#you’re the queen of dad Mason

[carlottawllms]

THIS.

This is what you find in the dictionary when you look up “perfection��� ✨

I’ll Fix This

Note - I’m back baby 😉 dad Mase won the poll so I hope you enjoy. Feedback would be appreciated as usual 🩷

Pairing - Mason Mount x Reader

Word count - 3.7k

Warnings - sort of angst? And fluff

‘Daddddyyyyy’ Ollie screamed, running towards the front door from the kitchen and you let him go, finally taking a breath as you were left alone with the chaos of the kitchen.

You usually liked you have everything tidy and dinner almost ready for when Mason got home, not by his request in fact you didn’t think he cared all that much but you just liked knowing it was done, however over the last few weeks it was becoming difficult to juggle. With Tilly being so small still a lot of your attention was on her when she was awake and whilst you tried to give Ollie as much of your time as you could, lately all he wanted was Mason and you’d be lying if you said it didn’t sting a little bit.

Ollie had been a daddies boy from the get go but ever since you’d been spending a lot of time with him at home when Mason was training you’d foraged a pretty strong bond. The pair of you had bought him up to be a kind and considerate little boy, having thanked your lucky stars that he’d seemingly skipped the terrible twos but now you were just wondering if his were slightly delayed and you were now experiencing the ferocious fours.

You felt relived Mason was home though, trying to hold yourself together as you did most nights now so he wouldn’t suspect anything. You didn’t want him thinking you didn’t have everything under control so made out you were fine however you weren’t sure how much longer you could carry on like this for and you knew Mason was starting to catch on.

‘Hello sweetheart’ you suddenly heard behind you and you almost lost it when you felt Masons lips on your temple. That tiny bit of intimacy and affection letting your walls slip ever so slightly but you managed to pull yourself together.

‘Hey Mase, sorry about the mess’ you said quietly, not being able to look at him but you knew he would of had a confused expression on his face. ‘Dinner won’t be too much longer. Why don’t you take Tilly in the other room with Ollie so I can get sorted’

‘Baby?’ He questioned, and you swallowed down a lump before looking up into his curious eyes. ‘Are you alright?’

‘I’m fine, just been a long day’ you reassured him before reaching down to grab Tilly out of her crib so you could pass her to Mason, knowing he’d never say no to spending time with her. ‘I’ll call you when it’s ready’ you told him and with a kiss to your forehead he was off.

Now you were alone you quickly cleared up all the toys before checking on dinner and even though you had a spare ten minutes, you spent that time on your own sat in the pantry so you could collect yourself for the rest of the evening as to not arise any suspicion from Mason and also just to decompress a little bit.

Ollie of course was an angel now that Mason was home, telling him all about his day and being as charming as ever and when you were all sat on the sofa later that night you tried not to let it show how upset you were when he refused to sit in the middle of the pair of you and wanted to just sit next to Mason. You could see Mason giving you a confused look, threading his fingers through yours as shuffled up to you to make room for Ollie on his other side and you made sure to rest your head on his shoulder so he couldn’t see your glassy eyes and wobbly lip.

‘You go put Ollie to bed and I’ll lock up and sort everything out down here’ you told Mason and with a kiss on your forehead he moved Ollie to take him upstairs. He ran off without saying goodnight first but you were a little bit relieved as most nights he caused a scene about it now, no longer wanting a kiss from you and wriggling away as quickly as he could. You weren’t sure you could keep on a brave face tonight and you pretended you didn’t see Masons disappointed look before he went upstairs to put Ollie to bed.

You had been laying in bed with Tilly for about ten minutes and there was still no sign of Mason appearing. You were both on top of the covers as she was snoozing peacefully next to you and you took the time to look over her features carefully. It was scary how much she looked like Mason, the same lips and chin and from the brief glances you’d seen they both had the same beautiful brown eyes, the exact same as Ollie’s.

‘You’d never be mean to mummy would you Till’s?’ you whispered as you stroked her cheek gently. ‘Gonna make sure you’re a mummy’s girl and we’ll do everything together. When you’re old enough we can go out shopping and give daddy a show of everything we got when we’re back, and we can go out for girly lunches and coffee and tell each other everything’ you whispered, planning out how you hoped your relationship with Tilly would pan out whilst wondering where you went so wrong with Ollie.

‘Has he got ants in his pants or something today? Took me forever to get him down’ Mason told you as he made his way into your room, his face softening as he caught sight of the pair of you. ‘There’s my girls’ he whispered, kissing both your heads gently before walking over to his wardrobe so he could get changed.

‘How’s she been today?’ He asked, sliding ontop of the sheets opposite you so he could lay next to Tilly and face you.

‘Yeah really good. After her lunchtime feed she stayed awake for like ten minutes just looking at me. It even look liked she smiled when I spoke to her’

‘That’s cause she knows her mummy’s voice’ he told you as he went to hold one of her hands with his finger.

‘I’m pretty sure it was just wind but I’m counting it as a smile’ you joked and he looked up at you lovingly.

‘What about you? How are are you?’ He asked and the sincerity in his voice broke you. You done everything you could all day to keep your emotions in but one simple question from the man you loved broke all your walls down and you had to hide your face in the pillow as you began to sob. ‘Baby? Baby what’s happening?’ He asked slightly panicked but you couldn’t reply right now, your chest caving in on itself as you finally let out everything you’d been holding in for weeks. In the end you felt him scoop Tilly up and place her in her crib before crawling back next to you and pulling you into his arms.

He didn’t attempt to ask anymore questions, he just let you cry it out into his neck whilst he held you to him, stroking your hair and trying to soothe you in anyway that he could until he felt your breathing get back to normal.

‘You know I can read you like a book right? I’ve know something was wrong as soon as I looked at you today. You’ve been like it for a while but today it was worse. Talk to me sweetheart, I hate seeing you like this’ he told you gently and you knew there was no point trying to brush anything off anymore.

‘It’s just finding it all a bit hard’ you told him, shuffling back at little bit so you could speak a bit easier and you felt yourself relax even more when he cupped your jaw and brushed a few tears away. ‘Im just tired I think, and there’s always something to do. The house is a mess no matter how much I clean it, I’m still trying to get into a routine with Tilly but it’s tough and then Ollie…’

‘What baby?’

‘I don’t think he likes me anymore’ you laughed but you were sobbing again straight after

‘Oh, I don’t think that’s true. He loves you baby I promise. What’s made you think that?’

‘He’s just been a bit mean to me lately. Doesn’t do anything I say and just wants you. I know things are different with Tilly being around now but I just feel a bit rubbish. Like when I spend all day with him and he tells me he doesn’t want me it hurts a bit’

‘I’ll speak to him tomorrow’

‘No it’s fine’ you sighed, rubbing your eyes so you could finally look up at him. I think I’m just a bit tired and feeling sorry for myself. I feel a bit silly and like I’m making more out of it than I should’ you reassured him. ‘I’m just really tired and it’s making me feel like I can’t do things and that I’m a rubbish mum. I don’t want you to think I can’t cope, cause I can’

The look of sympathy he gave you made your heart flip and you smiled when he placed his lips on yours, finally feeling a bit more settled as he showed you some affection. ‘I know you can. You’re doing such a good job mumma, I promise’ he whispered against your lips and you felt your tears flow again. ‘I probably haven’t told you that enough at all but I promise you, you are. And I don’t care if I come home to a messy house or if dinners not ready by a certain time. We can do that stuff together yeah? That’s what families do’

‘But I don’t want to burden you when you’ve been at work all day’ you sniffed but he was shaking his head lightly.

‘Just cause I’ve been out to work doesn’t mean you haven’t been working all day too.

‘I just want it nice for when you get in’

‘I know baby and I really do appreciate it but everything doesn’t have to be perfect. We’re still a work in progress and we’ll get there’

‘I love you’ you sobbed and he bought you back into his arms as he rocked you ever so gently.

‘I love you too’ he whispered before letting you calm down and stop crying. ‘When’s Tilly’s next feed?’

‘In about 15 minutes’

‘Are there bottles made up in the fridge?’

‘Yeah should be’

‘How about you get yourself tucked in and I’ll give Tilly her bottle. I’ll give her the night feed too so you can get some proper sleep’

‘Mase, it’s fine-‘

‘No, I’m being serious. Daddy’s home and he’s in charge now’ he laughed whilst tickling your sides and you fake gagged as he kissed all over your face. ‘Come on, get in and we can have a little cuddle and then it’s off to the land of nod for you. Tilly wants some daddy daughter time, she told me’ he winked.

You eventually listened to him, tucking the pair of you in so he could hold you while you went to sleep, eventually feeling him slip out of bed before picking Tilly up and taking her downstairs for her bottle. You didn’t wake up again until you felt him sneak out of bed again to give her the next feed but with a light kiss to your cheek you were off again.

You felt a lot fresher the next morning, but half an hour after Mason had gone you were on the verge of crying again. Ollie refused to eat his breakfast because Mason hadn’t made it and was screaming the house down whenever you tried to put Tilly to sleep. You tried sending him to his room but he refused and around 2pm you were ready to tear your hair out. You needed to pop to the shop but the thought of getting Ollie ready to go outside filled you with dread but you were standing strong and trying hard to get him to do what you needed him to.

‘Ollie, I won’t tell you again. Put the pencils away and come here so I can put your coat on’

‘No, I want daddy not you’

‘Daddy’s not here. Please just do it’

‘No!’ He shouted, throwing the pencils up in the air so they clattered to the floor with a loud bang, causing Tilly to cry almost immediately.

‘Oh Ollie’ you shouted, letting your frustrations get the better of you before he ran out the room. His little feet pounding up the steps until you heard his door slam but you weren’t fussed about him right now, reaching down to pick up an upset Tilly as you held her to your chest and tried not to cry yourself.

You almost jumped out of your skin when you felt a hand on your waist, your teary eyes looking up into Masons sympathetic ones and you froze on the spot. He wasn’t supposed to be home yet and you wanted to have everything sorted before he was but he’d seemingly caught you in the middle of a meltdown. You went to speak but he shook his head, kissing your forehead gently before peeling a still grizzly Tilly from your arms.

‘Go sit down baby, I got this’ he told you gently and you were too distressed to argue so you let him take her as you went into the living room. He wasn’t long and before you knew it he was next to you, bundling you into his arms as you clung to him for dear life. ‘I’m going to have a word with him, I don’t care what you say. I’m not having him speak to you like that it’s not on’

You didn’t argue with him, knowing you couldn’t keep this up for much longer so you just nodded before leaning back a bit.

‘He’s been like it all day, he just won’t do anything for me and I don’t know what to do anymore’ you told him, your bottom lip wobbling as he took your face in his hands before kissing your forehead.

‘I know, don’t worry I’ll fix this’

‘I wanted to fix it myself’ you laughed lightly, trying to ease the tension a little bit but you could tell how disappointed he was. ‘How much did you hear?’

‘All of it’ he sighed. ‘I didn’t wanna come bursting in and start shouting. I think it’s best I calm down and give him some time before I speak to him but I’m fucking furious. Is he like this everyday?’

‘Most days’ you whispered and the look of disappointment that clouded his face made your tummy drop.

‘You should of told me’

‘I wanted to handle it on my own-‘

‘But you’re not on your own. We’re a team remember? We made that little shit together and I’ll always be in your corner to fight back with you’ he laughed, trying to make you smile and even though you were upset you couldn’t help but laugh with him a little bit. ‘Now you just stay here, I’ll go grab Tilly for you and then I’ll go speak to him’ he told you gently, kissing your forehead before jumping up so he could get Tilly and settle her in your arms.

Mason took the stairs two at a time, nervous about having such a serious conversation with Ollie but he couldn’t let things carry on like this. Coming home to you so defeated everyday after you always tried so hard to make sure everyone lived in a happy house angered him more than he could say but he knew he couldn’t shout at him. He was still only little but he should know better than you treat you that way.

‘Ollie, open the door mate’ he called and the door flew open a few seconds later, Ollie smiling like butter wouldn’t melt as he hugged Masons legs but he didn’t offer him any affection back which made Ollie pull back with a pout. ‘Go sit on your bed for me I need to talk to you’

Ollie plopped on his bed with a thud, seemingly unaware of what Mason was about to talk to him about but he knew it was all an act by the way he sat playing with his fingers, a nervous trait he’d picked up from you and Mason had to stop himself from smiling.

‘Daddy’s really not very happy Ollie, why do you think that is?’ Mason asked and Ollie just shrugged his shoulders. ‘Nuh uh, we’re not doing this. You know exactly what I’m on about and I’m really disappointed. You know that behaviour isn’t acceptable’ he told him in a stern voice, trying to be firm and get his point across but also not frighten him. ‘You promised me you’d look after mummy when I’m not here so why have I come home to you shouting at her and not doing what’s she asked you to do?’

Ollie didn’t speak, just carried on playing with his fingers as he looked down and as soon as Mason saw his lip start to wobble his heart broke a little bit, eventually pulling him over and into his lap.

‘I don’t want you to get upset Mate, but how you’re feeling now, that’s how you’ve been making mummy feel for a little while and that’s not nice is it? We don’t want mummy to be upset do we?’

‘No’ he told Mason, shaking his head a little as Mason rubbed his back a little bit.

‘Cause we love mummy don’t we? She does so much for us and it’s important we’re kind to her. She works so hard everyday to make sure we’ve all got what we need and makes sure we’re happy so we need to make sure we look after her like she looks after us’

‘Im sorry daddy’ he finally sobbed, tucking his head into Masons neck as he started to cry.

‘I know mate, but It’s not me you need to say sorry to is it?’ Masons asked and Ollie shook his head into Masons neck. ‘Let’s go see mummy so you can apologise’

‘Okay’ Ollie sniffed before crawling out of Masons lap so he could stand up, rubbing his eyes before Mason held him by his arms.

‘I know you’re sorry but I really don’t want to have to speak to you about this again okay? If I do I won’t be as calm about it. Mummy does absolutely everything for you and I don’t like seeing her upset. Promise me you won’t do it again?’ Mason told him before holding out his pinkie finger which Ollie wrapped his own around.

‘I promise’ he told Mason and he looked like he meant it so Mason held his hand for Ollie to take so he could walk him downstairs to see you and apologise.

‘I’m gonna wait here for a little bit yeah?’ He told Ollie and with a final ruffle of his hair, he watched him run over to you, and throw himself into your arms. Thankfully you’d place Tilly back into her crib nearby so your arms were free and as soon as you worked out what was going on, you pulled him up into your lap so he could throw his arms around your shoulders. You felt your eyes prick instantly as you felt his little body shake.

‘I’m sorry mummy’ he sobbed and you quickly scratched over his head lightly to try and calm him down in a similar way you always did with Mason when he was upset. It seemed to work and soon enough he was pulling back to place a kiss on your cheek causing you to smile.

‘It’s okay baby, thank you for apologising’

‘Hey Ollie’ you suddenly heard from the doorway and you looked over to see Mason making his way in. ‘How about we go in the kitchen and clear your mess up?’ He asked and Ollie nodded before you helped him down so he could make his way into the kitchen. Mason quickly made his way over to you so he could drop a kiss on your lips and with a quiet I love you he was following Ollie into the kitchen.

Around ten minutes later Ollie was walking back in with a bottle for Tilly in his hands and you hadn’t even realised the time and that she was due a feed.

‘Oh thank you baby’ you smiled as he passed it to you and you gently grabbed Tilly so you could feed her. ‘Would you like to come and help me?’ You asked tentatively and to your surprise he nodded shyly at you so you carefully helped him up to sit in the corner of the sofa before laying Tilly in his arms and helping him hold the bottle, feeling more complete that you had in weeks.

Mason soon joined you, a small pout on his lips due to the fact he probably felt a little left out but he was quick to sit down as soon as you patted the space next to you.

‘I’ve made a start on dinner, how does daddy’s special pasta sound?’ He asked, wiggling his eyebrows but Ollie was looking back in disgust as he stuck his tongue out.

‘Want mummy’s pasta’ he laughed and Mason rolled his eyes playfully.

‘Of course you do’ he teased before his eyes landed on yours.

‘Thank you’ you whispered, leaning over to give him a quick kiss and you smiled as he pulled you back to deepen it a bit. ‘I mean it, thank you for all of this’

‘You’re welcome, gorgeous. You know I’d do anything for you’ he whispered, kissing your temple before resting his head on top of yours so you could watch your eldest baby feed your youngest, finally feeling like you’d done something right.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed :) I’d love to know what you thought so please feel free to comment or drop me an ask, I’d really appreciate it 🩷

[sc0tters]

Can you describe each of the AU children’s personalities? And their current ages too?

This was such an interesting one! I had to kind of guess some of them because we either haven’t reached 2024 or for some we are well past it so this is their age based on where we are in the au.

Cole and Darcy

Rowden 2 1/2: this little boy is just a little ball of energy and is such a damn rascal, kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar 24/7 type of energy.

Jack and Kennedy

Sofia 1: she’s such an affectionate child, growing up to see her parents fall in love she’s such a kisser. Like when Jack goes to practice she gives him like ten goodbye kisses.

Luke and Allie

Willow 2: if looks could kill you, willow and her toy truck would have done it. The laugh she lets out when Jack trips over it when he visits is devilish he swear.

Poppy 2: a little miss chatterbug! Will talk to anyone and everyone and everything too

John and Maya

Auggie 3: the overly friendly child! If you don’t watch her when you’re out she will run off to go befriend a rock, yes she’s got a collection of them at home.

Nico and Bianca

Jakob 4: what a little gentleman! He is such a mommas boy who just wants her to be happy

BG: needs to be developed

Timo and Julie

Noah 9: he is independent to a tee! He listens to like heartbreak music at 11 and timo and Julie were #concerned

Jack and Mila

Briar 2: she’s the queen of tricks, you say no to getting her a cookie. Somehow you’re getting her one five minutes later.

Ethan 1: this man is a bear, cuddles 24/7 365 in his house.

Trevor and Blair

Blake 5: he just wants to smile 24/7

Tilly 3: if she isn’t running away from a bee, she’s actually really cute.

Jeremy and Adelia

Brodie 2 1/2: she’s just a total wild child, she’s trying to fish with her dad when some of these fish are bigger than her…

Nick and Scottie

Ella 3: she’s a quiet kid, after watching her parents be on and off when she was a baby it has resulted in her just being overwhelming quiet.

Will and Bailey

Max 1 1/2: he may not have many friends when he moves to San Jose but you can bet he doesn’t even care because the imaginary ones came with. And in his mind Macklin is infact his friend instead of his dads.

Ryan and Ava

Layla 1: if she’s not sleeping then she wants a cuddle and she wants it yesterday

Seamus and Liana

Leigh 6 months: she’s a cute chunky baby who sleeps through the night, literally sign everyone up

Sidney and Camille

Rosie 8: her parents swear they’ve never met a kid so sweet but headstrong too

Riley 4: he’s just a cutie, he wants his family and friends around him all the time. He’s also such a helpful little guy.

Logan 4: is a daredevil!! He just wants to be roughhousing it

Lilly 3: she’s just happy to be included

Luca and Aspen

Vivi 3: chatty! Chatty! CHATTY!

Matteo 1: he’s such a foodie, aspen can’t wait to get him onto bottles as her boobs hurt.

Elias and Gracie

Oscar 4: the leader of the quads! He is such a bossy kid without ever really meaning to do that…

Henry 4: coming from a big family like this he just wants to have everyone feel included

Grayson 4: he needs a bell on him because he will be sat there and will disappear in such a stealthy way

Eleonora 4: she’s a princess and a total daddies girl! Give her food and she’ll love you for life!

Mason and Amelia

Caleb 3: he is such a chatty boy, with such a wild imagination too he never manages to sit still… it’s a problem.

Oliver and Thea

River 1: at the moment just give him his moms boob and he is happy

Sidney and Celine

Nathan 9: he is such a little gentleman who has the cheek of his father

Alex and Spencer

Reese 4: if she isn’t with the fairies in the air then she’s digging in the dirt outside in case she ends up finding treasure or a ticket to Singapore

Nico and Margo

Bonnie 3: Bonnie is such a gentle soft soul that wouldn’t even hurt a fly. She just wants to be happy and that just means a kiss from her daddy.

BG: needs to be developed

Andrei and Annabelle

Alexei 4: he is their little headstrong boy! Constantly pushing the boundaries and is definitely the kid they’d see in a cop car if one of them got arrested…

Artem 2: the momma’s boy! Artem got clingy when Annabelle ended up pregnant again and he never really seemed to leave that.

Arthur 1: the carefree child! He does not give a damn. This is the child that is barefoot 24/7 but he left the house with his crocs on… how he loses them? That’s a story he’ll never tell.

[hexcrystals]

i want to hear the extensive lyse dad lore 👉👈

(for reference:)

if you recognise this story bc you know me irl please forget all knowledge of this blog and also kill me. cheers

anyway let’s go

okay so in the 80s my dad got a temporary driving ban bc he was a silly silly boy. which meant he could no longer get to work so he quit his job and sold his car and used the money to buy a set of turntables and became a mobile dj

and he has the exact music taste that you would expect from this and therefore so do i bc that’s all he played while i was growing up. it’s wall to wall gay ass synthpop. some of his favourites include bronski beat, the communards, erasure, culture club, david bowie

for those of you who are unfamiliar with bronski beat:

he has an anecdote about almost getting beaten up by a bunch of freemasons bc they had asked him beforehand to play god save the queen at the end of the night. and as a joke he had made a big show of it being the last song and all these masons were stood with a hand on their heart ready to sing the anthem and then my dad put on i want to break free by queen and they were Unimpressed. he thinks this is one of the funniest things he’s ever done

and yet. this is a man who regularly says things like ‘i don’t have an issue with gay people i just don’t like it when being gay is their whole personality’ and ‘i hate pride. we get it you’re gay. i don’t go round telling everyone i’m straight’ and recently complained that while he was on holiday there was a gay couple at the resort and they both wore speedos and shaved their legs and ‘idk how i would explain that to kids’

but also he is fascinated by gay men and constantly thinks that gay men he encounters e.g. bc they work in the supermarket have a crush on him. and his particular Brand of transphobia revolves around invoking the idea of ‘men with big hairy cocks and balls calling themselves women’ and i truly do not wish to look under that rock to examine it any further

realistically he’s probably some flavour of queer himself and 1. hates that and 2. is too repressed to even admit it to himself but there we go there’s the lyse dad lore

[gins-potter]

No context episode 10 thoughts

- last episode let’s gooooooooooo

- Dimitri just being so fucking calm while everyone’s dying outside I could never

- ALBERTAAAAA

- Oh my god Jesse seriously

- I need this show to stop trying to make me care about him

- Ok Mia and Victor having a moment is emotional I guess but also THERE’S AN INVASION GOING ON THIS ISNT THE TIME

- Mason you better speak up

- Ok good boy

- ummm rip

- Didn’t see that one coming

- IM SO CONFUSED WHY DID THEY THINK ANDRE WAS DEAD IF THERE WAS NO BODY?

- umm girl what

- Can they not just tell who’s a dhampir and who’s a Moroi?

- Romitri reunion

- oh no Mum and Dad are fighting 😭😭😭

- Oh Mason you’re gonna die

- oh damn old lady has game

- lissa why don’t you heal her?

- Oh you’re doing it very good

- Andre I kinda love you

- Also you’re pretty resourceful for a posh Royal

- Man Daniela cries so pretty

- This queen iconic until the end

- I still find it so wild that Andre has been alive this whole time

- So wild

- THE EYEBROW

- lol this chick just making up her own rules

- We stan

- Victor there’s literally a FUCKING INVASION GOING ON and you’re crying in the church

- All these friendships that the books never gave us - living for it

- Romitri arguing and then completely dropping it when Rose senses the strigoi because Dimitri is a concerned puppy dog

- NOT THE ARGUING WHILE THE FIGHT TOGETHER IM LIVING

- Tatiana what the fuck

- All these people running for their lives stopping to get luggage is so fucking batshit

- I oscillate wildly between wanting Jesse to die and finding him amusing

- OH SHIT GO OFF JESSE

- “There’s more grace in that hope than in all the prayers I’ve ever uttered” I FUCKING LOVE THAT LINE

- Oh man HE WAS GONNA TELL HER HE LOVED HER AND THE FUCKING STRIGOI RUINED THE PARTY

- “Thanks Jesse you’re not always a complete dick” Mia you’re such a mood

- Rose defending Dimitri like no one touches her man

- MUMMA HATHAWAY!!!!

- her accent is still so fucking hilarious

- Oh shit thought Andre was gonna survive a car crash and burial just to get killed by a random strigoi

- is lissa healing literally everyone but Mia?

- Disregard

- OH FUCK

- MIA’S FACE

- Oh this music I love it

- I find this deviation from the books so batshit insane but this is cute

- WHO’S BODY DID THEY BURY?

- OH SHIT

- welp

- Brought him back just to turn him

- That’s so unfortunate

- Oh Sisi fucking ate with that scene tho

- she’s not gonna have any spirit left because she’s been fucking healing everyone

- Oh my god Mason that leap through the air was fucking hilarious

- I’m so here for this Rose and Janine team up

- Victor she’s literally a strigoi

- We’ll rip Victor

- Unsurprising result

- YES MIA PROTECT YOUR GIRL

- oh Mason

- … so is he dead?

- Get him to the infirmary where there’s no doctors?

- OH FUCK OFF TATIANA

- FUCK OFFFFF

- Welp, so I guess it’s gonna be Lissa’s escape story next season

- Oh Mason’s not dead

- Inch resting choice

- these children are married

- How

- Oh my god they’re such dorks

- Awww they said they loved each other

- so is it gonna be lissa, rose, and Dimitri together on the run

- Because that’s a vibe

- The drivinggggg

- HES NOT GOING WITH THEM?

- incredibly fucking rude

- HE COULD COME

- (Side note: do either of them remember she was just about to run away with Mason?)

- The nose nuzzle

- Oh these two

- They literally own my heart

- Sisi fucking serving looks in this scene btw

- The way Janine has grown on me so quickly

- Zmey’s number???????

- ZMEY

- oh my god I need a season 2 just so they can cast Zmey

- two girls who don’t know how to drive road-tripping to escape murder charges? What could go wrong

- dang Andre has had it so rough lmao

- Anyway that was a wild ride but thoroughly enjoyable

- I do want to reread the books now tho

[chemist-ana]

Chapter 13 The Morning After— Sams POV

Book: The Nanny Affair

Characters: Sam, Ana Schuyler (MC), Vivan and Mason Dalton

Pairing: Sam Dalton (male) x Ana Schuyler (MC)

Rating: 18+

Content Warning: NSFW, Sexual Language, Adult Language, Sexual Situations

A/N I know there are a lot of people that do not like Sam Dalton- that being said, this chapter was especially difficult for me to write, because I am trying to give him a redeeming character arc. As a person that is involved with the family business, I can understand to a degree where he is coming from with the guilt and what he chooses some of the decisions he does. BUT please do not forgot that MC is culpable and definitely at fault as well. There are definitely some cringe worthy things in this chapter- but I hope y'all love it! Also a super big thank you for @txemrn for talking me through some of these ideas and for being the queen of angst. Love you p.

