead...Federal, Confederate, we were all the same. Dead men. I don’t remember how I got there. It was before I got transferred to Marines through my mother’s influence but I still worked in gathering military information. I got sent a dispatch to one of the regiments…”

He grasped Scully’s arms as she tried to help him adjust in the bed. “I just remember this loud blast and like a bee has stung me, like through my entire arm, Scully. I couldn’t move. Just lay there.”

He closed his eyes and winced in memory. “Did I hurt you, Mulder,” she asked.

“Never, Scully.” He gathered her close. “You could never hurt me.”

She joined him back in bed and pulled him to her chest. He sighed and hugged her tightly with desperation. Their height difference between always amazed her. She remembered seeing him for the first time at the dinner party in Norfolk when he ex-husband invited all his officers to dinner one winter evening. She remembered it was his eyes at first that had caught her attention. But that wasn’t the first time they had met. She remembered seeing him in the streets of Norfolk before he had even met her.

“Do you remember when we first met?” 

“At the dinner party?”

“Yes.” He was so warm. She twisted around him like a vine. “No. I didn’t remember until recently. Shall I tell you a story?”

“Please.” He was desperate to cast away his nightmares and the lifetime of guilt. He felt her warm hands run up and down his chest.  “You’re a godsend. Do you know that?”

“Someone might have mentioned that.”

She gently stroked his chest as he closed his eyes trying to remember the last time that either one of them felt safe. “I saw you from the distance in the cold January snow. I thought who is that handsome man?”

“Handsome?” He whispered.

“Devilishly so.” She kissed her bare shoulder and began to grow bold. She wanted to make him feel good and forget.

“I remember when I was shot and laying out in the hot sun. I smelled death all around me. I thought I should have died.”

“You didn't though, Mulder. Do you ever wonder why God saved you?”

“I haven’t done much better with you, Scully. This is hardly a peaceful life.”

She sighed and detangled herself from him to his surprise. “You can be so thick sometimes, Mulder.”

Her deft hands undid the bottom half long underwear as she stroked him. “If you hadn’t survived, we never would have met. We never would have run away or escaped from Norfolk or been married.”

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you as well,” Scully replied.

“Why me?”

“Why not you?”

. . . . . . 

It was noon. The unseasonably warm March weather continued throughout the rest of the morning as the lounged together in bed. The windows continued to stay open and the air from the ocean wafted through. Scully sat propped by a mountain of pillows with Mulder dozing next to her with his head on her breast. He dozed finally as Scully’s fingers played with his hair. He snuggled closer and she smiled.

“I love this, Scully,” he whispered.

“You should be asleep.”

“I don’t want to sleep. I want to remember this.”

“Remember,” she repeated and chuckled. “What don’t you remember?”

“I remember everything about you.”

“That sounds kind of creepy.”

“But it is true. I want to remember everything about you, Scully.”

Scully tried to think if they would have gotten to the point back in December if it had not been for the knowledge of a relationship together in a past life. Would it had been easier or would she be too afraid to act? “Go back to sleep, Mulder.” She kissed his forehead lovingly. “Let me finish my movie.”

Mulder closed his eyes and continued to enjoy this moment. He could hear the wind whipping up the waves beyond the dunes, a calming sound he was quickly becoming accustomed to. He reached for Scully’s hand and held it. And she let him. “I know I’ve asked you before in the past, Scully,” he whispered. “But how much in detail do you remember?”

“From then?” She sighed. Why did Mulder keep bringing up this line of thought? Wasn’t he tired of reliving the past? “Their as indistinguishable from this life.”

“How much in detail?”

Still, he continued to push.

“I don’t know. Like I do with my own life. It’s no photographic memory but I’ve never really thought of it. I still can’t wrap my mind around much less explain scientifically how two people from 1860s share faces, memories, and names with us. But I know it’s true. I do believe. But everything. I remember falling in love with you then, and now. I remember the first time I took you to bed then and our less than glamorous first time.”

He chuckled before wincing in pain. She rubbed his back gently and smiled. “I remember everything. I want to remember everything There’s nothing about you I want to forget, Scully.”

“You need to sleep, Mulder,” she reminded him. “You barely did last night because of your shoulder. Do you want me to leave you alone so it will be easier on you?”

“No. This is fine, Scully. This is perfect.”

He continued to relax as Scully went back to watching television and her hand stroked his back bringing him into a trance. He closed his eyes and though there was no other place he would rather be.

. . . . . . 

 “What do you want from me?”

The smoking man drew a long drag from his recently lit Morley as Alex Krycek stood nervously behind Buckley. The recently escaped prisoner shifted from foot to foot watching him and then cleared his throat as he judged Krycek. “I thought I was free to pursue Mulder and Scully anyway I choose to,” Buckley began. He was annoyed. “We had a deal.”

