#((you make a great point; and i agree! i don't think that randall would be nearly as enamored as he is here))

[theheadlessgroom]

https://www.tumblr.com/beatingheart-bride/710019365046763520/theheadlessgroom-beatingheart-bride

@beatingheart-bride

“​I don’t think it’s silly at all,” he smiled, delighted to know that she had enjoyed the show (even if it was simply the orchestra) as much as he had, as well as admiring her desire to see what he and the rest of the audience saw during a performance. “It’s wonderful to watch-I-I would enjoy watching an opera with you, were we ever afforded that chance.”

What with her being the leading lady now (and would hopefully be the leading lady in many, many productions to come; he had a feeling her future as the opera’s star was within reach), the opportunity for both Randall and Emily to sit down and watch a show together seemed not quite in the cards at the moment (not unless Emily could be in two places at once), but he still liked to imagine that, someday, she would be afforded that chance. Under what circumstances he did not know, but it was a day he liked to think was possible.

And what a day that would be! The two of them, seated in Box Five together, watching and enjoying the show in their own private box in their evening best...perhaps he would see about getting them some fancy chocolates to enjoy during the show, or something to drink (he wasn’t a fan of any of the alcohols available in the café; he’d tasted a few out of curiosity and decided very quickly that they were not for him, instead favoring sparkling, non-alcoholic ciders and the like instead)…she would have the best seat in the house, and he would have the best company...

(He wished most of all, however, that Emily could see what he saw on opening night, when she made her grand debut: He wished he could see how magical she would be onstage, how she would wow the audience with her beautiful voice and emotional performance...she could see how amazing she really, truly was, how gifted she was as a performer!)

“What opera would you most like to see?” Randall asked her curiously, brows raising in interest behind the mask.

[d1xonss]

Desert Rose

Chapter 22 ~ Scars

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Rose

✧ Era : Season 2

✧ Word Count : 5.4k

⚠️ TW : Mentions of attempted suicide & SH scars

In this chapter ~ When Rick and Shane decide to take Randall away from their people to drop him and fend for himself, things seem to go wrong on the other end. Beth becomes suicidal after witnessing the death of her mother just days prior, leading Rose to comfort her in a time of need. However, the heaviness that followed was a lot more than she anticipated, though luckily for her, Daryl helps her pick up the pieces.

It had been about two days since they brought Randall back, and he eventually woke from his unconscious state. Since then the place had been chaotic.

The group was constantly going around and around in circles about what to do with this guy, so much so it gave me a pounding headache. Because most of the time the arguments wouldn't go anywhere. People would just repeat the same things that had already been said, causing us to feel stuck in the same place as no one really had a solution.

Until Rick just made the final decision to do what he wanted to since the beginning, take the man far away from the farm and drop him off on his own.

So now that the man was finally able to walk and balance decently on his own, Rick and Shane took a car to drive him out in the middle of nowhere, leaving the rest of us nervously waiting for their return. Everyone eventually seemed to agree with the plan despite the possibilities of him coming back, but it's not like we had much of a choice.

I for one was trying to keep myself busy all day, helping Lori with some laundry, staying to keep watch on top of the RV, I even made a run into town earlier that morning with Glenn. We had found a few different stores in a small part of town that had some useful things in them. But there was a little something else I found that I was extra excited about besides the food and supplies.

When we walked into the last store, I saw it. The perfect thing to give to Daryl. I had never gotten him something in return when he gave me my sketchbook and watercolors, but now I had something that I thought would suit him quite nicely. It was a black leather vest with stitched angel wings on the back.

In my mind, I hoped he would really like it and I had planned to give it to him later that night. Once we all knew Randall was taken care of.

Currently I was washing dishes with Maggie, occasionally talking about random things, trying to get our minds off of what was happening today. I could easily tell she hadn't stopped thinking about it since it happened either, the anxious feeling of the man somehow making his way back to her own home couldn't have been easy to deal with. But I had hope that everything would work out just fine and things would begin to move smoothly again.

