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THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING 2003 | dir. Peter Jackson

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Then suddenly he beheld his sister Éowyn as she lay, and he knew her. He stood a moment as a man who is pierced in the midst of a cry by an arrow through the heart; and then his face went deathly white, and a cold fury rose in him, so that all speech failed him for a while. A fey mood took him.

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Kara hesitated. She was about to make a life-altering decision: accept him and grow closer together, or say no to it all and risk a friendship being over. What would hurt her more would be a life without him in it.

Once she decided on what her heart was telling her, Kara smiled and nodded to herself. "I want us, Winn. I think... deep down, well, I've always wanted it. I was just too afraid to make the first move."

When Kara reassured him of her feelings, his heartbeat sped up. Maybe if things worked out differently neither one of them would’ve dated another. But Winn couldn’t backtrack and fall into a void of questions. What mattered was right now – this very moment. But were they being selfish? After all, he was still engaged.

Winn’s feet came to a halt as he took in her words. “A part of me would always love Karen but it’s not the same type of love. And it took me until right now to realize the difference. It’s more like a deep care.” He paused, wondering if he explained it well enough. “You’re not the other women, not even a little. If you want this, want us, I’ll end things with her.”

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"I do," Kara replied as she assured him of her feelings while a brief smile appeared on her face. Still, it felt wrong to be happy, so she shook off her feelings instead. Nothing in the world would make her happier than walking through life with him, but she couldn't get over how she had become the 'other woman' so easily—selfishly.

Despite Winn taking a few steps forward, her feet remained frozen. "Winn, I-- I would love to be with you, to walk through the craziness of life with you... but I won't make you. I love you... but if you still love Karen... even a little bit, well, I-- I don't know... I don't like being in the middle of this, Winn. The other woman..."

A small part in the back of Winn’s mind was telling him he didn’t deserve Karen or Kara’s love. Not only for the cheating but a much deeper reason regarding his father. While he knew they were nothing alike – he still hadn’t really faced his past head on. Kara was so full of light, always shining beautifully like a ray of sunshine. Whereas Winn felt as if he could dissolve into another version of Toyman somewhere down the line.

But both women saw through that darkness and it made it a little less scary. He stood in place as Kara finally looked in his direction and yeah, her beauty still radiated in rays of light, which almost distracted him from her next string of words.

“You love me too?” Winn took a moment to let the sentiment sink in. “I don’t feel right marrying Karen when I’m in love with someone else. But I also don’t want her to hurt her either.” He paused before taking a few steps forward. “We could be together if I end things… If you want to be together, I mean.”

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Kara was nervous once everyone but the leader of the pack left. The leader had to have been around her age for he was tall and seemed older than the other young boys with him. Would he really strike a woman? If he did, the wound would be great evidence to use against them to put the boys in jail immediately. "You won this round, lady. Pathetic letting a woman take care of ya." He said towards Winn's direction before running off.

Letting out a sigh of relief as she dropped the pipe, Kara smiled in his direction and nodded, cupping his cheek. "I'm fine. I'm just glad you're okay." She let out a soft chuckle before kissing him softly. "I came to meet up with you like I said I would, and they rudely interrupted us... so maybe we should find somewhere else to go that is not the streets."

Winn almost wanted to shout at her to go – not because he believed Kara couldn’t take care of herself but he was afraid of her getting hurt. Those who lived on the streets weren’t exactly known as pushovers. “I’ll be fine,” he tried to tell her despite the pain throbbing on his cheek. It surprised him to hear Kara speak in such a threatening manner and she even brought the police into the mix. He attempted to make a move when the boy lunged, yet it seemed like there was no need. She quite literally smacked the other with a pipe. Winn never even seen her take hold of it, then again, his eyes hardly left the one cornering them just in case things took a turn for the worse. Then next thing he knew, they were taking off. Winn turned to look at Kara. “I guess you were the one protecting me this time. Are you okay?” He needed to hear her say the words, if only to calm his racing heart, which wasn’t fear induced from the boys, he simply couldn’t shake the worry clinging to his chest. Kara matter more to him than anyone’s ever have.

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Kara couldn't understand why she wasn't overjoyed by this news. To hear someone say how much they loved her when she felt their love in return was everything she dreamt of. She had given up long ago that he could never love her, and now she was full of regret with her past self for not making her feelings known before he was engaged to someone else.

"I probably shouldn't say this either..." Kara sighed as she slowly looked in his direction. "I have always wanted you to say those words to me. I just gave up hoping this day would come. I-- I thought I had moved on and forgot about those feelings once I meant Mike. I-- I didn't."