“I broke you out,” the Smoker said calmly. “You are on my own my dime. And what deal?”

“You think you’re such hot shit,” Buckley groaned. “I’ve lived and seen more than could ever imagine.”

A slight nod of his head, Krycek reached to knock Buckley’s legs out from under him but the escaped convict reacted quicker by punching Krycek out like a light. Buckley regain Krycek’s weapon and pointed it at the Smoker.  “So, Carl, let’s try this again. I’m the one in charge.”

The Smoker looked unimpressed. “So you draw a gun on me? That’s it?” He laughed. “I have seen secrets that would drive men made. Do you know how many men I have killed? The things I have seen? You are just another cockroach that I decided not to step on.”

“Even cockroaches can survive a nuclear war.”

“Your fascination with them is annoying, especially with Agent Scully,” the Smoker continued. He eyed the pointed pistol. “Put the weapon down`

“What incentive do I have?”

“Mulder and Scully are in North Carolina. Did you know that?”

“As is half the FBI and Marshals looking for me.”

“They're on the coast. The Outer Banks.”

“What the hell are they doing there? Another one of those bizarro cases?”

The Smoker paused, taking another long drag from his Morley in thought. He had to consider his next answer carefully. Despite the ever-present danger of being shot in the face, the Smoker had read Buckley’s file and the escapades that he had caused this past December. He had to give pause to his obsession with Dana Scully. There was something there but Mulder and Scully were still too valuable to the Smoker. Diana still had used and while the Consortium had folder over the past year, the agents placed him in a dilemma.

“They’re together.”

That was it. That was the right response. He saw Buckley’s fingers tightened around the handle as his fingers turned white.

“Put down the gun, Francis.”

“Frankie,” Buckley corrected.

“Frankie. I can help you get what you want if you help me.”

“I’m listening, Carl.”

. . . . . . .

The morning rolled into the afternoon, Scully left the warmth of their bed as Mulder continued to doze listening to the television. She watched him from the doorway as he rolled onto his stomach with his arm firmly tucked against his chest to stabilize his bad shoulder. She turned off the television and kissed the nape of his exposed neck. He murmured something before quieting again. Scully adjusted his blanket before gathering her discarded sweatshirt and pulling it back on and disappearing back out into the living room.

She eyed the clock on the stove as it read 2:46 in bright green numbers. What day was it? They had been done here for a few days now and still had about a week and a half left of their vacation. The thought made her smile. Whether Scully admitted or not, the stress of the past few months had been growing worse and taking a toll. Her hands began to fix a pot of tea for herself. As the water boiled, she went into the open living room and turned the television on to something mind-numbing. She heard a phone ringing in the kitchen where she had stashed her mobile phone the day before in her purse. Before the phone could wake Mulder, she rushed and snagged it and greeted it with a hiss.

“Scully.”

“Agent Scully?”

Of course, she thought, of course, of course, of course. Skinner.

Even the idea of being able to escape from their lives in Washington and the constant disruptions as being FBI agents and a sanctuary to work on them, both past and present, was far fetched. Neither one of them could escape any duties that they had. In one life, Scully remembered the duties that she had to try and maintain the decorum of a proper housewife in a secreted existence where she was a spy. She chose to be with him against all odds. She felt a similar feeling in this life as she chose to defender her partner and backed him and their work with her science. It felt like their world was closing in around them again and it was suffocating.

“Yes, sir?”

“How are you holding up, Agent Scully?”

“As well as can be expected, sir,” she replied automatically.

“And Agent Mulder,” he pressed.

She bit her lip and was unsure on how to reply to the unwelcomed question as alarms bells began to go off in her head: the rushes to judgment, the secrecy of their relationship breaking out only to confirm the truth to the Hoover, and boom, all over. “He is currently sleeping. Rolled his shoulder the other day.”

“Scully, look I don’t care what is going on between you and your partner.”

“I don't know what you mean by that sir.”

“I don’t care, Scully. This is about Buckley.”

“Buckley.”

“He was spotted on a security camera outside of Yorktown near a gas station. We’re unsure of his next move.”

“We?”

“You got Benson and Yarrow in addition to Washington on this.”

Oh shit.

“Two field offices?”

“Tidewater Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina are unique. We’ve already reached to the local sheriff and they’ll be doing patrols around where you are staying. The best plan is for you and Agent Mulder to do whatever it is you are doing.”

“And what would that be, sir?”

“Staying put. I believe Agent Mulder’s mother is from North Carolina? Probably has some family down there?”

“Thank you, sir.”

“We’ll be in touch, Agent Scully.”