Summary: In the cold light of day, will you and Ana be able to face the consequences of your actions?

Word Count: 5800

Tag List:  @txemrn @secretaryunpaid @lifeaskim @aussieez @pixie88 @thefrenchiemama @sfb123 @mainstreetreader @shewillreadyou @khoicesbyk @lady-calypso @choicesficwriterscreations @somersetmummy @melalicious8383 @chrissythadon @shannonwrote @jerzwriter

The sound of my footsteps, my labored breathing, and the early morning traffic are the only sounds in my ears, as I push my legs faster through Central Park. I reach up and wipe at the sweat that is beading on my brow, silently cursing the wretched New York, humid, summer mornings.

I usually run with music blasting in my ears… but I decided this morning to torture myself, and I can’t decide whether its working. The sounds of Ana’s moans echo through my mind, as steady as my heart beats. I see a gorgeous blonde running towards me and I give her a crooked smile as our eyes connect. She just about trips on the pavement before composing herself mid stride and continues past me, avoiding my gaze.

Well that didn’t help.

I push myself harder in the last few hundred yards of my run, and when my building finally comes into view, I slow down to a walk, reaching my arms up to catch my breath.

“Good morning, Mr. Dalton.��� The morning doorman greets as he opens the door to the lobby for me.

“Thanks, Felix.” I nod as I breeze past him, waving my keycard at the scanner to my penthouse elevator.

When the door dings open, I hold my breath as I walk quietly through the still living room, everyone is still sleeping. I stop outside of Ana’s door. Resting my hands on her door frame and closing my eyes. I take a deep breath, what the fuck happened last night… I walk into my master bathroom, turning the shower water on cold.

My brain delves into the guilt that is sitting heavy on my shoulders. The guilt that I have for the years I spent fucking off in college instead of setting myself up for my future. The guilt I have for losing Eva. The guilt I have for hiring Ana… And now to add more… the guilt that I have for fucking her last night. What the fuck were you thinking? I tilt my head up into the cold water, letting the shock send a shudder down my spine.

My life has revolved around this family business… watching the countless hours my father has spent building it from nothing into this global conglomerate. The knowledge that one day, this would all be mine. The endless chiding from my father to fit into his mold of what the perfect CEO would be. Married with children. I have truly never been in control of my life… even when I married Eva. I thought she was the one… but now that I have Ana… stop it you fool, you don’t have Ana… she deserves better than your spineless tricks. Fuck, fuck, fuck, what am i doing? I reach up and rest my hands on the shower wall, letting my head lull forward.

What the fuck happens next?

***

“Good morning.” I greet the twins and Ana as I round the corner into the kitchen.

“Morning, dad.” The boys look at me with defeated looks, I’m guessing it has something to do with the beige mush in their bowls.

I cast a quick glance at Ana as a blush creeps up her neck.

“Ana? Are you alright?”

She shakes her head slightly before looking at me.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about last night.” Her eyes linger on mine.

The all too clear memory of her moans and the feel of her body come flooding back into my mind again, but I quickly shove them away as I stare back at her.

“Yeah! Carter said you went to that fancy party thing with Dad!” My eyes flick to Mason as he sets his spoon down.

“Did you pull any pranks?” Mickey asks with a smile.

“Not this time. Maybe we just needed someone to show us how it’s done.” I look between them.

“I’d rather stay home and eat pizza, thanks!” Mickey’s eyes grow wide as he takes another bite of his mush, god that doesn’t look good at all.

I grab a cup of coffee and turn to walk towards my office.

“Can we talk later?” Ana whispers as she leans in close to me.

My stomach drops and I feel my body stiffen. I don’t spare her a glance before answering. “�� Yes. Later.”

Without another word I head to my home office, leaving a stunned Ana behind. I can feel her gaze as I round the corner and close the door quietly behind me.

I don't know what to say to you yet, Ana…

I sit down in my Wegner chair, switching the Tiffany Lamp on. I rub my hands down my face with a sigh. The silence is broken by the ringing of my cell phone, I glance down and my fathers name is flashing on the screen.

“Hey, dad.” I set my phone on my desk and turned it on speaker.

“Sam, things in Italy are not clearing up. I need you there to fix this mess.”

I let out a sharp exhale through my teeth and pinch the bridge of my nose.

“This is pretty short notice.”

“After what happened in Milan, LEMA is having some hesitations as to our abilities to run a company that handles sensitive medical information. I don't think I need to tell you how important this deal is. We need to take care of this ourselves, unless you want me to send Robin?” I can hear the challenge in his voice as my chest constricts.

“How long do you think I will be there?” I ask, avoiding his antagonizing, my mind flashing to the boys… and then to Ana..

“Does it matter, Sam? As long as it takes. I already spoke with Sofia, she is going to go with you. I have some briefs and copies of all the contracts being sent to your office now. You will need to read them all to get caught up. I also scheduled you the jet for tomorrow morning.”

My head falls back as I close my eyes.

“Sam?”

“Yeah, yeah, dad, I heard you. I will be there soon.”

“I’ll be in your office at noon.” He ends the call.

I glance down at my watch, it's already 11.  FUCK.

I look at my office door, time to do whatever needs to be done.

I walk quietly through the penthouse, running over the words in my head. I hear the twins in their room, and I decide to start with them. When I see Ana putting their laundry away, my breath gets caught in my throat. At least you only have to say this once…

“I’m about to go into the office, but I wanted to talk to you first.” I say as I walk into their room.

I watch out of the corner of my eye as Ana turns towards me. I move further into the twins room and take a seat on the edge of the lower bunk bed. Mason and Mickey stand in front of me.

“What’s wrong, Dad? You look sad…” Mason’s face drops when he notices my crestfallen expression.

“I’m not… sad. I just know you’re not going to like what I have to say.” I take a deep breath and clear my throat.

“Then you gotta just rip it off. Like a Band-Aid.” Mickey smiles.

“Right, like a Band-Aid.” I keep my eyes fixed on the twins but I can feel the heat from Ana’s gaze. “I have to go to Italy for a business trip… as soon as possible.”

A silence settles over the room as the twins look between themselves..

“What? You’re fleeing the country, just like that?” Ana breaks the palpable silence.

“I wouldn’t call it ‘fleeing’. Dalton Enterprises has been in negotiations for months, and after the Milan breach… well my dad just doesn’t trust anyone else to handle it.”

“What about us?” Mason murmurs sadly.

“Aunt Sofia isn’t staying here, is she?” Mickey's eyes are wide.

“No, she’ll be in Naples with me. But don’t worry, you won’t be alone. You’ll have Ana.” I turn to  face Ana and her gaze is focused on the twins, but I can see the hurt in her emerald eyes.

“Let’s not overreact here. It’s just a flight and some meetings, right? I bet your dad will be back before you know it.” A smile trains on the corners on her lips as she tries to brighten the mood.

I wish that was all…

“Actually… depending on the negotiations, I could be gone a couple months.”

“A couple months?” Mickey shouts.

“But… that’s the rest of summer.”  I look at Mason and see only one thing: disappointment.

“Seriously, Sam? That’s so long! For the boys I mean.” Her eyes fall to the floor.

“My parents were often overseas for months at a time when I was younger. They’ll survive.” I hate the words as they leave my lips.

“But don't you want them to do more than just survive?” She looks up at me in concern.

“I’m trying to not let emotions cloud my judgement here. I don't have a choice in the matter.” I clench my jaw.

“You always have a choice, Sam.” Her eyes hold mine.

I take a deep breath turning my attention back to the twins.

“Can we at least come visit you while you’re gone?” Mason is picking at a piece of string that is fraying from his blanket.

“Of course, buddy. I’m sure we can work something out. In the meantime, why doesn’t Ana take you two out for the day?” I rest my hands on the twins' shoulders. “I’ve got to prepare for my trip, but we’ll have a special dinner tonight before I go. Promise.” I wrap my arms around them and bring them tight to my sides. I wish I didn't have to leave you… someday you will understand. I hope.

I walk out of the twins room, avoiding the heat from Ana’s gaze as she watches me.

***

The words all run together as I sit at my desk and try to read the briefs from Italy. My office door opens and my eyes meet my fathers’s as he strolls in and sits in the leather chair in front of me.

“Did you read all of those?” He asks gruffly, his eyes flicking down to the papers that are strewn across my desk.

I collect all of them into a stack as I avoid his gaze. “I got the jist.”

A silence settles between us and I can feel his eyes trained on me. When I finally raise my gaze, he narrows his eyes and his mouth sets in a thin line. “What’s going on with you, Sam?”

“Nothing, Dad, I’m just tired. Didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Don’t insult me, I know you better than that. You are distracted, you have been since your mother and I got back from Italy. Have you been drinking too much again?”

I raise my brow at him incredulously. “Dad.”

“Is it that pretty nanny of yours?” He says mockingly.

My eyes fall to the stack of papers.

“Oh, son. Really?”

“No, dad, it-it’s not her.” Boy that wasn't very convincing.

“Yes it is. I know that look.” A long silence stretches and I avoid his gaze. “Remember Pam?”

I meet his eyes.  “Aunt Pam, your old secretary?”

He purses his lips and nods. He takes a deep breath, clearly warring with what he wants to say next. “It only lasted a few months, and your mother knows nothing about this.”

“Wait, you had an affair?”

“It’s not something I am proud of. But let me tell you something. Women like her, and your nanny…” He waves his hand dismissively. “Are only good for one thing, son.” He leans forward in his chair and arches his brow. “And it’s not making you the man that you need to be to run this company.” He leans back, steepling his fingers on his knees. “Now, a woman like Sofia, that is who is going to take you far in life, and bring you where you need to be.”

I’m fucking speechless. I can’t defend my honor, or Ana’s.  Because what if he’s right?

***

My phone dings with a text, Ana.

Ana: Heading back, ETA 20 min

Ana: You need us to pick anything up on our way?

Ana: Or do you have the special dinner all planned out?

Fuck. I’m not getting out of here for at least another hour.

Sam: About that…

Ana: Why am I not surprised? This is becoming your MO.

I clench my jaw.

Sam: What’s that supposed to mean?

Ana: You’re a smart man. Figure it out.

I whisper a quiet fuck and I see Robin’s head snap up.

“Trouble at home?” He asks, as a cocky smile spreads across his face.

I ignore him.

Sam: Ana…

Ana: I’ll take care of dinner for the boys sake. But you’d better come up with an AMAZING apology dessert for them.

Sam: I am sorry to bail on this

Sam: I will bring something home for dessert.

Sam: Okay?

She doesn't respond, and I pinch my eyes closed in frustration.

I turn back to the final pages of the contract with LEMA before sighing and throwing it to the table.

“Find anything?” Robin asks.

“No. And I need to go home. I need to spend what little time I have left in the city with the boys.”

“Go, I will make sure all of this makes it onto the jet tomorrow morning.” Robin leans back in his chair. “You know dad wants me with you tomorrow, right?”

I stop in my tracks and slowly turn to him. “No. I was not aware of that.”

He shrugs his shoulders and crosses his leg over his knee. “Now you do.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, and decide against saying anything else. Can just one thing go my way today? I grab my keys and phone, stuffing them into my pocket. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See ya.” He waves as I walk out of the door.

***

I walk into the foyer with my suitcase, setting it next to the elevator doors just as they ding open and Ana, Mason, and Mickey step out.

“Welcome back. Did you three have fun at the museum?” My eyes are locked on Ana, sadness filling her emerald eyes. My chest constricts as my thoughts are haunted by my fathers confession.

“The museum was alright but dinner was even better! We stopped at a food truck festival on the way home.” Mickey chimes.

“I tried a poke bowl!” Mason is vibrating with excitement.

“Really? Did you like it?” I ask him, surprised.

“It was amazing!” Mason cheered as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

“And we got something for you!” Mickey gestures to the bag in Ana’s hands.

“That was thoughtful of you.” I look at Ana as she hands me the bag, not meeting my gaze.

“It was their idea.” She murmurs looking down at the boys.

I look inside of the paper bag, Kung Pao… god it's my favorite. “I love Kung Pao. How did you know?”

“Just a lucky guess.” Her tone is even and neutral. Distant.

“Right.” I take a breath, clearing my throat and turning back to the boys.

“Why don’t you two wash your hands, then head into the kitchen for your special dessert?” The boy's eyes widened.

“On it!” They race toward the bathroom, leaving Ana and I alone in the hallway. Still avoiding my eyes, she breezes past me into the kitchen. I follow her slowly, watching the soft sway of her hips.

“Ana.” She stops in her tracks and I see her shoulders tense.

“Yes?” She slowly turns towards me.

“Thank you for dinner, for both me and the boys. I shouldn’t have backed out of my promise to have a special meal with them.” My apology comes out even and measured as I watch her carefully.

“No, you shouldn’t have.” She says matter of factly, her eyes finally rising to mine. She sighs softly. “And you’re welcome.”

“It really looks delicious.” I set the container on the counter, taking a big bite with a fork. My eyes are trained on hers and I can see her face soften.

“You’ve got a little…” She grabs a napkin, stepping up slowly and reaching up to wipe at my lip.

The smell of jasmine and Ana fill my senses as our breath mixes in the air between us.

“Oh…” I whisper in surprise at the intimate gesture.

“... All better.” She smiles softly up at me, her emerald eyes piercing. An electric charge lingering in the space between us.

The moment is broken when we hear the boys running towards us in the kitchen. She takes a step back, turning away from me.

“Dessert time!” Mickey cheers as he slides into the kitchen.

“What’re we having?” Mason shifts from foot to foot.

“I thought you’d like to make some s’mores…” I know they are your favorite.

“With the mega-big marshmallows?” Mickey’s eyes grow wide. God, I am going to miss these kids…

“Of course.” I match his smile and gesture towards the platter of s’mores supplies laid out on the counter.

“I’ll, uh, leave you three to it.” Ana says softly as she slowly backs out of the kitchen.

“Where are you going? You haven’t even had s'mores yet!” Mason turns to Ana.

“I don’t want to intrude on father-son bonding time with your last night together.” She smiles softly at Mason.

“You wouldn’t be intruding.” I say hopefully. Please stay…

“Still… you should have some privacy.” She holds my eyes for a moment longer before turning and walking out of the room. What have I done?

***

I am sitting in the dim lighting of my office. My fingers wrapped around a glass of Eagle Rare Bourbon as I gaze out of the window. My thoughts are a jumbled mess as I bring the tumbler to my lips.  I hear the door open slowly and I glance over to see Ana enter quietly, clicking the door shut behind her.

“I thought I might see you again tonight.” I say as I turn my focus back towards the city lights outside.

“Sam, we need to talk about us.”

I can sense the sadness behind her words.

“Ana…” I sigh as I look at her with regret.

I see her shoulders tense as she balls her hands up into fists at her side. Red hot color rising on her cheeks.

“You owe me this, Sam. Don’t pretend like you don’t.” Anger drips from her every word.

I take a deep breath and give her a small nod, but I have no words. I get lost in my own thoughts again... You’re right… but I have no idea what to say to you. There is nothing I can do about this fucked up situation I put us in… I am so sorry that I dragged you into this mess. I am a selfish man that longs to be with you… but I have no control.

“We had sex last night, Sam.” Her voice cracks.

My chest tightens.

“I haven’t forgotten.” My eyes still trained on the city lights outside.

“It feels like you want to. In fact, it feels like you’re running halfway around the world because of it.”

My breathing gets shallow as she takes a step towards me, the anger rolling off of her in waves.

“You’re a lot of things, Sam, but I never took you for a coward.” Her voice laced with contempt as she stepped in front of me.

My eyes flick to hers as a new emotion bubbles to the surface: anger.

“A coward?” I whisper as I lift to my feet and we stand face-to-face.

“You heard me.” She tips her nose in the air. “You could have walked away last night.”

I can't help the humorless laugh that escapes my lips. How does she not understand that I cannot control myself around her?

“I wish that were true.” It would make my life a whole hell of a lot easier. God help me, I can’t resist you.I reach up and run my fingertips down her cheek, watching her shudder at my touch, but her expression remains guarded and angry.. “I’ve been trying to walk away from you since the moment we met. Yet somehow… I always end up back here.”

She steps back out of my reach, crossing her arms in front of her chest. My eyes scan down the length of her body.

“That’s not good enough, Sam.” Her eyes bore into mine.

God Dammit woman.

“Let’s get one thing straight here, Ana. The timing of this trip may seem suspicious to you, but I don’t want to go. I have to go.” I take a step toward her, narrowing my eyes. “And every time I look at you, it’s a reminder of what I’m leaving behind.”

Her eyes widen as her anger starts to slip. “Really? You aren’t relieved to have an escape?”

“No! This is so much worse.” I take a deep breath, trying to reign in my anger. My urge to control her and have her bare before me is making my cock twitch.  I watch as Ana turns and steps to the window. The war inside of my head battles on before I finally give in. I step up behind her, running my nose along the sensitive skin below her ear before grabbing her hips and pulling her against me. I feel her body melt into mine. She turns to face me, and I place my hands on either side of her head, the cold glass a welcome reprieve from the heat coursing through my veins. I press my desire against her and I watch as her eyes darken.

“Sam, you should fire me now.” She whispers. “Neither one of us has the strength to resist. Stopping cold turkey is the only answer. You go to Italy, conquer the business world, marry Sofia. I’ll move out and find something else. We both walk away, hands clean. Well… as clean as they can be.”

I can see it in her eyes that she doesn’t believe the words she is saying, but it doesn't stop them from stinging my heart.

“My hands aren’t clean, Ana. How can they be, when I think about you every time I touch myself?” My eyes flick down to her plump, pink lips. “Or when I want to murder the next man who touches you?”

“Then what’s the endgame here? What do you want?” She pleads, her eyes shining in the dim light.

“I want you, dammit.” I confess.

She grabs the lapels of my suit and pulls me even closer to her curves,

“Prove it.” She challenges, her eyes dark.

She brings her lips to mine and our lips ignite into a frenzy of heat and frustration. I bring my arms around to her lower back and pull her hips snug to mine. A sudden feeling of regret passes through my mind and I pull back, a question in my eyes.

“Ana…” I warn.

“Don’t think. Just feel.” She purrs as she pushes my jacket off of my shoulders. She runs her fingernails across the back of my neck softly before pulling my lips down to hers again. I grab her hips, spinning her around and pinning her back against the cold glass of the window. She gasps at the sensation as I grab her wrists and pin them over her head. I use my free hand to roam the planes of her curves, her body igniting under my touch.

“Sam...” She moans as her eyes flutter shut.

I find the hem of her shirt and dive underneath, finding the lace of her bra, I run my fingers along the gentle curve of her breasts. Her chest heaving and pushing her perfect body into my eager hands.

“Has it really only been a day since I last touched you like this?” I whisper against her lips. “Already feels like a lifetime ago…”

She arches her back, pressing deeper into me as I let out an involuntary moan. God the things this woman does to me…

“Can you really go the rest of the summer without this?” I can feel her smile against my lips.

“I can’t even go the next five minutes without it.” I admit as my cock hardens uncomfortably in my pants.

I reach down and cup her ass, picking her up and carrying her to my desk. I sweep everything off of my desk and lay her down. Her emerald eyes dark with desire as she watches me remove every article of her clothing, throwing them haphazardly around the room. Her chest rises and falls, and her lips are swollen with our kisses. I kiss each piece of newly exposed flesh, the soft moans coming from her lips a sound of pleasure and surrender.

“God, I want to eat you up…” I say against her hip. She looks down at me and takes her bottom lip between her teeth.

“You’ve gotta earn that privilege.” A challenge in her eyes as she sits up and places her hands on my chest, pushing me away from her. Her nearly naked body glowing in the colored light from the Tiffany Lamp.

“Ana?” I ask.

“You’ve been a naughty boy, Sam.” She purrs. “And you know what that means, I’m going to tie you up.”

“Fuck.” I whisper and her words send another surge of heat and desire through me. I watch as she gracefully slides off of the desk, motioning for me to sit down in my chair.

“Wait. Undress first.”  She leans in and skims her fingers across my chest, then tugs lightly on the flap of my shirt. “I don't want to have to deal with this later.”

You naughty, fucking minx.

I quickly strip off my clothes, my eyes never leaving hers as I take a seat in my chair, resting my arms on the armrests. I watch her carefully as she digs through a drawer in my desk, pulling two spare computer cords out. I watch as her steady hands tie my forearms and wrists to the chair. My eyes travel across her barely clothed body and I think of all the things I wish to do to her perfect ass.

She steps back, a look of pride flashing across her eyes.

“Aren’t you a sight?” She smiles as she looks at me hungrily.

“Ana…” I murmur.

I tried to move my arms, but she did a damn good job tying me down.

“This isn’t fair. I want to touch you.”

“Oh… You want to talk about not fair?” She clenches her jaw as she saunters up to me, the movement of her hips accentuated by the delicate fabric. “Everything that’s happened today hasn’t been fair.” Her eyes narrow at me as she leans towards me. She is careful not to touch me but I can feel the electricity crackling between us. Her perfect breasts are right in front of my face and I know she can feel my hot breath against them. “And now you’re being punished for it.”  She stands up and gracefully hops back up onto my desk.

She leans back, spreading her legs wide open, revealing every single perfect inch of her perfect body to me. I watch her fingers slide down her curves until they come to rest between her legs, slipping underneath her panties to rub at her center.

Fuck me.

“Ohmygod…” I moan as my cock hardens more than I even thought possible. The throbbing is almost unbearable as I watch her fingers spread the moisture that is pooling in between her legs. Her head lulls back as moans escape her lips.

“Ohh, YES!” She cries out, her body tensing.

My eyes are trained on her perfect cunt as she worships it with her fingers. My breathing is growing labored as I think about all the things I want to do. Her hips are bucking as she nears her edge.

“Ana, please…. Let me touch you.” I beg, my voice husky. I can’t help but lick my lips as I think about her sweetness.

Her eyes open and her fingers slow as she considers me.

“I don't know… Have you been punished enough yet?” She smiles.

“No… but I can’t make it up to you properly unless you let me touch you. Please.” I am not above begging at this point.

She leans forward, and I watch her untie the cords from my wrists. As soon as I can tell that I am free, I reach up, grabbing her body and hauling it into mine. I bring my lips to hers and kiss her deeply, tasting her, reveling in the feel of our tongues together. I stand up, pressing her back down on the desk and I grab the delicate lace of her panties and push them down her thighs.

“I haven't been able to think about anything else all day…” I whisper against her lips. I can feel her smile. “You drive me to distraction even when you aren’t spread out in front of me…”

“And now?” She asks as she arches her back up off the desk.

I trace a delicate line up her bare legs, slowly teasing my way to her center.

“And now… I can barely control myself. I want to devour you.” I growl.

She leans back and spreads her legs wider.

I stand up and run my eyes slowly over every single piece of her exposed flesh, she blushes that delicious color.

The most beautiful thing I have ever fucking scene.

“Yes… I love seeing you open like this for me.” I murmur as my eyes scan her body over and over again, lingering on her exposed cunt.

I drop to my knees, and lower my mouth between her thighs as I lap up her pooling moisture. I watch as her eyes flutter closed, her eyelashes laying like fans across her cheeks. Her breathing intensities and her moans echo around the room. She calls out my name in ecstasy.

“If you want me to make this up to you properly, then you can’t come yet.” I challenge her. “Can you do that, Ana? Can you hold back until I tell you?” I punctuate my question with a devilish twirl of my tongue and she gasps.

“Yes! Sam… bring it on. I can take whatever you have to give. Don’t hold back.” She is panting and her perfect cunt is dripping for me. Her eyes find mine and I can see the challenge accepted. Good girl.

I trail kisses back to her center, dipping and tasting her pooling wetness. So fucking sweet. Her body shivers as I continue to flick my tongue against her. I reach down and grab my aching cock, running my hand up and down the throbbing shaft.

“Oh god… I’m gonna…” Her body starts to tense and my pumping increases.

“Already? I thought you said you could take it.” I say, my lips moving against her.

I feel her body tremble as she moans.

“Ohmygod, that feels… Sam, don’t stop.”

Never, beautiful. I will never stop doing this to you.

I groan out her name as the pleasure in my body nears the edge, my tongue continuing to flick at her exposed flesh. I call out her name as I find my release and I feel her body tense as she cries out mine. We ride out each other's orgasm, ecstasy blinding me.

Eventually her body sags against the desk, her breathing rapid. I stand up and wrap my arms around her body, bringing her tight to me as our breathing slows.

I untangle myself from her and we both stand and get dressed in a silence that is thick with tension.

The reality of what just happened hits me hard as I watch her button up her silk blouse.

Fuck. Again. No fucking control, Dalton, you total fuck up.

Without a word she moves towards the door, lingering with her hand on the door knob.

“Sam, I-”

“I’m sorry, Ana. I didn't mean to get so carried away. It won’t happen again.” I interrupt her, saying the only thing I can think of at this moment… words I regret as soon as they escape my lips.

I watch as confusion spreads across her face and she gives me a silent nod.

“My flight leaves early. I’ll be gone before you wake up…” I say softly.

“Oh. I see. I guess this is… goodbye.” She looks down at the floor, her fingers playing at the hem of her shirt. She wraps her arms around herself and slowly begins to slip out of the door.

“I shouldn’t have dragged you into this mess. You deserve so much better than me.”

My words halt her in her tracks. She looks over her shoulder at me, and I see her eyes shining.

“I can decide what I ‘deserve’ for myself.” She walks out of the room without another word, and I am left even more pissed with myself than I was this morning. I sit down at my desk and run my hands through my hair.

She’s right… you are being a coward. I am avoiding this shit storm I created for myself by running away…

I sip another glass of bourbon as I come to the only solution I can think of: postpone my trip to Italy, and even though it will probably bite me in the ass… Ana and the boys have to come with me. My stomach sours at the thought of Robin getting a hand on this before me… but I shove the thought aside.

That's it.

***

I nurse my second cup of coffee as I watch the sunrise through the windows. I hear soft footsteps walking down the hallway and I swallow my nerves. Ana rounds the corner and stops short when she sees me, a glimmer of hope and surprise flashing through her eyes.

“Sam?! What’re you going here? I heard you leave this morning…”

“I did a lot of thinking last night, but I didn’t come to a conclusion in time to cancel my car earlier.” I try to control my excitement.

“What conclusion?” She asks carefully.

“That you were right. I was being a coward and running away from my problems. I sent Robin ahead and postponed my meetings to next week so I could do this right. I’m turning this business trip into a family vacation for all of us.” Her face lit up.

“You mean…” A smile playing on her lips.

“Pack your bags, Ana. You’re coming with me to Italy.”

[alleycat97]

Night Changes

Mtfl fic based on One Directions, Night Changes.

Short fluff using ‘Night Changes’ as the narrative. I’ve never done one of these so I hope it doesn’t completely suck. My take on the kiss between Ava x MC.

Pairing: Emma x MC

Taglist: @fundamentalromantic @kamilahsayeet2063 @avalawrencefl @samanthadalton @penda-bear @dartharia @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @evexofxtime @kwaj05

“Goin’ out tonight, changes into something black.”

Emma couldn’t help but stare in awe as she patted down her thighs nervously at the hem, building the courage to step out into the kitchen.