Closing her eyes for a moment, shaking her head knowing the next sentence would make and break their friendship... Kara spoke again. "I have always loved you, Winn. I still do... but there's nothing we can do about that right now, right?"

Winn was momentarily at a loss of words. Their kiss proved she felt something for him – but the guilt for cheating on Karen slammed into his chest with a devastating force. He wasn’t the type of guy who acted on any feelings while in another relationship. Mostly because he shouldn’t love one woman while being with someone else.

He tried so hard to push those feelings aside and for the most part he managed to accept Kara’s relationship with Mike and his own with Karen. Maintaining their friendship meant everything to him. Winn couldn’t handle losing their strong connection, hence the silence. Until now.

“That’s the problem,” he answered in a near whisper. Winn looked at her, taking in the expression resting on her face. “Of course, I love Karen. I wouldn’t have asked her to marry me if I didn't. But it’s not the same type of love I’ve always had for you.”

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Kara's eyes widened when he finally confided in her. While she was surprised— shocked by the revelation, she was also relieved he felt the same way after finding out just how deep her roots were regarding her feelings. However, it appeared both parties involved made a mess of things.

She had denied her feelings for Winn since the beginning and over time, Kara ended up believing them to the point she thought she was in love with Mike. Had she accepted her feelings back when they were single, well... maybe things would have been different.

The awkward silence in her living room became too much for her now. After what felt like a century, Kara finally let out a breath and shook her head. " You love me? No.... You-- Winn... Karen. Wh-- what about Karen? ?"

After the words left his lips, it felt as if each nerve ending started to vibrate – making him more nervous than ever. Was telling Kara the full truth worth ending his relationship with Karen? He loved her yeah, but was it the same kind of love he felt for the woman standing before him?

Well, he started so there was no turning back now. “I should have told you way before I started dating Karen but you were so happy with your boyfriend and I didn’t want to ruin that. Turns out he did anyway.” Pausing Winn took a deep breath, hesitantly taking a few steps forward. “The truth is... I’ve been in love with you for as long. I don’t even remember when it happened. The feelings just kind of crept up on me until it was the only thing I knew. And I know, that makes me a horrible person, telling you this now and I’m sorry. But you have the right to know.”

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Kara was relieved he agreed with her because it should have never happened. The longer he stood in her apartment speaking to her about it, the more anxious she became and wanted to be alone.

"There's something I probably shouldn't tell you..."

For a moment, Kara forgot how to breathe and speak in response to that, and a long pause lingered. What would she say anyway? It was the continuation of his speaking that made words begin to form in Kara's anxious mind. "How you've always felt? I-- Winn, what are you saying... you can't mean that--" Kara couldn't finish her own thought and frantically shook her head as she turned away from him.

Winn couldn’t keep his thoughts from tumbling over one another. He kissed another woman while engaged to someone else. Didn’t that qualify him as a cheater? But it was Kara. The single person he fell for the moment the met – who he still had feelings for even now.

“That kiss never should’ve happened,” Winn agreed, unable to stop his voice from cracking. The guilt caused the sensation of butterflies to flutter in his stomach. But looking at her? His heart felt the need to remind him of its existence by thumping loudly against his chest. “There’s something I probably shouldn’t tell you…” He paused, debating on the admission. If stated he knew there was no going back to Karen. As if she’d even want him after that kiss. “I am happy but I’ve also been lying to you about how I really feel about you. How I’ve always felt.”

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Sitting across from him on a separate chair was not enough space. Nothing would help make her embarrassment disappear. I can't believe I did that. W h y did I do that? Statements-- questions she kept asking herself quietly to try and rationalize the situation.

"I-- I don't know. What will talking do to help make sense of this? We messed up... I messed up. You're engaged and love someone else. I shouldn't have done that." She managed to look at him like he insisted, but she conversed a mile a minute despite it out of fear. "Unless there is something you've been keeping from me... but I doubt it. You seem so happy with Karen and I can't be the one to ruin that. I-- you really should go. Please."

One second Winn was trapped in an endless kiss with Kara, ready to let their clothing fall to the floor. Next thing he knew she pulled away. Then hastily retreated out of reach – the distance sucking all the warmth from his body. She said his name, snapping him back into reality of the situation. How he so easily cheated on the woman he proposed asked to marry him.

“Wait,” Winn managed to get out, nearly losing his footing after shooting off the couch. He looked at her for a moment, her embarrassment clear. “We shouldn’t have, I know.” He ran his fingers through his hair, his mind racing. “I think we need to talk about what just happened... It would help if you’d actually look at me,” he added softly, unsure if moving any closer was a wise decision.  