He hung up without another word. Scully immediately went to their bedroom to dig through their bags to find their service weapons and badges. Everything was still there and in one piece. Mulder snorted in his sleep and she felt herself back into an old memory where they had been happy and it was just them without a care in the world. She was glad she had not given Mulder a stronger pain killer because he rolled over and asked groggily. “Scully?”

“Everything’s okay, Mulder,” she said quickly. She checked the magazine on her sig-p226. They might need more ammo. “Just finishing up a movie.”

“You’re lying,” he said, already falling back asleep.

“When you wake up. We’ll order dinner and I’ll explain everything.”

He nodded and hugged a pillow before falling back asleep. Scully kneeled, kissing his temple, and tucked her pistol behind the small of her back before she headed into the living room to sort through the various to-go menus left by the landlords.

. . . . . . . . . .

Yorktown, Virginia October 13, 1862

Mulder wandered through the small rooms above the carriage house like a ghost in the middle of the night. He tried to remember when he felt at peace, the weight of the wedding ring somehow didn’t feel right. Nothing about this situation felt right  “Mulder,” Scully called from their bed, “come back here.”

“What happens if Union troops burst in and discover us as spies or worst, the Rebs and kill us as traitors?”

“Well,” she sighed, “I think the Yanks would be happy for our service at least. Come back to bed, Mulder. I’m tired. We’re safe. The Skinners are good people. Did you have nightmares again?”

He shook his head before reluctantly nodding. Like a spirit herself, she silently rose from the bed and grasped his hand and pulled him back with her. Mulder marveled again the woman he had thrown everything away for and chosen to be with. She was a giant in her own right. Her hand traced up his bareback, lingering on the back of his neck before she pulled him down into a searing kiss that society would have found scandalous. “I’m here now with you,” she whispered, “you aren’t on the battlefield or that boat. The Union occupies this town so we’ll be safe. And together.” She kissed away his tears and hugged him awkwardly. “I love you, Fox Mulder.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Why? Are you still blaming yourself for our predicament? I told you, I choose you. It is my body, my life, not Franklin’s.”

“But this...your family.”

“This war spilt my family long ago. I have you.”

“That is not saying much.”

“It is saying a great deal, Mulder. Just come back and keep me warm. I miss you.”

He smiled weakly. “All I am to you is a blanket?”

“You make this cold bearable. These blankets don’t do anything.” He nuzzled her neck uncharacteristically of a gentleman of the time. But then again, he wasn’t a gentleman. He was a womanizer and cheat having run off with a married woman. Scully stopped him as if hearing his thoughts. She cupped his cheek. “You’re none of those things, Mulder.”

“I should add wood to the fire.”

“It’s just fine, Mulder. We don’t need anymore. Come back to bed with me,” she encouraged. He nodded in defeat. Scully pulled him close as they crawled back underneath the feathered quilts. “What do you want me to do? Just tell me.”

“Just talk,” he whispered. “I love the sound of your voice, even when you read to me your second-hand medical texts. Just talk.”

“I can do that. Poetry? A novel? Medical texts?”

“No,” he whispered. “Just talk.”

“Anything you want.” She sat up in bed and cradled him. “I wish I could tell you a story to soothe you.”

“You do,” Mulder whispered. His eyes began to close. “You make everything just better.”

. . . . . . . . . 

Mulder awoke to the smell of fried shrimp and soup of some kind. His stomach grumbled in eagerness. He rolled out of bed, wincing in the process, as he rotated his injured shoulder gently. He looked out to the window, noticing the darkening sky and the closed windows. A storm must be becoming. Holding his arm close to his chest, he opened the bedroom door and saw Scully standing at the stove absently stirring a pot. Her head was bowed in thought. He saw a plate of shrimp po’boys next to her. 

“Cooking dinner, Scully?” He asked with a yawn.

“I just ran out when you were sleeping,” she said softly. “I’m reheating the Hatteras chowder I picked up too.”

“Got to take advantage of that fresh seafood while we’re down here, huh?” He walked up behind her and kissed her cheek. He ran his hand up and down her back soothingly. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything,” she whispered. “I don’t know. Skinner called me when you were asleep. Aside from the fact that he knows about us…”

“I feel like that is the least of our concerns,” Mulder countered.

She turned and crossed her arms, clearly frustrated. “Buckley was spotted in Yorktown. They have two field offices, local pd from god knows how many counties, and what other federal agencies all trying to track this one man down. Skinner made no reference of the cigarette smoking bastard but I know, we both know he is involved. And what’s worse? Skinner is ordering is to stay put.”

“Stay put? Like just stay at this beach house and finish out our vacation? We still have 10 more days left. That doesn’t sound so bad,” Mulder replied.