“Her father, doesn’t like that kind of dress.”

Emma couldn’t help but fantasize the look of lust she would receive from that one special person in particular. Mr. Price objected it immediately knowing all too well Emma’s intentions. She was a young adult going out looking like that with two boys drooling over her.

“Everything she never had, she’s showin’ off.”

Ava knew Emma better than most, and she knew exactly what would compliment Emma’s features the most, so that skimpy black dress and body chain were the greatest ‘investment’ she ever made. Everyone was sure to have their eyes glued on Emma. But Ava knew what it would mean if Emma wore her present to her New Year’s Party.

Emma fought back with her father and even Mack stepped in to help.

“I don’t trust those boys with her going out looking like that.”

“Dad relax, Ava got her that dress.” Mack replied.

“Why would Ava...Buy her that?” He pondered looking to Mack who shot him a wink, finally letting it register upstairs. “Oh my, I had no idea.”

“Drivin' too fast, moon is breakin' through her hair.”

Emma was running late to the party. Apparently going through an entire sexy wardrobe fantasy took more time than thought. The moon was high in the sky and midnight was approaching. Ava would kill her is she was late. And nothing on this planet would keep Emma away from this party.

“She's headin' for somethin' that she won't forget.”

She knew when she put the dress on, that she belonged to Ava tonight, and that kiss at midnight would be the changing point in her life forever.

“Havin' no regrets is all that she really wants.”

With three loves on the table, two would get burned, but that’s what happens when you played with fire. She just hoped deep down this was the correct course. Her heart was in it and that was all she needed.

The party was well into full swing when Emma nervously stepped through the door. She could feel all eyes on her. She could feel Noah and Mason staring from a mile away, but without looking around, she could feel Ava’s gaze burning hotter than all.

“There you are!” Ava greeted snagging Emma in a hug and then backing away, twirling Emma like a princess to admire that dress. “You look so beautiful tonight.”

“Thanks to you.”

The party continued on and like a magnet, the boys swarmed to Emma, hounding her but Ava never let them too close. Emma was hers tonight, and she wanted to prove it.

“Let’s go outside, I’ve got something I wanna show you.”

Outside on the patio, snow began to fall as the girls star-gazed and talked. A shiver ran down Emma’s spine and Ava was quick to grab her in a warning hold.

“We're only gettin' older, baby.”

“Emma? Do you ever think how fast all this is happening? It seems like yesterday we met during freshman year, and now look at us.” Ava pointed out holding Emma tighter.

“And I've been thinkin' about it lately, does it ever drive you crazy, just how fast the night changes?”

Emma wouldn’t lie, it had crossed her mind for awhile now on how much she liked Ava in a way that was more than just friends. It took her 3.5 years to actually discover her true feelings, she was in love with her best friend. And just like how fast the night changes, she fell in love with Ava along time ago.

“Everything that you've ever dreamed of, disappearing when you wake up.”

Both girls always had that question of what if this is just an experiment? Can you really love your best friend in that way? This was a big step that could ruin them for good. Just a mere fantasy that could vanish in a snap of a finger just like a dream when you wake every morning.

“But there's nothing to be afraid of, even when the night changes, it will never change me and you.”

But deep down, they both knew this was true and right. As Ava stared deep into Emma’s eyes, they could both sense it. No matter the course, no matter their actions, they had each other and this felt safe. Because they would always be Ava and Emma until the end, either best friends or girlfriends.

“Chasing it tonight, doubts are runnin' 'round her head.”

Then a spark of electricity ran down Emma’s spine during Ava’s gaze, “Am I dreaming?” She asked herself. “Is this happening right now?”

“Heart is beatin' loud and she doesn't want it to stop.”

Ava inched forward. She could hear Emma’s heart thundering against her chest, knowing she’s the reason for its rapid pace, and she doesn’t intend to make that stop.

“Movin' too fast, moon is lightin' up her skin.”

Emma started moving towards Ava as she heard the countdown happening downstairs. It was happening so fast it almost seemed like slow motion. The girls where inches apart but the distance between their lips seemed to be miles apart. Emma couldn’t help but notice the moon was reflecting perfect against Ava, highlighting her skin beautifully. She almost seemed angelic.

“She's fallin', doesn't even know it yet”

The kiss was everything. It was soft, it was slow, it was....perfect. Emma short circuited over the interaction, the mood, the scene, the person in front of her, how could she fall any harder? Little did she know? Ava would make her night one for the books.

“Havin' no regrets is all that she really wants.”

Emma had been in Ava’s room a thousand times before. But not like this. Not naked on the bed with Ava hovering over top of her.

She’s never done this before but Ava showed her what to do.

“You’re a smart girl Emma, just do what makes you feel good. Watch me.”

Emma couldn’t tear her gaze away from Ava as she slowly slid her hand against herself, motioning for Emma to do the same.

It wasn’t long until Ava was hearing 4 words she absolutely would love to hear every night,

“Let’s do that again.” Emma panted out.

Emma woke in her own bed the next morning sore and satisfied. Her mind raced to the events of last night and how wonderful her first time was with Ava. But it just seemed to complicate her feelings and her emotions even more with the girl. What did this mean for them and what happens going forward? It didn’t see like a mistake... it felt passionate, it was the best night of her life, but Emma’s biggest question was,

“Does it ever drive you crazy, just how fast the night changes?”

[jess-the-vampire]

Sky And The Forces Of The Multiverse, Chapter 47

Previous / Next:

-

"So what do you think angel?".

Sky motioned to the platters of food that were nearly finished, having prepped the chefs and even helped out with, lexi adding final touches wherever she wanted, much to the chef's dismay. Angel of course seemed super tired and still stressed, as if thinking any small thing could ruin the whole entire night and mess things up with the king of spider monsters.

His dad wasn't cruel, he was no toffee or shastacan.

But the disappointment was enough to scare him.

He never used to care about this before, but now...it was always on his mind, taking over it. He nervously looked over what they had prepared, his father was coming in a few minutes, he wasn't dressed because they had been occupied with getting the dining hall ready and checking and changing the dinner options...5 times, they had wasted so much time and angel still wasn't sure they got things right.

"I...I'm not sure...maybe-".

"Angel...we don't have much time left, we spent hours getting stuff ready...we gotta get you changed...we're going to have to go with this...", she wasn't saying it to be mean, but angel didn't have time to be picky right now, especially if he wanted to have anything ready at all for his father. She patted his back to reassure him and ask if there was anything else he wanted to add to the meal his father would like.

But he only shook his head, disappointed but knowing she was right and they had to get moving.

"Let's go get changed...", his voice sounded defeated as he waved to marco before heading his way out, followed by sky who also waved to the demon queen, "Just don't be long, we'll be calling everyone to dinner very soon, remember he's not the only new guest we have here tonight". They gave her a knowing look and sky felt a fit in her stomach at remembering her grandma was finally coming over.

"I'm surprised you're so calm", he mumbled to the butterfly princess.

"Hmm?".

Angel turned to face her, "Your grandma is coming over and you're acting like it's not a big deal at all, you're not panicking over food, what you're going to wear...you're the complete opposite of me...". Sky was actually nervous even if he didn't think she looked it, but at the same time this event wasn't exactly about impressing her or proving anything to her so she had little reason to freak...as much.

There were other reasons to worry about her grandma that involved stuff outside of sky herself.

Whatever was really happening was more between her grandma...and her mom, less so about sky, her own mom had way more of a reason to be packing just as bad as angel was at the moment. Her grandma could be soft and sweet but also strict and scary if she wanted to be, not to mention pretty overbearing, she seemed to think at times she knew better then others.

Which of course, did not work for the current queen at all.

She had been trying to keep her mom out of her work for as long as she could, and now she was coming and there was nothing more she could do to convince the former queen to turn back to her retirement. She was coming and it would take more then usual to get her to turn back and away from the mess she had come to help try and fix where her daughter had failed.

Moon had gotten involved with sky being queen...a little, but her main focus was usually on her own daughter, after all...her daughter was meant to be the one teaching sky in the first place. So if she had to butt in and do star's job for her that wasn't good on star herself, though sky would argue this made moon look just as bad when it came to teaching star in the first place.

Anyways, she hated to even be involved during their bickering with stuff like this, she was lucky so far her life involved a lot less of it then she could've had. Being involved in the drama of two adults is a lot like being involved in the drama of two annoying teenagers, and sky had the urge to ask landon to borrow some of his headphones just to be safe.

"Well...guess i don't stress as much about making a good impression...most of the time, even when people were treating me like garbage i never really put on a fake persona and look to impress them so i guess it's just something i don't do", sky shrugged and tugged the prince along further, "But i mean, you got it way worse then me right now so that also probably makes a difference...".

"This feels like something a child would do after breaking one of their parent's things...doesn't it?".

"I guess you can say that yeah".

He hid his face within his hands, red, "You must think i seem like a real fool right now, you keep trying to reassure me and i keep freaking out about it and i just can't help it..." and that's when sky held out her hand, him taking it...still embarrassed. "It's fine, i'm not making fun of you for it...i get it, this whole thing is kinda important to you...you're going to be ok".

"I need to breathe more often...".

"It's still a learning process, you'll get used to it...hopefully, c'mon let's just get you dressed before you melt into the floor", she tugged him along as they made it to her room, which of course, was very much guarded still, angel awkwardly sat on the bed as sky headed inside her own wardrobe. "I'm assuming you're personally not into dresses so we'll rule that out for now, besides, i don't think any of my dresses will work with your back legs anyway".

Angel touched one of them in response.

"Good call".

"Now what i DO have is some stuff i was going to give to judas for his coronation, i started working on clothes ideas and these are mostly scrapped...i haven't had a ton of time to work on them exactly...but i nearly forgot i had been working on a few things for him...so maybe you can wear one...if you want to that is...if not i got other stuff in here...".

"Such as?".

She walked out holding a leather jacket and jeans.

"I mean, look, i dunno what exactly is your style outside of fancy stuff...but you could try...?", angel stared at the clothing with uncertainty, he still clearly didn't know what he wanted to do with his appearance and he had little time to think about it. Sky placed the clothes on the bed, "Hey...look...you can do whatever you wanna do...just make sure it's something you want to do...".

He took a minute to really think about it, nodding his head as he softly spoke.

"Well...leather might not really be me...but...you...have any sweaters in there? That might be more my speed...but...i'll wear a shirt under it and um...I'm ok wearing one of jude's jackets...", something about how he said it made sky smile, he seemed actually happy with his own choice. A choice made by him for him and not to please his father or anyone in particular.

"Sounds good, i can find that for you, you can shower real quick and we'll be good to go".

"What about you?".

She turned to face him, "I'll be fine as is...promise, you just need to worry about yourself and what you wanna say when your dad finally arrives, that's WAY more of a concern. You can think about it more in the shower and everything...". Angel glanced at the clothes and drawings sky and sunny had been working on earlier, clearly being reminded of the upcoming plans.

But he didn't say anything, instead sky fetched what he needed and he was quickly shoved into the closest nearby royal bathroom. What emerged soon later as a fresher smelling prince of the Arachmen, wearing a collared shift with a sweater and jacket overtop, he still had some nice shows and pants on but he seemed quite comfortable, his hair tired back behind him but a lot looser then it used to.

"How do i look?", he held out his arms and spun around to show the princess all of his angels, just to make sure he wasn't missing anything.

"Like a goober".

"What?".

"You look great, trust me, but tell me how you feel about it?".

He looked down at himself, adjusting his sweater, "Well...i feel...warm...and...comfortable".

"Perfect".

"You really seem to care about...me liking this stuff...don't you?", she shrugged as she brushed his sweater to make sure there weren't any loose hairs on him, "Well i mean, as someone who got annoyed at my parents telling me not to wear my hat for fun events, i'm not the person that's gonna force you one way or another...i just want you to like...be comfortable being yourself...and being that way to other people".

He softened at that as they made their way to the dining hall, to meet up with everyone. Most of everyone did seem to be there, though the most notable absent ones were judas, landon, celeste, her other mom, and...mason? She saw Queen Lucitor dressed up nearby in a rather radiant looking dress before approaching, still tugging angel along, guess angel wasn't the only one who decided to dress up real quick before dinner.

"Hey...where's-?".

"Judas? Off taking some time for himself still...hopefully he'll rejoin us soon, he's being kept company by katrina right now actually, she called in a bit ago. As for mason, he's still with fae and janna, they'll be a little late to eat, and well...landon and celeste are apparently visiting luna right now...so i'm not sure how long they'll be there but sadly we don't have time to retrieve them all...we'll just have to check in on them at dinner".

"Wait...visiting luna? Why in the heck would either of those grumps even want to be in the same room as her right now?", but she didn't have the time to question it, as here came her mom, in a rather nice golden dress and fixing her crown as she ran past her own daughter and into the dining room, the heavily armed guards quick to get out of her way.

"Guess Grandma's here...".

And sure enough, as sky turned around, followed by a few more guards came a new flowing figure with silvery hair tied back in a braid, wearing a blue gown with a cape, and with diamond marks that matched her heavy makeup. Angel was stuck in place, unable to move, and sky followed, stiff as a board upon her arrival, now wishing she had changed her clothing.

"Hello Skyler".

And before sky could say more she noticed another figure approaching and if the situation didn't make it obvious enough, the spider legs did. King Amir ArachFord striding his way next to the former queen, standing in place, looking rather nice all things considered, guards nearby holding gifts for most likely his wife as he looked at the group who had been waiting for their arrival.

Angel looked like he might actually have fainted.

"Hello Angelus.".

"Hello...fath...dad".

This was going to one hell of an awkward evening.

-

"We outta do this with fae more often...", janna smirked, way too pleased with herself as the mole man trembled in his seat just looking at fae. Ever since the girl had come into the room everything had gone from bad to worse, the lights broke, his chair broke, a rock fell from the ceiling and hit him on the head, he fell over a dozen times, it was eerie to say the least.

Something about the little girl was off, and yet somehow, the other small demon in the room seemed so unfazed, sitting and cheering her on.

In fact everyone was unfazed but him.

The downside to working with her was well, she was a wild card, there was a high chance something bad to could happen to any of them, though the difference was he was alone, they were not. Fae didn't want to accidentally hurt mason but she wanted his companionship in this situation, she would've felt way more uncomfortable without a face she was used to helping her out.

She had never considered her cruse to be much more then an annoyance at least, burden at worst, being asked to put it to use had been an...interesting idea she never considered before. Though she did feel a little uneasy interrogating anyone, she wasn't exactly sure about this guy much and even with her abilities and protection...who knows what her powers might do.

Might make things worse.

But janna seemed confident, jackie writing in her notepad as janna lured around their prisoner.

"You really voluntarily decided to work for a criminal? I mean i get the appeal and everything but you made a bad choice in working with the one who nearly hurt my kid", nearby jackie sighed and shook her head, janna never changed did she? "I mean, sure she's super scary and everything, but you didn't even think to turn her into us? Woulda saved us a lot of work".

"Look, i had no idea she was a criminal, i told you, our kingdom barely knew about all of this...ok? She showed up, needed a place to stay, i had that old chamber and she stayed...that was it".

"You knew she was doing bad stuff though", Jackie added, "Otherwise you wouldn't have reacted the way you did in the bar when the queens and king confronted you, you keep denying you knew the full extent but you clearly knew something more you haven't told us about...there's no way you didn't know something, she had a child locked up down there for hours...and you ran from us when we tried to arrest you...".

"Well i-".

"If you are as innocent as you claim you're certainly not making yourself out to look that way to any extent, you're better off confessing the truth then risk us going any further to scare it out of you...there's no point in defending this person so much". She sent him a cold glare that challenged those of even moon's as the man shook a little as a result.

" You have no idea how scared i was...how much she made me fear for my life, that she would never leave me be and would destroy me if i said or did anything, i meant no harm to anyone, but i had to worry for my own safety lest it have happened to anyone else i had known in my home". Jackie kept writing in her pad, "Sir, we are not trying to pretend you weren't afraid...but you could leave, you should've told someone".

"And what? Risk being killed? Even now if i say anything more i risk them bursting in here and destroying me, you lot can't protect me, you couldn't even protect your own castle. I'm better off shutting my trap and keeping quiet about what's going on then risking my own life. Even if...you have dangerous children around to scare info out of me...at least dying to her might be...less painful then whatever that magical horror might do", she didn't seem as sure on that last part but he shut his mouth tight.

Janna didn't seem to enjoy that, she didn't felt they were getting rather close on the whole matter, they'd been in here for hours at this point and had only gotten just a little of what they were looking for, and they needed so much more. They could already feel themselves getting hungry and they couldn't stay much longer, but they didn't want to leave like this, without what she had been looking for since the moment she entered this room.

He had to know something more that he wasn't sharing, he couldn't be this out of the dark like angel was.

Janna stood in front of him now, face in his face, she was good at scaring people in her kingdom but he wasn't from her kingdom...so it was unlikely he knew who he was messing with. She couldn't exactly hurt him, jackie was in the room after all and so were two kids, but she had a thing for mindgames and of course...hypnotism. So maybe she needed to try something else to get it out of him.

"Janna?".

"Hmm?".

"I don't like that look on your face, i know what it means", and indeed jackie had remembered it since they were really young kids, it was the kinda face that told her to be very mindful of janna's next few actions, otherwise she might get into a mess herself. It was also the face she tended to make before marco got themselves in a whole heck of trouble from her.

"What does it mean?", the man asked, a slight tinge of nervousness in his voice.

This of course, immediately made janna very happy, she might of finally had something.

"Oh well, you won't have to worry about that, not unless you talk to us", she drummed her fingernails on the table between them, "I mean, you don't wanna ask questions you don't want the answers to after all". He didn't want to show he was worried, but janna could sense it on him, so distracted he didn't notice fae's bad luck triggering a glass of water nearby to shatter, scaring jackie and the kids.

"You're bluffing".

"I'm one of the queens of mewni, if i want to make a threat, don't assume it always means i'm just bluffing, you'd be surprised the kinda people i've been able to crack...much tougher then you".

He appeared as if he wanted to say something in response to that but chose to keep his mouth shut instead. Janna seemed pleased at that response, though maybe she would've liked for him to challenge her, would be a perfect way to start scaring him. Jackie tugged on janna's shoulder, pulling her back, "Trust me when i say, she doesn't really tend to bluff...but she is also right...you might be better off admitting what you have on you...".

"I...I stated my reasons...i can't".

"Sir, this is to help protect tons of people, if you tell us what you know many people can rest well at night, we understand you are fearful, so are we...but this is important and you need to be brave for them", he paused a moment, thinking on her words, but he still shook his head. "Sorry, no can do...if i have to live in this prison for the rest of my life, i'll take that over meeting a gruesome fate".

He just wasn't going to budge, and they were just going to have to change tactics.

Janna looked to Jackie, still grinning and clearly asking permission for her to go wild on the man before them, and jackie...as reluctant as she was...knew she just wasn't going to be winning this one.

"Look, i'm not ok with you doing stuff like that, but as long as not actual physical harm comes to him, then it's worth a shot i guess...but i am taking the kids outside, they really should eat something and i don't think they should be apart of this if we're about to make things get a whole lot worse, and i definitely don't want whatever you do affecting them...so...fine". Her reply seemed to make janna even more excited, and the man more confused, clearly expecting violence to have been what janna was talking about.

"We're leaving?", mason asked, stretching his wings.

"Yeah, we're not going to stick around for this mess, trust me, you don't want to...", she left her notepad out for janna, her look stern. "Write anything of importance, don't lose it, and don't go too far...i mean, i know you won't make any promises for sure but i still at the very least want to make sure i say that.". She moved fae away from the scene, and gathered her sword nearby.

"So did i do a good job with this or-?".

"Fae, you did well, but you're still a kid, you need a break...time to let janna take over for a bit ok?", she headed them out of the heavily guarded and locked door as janna rubbed her hands together, mason spotted the man sweating as the door shut behind them. "Is janna gonna do what the crazy mask person did to Loki? take over his mind and make him speak?", it was odd for him to come out with it like that but he wasn't stupid.

"Kinda...yeah, but not exactly, she's not using magic".

"It's a lot like magic though, magic for the mind".

"I guess if you really think about it, it is a little like magic for the mind, but just remember not to mess with the minds of others for bad purposes, janna is doing it to help us out, and no damage should come to the man...but never use it to harm anyone ok?", sheesh, jackie didn't have any kids and yet she was so...mom-like, patting the two on the shoulder as they nodded.

"Miss Jackie?".

"Hmm?"

"Are you upset about...miss luna?".

This seemed to make her stop in her tracks, blinking at mason curiously, "Well um...i can't say i'm not, i mean she was my top student and imagining her as being an enemy this entire time is well...not quite...what i wanted to happen. Putting your trust in someone only for them to be arrested rarely leaves you with any sort of good feeling, but why are you asking?".

"Cause everyone seems to be really upset about luna, including both my brothers...", his wings feel to the floor, "Judas was pretty close to her and landon...well actually landon kinda doesn't like her but having her here still makes him upset...and you were one of the people who hadn't said much about her since she got here...so...i wanted to know".

"I guess considering she was my student...i probably should've had more to say about all of this...truth be told, i just decided maybe i should stay out of it. It seems like whatever is happening, it's something that more involves the queen and you kids then me, so i just do my job and keep to that, i don't add my own thoughts unless i'm usually asked when it comes to this".

"Why not?".

"Because usually it's not my place, some things you gotta stay out of, i'll be here to help you all whenever you need me, but i won't intrude on your personal feelings and drama like that...not unless you want me too, you guys are going through enough to also include me within all of that. You don't have to worry about me with all of this, ok? Worry about you".

"But i want to, besides, i don't want you to feel upset and left out too~".

She affectionately pet his head, fixing up his hat, "Thanks mason, it's nice of you to care about me, it is genuinely sweet of you." She fixed herself up and took fae's hand, "Hopefully whatever is going on with luna gets sorted out, i'm sure i'll be updated on her as time goes on...since her parents seem to be...unavailable, I'll kinda have to be in charge of her throughout this".

"So...you're kinda gonna be treated like her mom?".

"Basically".

If only she knew.

"Anyways, we'll come back for janna, after you both eat and get whatever else you need, you're been in there long enough anyways".

"Oh yeah, it's dinner time isn't it?", he'd been in there so long he hadn't been keeping track of the time at all, no wonder he was getting so hungry, his family had to have been already eating by this point. "Yeah, though just be careful when we get there, we have guests tonight, we don't want to be impolite or anything...after we eat i'll personally drop fae back to her home...honestly i'm surprised your parents are so...lenient".

"if it makes money, they don't care if i have to do out for a bit", she shrugged and said nothing more.

"You know, you might be unlucky, but people should treat you a little better...being unlucky isn't your fault", she didn't respond again to what she said but jackie swore she at least saw her eye move to look at her a bit, "You're more then just your luck, you're a very charming girl from what i can tell, you're honest, you're helpful, and you clearly care about your family to be trying to help them".

"It's fine, i don't mind being alone and everything, more time to...think and everything", mason stuck his head out to look at her but she still didn't look at either of them, "Mason's my only real friend, everyone is always turned away. Bad Luck, either i lose to them to it or they decided they no longer want to deal with it, it's something i'm just used to".

"Well that doesn't seem fair, friends should stick by through all the trouble you go through, you clearly mean no harm to any of them".

"But i can't blame them either, even now i have to warn people when i first meet them to stay away from me, just in case they might get hurt, mason only hangs with me because he's...not scared of me, he doesn't care...but other people do...i mean, i told him to stay away the first time i met him because i didn't want to be in trouble if he got hurt hanging around me".

"You really feel like this all the time?", now the woman looked extremely concerned, more like a mom then she had expected to be over this small child. "That sounds really awful fae, i'm so sorry you have to go through that at your age...you shouldn't have to be scared about hurting your friends at your age, you should be making friends and spending time with them whenever you can".

"Easier said then done", she mumbled.

"Well, now that i'm here in mewni, i'll see if i can help you make some friends, i train all kinds of knights of many different ages here, they're unafraid of any danger and maybe they're a good fit for you! They probably won't mind your bad luck at all". She seemed rather doubtful of any of that but it was the nicest thing anyone had said to her in a good while that didn't come from mason.

"If you say so".

It probably wasn't the exact answer jackie wanted to hear, but not the worst kind either, at least fae seemed midely interested. "Hey, if anything, back there was a pretty good audition for you, you know how to be intimidating and you're already good with horses, i'd say it might be a match made for you, but don't pressure yourself, it's ok if you don't want to".

Fae nodded.

"You don't have to invite me to all your royal meals or whatever, i'm not exactly royalty...", but she quickly felt mason's wing pull her into a side hug, "Doesn't mean we can't invite you, you're friends of royalty, so that's just as cool and just as much of a reason for you to eat with us". She let out a smile, not a big smile, but a genuine smile that only made mason more happy.

"Just make sure to be on your best behavior, with moon there and king arachford, we're in for one heck of a night", she informed as they made their way to the door, being let in by guards to see everyone else already seated. Mason already noticing his missing brothers right away, but not saying anything in case that might of been out of line, though star was quick to notice her wife's absense.

"Is janna still working?".

"Yeah, she had a few other methods she wanted to try out, she should be here soon, i took the kids though", mason and fae heading to open seats for them, the woman looking between everyone. "I really hope i didn't walk in on anything, i know we're rather late but things took a lot longer then we were expecting and he was rather hard to break somehow".

"Even with fae AND Janna?".

"Well considering we just now got here, what else do you think happened? If it had been that easy we would've been done hours ago, but while fae did scare him, he apparently is way more scared of...Her, threats against his life it seems, and as far as i can tell he's never seen their face, so janna's going to try a new tactic and you'll have to meet up with her after dinner depending how it goes".

Star wasn't used to Janna not being able to scare the living daylights out of anyone before, she just hoped her mom nearby wasn't taking it as another sign of imcompintence on her or janna's part. Jackie took her seat after saying hello to the former queen and helped herself as more food was being set out, mason looking over to sky as if asking why his brothers weren't here.

She mouthed to him from across the table that it was a long story.

She really wanted to go find judas, he had to be hungry as well at this point, but she knew he needed his space right now either, it just was on her mind right now. She was worried in what state she might find him in the next time she saw him, sure he'd dealt with a lot before but this whole thing broke down most of his world, there was no coming back from that easily.

She just didn't want him to be alone through it either.

But she had to just wait it out, through dinner, and well...there was plenty to distract her if she wanted to be distracted. Her grandmother had wasted no time in getting into her reasons for being here, as anyone would expect of her. Star of course being incredibly nervous the entire time, worried just what her mother might point out and fuss over and make things worse.

Star loved her mom, she was helpful and not always such a pain.

But she could feel the disappointment in her voice. She had never had so much trouble with anything in a long time, she could usually handle threats like this and yet this one seemed to doop her at every level, it didn't look good on any queen but especially not her. Moon couldn't complain too badly, she herself had been involved with scary threats and hadn't always known what to do.

But that didn't mean she didn't need help.

It became very clear she needed to get involved, whether star liked it or not, maybe having her there might ponder different results. She was already talking about their plan and discussing what she did and didn't like, clearly the idea of using a royal celebration as a trap was not exactly her favorite idea in the world, even if it had a decent chance of actually working.