She wordlessly handed me the last plate that was in the sink, water dripping off of the edges as I took the towel in my hands to dry it. She leaned her back up against the counter as she stared down at her shoes, the sound of me stacking the final plate in the cabinet brining her out of her thoughts as she glanced back up to me nervously.

"Can I talk to you about something... more serious?" she asked.

I only nodded my head as I listened, throwing the towel back down on the counter to give her my full attention as I copied her stance.

"Well, Glenn's been avoiding me lately, and he told me that when he was out there trying to fight those guys, he froze at one point. He was saying that since I told him I loved him... that's the reason he froze, and my dad had to save his life. He said he was afraid to die... thinking about how it would affect me." she finished almost a little shamefully.

My eyes widened a bit as I was a little thrown off and not expecting that, but I was still quick to respond and reassure her. "Listen, I know that it might not feel too great that he's avoiding you, but the truth is he loves you too. I don't think he should be avoiding you, I think he should be cherishing these moments he has with you, but y'know he's a guy." I pointed out, giving her a look she would be able to read.

She laughed quietly to herself as she nodded her head in silent understanding, "But he'll come around, I promise. You just gotta give him a little time." I finished.

She pressed her lips together and nodded gratefully, "Thank you." she said, "I feel like I can really talk to you ya know? I'm glad you're here."

I smiled, "Yeah, me too." I spoke, opening my mouth again before closing it back up quickly. My dumbass almost slipped up and said something about how I was glad that I stayed, but I bit my tongue before it could come out.

My eyes then absentmindedly panned over towards the tray of food that Maggie had set off to the side a few minutes ago, "Is this for Beth?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

She followed my gaze and nodded, "Oh yeah, I was about to bring that up to her when we were done."

"Oh I got it, I was going to check on her soon anyways." I said, moving towards the counter.

She smiled gratefully, "Thank you. You know Beth really likes you. Ever since you taught her how to play those few songs on the guitar it's really all she can really talk about. I think seeing you would cheer her up."

"Yeah, I had fun teaching her, I'm sure she'll be ready to learn some more in no time." I reassured her.

Maggie nodded her head and I fully picked up the tray in my hands, walking out of the kitchen to head upstairs and into Beth's room. It seemed quieter than usual as I made my way up the familiar stairs, something seeming a little off. But I mostly blamed it on Rick and Shane's absence, still not here even after leaving early this morning.

For some reason the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, sensing something might go wrong out there, not necessarily with Randall. But with each other.

After what happened with the barn and the whole fight that came after that, the two had been at each other's throats ever since. It was way far off from how they used to act around each other, seeming more like brothers than friends. But something just clicked and now they almost acted like strangers. Though it was none of my business, I still noticed.

Pushing my thoughts aside, I made it up the long staircase and lingered by the closed door, knocking softly a few times before I entered. To my surprise, I heard her soft voice from the other side invite me in, causing me to open the door as best as I could with the tray still balanced in my hands.

"Hey hon, it's just me." I announced as I walked in, "I brought you something to eat, and to see how you were doing."

Her gaze panned over towards me, and my breath hitched slightly in the back of my throat. I knew that familiar look all too well. I tried to not let it affect me too much in case I was wrong, but I had a feeling I wasn't. She looked utterly broken and depressed, much more pale with bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep. She had just lost her mom, I came to find out that she was the walker Beth ran to after everything happened. I'm pretty sure I couldn't have felt worse for her after finding that out, now more than ever seeing her like this.

"You can just set it down here." she said, pointing over towards the side table next to her bed.

I did what she asked and stood there for a moment as she stared at the sandwich on the plate, "Do you want me to stay, or do you want some space."

"Some space. If that's okay?" she asked.

"Yeah of course," I said immediately, "Just...call if you need anything." I finished with a smile.