“Only you would find the good in this situation.” She looked up and found herself grounded by her partner’s warm gaze. “I feel so powerless in this situation, Mulder.”

“I know, and I know how you hate feeling like this. Let’s eat dinner and we can talk so more about this, okay?”

“Do you know how strange this feels,” Scully asked as she pulled two bowls down from the cabinet. “Almost normal. Natural. Us as a couple.”

“Partners,” he clarified. “Just an evolving definition.”

They carried their dinner into the living room, sitting their dinner on the coffee table, before sitting side by side. Scully narrowed her eyes as she reached for the television remote as if debating turning it on. “Put it on ESPN,” Mulder advised, “so we don’t have to watch it.”

“I want to see what the local news is saying,” she told him. 

Mulder nodded in acquiescence and passed her the television remote. “When did you have to get dinner?”

“In between fortifying the top floor and caring for you,” she answered flipping through the channels. She settled on a channel and set the remote down. “I am just doing what I need to do.”

He bit his lip, resisting the urge to kiss her then and there. Instead, he watched her as she brought the mug of soup up and blew gently on the spoon before taking the bite. “Thank you,” he settled for.

“For what?” 

Mulder shrugged. “Just being you,” he answered.

Scully paused and glanced at him as he awkwardly picked up the sandwich and took a healthy bite. She set the mug down, kissed his cheek wordlessly, and went back to her dinner. Mulder smiled as the local forecast changed to the weather.

“I saw some storm clouds when I woke up towards the sound side. Even lightning.”

“Well, they’re calling for rain tonight,” she replied. “Might not get a good sunrise but we can lay by the beach in the afternoon.”

“No surfing?”

“No surfing,” she laughed.

The meteorologist droned on before switching the radar map to the Outer Banks were Mulder and Scully were staying. “While things remain quiet for the metro area, we got a strong line of thunderstorms rolling towards the Outer Banks with the strongest cells concentrated towards Nags Head and Kitty Hawk.” 

A clap of thunder punctuated the forecast. 

“That was close,” he remarked. Suddenly the sound of rain hitting the windows could be heard with growing intensity. Mulder smiled and nudged her. “Snuggle weather, Scully.”

“Atmosphere weather more like it. Eat your food before it gets cold.”

He chuckled wincing as he did. Scully unconsciously began to rub his back as she focused on eating her food and focusing on the weather forecast. Mulder was amazed he could be so lucky to have her, as his FBI partner, friend, and now, soulmate. The weatherman continued. “We’ve been watching this line of storms for the past hour and they are strong. Our early forecasting indicates that if you are in Kitty Hawk and Nags Head, make sure you are inside.” Another loud clap of thunder rolled by. “These cells are strong. We already have previous reports of…”

With another roll of thunder and a flash of lighting, Mulder and Scully found themselves in the dark. “Well,” Mulder started, “there goes the electricity.”

Scully audibly groaned at the inconvenience. “I’m already one step ahead.” Carefully she inched forward towards the kitchen trying to avoid any sharp edges. A flashlight beam came from out of nowhere and then numerous candles were lit and spread throughout their one floor living quarters. “I had a feeling that we could lose power while we were down here so I picked some up at Wal-Mart earlier tonight.”

Mulder moved to help her but she waved him off. She set a couple of candles in the kitchen, a few near the living room, and one in their bedroom. He was always amazed by her. To his utter surprise, he heard some music come from their bedroom as she carried out a crank radio and found a classical station on it. 

“This came from the house,” she added. “I guess it is part of their emergency hurricane kit.”

“Not complaining,” he said. He took another bite of his sandwich. “I’m just admiring.”

She laughed and went to rejoin Mulder on the couch. The thunder rolled above again and she nudged him gently. “Kind of romantic, isn’t it?”

“What?” He took sipped his soup. “Candlelit dinner with you?”

“Quit being an ass.”

“At least we don’t have to watch the news,” he said.

“We need a plan though.”

“What can we do?” Mulder asked. “Skinner told us to stay here.”

“Since when has that stopped you?”

Mulder sighed. “I just want to move past him, and yes, I know the irony of that statement. I want us to have a future. I mean, how do you go through your life knowing that you’ve lived before?”

Scully stared at her soup before answering, “I’ve been struggling to answer that myself. I wonder…” She drew in a deep breath. “If Emily was the spirit of the child we were meant to have.” She cleared her throat, leaned forward, and stirred the soup. “Meant to have.”

“You think we’d have a little girl?” he asked. He leaned forward and pushed the food around. “I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.”

“Power will be back on before morning,” Scully answered, gathering the remains of their dinner to store in the fridge. “Just make sure you don’t open the fridge unless you are certain. We don’t want to waste cold air. And what do you mean? We’d have a little girl?”

