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[myrandomfandomramblings]

In which Percy simply has a happy 20th birthday party - A Percy Jackson fanfic

“Close your eyes,” Grover told Percy as he turned onto the road to the Jackson’s cabin in Montauk.

“Haven’t I had enough surprises in my life?” Percy asked, “at this point I’d be more surprised if things just went as expected.”

Grover shrugged, “Annabeth’s orders.”

Percy sighed and closed his eyes. One thing that never failed to surprise him was Annabeth. Smart, beautiful, badass and by some miracle completely in love with him. It was hard to complain about his bad luck when he was lucky enough to call her his girlfriend. 

Percy kept his eyes shut while Grover parked and helped him out of the car. Even without his sight the location was unmistakable with its salt air, ocean breeze and chorus of seagulls. This was his favourite place in the world.

“OK open your eyes,” Grover said.

Percy did and was greeted with a chorus of “surprise” and a sight that made this favourite place even better. Their little cabin was decked out in party decorations: balloons, streamers, and a number of others that he didn’t know the names of, all blue. A large banner read “Happy 20th Birthday Percy”. Or that’s what he assumed it said anyway. He was having a hard time focusing on any one thing and the letters wouldn’t stay still. In front of the cabin stood Annabeth; his mom, Sally and his step-dad Paul who was holding his 2 year-old half-sister, Estelle. They all wore blue party hats and big smiles. Annabeth was the first to break away from the group and come give Percy a hug. She was quickly followed by Sally and little Estelle who broke away from her dad in favour of grabbing her big brother’s legs.

“This is amazing,” Percy said , “but you didn’t have to go to this much trouble.” 

“Of course we did,” Sally rebuted, “you’ve survived two decades as a powerful demigod, that’s worth celebrating.”

Her tone was teasing but Percy knew that there had been many times over the last 20 years that she worried he’d never see this milestone.

“There’s more to see,” Annabeth interjected, “do you want to show him?” she asked Estelle, who nodded excitedly and grabbed Percy’s hand, leading him around the side of the cabin to the beach.

On the beach stood long tables draped in blue tablecloths and topped with all kinds of blue foods. Hamburgers and hotdogs sizzled on a nearby grill, now manned by Paul. Nearby all sorts of backyard games were set up: horseshoes, corn hole, spike ball and paddle ball. Down the beach was a chest filled to the brim with beach toys: skim and boogie boards, goggles and snorkels, sand shovels and buckets, pool noodles and water guns.

“Wow! I don’t even know where to start,” Percy mused.

“Well you can think about it while we wait for all the guests,” Annabeth teased.

“Who’s all coming?”

Annabeth shrugged, “You’ll see.”

“Never making things easy,” Percy mumbled unable to suppress a smile.

“How many people are we expecting?” Paul asked, “will we have enough room in the drive way. Should we move our cars?”

Annabeth laughed, “I don’t think that will be an issue.”

“What do you me-“ Paul was cut off by a large shadow appearing just in front of them. 

Out of it stepped three familiar faces. Before he could even say a word in the way of greeting, Percy was picked up off the ground and enveloped in a bear hug.

“Happy birthday brother,” Tyson sang squeezing Percy harder. Mrs. O’Leary added to the celebration by slathering Percy with big, wet, hellhound kisses. Ella fluttered nearby watching the commotion,

“Tyson missed Percy,” she supplied, “Ella too. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Sextus Propertius (c 54 b.c. - a.d. 2).”

“Thanks guys,” Percy said when Tyson finally let him go, “and it’s good to see you all,” he continued rubbing Mrs. O’Leary’s ears.

“Have fun,” Sally added, “we have lots of food, and games. Help yourselves to anything.”

All three immediately headed towards the food table, quickly followed by Grover, who it appeared was just waiting for the OK to dig in. Percy briefly wondered what Paul saw as a six and a half foot cyclops, a mastiff the size of a tank, a satyr with horns sprouting on either side of his party hat and goat legs protruding from his Bermuda shorts and a harpy with bird legs and bright red wings made their way towards his station. However, his attention was quickly drawn to the sky as a group of pegasi with riders began to descend. Although they were still far away, Percy could already recognize the pair in the lead as the sun glinted off black wings and bright red-hair.

“Hey boss,” Blackjack greeted Percy as his hooves hit the sand.

“Happy birthday,” Rachel added slipping off his back.

“Thanks,” Percy replied stroking blackjack’s nose and giving Rachel an awkward hug, acutely aware of Annabeth standing behind him, who appeared to be holding back a laugh at his uneasiness.

“Any sugar cubes at that buffet?” Blackjack asked looking towards the food laden tables.

“I’m not sure but you’re more than welcome to check.”

As he cantered away Percy began welcoming the other pegasi and his friends from camp half-blood.  When he finished welcoming the last pair Percy looked around and realized it was starting to really look like a party: Estelle sat on Tyson’s shoulders and clapped as Mrs. O’Leary ran down the beach retrieving a tree trunk Tyson had thrown. Annabeth and Rachel were playing spike ball against the Stoll Brothers. Ella, Grover and many of his camp friends were milling around, chatting and enjoying the food. Paul and Percy’s mom stood to the side in conversation, he could hear Paul asking if they should have bought hay and water troughs. Percy was just about to join them when he was hit by a large gust of wind and a tan-horse appeared beside him. Percy knew who the rider was before he even looked up.

“Hey Hazel, how’s the Legion?” he asked as she slipped off the horses back.

“Much better without active world-ending wars. Thanks for asking,” She joked then proceeded to summon a pile of gold from the ground, which the horse proceeded to eat, “Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks, where’s Frank?”

“He’s on his way.”

“Baby man is slow as-,” Arion, the horse whined, but Percy cut him off,

“That’s not necessary.”

Arion finished his gold and Percy expected him to run off like usual, disappearing over the horizon in 0.5 seconds flat but to his surprise he trotted over towards the group playing fetch. There he was greeted by excited squeals of “horsie” from both Tyson and Estelle, and even more surprising to Percy he let both of them stroke his nose.

“Since when does he let anyone but you touch him?” Percy asked Hazel. 

She just shrugged, “he’s an immortal horse, born to two gods in human form, there’s no use trying to understand him.”

That was fair, Percy thought, but before he could verbalize that an eagle flew down from the sky, landed beside Hazel then transformed into a young man.

“Frank,” Percy said grasping his hand and pulling him into a quick hug.

“Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks, did you fly the whole way here from New Rome?”

“No, just from the airport. I took a commercial flight most of the way, we can’t all have a godly horse or metal dragon.”

“Yeah, poor Frank can only shape-shift,” Hazel joked, “but let the record show I did offer for him to ride on Arion with me.”

“Yeah, no offence but I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t buck me off half way across the country and leave me stranded in the middle of Kansas or Colorado.”

Further conversation was cut off by another shadow appearing beside them. Out of it emerged two teens and over a dozen small, shadow creatures.

“Happy Birthday Percy,” Nico greeted him.

“Yeah, Happy Birthday,” Will added.

“Thanks, and thanks for coming,” Percy replied.

“Are you going to say hello to your own sister?” Hazel teased pulling Nico into a hug.

Nico rolled his eyes but immediately hugged her back.

“And how are all my nieces and nephews?” Hazel asked looking at the shadow creatures.

“The Cocoa Puffs are good,” Nico smiled a hint of adoration in his voice.

“They’ve become super popular at camp,” Will shared, “and enjoyed their summer vacation to the underworld.”

“You went on vacation to the underworld?” Frank asked.

“Just for a week,” Will supplied, “It grows on you, once you get to know it,” he finished addressing their questioning looks and shooting a coy smile at his boyfriend.

“Am I late to the party?,” a familiar voice called capturing the groups attention. “My flight was cancelled after I made a big deal of not wanting to use my Dad’s private jet. Luckily, a friend offered me a ride.”

Percy turned to see Piper alongside Tempest, the equine storm-spirit. He was happy to see her but the scene conjured up an ache in his heart as he was reminded that one of his friends wouldn’t be joining them: Jason. Jason was Piper’s ex-boyfriend and the one who had tamed and made Tempest a part of their group. He died over a year ago now and Percy still found it hard to believe. Part of him wanted to think he was with them in spirit but he knew better. Jason deserved better than being stuck between the land of the living and the dead and he had gotten it: Elysium or rebirth. Either way he wouldn’t be here, but his memory still would.

“Hi Piper, how have you been?” Percy asked

“Good, living with my Dad in California has been great,” she replied giving him a hug, “happy birthday.”

“Thanks.”

Piper began greeting the others, giving them hugs and asking them about their lives, while Tempest made his way down the beach to where Arion and Blackjack seemed to be in deep conversation.

Looking around, Percy noted Tyson and Grover were now playing horse shoes, cheered on by Ella and Annabeth. Rachel was playing corn hole against Estelle and Sally. Paul was still at the grill, serving up food to a line of campers with Mrs. O’Leary laying at his feet creating a puddle of drool the size of a kiddie pool. 

“So who wants to come swimming?” Piper asked.

“I will,” said Hazel.

“Not me,” Nico offered, “Will made me put on like five layers of sunscreen before we came and I’m not about to just wash it off. Plus, shadow travel still takes it out of me I think I need a bit of a break first.”

“I hear you, the flight from the airport was longer than I thought, I’m wiped,” Frank offered, “would you be up for a low-key card game on the porch?”

“Ah-ya-sure” Nico stuttered.

“I’ll grab some food for all of us, then meet you there,” Will offered. 