She barely gave me a noticeable nod before I turned on my heel to give her some time alone, but I couldn't just brush off the vibe I picked up. It again could be nothing, just being paranoid over something I was reading too much into. But in case I was right, I didn't just want to keep it to myself.

I ventured back down the stairs, peeking in the kitchen again to see if Maggie was around, but the room was empty by the time I got back. A sigh left my lips as I turned back around to try and find her, but I managed to spot Lori entering the house right as I was about to come down the hall.

"Oh hey, Lori?" I called out as I approached her.

She turned towards me with a small smile, hanging up her jacket, "Hey, what's up?" she asked.

My eyes glanced back up the stairs momentarily before turning back to her, slightly lowering my voice, "I just...I'm worried about Beth. She just seems a little off and I was going to find Maggie to let her know but-"

"I can tell her." she offered with a nod, "I'll keep an eye on her until she comes back."

"Yeah that would be great." I spoke gratefully, "She's just up in her room and wanted to be left alone... but I don't know I think Maggie should know."

"Absolutely." she agreed instantly, "I'll tell her the next time I see her, okay?"

I nodded, "Thanks." I said with a small smile, passing her as I moved to exit the house.

I felt a little bad not telling Maggie about it myself, but knowing someone else would keep an eye out for Beth gave me a little piece of mind. I didn't want to hover over her or pick up any overprotective instincts even though in the back of my mind I knew it was inevitable. I just wanted her to be okay.

The rest of the day passed by slowly, leaving nothing much to do around camp and everyone simply doing their own thing for the day. After not being able to find Maggie, looping around the farm a couple of times, I assumed she was back in the house at this point. So I took the much needed time to myself.

A few hours passed by with me just laying down in the yellow tent trying to relax as best as I could. Spending most of the time reading the book Daryl had stolen from me when he got hurt and it actually turned out to be pretty good, only drawing me more in with each chapter. The details were amazing and I loved the plot. I didn't plan on giving this back to him anytime soon.

I hadn't seen him for most of the day because he decided to go out hunting fairly early in the morning, leaving camp before the sun even rose. He offered for me to come with him, but I declined as I needed to go out on that run with Glenn to get some things for myself, and he understood. I just hoped he would be back soon along with Rick and Shane who continued to be gone for far too long.

Damn it was like everyone was missing today.

After closing in on the last chapter, I finally shut the book after what felt like forever, blinking my eyes a few times to adjust them. For hours I had been reading tiny words on these pages and I felt that it was time for a break. So, I placed the book back in my bag, standing to leave the tent and walked outside a little to stretch my legs, leaning from side to side as I was hunched over for many hours.

I glanced around the small camp to see who was around, before my eyes suddenly stopped on Carl sitting by the RV. He seemed distant as he glanced at the comic book sitting in his lap, barely reading over the pages as he sloppily flipped through them. A pain in my chest suddenly dispersed upon seeing him like this, knowing that he hadn't been the same since he witnessed Sophia coming out of that barn. But who could blame him?

He was grieving in his own way, separating himself from the others as much as he could for just some time alone to think. I hadn't had a proper conversation with him since that day everything went wrong, keeping my distance as that's what he seemed to wish for. But I shook my head as I began to walk over towards him, wanting to talk to him for the first time in what felt like too long.

"Hey kid." I greeted him.

He glanced up and gave me a slight smile, "Hey." he spoke as he closed the book to give me his attention.

I moved to take a seat next to him on the ground, "So, what're you reading? Tell me about it." I said.

His eyes lit up "Really?"

I chuckled a little, "Yeah, why not. Who's this?" I asked, pointing to some sort of superhero.

His excited demeanor never faltered as he went on to tell me everything that was happening in this comic book. Who all of the characters were, what their powers were, and what their mission was. This was one of the first times I had seen him get excited about something in what felt like forever, and it warmed my heart at just the sight. He began to slowly open up a little bit more the longer we talked, changing the subject a few times to talk about his favorite cartoons he used to watch before the outbreak.