“Back then, in the other life,” he whispered, watching a dancing candle flame. “I’ve been thinking maybe Emily…”

“Don’t go there,” Scully hissed in a low whisper. Raw pain was in her voice. Mulder saw her glassy eyes with unshed tears. “Don’t bring Emily into this. We lost our first round in IVF. There still pain there, Mulder.”

“I know,” he said trying to backtrack. “I don’t want you to hurt. I wish I could take all the pain away from you in the world.”

“That’s the point of this vacation right,” she scoffed. “But we have to keep our guard up in case a psychotic killer who used to be my exhusband a hundred and fifty years ago and that we put away.”

“Well at least I got to see you surf,” he tried to joke.

She gave a weak smile. “Maybe we should have gotten a smaller beach house.”

He squeezed her hand. “I’ll go check the rest of the house and make sure it’s secure. Do you want to stay out here or go to the bedroom?”

“I’m really not in the mood for anything, Mulder.”

“I wasn’t implying. Let’s just…” He shrugged. “What do normal couples do? Snuggle? Cuddle?”

Scully relaxed and nodded softly. “I’ll check the candles.”

Mulder walked into the bedroom, grabbed his weapon and flashlight, and went downstairs. Like a ghost, Scully blew out some candles and moved others into her bedroom. She went to the bedroom windows and opened it slightly so she could hear the waves of the ocean against the shore and the rain. Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning lit up the sky again. She went to the chest of drawers and drew out one of Mulder’s t-shirts and a pair of light boxers from her own drawer and put them on. Cooler air flowed through the open window and she shivered slightly before crawling into the left side of the bed. She let herself drift listening to waves as her eyes closed. “You took my side of the bed.”

She jerked awake and saw Mulder in candlelight with a tired smile. “Mulder. You scared me.”

“Sorry. The house is secure. I placed the furniture in front of the two other doors on the ground floor and the second floor. I locked the sliding glass door up here so in case we do have to go, just make sure to grab the flashlight.”

Scully watched him with hooded eyes as she bordered on the edge of sleep. “You’re not going to sleep,” she realized. “You just woke up from a late nap.”

“Just means I can keep watch,” he said softly. “Do you want me to bring the radio  in here so we can play the classical station?”

“Neither. I opened the window so we can hear the rain and waves.”

Mulder paused and gave a satisfied smile. “We’re going to make love out there before this vacation is over, Scully.”

“Keep on dreaming, Mulder. I would be satisfied with just here. Come to bed.”

He changed into his yellow sleeping pants and set his weapon on the nightstand near Scully. He pulled back the sheet and curled up behind Scully. His warm hand ran down her thigh before he pulled her close. Scully sighed contently and hugged him close. “This is all I would ever want, Mulder,” she whispered.

He took a deep breath and kissed the nape of her neck. “Forever is forever, Scully. Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Never would want that,” she whispered. “Love you too much.”

Mulder felt Scully take one more deep breath as she drifted back to sleep. Mulder smiled to himself and listened to the storm, the waves, and Scully. If eternity could be capitalized into a single moment, this would be it.

[jge208]

How I loose an insane amount of weight by Fasting 7 Days

For the past 6 months I have been training my body to burn fat for energy. Our bodies  were designed to store energy in the form of Fat. Learning how to burn your fat for energy means you can be any weight you desire and maintain that weight relatively easy. Intermittent fasting is the tool to teach you this skill. Your body already know’s how. The links at the end of this post has Youtube videos Intermittent Fasting for weight Loss w/ Jason Fung, MD – Dr. Jason Fung discusses how fasting change’s your hormones, enhances fat loss and why it doesn’t lead to muscle loss. He is an expert in Intermittent Fasting for weight Loss How to Maximize Fat Burning Dr Jason Fung Part II

This blog post is about my experiment Fasting to lose weight.  PLEASE do not try this if you have a medical condition. Consulting a physician or watch some of Dr. Jason Fung’s Youtube videos to understand the principles and preparation needed.

Many athletes and celebrities use intermittent fasting for weight loss TERRY CREWS ON INTERMITTENT FASTING

This Blog posting is dedicated to ladies who will be getting married soon and wants to look their best on that special day. As well as anyone who has tried many diets that has failed or you are dreaming of accomplishing a task or a special job but your weight is preventing you from reaching your goal.

I am taking things to the next level in weight loss. If you are Driving from New York to Miami the highway is faster. Fasting is the highway. Intermittent Fasting is the city street.

The main ingredients are (1. learning Intermittent fasting, 2. Exercise, 3. Healthy Eating habits.) Your ideal weight can be achieved with intermittent fasting alone. However, I believe a good exercise regiment will create a strong muscular system.