With that they all went their separate ways leaving Percy standing alone. He was just debating who he wanted to join when a large group came from the front of the house. In the lead were two teenaged girls accompanied by two metallic greyhounds: one gold, the other silver. Behind them came two white horses and at least half a pack of wolves. Percy wondered why the wolves had come with Thalia and Reyna instead of staying with the rest of the Hunters: maybe they had vacation days they needed to use up before they expired, maybe they didn’t trust boys around their lieutenant and felt she required an escort or maybe they just liked to party. It really didn’t matter to Percy, as long as they didn’t eat anyone they were welcome. 

Percy greeted the girls excitedly. Out of all his friends they were the ones he saw the least and he was glad they were able to make it. As they gave Percy an update on their hunt for the Teumessian Fox, Mrs. O’Leary bounded up to Reyna’s greyhounds, bowed and wagged her tail ready to play. To Percy’s surprise instead of their eyes glowing or barring their teeth they both began to wag their tails and looked to Reyna.

“Ok, go play,” she told them, and they took off with Mrs. O’Leary in hot pursuit.

Percy blinked, “They play?”

“Their dogs,” Reyna stated.

“I’ve always thought of them more as highly trained, lie-detecting, flesh-ripping, killing machines.”

At that Reyna actually laughed. She seemed lighter now as a Hunter of Artemis, instead of a Praetor of the Twelfth Legion. It suited her. Percy chatted with them for another twenty minutes before Annabeth came to recruit them for a game of beach paddleball. He was about to follow them when a commotion in the water caught his attention.

“RAINBOW!” Tyson yelled as he splashed and clapped as the Hippocampus swam up and nuzzled him, oblivious to Piper, Hazel and the others in the ocean around them.

Percy went down to the water and greeted Rainbow,  the whole time wondering if his friends and family had somehow managed to send him an invitation to the party or if he just sensed they were there and wanted to say hi. They tried to get Percy to stay for a game of Marco Polo but his stomach was growling and the food smelled too good to resist. 

He had just finished filling his plate when a bronze dragon descended from the sky, carrying a small shipping container in his claws. When the dragon landed he looked right at Percy, made some creaking noises then shot fire straight into the air. 

“Festus says ‘Happy Birthday’,” Leo supplied slipping off the dragon’s back, then helping Calypso down after him.

“Thanks Festus. Good to see you all.”

“You too, man,” Leo said approaching Percy, “sorry we’re late, it took longer than I thought to load everything up.”

“What exactly did you bring?,” Percy asked, “should I be worried about explosions?”

“No explosives this time,” Leo laughed, “just some good old-fashion automatonic pegasus wings.”

Before Percy could ask what he meant, Reyna came over followed by the two white horses.

“One-eye, short-ear, this is Leo, the demigod I told you about. Leo this is one-eye and short-ear.”

Now that the horses were closer Percy could see they weren’t horses at all but the pegasi that had been abused and de-winged by the Triumvirate before being rescued and taken in by Reyna and the hunter’s. Percy had been told the story but this was the first time he was meeting the creatures. Although they now looked healthy he could still see the scars on their backs where their wings were removed and on their flanks where they were whipped. 

“Can he really build us functional wings,” one-eye neighed, “should we trust him?”

“Leo can build anything,” Percy replied to the pegasus, “and you can trust him, right Reyna?”

“You can,” she agreed, “even if he once open fired on my city, igniting a war.”

“I was possessed by an eidolon demon,” Leo groaned and Festus whirred his teeth in support of his friend.

If this worried the pegasi they didn’t let on. Leo opened the shipping container and started to unload equipment. Percy ate his food as he watched Leo and Calypso set up a make shift work-shop and get to work, measuring and fitting the pegasi with their new wings. Half an hour, and a full stomach later, they were taking their first test flights. With the sun reflecting off the bronze feathers they looked amazing and they seemed to work just as well as the pegasi took off and began to do loops in the sky. It wasn’t long before they were joined by the pegasi from camp-half blood, Tempest and Festus, all circling in the sky like a flock of very large, very equine birds. This apparently frustrated Arion who was swearing under his breath about the lack of tall buildings or topography to run up in Montauk. As if just to spite him for calling him a baby man Frank turned into an eagle and joined the fun.

To Percy’s surprise the rest of the party went off without a hitch. He expected so many demigods in one place to attract every monster in a 100 mile radius but none showed up, so he just enjoyed himself.

He watched Nico and Reyna cream Frank and Leo at spike ball. He and Piper taught Grover and Will how to skim board. He teamed up with Thalia for a corn-hole doubles tournament and came second only to his mom and step-dad (the only mortals there). He watched all the Cocoa Puffs listen intently as Ella read them a book and what appeared to be an equine vs. canine soccer/handball/water polo game, with a ball being thrown between pegasi, wind-spirits, hippocampi and godly horses on one side and wolves, hellhounds and automatonic greyhounds on the other. He swam with Rainbow and Tyson. He was excited when Coach Hedge stopped by with Mellie and baby Chuck. He laughed with Chuck and Estelle as they followed Coach Hedge’s example excitedly destroying the sandcastles Percy and Annabeth had helped them make. He joined everyone dancing as Grover, Piper, and Austin from the Apollo cabin as well as some of his siblings put on a show. He made crafts with rocks and driftwood with Rachel, Calypso and Hazel. When Chiron stopped by, he had a heart-felt conversation with him over a game of checkers and watched his mom hold back tears as they talked, clearly about Percy as they kept glancing his way. He skipped rocks with Nico and Frank and went all out in a water fight, becoming unstoppable by teaming up with blackjack. As the sun set he was chatting with Leo as they prepared a campfire, when he noticed a large silhouette approaching in a small boat. As the boat hit land a silver haired titan stepped out.

“Bob,” Annabeth yelled tackling him in a hug. Percy and Annabeth had only seen the Titan once since he was rescued from Tartarus by Nico and Will after having sacrificed himself so they could survive and escape Tartarus and being trapped in a permanent regeneration cycle by Nyx as a result.  Although Bob forgave them for leaving him behind to save the world they still struggled to forgive themselves. Nico and Will were the next to greet the Titan, followed by the Cocoa Puffs, then Percy himself. The other’s weren’t sure what to make of him having never met him before but once Tyson broke the ice introducing himself and inviting Bob to join their card game, he fit right in. After a few minutes small Bob popped his head out of Bob’s overalls and padded over to greet Percy, Annabeth, Will and Nico before deciding to entertain himself by swatting at Mrs. O’Leary’s tail that wagged in her sleep. One of the young wolf pups saw the ghost cat and tried to chase him but small Bob went skeletal then grew into a full-grown sabre-toothed tiger which put a stop to that pretty fast. 

Once the sun set they roasted marshmallows, made smores and had a sing-along around the fire. They tried ghost stories but as they had all lived through multiple wars none of them scared easily so they ended up just listening to Ella recite the classics. Mrs. O’Leary, small bob and the Cocoa Puffs fell asleep in a pile and Percy had never seen a cuter pile of monsters.

As it got later guests began to leave in groups. His friends from camp, including Rachel and the pegasi left first; followed by Nico, Will and the cocoa puffs; then Reyna, Thalia and their pack; Leo, Calypso, and Piper (who was going to spend sometime at camp) on Festus, left next; then Hazel on Arion and Frank on Tempest; Rainbow swam back into the ocean, followed by Bob and small bob in their enchanted canoe; Tyson, Ella and Mrs. O’Leary were the last to leave with lots of hugs and promises to see each other soon. Percy’s parents and sister had already turned in for the night leaving just him, Annabeth and Grover. They stayed up playing games, talking, laughing and reminiscing about old times. Grover was the first to fall asleep just after 1 am. Percy and Annabeth left him on the patio couch and headed for a walk down the beach hand-in-hand, looking at the stars.

“Hard to believe it’s been four years since the end of the Titan war,” Percy finally said breaking their comfortable silence.

“Sure is, a lot has happened since then,” Annabeth sighed.

“Too much,” Percy laughed.

They fell into another comfortable silence just enjoying being together.

“Happy birthday seaweed brain,” Annabeth finally broke the silence, “and happy four year anniversary.” 

She smiled before pulling him into a kiss. And that- that moment. That kiss. That day. - was exactly why Percy turned down immortality on that date, four years earlier: because things could always get better, and if things got better than that, that would really be something to see, and he couldn’t wait.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

A professional partnership and strong friendship that is built on such deep mutual trust, respect and admiration that it becomes “unique” and nearly “undefinable.” Although, those watching are quick to reduce it to romance.

The guy thinks and acts with his heart. His outgoing nature and incredible sense of humor make him so charismatic that it borders on cocky. Although his passionate nature can make him prone to irritation and acting before he thinks, it’s more commonly demonstrated in his kindness, generosity and empathy for others. His loyalty and unwavering confidence in his partner coupled with his humor truly define him.

The girl thinks and acts more with her head. She’s incredibly clever, resourceful and smart but can also get too much in her own head and struggle with self-doubt and self-confidence. Nevertheless, she exudes a bubbly cheerfulness, and her passions bring out her driven and entrepreneurial nature and a strong, confident, bravery. Although she’s more careful and cautious than her partner she can easily match his quick wit. She’s a born leader who seeks to lift up everyone around her with her generosity and kindness. Her intelligence, passion and humility truly define her.

--

Who am I talking about? If you’re a Canadian or figure skating fan it probably sounds like VirtueMoir. If you’re a Miraculous Ladybug fan you probably imagine LadyNoir (although, interestingly, probably not the other sides of the love square). If you’re both (like me) you’re probably amazed by the similarities between the two. 

-- 

I got super into VirtueMoir in 2018 but didn’t start watching Miraculous until 2020 so I totally missed the similarities until I was watching Tessa and Scott’s Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Induction the other day. Then I had to make this post. The matching colour schemes and the fact that Moir and Noir are spelt as if they should rhyme are fun bonuses. 