But that didn't surprise Star, at all.

Of course Star wasn't the only one at the table with parental issues that were on the rise, Angel and his father had been silent all dinner so far, most of the conversation being had by the two butterflies. They both had mostly just sat and ate, though Sky swore the king had been eyeing her a few times, probably wondering exactly how their friendship had been progressing considering sky was indeed sitting next to angel.

Nora however, was trying to be as cheery as possible, even though she also seemed worried for judas. She clearly sensed the tension in the room and was trying to be as cheery as sunny was, but even sunny was talking more to galexia and was staying out of the argument. Marco and Tom were keeping to themsleves as well, it seemed moon brought a new atmosphere then it was before now.

One that kept everyone quiet.

Sky wanted angel to just talk to his dad but that wasn't something she could just make him do, it was one of those things that had to naturally happen and right now was far from natural, as sad as it was. She did feel they wanted to talk though, but maybe more in private, where there weren't so many people around to listen in or make things more uncomfortable then they already were.

They just kept...looking at each other.

She could only imagine what was going through their heads, the king had barely left his kingdom in what must've felt like forever for him and now he was dropped in the middle of his wife being revived, his son dealing with his issues, and moon overall. This could've been a happier meeting if things were just a little less tense right now for him and everyone else.

"It's good to see you sir".

That's when the king turned to Sunny, who was waving to him, he waved back smally.

Remembering the small girl who had spent time with his wife in what felt like so long ago, he didn't seem to know what he wanted to say though, but he coughed into his hand to not be impolite. "Well, i appreciate being invited, having globgor take over the kingdom for a little...it's nice, i was really happy to come over and...not have to deal with too much at the moment".

Angel sunk more into his seat.

"Well we're happy to see you too ! It's nice having new people come over for dinner! You look good!",

Leave it to sunny to know how to talk to people and make them feel super welcome, even in the most awkward of circumstances. He looked over his old suit and nodded, "Thank you, it belonged to my father, i wanted to look my best...for Arana, i didn't want her to wake and see me look like such a mess, though...i'm sure i will when she wakes up...i ugly cry".

"She's going to be so happy to see you and angel!".

"Yes...", he glanced over to his son, who wasn't making eye contact with him still, "I'm sure she will. though she has so much to catch up on, being in this state for so long...and she might not even completely be herself after she wakes...her mind...damaged, there's going to be so much work to do...but we'll try and manage the best we can...hopefully".

"I semi met her...in her mind", sky mumbled, "I mean i wasn't intended to do that, mom just wasn't good at making a barrier around her to warn me before i got sucked in, she seems...well...she seems like she's still really lovely, i know i never was close with her throughout everything, but...i hope when she gets up to get to know her a bit better".

He was smiling, feeling more comfortable among everyone in the room, even if the queens weren't paying attention, even tom and marco looked pretty happy.

Angel was still quiet though.

He was having a hard time breaking his silence to just talk and speak up, even though he had to, he needed to. But sky put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, if you want to talk to him after dinner...it's ok, like don't force it or anything...or you might say something you might regret. No one is judging if you don't want to get into it at the table with a bunch of weirdos...".

He nodded, appreciative.

"You cooked a wonderful meal for my arrival, i really do appreciate the effort, though you didn't have to make any of my favorite dishes", and that resulted in sunny glancing to angel himself, smiling, "Hey, if it wasn't for your son, we might of had a harder time preparing for you, he knows what you like and what would mean a lot to you, he really valued making this dinner".

Angel blushed deeply at the comment, he shouldn't be so embarrassed about that, it just felt weird still to be...complimented...and to his father too.

His father seemed really touched at the thought, and that only made angel more flustered, this whole thing was going better then he expected.

"I'm sad to see young prince lucitor isn't here, i would've liked to see him again after the last time at the trial, but i assume with everything going on he probably has other responsibilities at hand", tom and marco looked at each other and sky readjusted herself in her seat, "Well uh...something like that, you're not completely wrong, you might see him later though".

"I also have no idea if i've said this before, but i want to thank you too princess", sky froze in her seat, the man folding his arms on the table. "You put yourself on the line for my son and you did help him get free of all of this...that was not something you had to do for him or my family, especially considering everything you had been put through, i really can't thank you enough".

"I mean, i mostly just winged it, i barely knew what i was doing but...thank you, you're super welcome", He then turned to angel, and nodded, "I must admit...i missed having you home, it's been a lot lonelier then before, you look...good. It's really nice to see you with good friends and having a good time, i wouldn't want you to be dealing with...our kingdom".

"How bad is it?", nora meekly asked.

"Let's just say going out right now is not a great option, not to say our people had no reason to be mad, but i feel they have gone too far. I think they really feared four our livelihoods after that trail, not just with the butterfly family, but if the person angel had betrayed would come back and kill us all as some form of retribution. I think you can say for sure angel isn't...popular there".

Angel was about to sink even further in his seat as his father talked more.

"However, they seem to have a soft spot for what sky, nora, and judas did...they've never seen our kingdom be so...defended before like that, the spiderbites especially. So perhaps something about your friendships do regress some of the anger." Nora blushed red as she instinctively grabbed her hair, "It's no problem at all, i just wanted to help...her and...".

He smiled gently at her, "Not once in our kingdom have we gotten so close with the others like that, i think while the people are mad they can't deny they really are impressed angel somehow managed to get the spiderbites to be on decent terms with us". Angel felt an ease of tension and anxiety, sitting a bit more up back in his seat, did he actually do something...right? And people liked it?

Sensing angel feeling a little better at the words sky interjected.

"Yeah, angel's been doing pretty great recently, i mean, don't get me wrong, he's pushed my buttons quite a few times and everything, but he's been pretty helpful and making a lot of progress. Like i really appreciated his help when i went through the castle to save one of my friends, he had my back the entire time...even though he didn't have to".

Angel was definitely less anxious, but now he and nora both were blushing at being praised so much.

"Angel was really involved during the underworld castle incident?", guess the man wasn't aware of his son being involved in it at all, and sky patted the spider next to her on the back. "Oh yeah he was, i mean at first i came in to save him, but then he stuck with me the entire time even though he was scared, it was honestly pretty cool of him to do".

Angel's father actually seemed to be rather impressed, not expecting these kinds of actions from his son before this point, angel had done very irrational things before this point but nothing noble and brave like this. Though the man did seem still upset about what happened before he did seem impressed about what he was seeing now, and angel felt he could breathe again.

"I-".

"It's ok angelus, we'll talk more about everything later...we have a lot of catching up to do".

Angel nodded in agreement, and the table felt slightly more at ease, not that the argument up front had stopped anytime soon. The women hadn't been paying any attention to the nice moment at all, star was still debating her mom on all her ideas and moon was very much still telling star off for not getting her involved sooner to clean up this mess.

This was the kinda thing that made sky hate family reunions, did all famlies have to fight like a bunch of idiots when eating dinner together?, Cause even judas's family did that at times and he got annoyed about it.

The sooner they got out of here the better.

Even the Lucitors were getting tired of it, Marco quickly standing up, actually starling the butterflies from their talk. They looked over to their husband and sighed, "I'm going to look for landon and celeste, maybe judas...if they don't want dinner we can bring it to them later. But we'll be having dessert soon and they still haven't shown up, so i'm going to check on them".

In the back of sky's mind though, she was sure it was half actually that, and half not wanting to be here and hear the adults argue.

But Tom stood up to, "Actually i'd like to join you, we might be able to save time by spreading out, they're my kids too.". Tom taking their partner's hand and kissing their cheek as they headed out with a wave to the kids in the room. They were smart on finding a way out of this situation, that was for sure, even angel and his father were looking for an excuse out but that wouldn't do.

They needed some permission, especially since this wasn't their castle and they were here as star's guests basically.

"-I'm just saying star, you should've taken these precautions after what happened with toffee, i know you're struggling hard here but this is all too much and it's gone on for too long and has gone too far. It's time you let someone else take the reigns, i have more military experience, so i should be able to help with some of my ideas, then we might be able to work further on this".

"Mom, we have a plan!".

"Star, plans aren't 100% You know that. There's so much you might have not even considered, and even if it did work, things can go wrong, what if they escape?", of course moon probably didn't know it but her words were beating sky down just a little. It had been her plan for the most part and she knew it wasn't even a great plan but gee, thanks grandma.

But she had a point, this was a serious situation, they couldn't afford to have a plan with possible holes or cracks in it either. Ddi they want to capture the criminal or lose another time? Sky felt herself mindlessly start playing with her food, her mind wandering during their argument. Angel mumbling under his breath, "i mean, i thought it was a pretty smart idea".

If judas couldn't be here, she was glad angel and nora were.

"Well then we'll make it work! It's a good idea mom, we need to lure them, that's the only way we're going to get anywhere!", star was determined on this one, she had to fight her mom on it, otherwise they might not get another chance. Not to say her mom's plans couldn't work, but the sooner they did this the better and who knew if they'd get as good an opportunity later.

"Star, i understand, but it's dangerous, imagine how many people will be there, in the line of fire too! Safety is important here, and if things go poorly we have a high chance someone won't make it", even though his name hadn't been mentioned at all, angel knew she was talking specifically about him. His heard his father grunt across from him, before finally getting the ladies's attention.

"I do have to agree about safety, this is a young prince's coronation after all, you are inviting an enemy onto troubled grounds. Luring them is a smart move but perhaps moon needs to modify the plan however she can", the thing was, they all agreed the plan would need to be worked on anyway, they knew it, but obviously star didn't want moon to be the person in charge of it either.

"Look, i know you don't want me here but i promise star, this won't be as bad as you think, the more minds the better to work on this. Soon enough we'll be able to breathe again and i can go back to resting, we're just going to have to work together and no amount of yelling at me is going to be making me go back into retirement", the queen sat back in her chair and star let out a huff of defeat.

"Fine".

"Since meteora is back i'll be talking to her later, i want to catch up on anything i've missed recently, because judging by all the faces at this table, i have missed quite a few details it seems", she glanced at sunny and galeixa, then to fae. Guess when it came down to it, they probably would be minor details to any average mewman hearing about all the crazy stuff going on with the criminal.

She smiled at the spider king, fixing her dress, "Sorry, i know we were talking awhile over there, nearly forgot we had a guest over your highness, as soon as we finish eating we'll take you to visit your darling arana, she should still be resting right star?". Star still looked rather mad as she leaned against her seat, but she complied to her mom's question, "Well yeah...but like...no promises what'll happen when she wakes...the spiderbites are sure she'll have memory issues no matter what".

"She will", nora mumbled, "Memories can be healed but...having us heal all of them...was unlikely with how quickly we figured out what was happening...but...maybe over time, things might work...at the very least...she's not near death now...", it was a plus, they could give her that. She wouldn't be the same as she was but she wouldn't be too gone either.

"You...think...she'll remember me?", the king muttered softly, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I'm sure she will, her family seems to mean everything for her", she didn't honestly know at the end of the day, but she had to hope at least, she had been in her mind,

The door opened, and three figures entered, tom and marco back surprisingly quickly, but with a guest at hand. Judas was standing behind them, he didn't look great but he didn't look awful either. He must've been hungry though, as he didn't even look at anyone as he sat down to eat in silence. Even the spider king didn't get a look, the man shocked at the teen's demeanor.

He had never seen prince judas so...rough before.

Judas was usually a happy individual, making jokes and helping everyone around him. Now he looked to be too inside his mind to really focus on anyone in particular, he just wanted to get something in his stomach and head out to be back in isolation as soon as possible. Angel and Nora also looked deeply troubled, both wanting to reach out to the boy who was ignoring them.

Tom and Marco whispered to sky as they passed by, "We found him in a hallway nearby, he just wants to eat, give him his space...landon and celeste are still with luna". That didn't make sky feel any better though, judas seemed to have silenced everyone, even queen moon seemed a little stunned. She wasn't around that much but she knew enough to know this didn't sit right with her.

This was the prince who was supposed to be king soon, and not only that, but whose coronation was the center of their plan.

And here he was, looking like a depressed mess.

How were they supposed to casually have a conversation with judas like this?

Well to put it lightly, they didn't, the room was silent until judas finished eating and excused himself to go and sleep. His parents didn't even protest it at all, letting him leave the room before standing up a few moments later to drag landon and celeste over here. Both of them clearly having waited till they knew judas was a little whiles away before heading out as to not bother him.

It felt like without judas some soul had been ripped from everyone.

Even Sunny.

It said a lot when even she said nothing to him.

Judas came over to get some food and left without so much as a word, not to his friends, his family, anyone, it was the worst anyone had even seen him in a good while and it left everyone with a sense of dread and sadness.

It took a minute for anyone to even talk at dessert, and the one to actually break wasn't the person anyone had been expecting to speak first at all. A small cough coming from next to mason, Fae shoving chocolate cake into her mouth as she spoke. "Y'know, mason is super happy and everything and everyone talks about how cute he is, but honestly judging by how you all are, it seems judas is the one that usually makes everyone super happy when he enters the room...no offense mase".

"It's ok, i'm not mad".

No one argued against that, judas was pretty much a friend to anyone.

He really knew how to make everyone feel better about themselves, and be someone's shoulder to lean on, and stand up for everyone if he could. In some ways he was the life of the group, he kept everyone going even when they were breaking down. Sky bit at her lip, "I know we got stuff to do but...next chance we get...after he has some time...we should all be there for him...do something nice".

"I agree", they all looked to King Amir, who eyes his son, "He's a good kid, and he's done a lot for us as well, i would be happy to contribute if you wish to have my help. I would love to pay you all back as much as i can after everything you've done". Even though neither of them were in the room, tom and marco would be extremely grateful for the kindness once they heard about this.

Everyone cleaned up quick, most of them heading out to their room to sleep protected, though the spider monsters parted off to speak, moon and star were off to deal with their issues with janna included, and sky almost was out herself when marco quickly came running back. They seemed relieved to see her, panting, they looked a little panicked and that immediately didn't sit well with sky.

"Landon and celeste...they're not with luna?".

"They aren't?".

"And luna isn't in her room either!".

-

"Dad...there's a lot i want to say".

"I know, it's been on my mind since the trial, a lot has been on my mind, it's...really had me thinking", they closed the door behind them, angel taking a seat in the vacant room as guards blocked the door for them. "Don't assume i'm not mad, i am...even if i understand why, but i also could tell you were terrified...and...i can't be mad at you for something like that either", he paused for a moment, his ears twitching.

"I...haven't...been a great dad...have i?".

Angel didn't answer, but that was all he needed.

"Angelus, you disobeyed me horribly and put everyone at risk...but it's not just your fault...it's mine, i'm your father...i should've been keeping a better eye on you, should've been helping you deal with these issues and feelings and stopped comparing you to judas and sky and...it's clear i did hurt you. If i had done something sooner maybe i could've prevented something bad from happening, prevented you or anyone from getting hurt...i never really thought as hard as i should about the things you were going through...i expected you to just...be this or that, and all that seemed to do was turn you against me".

"But i didn't listen to you...you know that, i constantly skipped lessons and went out when you didn't want me too and even got myself hurt multiple times as a result...i would've protested anyway", he still felt guilty, if he had listened none of this would've happened in the first place. But his father went on, "Maybe, but that didn't mean i shouldn't have tried harder...i've been so overcome with grief...i've neglected you a bit...no...a lot. Ever since you stayed here i've had so much time to think to myself and...i screwed up, i know i did.".

Angel wanted to protest but he actually couldn't deny any of the words his father had been saying, his throat tightening. "Arana never would've wanted me to neglect you that way, not even for her...this entire situation was just as hard for you and...i didn't handle it in the ways i should have. No way that a dad should have, and i feel i should apologize to you directly, for any hurt i may of caused, we should've been dealing with this situation together...not apart...and i'm sorry".

Angel felt tears starting to wallop, as much ashe tried to hold them back, he then laughed a little in pain.

"I...Is it bad if i say i didn't expect you to come here and tell me you're sorry?", his voice felt cracky and he quickly cleared his throat, "I expected you to be upset with me...not want me to come back home, i was preparing to hear bad news even if sky was sure things might be different". His father didn't seem surprised by his words, he had probably been just as prepared for angel to lash out at him for leaving him.

And he wouldn't have been mad at him at all.

"I...reconsidered a lot, while we were separated...i'm not shocked at all you feel that way...you probably felt...i didn't care about you...thought of you as just an heir...and not my son, and...that was wrong of me to do...".

"And the people?".

"I want you back home angel, whether they do or not, you're still my only son, and you should still be allowed to come home and make a name for yourself, have a fresh start".

He stretched out his legs, all of them, his mind still processing his father's words. "How can i be sure things will be different? I don't want to go back there and have everything be the same, go back to being hated or alone...i'm worried things won't change for sure...i know i have changed, but that doesn't mean everyone else feels the same way".

"I know. i won't force it if you want to stay, i know you like it here".

Those words made angel feel more comforted, his father really was hearing him out, it was baffling. "Yeah, well, here is where my friends are and everything, i mean the citizens don't like me either but...at least i have friends". He tapped his fingers, his eyes closing, "But that doesn't mean i don't want to go back, if i could...i want both...i do want to be home...but i think this is also my home...".

"I understand, and i won't keep you from it...but if you want to go home, i think we can manage something...eventually", he paused, taking a seat next to his son and wrapping his cape around them both. "I think for now you will have to stay here, if even just to keep an eye on your mother, and until things are fully good back home...but I'll make sure to send you anything you want from home to make you more comfortable here...".

"I hope when i go back home, things will be a lot easier...i want to make things easier...to help, the kingdom, it deserves so much that i haven't given it", the king nodding, "I think you'll do great things...someday, we both have some learning to do...as kings and leaders. We...made a lot of mistakes...and it's going to take time to heal from them, but...i think we can".

"I...was willing to accept you didn't believe in me but...i like hearing it anyway", and angel shifted as his father hugged him, patting his bad and it seemed the man was even crying into his son's shoulder. "I...missed you...so much, more then i ever thought i could...it was alone without either of you...i want both of you back. I want something with you...i just...".

Angel's arms wrapping around him, enjoying the hug back.

"Thanks dad".

BOOM

The noise made angel's stomach drop.

Their nice moment interrupted by more noise coming from outside, angel getting up to check out the windows right away. The room they were in had a nice view of the courtyard of the castle and there he finally got view of what made the noise that drove him to panic. It seems somehow luna had gotten herself out of her room, and she was just...standing there...she wasn't trying to escape or fight or anything, but celeste was screaming at her, storm clouds starting to appear close by.

The booming of their thunder so loud it was impossible to miss.

Angel seemed really puzzled, what had been going on that he wasn't aware of this time?

But on closer inspection he could see sky down there, with judas's parents, trying to resolve the scene at hand before things go so much worse. Amir stood up to see what his son was looking at and then angel remembered his father didn't know about the uh...multiverse situation and seeing celeste accidentally perform magic was bound to be a bad idea, the boy quickly pushing his father away much top his confusion, "Incident in the courtyard...we outta get going".

Amir seemed skeptical that his son wasn't hiding something from him but followed angel regardless, just in case it was too dangerous for him to look.

And by the time they headed lower they found tom taking luna away back to her room and celeste and landon in marco's grasp, a tired sky nearby and nodding to angel, a sign they needed to talk later so she could explain further. "Sorry sir, seems we had a situation, er...the prisoner broke out and these two were um...handling it, you might of heard my son landon using magic a bit...i promise no one is hurt".

"Your fire powers can be that loud?", the king turned to the demon, who didn't respond, his face embarrassed and mad, but at least the king seemed to be buying the excuse.

"You'd be surprised", marco said with a cheeky smile, "We're one scary dimension for a reason after all".

"Well in that case, i'm glad you handled it, i got worried for a moment, the noise startled me and i thought something bad had happened".

"No no sir, it's alright, promise, landon will just be more careful next time".

It was a smart cover up, even if the idea of fire sounding a lot like thunder was a bit odd. The king just shrugged, and noticed the young prince and princess looking at each other, coughing to excuse himself. "Well angelus, i'm going to see your mother...you can come and join me later...alright?". Angel smiled back, "Thanks, i'll see you later", before his father left with guards right behind him.

Marco nodding their head to head to the nearby closet, the kids still in his clutches.

"What happeend?".

Sky snorted, "Celeste tried to challenge luna to a duel, that's what, not that it worked, luna didn't even fight, she just...stood there". Celeste grumbling under her breath, "I wanted her to face me for betraying us how she did...that's it...she said yes, we were only supposed to be out for a few minutes, but then she didn't...do anything, she stood there...she made me feel like a fool".

"She stood there?".

Landon shrugged, "I guess she changed her mind about the duel...", though it seemed there was more to it and under his mom's watchful eye he confessed. "I'm sorry i was hoping they'd reconcile or something, i wasn't trying to get anyone to start a fight or anything, i couldn't even convince her not to, she and luna pushed me back from it all...ok?".

At first marco wasn't sure whether to believe that but celeste added on.

"He's right...he...wanted me to go and get along and i just...look...i'm just angry ok? I just want her to apologize or something or just feel bad...i hate her stupid smug looking face and how she is to everyone...i'm so sick of it". She looked like she might break into tears, "I didn't mean to worry anyone or anything i just...i'm so tired of being walked over...".

"Celeste...hey...it's ok", Marco sighed, "Look, i know i'm not really your parent here but...maybe you need to talk to some adults about...your anger...like tom...if it's really taking over your life like this you need to seek some help". She sniffled and they pet her hair, "You should not have done any of that, ok? But it's ok, we'll deal with it from there...and get this sorted out".

"Did luna say much about what went on down there?".

Marco shook their head, "We'll talk about it later, i'll take landon and celeste with me...you both are expected to go see arana so you should head there, guarded of course, perhaps you can sort some stuff out on the way in terms of our next steps...but for now i'll see you both later...and take good care of each other. Oh, and make it back to sleep soon, ok?".

They both nodded, heading on their way to see arana, watching celeste and landon be wandered off like naughty children.

"Those two...every time"., sky shook her head, "Celeste needs help, i just hope she can get some...this all hasn't been much better on her". Angel's ears twitching, "We're losing people...aren't we? Judas, luna, celeste...we're falling apart a little...and right before we're supposed to react a plan too, what happens if we can't get everything ready or fall apart before this?".

"I don't know.".

That was the honest truth, she didn't know, it was all out of her control, but if things didn't get better there was no way they'd get this plan to even work. They'd be doomed before the plan even started. How much longer before she and angel cracked? Nora? Even sunny or lexi? She felt a bit of unease, she was now the leader or this group and said group was now falling apart.

"I'm going to keep up together...we have some healing to do...but i think we can do it...but...first...we should go see your mother, we can deal with it later...when it's a good time to do so", angel nodded to her, "Judas...helped me, a lot, and i want to return the favor to him. I...I don't know how exactly i can do that for what's going on but...i'm willing to try".

"You don't have to y'know?".

"He's my friend, and so are you".

She appreciated that, "It's not going to be simple sadly, the arm thing has been apart of his life for years, he's not going to be over it so quickly. It's kinda a lot to process...i mean, he had so many nightmares as a kid because of it, it ruined his life...he might feel like...it's all his fault for what happened and not...y'know, that it isn't his fault that no one knew".

"Yeah...i'm sure it will be".

They were contemplating what they could do and what might help as they made to what was now arana's own private room near the wing, upon special request by her husband to keep any onlookers from bothering her. Honestly, sky was happy not to have to keep going into that wing, some privacy was nice, the door opened for them and the guards standing outside.

"You're here!", the king was delighted to see them, still holding his wife's hand, "I wasn't sure how long it might take for you to join me, but i'm happy you're here, come, sit with me...she's moving...". He nodded to seats nearby, the teens making themselves comfortable. "When i see the Spiderbites i'm going to owe them so much for this, i never thought i'd even see her so...lively again".

"Well they're stuck here with us. so you'll get a chance i'm sure".

He was still occupied with his wife though, "I...have so much i want to tell her, but...i can't, not right away anyways...she's going to need time when she wakes up, her mind was so...damaged...but i promise once i can i'll make sure she knows everything she can and i'll make sure we celebrate her recovery. I could not have asked for a more...wonderful gift".

"In all fairness...it was partially dumb luck".

"You call it dumb luck, i call it fate", he pet the queen's hair gently, "You will always be welcome in my kingdom, princess".

"Well right now i can't even go within a few feet of your kingdom but thanks a lot, maybe we'll get to hang out...after everything rests." Her attention drawn to angel, "Besides, he still owes me a hangout to make up for the mess he put me through, so we'll try and get that done first before we make too many promises right now". she bumped angel next to her, who coughed.

"Oh yeah, right...thanks for reminding me again, all of this distracted me a bit".

"Whatever, as long as it's nothing crazy...the party is gonna be crazy as is...", she grumbled, her voice filled with dread.

"Perhaps you can accompany my son for jude's coronation...", the king piped up, looking between the two, "i assume you were planning to do that anyway, but I think he could use the company...he hasn't been allowed to really go to a party like this in years, and it might help to have someone around to well...watch over him and get him back into the swing of things".

Sky never considered this was angel's first party in a long time, maybe that's another reason he was nervous.

"Yeah sure...of course...as long as he doesn't go wild", she was joking of course but who could say for sure angel wasn't secretly a party animal now for all she knew. Angel laughed and in the moment things seemed easygoing and rather nice for all the stress of earlier, it had been such a long time since the entire arachford family had even been in the same room together.

Much less happy together.

Angel felt finally as if the butterflies had left his stomach fully, his stress about his dad gone.

But then a noise caught the attention of the group, interrupting the moment for them. Their first instinct was to turn to look at the queen, and sure enough, the noises were coming from her directly, she was stirring and it no one has seen her making noises like this in a while, especially with how silent these days she had been. It was a small breathe, then a whimper, then it almost sounded as if she was trying to speak some words, not that they could tell what the words actually were.

Then movement, the queen was stirring even more, startling everyone in the room further, the grip on the king's hand tightening. His mood was shifted, as if worried something was wrong for a moment, only for her legs to start moving as well. Her eyes started shifting around the room, her ears wiggling before she turned her head to face the group.

This was the most movement she had done in awhile and it had caught them entirely off guard.

"A-arana?".

She jolted again, her face shifting a bit more as she looked over the faces of her guests with a softness they hadn't seen in a long time.

"Angel?".

[dc41896]

Bedtime

Pairing: Chris EvansxBlack Reader

⚠️: None, all fluff🥰!

“Babe I promise everything is fine, you don’t have to worry,” Chris smiles bouncing the 6 month old in his arms as he stands in front of the floor to ceiling windows. Your son, Mason, lightly tapping the glass and grabbing at the full moon in the sky.

“I’m not worried, I just want to make sure everything’s ok. If you need me to come home you know I can.”

“No you be there for your sister, plus we both know she wants you by her side since Leon can’t be there. How’s she doing by the way?”

“Good! She’s five centimeters dilated so things are moving, but it still might take a while until baby boy is here,” you answer leaning on the wall beside the room door. “Hey babe it’s my mom calling, I’ll check on you guys in a few and try to keep you updated ok?”

“Ok sounds good, we’ll be here just having a boring night in right Vi?”

“Right!,” Avianna, your 5 year old, nods before turning back to the flat screen on the wall for the remainder of Trolls.