I enjoyed watching him smile, it felt like it had been some time since it last happened, and I was just glad to distract him even if it was only for a few minutes. A kid his age should never have to go through half the shit that's he's been through, though he was tougher than I ever could've imagined.

After we finished talking for a while, I left him to read it in peace after that. I wanted him to have his space too, and I never wanted to overstep any boundaries, especially when it came time to grieve someone.

I found myself heading back into the house to grab something to eat afterwards, but as soon as I walked in, I jumped a little as I suddenly heard screaming from just up the stairs. I didn't hesitate for a second before I was rushing up the steps two at a time, jogging into Beth's room to see Maggie and Lori were yelling and banging on the bathroom door.

"Woah, woah, what's happening?" I asked.

Maggie's head whipped around to face me, "Beth...Beth tried to kill herself and now locked herself in the bathroom, I heard glass." she spoke quickly, continuing to pound on the door, pleading with Beth to listen.

Panic flooded through me. She tried to kill herself? And was now attempting again? I stood in the doorway frozen in shock as I felt as though I couldn't move a thing. But then my eyes quickly darted around the room, looking for something to get the door open. Lori had moved to search the room for the key, frantically looking through her drawers as fast as she could, but I spotted a metal rod sitting in the corner of the room. I didn't think twice about it as I stepped forward, picking it up in my hands before telling Maggie to move out of the way quickly and she jumped back.

Sticking the thing in between the lock and the wood, I pushed on it as hard as I could in an attempt to pry it open. There was a sudden crack after a few seconds before the wooden door suddenly flew open, revealing Beth standing there with her hand over her wrist, blood pouring out of it. Her head whipped over to us frantically as soon as she heard the door breaking, tears streaming down her face and her heart no doubt racing out of her chest.

"I'm sorry." she sobbed, and Maggie didn't waste anymore time as she went in to pull her close.

I ditched the metal rod in my hands, stepping inside the bathroom only to realize how severe the cut actually was. Blood was now running down her arm and onto the tile floor, the amount of pressure she was putting on it clearly wasn't enough. I quickly placed my hand on Maggie's shoulder to get her attention, gently pulling Beth out of her hold.

"Go get your dad, he's going to need to stitch this up." I said, trying to hide the panic in my tone.

But she caught it even though it was disguised, quickly nodding her head as she left right along with Lori to try and find Hershel as fast as possible. Beth looked up at me and opened her mouth to speak, but only a sob came out as she ducked her head, causing me to immediately shush her and bring her into a hug.

We all had different experiences with mental health, everything was dealt with differently, but I somewhat knew how she was feeling. I had been in her position not that long ago and seeing her standing there when I first opened the door, brought all the memories back, so fast it was like a tidal wave. The whole situation nearly knocked me off my goddamn feet.

After standing in place for a while as she sobbed into my arms, I slowly started to bring her back into her attached bedroom, sitting her down on the bed so she could try to relax and focus on her breathing as she put more pressure on the wound.

Hershel frantically came in soon after that with a needle and thread and started to stitch his daughter up as she cried. I stayed by her side the whole time, holding her hand to offer her some type of comfort I was able to give. Though it was heartbreaking hearing her cry, and even more heartbreaking seeing Hershel try to pull himself together as he worked. I tried to think over the right things to say to her when the time came, but I felt that there was no right thing to say. What could you say after something like this?

After Hershel was done he said he would talk to her later and soon left the room in a hurry to no doubt let a few tears fall, leaving Beth and I alone again. She slowly laid down on the mattress after he left, her cheeks still stained with tears as she tried to calm herself down, with me rubbing her back towards the end of the bed. The silence slowly becoming deafening.

"Are you mad at me too?" she suddenly asked. I could feel the pain in her voice.

I whipped my head to look at her, "Oh my God honey no, I'm not mad at all. And neither is Maggie or your dad, they just love you so much. Seeing you like this... it hurts them, you know?"

She sighed as she shook her head, "I just feel so alone in this, like they don't even understand. Nobody does." she muttered.