P.S. The picture of Tessa and Scott when they were around Adrien and Marinette’s age (14/16) makes me so happy.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

The Power of Love (Always so Strong) - A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic

Summary: I always envisioned the final (or penultimate) battle coming down to an identity reveal and the power of love winning out. So I wrote (and drew) it!

Note: canon compliant until late season 5 (then divergent) so contains season 5 spoilers

Ladybug and Chat Noir’s day had started out like many before it: with the defeat of Mr. Pigeon. 

“Pound it,” they smiled at each other, watching the de-evilized akuma fly away. That’s when their day took a turn for the unfamiliar.

Argos and Kagami appeared on the roof beside them, bringing with them information: that Monarch was none other than Gabriel Agreste.

Chat Noir looked like he was either going to break down or break the world. He paced the Parisian skyline while Argos and Kagami told their story with the aid of a senti-projector Argos called Once upon a time. 

When they finished Ladybug had about a thousand thoughts flying through her head but the only one that seemed to solidify was, “What about Adrien?”

Chat Noir stopped his pacing to stare wide-eyed at her. Then his shoulders slumped. “What? You think he’s working with his father?”

“What! No!” Ladybug almost yelled, “Adrien’s a good person. He would never. I just mean- will he be OK?” Chat perked up then and tentatively approached Ladybug.

“He never deserved how Gabriel treated him,” she continued, “But know this. I- I just don’t want to see him dragged into it. He’s already going to be so hurt when he finds out. And if he really is a- a-“

“Senti-being,” Argos offered.

“-then can Monarch- Gabriel- force him to take his side?”

“Gabriel can’t control him anymore,” Kagami assured her, “we got his amok from Gabriel and gave it to Adrien for safe keeping this morning. As far as if he will be OK- I’m not sure,” she trailed off.

Chat Noir had been looking down at his hands, wringing them as if fiddling with a ring that wasn’t there but when Kagami stopped talking he looked up with an expression of pure resolve, “he will be.” 

Ladybug had little time to contemplate why Chat sounded so confident about another persons emotions because just then the Parisian sky filled with portals and through them sparkling dust began to fall, covering the city. 

She had even less time to wonder what was happening before she was hit by paralyzing fear as her worst nightmares played like a montage in her mind.

She was broken out of the trace by Chat Noir’s voice, “What’s happening M’Lady?” He asked, his face contorted with pain, and Ladybug got a sense he was also experiencing his worst fears, “what did I do to you? I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she offered, temporarily distracted from her own distress, “I’m right here. I’m fine,” she finished placing her hand on Chat’s chin and lifting it so he could see her.

She watched him blink and shake his head, seeming emerging from his nightmares.

“What’s going on?” He asked, his voice now laced with confusion, rather than pain.

“I don’t know?” Ladybug offered as she fought off another wave of terror threatening to overtake her, “nothing good.”

“Everybody looks miserable,” Chat said staring off the rooftop to the streets below.

Ladybug joined him at the edge and took it all in. All the Parisian’s below them were clearly struggling with invisible threats. They were either weeping, hiding, shaking, rocking, yelling or doing a combination of the above.

No matter which direction they looked citizens were suffering. Even once upon a time was effected, projecting a montage of the saddest movie scenes ever written.

“Let’s see how far the threat extends,”Ladybug said as she threw her yoyo and took off over the rooftops with Chat Noir in pursuit. As they made their way through the city things got worse and worse. Not a single corner of their beloved Paris seemed to be spared the effects of the nightmare dust.  They saw a few people escape their nightmares briefly, but they were quickly pulled back in. Just when Ladybug thought things couldn’t get worse her and Chat’s miraculouses started beeping.

“We’re going to transform back soon,” Ladybug said having forgotten that they had used their powers while de-akumatizing Mr. Ramier, earlier. 

“Well there doesn’t seem to be any immediate threat,” Chat pointed out, “we can just retransform, feed the kwamis then transform again.”

No sooner had those words left his mouth then portals once again opened in the sky all across Paris, but this time instead of dust, out of them came akumas, hundreds of thousands of them, sparking with dark energy.

“You were saying,” Ladybug offered as the akumas began to descend.

“Come on,” Chat said pulling her into the nearby subway entrance, “we need to detransform and retransform so your magic ladybugs can fix this when it’s all over.”

“I don’t know if this can be fixed,” Ladybug whimpered as the crushing walls of defeat closed in.

“It can be,” Chat said defiantly, “there is no way I’m letting my fa- Monarch win.”

His confidence gave ladybug the strength she needed to follow him down the subway tunnel. When the tunnel split they went on either side of the wall and detransformed, filling the tunnel with red and green light.

“What do you think we’ll be up against when we get back up there.” Adrien asked while Plagg gulped down his Camambert.

“I don’t know,” Marinette admitted, “all those negative emotions from that nightmare dust is probably like a buffet for akumas, people won’t be able to fight them.”

“Then we’ll just have to defeat the akumatimed villains one by one,” Adrien smiled, “Plagg, claws out,” he finished as he once again became the leather clad hero.

“Tikki, spots on,” Marinette followed suit, transforming back into ladybug.

When they left the subway tunnel they were met with absolute mayhem. Akumatized villains of every shape and size were running around Paris, causing mass destruction. 

“Ladybug, Chat Noir, come out come out wherever you are,” one called.

“Just hand over your miraculousness and the terror will end,” shouted another.

“Sounds like they’re looking for us,” Chat offered, “we should keep a low profile until we get a better look at the entire situation.”

“Agreed,” Ladybug nodded as she followed him through the hidden routes around the city.

Everywhere they went akumatized villains, some familiar and others new were wreaking havoc and still more akumas filled the sky, waiting for their chance.

Just when Ladybug was starting to think they were the only two people in Paris not akumatized a light caught her eye. They made their way towards it, curious of its source. When they got near it they hopped up on a low roof to get a better view. That’s when she saw Alya, she was talking to Nino. They were both still themselves and they both held the charms ladybug had given them, which glowed in their hands emitting the light they had followed.

“You are the bravest person I know,” Alya said to Nino. “You defeated Anansi and saved my life and helped defeat a bunch of other villains, saving Paris numerous times. You’re also a rocking’ DJ and king of pop-culture trivia and most importantly the best boyfriend ever. I love you and I know you’re strong enough to resist the akumas.”

“I love you too. You're the coolest, toughest and smartest person I know and it’s an honour to call you my girlfriend,” Nino returned as he took Alya’s hand and the charms in them produced a blinding light that wrapped them in a kind of light force field, pushing all the akumas that were fluttering around them away.

“Wow that was awesome,” Ladybug said without thinking.

“Mar-Ladybug,” Alya smiled turning towards her, “the charms are working.”

“Only for you two it seems,” Ladybug responded jumping down from the roof top when she’s sure the coast is clear.

“You just got to power them with positive emotions, dude” Nino offered. 

“Those aren’t so easy to come by these days, it seems,” Chat offered joining the group.

“People just need to be reminded of the good,” Alya said, “leave it to us. You guys do your thing.”

“Viva la resistance,” Nino yelled as they ran off down the alley.

So Ladybug and Chat Noir tried to do their thing. They defeated akumatized villain after akumatized villain. Broke the item with the akuma in it. De-evilized the akuma. Sent out the magic ladybugs. Gave the victim a lucky charm. Then detransformed and retransformed to do it all over again, but each time, despite the charm, a new akuma came and re-akumatized the victim. So after nearly 5 hours and over 20 villains de- and re- akumatized Ladybug was starting to lose hope. 

They were on the rooftop of their usual meeting spot trying to re-group.

They’d thought of trying to face Monarch directly but the akumatized villains got more and more numerous the closer to the Agreste Manor they got. They were protecting him, and if Ladybug and Chat Noir hoped to get anywhere near him they’d have to deconstruct, meaning de-akumatize, his army first. The only problem was, that was proving far more difficult than they imagined. In fact, at this moment it seemed impossible.

As Ladybug’s hope faded she could feel the nightmares closing in and see the akumas start to flutter closer to her.

“We can’t give up M’lady,” Chat said from beside her, but it lacked his usual confidence. He too looked discouraged and the akumas were starting to approach him.

“I just don’t know what else to do,” she admitted, “nothing’s working.”

“Except that,” Chat smiled as he pointed to Alya and Nino’s glowing force field. It’d grown exponentially in size and now housed not only Alya and Nino but nearly 20 other familiar faces. Adrien recognized most of his classmates, as well as some of their siblings and parents. He also saw Felix, Kagami and Once upon a time in the force field. As they watched, the group approached Guitar Villain, with the Couffaine twins in the lead. Guitar Villain tried to penetrate the force field but nothing happened. Those in it did nothing to fight back but Ladybug could see their mouths moving. She couldn’t hear what was being said but before long Guitar Villain was no longer attacking them. Then he’d seemingly renounced the akuma as he once again became Jagged Stone, and his damaged lucky charm glowed with light as he joined the group in the force field.

“Maybe so,” Ladybug sighed, “but they’ll never be able to get to every citizen in the city,” she sighed again, “and even if they do we can’t live in a force field forever, and there is no way I can de-evilize every akuma” she finished, looking up at the portals through which more akumas continued to come. The akumas inched towards her as she said it, feeling her negative emotions grow.

“There has to be a way,” Chat pleaded.

“Maybe not this time, Kitty, we had a good run,” she smiled sadly as the akumas closed in.

“No!” he shouted, “Cataclysm!” he lashed out at the akumas closest to her vaporizing them just before they were able to make contact.