Fasting – No Food, Only Water and once per day add Salt to water. Fasting has been used for thousands of years it a Proven technique even Jesus did it for 40 Days.

My reasons for wanting to reduce my body weight are: 1. I want to live to over 100 years old. I am using the latest and safest techniques to rejuvenate my body starting at the cellular level. I am also re-cycling the fat gained over 30 years, some from questionable sources. I will replace it with 20% body fat from high quality source.  2. I love to run. When sprinting your explosive start generates forces in excess of 4 times your body weight. The problem is once you are over the age 40 your muscle strength is reduced. I am now 53 years old. Over the past 6 years every time I get is shape I end up getting injured always caused by muscle weakness. Reducing my body weight means less weight for my muscle and a more enjoyable long run on Sundays. My Goal at the beginning of this challenge was a 3 Days of Fasting. After day three of fasting I revised my goal to 7 days with a Target weight of 160 LBS or LOOSING 16 POUNDS IN 7 DAYS. This would be a body mass index (BMI) of 24. I am 5 ft 10 1/2 inches. My weight went up to 176 lbs over the Holiday’s from  a stable 173 lbs.

My goal is perfect health or as close to perfect as possible and maintain A lean fit body FREE of all medication.

Did you know it is easier to run a Fast 5K or 10K  with a BMI of 19 – 20 and 1 pound of water in your stomach than to run the same distant with 50 lbs of fat on your body!  Marathon runners typically have a BMI of 19 – 20. See BMI table  bmi_tbl

Start of Challenge – Fasting started Saturday 12/9/2017 at 7:PM 176 lbs

Sunday Morning  while doing my 1 hour cycle on a stationary bicycle. I watched a Youtube video Intermittent Fasting for weight Loss with DR. Jason Fung, MD. Since I had been doing Intermittent Fasting for the past 6 months. I decided at that moment I would do a 3 day fast or 72 hour fasting while doing all my usual daily activity.  I had been preparing my body for this for 6 months.

My preparation : There are 24 hours in a day. I choose to eat only 8 hours between 11:00 AM to 7 PM each day. I fast 16 to 18 hours each day from 7 PM until 11 AM or some times 1 PM with only water. I do my workout in the morning while fasting, gradually my body starts burning fat for energy before I eat each day.

12/10/2017 Sunday 7AM (12 hrs or 1/2 day Fasting) My weight 176. – Exercise Workout 1 hr cycle plus 45 Minutes running (Hill Training) Then I go to work.  I am a realtor in Miami FL. Or more exactly Kendall FL Realtor. Today my work load includes

1. Final closing inspection for my listing after 59 days the lender is finally ready to close. 2. Show rental property to my client and end the day my submitting an offer for rental.

The point here is with Fasting you can do everything you usually do. You will have more energy and an unlimited supply of food already stored in your body. AS LONG AS THERE IS FAT ON YOUR BODY YOU CAN CONTINUE.

Many animals eat to get fat before winter, then they hibernate or just hide in there cave all winter without eating. In the spring they emerge eat some leaves to break their fast and let the hunting for food begin.  I am happy to inform you that! Our bodies are exactly the same. The medical experts & doctors should be all lined up and shot in front of a firing squad for not telling us and teaching us that if you want to loose weight JUST DO NOT EAT ANYTHING.

When  we eat our bodies store sugar in our liver for energy. The problem is our liver is like our refrigerator it is limited. Our liver can store about 24 hour supply of energy.  The solution is all the excess is converted to fat. The great news is our bodies can store  an unlimited supply of fat. If you have some medical issue you may need medical supervision while fasting. (So lets not shoot the doctors as yet. Let just say it a part of their big plan of making money from over weight and obesity) Our bodies have the cure for obesity, and it is FREE. Why don’t we use it, is the question?

12/11/2017 Monday 7 AM (36 hrs or 1 +1/2 day Fasting I Lost 2 Lbs ) Weight 174 Rest day – Sit ups, Push up, stretching and lunges – basically floor exercises no strain just relaxing. Next I need to work. My closing is delayed a few hours. The lender wants to do a final quality control before sending the title company the closing information. Both buyer and seller have requested time off from work for a 11:00 AM closing. The Title company informed us it may be 3:00 PM. As soon as they have a confirmation from the lender they will contact us. The life of a Realtor is complicated you could be the best Miami FL listing agent or the Top rated real estate agent in Kendall and your deal dies on the day of closing. There is no guarantee that you will get paid for your work. Fasting gives you more hours in the day to do what ever you like. No need to prepare meals or eat meals you could gain at least 2 hours

12/12/2017 Tuesday 7 AM (60 hrs or 2 +1/2 days Fasting I Lost 5.5 Lbs ) Weight  170.5 or BMI of 24. Today is a training day. I first drink 32 ounces of water followed by 16 ounces of hot tea before workout only hot water with ginger flavor. Total 48 ounces.