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When she was met with silence from her rescuer, she did notice a stare from the man she couldn’t possibly ignore. While she was not going to bring attention to it and embarrass him, Éowyn used her advantage of the brief silence to gaze upon the man who gallantly came to her aid. His short, brown hair was dishevelled, but it was not too long to hide the concern on his face about her well-being. She could also glance at his eyes with ease. Their blue colour was a shade Éowyn took comfort in. The way he gazed upon her made her feel a sense of security she had not experienced in years. Despite it feeling so foreign to her, she took comfort in knowing that this man was someone she could trust. First impressions mattered to Éowyn and she could clearly see he was a good man.

She believed to have lingered far too long with her gaze now. Clearing her throat at what was now an unpleasant situation, the pain in her arm was more pronounced now from the initial accident. Despite the shared gaze between one another, the pain she felt shooting up her arm was enough to bring her back to the present. Éowyn was grateful for the extended hand he offered her to help stand with ease. “Thank you… I— and you are? I’m sorry. I don’t think I caught your name?” Why did he look familiar to her? Had she met him before her uncle succumbed to his illness?

Nodding, Éowyn gave a weakened smile, her face clearly evident with the amount of pain she was in. After thanking him for his help to stand, her arm was now resting across her chest with her left hand in a fist. “You may. Thank you… again.”

When the woman spoke, Faramir heard no discomfort woven through her voice. Instead, its cadence maintained a quiet strength which he found that he admired. Even upon finding herself in such a position, she carried an admirable surety in her bearing as lifted her head to meet his gaze. Hair the color of goldenrod shifted from her face to instead fall over her shoulder in flaxen waves that caught the sun in each strand, while her striking green eyes were next to arrest Faramir's attention. Her features were soft yet noble, with nary a hint of the pain she mentioned there to betray her. While he thought there was perhaps the track of a single tear lingering on her cheek, he could not account for it with any assurance. There was, however, a familiarity to her countenance that he couldn't quite place; all he remained certain of was that through these observances, she was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Determined not stare regardless of how much he may wish to, Faramir glanced to her injured arm. It was not bent in an unnatural angle, or did hang limp; she was, most likely, correct in her assessment that she lacked a broken bone. A relief, to be sure, though it hardly eased the pain she commented on as a result of her fall. Stepping closer now that he knew she would not resist his aid, the distance between them vanished as he extended his hand to help her as she rose unsteadily from where she had settled prior in the grass.

"May I?" Faramir nodded his head towards her wounded arm. There appeared to be no tears in her sleeve and the fabric was free of blood which alerted him to a lack of significant contusions, yet he knew better than to turn a blind eye on the potential severity of an injury.

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Downton Abbey 1.06 (2010)

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working on repliessss

I probably won't be working on them for long as I have to wake up early for work, buuuut I'm going to do what I can. They will most likely be sent to my drafts to edit over the next few days. :)

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@everythingheard

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"Indeed it is said by our lore-masters that they have from of old this affinity with us that they are come from those same Three Houses of Men as were the Númenoreans in their beginning; not from Hador the Goldenhaired, the Elf-friend, maybe, yet from such of his sons and people as went not over Sea into the West, refusing the call."

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Kara didn't know what came over her in that moment. Perhaps she was not as drunk as she initially thought because once she felt his hands against her back, her eyes widened and she pulled back. While moving back and staggering away from him on the couch, she moved to the other side and frantically put her shirt back on.

"Winn..." She gasped, still out of breath. "I-- I should not have done that. You're engaged. I'm sorry. I-- you should probably go..." She vowed to never be 'the other woman' and yet she was being exactly that. Embarrassed, distraught... Kara couldn't bring herself to face the man she truly loved.

Winn tried to push the image of Karen from his mind – the picture forming to try to remind him of his current relationship and woman who’d be immensely hurt from him cheating. But he wanted Kara forever, for as long as he could remember. Eventually, they’d have to talk about the current situation once it was over. Just how far would he let it go?

His hands trailed her newly exposed skin, pulling her closer as his fingers moved towards her back. Then she said his name and the sound of her voice barely registered. Her smile seemed to blur out the entire background of the room. He smiled in return before pressing his lips against hers, drawing her into another kiss.

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Posting a looooong awaited update as to my sudden disappearance.

I’m still here. Busy with work and personal things, but still around nonetheless. If I’m not too tired this week after work one day, I will try and be on to answer threads. If not, I have some extra time off next weekend.

I really miss being here. I hope everyone is well!