That caring act was just enough to make Ladybug remember that not everything was wrong with the world, she still had an awesome partner, the best there was. And he believed in her, even if she didn’t believe in herself. That was enough to force the akumas back a couple feet.

“Please M’lady, don’t give up,” he begged, “Paris needs you. I need you. And I know that you- we, can do this.”

Ladybug may not have believed in herself, at that moment, but she believed in Chat, so she nodded.

“Ok, what do you suggest?”

He shrugged, “I don’t know, maybe try your lucky charm, it usually helps.”

As if sensing that Ladybug and Chat Noir were no longer being dealt with by akumas directly, akumatized villains started to make their way towards them from all directions.

“Alright Kitty, here goes nothing,” Ladybug smiled at him.

“No matter what we finish this together,” Chat smiled in return.

“Like Always,” she confirmed, “Lucky charm!”

Ladybug threw her yoyo into the air where it spun, shooting out shapes of red. Then a small object fell landing in Ladybug’s hands.

“What is that?” Chat Noir asked looking at the red and black polka dotted object. It looked oddly familiar to Chat, like a bracelet or keychain made of beads but he couldn’t quite place it.

“It’s- It’s a lucky charm, of sorts,” Ladybug said, “but I’m not sure what to do with it,” she offered looking around for a clue. 

The akumatized villains started to reach them then and Chat and Ladybug began to reflexively reflect their attacks as they continued their conversation.

“A lucky charm?,” Chat asked, “like the ones Nino and Alya are using to create that force field.”

“Not exactly,” Ladybug said, still looking around frantically, as her and Chat defended themselves “this one doesn’t have any magic. It was made for me by a friend. Actually he’s my boyfriend now,” she blushed.

Something in the back of Chat’s mind told him that that should mean something to him, as he asked her, “do you have it with you?”

“Yeah- ah- I think so- I don’t go anywhere without it,” she admitted as her blush deepened and she reached into her yoyo while Chat defended her. 

“Here it is,” she offered showing the beaded bracelet to Chat. As soon as his eyes landed on it he froze. Once it was in colour he recognized it instantly. He had made it. And given it to-.

“Marinette,” he gasped as he was nearly impaled by an arrow, and the charm started to glow, “-it’s -it’s you. I can’t believe- But I guess I should have known. Smart, kind beautiful-.“ 

As Chat continued to talk the charm glowed brighter and brighter and the villains started to fall back, seemingly repulsed by the glow. It’s a good thing too because Chat was completely distracted and Ladybug was staring at him dumbfounded.

“What- How-,” she managed to stutter.

“It’s me,” Chat began, then figured it’d be better to show her. He opened his staff, reached in and pulled out a beaded lucky charm of his own.

“A friend made this for me too,” he offered, “she’s my girlfriend now,” he finished with a smirk.

Ladybug just stared at him blinking, “Adrien?“ she finally managed to get out.

“The one and only,” he said with a bow.

“This whole time,” Ladybug shakes her head, “with the puns and the showmanship-.”

“-and the loyalty and the partnership,” Chat defended.

“And that,” Ladybug smiled, and the charm in Chat’s hand continued to glow brighter.

“I’m so glad it’s you. That it’s always been you,” she said pulling Chat into a hug. “My boyfriend is also my best friend,” she laughed.

“My first love is also the love of my life,” Chat offered, “the only girl I’ve ever loved.”

“I love you too,” Ladybug said before pulling him into a kiss.

As they kissed the light from the charms grew brighter and brighter until it was blinding, then it continued to grow and grow sending light across the entire city, de-akumatizing every villain and de-evilizing every akuma in its path, leaving the streets full of confused citizens and the sky full of white butterflies. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir were too preoccupied to notice any of this. In fact, they had been too preoccupied to notice that for the last several minutes their miraculouses had been blinking and beeping warning them of their imminent detransformations and that those detransformations were currently taking place as they continued to kiss. 

So when they finally pulled apart they weren’t staring at their superhero partner but instead their civilian love.

“Ah- Marinette,” Tikki asked pulling the lovebird back to reality, “are you going to clean this up?” She finished gesturing to the ravaged city around them.

“And give me some cheese,” Plagg added, addressing Adrien.

“Together?” Marinette asked Adrien as she held out the spotted lucky charm.

“You got it Bug-a-boo,” he responded taking her hand.

“Miraculous Ladybug,” they shouted together as they threw the charm into the air and watched the magical ladybugs swarm out to repair the damage.

“So now what?” Adrien asked.

Marinette shrugged, “We’ll have to face Monarch eventually, but-“ she cut herself off, “I’m sorry, I- I wasn’t thinking,” she finished as she remembered that although Monarch was a supervillain and terrorist he was also Adrien’s father.

Adrien just shook his head but Marinette could see tears forming at the corner of his eyes, “It’s Ok,” he said, “he made his choices and now I get to make my own,” Adrien continued playing with a pair of rings, Marinette hadn’t seen before, “And I choose to build my own family. One where we love, care about and respect each other. One where we actually value each others happiness,” Adrien gave a small smile, “and I think I’m off to a pretty good start,” he paused looking at Marinette. “So when the time comes I want to be right by your side, and I know we will win. Together.”

“Always,” Marinette confirmed pulling her boyfriend into a hug.

She knew it wasn’t going to be easy but as long as they had each other they could get through anything.

THE END

[myrandomfandomramblings]

In which Plagg's aversion to Adrienette's sweet talk leads to an Identity Reveal - A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic

“You’re so cute,” Adrien smiles reaching up to brush ice cream from Marinette’s cheek.

“Not as cute as you,” she blushes.

“No, you’re the cutest,” they say in unison, “Jinx,” they continue their harmony then break into giggles.

“Double jinx,” they once again say at once then divulge into laughter.

Once they’ve recovered Marinette looks at Adrien, “I love you.”

“I love you more,” he retorts.

“I love you most,” she counters.

That was it! Plagg had spent the last two hours sitting in Adrien’s gym bag listening to him and Marinette gush about each other endlesslessly. He couldn’t take it anymore. That much sugary sweetness was sickening. So he figured before he lost his temper, and accidentally destroyed the world, it would be best to simply remove himself from the situation. The kid would be fine without him for an hour. 

As he flew from Adrien’s bag, he was already picturing the Camembert he could “borrow” from a nice shop just across the square from where they were sitting. Consider it a tax for all the times he’s saved Paris.

He was so distracted by his fantasy he didn’t notice that the sweet talk, he was trying to escape, had suddenly cut off behind him,

“Plagg,” Marinette gasped as she stood up stumbling over her words,

“I’ve got to- stay, you- go- here. Something to do. Be back right,” she yelled as she ran after Plagg, waving to Adrien as she left him sitting there, alone and confused. 

“Plagg,” she whisper yelled as she caught up with him in the alley behind the cheese shop. “What are you doing here? Did something happen to Chat Noir?”  

It took a second for Plagg to realize what was going on. 1) Marinette had noticed him fly across the square. That made sense because unlike other humans that catch a quick glimpse of a kwami, assume it’s a bug or bird and think nothing of it, Marinette is a miraculous holder and guardian, meaning she is acutely aware of kwamis and their presence. 2) Marinette doesn’t know that Adrien, her boyfriend, is Chat Noir, her superhero partner. Meaning she doesn’t know that Plagg is simply there because that’s where his holder is. She thinks he’s there to find her because there is some sort of emergency and his holder is out of commission. 

Now, he’d like to just tell her the truth, let her get back to her sickly sweet date and let him get back to his cheese hunt, but of course it’s not that simple. Because Marinette and Adrien, or more accurately Ladybug and Chat Noir, can’t know each other’s secret identities without putting the entire world in danger. Blah Blah Blah. Always the dramatics. Plagg’s at least 50% sure the world would be just fine if this revelation were to come to light. And if not? Well, Plagg’s seen the world end before. It’s not that bad. Exciting even. Anything beats listening to more Adrienette date conversation. But Tikki’s peaking out of Marinette’s purse shaking her head at him and he can’t disappoint his sugar cube.

“Chat Noir’s fine,” Plagg reassures her, “I’m just here for the best Camembert in Paris,” he finishes gesturing to the cheese shop beside them.

“Oh- ah- alright then,” Marinette nods as her adrenaline starts to dissipate. “But you should probably stay closer to Chat, you never know when he’ll need to transform.”

“Can’t, he’s on a date with his girlfriend and all the lovey-dovey stuff is making me sick,” Plagg gags, earning a stern look from Tikki.

“So his relationship is going well? He’s happy?” Marinette asks the kwami.

“Ya the kid’s doing good,” Plagg confirms, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with some cheese,” he continues disappearing through the cheese shop wall.

“Plagg,” Marinette hisses after him, but he’s already gone.

----

“Everything Ok,” Adrien asks as Marinette sits back down beside him.

“Ah- ya- false alarm. I thought I saw a friend in trouble. Ah- but he’s fine,” she stammers.

“So who’s Plagg,” Adrien asks fixing her with a knowing smirk that’s oddly familiar, “you called his name just before you ran off.”

Marinette pales, “Plagg? Plagg who? I don’t know a Plagg. I know the bubonic plague. It’s bad,” she finishes laughing nervously. Then through her panic a second thought hits her: How does he know WHO Plagg is? That HE’S a WHO at all. Anyone that heard Plagg would think plague: Black Death, ancient pandemic. Anyone except those that have held or guarded the black cat miraculous and thus met it’s kwami.

When she looks back at Adrien he’s still looking at her with that same familiar teasing expression, and the pieces fall into place in her mind: A black mask falls across his eyes as black ears poke out of his messy blond hair.