Before my wife leaves for work her advice was: Please do not faint while doing your workout. This is the first time I have fasted this long so she was concerned. My reply was do not worry I drank my usual 3 pounds of liquid, so I am fully hydrated.

My workout 1 hr cycle + 45 Minutes hill running . My weight was 169.0 at the end. This shows I did not replace all liquids lost during the workout. I know I burned some fat for energy during the workout which could account for the 1.5 lbs, but I doubt it. I think I need more water. I have not eaten in over 60 hours. It is imperative that I keep adding fluid to keep my weight above what I weigh when I first wake up in the morning. For this experiment to work I need to drink water constantly all day long and keep my body fully hydrated.

After my work out I went to work : 1. I visited the Title company to pick up my commission check. Once the check is in my hands I can say the home is sold. “Hallelujah” In the real estate business the file/buyer could fail final review and kill the deal on closing day.  2. I made multiple appointments for other realtors who wanted to show my Listings. 3. Followed up with potential landlord who wanted to rent their home in Kendall. 4. Made appointments for realtors to show my listings in Kendall Gate, Kendale Lake & West Kendall. With fasting you can do all you normal activities. Your body has all the stored fat for the energy you need.

While visiting my office today my broker asked have you lost weight? Are you training for a marathon? My answer was remember I am a sprinter. I run the shot races. I am training for a long distance. I am also working on a special plan. I write it all in my blog. I promise to tell you all about it. PS. My weight for the day was 169 lbs

12/12/2017 Tuesday 7: PM (72 hrs or 3 days Fasting 169 lbs ) This experiment was originally planed for 3 days or 72 hours. That time has come and gone. I feel normal just like any other day. I am fully energized I have not felt hunger in the past 3 days. (3 days without eating any food or liquid nourishment only Water). Today I honestly feel I could do this fasting for 40 days and be very comfortable. The only problem is I do not think I have enough fat in my body to burn for all those day plus doing physical training workout.

12/13/2017  Wednesday 7: AM (84 hrs or 3 +1/2 days Fasting I Lost 7.5 Lbs )  Weight 168.5 – Rest day : My resting workout for today is 3 minutes of continuous Planking in the morning and 3 minutes in evening plus sit ups.  For work I had to visit a new listing to take interior pictures as well as followup with customers most of it was on the phone. This year I sold less homes than last year. But, One thing I can say for this year I sold all my Miami FL listings. NONE of my Miami listings expired this year. It is approaching the end of the year and I am sure I will have a BRAND NEW BODY for the new year. Fasting is great!

12/14/2017  Thursday 7: AM (108 hrs or 4 +1/2 day Fasting I Lost 10.5 Lbs ) Weight 165.5   Today I had a hard workout lasting 3 hrs : 1 hour cycle to warm up I covered 19.67 Miles. That was a little too fast for a warm up. The reason is I am so excited and just can’t hide it, I am about to loose control and I think I like it! Next I did my 45 min hill running today it took me 55 minutes My legs were a little tired from the cycle so I had to take extra breaks. If you are wondering how I do hill workout in Miami when all of Florida is very flat it is simple. I use a thread mill and a 15% slope. Finally I ended my work out with a 1 hour and 5 Minutes cycle.  Tomorrow is my wife’s birthday. I need to remember to get all the items I need for her surprise. 

The rest of the day was spent relaxing. To rest my tired muscle, I went fishing with my fishing partner.  His name is Stan. He loves Bass fishing.  I eat all I catch as long at they meet the legal size. PS. I did eat that Bass in his picture. Stan does not eat fish. So, he is a great fishing partner. He is also very funny. Visit his Youtube channel  SSFishingI picked up Stan and he informed me he had lost 5 pounds in  the last week. I said great. I was very happy to hear. He had been riding a lot lately he is now down to 240 lbs. I asked him do I look and different?  He is not able to see face only from the side and I am wearing large cloth. It is winter in Miami 65-70 degrees is very cold for us. We get dressed in our warm cloth. Stan’s answer was. Oh My God what happen to you. It has been 6 days since we went fishing and I had lost a total of 10.5 LBS. This is where I made my first mistake. “Telling him about my fasting”. If you are planning to fast for more that 3 days. Please do not tell anyone who do not understand the principle. I was sure he would understand. For the past six months I have been telling him I only eat between 11 AM and 7 PM. Every day I fast from 7 PM to 11 AM “This is intermittent fasting” Every week we go fishing at least once sometime twice. I am always fasting the only difference is for this week I am not eating anything.  This is a picture of our catch two weeks ago. I cleaned all of it and gave half to my mom.  I do not mine cleaning them. I LOVE EAT FISH.