“Please call if you guys need anything. Love you.”

“We love you too, see you when you get home.”

Hanging up his phone and placing it on the table, Chris turns to see his daughter twisting and bouncing up and down as she dances to the final song of the movie, as Mason giggles trying to nod his head along with his sister.

“Ok dancing queen what do you want for dinner?,” Chris asks putting Mason down in his high chair next to the counter so he could be close to him while he cooked.

“Hmm...ice cream!”

“Now we both know you can’t have ice cream for dinner,” he smiles with hands on his hips.

“Can too! Mommy said,” she counters walking up to him as she mocks his stance.

“Oh really? And when was that?”

“Umm... today,” she answers, tiny hands fidgeting with her ears while she peers up at Chris, clearly lying from displaying the same mannerisms as her father when he tried to do the same.

He couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh while shaking his head before tickling Avianna as he picked her up to sit her in the barstool next to her brother. “How about this, you eat all your spaghetti, along with the vegetables, and you can have three scoops of ice cream.”

“Deal!,” she smiles placing her hands on the cold marble counter to lean over and watch her dad cook.

If Chris was being honest, when you left to meet your sister at the hospital leaving the kids with him, there was a bit of nervousness at how everything would go. This was his first time taking care of both of them by himself and having kids still needing assistance with a lot of things, he hoped he’d be able to give everyone the attention they needed.

However, seeing that both were happy, had just got finished watching one of their favorite movies, and we’re now anxiously waiting to eat he could tell everything from here on would be smooth sailing.

———

“Avianna Chanel Evans, come get in the tub please!,” Chris calls chasing after the giggling little girl running down the hall. Before she could reach the railing to make her way downstairs, Chris lifts her up in his arms walking back to the bathroom. “Now I see why mommy only lets you get two scoops at most.”

Letting out a breath as he finally sets her in the water, his familiar ring tone causes Mason to excitedly babble while he bangs the small mallet against his xylophone toy.

“Hey baby!,” Chris answers placing you on speaker while lying his phone on the sink counter.

“Hey, why do you sound out of breath?”

“Because your daughter decided she wanted to make her dad chase her instead of getting a bath,” he answers making a face at Avianna as she giggles splashing the water.

“Funny how you call her my daughter when she’s acting just like you,” you laugh.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’ve never ran away from a bath.”

“Believe me you did and I’ve seen the videos from Mama Evans to prove it.”

“Yea I’m definitely calling her tonight to burn those,” he laughs cleaning Avianna’s ears and face. “How’s Zaina doing?”

“Still doing good, she’s at 8 centimeters now so hopefully he’ll be here soon. Everything still ok there?”

“Yea, we all ate and have one bath down and one to go; then it’s bed time.”

“Nooo!,” Avianna whines followed by Mason huffing as if agreeing with his sister.

“Sounds like they’re ganging up on you,” you quietly laugh. “Vi listen to daddy ok? You gotta go to bed sweetie, and you too Mason.”

“Okay mommy,” she sighs as Chris wraps her in her Disney towel and robe to dry off.

“She’s asking for me so I gotta go. See you guys later! Love you!”

“Love you,” Chris and Avianna smile before you both hang up.

“I stay up too,” she speaks bouncing on the backs of her feet.

“Vi you heard mommy, you gotta go to bed love.”

“But you’re up and Maze and Dodger. Why not me too?”

He had to admit, she did have a point. He knew he and Dodger would probably be up until you arrived, and Mason tended to go to bed late too since you guys were still trying to get him on a schedule. This would leave her the only person having to go to bed, which he could understand how she’d look at as unfair.

“You know, you’re a very intelligent and persuasive 5 year old,” he smiles. “Ok here’s the plan, this one time you can stay up until your brother goes to sleep. Then you have to get in bed.”

“Ok daddy!,” she claps hugging his waist before running towards her room to put on her pajamas already laid out on her bed.

———

Walking in the house, you’re unsurprisingly met with silence and partial darkness as the moon shining through your windows is the main source of light as you make your way upstairs. On the way home, you figured everyone would probably be asleep from how late it was along with not getting a response from Chris when you told him the baby was here and sent a handful of pictures.

Opening your room door, you stop in the doorway as your heart instantly melts seeing all of your babies asleep with soft snores escaping their mouths. Nails lightly tapping the hardwood floor, Dodger walks up to you lightly rubbing his fur against your legs.

“Hey buddy, did you keep them in line while I was gone?,” you whisper squatting down to scratch behind his ears as he tries to lick your face making you giggle. “Aww I missed you too Dodge.”

“Y/N? That you?,” Chris sleepily asks carefully sitting up as he rubs his eyes.

“Yea it’s me. I see you guys didn’t make it through your story.”

“I guess not,” he quietly chuckles placing the open book on his bedside table as you gently pick up your daughter placing a kiss on her forehead.

Successfully tucking both kids back in their beds without waking them, you and your husband tiredly crawl in your bed now dressed and ready to go sleep yourselves.

“Your daughter should be a politician or work in sales when she’s older.”

“Again with the ‘my daughter’,” you laugh as you lie on his chest, finger tracing the written tattoo over his pec. “And why do you say that?”

“Because she’s very persuasive and could probably sell sand to a beach.”

“Again she gets that from you,” you laugh.

“Nah you’ve convinced me more than a couple times babe. That’s all you,” he chuckles gently rubbing his fingertips up and down your arm.

“And I know the exact times you’re talking about and those were things you wanted to do too sir. To be convinced that means you never wanted to do it in the first place. Now I can call Scott to have him remind you how you persuaded him to wet his pants when you guys were younger if you’d like.”

Reaching over to grab your phone, you feel his arms wrap around your waist holding you closer to him and making you unable to move any further from his new position on top of your body. “Orr..how about we meet in the middle and say she got a little from both of us?,” he smiles sweetly kissing your lips.

“I was gonna say 60/40, but alright you’ve convinced me,” you answer making him laugh as he buries his head in your neck.

“God I love you Y/N.”

“Love you too,” you smile raking your fingers through his hair until you both fall asleep.

Taglist: @plokyu23 @crushed-pink-petals @fumbling-fanfics @honeychicana @lady-olive-oil @themyscxiras @melinda-january @lovelymari4 @fullofmelaninsarcasmandepression @nunubug99 @felicity-x0 @ellixthea @jojolu @brwn-sgr @captainsamwlsn @itshinothey @wildfirecracker @nina-sj @iammyownlover @chaneajoyyy

If anybody wants to be tagged, has asked to be tagged but don’t see your name, only wants to be tagged for certain people I write for, or no longer wish to be tagged just let me know🤓!

[choicesenthusiast]

My Two First Loves, Ch. 35-38 AKA Homecoming Mess

What happened this week:

The typical parental homecoming embarrassment session. Oh, well. At least he didn’t whip out the camera and start gushing over how beautiful we looked. I bet if the mother was still around that would’ve happened. And they would’ve looked hella nice, because of the photography hobby and all. That makes it even more depressing, sheesh.

More pissing match drama, with one of the boys cutting into your dance with the other. I feel bad for both of them. MC keeps stringing them along like that.

A photo booth diamond scene with your date, if you’re up for it.

Mason and Lauren are crowned homecoming king and queen, but instead of dancing with each other, Mason comes up and asks you to dance. Which is sweet, if you’re romancing him. If you’re not, then well, this just comes off as an incredibly douchey move. He and Noah get into another pissing match, and Principal Jennings has to practically pull them apart.

Sneak up to the rooftop for some alone time, but privacy doesn’t last long, because you get a front row seat to Ava dumping Chad. 

The football recruiter picks the perfect time to pay a visit to the school, right during the homecoming dance, in time to catch you returning from the rooftop and talk to the boys about his consideration. Unfortunately, Principal Jennings is also there, trying to influence his decision toward Mason, through pissing on Noah’s history.

In the end he chooses Mason, and they finally get into a fistfight over it. MC, of course, makes it all about her (It really. Isn’t. It’s not, hon. Calm down). The dance is ended, and Ava drives you home. Remember Ava? She’s still here.

With the boys out of the way, Ava can finally have some screen time. She’s sorting through some feelings, and she finally gets that CG we’ve been waiting for. Except it’s not a CG, it’s her sprite zoomed-in with sparkly effects. What did we expect? Anyways, thirty-eight chapters in, we almost get some of that exploring sexuality stuff. And then PB puts this book on a hiatus.

Thoughts:

Sorry for taking so long to get this one out. It doesn’t even seem like I’m enjoying it. I’ve been really tired lately. The past week of chapters hasn’t been much help either. But I guess it’s a good thing this book went on break so I could have a little bit of a break too. I guess this is your MTFL content for this week.

I don’t get Mason’s character. It happened before, when he was comforting MC in the fact that she didn’t know what her future would be, and then immediately turning to the “gunning for what’s mine” mentality. Then this time, he defended Noah in front of his dad, saying “I want to beat him fair and square” but the moment he’s picked for the scholarship, he berates Noah in the same way his dad did. It’s inconsistent. It’s garbage.

The recruiter scene in the hallway didn’t make sense. Where did Mr. Jennings and Noah come from? They just pop up out of nowhere (in Mason’s route). Was Mr. Jennings having a civil talk with Mason about the almost-fight before, because he was so buddy-buddy with him in the hallway (in Noah’s route). Once again, we see the complete lack of story flow, expected from PB.

Story flow aside, I hate that this book could’ve been so much more interesting with all the stuff it claims to explore. Like the different social upbringings between the boys, Ava’s coming out story, the family’s racial discrimination story, the loss of the mother. Done right, this could’ve been an excellent coming-of-age book. If this book toned down the romance element in order to balance everything else, it would’ve been a great book. Done wrong, well, you get this mess.

[elejah-verse]

Hellbound/2

Fanfiction

Part 2

This a tvd+to fanfiction story. Totally AU.

Premise:

The  Mikaelsons helped the Mystic Falls Scoobies fight a clan of ancient  werewolves called the Hundings. Klaus and Caroline paid the ultimate  price, as well as Damon. But as it is the case in the magical world of  the Mystic Falls vampires, death is not the end.

There is  also a new adventure looming for the Mystic Falls Scoobies and their now  friends, the Original vampires, as everything is somehow always  connected to them. And so, they are Hellbound…

Main pairings_ Elijah MIkaelson x Elena Gilbert,

Rebekah Mikaelson x Stefan Salvatore

Kol Mikaelson x Bonnie Bennett

Damon Salvatore x Katherine Pierce

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

thanks for reading - xoxo

In Halifax, Nova Scotia

Elijah woke up before anyone and sat down in the garden of the house they were inhabiting while they were in Nova Scotia. Taking a photo from his bag, his mind wondered back to the events a few months back.

Flashback

Mystic Falls, The Mikaelson House

"I suppose you are who I think you are!" Elijah said coolly.

The woman was calm not fearing the vampire and then introduced herself.

"My name is Eilif. I am Esther’s cousin -like you have been told by my messenger."

"Where is Klaus?" the vampire wanted to know, still not moving or showing any pleasant emotion to the woman.

"Your cousin is safe," the woman replied, "but at present I cannot tell you where his body is - not before we resolve the family matter and his allegiance to this family."

"What family? Klaus is my brother!"

"No. He is your cousin - as I am your mother!" the woman said looking at the vampire with apprehensive, but steady eyes.

“What are you talking about? You are not my mother - my mother is Esther.”

“No, she is not. It is a long story. The time has come to reveal your true identity.”

“What?” Elijah looked at the woman in completely disbelief. Elijah drew a deep breath.

“I am a norn. A being that dwells between the world of men and the world of keepers of universe, living in the place the humans called heaven, but in actual fact my home is the wind, the river, the woods, the mountains, the gletschers, the meadows. We are keepers of  nature, we can see and hear things but can never meddle, unless the elders ordered it in certain occasions. This time I could not stand by and let you, my son, nor your cousins be warned of the danger that is arising. I could have left you clues, but my mother's heart prevailed this time. I wanted to step out many times and made myself known to you, especially after you had become a vampire. That had changed so much for me. You becoming a supernatural being, made it more easily to follow you.”

“Are you ok?” Elena said breaking the Original’s thoughts as she stepped out into the garden.

“I am fine. Just - thinking about - everything - her.” Elijah said putting the frame with the picture down on the table.

“It is kind of still mind-blowing that you are - a prince.” Elena said.

“I am not.”

“But your father was a king.” Elena then said. “This is so like Games of Thrones.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing. It’s a TV show - and books - nevermind. She said that more is to come and that all this with the Hundings is far from over.” Elena now reminded the vampire.

“Yes.This is why I wish I could get in touch with her.”

“She said that she won’t be able to come back - or?”

“There must be a way.” Elijah said, and then put a small smile on, his eyes sparkling with warmth. “I wanted to tell you that I - had fun last night - as Kol would put it.”

“I’m glad. We need to have fun. Too much sad things happened - and Caroline and - other would want us to have fun, too. But talking about Caroline - I called Jeremy this morning. They didn’t get in touch with him. He tried, but it looks like the link is broken or something.” Elena said.

“Well, one good thing is - they are together.” Elijah said.

“Yeah. And we haven’t lost them completely.

*

Meanwhile

In Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Francesca Guerrera sat down with one of her confindantes.

"You done it?! And did you manage to find the amulet?!

"No. The old woman wouldn't talk. It wasn't in the house." Oliver said.

"We need it for the unification ritual,"Francesca said,"it's in their family. Where the hell has the woman hid it?!"

"According to the legend you need the blood of the werewolf trinity of the three oldest bloodlines...and Jackson is dead?! Plus, the ancient witch that apparently has the spell still is nowhere to be found?!"

"I have it all covered. I will let you on a little secret if you promise to be the faithful wolf you swore in blood to be."

"I swore more than that my Queen" Oliver said.

"I know. This will also be a test of your fidelity" Francesca said.

Oliver now eagerly waited for her to let him in on the secret and she said smirking, "Jackson Dumas is alive!"

"Why the pretence?!" Oliver shoot up.

"To break Hayley's spirit."

"But she still has the girl. How is it breaking her spirit?!"

"You are one dumb wolf. Sexy, but dumb. You don't know about anything if love, being alpha and wolf families?! "

"The whole pack would look after the young?!"

"Not if you prove that the young is not from their bloodline" Francesca said.

"Hayley had the girl with someone else and not with Jackson?! But he claimed her as her own?!"

"Yes. But her father comes from an ancient bloodline too. And we have the trinity we need. It worked perfectly"

"Who is the father of the child?!" Oliver asked.

"Mason Lockwood" Francesca said.

*

In Halifax

Kol woke up with a slight headache. The magical herbs to control him had a side-effect and he hated taking them, but he knew that if he stopped, he wouldn’t be able to keep his blood lust under control, as well as his temper.

Too many werewolves in the club proved to be too much for Kol. It was good Elijah managed to anticipate Kol's seizure moment when he ripped into a woman. He managed to get him off, compelling the woman to forget what had happened. Elena was right behind him to heal the girl. To Bonnie it looked like they just did everything in two seconds. Kol was fuming, but Elijah was convincing enough to bring him back into his mellow state somehow.

“Good morning” Elijah said to his brother Kol as he and the other’s joined him in the kitchen.

"I thought you have things under control?!" Elijah said angrily, but still in a very calm manner.

"I don't need a babysitter?!" Kol sifted.

Elijah sighed a little. He didn't want to continue with the argument or act like a smart older brother.

"It wasn't my intention, but you have to exercise control. You need to manage it a little bit better! We don't want to attract unwanted attention. At least not till we get more information." Elijah said.

Kol agreed. Controling his emotions and instincts have never been his strong point, not even as a child. His heart ached for being tossed away by Sophie, spuring emotions that made him want to lash out.

Elijah's phone buzzed and he looked at the message that Elena sent.

'Following a guy with a triple crescent tattoo. Couldn't be compelled"

He updated Kol about the message.

"So, the night proved to be fruitful. You know what such good luck means?!'

"Yes. Too good to be true. They know we are here!" Elijah said.

"You are not worried about Elena?!" Kol asked.

"She can handle herself. She is not a hopeless little girl"

"No, she is very much a shield-maiden, I see why you admire her so much." Kol said. "I admire her for a lot more than her ability to fight."

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

“And what if I am?” Elijah said tilting his head making a little pout.

"Not surprising - knowing your history with the doppelgangers.” Kol remarked.

“This is different. Also, everything about me and Tatia wasn’t true.” Elijah said.

“About you killing her, but that night at Samhain - you were together?”

“We were - but -”

“What?”

“She didn’t want to commit.” Elijah said.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.” Elijah said followed by a silent sigh.

“I am out. Still hungry. This pig’s blood is vile.”

"I thought you’d be homebound. Wasn't Sophie supposed to be here by now -or is your heart swayed in another direction?!" Elijah referred to Kol and Bonnie’s good time the night before.

"The Bennet witch?! Hm -she’s got spunk, I must admit that." Kol said chuckling a bit.

*

Elsewhere

Elena and Bonnie followed the crescent tatoo guy to his destination. He walked into a house that looked very expensive, in a wealthy part of the city.

"He couldn't be compelled." Elena said to Bonnie."But it wasn't vervain?!"

"It was hilarious watching you play a silly drunk explaining to him that you see psychodelic something in his eyes. Still can't get over it that you can do all vampire stuff and you are not one?!"

"Feels weird too, trust me. I can be an actress, right! Never thought of that"

"We are now high school drop outs." Bonnie remarked.

"I know. When all this is over, I will do school. Did you know that Elijah actually has degrees in arhitecture, World literature several times over."

"He seriously went to university?!" Bonnie couldn't believe it.

"Yep. When he was a man, it was expected of him to be a warrior and a farmer, but he loved construction."

"So weird when you talk about them as normal humans who had dreams and wishes," Bonnie remarked,"so, what’s this thing about you doing drama?! I thought you wanted to be a doctor?"

"I don't know. I wanted to be a doctor like my dad, but now I don't know."

"The way things go, I kinda doubt we will ever have a normal life." Bonnie said. “It also gets me that you are this enhanced human and that you can compell and do like everything the Originals do.”

“It’s crazy - yeah. Ok. Let’s look for the - whatever we are looking for.”

They collected enough info about the place. Elena now called Elijah. The witch and the doppelganger caught a taxi and went back to the Compound.

*

Back in the Mikaelson’s current compound

"When the witches channelled the Hunding magic and their covens, the balance between our two worlds was disturbed." Sophie said over the  video call from New York.

"Right, and that means exactly what?" Rebekah said waiting for a very bad answer.

"It's our fault, too." Sophie continued.

"Sophie, please no riddles. Tell us what is going on?!" Rebekah urged the witch to speak clearly.

"They used a very potent dark magic. And I have done that too, with enhancing your ability to fight against them."

Stefan now jumped into the conversation, "And now we have strange side effects, right?!"

“Yep.” Sophie said.

"I don't feel anything." Rebekah uttered.

"Not yet. I tried to check things out about it, but I have no knowledge of it. I will need to get to Eilif somehow."

"Elijah said that she would not be coming back?!" Rebekah said.

"Well, we need to get hold of her. The disturbance is not only here, but also in the spirit world." Sophie said.

"Don't tell me that Sigrid Mikaelson has something to do with it?!" Rebekah scoffed a little.

"I have not found anything about her. That is why we need Eilif." Sophie replied and looked at Elijah, who came into the living room.

“Can you get to - my mother?” Elijah asked.

“I will try.” Sophie said. “We need answers.”

“Right.” Elijah said, and updated the witch on Elena and Bonnie finding the place where the triple crescent guy lived.

“They are something called ‘the shadowhunters’ - directly linked to Hell,” Sophie said, “and according to what I know - the Hell witches!”

“Hell witches?!” Elijah repeated.

“Yes. Do you know about them?”

Elijah went quiet, nodding a little.

“Right, you guys, I will see what else I can find here. See you in NOLA soon.” Sophie said.

“Yes.” Rebekah said and as Sophie hung up, she turned to Elijah. “You ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“You are still our brother, same as Klaus. Nothing’s changed.” Kol said.

“I know - still - “ Elijah started but stopped.

“It’s always and forever no matter whether you are a Mikaelson or not.” Rebekah said. 

“Thank you.” Elijah put a small smile on. So many things had changed in the past months, some good and some awkwardly unusual. With all the strange revelations, they were closer than ever, and his heart was glad.

*

In the spirit world, Klaus and Caroline found themselves in an unusual place, as they finished their talk with Lexi, and as they tried to get out of Caroline's house, they found themselves in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. But there was no town, only a viking settlement.

"Where are we?" Caroline asked. "I know this is so weird in this world, but how do we get to do time traveling?"

"There is no time here." Klaus explained." I believe this is some foul magic."

"And I thought, being dead will exempt us from the whole thing." Caroline said.

"Well, the note about finding Sigrid Mikaelson didn't come by regular post?!" Klaus said.

"No. It would be too weird to have something regular." Caroline said. She looked at him now as there was a certain change in him as if he got fond memories return to him from time passed. "You look like you have come home?!"

Klaus smiled a little in his usual fashion and took her by the hand, "Come...let us walk through the village."

Soon it was clear to them that they could not be seen by the people. They could not hear them, but only observe them. Till a woman came up to them. Klaus recognized straight away by the woman's dress that she was a witch. She addressed him in old norse, asking him to follow her into the woods.

"Ok- can you translate?" Caroline sifted.

"We are ghosts and before that we were vampires and she actually summoned me!"

"You, of course!" Caroline was miffed.

"Sorry love, us." Klaus said.

"I bet it is a Mikaelson thing" Caroline remarked.

They stopped at a point in the woods where a white oak tree stood among different pine trees.

Caroline could see Klaus cringe seeing the tree.

Then the woman spoke again in old norse, "What is she saying?" Caroline was annoyed for not understanding a word.

"Basically, the Hell witches spoke to her and apparently the disturbance in the spirit world believe it or not is ours to resolve," Klaus turned to Caroline, "according to her, the Gods have sent for us"

"Gods, right?! What else will I hear, seriously, does she know that we are vampires?!"

"Actually, we are not vampires anymore, just ghosts, who apparently according to her have a direct link to Asgard!" Klaus smirked a little.

Caroline rolled her eyes and huffed.

They could both see that the witch looked in awe and slight horror as she saw a woman appear  from nowhere and addressed Klaus and Caroline.

With a hand wave she closed the veil between the witch and them.

"She needn't know what is coming yet!" Skuld, one of the norns said to Caroline and Klaus.

"Who are you?" Caroline wanted to know.

"My name is Skuld, people refer to me as the norn of the future, although fate is such a diverse thing and it is interwoven like the roots of Yggdrasil. If it wasn't so all would be so much easier. Anyway, not to divert from the serious matter, which is the disturbance in magic and balance of the natural world.  We can hear, see, know things but we cannot directly participate, although it has been done before, and because of it mayham is in front of our doors."

"This is going to be lengthy!"- Klaus then said.

Skuld smiled a little "yes, it will. It started a long time ago, people say before time. Vampires, that you were, are also creatures from before time. "

"Just tell us what we have to do! I guess we have to save the spirit world?!"- Caroline interrupted.

"Yes. If you put it that simply. I am here to pass my magic to you and make you a valkyrie, although you already are one!" Skuld said to Caroline taking hold of her hand.

Caroline could feel the same surge of magic go through her as Sophie had done with the enhancement spell.

Caroline could now sea a seal on her wrist as if she was branded. Klaus heard stories as a boy about shield-maidens who would tatoo the valkyrie wings.

"The Hell witches are like no other witches you have seen so far. They will use magic and swords like they are one." Skuld said.

Caroline now looked at her and asked her about how and when it was going to happen.

"You will know. Soon. Gather your army. I will see you again.” Skuld said and as she appeared, she disappeared.

"Ugh, this is exactly like it happened with Elijah's mom!! They come and go and leave you with no real clue!!" Caroline said and then looked at Klaus as if she just realized what had happened. "Am I supposed to lead a ghost army against those Hell witches?!"

"It appears to be so!" Klaus said smiling at her cheekily and looking at his beloved with great admiration, before he pulled her into a kiss, "I knew there was something so much more to you!”

*

Flashforward

”We should check everything about the Hell witches. I remember reading about them once when I lived in Marrakesh in the 13th century.” Elijah said.

”We go to Marocco?” Elena cocked a quizzical eyebrow at the Original.

” Yes. There is someone I used to know. An old acquaintance of mine, Aya Al-Rashid knows about them.”

”Ok. Let’s go then.”

[katefiction]

Cora, Chapter 2: Invitations

I have to tell someone.

I can’t.

I can’t tell anyone.

Annie, she’d know what to do.

No, she’d just congratulate me and pat me on the back.

Jenny? She’d freak me out even more.

Mum…let’s not go there.

Dad? I quiver at the thought.

The door swings open as I stand contemplating my options, one hand in my mouth, my nail being torn to shreds, the other clutching a bottle of brandy.

‘Cora!’, he says as if I’m a wonderful surprise he wasn’t expecting. 

‘Evening Nicholas’, I smile, placing my hand at my side quickly.

He looks fantastic, his hair perfectly in place, and wearing a blue shirt and chinos. I have opted for a little black dress.

‘You look lovely’, he kisses me on both cheeks and I hand him the brandy.

‘For you’.

 ‘Brandy and fish? I think I’ll have to teach you a thing or two about flavours!’, he chuckles.

He lets me in to his plush Notting Hill apartment. Unlike my apartment at Clarence House, Nicholas is surrounded by shiny new furniture and contemporary art. It’s the kind of place that when you step bare foot, your feet sink into the lush, soft strands of the carpet.

He puts the brandy to one side and pours me a glass of wine.

‘So what’s for dinner?’, I ask.

‘Salt-crusted grilled fish with lemongrass’, he says proudly. 

‘You are full of surprises! Who knew you were a cook?’

‘I have many talents’, he says, looking over his glass at me.

I blush lightly. I have no idea what to say in response.

We settle down to dinner, Nicholas entertaining me with stories from his childhood, and the rivalry he and his older brother, Jonathan, had as boys.

‘I used to scribble out his grades on his school work and replace them with E’s and F’s’, he laughs, ‘he used to get so angry when Mum and Dad made him do more homework to make up for it’.

‘I wish I had siblings’

‘They’re not all they’re made out to be’

‘No, you’re so lucky to have that one person who understands…’, I trail off. ‘…I remember being seven and finally realising that Mum and Dad divorcing meant I wouldn’t get a little brother or sister to play with.’

I don’t have to tell Nicholas the story, we’d never talked about it, but of course he knew, the whole world knew. My parents divorced when I was five. They continued to live in Clarence House, albeit in very separate apartments, for my sake. When I left home for university, Mum wasted no time in moving to a secluded country home in Surrey. I’d resented her for it ever since. For leaving me. For leaving Dad.

I snap myself out of it as Nicholas says, ‘yes well, silver linings and all that.’ I can see I’ve made him uncomfortable. He changes the subject and my family aren’t mentioned for the rest of the meal.

After a chocolate soufflé, we head over to the living area. I’m a little woozy from the wine and would love to put my feet up and sink into the couch, but it’s hard on the back and sides, and I sit awkwardly upright as Nicholas sits next to me, looking all the more glamorous, his arm draped over his arm rest.