“Kitty?” She breathes and his entire face lights up.

“It really is you, M’lady,” he beams as he tackles a still stunned Marinette into a hug.

 “I know it’s supposed to be a secret, but when you ran off and I realized you were chasing after Plagg, who you recognized and knew by name, well, all the pieces just clicked. All the similarities between you and Ladybug. And I just-had to know for sure. That my girlfriend and best friend, first love and true love were one and the same.” He’s standing with his hands on her shoulders, staring at her in absolute awe, but as he finishes he pulls away. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dropped that all on you, I should have considered the dangers of us knowing each others secret identities. I just- got excited,” he finishes rubbing the back of his neck as he sneaks a peek up at Marinette. 

Marinette is trying to listen to Adrien. The concerns he’s voicing are valid and she’s spent most of the year reinforcing them, but she can’t really focus on anything he’s saying because she’s using all her energy to keep herself from laughing, and failing miserably.

“What’s so funny?” he asks.

“I just can’t stop thinking about how we kept rejecting each other because we were in love with each other,” Marinette laughs, “and I know that’s not the important take away here.”

Then Adrien laughs too. “Or the times we thought we were protecting each other but were actually just preventing the other from transforming.”

Marinette laughs harder, “Oh my gosh, we were such disasters.”

“On the contrary,” Adrien smiles, “we made a pretty good team… No matter the combination.”

Marinette nods, “Maybe that’s why I’m not scared anymore. Whatever the consequences of us knowing each other’s secret identities are, we will figure them out. Together.”

“Like always,” Adrien replies holding out his fist.

“Pound it,” they say in unison as the fist bump morphs into a kiss.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Miraculous Ladybug Lovesquare

It's pretty crazy how much development ALL sides of the love square have seen over the last 5 seasons (especially in season 5).

Exhibit A: canon kisses for 3/4 pairs.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

"Good things take time, as they should. We shouldn't expect good things to happen overnight. Actually getting something too easily or too soon can cheapen the outcome." - John Wooden

On the last day of Chenford week I offer this simple picture as a reminder of how far Chenford has come over the last 5 seasons 🥰.

----

Chenford Week 2023 Day 7: Free Day (July 17)

Free choice! Create whatever you’d like or take today to catch up on one of the previous days’ prompts.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Chenford Week 2023 Day 6: Get Creative Day (July 16)

Inspired by a poem or quote

Chenford + ________ (significant person/place/thing/theme)

Any AU or alternative take on their relationship (canon compliant or totally unique, ie. secret service au) can also be social media/text aus!

---

Chenford + Phonecalls

+Bonus Texting

1x06, 2x17, 4x01, 5x10, 5x21, 4x06

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Chenford week 2023 Day 5: Love Languages Day (July 15)

The original love languages (physical touch, words of affirmation, giving/receiving gifts, acts of service, quality time)

Create your own love languages, Chenford edition (ex: “pranking as a love language”, “sparring as a love language”)

Hands, hugs or kisses (or choose all three!)

---

Physical Touch

2. Words of Affirmation

3. Giving/Receiving Gifts

4. Acts of Service

5. Quality Time

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Chenford week 2023 Day 4: Happy Hawley-Day (July 14)

Inspired by a song that came out in the past year

Holiday themed (either canon or in fic)

Relationship milestones/firsts

As soon as I heard Taylor Swift’s Snow on the Beach I immediately thought of Chenford. So here is a canon-divergent, pre-relationship fic inspired by the song in which they literally enjoy snow on the beach.

---

Snow on the Beach - A Chenford fanfic

🎶One night, a few moons ago I saw flecks of what could've been lights But it might just have been you Passing by unbeknownst to me Life is emotionally abusive And time can't stop me quite like you did And my flight was awful, thanks for asking I'm unglued, thanks to you🎶

When his plane finally touched down at LAX, Tim felt a sense of relief. It had been a long trip. What was supposed to be a two night Sergeant’s retreat  in Vegas turned into a nightmare when bad weather in LA complicated his return. Multiple flight delays and cancellations had resulted in two extra nights, spent on the airport floor and thus one very grumpy and sleep deprived Tim. The fact that he could still see flakes falling out his airplane window as it taxied to the gate did nothing to help his mood. It wasn’t supposed to snow in LA. That was one of the many things he liked about living in the city. And yet here he was, he thought as he deplaned and made his way through the airport towards the exit hoping taxi or uber drivers were still working. 

A fleck of light caught Tim’s eye, just as he entered the room with the baggage carousels. He turned instinctively towards it then chastised himself for doing so. He had been doing that a lot lately. Every time it happened he turned expecting to see Lucy, light reflecting off her moonstone ring. And every time he was disappointed.  He didn’t know, or perhaps more accurately, refused to acknowledge why this had come to be part of his daily life, but it had. He just sighed as he turned in the opposite direction and headed towards the bathroom. 

He washed his hands and splashed some water on his facing trying to wake up and get himself out of the funk he found himself in. It didn’t do much but at least he was almost home and would be back to the station tomorrow.  

Just as he exited the bathroom he saw the light again but surpassed the urge to look towards it as he made his way to the door. Just as he was about to push the door open he heard a familiar voice behind him call his name. For a second he thought he had fully lost it and had begun to develop auditory hallucinations, but when he turned to look she was real. Lucy was standing there in the airport lobby, decked out in snow gear, except for gloves which were tucked under her arm.

“Tim,” she called again as she approached him, “there you are. I was worried I’d missed you.”

“Uh…what are you doing here?” Tim asked, confused.

“Picking you up,” she smiled, “and taking you to the beach.”

“The beach?” Tim questioned, “Lucy, it’s not exactly beach weather.”

“I know,” she replied gesturing to her ensemble, “but I want to play in the snow-”

“I don’t-“ Tim goes to interrupt but Lucy pushes on.

“-and so does Kojo and he can be off leash at the dog beach.”

Lucy had been looking after Kojo while he was gone, which is why she knew exactly when Tim’s flight was getting in. He wanted to argue with her. He hadn’t showered in three days, barely slept, still had a million things to do to prepare for Christmas Eve with Genny and the kids in 4 days, and didn’t have any snow gear. He didn’t even like the snow. Or the beach. Let alone snow at the beach. But looking at Lucy, whose expression was full of hope and excitement all he could do was nod.

“So where exactly are we headed?”

🎶And it's like snow at the beach Weird but fuckin' beautiful Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful You wanting me tonight feels impossible But it's comin' down, no sound, it's all around Like snow on the beach Like snow on the beach Like snow on the beach Like snow, oh, oh oh🎶

Lucy had already loaded Tim’s truck with the essentials: a picnic, blankets, changes of clothes, snow gear for Tim (she had burrowed from Nolan) and of course Kojo, who excitedly greeted Tim as he climbed into the truck in the airport parking lot. 

Although flakes continued to swirl around them the roads were clear and the drive to the beach was short and simple. By the time they pulled into the  parking lot, which was otherwise abandoned, both his passengers were basically vibrating with excitement. This was the first time Kojo had ever seen snow as far as Tim knew and being that Lucy was born and raised in LA, like him, he doubts she had seen much herself. She basically screeched as soon as they opened the doors.

“Yes, there’s snow on the beach!” she said excitedly, “it’s actually sticking to the ground!”

Tim couldn’t help but smile and roll his eyes as he pulled on his burrowed winter gear and watched Lucy put a dog coat on Kojo, which she had obviously just bought. 

Once all geared up they made their way down to the snow covered sand and Tim found his mood had already improved significantly since he first landed in LA not even an hour ago.

“This is so weird,” he stated as they approach the water’s edge, lapping the snow away from the underlying sand.

“It’s not weird,” Lucy retorted as she spun around taking in the view from all angles, “It’s fucking beautiful.”

And as Tim looked at her, snow flakes tangled in her dark hair, cheeks rosy from the cold and eyes gleaming with joy, he couldn’t help but agree.

He continued to watch Lucy, who had begun to make snow balls, that ended up as half sand, and was throwing them for Kojo, who excitedly dug wherever they landed. His attention was still on Kojo when something suddenly hit him in the shoulder. He turned around to find Lucy giggling already forming another snow ball.

“Oh, it’s on,” he told her as he bent down to scoop up snow of his own. 

Shots were exchanged as they chased each other up and down the beach with Kojo jumping between them, trying to intercept their snow-based ammo. Laughter filled the air as snow balls were made, thrown and dodged. This was only interrupted by exclamations of joy or frustration when they either connected with or missed their targets. And despite the nightmare that had been the last few days, Tim felt refreshed. He felt light, like he was flying. Then a snowball hit him square in the face. 

Next thing he knew he was kneeling on the ground and Lucy was right in front of him, “I’m so sorry,” she said reaching up to wipe the snow from his face, “I promise I wasn’t aiming for your head.”

He just managed to murmur as she continued to cup his cheeks and move his head, inspecting his face for anymore snow or dirt. She seemed satisfied she’d gotten it all when she stilled and met his eyes. She was so close to him, he was tempted to lean in and kiss her and had to suppress the urge to look down at her lips. Then he saw her eyes dart downward, but just for a second. At least he thought he did but then just as quickly she’d stepped back and he figured he must have imagined it. She didn’t want him, not the way he wanted her. That would have been impossible.

“Are you sure you’re okay,” Lucy asked as she took a seat beside him.

Tim nods, “Yeah, you just caught me by surprise.”

“Sorry, again.”

“It’s ok.”

“So, no more snowball fights.”

“No more snowball fights,” Tim agreed.

Then they had fallen into a comfortable silence watching the snowflakes dance around them and join the carpet of white at their feet.