While fishing Stan asked. Are you hungry I said. NO! Bro you look like you need a Stake. I heard this all evening. Please eat something. 

  12/15/2017 Friday 7: AM (132 hrs, 5+1/2 days Fasting I Lost 12.5 Lbs) Weight 163.5 Lbs. This is my wife’s birthday. My number one objective today is to make her smile. I started by making her favorite Breakfast. Can you guess what it is? The ingredients are below.

I usually make her breakfast on the days she goes to work very early.  I prepare a variety of meal while she gets dress in the morning. So, I know what she likes. I am sure she will be greatly surprised.  My wife is a health nut. She never need to loose weight. We went on a 2 weeks cruise a few years ago. It had the best and healthiest food. I return about 7 pounds over my usual weight she about 2 1/2 pounds. She knows when to stop eating. In November we went on a 7 day cruise I gained 5 lbs my wife NONE

Do you have a clue of what I am making.

I Think you should be able to figure this out my now.

It is 8:30 AM I am fasting so I will not be eating with her. I usually only eat between 11:00 AM and 7 PM. So, My wife will understands.

If this was your Birthday Breakfast what would you do? 

Leave a comment below. Please be nice.

Lets see if my princess does the same as you.

PS. She does not know I am taking this picture. Its our little secret. Promise not to tell her.

The answer to the question is  ***see below***

I think the picture speaks for it self. My wife know exactly how much she can eat based on her size and caloric needs. Some of us have to learn to fast Intermittently or a total fast to safely lose weight fast or maintain our ideal weight.

Her exact words were. Honey it’s too big. You know I cant eat so much.

PS. She loved the display, the flowers, my choice of garnish. Well let say there were no complain.  I did make her smile with the Breakfast presentation.

12/16/2017 Saturday. I am tired of being asked when will you eat? or Did you eat yet? If you are planning a long fast do not tell skeptics. They will kill your fun and reduce motivation. I will not communicate my intent to anyone until I am done 

12/16/2017 Saturday  This is the last day to complete this 7 day challenge. The Final day is here My final weight in is actually 36 hours from Friday’s weight. I usually weight in the morning. The challenge ends evening at 7 PM. This give me an extra 12 hours to prepare for weigh in.  My workout was a 2.5 hour cycle totaling 42.94 miles

12/16/2017 Saturday 7: PM (7 full days Fasting weight 161.5 Lbs Lost 14.5 Lbs)

From my experience Fasting and exercising is by far the fastest way to loose weight. I Lost a Grand Total of  14.5 lbs in 7 days. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to lose weight fast.

I missed my goal by 1.5 lbs so I will continue my fasting.

You need salt to help you cells function properly. Minerals can be absorbed in the skin with your bath useing Epson salt, Ingredients for my chicken soup includes carrots.

The most important thing when fasting is drink lots of water. (Hot water, Warm water, Water with salt, Water with lime/lemon, Hot ginger tea, Hot organic tea)

Breaking the fast – I need to be care full and eat only small portions until my stomach realize the vacation is over. I know my body will still be in fat burning mode for the next few days. I am sure I will see some more weight loss in that time.

Once this fast is over I will spend the next few day enjoying my favorite chicken soup. My soup is very special the main ingredient is Pumpkin followed by chicken. It should be called Pumpkin/chicken soup.

Ingredients Pumpkin, Chicken (remove skin and all visible fat), Chayote Squash also known as “cho-cho“), Malanga root (This is gluten free and an excellent potato substitute), Carrots, Okra, Garlic, Radish, Leeks, Onions, brussels sprouts, scallions also known as Green onion. Three of these ingredients are very similar and give a similar taste and flavor. However, I have not eaten in a while and I want my first hot meal to be very memorable, nutritious, full of flavor with all my favorite soup ingredients.

Breaking the fast will have to wait, I missed my initial goal by 1.5 lbs so I will continue my fasting. I will end before Christmas with 155 lbs & 23% body fat

Links.

What is intermittent fasting?

What is intermittent fasting? Learn from one of the world’s top experts, Dr. Jason Fung. Watch the first part above. Part two – “How to maximize fat burning” – for free here: https://www.dietdoctor.com/how-to-max…

How to Maximize Fat Burning Dr Jason Fung Part II

Intermittent Fasting for weight Loss w/ Jason Fung, MD.

How to Lose Weight Fast : My 7 Day Adventure Fasting for weight loss How I loose an insane amount of weight by Fasting 7 Days For the past 6 months I have been training my body to…