‘Get comfortable’, he insists.

I shuffle backwards into the couch, holding my wine in one hand, doing my best to look casual.

Nicholas swirls the wine in his glass. ‘So I know it’s a bit short notice for someone like you, but my father’s hosting our annual Highland Fling next month, and I wondered if you’d like to accompany me?’

‘Will you be dancing?’, I giggle.

‘Yes, of course, and I’ll be in a kilt’

I almost ask him if he’ll wear the kilt in the traditional way, with nothing underneath, but I stop myself. He raises an eyebrow as if he’s expecting me to ask that very question.

‘I’ll check my diary’, I say instead.

Nicholas’ face drops slightly, giving him a look of an abandoned puppy on the roadside.

‘I’m sure it’ll be fine though Nick! Best not double book myself’, I say cheerily, placing a hand on his knee to reassure him. 

‘Good’. He reaches to my hair, tucking a strand behind my ear before resting it on my shoulder. Tilting his body toward mine, my heart starts to beat uncontrollably. He’s taken that small gesture as a green light. Shit.

Nicholas is inches away from my face when I panic, ‘I can’t!’, I say, my voice going to liquid.

He stops, but doesn’t pull away, his face still ludicrously close to mine given what I’d just said.

‘You can’t?’

‘I mean I won’t…I mean…just not on the first date’, I manage a smile.

I’m lying; I did mean ‘I can’t’. A Freudian slip. How could I kiss this man after kissing another yesterday? How could he compare? I shake the thought of Ben out of my mind.

Nicholas pats my knee, ‘of course’.

‘Could I use the bathroom?’, I say, hoping to change the subject.

‘Through the passage, second on the right’. I think I hear a hint of annoyance in his voice.

I amble back from the bathroom a few minutes later, looking at the art work in the passage as I go. Next to the doorway that leads back to the living area is a small, wooden telephone table, with a telephone and a pile of documents sitting on top. The one messy thing in Nicholas’ home, I think to myself.

My father has always said I have an inquisitive mind; anyone else would call it nosy. I reassure myself that I’m just getting to know him better as I flick nonchalantly through Nicholas’ papers. A single sheet at the bottom of the pile catches my eye.

25/07/2163

Invoice

Elliot Mason Private Catering

2 course meal x2    £250.00

I push the papers back into place, smarting from my discovery. Part of me is endeared that he would go to such lengths for our date. The other part, the niggling part in my chest, is annoyed that he lied to me. It’s the cynical princess that wins. I have to test him.

‘So’ I say as I re-enter the room, where Nicholas is clearing away the glasses, ‘what are you going to cook for me next time?’ 

‘Ha! Well next time, we’ll be at the Highland Fling, so I won’t need to’, he gives me a small wink.

Forcing myself to come to my senses, I thank him for the evening, and promise to get in touch. So what if he paid a chef and lied about it? Surely that proves he likes me?

Maybe that niggling feeling I’ve felt all night isn’t my doubt, maybe it’s guilt.

I have to tell someone.

***

I drum my fingers across the desk in an erratic beat as Maggie reals off my commitments for the coming month. Our monthly diary meetings were her idea; a way to keep me organised and for us to merge my work diary with my personal one.

‘The weekend beginning Saturday, August twenty-eighth, you have free…’

‘I’m in Scotland that weekend’, I say, distracted by a fly buzzing near the window, trying to escape. 

‘Ok, for the whole weekend?’ Maggie never asked for specifics, where I was going and who with were my business. Nevertheless, I usually told her anyway.

I get up and open the window, releasing the fly to the world, ‘I’m not sure yet, it’s the Dunrobin Highland Fling, I might come home the next day’.

She scribbles something in her diary, as we discuss the last few days of August for a couple of minutes. I’m eager to leave, I hate meetings. I’m always the fly trying to escape from the window.

‘Just one last thing Ma’am’, Maggie picks up a large, thick envelope. ‘This came for you at the office, I presume you were expecting it?’

She hands it to me and I pull out the contents; a navy blue information pack, with the words ‘Marion and James Evans Trust’ in white writing on the cover. My heart skips a beat.

Opening the folder, I find a compliments note written in scrawling, spiky handwriting,

‘In case you couldn’t find the email address,

Ben Evans’

I’m convinced Maggie can hear my heart humming.

‘It’s from Ben Evans, about the Trust’, I say, my mouth dry.

‘Is he wanting you to get involved?’ Maggie asks, more interested in her paperwork.

‘Um…I don’t know’, I stay glued to the spot, staring at his disjointed penmanship, wondering what it says about him.

‘Are you ok Ma’am?’

When I look up, Maggie is looking at me, a slightly concerned expression on her face. It’s not like me to be so quiet.

‘I kissed him’. The words are out before my brain can stop them.

‘Mr Egerton, Ma’am?’

‘What?’, she thinks I’m talking about Nicholas, I had told her about the date in a fit of nerves on the way back from the awards. ‘No, not Nicholas…Ben, that night, I don’t know what happened, one minute we were talking, the next…’

Maggie’s eyes widen for a milli-second, then settle. She is truly the calmest person I know.

‘Are you planning to see each other again?’

‘I don’t know, I mean of course not! I’m seeing Nicholas, it was just a moment of madness’, I blurt out.

‘Are you worried?’, she says, trying to find the source of my angst.

‘About what?’

‘That he may speak to someone?’

Her innocent question hits me in the chest like a freezing snowball on a winter’s day. I hadn’t even considered he might talk to someone, and by ‘someone’, Maggie meant the press.

‘He wouldn’t, would he? I mean, why would he?’, the panic in my voice is rising by the second.

‘For publicity, press attention…any number of reasons Ma’am’

‘Oh shit’. How could I be so stupid?

Maggie tries to placate me, ‘I can get in contact with his team, make sure he knows any such action would be deplorable’

‘No! No, it’s fine, I’ll speak to him myself’, I scan the room, my mind buzzing.

‘I’m not sure that would be advisable’, she says calmly.

I ignore her against my better judgement, ‘I should see him in person, yes, that’s what I need to do, I need to see him.’

***

Queen’s Club, London

Maggie knew it was an excuse, I knew it was an excuse. But that wasn’t enough to stop me.

I’m well known around here, visiting every month or so to play a quick game of tennis. Ben and I had spoken about it that night, he had told me he comes here often, and after a few discreet phone calls from Maggie, I had discovered he’d be here training today.

Walking towards the lawns in my tennis whites and neon pink trainers, I scan the area for any sight of him and it doesn’t take long before I do. Swinging his racket forcefully against his training partner’s forehand, he bounces around the court, sweating head to toe in the August heat.  

I stand and watch for a few minutes, admiring the shapes his body can make under such speed, until his partner relents and goes to find some shade. Ben heads over to a bench on the side of the court, sits down and leans back his head, pouring water from his bottle all over his face, before gulping the rest down. 

I stride towards him purposefully. I am here for a reason.

I see him squinting like he’s seen a mirage. A grin passes over his face as I approach.

‘Morning, how are you?’, he says simply.

‘Good thanks, and you?’, I say. Casual. Be casual.

‘Good, good’

I stand in front of him, an expectant silence between us. Say something clever, Cora, or funny. Say anything. Speak for God’s sake!

‘I got your information pack, thank you!’, I say with a squeak.

‘Well, I noticed there hadn’t been any emails from you’, he shrugged. ‘I thought you might have been avoiding me.’

I laugh like a deranged idiot, ‘why would I avoid you?’

‘Because you kissed me’

I’m startled by his bluntness and stumble over my words before I realise what he’s just said.

‘Wait a second, you kissed me’, I say indignantly.

‘That’s not how I remember it’, he leans down to re-tie his shoelaces.

I open my mouth to bite back, then realise what he’s doing. ‘Nice try’.

‘Aha, she’s discovered a sense of humour at last’, he says, looking to the sky playfully.

I sit down next to him; I need to bite the bullet. ‘I have to ask you something…’, I say tentatively.

‘Go on’

‘Have you…told anyone about what happened?’

‘Nope, why?’

‘I just had to check’

‘For?…’ He places his elbows on his thighs and studies me.

‘If it got out, well, it would be a nightmare; I would really appreciate it if you didn’t say anything’

‘Thanks for the vote of confidence’, he rolls his eyes. ‘Is there someone in particular you don’t want to find out? A boyfriend, perhaps’

My heart jumps into my throat. ‘No!’ I say it a little too quickly. ‘But, I’ve been on a date, since…it happened’

Why did I just tell him that?

A flicker of disappointment passes over his face.

‘So you‘re just worried I’ll use you for publicity?’, a darkness clouds his voice.

‘No, I-’

‘Cora, I’ve been in the public eye long enough to know how it works, I’m not interested in making the Sunday papers, I just want to play tennis’

‘I’m sorry, it would be stupid of me not to check’, I say.

He nods in agreement, ‘I appreciate you coming to me yourself’

‘See, I told Maggie that would be best!’, I can’t wait for the chance to rub that one in her face.

‘So Maggie knows does she?’, he raises both eyebrows. ‘And yet I’m getting the lecture about keeping my mouth shut!’

Crap. ‘She’s the only person I told, I swear’, I say, panicking.

Ben laughs, that glorious, big laugh, ‘I couldn’t give a shit who you tell’. There’s that bluntness again.

I want to hit him with my racket; this man knows how to break me into a sweat.

‘As you’re here, do you fancy a game?’, he motions towards the court.

‘With you?’

‘No with the Pope, yes with me. I heard Bejar offered you lessons, I think you can do better than him’, his deep brown eyes dart across mine.

I force Nicholas back into my mind like a shoehorn. Don’t flirt, don’t flirt.

‘Well you do need help on that forehand’, I tease.

We head over to the court where we hit a few balls around, Ben giving me some pointers along the way. As we finally get into a game, unsurprisingly, he wins every point. All but one, when he hits the net.

Later as I walk him to the changing rooms, I can’t help but gloat. ‘A point against a tennis champion, that’s pretty good going.’

‘One measly point! And it was only because I was distracted by those ridiculous trainers!’, he looks down at my neon pink feet.

It usually takes an age for a new friend to feel like they can tease me. I smile to myself, grateful that he just didn’t ‘give a shit’.

‘I’m sure you’re better at other things’, he pats me on the shoulder unaware of the glow it ignites inside me.

‘I am’, I try and sound mysterious.

‘Like?’

I say the first think that pops into my mind, ‘like the Highland Fling’

Ben finds this hilarious, of course he does.

‘I bet you couldn’t do it, I bet you’re too “manly” to even try’, I hold his gaze.

‘Try me’, he says, his voice deep.

‘There’s a party on the twenty-eighth, my friend…the guy I’m going with, it’s at his home, a big do, I’ll send you the details…if you’re not too much of a wuss, that is’

What am I doing?

‘Great’, if he’s registered that I’m going there with a date, he doesn’t show it.

‘Great, see you then’, I flounce off , my face on fire, my heart thumping.

‘Uh Cora!’, he calls after me.

I turn around.

‘You’ll probably need my number, to send me the details?’

‘Oh yes’, I blush.

I walk away with my hand gripped around my racket, Ben’s number in my phone, and his eyes on my back.

This has suddenly become very real.

What have I done?

[alleycat97]

Slippery Slopes Pt.2

Part two y’all! Sorry it’s late, I’ve been busy. Should be one more part to finish this up!

Tag list: @samanthadalton @fundamentalromantic @avalawrencefl @penda-bear @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @kamilahsayeet2063

It had been an interesting 24 hours since the accident on the slopes yesterday. No word had been passed on about Emma and that left her suitors restless. Mason couldn’t cope with the fact that his father or ex best friend had committed such a cruel act that hurt Emma.

Noah couldn’t believe he was even in this situation. He should have never trusted Jennings but he let his guard down for the sake of the trip and Emma, and this is what he got. He was looking at charges for trespassing and endangerment while Principal Jennings seemed to be clearing his name.

Mack couldn’t stop pacing, Dr. Price was doing an awful job of updating his own daughter on her sisters progress. Ava wasn’t fairing much better. She had organized their room over and over trying to make sure it’s perfect for when Emma came back to the lodge.

It was just a sit tight and stand ready type of situation. None of them had a personal car available, so trapped at the lodge they were.

Ava stopped her cleaning when she heard a cellphone go off, to no surprise it was hers and the caller was Bayla. She grumbled and put the phone back down, she had called 4 times already today. Ava couldn’t bring herself to talk to her girlfriend knowing Emma was hurt in the hospital. She would sound weak, vulnerable, all red flags Bayla didn’t need right now.

Another call rang out across the house, this time it was Mack’s phone, and judging by her facial reactions, it was with her father. Mack nodded enthusiastically and ended the call, yelling out to find Mason.

“Emma is ready to come back here, dad said she will be ok, we need to go and pick her up. Spare keys are in his room, I’ll grab them and we can go.”

“What all was wrong?” Ava rushed out of the room and into the foyer.

“He didn’t say. I guess we will know when we all get back.” Mack said noticing the gloom placed on Ava’s features. “She’s gonna be alright.”

Ava went and tidied up the room once more and without knowing what Emma would require, she just cluttered the entire nightstand with odd and ends eliminating the guessing.

The front door slamming was her queue to come running, she leaned over the balcony railing only to see Jennings and Noah.

“I don’t know how you got those signs in my bag old man, but this isn’t over.” Noah hissed shoving his way past Principal Jennings.

“Maybe you should think twice before doing illegal activities. You’re never going to learn trailer trash.” Jennings barked stopping Noah dead in his tracks.

Jennings was an asshole. This dude seemed to get off on making teenagers lives miserable. The tension was unbearable.

“I know you knew about the course being closed. I just can’t figure out why you’d try to hurt Emma. You’re a sick bastard and if I go down, you’re coming with me.” Noah said inching up into Jennings face.

The scene was split up when Mack came through the door. Mason in tow pushing an unconscious Emma in a wheelchair. She had a cast on her leg and looked so cold. Dave brought up the rear looking like hell. Looks like sleep wasn't an option for him either.

“Ah yes there she is. How did everything go?” Jennings asked unfazed of what transpired.

Mason ignored him and tried to walk past to the staircase with Emma sleeping.

“I said how did everything go?” Jennings said jerking Mason back almost causing him to fall. Noah shoved Jennings aside helping to stabilize Mason so Emma wouldn’t fall out of the chair.

“Ask Mr. Price dad! Let go of me, Emma needs to be in bed!” Mason snapped shoving his fathers hands away from him.

Jennings jumped at the outburst and gritted his teeth, turning to Dave. “Let’s talk in the kitchen, I’ll have the Chef whip up some coffee.”

With the adults gone and the room de-stressed, Noah assisted Mason in carrying Emma up to her room, Ava steering clear of them until Emma was placed in bed.

“Ok boys thank you. I can handle her from here.” Ava shot out shoving them aside to check on Emma.

The boys looked to each other confused but didn’t say anything about the outburst. Mason needed his own rest and Noah had a busy day ahead of him with Jennings and the ski patrol assholes.

“Just let us know when she wakes alright? Mr. Price has her medicine.” Mason said closing the door leaving Ava alone with a sleeping Emma.

Ava had no clue why she wanted the privacy with Emma. She was a taken woman and Emma was her bestie. Nothing else, she tried to convince herself.

But the longer she sat and stared at Emma, the more her heart pounded, the more she wanted to wake her and kiss her all better. The thoughts of such activities made her dizzy and she had to get away. But it was Emma, she had this way of keeping her grounded and for the life of her, Ava couldn’t drag herself away.

So she continued to sit in silence, begging for Emma to wake up, because quite frankly? She didn’t look too well.

Ava easily got up and slipped out of the room and looked for Mr. Price. She heard some quiet commotion from the kitchen, what a shock.

“Now you listen here Jim, I don’t know how it happened, all I know is my little girl just underwent a major leg surgery after she took place in your little race.”

“Now I know how it looks Dave, I’m quite sorry that it happened, but Mr. Harris is the culprit here. I should have known not to place trust in him. What a terrible thing, taking down those signs.”

Noah heard his name and flew into the kitchen,

“I told you Jennings! I didn’t take down any signs!”

“Quiet scum! Adults are talking here! Don’t you have a meeting with the ski patrol?” Jim teased.

“I don’t know how you twisted this on me, but I’ll get you back.” Noah inched closer so only Jennings could here, “Maybe I should call off our deal?”

Whatever was said, Jennings went pale and cleared his throat. Removing himself from the conversation.

“Mr. Price?” Ava said entering the room. “Emma is still asleep. And she’s so pale, she looks sick.”

“I feared that. It’s her medication, she should be awake anytime now for another dose. Here, please give her one of these when she awakes. I’m going to get some rest.” Mr. Price said handing over the medicine.

Ava returned to the room with the meds and hot tea to find Emma slowly awaking.

“Hello sleepy head.” Ava rushed over with a smile.

“Where am I?” Emma groggily spoke out.

“Back in the bedroom with good ol me.”

Emma rubbed at her eyes trying to get them to open, “Are you an angel?”

Ava snorted, “Oh now you wanna shoot your shot huh.”

“Worth a try.” Emma laughed. “I feel terrible.”

“You look it.” Ava agreed dodging the pillow Emma tossed.

“Here Mahomes, here’s your pill and I made your favorite tea.” Ava giggled as she sat down next to Emma to help her take the meds and give her a sip of tea.

“Psh, Mahomes wishes he had this cannon for an arm.” Emma tried laughing but she done exhausted herself.

“Relax, you just underwent surgery. I’m actually impressed they released you so quickly.”

“Perks of having a doctor for a dad. I’m not about that hospital food.”

The two sat in silence for a moment while Emma sipped her tea. It was so nice just the two of them, Ava had Emma all to herself, no intruders, no boys, and no Bayla. Crap....Bayla was still her girlfriend.

Ava came to and realized she was stroking Emma’s delicate hair, resting her hand on Emma’s soft cheek. She quickly composed herself and stood abruptly, creating as much distance as possible.

What was this? What were they? Friends? More than friends? Ava knew what the answer should be, but the timing was terrible. Bayla was her own girlfriend, and Emma had her own issues.

A text shot through to Ava’s phone, it was Bayla. “Speak of the devil.” Ava whispered. She had been putting her off for long enough and by judging by the text she received, Bayla wasn’t happy.

“Ava?” Emma called out oblivious to Ava’s aggressive texting.

Ava turned immediately to face her, “Yeah?”

“Where are the boys?”

Ava doesn’t know why, but with her issues with Bayla and her feelings for Emma, hearing her ask for the boys really added fuel to her blazing fire.

“Idk. Mason is resting and Noah and Jennings are with the ski patrol.”

Emma could hear the aggression in Ava’s voice, but she couldn’t tell if it was at her texting or towards her about her question.

“Is everything alright Ava?”

“Yeah. It’s just Bayla. She’s bugging me because I haven’t responded in awhile.”

“Oh. I wonder what has her in a twist.” Emma asked innocently.

Ava knew why. She told Bayla before she left the arrangement, so naturally she had to keep tabs on her at all times. Trust between the two were slipping, but Ava wasn’t helping her cause and Emma wasn’t either. “Because that’s what a good girlfriend does!” Ava snapped surprising Emma. “She’s just concerned!”

“Oh. I understand, I’m sorry.” Emma apologized.

“No Emma you don’t! You don’t understand and you never will!” Ava said slamming her phone down on the counter and stomping towards the door.

Something told Emma deep within this was more than just Bayla being worried, she couldn’t help but think this was all her fault and the reason Ava was upset.

Ava had to get out and breathe, she loved Emma, but she couldn’t take her indecisiveness. She couldn’t stand competing for her hand any longer, it was time to set the record straight. She stepped back in to grab her phone before heading back out again.

“Where are you going?” Emma tried.

“I’ve got a phone call to make.”

[ofstarsandvibranium]

From Left Field: Part 2

Fandom: Marvel (Single Parent AU)

Pairing: Chubby!Bucky Barnes x Reader

As requested by anonymous: I just got back from taking my son to the park and I saw a guy there that reminded me of a chubby Bucky. Now I’m just imagining chubby Bucky falling for a mother. It would be the sweetest thing in the world and he would be such a wonderful stepdad!

A/N: this is gonna be a 3 part series! that’s it! NO tags! (except for @cametobuyplums )

The days had come and gone, and now it was Saturday which meant that you would be meeting up with Bucky at the coffee shop. With Mason strapped into his car seat, his usual essentials packed, you were on your way to Queens.

During that time, you played your playlist of Disney songs. You and Mason sang along to every song, doing your best to hit all of the accurate notes, and laughing when you couldn’t.

Eventually, you arrived to Queens and the apartment complex of your babysitter. You climbed the steps and let Mason knocked on the door. Seconds passed and it swung open.

“Mason, my buddy!”

“Peter!” your son exclaimed and hugged the teenager’s legs.

Peter chuckled, “It’s good to see ya, Mason.” and with your four year old still attached to his legs, Peter leaned in and hugged you, “Hey, Y/N.”

“Hey, Pete. Thanks for watching him.”

Peter snorted, “C’mon, Y/N. I love Mason. He’s my buddy, right?”

“Right!” Mason exclaims with a jump.

You knelt down and kissed your son’s cheek, “Alright, baby. Be good for Peter, okay?”

“Okay, mommy. Love you!”

“I love you too, baby.” with another kiss and a hug and a thank you to Peter, you were on your way to Maximoff’s Cafe.

____________________________

Bucky arrived to the cafe early because he was nervous. Yes, he knew this wasn’t a date, but still. This was his first time making a friend in a long time and he just needed to get his nerves settled.

Wanda, one of the baristas and owner of the cafe, got him some chamomile tea to ease his nerves. It did nothing. So thanks for nothing, Wanda!

So he just sat at a table being a bundle of nerves as he waited for you.

“Hey, Bucky!” you approached him with a smile, when you arrived just on time, “How long have you been waiting here?”

“Oh not long.” Liar. You’ve been here for the past hour!

“Oh, okay! I’ve never been here before. It looks so cool and homey.”

“My friends own the place, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Brother and sister duo.”

“Cool. So that means you must get free drinks?”

Bucky snorted, “Not even close. But I do get free pastries and sandwiches.”

“That’s so much better than free drinks!”

“Yup and clearly,” he grabs his around stomach, “I love to eat. A lil’ too much that it’s obviously become a problem?”

You look at him curiously, “A problem?”

“I gained a lot of weight the past few years. Don’t look my best. That’s why I was all gross and sweaty at the park, if you noticed. Been trying to work it all off.”

“Are you unhealthy?”

“No. I just-I’m not all that great to look at right now. Few years back people said I was handsome, hot, sexy, whatever. I didn’t think too much of it. And I guess I took that for granted ‘cause now-”

You shook your head, “Stop that, Bucky.”

“What?”

“Diminishing yourself. Sure, you’ve gained weight, but that doesn’t mean the more you gain the less valuable you are.”

“But-”

“And frankly, I think you’re very attractive. Chub and all. But I get it. I mean, after I had Mason, I didn’t lose any of the pregnancy fat. It just stayed there. So I get why you’re insecure. I mean,” you scoffed, “my ex, Mason’s dad, cheated on me with someone skinnier and hotter.”

“Asshole,” Bucky mumbled.

You smirked, “Tell me about it. He made me feel super shitty, but a friend helped me realize that, first off, I shouldn’t feel sorry about myself because of my ex ‘cause he’s an asshole anyway and doesn’t deserve me.” Bucky nodded in agreement, “and second, no matter what my weight or size is, I’m still valuable. I’m a hardworker, I’m intelligent, I’m polite, I’m kind, I’m a good mother, and I’m hot as shit!” 

Bucky shook his head, “You’re wrong about one thing. You’re not a good mother. You’re a great mother. And for the record, you’re very beautiful.”

“Thank you, Bucky,” you leaned back in your chair with a sigh, “Well, that’s not how I expected us getting to know each other go. I thought we would talk about our jobs, favorite movies, if we have pets, all that. But no, we got into the deep stuff already.”

Bucky chuckled and have you a shrug, “Well, what could you do?” he leaned in and smiled at you, “So, Y/N, you got any pets?”

____________________________

Your time at the cafe with Bucky was so chill and refreshing. You laughed, talked, listened, and learned a lot about each other. You even met Wanda and Pietro, who were kind enough to give you a free sandwich since “a friend of Bucky’s is a friend of ours” as they said. 

Four hours later, it’s six o’clock and you and Bucky are heading out of the cafe with to go boxes in hand. 

“This was really nice. I needed this, Bucky. Thank you.”

“Of course. I had a really great time talking and getting to know you, Y/N.”

“Wanna do this again soon?”

Bucky grinned, “I’d love that. I’ll let you know when I’m free again.”

“Sounds good.”

“Is it alright if I hug you?” he asked apprehensively.

He felt relieved when you nodded, “Of course!” you immediately wrapped your arms around him and gave him a light squeeze, “See you soon, Bucky.”

He hugged you back, “I’ll see you soon, Y/N.”

You both then walked your separate ways to your cars and you were off towards the Parkers’ apartment. Within thirty minutes, Peter helped you strap a sleeping Mason in his carseat, his bag of things in your trunk. You thanked Peter with some money and a hug and you were onto your journey back home. 

It was a good day. 

____________________________

After that day, Bucky became a constant in your life. You two started to meet up once a week, talking and texting when you could. He also started to come by your apartment more. Whether it was bringing you food, helping you cook food, or watching over Mason while you got some stuff done around the apartment. Having Bucky around was so nice. He became your best friend. 

And his constant presence around you didn’t go unnoticed. Your other friends and your family were constantly asking if you two were together. But you always responded with the same thing: “We’re just friends!”

But no one believed you. Friends didn’t spend every waking moment talking, texting, or seeing each other. Friends don’t come to your place with flowers in hand just because they saw them and thought of you. Friends don’t make no effort in correcting your son when he accidentally calls them “daddy”. That one was an uncomfortable situation. 

You tried to reason with them all, but they didn’t relent. After hearing it so many times in so many different ways, you finally stopped to think for a moment. Did Bucky only see you as friend? Or did he see you as more? Did you see Bucky as more than a friend?

You thought about all the things Bucky has done with and for you for the past six months. When you thought about any and every instance, there was a fluttering in your stomach, your heart started racing, and there was a smile on your face. Oh shit. 

Do you have feelings for Bucky?!

____________________________

“Mommy, we’re hooome!” Mason announces as he and Bucky enter the apartment. 

You squat and open your arms to receive a hug from your son, “How was your day, baby?”

“I can count to twenty now!”

“Wow! That’s amazing, Mase! Good job! Now, why don’t you go put your things away and you could have a snack okay?”

“Okay, mommy!” he takes his backpack from Bucky and rushes over to his room. 

Bucky helps you stand and then wraps his arms around you in a quick hug, “Hey. I thought you wouldn’t be home.”

“I thought so too, but here I am! Thanks again for picking Mason up.”

Bucky chuckled, “Seriously, Y/N, stop thanking me. I don’t mind. I love Mason and I love helping you out too.”

“So you only love Mason, huh?” you asked teasingly.

That caught Bucky by surprise and he started stuttering, “I, uh, well, um-”

“Mommy! I can’t weach the aminal cwackers!” Mason cries out from the kitchen.