🎶This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen I searched aurora borealis green I've never seen someone lit from within Blurring out my periphery🎶

“When was the first time you saw snow?” Lucy asked a few minutes later.

“I think I was 10,” Tim offered, “my parents took us to Colorado for Christmas. It was kind of marred by the fact that my dad forgot his boots and blamed the rest of us.”

“Oh,” Lucy said placing her gloved had on his forearm, “Sorry.”

Tim shrugged, “It was a long time ago. How about you, when did you first see snow.”

“Depends, I remember it snowed one day, for maybe an hour, when I was in fifth grade, but it all melted as soon as it hit the ground. The first time I saw snow on the ground was in junior year when we went to the ski hill for the weekend on a class trip.”

“How was that?”

“Exciting, but then I wiped out in front of the boy I had a crush on and decided snow was evil.”

Tim just laughed, “And what do you think now?”

“I’ve forgiven it,” she said matter-of-factly, “in fact now I kind of wish I had had real winter growing up, I feel like I missed out on something magical.”

“You didn’t,” Tim refuted, “you’ve clearly been watching too many Hallmark Christmas movies.”

Lucy laughed, “Actually, I watched I a really cute one the other day where the couple was stranded in Alaska.” 

Tim just fixed her with a look and she continued, “Yes, the storyline was predictable, but the scenery was gorgeous and they even showed the Northern Lights.”

“Did you know March is actually the best time to see Northern Lights in Alaska,” Tim asked casually.

“Ah- No- I didn’t,” Lucy replied curiously, “how did you?”

“Oh- Ah- I- Ah- think I did a project on them in elementary school or something,” Tim quickly fabricated. Yes it was a lie. But he couldn’t tell her the truth. That he had gone down an internet rabbit hole after searching “aurora borealis green” not long ago. Well, he guessed he could tell her that but then he’d have to tell her why he searched that, which was not an option. He could not tell her that for weeks after Lopez’s almost wedding he had dreamt of her in that flowing green dress with a bright smile on her face and it had made him think of the Northern Lights: beautiful, powerful and untouchable. And because it would have been creepy to stare at pictures of Lucy he took to looking at pictures of the aurora instead. 

🎶My smile is like I won a contest And to hide that would be so dishonest And it's fine to fake it 'til you make it 'Til you do, 'til it's true🎶

“The only project I remember doing in elementary school was on Musk-ox,” Lucy offered, “and I can’t remember anything about them except that they have long hair, hang out in herds and have horns that form a helmet over their skull. Although I still think they’re pretty cool.”

Tim laughed, “Ya, who wouldn’t like a big, hairy cow.”

“Hey, don’t insult the Musk-ox,” Lucy teased as she playfully pushed Tim’s shoulder.

“First a snowball to the face and now physical shoving,” Tim bantered, “did I do something to you?”

Lucy laughed, “Where do I even begin.”

“I’m guessing the day we met,” Tim winced.

“Yep,” Lucy smiled, “we’ve come a long way since then. You’ve changed a lot.”

“Changed how?” Tim questioned.

Lucy shrugged, “You just seem happier, I guess. Less angry. You smile a lot more.”

And that simple comment made Tim smile. He had been in a really bad place then. Worried about a wife he hadn’t seen in over two years, who was more worried about getting her next fix than fixing her marriage. Now she was safe, putting her life back together and Tim finally had his life back too. He’s not sure any of that would have been possible without Lucy. He still doesn’t know how Grey chooses which TO gets which rookie but he feels like he won the lottery with Lucy. Not only did he get a cop with amazing potential that would become a trustworthy colleague but he got a kind, insightful women who would become a close friend. Someone who just gets him. He can’t help but smile when Lucy’s around and trying to hide that would just be lying. 

“You’ve just graduated from the TO glare,” Tim offered and pretended like his heart didn’t skip a beat when he’s rewarded with him a smile from Lucy. Maybe one day he won’t be so affected by her, but until then he’ll just have to keep faking nonchalance, because the last thing he wants to do is make her uncomfortable or ruin their friendship.

🎶Now it's like snow at the beach Weird but fuckin' beautiful Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful You wanting me tonight feels impossible But it's comin' down, no sound, it's all around Like snow on the beach Like snow on the beach Like snow on the beach Like snow, oh, oh oh🎶

Kojo whined then, protesting their prolonged time stationary.

“You want to walk more?” Lucy asked as she began to stand up, “You better ask your dad if he’s feeling better,” she finished offering her hand to Tim.

“I’ll survive.”

They walked along for a while throwing snowballs to Kojo then, when he tired of them, into the water to watch them dissolve.

When Tim looked up from the ocean, Lucy was looking up at the sky with her tongue straight out.

“What are you doing?” Tim questioned.

“Trying to catch the snowflakes,” Lucy murmured around her outstretched tongue, “It’s harder than it looks.”

“Really?” Tim questioned.

“Well let’s see you try.”

Tim rolled his eyes but obediently stuck his tongue out in pursuit of frozen fractals and he had to admit it was harder, and more fun than he was expecting. After Lucy caught her first one it quickly escalated into a competition. One that they may have both taken a little too seriously. The terms were first to 21 wins and it was fairly calm until it was 17-18 in Lucy’s favour, then they both began running around like lunatics. Short trials of sabotage proved non-fruitful on both sides so aggressive offence seemed the only way to victory. This would have been fine if they had still been watching where they were running. They weren’t and they ran right into each other. This too would have been okay if the ground was dry and solid, but of course it wasn’t. In fact, it was probably the slipperiest the beach had ever been and so they quickly fell. Tim on his back and Lucy right on top of him. 

“Sorry, are you Ok,” Lucy asked, looking down at him.

“Yeah, you?”

She just nodded, and all the snowflakes tangled in her hair sparkled and it reminded Tim of a night sky full of stars.

Neither one of them seemed to make any effort to right themselves, instead silently watching the other, waiting to see what they would do.

Kojo was the first one to make a move. Finally noticing his humans were on the ground he happily bounded over and started licking their faces.

“Kojo stop, I’m Ok” Lucy laughed as she rolled off Tim onto her back beside him and covered her face to protect it from the canine assault. 

Kojo quickly lost interest when he realized they were alright and elected to go chase a seagull down the beach rather than hang around.

“I think he likes the snow,” Lucy mused.

“Ya? what does he know?” Tim teased.

“Are you telling me you’re not enjoying yourself?”

“Hmm, the company could be improved,” 

“Tim!”

“I’m kidding,” he laughed, “I-I missed you,” he said quietly eyes still fixed to the sky.

“I missed you too,” Lucy exhaled beside him and shifted her gloved hand into his.

🎶I (I) can't (can't) speak afraid to jinx it I (I) don't (don't) even dare to wish it But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet Now I'm all for you like Janet Can this be a real thing? Can it?🎶

They laid there silently for what felt like forever. Tim didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to risk saying the wrong thing so he just focused on taking it all in. If this was as honest as he could ever be with his feelings he was going to enjoy it. He tried not to get his hopes up because he didn’t want to see them crushed. Friends held hands. Friends missed each other. And he liked being Lucy’s friend, greatly treasured it, the last thing he wanted to do was screw that up.

“What are you thinking about?” Lucy asked as she sat up to face him.

“Uh-“ he stuttered as he was once again captivated by her big brown eyes, which felt like they could see right into his soul. 

“That I’m just really glad you’re in my life,” Tim offered as he joined her sitting.

“Really?” Lucy teased with a mischievous grin, “even when I turn on the radio AND air conditioning in the shop.”

Tim gave a non-committal shrug. 

Truth was, although he feigned annoyance with Lucy’s antics, everything was infinitely better when she was a part of it. She challenged him, teased him and made him a better man. She was special and he knew he’d never meet anyone else like her. She was it for him. It was that simple. At least conceptually. It was infinitely more complicated in practice. 

“Earth to Tim, you still with me,” Lucy smiled as she leaned into his line of sight.

“Ah- Yeah,”

“Are you ok?” She asked more seriously, “you know you can talk to me about anything.”

“I’m ok,” he reassured her.

“Tim.” She fixed him with a stare indicating she wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

“I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”

“Like?”

“You,” he finally admitted, feeling like her gaze was dragging the word from his throat.”

“Me?” she questioned and all he could do was nod.

“Care to elaborate?” She asked, playfulness mixed with uncertainty.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Tim breathed, knowing there was no going back now. This conversation was going to happen one way or another. 

“I usually find it best to start from the beginning,” Lucy teased. And despite himself Tim laughed. Even if Lucy didn’t reciprocate his feelings, she deserved the truth. So that’s what he gave her. Every truth that was in his heart.

When he finished Lucy was looking at him with glistening eyes.

“You really think I don’t reciprocate?”

Tim just shrugged, drained of words after his confession. 

“Ready to be proved wrong?” She whispered as she reached out and guided his face towards hers.

“Yeah,” is all Tim managed to get out around the lump in his throat before Lucy’s lips are on his and everything else fades away.

🎶Are we falling like snow at the beach? (Snow at the beach) Weird but fuckin' beautiful Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful (flying in a dream) You wanting me tonight feels impossible (you wanting me) But it's comin' down, no sound, it's all around Like snow on the beach (snow on the beach) Like snow on the beach (flying in a dream) Like snow on the beach (you wanting me) Like snow, oh🎶

They spent the rest of the day enjoying the snow on the beach. They made snow angels, snow men and a snow fort. Had a campfire and a picnic. Tried to toboggan down the sand dunes and recreate Frozen’s Let it Go. And they talked, laughed and touched through it all. 

Just earlier that day Tim had thought it was impossible but here they were. Together. Maybe it was a little weird, going from TO/rookie to friends to this, but more than anything it was fucking beautiful. Not unlike snow on the beach. 

🎶But it's comin' down, no sound, it's all around Like snow on the beach (it's comin' down, it's comin' down) (It's comin' down, it's comin' down) (Like snow on the beach) (It's comin' down, it's comin' down, it's comin' down, it's comin' down) (It's comin' down, it's comin' down, it's comin' down, it's comin' down) (Comin' down, it's comin' down, it's comin' down, it's comin' down)🎶

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Chenford week 2023 Day 3: Something’s Missing Day (July 13)

Incorrect dialogue (tumblr posts, tweets, etc.) or scenes you wish we’d seen

Missing moment or underrated moment

Amnesia, missing pet/person, missing object/ring, etc.

When I first watched the 5x02 ending I was shocked that they actually acknowledged what almost happened between them and I loved that! However,  I found the scene somewhat hard to follow as we didn’t really know where either of their heads were at and although Eric and Melissa absolutely nailed it with the emotion they can only communicate so much with facial expressions and tone of voice. So I decided to write a fic of that underrated moment and include what was missing for me: Lucy’s thought process.

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Lucy’s internal monologue during the 5x02 ending - A Chenford fanfic

“Hey. What are you doing here?” Lucy says as she answers the door, surprised to find Tim on the other side. She hasn’t seen him much since the end of their UC op when they found Chris, bleeding out on Lucy’s couch. She hasn’t been purposely avoiding him. No. Just spending lots of time with Chris, helping him recover.

“Just checking in.” Tim replies casually, “How are you feeling?” He continues addressing Chris, seated behind Lucy in the living room.

“Okay. Lucy's taking great care of me.”

“I have no doubt,” Tim smiles, “Hey, can we talk?” he continues, addressing Lucy, timidly.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” She stutters stepping into the hallway for a little bit more privacy, unsure why he is here.

“So, I, uh... I hear you're on the fence about going to U.C. school.” Tim offers.

This is true Lucy has been struggling with deciding whether or not to attend UC school since she received the offer a few days ago. But she’s surprised Tim knows and is even more surprised he’s here to talk to her about it. 

“Chris called you?” She reasons.

“Yeah, which was unexpected,” Tim voices her thoughts, “Um, he wanted me to talk to you.”

She knows UC is a great opportunity and she is definitely still interested in a career in undercover work, even if her last UC op stirred up some uncomfortable feelings. It’s just she feels guilty leaving Chris while he’s still recovering, and she has enough things to feel guilty about regarding this relationship. 

She keeps it short when she replies: “It's not the right time.”

“He's gonna be fine.” Tim reassures her, once again seemingly reading her mind. “You owe it to yourself to go.”

“I know, but…” Lucy stutters, once again blaming herself for Chris getting hurt and nearly dying. After all, Rosalind had targeted him specifically to hurt Lucy. 

“What happened to him isn't your fault,” Tim interrupts her thoughts, trying to provide reassurance. 

But it doesn’t work. Because what Lucy really feels guilty about is not that because of her, he became a target of a serial killer, but because he hadn’t even crossed her mind when she heard about Rosalind’s escape. She had worried about Tamara and insisted she be kept safe but didn’t so much as think about Chris until she found him bleeding out on her couch. Didn’t so much as think about him when she kissed another guy, twice, and ultimately invited him back to her apartment for a night cap. A night cap that was only interrupted because Chris was already at the apartment, on the edge of death. And that’s really what she feels guilty about. 

But should she? Did she really do anything wrong? She’s been asking herself that a lot lately. Running through it again and again in her mind. The kisses had been for work, for an undercover operation which took a lot of bad people and dangerous goods off the streets. They hadn’t been real, hadn’t mean’t anything. She’s told herself that a million times and every time it’s answered by Tim’s voice inside her head: “call me crazy but it just doesn’t feel like pretend.” She’s still sticking with her basic biology theory and blaming that along with high levels of adrenaline for her highly questionable decision of inviting Tim in that night. She still doesn’t know what she thought would happen or what she wanted to happen had they not found Chris. She tries to tell herself nothing. Maybe a friendly drink. And she’s finally told herself that enough times that she’s started to actually believe it. Nothing happened. It was an innocent act and she has nothing to feel guilty about. Right? Okay maybe she doesn’t fully believe that, but maybe she should. Then she realizes the answer is standing right in front of her. 

“We were about to…” Lucy starts, fully expecting Tim to jump in and rationalize their actions. Lift this burden from her mind. She can already hear Tim chuckling casually as he teases her, “We were about to what?- have a drink together. Oh no someone better call HR.” Or she can see him rolling his eyes getting ready to correct her like he used to as her TO. “We were about to what?- sleep together. We wouldn’t have let that happen. The stress and excitement of the day may have gone to our heads a little, that’s it, it happens, it’s not a big deal.” But in either scenario she pictures Tim as the world usually sees him: calm, steady, and slightly amused by her antics. His default. What she doesn’t expect is what comes next.

“But we didn’t.” he jumps in almost immediately, voice laced with emotions, Lucy can’t quite identify, but they give the sentence a feeling of heaviness. “We didn’t.” He repeats as if trying to convince himself of something. 

That’s when it hits her. She didn’t just potentially hurt Chris when she invited Tim in that night, she also hurt Tim. Made him feel uncomfortable, confused, used, disappointed in her? She wasn’t sure, but the thought that she has damaged the relationship between them, the most important relationship in her life, nearly breaks her.

“Uh, are you trying to get rid of me as your go-fer?” She asks, suddenly terrified.

“No,” Tim forces a small smile as his voice swells with more unidentifiable emotions, “No, I'm trying to look out for you.” And his eyes are shining like he’s holding back tears and it’s hard for Lucy to bear. “It’s time for you to move on.” 

Lucy just nods, struggling with all the emotions swirling around in her mind. Move on from what? From patrol, from Sergeant’s aide, from him?

“And some time away would be good.” She asks, begging him to explain, to understand, to address whatever this tension is that’s suddenly built between them.

But he doesn’t, “It's a great opportunity, Lucy,” he says and all she can do is murmur as she tries to hold back tears of her own. “You should go for it,” he finishes quickly then turns and walks away.

And then she’s alone, standing in the hallway, feeling like her heart has shattered. She would have preferred he yelled at her. She’s used to angry Tim. They’re good at arguing. But she doesn’t know what to do with a Tim that’s seemingly radiating pain caused by her. She fears anything she might try will only make it worse. So she decides to give him the last thing she wants to: space. And as she stands there, trying to pull herself together, she vows to never do anything that could jeopardize her relationship with Tim, ever again.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Chenford Week 2023 Day 2: TV Tropes Day (July 12)

Spin the wheel! Pick a random trope and fic type from the wheel (click here)

S5 tropes / s5 parallels (can include other seasons)

Future tropes (engagement, wedding, pregnancy, kid fics)

Trope: Vacation, Fic Type: Fluff (full disclosure: I chose these from the wheels to fit an idea I already had in mind)

__

Bear it all - A Chenford fanfic

When Lucy first opened her eyes into pure darkness she was momentarily disoriented. However, it didn’t take long before she remembered where she was: A tent in the California backcountry, with Tim, on their first ever camping trip. She wasn’t exactly sure what had woken her up but the top contenders were clear: she was cold and had to pee. The temperature had dropped significantly since they went to bed. In fact the tent had been so hot after sitting in the sun all day it could have essentially functioned as a green house. To beat the heat her and Tim had gone for a swim just before bed to cool down and both fallen asleep naked on top of their sleeping bags, shortly after. She figured the solution to that problem was pretty clear. She just needed to slip into her sleeping bag, but first she had to get to the outhouse to pee. She quickly located her headlamp which she had strategically placed under her pillow. However, she didn’t want to turn it on until she was out of the tent to prevent waking Tim, so she fished around blindly in her bag for something to throw on. Eventually she successfully produced an oversized sleep shirt and slipped it on , along with a pair of shoes, before quietly exiting the tent.

Once outside she was about to turn her headlamp on when she was distracted by the sky. This far out of the city it was clear of smog and light pollution and the stars were on full display. She started in the direction of the outhouse with her eyes still fixed on the sky until she realized she would ultimately need her headlamp to find them. She pressed the on button as she lowered her gaze and immediately let out a scream as her eyes met those of a bear illuminated by her light. The bear immediately turned and ran away into the woods, clearly frightened by the screaming woman. Just as Lucy’s pulse began to slow it began to pick up again, as she heard fast steps approaching from behind. She turned around and took up a fighting pose on instinct, ready to defend herself as she saw a large shadow advancing quickly toward her in the darkness. She was just debating Fight vs. Flight when it stepped into her headlamp’s beam.

“Tim?”

She questioned as the situation became clear.

“Lucy?” he asked frantically, “Are you okay? I heard someone scream.” 

“I’m fine,” Lucy reassured him, “but I have to ask, how exactly did you think this,” she continued gesturing to Tim, who was standing before her buck naked wielding a pillow like a weapon, “was going to help?” she finished dissolving into laughter.

“I don’t know,” Tim replied defensively as the reality of the situation seemed to sink in and he lowered the pillow to cover himself. “I woke up to screaming and you gone. I guess I just panicked and jumped right into action.”

“With a pillow?”

“It was the first thing I could find. Would you rather I had left you to die?”

“I wasn’t going to die. It was just a black bear. Gave me a bit of a scare but I think I scared it more.”

“How was I supposed to know that?”

“I guess you weren’t,” Lucy offered, finally containing her laughter, “I appreciate the effort,” she continued giving Tim a quick kiss, “but if you wanted a naked pillow fight all you had to do was ask.”