“Duty calls,” you say with a smile and then enter the kitchen to help out your son.

Saved by the boy, Bucky. Nice. He thought, mentally berating for becoming a stuttering mess after your teasing remark. The thing was that he didn’t only love Mason. He loves you too, but he doesn’t want to tell you. He couldn’t tell you because...

Because she’s not looking to date anyone, stupid!

Yes, we know! We all know! Don’t need to remind us! Sam does that almost every single day! The smug bastard.

“You stayin’ for dinner, Buck?” you ask from the kitchen.

Say no. You’re spending too much time with her! She’s gonna know your feelings for her eventually and she’s gonna be so uncomfortable around you and you’re going to loser her forever!

Why...Why are you like this?

I’m just trying to knock some sense into him! 

He loves her! Leave him alone!

He shouldn’t be in love her in the first place!

“Buck?” you peek your head out from the kitchen. 

Bucky just smiles at you, “Yeah, if that’s alright with you?”

You snort, “You have a key to my place, Bucky, so of course it’s okay for you to stay for dinner.”

She probably thinks you’re a loser ‘cause you’re always hanging out at hers.

Will you shut up!

“Huh?” your head pops into view again and Bucky realizes that he just said that outloud. 

“Oh, uh, my phone keeps vibrating. Group chats get annoying, ya know?”

“I just mute them.”

“Yeah. I should do that too.” Smooth, Bucky. Real smooth. 

____________________________

After dinner, you cleaned up the kitchen and the three of you watched a movie. Once it was over, it was Bucky helped Mason get ready for bed. After reading him a story, he called you in for good night kisses and Mason was fast asleep in no time. 

“Well, I better get to my place to get some sleep before my shift.” and Bucky heads to the door. 

You follow to show him out, “Thanks again for getting Mason and giving him a bath and getting-”

He shook his head, “Y/N, I told you you don’t have to thank me.”

“Yes, Bucky, I do. You’ve helped me out so much with Mason ever since I met you. I know I said being a single parent is alright, but with you around, it’s been so much easier.”

“I’d do anything for you guys. I love Mason and-a-and I love you.” you stare at him in shock as he continues, “I’m in love with you, Y/N and I know I shouldn’t be. You’ve become my best friend and I shouldn’t jeopardise that, but loving you and Mason has come so easy to me. You two make me so happy. 

“A-And I know you said you didn’t want to date right now. I’m not gonna force you or give you any incentive to. I just-I just thought I should let you know how important you two have become to me. I won’t even take it to heart that you don’t feel the same ‘cause we’re friends and I’m not the best lookin’ fella arou-mmf.” his words were silenced by your lips on his. Wait. Your lips were on his lips. You were kissing him! You’re really kissing him! He immediately grabs your waist and pulls you closer, kissing you back. 

When you finally needed to breath, you pulled away panting, “I love you too, Bucky. I’m so grateful to have you around. You’ve been such a great role model and father figure to Mason. We both love you, Bucky, so much.”

“I’m so glad to hear that, Y/N. You-You don’t even know.”

“I love you so much, Bucky. I love how the corners of your eyes crinkle when you smile and laugh. I love how you never get tired of eating pizza. I love how ramble on about space. I love how you’re there for Mason and I. I love your beard and how handsome it makes you. I love your belly, it’s so pudgy and squishy and nice to wrap my arms around. I love how sexy you are and you don’t even know it. I love you, Bucky Barnes, and everything about you.”

Bucky cups your face, his thumbs softly stroking your cheeks, “I love you, Y/N, and thank you, for helping me realize that no matter how I look, I’m still worthy of love, of your love.” he takes a glance at his watch and sighs, “I love you and I really wanna stay to kiss you more, but I gotta go get some sleep before my shift.”

“Or you can sleep here? You have your uniform in your car anyway.”

He groans, “As much as I would love to do that, I know that if I stay here, I’m not gonna want to leave.”

‘I don’t see how that’s a bad thing,” you say a a smirk. 

“You’re a bad influence, sweetheart, but I’m gonna go.”

You give a pout, “Fiiine. Okay.”

He giggles as he presses a kiss to your lips. God, he still can’t believe this is real, that you’re real, “I’ll see you tomorrow. I promise. I’ll come by and we’ll talk about this. The three of us. Okay?”

You nod, “Okay. Drive safely. I love you.”

“I will and good night, Y/N, I love you too.”

With another kiss to your lips, Bucky was out the door. Once he was out of sight, you shut the door and slid against it to the floor. 

You were so in love with Bucky.

[btsqualityy]

Just thINK so mason walks unaware of what’s going on and yoongi immediately Pops off on him for “corrupting my baby girl” and too “keep his hands off her” and mason just backs out thought the door he just came though and calls his dad on the way home to let him know what just happened. And that causes namjoon to call yoongi for 2 reasons 1- to realize they’re consenting and kins isn’t innocent. And 2-dont y’all at his son. And mama min is just watching the horror unfold and is trying to calm him

Oof imagine how mama Min would chew him out for yelling at Mason like that 😭

Mama Min: “I get that you’re not enthused about the thought of Kins having sex but did you really have to talk to Mason like that?”

Yoongi: “he’s corrupting my baby!”

Mama Min: “I can pretty much guarantee that he’s not. Kins is a teenager and there’s things that she’s not gonna just come out and tell us so of course you’re gonna think of her as the same innocent three year old that you like to view her as but we both know that’s probably not true”

Yoongi: “.....but-“

Mama Min: “don’t but me. You’ve known mason since the day that he was born; you know he wants nothing but the best for Kins and that he treats her like a queen and I’m gonna need you to pull your head out of your ass and remember that”

Yoongi: “🤬”

[jess-the-vampire]

Sky And The Forces Of The Multiverse, Chapter 31

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Judas sat across his parents, crossing his arms as they both sat across from him in disbelief, Judas constantly trying to keep his cool and fix his hair throughout the confrontation, it almost felt like be was about to be punished again, and honestly that's what he expected when he was called here. He almost couldn't look his family straight in the face anymore, though he could tell they were probably disappointed at him and keeping this behind their backs for so long. He couldn't even managed to speak another word to them, waiting to hear what they had to say as they processed the boy's information. Marco was pacing around the room, rubbing at their face as Tom sat at his desk, tapping on the wood and seemed just as worried and stressed as judas and marco were. Though eventually tom finally managed to find the words to actually speak to the older boy and get his thoughts out on everything he found out.