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Chenford Week 2023 - Day 1: Inspired by Canon Day 

Favorite s5 moment or episode (can be canon compliant fic) 

Canon quotes (taken out of context, favorite quotes, etc.) 

Inspired by a season five song 

There were a lot of great moments this season, but the 5x10 opening (especially the phone call definitely takes the cake for me.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

The Secret Life of Parents - A Miraculous Ladybug futute fic

“Hey Adrien, can you please grab the butter?” Marinette asks from the kitchen table where she’s already seated for dinner with their three teenaged children.

“You’ve got it, bug-a-boo,” Adrien replies, opening the fridge and grabbing the butter before joining his family.

“Thanks Kitty,”

“Anything for M’lady,” Adrien finishes with a teasing bow causing Marinette to blush and their teenagers to roll their eyes.

“Seriously,” their fifteen year old daughter complains, “how are you old and still so flirty.”

Adrien just laughs, “We love each other, I’m not sure what else to tell you kiddo.”

“I just don’t get why you use such weird pet names,” their thirteen year old points out, “it’s never babe, baby, honey, sweetie, or love. It’s bug -a-boo, m’lady, and kitty.”

Marinette and Adrien share a look but don’t say anything, having successfully kept their superhero identities a secret from their kids thus far.

“I always assumed it had something to do with those famous Paris superheroes,” their seventeen year old weighs in, “Ladybug and Chat Noir. Weren’t they at their peak of popularity when you were our age?”

“You could say that,” Adrien laughs as Marinette fixes him with a warning look, “the year your mom and I met and started dating was the year Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated Hawk Moth.”

“That still doesn’t explain the pet names,” the youngest points out.

“Right… that…” Marinette stutters as she nervously butters her chicken instead of her bun.

“Well, you see when I first met your mom she was always going above and beyond to help her friends, including me,” Adrien jumps in, ”so I started calling her my Everyday Ladybug,” he shrugs, “and the nicknames just snowballed from there.”

The kids nod seemingly satisfied with that answer and Marinette lets out the breath she was holding.

“Wait what about Princess?” Their youngest jumps in.

“Honestly, that one started around the same time but I can’t remember how,” Adrien confesses, “Honestly, I’m not sure why you think our pet names are so weird. I have a friend who uses ‘sugar cube’ as a term of endearment.”

The fifteen year old just shrugs, “It’s part of a teenagers job to think their parents are weird,” she explains, “For example, what kind of person wears three completely plain rings, constantly,” she finishes gesturing to her father’s hands and the aforementioned rings (one gold on his left, two silver on his right).

“A weird one apparently,” Adrien jokes, avoiding explaining the importance of his miraculous and amokized ring.

“I think that’s enough questions for one meal,” Marinette teases, “now hurry up and eat up so I can start kicking your butts at Ultimate Mecha Strike XX.”

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Season 5 and 6 Predictions

For the last two seasons of the Rookie (Season 4 & 5) I’ve made BINGO cards of what I thought would, or really more what I wanted to, happen. So now that Season 5 has come to an end it’s time to see how I did and make a new one for Season 6!

Season 5:

Season 6:

Note: I’ve been predicting/hoping that Tim finds out that Lucy and Nolan used to date and that Lucy would reassess her interest in UC/explore other careers since my season 4 card and I’m stubbornly sticking with them.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Throwback to the “bracelet” (turned into an anklet) I made trying to mimic the bracelet Robin gave Alice.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Was cleaning out some old stuff and found this really rough doodle of the superfriends as hogwarts students I drew several years ago and figured I’d share. 

J’onn J’onzz - House: Hufflepuff, Patronus: Bear

Maggie Sawyer - House: Ravenclaw, Patronus: Swallow

Kara Danvers - House: Hufflepuff, Patronus: Golden retreiver

Winn Schott - House: Ravenclaw, Patronus: Dolphin

Alex Danvers - House: Gryffindor, Patronus: Bobcat

Lena Luthor - House: Slytherin, Patronus: Fox

Mon-el - House: Hufflepuff, Patronus: Ostrich

James Olsen - House: Gryffindor, Patronus: Elk

[myrandomfandomramblings]

The career of Lucy Chen: a The Rookie Fanfic

When Lucy was little, when she grew up, she wanted to be a dog. When that didn’t work out she worked a variety of odd jobs before eventually settling on following in her parents footsteps. A Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a few internships later, she was back in the odd job hunt, looking for inspiration. That inspiration came in the form of a call to the crisis line she was working for at the time, which planted the seed that the LAPD just might be the place for her. A lot of research and a couple of fights with her parents led to her mind being made up and her police academy application being submitted. Less than a year later she walked into the academy for her first day and never looked back. Well never might be too strong of a word. There were definitely a few days she wondered if she had made the right choice: the day she was stuck by a used needle, her plain clothes day when she was sure she was about to be fired, and of course the day her best friend was killed in the line of duty. But those days were few and far between and easily outweighed by all the days that made her feel like she was right where she belonged. Although she felt this sense of belonging on patrol from the beginning, she also knew that she didn’t want to stay there for her whole career. Through her rookie year and time as a P2 her focus narrowed to undercover work but exactly what type remained a question. As did, if the passion Lucy felt for UC was enough to outweigh the career’s inherent drawbacks. She wasn’t worried about the constant guard up, high adrenaline, think on your feet situations that plagued UC’s. In fact she thrived on them. She did some of her best work when her life essentially depended on her improv skills, and relished every second. She also wasn’t concerned about the psychological issues that were common in the field. She knew many people struggled with adjusting back to their day-to-day life; that they struggled to remember who they were as a person, outside of an assigned persona; that they felt disconnected from those around them, feeling that they couldn’t share what they experienced while on assignment; and that these issues ended more than a few relationships, some careers and even a couple of lives. But she had a strong sense of self, a lifetime’s worth of knowledge about the human psyche, tried and tested coping strategies and an excellent support system, so she was confident she’d make it through with her mental health intact. No, her concerns were far more benign than severe physical or psychological harm. In fact they were simple: boredom and loneliness. Lucy loved UC when she was in the thick of it but the time leading up to or in-between the target making contact was like torture. Wether it was killing time alone in a motel room or selling plastic products by phone, Lucy hated every second. She couldn’t imagine being involved in a long term op where nothing really happened for weeks at a time or spending a couple weeks establishing her cover through benign daily tasks just for the target to never make contact and her to be pulled with no results for her effort. Of course the boredom also made the loneliness worse and the other way around. When she felt like she was sitting still it made her acutely aware that at home her life was going on without her. She’d found it was harder to miss home when she was actively taking down huge drug shipments and gang king pins or at least it made it worth it. Although Lucy had yet to leave an UC op completely empty handed, she could imagine the devastation of wasted time and missed opportunities. This really hit her after reflecting on her week as Jamie. She was bored out of her mind and missing simplicities like Tim’s Top Chef commentary and Tamara’s campus gossip by day two. In less than a week she was genuinely worrying about not being there if Tamara needed her and longing for Tim so much (despite talking to him on the phone everyday) that she literally jumped him in a shared laundry room. She honestly couldn’t imagine missing big events like Tamara’s Birthday, Nolan’s wedding or her and Tim’s anniversary or not knowing what was going on in her friend’s lives. She wondered how she would cope when her handler wasn’t also one of her closest friends (Nyla, Angela or Tim) and the assignment lasted more than a week to a month. Would the excitement of the mission really outweigh everything she was missing at home? Those were the questions that circled in Lucy’s brain as her time as a P2 drew to a close but she chose to largely ignore them deciding instead to focus on the notion of a career path that she excelled at and that thrilled and fulfilled her despite it’s drawbacks. So she completed her detectives exam, scored in the top 8 and began looking for an open position that would lead her to an undercover career. It was by pure coincidence (or fate) that the only somewhat relevant position available was in the juvenile narcotics division and so she took it. The day to day was monotonous, arresting and interviewing teens for drug possession (or less often, dealing) but also, as Lucy learned, incredibly rewarding. She appreciated getting to hear the kids stories and be able to offer empathy and support that many of them had never encountered in their short lives. She considered it a privilege to connect them with services and divert as many as possible into programs and away from the criminal system. So no matter how textbook the day, when she left work she felt fulfilled. The fact that she worked regular hours also didn’t hurt as it gave her more time to spend with Tim (who was back on patrol) and the rest of her friends. However, joining the juvenile division didn’t hinder her UC aspirations. On the contrary it offered ample opportunities. After all, teens get their drugs from the same supply as everyone else, meaning Lucy was frequently receiving information on drug supply chains and all the other organized crime that went with them. This led to her regularly being involved in raids, shipment intercepts, and surveillance ops and all the associated investigation and planning. This gave her her fair share of high stakes and adrenaline even without being undercover. Nevertheless, she continued to go undercover occasionally and enjoyed the change of pace and opportunity to use her skills. However, as she saw more and more of the world she became more and more sure that as much as she wanted it to be part of her career she definitely didn’t want it to be her whole career. She participated in a couple longer assignments early on and quickly realized that for her, long term, the cons outweighed the pros. So for the majority of her career she balanced working with youth involved in drug related offenses and fighting the suppliers with the planning and execution of some pretty spectacular operations (a fair share of which involved Lucy supporting other UC’s and taking on short, one time, roles herself). Although Lucy had no small number of major takedowns in her career and went on to establish a number of very successful programs in the division (and beyond) her most memorable day on the job came when she first met the kids she (and Tim) would later adopt. She retired from the LAPD at the age of 65, shortly after adding the lifetime achievement award to the many awards and honours she received throughout her career. In doing so, she also won the bet with her husband of who would finish their career with the most hardware.