"So...the girls are....our kids.....from alternate timelines...". Marco stopped in their tracks. "And....you think this masked person was behind it.....". Judas felt himself tense. "And you've all been conspiring to catch them and find out their identity behind our backs....even putting your little brother in harm's way?". Every word felt like a knife in his gut, at this point he'd be lucky if they didn't just hand the throne over to landon and denounce him entirely, he took risks but they were serious risks and his parents had every right to be more then mad with him at this point. He only managed to nod a little as the adults looked at each other before looking back to judas, "Judas you....you really could've gotten hurt you know? You all could've gotten seriously hurt...and you all could've.....judas why didn't you get any of us involved?". "I.....I couldn't bring myself to.....", he sighed, "We didn't know what could happen if you knew...especially to the girls, or even to your sanities....we just wanted to help. You....all of you are afraid to let us do anything, to help or take care of these problems, you let me sit in on your meetings but you never wanted me to take any actions...when i'll be king soon! These girls shouldn't have to deal with all of you on top of them as well! All we wanted to do was get them back home and protect them....". "Judas..". "Everyone wanted to do this, we didn't make anyone join, mason felt so alone and useless and he was more then happy to be apart of something then feel untrusted, landon stayed in his room all day but wanted to help because celeste and him are friends and doing this finally got him out of his shell, sky...everyone thinks she might be evil or weak and....she's none of those things, but she's never allowed to truly prove herself outside of grueling tasks and getting herself out of problems....and nora...you know her family shut her out...and now she's making friends and taking risks....I...Maybe they shouldn't have helped....maybe I should've said no....but...they really wanted to and sometimes...I couldn't help it...". "The magic high commission-". "The magic high commission has constantly wanted to accuse sky of being the culprit, my best friend! She doesn't deserve this and she doesn't deserve to not be able to defend herself. she never intended to hurt anyone she just wants to help...and no one lets her. These girls are her sisters...she can't just abandon them. The MHC have a bad history, and i'm not judging them entirely for it because it's long in the past but that still doesn't mean it's right...they hurt eclipsa and now they're trying to hurt sky.". "We're just saying the magic high commission should've known about this, omni especially, I'm going to need to have a word with them....though...", Marco looked over their son's distressed face, "I suppose that's the worst outcome for you...isn't it?". Judas nodded, "Look, we did think about going to them to bring the girls back, we really did.....but we don't truly even know how they got here though...we have guesses....we don't know who sent them here and if one of them-". "You're accusing the MHC of potential crime?". "They're not exactly out of the question, if they could possibly send them back then...they could send them here....I don't know why though...", his parents exchanged looks as Judas made his plea, "Look, I know it sounds easy at this point to just take them there and have them be sent home but until we know what's going on....we just weren't sure it was a good idea, for all we know they did this to set sky up because they wanted to dethrone her for being weaker then other magic users.....like all those jerks out there who...just hate me for being cursed...". Was he crying? He was definitely crying, he could feel something running down his nose from his third eye. His parents took a moment as Tom took a deep breath, "We still need to talk to the Butterfly's, even if we do choose to disclose this, all of it, to the commission, and keep it under wraps from the rest of the kingdom as much as possible, that doesn't stop them from doing so...the spiderbites and the arachfords don't yet fully know as well, just that you all were there at the scene and in a fight before getting hurt...the culprit getting away. Judas...how long till they do find out? These lies won't evade them for long...". "Well if they have a part to play, then they already know...". They were silent as judas huffed, "I want to talk to angel, I know he's still recovering since his wounds are a little magical....but me and sky know him, we should talk to him...he....he'll have a much easier time talking about the situation if it's us asking him....". He wasn't wrong, despite everything, there was no way their parents could question the boy without them, even if they gave him a truth potion he'd probably go entirely mute and heck no they wouldn't make the boy talk. "Judas....I promised you i'd do whatever I could to make sure I didn't keep you apart from your friends...and....I still want to do that despite this...mess...but I am worrying you'll do something dangerous and get yourselves hurt....please understand that...", though Judas just leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms, "Then we'll take that risk...I'm...I'm tired of not really being able to help and not be able to really to show i'm not some baby you have to take care of and worry about...I'm the next king....I need to start taking action...". "That's right!". The door opened quickly and out popped the former king of the underworld, Tom's father, and he seemed.....more happy then Judas expected about the recent events. His arm wrapping around his grandson and smiling to himself, "Look at this boy, he organized his own group to take out a hidden threat, all while keeping under the radar...that's impressive, and they were even super close to catching the culprit. Dangerous? Yes, but you can't tell me you're going to punish him completely for all of this are you?". "Dad...stay out of it...I know judas is a grown adult practically but-" "But he should be allowed to be an adult! Thomas you can't shield him forever, he should be able to make his own decisions during this time of crisis! If the boy wants to keep finding new ways to help his arm he should, if he wants to be apart of the action he should, he's not 7 anymore...perhaps he should not have gotten younger ones involved but do not punish him just for helping...". Dave crossed his arms as Tom sighed in frustration, "Dad I can't let judas off the hook for taking on a task without informing us...It's commendable...but...it's also something that at the very least, we should've known about...if something happened....we'd have no idea what had been going on...". "But he had his reasons...especially since you might've shut him out from helping If it was mentioned-". "Hold up!", Judas stood between the kings, keeping them from arguing any further, "Look...I did screw up...I don't....I don't wanna be let off the hook for everything....I'll...own up to everything I screwed up on, I never should've put them all in that kinda danger. But I meant no ill intent towards any of you or with any intention to hurt mason or landon...or sky....It's not that i don't trust you but that you don't trust us...or even...me. This stuff...what's happening, it's personal to me..and especially sky and I had to help her...". The royals continued to glare at each other as Marco came forward, "Judas.....you're grounded for endangering your brothers and all those other younger kids in this...however we'll try to make sure you can stay in contact with them, If Queen Butterfly and Janna agrees as well. As far as you being involved, we'll talk about it...and how far this news should spread as well....star told us but I don't know who else she's spoken to, in the meantime...no more sneaking around...well....at least outside of the butterfly or lucitor kingdom.". Judas nodded, understanding, however Tom also stepped up, still looking at his father, "I'll allow you to speak to Angel, however....any and all info you receive from him returns to us, Katrina is now keeping closer tabs on you...even i can't argue that he'd talk to you or sky before either of us...the girls will stay in their respective rooms for now...though...we'll discuss more on them later....you can go, me and my dad need to have a chat it seems...". Judas gave a look to all of them before exiting, feeling emotionally exhausted. As if he hadn't been for days before this moment. There was some relief, but not much, though he was happy enough knowing he and sky could still see each other and hang out despite this. Though he did imagine a very similar discussion going on on sky's end and he didn't imagine her moms handling it any better, he stopped in his tracks, he should go see her, if he wanted to see anyone right now it was her and having nora there and angel was probably a positive as well. Here he could only face landon, mason, celeste and sunny and considering the situation and how it'd feel for the grumpy pair and that two of them were pretty young he didn't feel too enthusiastic to see them for now. He quickly arrived to the scene though despite not seeing her he knew Katrina was watching him. Yeah, that was bound to be an issue as well. Though upon arriving into the hospital wing he brightened up as nora waved to him, sitting next to sky, however much to his surprise....the rest of the girls were here as well. Celeste, Galexia, Sunny, and Luna, guess his parents didn't force them to stay in their rooms yet after all. Luna looked incredibly displeased, and for fair reasons as they got caught and who knows what would happen now, celeste had her wand full out now, and galexia and sunny seemed rather happy. "Celeste healed up angel and sky fully with her cool magic!", Sunny squeaked, "They feel a lot better now, I mean, angel seemed pretty messed up....I don't know if it was worse then when I hurt you on accident or not but.....he's moving....he's just....sleeping a lot...". That was fair considering the situation and what happened to him in particular, he needed more rest then anyone considering how tired he had looked before the incident, judas had so many questions for him and he knew sky did too. Though Sky's gaze seemed to avoid angel in general. He approached her carefully, and he didn't even get a word in before she spoke, "Mom's not back yet....my other mom went in to make sure her brain didn't go all....goopy or anything....did everything go well on your end or did your parents uh...?". He laughed, trying to make light of the situation as best he could, "As good as you can get under this situation, I'm in serious trouble...but....my parents aren't so cruel as to..well....do their worst to me about this...I just hope nora's ok considering...her parents...". He looked over to her, as she spoke to galexia, sunny approaching them both. She was still here so that was something, though her parents would be silly to move her again.....unless they wanted to change dimensions or something insane like that. "Hey.....are you holding up ok? I know that whole thing really got to you in particular, with eclipsa and angel and.....a lot happened back there....and...is there anything you need right now? If that's ok to ask?", sky buried her face in her hands, dragging them over it, frustrated. "I really don't want to talk to eclipsa, at all...ugh she just.....she blew our cover! I trusted her! and she sold us out! Now what? What's going to happen to us? Am i going to be arrested? Lose the wand? I mean I know my moms witnessed the situation enough to know It wasn't me but..if this gets out there someone could warp it....I-....UGH!!", she yanked off her hat and threw it onto the bed, sighing, "The worst bit though, is angel....I started to really trust him....and...ugh what did he do during this? Did he spill our info? Did he lie to me to use me for something? I can't even be sure all the stuff he said was genuine anymore...". "Sky...angel tried to-". "I saw what he tried to do but that doesn't change the fact he lied to me judas...he got me to actually care and feel bad and he still lied to me...of course it's easy for you to forgive him cause you always thought he was some good person and you weren't the one he probably manipulated...but that doesn't work for me." she tugged on her hair harder as the tall demon took a seat next to her, "We should question him when he wakes up, maybe we need the full story of what was really going on, after what happened, they certainly can't let angel go back home....he's going to be in serious danger unless your mom comes back with Her.". "I'm just not....maybe you should talk to him first...I kinda want to be alone for awhile, I know I was suspecting him of lying I just...I didn't it to be true...shame on me I guess...". She got up and was about to head out, before the door to the room slammed open, Kelly entering and looking around, "Princess Butterfly, your mother has returned...she wants you, Luna, Galexia...the demon and the frumpy one in her office right now.....". Sky felt her heart drop, though she didn't protest as her and her sisters left the room, luna being the last and unsurprisingly the angriest about the ordeal they were now all in. Leaving Judas alone with nora, angel, and the other patients in the room. "Judas....I'm sorry this is happening to you...", nora approached him softly, she'd clearly been crying judging by her face. "It's not your fault nora....we couldn't keep this a secret forever, someone would find out....i'm just sorry you got dragged into it....I don't...your parents are probably mad aren't they?", the slime girl shuffled her feet nervously, "Well they aren't happy but....not at you....I-I told them I choose to do it...to go out there and help...I may of.....told them off...I got mad....cause they were blaming you and sky and thought you forced me to go on a wild adventure with you...and I just...told them that it was my choice....". "You really did that?". "Yeah...I uh....I think i'm in trouble...". "Nora i'm...I'm sorry-". "No judas....I'm really happy i did it.". "Wait...you....", his eyes widened as nora broke into a smile, "I've never wanted to tell them that more in my entire life....and I finally did it, they never thought I'd ever have the gulls to go against them or fight back and I did! Sky was right, I'm.....I'm cool....". Though her smiled faded as she looked around the room, "Though...I wish the situation was....better, judas...i'm going to help in anyway I can, regardless of what my parents tell me to do....if you need anything I-". "Nora, right now I just want you to be safe, a lot just happened and we should....rest...get something to eat.....", nora understood, "I'll go....I'll get us something to eat...don't worry, my parents are mad but....I think they're too scared to leave the castle or know how much to even ground me so....i'll be fine...you can rest in one of these beds if you want....". She patted one of the mattresses and quickly headed out, eager to bring something back for them both, Judas almost found himself stunned. At least someone got something good out of this mess. His attention was then turned back to angel though, who was now wide awake and staring at judas with so much intent that judas almost jumped when he saw him. Angel looked sad, even embarrassed as he turned his head away all of a sudden and judas took a deep breath and took a seat on the bed next to him. "Hey...I'm glad you're feeling better....", it was the best he could muster for now, though angel didn't respond back, his head turned away completely from the demon. Judas shuffled his feet on the floor, looking down at them, the thoughts angel had going through his head must've been intense....how would he even begin to question him about what had been going down? Maybe it was better to start with something light? Something conversational and friendly? Though angel typically wasn't that kind of person so even that seemed like a possible bad idea in the long run, judas bit at his lips before clumping his hands together. "Hey I uh.....your dad told me you.....got into fights over me....is....is that true?". Angel didn't turn or respond but his ears did seem to flinch. "I mean it's not that important I just think it's....touching...that you really cared about me...I mean maybe it's not the smartest idea to get into fights with other kids, but.....you really cared that much you defended my honor like that? even before we really talked much at all or got along? The only person who even really did that that i knew of was....well sky...you really never had to do that for me, I know I didn't pay much attention to you as a kid...I guess I just think...it's nice.". "Nice....?", judas almost jumped at angel finally speaking to him. "Yeah...it was really nice of you Angelus....". 'You were being picked on and outed for something out of your control......and....I didn't like it...", angel still sounded messy, like he'd been crying, "Sky was....her family to me...they had ways to fix their mistakes but something like yours? There truly isn't much you could do...I don't know.....I just ran across kids...monster and mewman who saw you like....well...meteora...that you were going to bring the end of mewni and that you were a mistake and the king should've just mated with someone else instead of creating you....and I just...I was angry....". Something felt reliving about hearing angel speak, though he wished angel himself was telling him this under more ideal circumstances. "You didn't have to...". "I know but.....I just didn't think you deserved it...I....It was hard....being outed in my own kingdom...I didn't like seeing it happen to...someone else.". "You're a good person angel, despite everything.....", though the monster boy didn't seem to agree, shaking his head, "Princess Butterfly hates me, I knew she would when she found out but.....I was at least hoping maybe...maybe....". He slumped against the soft pillow underneath him, "I failed....I missed....I had to miss and fail and....disappoint everyone all over again.". He would probably rip the pillow up at this rate by how much he was gripping it, judas quick to reach out to try and clam him down. "Angel....c'mon, sky doesn't hate you....she's just....there's a lot going on right now she has to deal with...she's hurt but she doesn't hate you...I certainly don't hate you-". "Prince Lucitor you're practically incapable of hating anyone, you barely have a cruel bone in your body....I earned the princess's respect after assuming it'd never happen and now she refuses to look me in any of my eyes...if i hadn't failed I-", He shoved his face onto the pillow, screaming into it before going back to laying down. "Now her life is in shambles, my people are in danger, my mother will be gone forever and i'll be hiding here till she finds me and destroys me....I failed...and everyone will pay for it...", he wiped is nose with one of his sleeves before trying and failing to get comfortable in his bed. Wow he was messed up, this had a serious emotional effect on him, more serious then he had been expecting. Angel felt so hopeless, he sounded so drained of any life or happiness in the slightest. And judas just sat back and placed his hands on his lap, "Angel....look, we're not going to let that happen, we're going to protect your people and save your mom and you're going to be safe....i'm sure this is like utterly terrifying for you but we can all help....maybe you can explain what you know and we could use it against them before they hurt anyone else?". Angel twitched in response, "Or throw me out to the side and let her get me for what I did...I'd probably deserve it....". "Angel, talk to me....what happened? I'm asking you to trust me...she's not going to get you....we're not going to let her, you screwed up but we're not going to let you die for it, just...please tell us what happened.". He blinked at him and dug his head deeper into his pillow, wiping his tears on the surface. "Judas she.....look I received a note.....told to call a number if i wanted to know how to save my mom and my people and finally get what i wanted and....i didn't have a mirror or compact so I....". The demon's ears pricked up, "You stole my compact......", and his companion nodded. "She hid the number as some pizza place and we talked....she made me an offer to help and I was skeptic but...she told me to meet her and prove she could help...". "Angel....". "She....he...they......whoever....showed they could bring magic back to my people, make them slowly grow as powerful as they used to be and save my mother's life....and all I had to do was tell them was be their little...helper....find them things, tell them about events...about meetings going down...the night of the sleepover...they....they portaled me here, while I was sleeping, to use me as a distraction...It....It didn't take long for me to realize I was in over my head..she somehow knew i was a terrible liar and tried to help me so I didn't blow her cover though....most of the time I avoided lying when I could...It...tends to make me feel sick doing it....". "What about the medallion robbery?". "They wanted me to steal it for them, cause my father mentioned it to me when he returned from the party and I talked about it with her...thought it could be useful...so...I-I tried to find intel on the inside of the castle for help, and I failed....the servant i tried to get in contact with never got back to me...but then they found the tunnels underground and suddenly they did it, without me even involved....but....I found out your family went into lockdown and was terrified and I realized I actually hurt you and you could've been in danger and I felt sick...I felt sick when she ran into you during the sleepover too, but I couldn't step out of the deal either...so I just kept at it, pretending there was nothing wrong....till I couldn't anymore....I couldn't do it...you were constantly trying to make me fell welcomed and want to help me and forgave me and...I was just..". He coughed and wiped his eyes again, "She was delighted when I was going to class here, wanted more intel...but the more I was here...the more I just wanted to leave the deal...I...I couldn't go through with it, everyone wanted to help me, and I just...I like it here....a lot.". He sat up on the bed, trying to look judas in the eyes, "I....I like spending time with you....and sky....even....nora....I like buttered roles and Eclipsa and....I like being here....even though I knew I'd probably lose it when you found out...". "Angel, you should've-". "Should've what? Just tell you I was working against you? You know Sky never would've taken it well, she would've just thought worse of me....", but the boy argued back, "She would've been hurt no matter what, but saying something earlier could've prevented much worse, we could've caught them....then again....I guess they wouldn't trust you yet without more time to prove yourself...". The princes looked at each other worriedly, the pink one cupping his face in his hands, "Princess Butterfly would take one look at me and think less of me then she already did, typical me right? Ruining the lives of others...". "You don't ruin the lives of -". "Judas, stop....you know what I did, you know how everyone felt about me. I wanted so desperately to get what I wanted I took their deal and I couldn't get myself out of it....and now I'm suffering for it...and so is my mom...and my people....", he pressed his legs against his chest and cried into them, sobbing like judas had never seen before. "Angel, you're not a bad person for wanting to save your mom..or help your people...you made a mistake...but it's not the end...". He could spot one of angel's eyes poking through his knees as he reached out for the prince's shoulder, "You tried to back out of it, you tried to take her out....angel we all screw up and do stupid things and hurt people, you can't really go back and fix it...you can only try to fix things now....you tried to paralyze her, that's....pretty scary for someone like you and you almost did it....". He was still silent, judas trying to comfort him further," Angel, look, I screwed up too...I put my friends in danger I put my family in danger...I've done so much dumb stuff I should've thought more about....but...it's part of life...and you still have time to help fix this and put an end to this...you know, this person...". He ran his sleeves across his four eyes and sniffled, "I thought I could do it, master my ultimate and take her out, eclipsa was teaching me and she reassured me i could master it and that you all would accept me as....well.....well actually she seemed to be thinking of something more extreme but I at least wanted us to be....on better terms? I know I said I didn't want....friends...and wasn't sure If i could have any....I just....I guess I didn't know I wanted one till I felt I had one...and...I wanted you both around". "You really liked us huh?", Judas felt a smirk coming on, and Angel seemed embarrassed at what he just said, face red, ears pressed down and eyes diverting from the demon's. "Ugh....I....always admired you...you...get things done and find ways to get people to like you,.....I just...never thought I.....or you you would.....or that I needed....don't be snarky about it, apparently the small demon girl could figure this out with one look at me it seems...", he trailed off, "Everything was too complicated prince lucitor, I didn't want friends because I wanted to focus on the cause and helping and It took a toll on me....doing this alone and feeling worse and worse about myself..., but when you and sky...and princess spiderbite...cared or wanted to help and.....treated me like a friend......and not as a failure you wanted nothing to do with......but then I knew i was already too deep to try and be friends because I was hurting you and had already hurt you and...I couldn't do it, I just didn't know what to do...and then...you wanted to save my mom and...". He was about to cry again and judas quickly pulled him in for a hug, "Hey....hey.....I get it....you're probably going through a lot of emotions with all this......you can give yourself some time if you need....we're all really emotionally tired after that...". Angel was practically clinging to him, his spider legs wrapping around them as well as he buried his face in the boy's shoulder. "We're going to fix this, and I promise you and sky will be able to patch things up....she can't stay mad forever..not even to you...she needs time to cool down....". "You can't promise me that...". "She's my best friend, we fight...but....we can't stay mad forever...we talk and we work things out....you can still help us fix this and I promise at the very least...I won't abandon you as a friend....", angel sniffled but nodded, "That....I can believe coming from you...I-I'm not surprised you're...being nice to me...but...It doesn't fully make me feel any less sick". Angel sighed into his shoulder, "I'm sorry....for everything, they....they knew everything about me....and...um....thanks.....for saving me...you and sky both...I wouldn't be here without you...I'd...probably be worse off". "Thanking us? Wanting to be friends? You really have changed...but you're very much welcome"., he snickered, patting the boy on the back, that's....that's really nice coming from you.". "Don't rub it in, I feel sick enough as is dealing with all this...", Angel pulled away from judas but a hand was still clutching his arm, "I guess i'm going to be staying here until the threat is gone, maybe i'll even be staying in a cell....though perhaps that's just cruel thinking on my part.". The other prince patted the hand to reassure him as best as he could, "They won't put you in a cell...hopefully....if I have to, I'll vouch for you to stay in the underworld, we have lots of rooms and my parents might be more willing to help and forgive...I can probably offer you some of my clothes if you're staying here or there...i mean, they're not your style..but..they're better then what you're wearing now...". He looked over the boy's messed up clothes, covered in dirt, blood, and torn from the fight. "I'm sure my father could bring me clothes...you don't have to offer me anything...besides....you'd have to cut holes....for my legs...they'd come back damaged...", he sighed, having finally calmed down though he was now looking more towards the floor, though the demon persisted, "Your dad after this is going to be in more danger and so is your kingdom, and someone has to stay back there to manage everything going on....especially when the kingdom finds out what happened. He might be able to bring you something but until our parents can say he'll make it back and forth just fine, you might have to deal with our giving....and it's ok, you can keep some of my old stuff, and if you don't want it...we can repair it with magic...it's not a big deal". "Fine....but um....I'm not sure about...leaving my mother....". "It was just an offer, you don't have to....It's just in case....the people of butterfly castle and the butterfly kingdom in general make you feel unwanted....", the spider monster looked off to the side brushing more of his light pink hair away, "And the lucitors aren't mad about the stealing of your amulet? The lucitors are allied with the butterflies, me going against the butterflies is basically like going against the lucitors...I'm just going to have to deal with...wherever I end up...". He tightened his grip on the boy's arm. "I'm sorry.....". "Trust me....the amulet isn't a big deal....". Angel simply blinked at him in confusion as judas got back on topic. "Angel....we're gonna figure this out....and look, my family is mad about this mess, but if you do want a room, I'll try my best to make sure you're comfortable in it....Ok? I don't want you to feel...alone during all this, and a nice room in the Underworld at least means you can talk to me whenever you need to...it's optional though...and I know I sound...really forgiving...maybe too forgiving for you working with the enemy...but...you were trapped...you couldn't escape, and you tried to fight it and...angel I just don't want to see you hurt...I know you only had good intentions...I just...I don't want to watch the world turn against you again". He silently nodded. "Thanks...judas....". Just then the door opened and Nora reentered, carrying containers of hot soup, blinking at the two of them as angel blushed and quickly moved his hand away from judas's arm, though nora beamed at the sight of him. "You're up! I'm so glad, I got you soup and rolls as well but I wasn't sure you'd wake up before it got cold! We can all eat together if that's ok? We should all get our strength up". Angel couldn't even protest if he wanted to as judas invited her over happily, taking a seat next to him. Angel watched the others laugh and try to make light of things before taking a slurp of his soup in front of him. He wasn't feeling totally perfect, in fact he still felt anxious and sick and terrified, but there was something nice about being free and having a quiet moment surrounded by people who liked his company that seemed to put him a little more at ease. He jerked at the hot soup and watched as the others smiled and laughed, and he felt himself laugh in response. There was no telling what would happen next. But he couldn't deny, he liked this. - Sky had been dreading seeing her mothers after this mess, and she dreaded it more having her sisters with her. What was her mom even going to say about something like this? She was looking at her own kids from alternate universes, how would ANYONE react to that? Would she take all their wands from them? God she sure hoped her mom wasn't bad enough to go so far as to take their wands for herself, or just hand everyone over the the commission for this. The moment they were inside her office, sky was ready to face the music, however, she was surprised to see the mom sitting at the desk was not star but Janna. The queen smirking at her, leaning on her fist as she got a good look at all the girls, "Star's still hunting in other dimensions....but uh...someone had to come back and ground you. So now you've got me! Though for the record, oof, the magic dimension can be hard to get around without wings like she does....needed a lot of pudding to get through there...". Luna seemed less then impressed to see Janna there, though Janna seemed incredibly happy. "Y'know....now that i'm looking, you all do look like star a little bit...gotta admit, it's pretty cool.....freaky....but cool", wow they caught on fast, at the very least sky assumed they figured maybe she had friends who made additional wands but no, they figured out they were her sisters. Or maybe eclipsa told them, actually that would make more sense. Janna was a little too happy if Sky was being honest, and when her mom was this smiley it usually meant bad news, and indeed her mom smiled as she looked over the other girls and tapped her fingers on the desk. "Sky sky sky.....man I knew you got up to things but multiverses was not on the top of my list these days. To be fair, I guess considering how much omni drones on about multiple timelines and universes i can't be surprised these four exist.". "Are you going to-". "Hurt them? Heck no, timeline stuff like that is super wonky and like....even i'm not getting into that mess though i admit it'd be fun...Am i cool in your worlds girls?". Looking behind her, sky could see luna was unamused, galexia blinked at her if not sure, celeste snorted, and sunny nodded. "Well anyways so yeah this is KINDA a big thing to have kept under wraps considering the situation but until your mom gets back we're going to continue keeping it under wraps, just because well....if word got out there were multiple wands to steal or other universes people might FREAK, which sounds hilarious but probably would make it harder to actually do anything so...". "You're not planning to tell the public?". "Are you surprised? Like unless we have to we might wanna keep them hidden so we don't got more masked folks running around looking to steal our things...though honestly that's not the weirdest thing we've dealt with on mewni.". The girls exchanged looks and sky grumbled, "Ok so....what? What now? Are you going to keep them here? Send them right back home or......?". And Janna snickered, "Send them home? You mean through Omni? Oh HECK no, Star already dealt with those losers throwing meteora away....she's kinda worried they did something to cause this...". "Well that's exactly why we kept this hidden...", luna stepped up, "You can't trust anyone around here, especially in a universe where you aren't as familiar with how everyone is different and how much everything is different, we needed to handle this on our own...and we almost had them....before you arrived.". Something about the blonde seemed to amuse janna, kicking her feet up on the desk and sitting back in the chair, "That weirdo summoned herself into the magic dimension, you would've lost your mind in there and got taken by her instantly...they were clearly prepared for this kinda ambush". "And they teleported how exactly?". "Well, they had something magic on them, they used the magic to take them to the source after it was destroyed.....tricky part is...". "Only butterflys are supposed to know that spell...", sunny piped in, "They're either a butterfly or someone very close to the butterflys....there's no other way they could be anyone else.". And janna commended her with a nod and spreading her arms out as if she were performing, "You got it, and c'mon....the MHC would arrest sky immediately if they knew that....and yeah, we got witnesses to prove she wasn't under that mask but it's easy for anyone to say she told someone and staged it...". "Why are they after sky so badly? For being part human? That's really stupid...", Celeste huffed from behind sky, crossing her arms, "Ok sure, they have some evidence but not enough, why not let them question angel down there or something for some truth?". The queen seemed to think about it but shrugged, "Eh, even I agree handing them another monster to persecute sounds like a bad idea, don't get me wrong, they're trying to do better...but the monsters would probably not like the idea of the high commission well....handling this sorta issue....though honestly i just think they're looking for something to blame...". "Something to blame?". "They messed up, got put on a leash, and want to make themselves look good again, they want to show they know what they're doing and won't screw up again, but they just suck at it. Star is like PISSED about their first instinct being to say it all was you, but boy....I guess you were up to something regardless. I gotta admit, I'm a little proud of you....you really did all this behind the scenes, reminds me when I was your age, schemeing behind everyone's back...". "You still do that.". "Touche.". "So....why did you call us all here, you're not going to reveal them, take their wands...send them back....why are we here? Mom this isn't funny, it's not like one of your pranks, this is kinda too important to just be fooling around with.", janna shook her head, "Sky c'mon...I called you in to let you know we want you all in, at least I do. I mean, you're still grounded but....as far as this situation goes, it's kinda clear to me at least, we probably should be working together on this, you've gotten closer then anyone on our side sure has to handling this....probably because you're more under the radar and they're targeting who they think is more threatening." "You took us here, to work with us?". "I mean, I need everyone else to agree but I personally, am all for it....minus the whole "Getting you guys hurt" and everything, Eclipsa freaked out about this stuff but honestly I think it's pretty sweet, you really pulled that charade for this long huh? I mean, you're still in serious trouble, like...I don't think you're leaving this castle anytime soon but....I mean, after all of this? We'd kinda have to be stupid to not have you help us with whatever you know.". Luna snorted, getting everyone's attention as she nearly laughed, "Oh, so after this mess, you decided we're valuable enough to work with you? That's it huh? We had been doing mostly fine without you, how are we even expected to believe you at this point? You're taking this situation so casually! ", though the woman only laughed, "C'mon, you really think multiverses are that strange to us? We knew they existed, we just kinda don't have a big reason to focus on them...until now, seeing you isn't nearly as strange as other things we've seen, I mean sure.....it's insane and honestly you should've said something but....like, there's a creep running around mewni...we'd probably be better working together...". "So you're not going to separate us?", sky mumbled, "I thought after something like this you'd never want us in contact again...". "Well I mean, the Lucitors could back out but they're too nice to keep you all apart, especially since you'll be no help apart...you two were clearly the masterminds behind this...we'd be stupid to keep you two apart when we kinda need you....honestly the only thing no one's sure about is what to do with the kid. I mean, despite everything, his family is a Butterfly ally, so he technically was committing treason by working with the enemy against his allies. I mean, probably not smart to put him under trial of the commission but there's no way he's getting out without a scratch on him....I'll be surprised if he even manages to walk out of this castle without being attacked for it...". Sunny gasped, "But he tried to help! He went on his own to break their deal and take her out! He went against her to help us! How can you all still go against him, he's just a kid!". There was some irony of that coming from sunny, someone younger then angel, but after how she felt about angel it wasn't a surprise. Sky didn't even need to look Luna in the face to get the feeling luna felt the opposite though, sky could even here her breathing through her nose behind her. "It'd still be considered treason for working with her in the first place, I mean he was harmless before but who knows what he told her about our kingdoms, if anyone's in the hotseat right now, it's him. i mean you guys had a secret organization to catch a criminal and hid secret princesses in your group but you didn't exactly allow an enemy a chance to take over mewni and gain access to powerful objects and info. I mean, he's 16, so he's not going to be killed for it, but boy if his kingdom didn't like him before....maybe the queen or king has a cousin they can pass the crown to...". "What? But like, angel cares about his kingdom more then anything! I mean like....he annoyed me for ages just because he wanted it to be treated with more respect and be helped from what our family did to it! I mean, maybe he never went about it in the best way but we both agreed to actually trying to work together to properly help it and-", sky stood up, waving her arms around in anger, "I mean, apparently he did this all in the first place just so he could bring them back to life with magic again and....he could be...ugh! Mom, he was just scared! And he tried to fix things, that's not....it's not fair!.". "Skyler....I love you, but like, you can't do a lot for him, he's probably going to be on trial regardless and we'll see where he stands....and if the high commission finds enough on you, you'll probably be standing right with him, court in mewni is wonky. I mean like...he's kinda going to have to deal with the situation he put himself in....I mean, i dealt with detention all the time in school, I mean, that's not quite the same thing as losing your crown but still...". "Don't...decrown him, c'mon now he doesn't deserve that....", sky muttered, "Despite everything...don't let that happen....". "Well, you might be able to figure something out to get you both off the hook, but you can't do it alone...only way that boy's getting off the hook is if he makes a good case for himself, and no doubt the trail's already being planned, we're not going to tell them about the girls, considering if that gets out we'll have more then Her to worry about. But they kinda have to know about angel and what he did to the kingdom...everyone has to know and he's going to be on trial...and considering the situation, good chance he's screwed.". Sky grumbled as she caved in, she had no choice did she? "Fine....we'll work together.....but....don't be surprised if some of them don't trust you mom....they're kinda peeved at you and I think they will still be if you force them to not help, they want to help...", sky ushered to her sisters in the back, janna smiled, "Oh trust me, i think this situation will be awkward for awhile, but we're kinda in a pitfall and well....looks like it's time for a new strategy....besides you kinda don't have a choice, I am your mom.". The princess only grumbled, "I really hope you're not lying to me, cause right now is not a good time to be lying to me...I don't need mom to come in and...and take them away...". "Nah...at this point, your mom would be crazy to say no on you helping, and honestly, if she does, i get the feeling eclipsa and me would probably fight for it. I mean, eclipsa doesn't want you in serious danger but she also goes on and on that that you should help and be active how you can so....you tell us what you know, we tell you what we know and maybe we can crush them instantly. I mean, I honestly can't complain about working with kids to take down people, we were teens when we took down threats...about your age...". Janna stood up, fixing her suit and crossing her arms, "Your still grounded to all heck and back sky, but girls......welcome to the team.". - Sky was so sure she'd be punished honestly, like SEVERELY punished for this, she had been expecting the worst kind of outcome and it to be the end of the world, but not only was she actually asked to help, but her mom actually wasn't going to lay a finger on the girls? Maybe she really had thought the worst of her family, though her other mom was the one who needed to agree, not to mention the other parents in the situation, she felt relieved, though still upset. She didn't want them to know for a reason, they'd take the credit, they'd restrict her. There was no way she would've been able to do what she did if they worked with her beforehand and she knew it, the only reason her mom thought they should work together is because sky already got so far and they needed her if they wanted to get any closer. Angel would never speak to her moms, and all the stuff they learned and experienced they would have no knowledge of, it was an uncomfortable task, if she said too much would she be useless to her moms after that, back to being cut out? She believed her moms needed her and wanted her around to help. She wasn't sure to believe that this wasn't temporary. Though after the whole meeting everyone was sent right to their rooms, including her, not even getting a chance to see judas before being escorted in and having her doors shut behind her. She wasn't sure about seeing him anyway, and it's not like she couldn't text him. She was relived, more then relieved, but that didn't mean she was happy, there was no telling i they knew...how long it might take to spread all over mewni. Not to mention she couldn't be sure or trusting of anyone right now. Angel. She was still mad with him alright, but treason? There was no telling what could happen to him if the worst came to be, the crown being handed so someone would break his heart. Was he a poor prince? Yes. Could he have been miles better then he was? Yes. But even Sky had to admit this was unfair to someone who despite everything really did want the throne and did want to actually help, she wondered if he was aware he'd lose the crown  when he tried to break from the deal. He probably did, angel wasn't that stupid. He really sacrificed all that for them didn't he? Sigh. She fell on her bed and shoved her face into her pillow, she didn't know what to think anymore, she didn't know whether to feel safe or terrified, whether to be mad or happy. She was in a mix of so many emotions as she turned on her side, holding onto her wand tight. She could go through that portrait on her wall, go see eclipsa, but she didn't want to, seeing her right now was probably worse then going to see angel or even her mother in fact. At least she was used to years of her mom treating her like she was incapable to handle important things, or angel going against her and her further being disappointed in him. She was not used to Eclipsa of all people being against her like this, not even that eclipsa was such a big presence in her life, but whenever she was it was always praise and encouragement of sky. Eclipsa just outright exposing her like that? God, so much for putting her trust in her. She should sleep, she needed more rest, all these thoughts going through her head were starting to mess her up, she needed to sleep it off and worry about it later. Thought honestly she wasn't even sure she could fall asleep under these conditions, even if she really wanted to, she didn't like being so alone, she didn't know about texting judas, didn't want to talk to eclipsa or angel. Here she was instead, lying down in her room, all alone, slightly bruised up, and emotionally drained. She almost didn't hear the faint tapping coming from her window, though when she did, she immediately clutched her wand in utter fear, only to be relieved when the face she was seeing was....Nora's? She headed over to open the window and thankfully nora wasn't floating in mid-air but was being held by a familiar purple demon, judas helping nora through the window before heading in himself before shutting it behind them. " I had to try and evade katrina at least a little, but if she finds me she can't scold me for just seeing you....". "Why'd you sneak through my window?". "Nora didn't want to run into her parents, besides, your room is uh....still guarded, didn't think they'd let us in...", his shoulders sagged in relief and he wiped at his face, "Sky i'm....I'm really happy to see you...did....did everything go ok?". His friend sighed, walking up and immediately pressed her head against his chest, "It was my other mom....and uh....well...look, it's....i'm grounded but....my mom wants us...all of us, to work together and catch the culprit together.". "Really? That's....that's great! My parents....are actually kinda on a similar path....it's....better then I thought at least...", Judas felt a wave of relief overcoming him, though sky was quick to shake her head. "Judas....it's not....the only reason they're doing this is because we know things and they need us, sure...they're not gonna separate us and thankfully do nothing to the girls but....I....they know, what if they're lying to us? What if we tell them everything and they just don't want us to help anymore afterwards? If we hadn't almost captured that....Her, who knows what they would've done to all of us, but judas...we caught...we caught a criminal, backed her into a corner that they had to run to get away...". "So you worry after they get our help....they won't go easy on us anymore...that they're not punishing us because they need us?". She nodded. "And worse off, angel is going to be trialed for treason.....". Judas shuddered, "Oh.....oh....that's....", he wasn't surprised, if anything he expected this to happen, angel would never get off the hook for doing this even if he had been successful and caught Her. But hearing Sky say it made him freeze, god that, kid wasn't caching a break at all. "Sky...I don't think we have a choice in this situation, if we want to stop them, we have to help our families, though yeah I'm not sure what'll happen afterwards. We can't just back out of not helping them, and going off on our own will.....cause more issues..maybe..maybe we'd be better off holding back...?". "Wait...judas, you want to...hold back?", the words that came from his mouth sounded so strange for the boy sky was bewildered. Though the prince quickly tried to explain, "It's just....in doing all this, I put my own brothers in danger, I put you in danger..and if you mom hadn't jumped in to save you.....maybe we shouldn't be trying to track her like we were and putting ourselves so far in the forefront... not because i don't trust you sky, or nora, or landon, or any of you....but...back there...we could've lost somebody...". "You're starting to sound like eclipsa.". "Sky i'm not saying we shouldn't be involved at all, we should...I'm not backing out of doing this....this concerns us greatly and we can't back out of it at this point. I'm just saying maybe what we should do is work behind the shadows, maybe they should be at the front and we work from behind the scenes, sky most of us are still kids....mason should've never been involved in that and If i hadn't been so stupid to get our guy I would've sent him home...but I didn't..we saved Angel, and I'm glad we did...but we're in more danger then ever right now and we can't keep doing things how we did....". Sky's gaze turned to Nora, who was standing awkwardly between the two friends, "Ok, what do you think nora? You're here too....if we gotta work with our parents...well...". Nora blinked at them, trying to raise her voice and clamping her hands together forcefully, "Well....it's...I'm glad I went...I....I really am glad....but...maybe..judas has a point,...maybe we should help in our own way. I mean....just...if she comes after us...we're doomed if...if angel is crownless or sky is in prison or.....if we just let her take us all...". "What are you saying...?". "I'm saying...maybe if we want to fix this and fight back, we should be doing things like getting you off the radar fully or helping angel....with his mom or not lose his crown, we can't keep putting ourselves at the front lines of peril, at least...not while they knew we almost caught them...but....we can at least keep you from losing your wand or angel from being dethroned and just see what we can do to help....we should do something sky...we...just because we aren't going after her full force doesn't mean we can't help...your moms have no reason to help angel...but...we do....despite everything...". Judas seemed to agree, "You can still be mad with him, you have every right to be...but he needs us right now and he's our best bet if we're ever going to get close to watching them....we might be able to sway his kingdom on his side again, which considering how much they sorta hated him before is a bit of a tough bet, but it might help him from being dethroned. Angel thinks she's going to come after him sky, he....he's worried he'll......he can't even leave this castle....we should help him...he screwed up but....he also tried to put an end to it too and risked his life to do so...we can't give up on him...". "And his mom...?She's not going to hold in much longer and if she does pass? Who knows how that might affect our relationship with that kingdom, especially considering the sitauion and her in our care..", her gaze heading back to Nora. "I'll offer my freedom to have my parents help with a cure...", nora mumbled, stepping forward, "I.....Mason is offering his garden, and we have the resources to help...I....I know it's....scary I just...I almost lost my parents....I don't want to watch him lose his....". That made Sky backtrack, Nora would really go back on her freedom, finally getting out there and making friends, just to help out someone her family was supposed to hate? Even Nora still seemed to be dealing with this choice, but seemed to accept it. "You'd really do that? I mean, Nora, I don't want you going back to....that mess...". "Sky I....your magic does scare me..a lot of things scare me...angel scares me....but...I've been training forever to save lives...so....I can't walk out on this, no matter what..... I should do something....", she was almost demanding, something new for her, and she seemed proud of it? "If I can save a life and maybe help fix the scar left between our families....shouldn't I? Shouldn't I try? The past is....gross, it's gross what....my family did to his....but...I can help." "So....what's the plan then?", sky leaned against her wall, looking at her friends, "You don't want us in the direct line of danger since angel could've gotten well...yeah....if nora is giving up her freedom to help, then we won't be able to speak to her much at all, even if her parents just lock her in this castle....how the heck are we supposed to keep me or angel safe in this mess? I want us safe as much as you do but even I'm not sure how to keep us safe...". "We'll help our parents with their search,we won't tell them...everything...we certainly can't admit...the galexia thing, just what we need...in the meanwhile...we need to help angel and get more from him, and we need to figure out whatever the high commission is using against you and shut it down officially before they use it against you, we can't keep going out into the field and putting ourselves in direct danger because we've already exposed ourselves, but that doesn't mean there's nothing we can do here...we're just going to have to be more sneaky...more smart...and more safe...". "Sky, we can't change the past, they know now and there's no telling what they'll do with that information, but all we can do now Is help where we can and keep each other safe until further notice...is that ok?", the bluenette tugged on her hat and mumbled, "I already agreed to my mother's offer so....I guess we just have to deal with it...". She felt judas pull her into a hug and she sighed into his chest, "I'm glad....I'm glad we're still..". She struggled to get it out but he happily finished it for her, "Sky, you know i'd never let them keep us apart....we'll figure something out, it's not over for us and we'll prove ourselves....to our parents and everyone else...we're not done until we say we are..". - Landon huffed in his room, staring up at the ceiling and trying and failing to play his music, he was a little too distracted for that despite his attempts. He nearly managed to catch her, she was in his grasp and he even had a potion he could use to question people but I guess that's what he gets for allowing his younger brother into the group without really mentioning landon wanted to be the one to do this himself. Knowing judas he was already working on a backup plan despite being in serious trouble. There was no way judas would give this up, even if he did want to change things to avoid making the same mistakes again. And even Landon couldn't get mad at him for that because he was considering the same thing, that being fled to the magic dimension of all places, a universe landon had never stepped a foot in before, but he was more then familiar with. He was young when his parents went there to see if the goo could help cure his brother, returning with a ton of empty pudding cups and disappointed faces, there had to be evidence in there right? Unless the Queen had already gotten everything there was to get out there. Not to mention Sky's wand, maybe he needed a better look at that wand himself. He wondered, if maybe he should.... No, that would be stupid and entirely dangerous, especially now, though he couldn't help but think about it. He'd never been to that dimension before and for good reason, losing your memories in there to the magic was dangerous and getting them back could be worse, his parents would certainly ground him worse then before. Judas was already bad enough taking so much of the heat, good chance if landon went there they'd think judas was responsible. But he couldn't seem to stop thinking about it. His compact rung and sure enough, it was his brother. Judas: Landon, I'm sorry I dragged you into something so dangerous...I never should've gotten you involved in this mess, you don't have to help if you don't want to anymore...me and sky right now need to work on helping angel and figure out our next course of action Judas: We might have to do it on our own, I just don't want you hurt like angel was... Judas: If you want out, then you can stay out, if you want to help us...then just let us know Judas: Please stay safe Yep, sounds like judas alright. What were their parents bound to do with this information? Go to those other universes themselves? Ask the girls about their worlds in response to their problems in the then and now? He didn't like the thought of his parents questioning celeste considering how uncomfortable she already was around them and about her life back home in general. God, this entire situation was a mess, a complete and utter mess and he wasn't sure what they could do in this condition. For once, he couldn't even be entirely mad with Judas because this was way out of his hand, they got caught because of eclipsa or even sky, not because of him, and he was actually apologizing and taking most if not all the blame for it. Though it was almost surreal having the boy not want to take any direct action or fight back, his brother wasn't stupid but he was more inclined to handle something directly then wait at the sidelines for other people to fix his problem. If judas wanted something, he'd ask for it, he'd ask for help. He'd never seen judas be pushed out of putting himself in the direct line of fire to solve an issue before. He'd almost expected judas to text him telling him the plan was still going and then had some secret plan to avoid getting in further trouble but no, if landon wanted to, judas was giving him an out while he and sky continued to help from wherever they could, no longer creepy doll hunting. Sure, all their parents were powerful so maybe they could handle it but what a way for their team to come to an end, found out and then just flop apart. He had an out, he could go, just focus on his music and Bernard. That was what he should do right? They lost, they failed, they shouldn't be pushing the bubble any harder then they already did, it was almost as if if they did another wrong move they'd be done for. Judas already was taking most of the heat, and he was paying for it. Landon could just move on, he could go back to normal life at this point and let the adults handle it. Like they've been handling issues and attacks in mewni for years and years. Yeah, back to normal.... Where Landon was unremarkable in any way, the forgotten brother. Landon sat up, grasping his compact in his hands, thinking it over before quickly texting judas back. Landon: I'm in, what's the plan?

[chesapeakebongripper]

If you don’t mind me asking what’s a JDI?

im gonna do my best not to go on a 17 hour rant about it but JDI stands for Jobs Daughters International!! It's a youth group associated with the Freemasons and strives to teach girls ages 10-20 the lessons of love, respect, and empowerment!! I joined ~8 years ago and even tho i dont identify as female, I'm still welcome within my jurisdiction bcuz Delmar is RLLY great w this kinda stuff!!! My dad is currently in charge of the jurisdiction (Associate Grand Guardian) and my little sister is Miss Congenitalty of Delmar rn!! I'm a x2 Past Honored Queen of my bethel as well, not to brag tho jfhskshdh

It was founded on the bible verse (although its open to all religions!!!!!! u jus have to believe in a higher power) Job 42:15 "In all the land were no women found so fair as the Daughters of Job, and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren", as basically means 'yo these girls were cool asf and there dad gave them inheritance too' which was absolutely not done in those times ykno?

but uhh yeah I've been in for a long time and it's definitely helped w my public speaking and memorization and also ive met a lot of ppl that have become rlly good friends w that i wouldnt have known otherwise!!!!! I absolutely adore this organization for everything its dont for me and my family and I'm excited to become a mason when i fully transition because thats allowed now and im SO happy about it!!!!

If you're a girl, I absolutely recommend trying to find a Bethel near you (you might be surprised to find out theres a Bethel/Masonic Lodge near you that you've just been not noticing!!!) and its a lot to get used to at first w ritual and all the robes and stuff but I promise you the positive impact and the friends you make will last a lifetime 💜