"You're not alone." I said with a shake of my head, "I can promise you that."

"How do you know?" she was quick to ask.

My breath caught in my throat as I thought back to my own experiences, so different, yet so similar to hers. I debated in my head for a long time in the dead silence, letting the seconds turn into minutes if I really wanted to do this. I had never dared to show anyone the things I kept only to myself, ashamed of what others might think if they caught a glimpse of them. It made me feel vulnerable, weak, and that was something that I hated, but I needed to show her that someone here understood what she was going through.

So with a heavy breath, I hesitantly lifted my shirt sleeves to reveal my deeper scars on my wrists, trying to ignore the twist in my stomach as the cold air hit my arms. Her eyes followed my movements, immediately seeing them and I watched her eyes get wider with each passing second.

"I know." I assured after the agonizing silence.

She shook her head in disbelief, "You-"

"Yeah." I interrupted her, almost like I didn't want to hear her say it.

"It was uh... at a really hard time in my life. I won't bore you with the details but someone in my life was making me feel worthless. He told me that so much I started to believe it myself, and I got really depressed. Eventually I thought that... doing this was my only option so I... tried. But I regretted it as soon as I saw the blood, kind of like you did. So I called for help and I... saved my own life that night."

She stared at me so intently, listening carefully to every word that came out of my mouth. I knew I could trust her to not say anything to anyone, just as she knew I wouldn't judge her for trying to do what she did. It was like a silent agreement that we had at that moment.

"Look, my point is I don't know exactly how you feel and I never will. But we were in the same boat you and me, we're fighters and I know you'll make it through this. You just proved that today when you stopped yourself." I said.

Her eyes refilled with tears as she looked at me with utter sadness, "I didn't realize...I'm so sorry Rose."

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, not wanting her to see me cry as I smiled sadly, "I'm sorry too." I whispered before bringing her into a hug.

She clung onto me tightly as the new fresh tears fell down her face, sobs erupting from her lungs. All the emotions mixed with the exhaustion was truly taking a toll on her body, but I was prepared to hold her for as long as she needed. Just like I wished someone had held me.

Once her cries quieted down after a few minutes, I spoke quietly to her, "I am always going to be here for you, okay? You're never alone in this. Never." I assured as I held her tighter.

"Okay." she whispered, hiccups building in the back of her throat.

Although I couldn't see her face as she spoke, I knew now that she believed me, and knew that I wasn't going anywhere. Hell, I would be at her beck and call always if that meant saving her life. I somehow knew then that everything would be okay, maybe not at first but it would be. Beth was strong and I could see that so clearly, even if she couldn't see it yet herself, she was going to be okay.

After I knew for sure she was okay for the night, her assuring me multiple times, I said my goodbyes and walked out to send Hershel back in the room to talk to her. Nothing could've probably prepared him for the things that man had to do today, but I just couldn't get over the look on his face. It was like he had seen a ghost when he first burst into the room, and it was devastating.

After I walked out of her bedroom, I found him just sitting a few feet away outside, telling him he was good to head in, but before I could walk away he caught my arm to stop me.

"Thank you for...comforting her at a time like this. I just... I don't know what to say to her once I go in there. But just know I appreciate you Rose, thank you so much." he said with visible tears in his eyes.

I took his hand off my arm, squeezing it tightly, "Just be there for her, okay? Let her do the talking first. And it's no problem, I care about all of you so much."

He nodded and then suddenly did something I didn't expect, he hugged me. I sighed to myself before I was soon hugging him back for a few moments before letting him go after a few short seconds so he could talk to Beth. After watching him go, shutting the door behind him to leave only a crack, I made a beeline down the stairs and out of the house. I practically jogged all the way back to the tent, tears threatening to fall from my eyes as I desperately tried to keep myself together. But the moment I zipped up the entrance, finding myself completely alone, I let it all out.

Seeing Beth like that was too much for me, but I wouldn't dare let her know that. She needed me and I was going to be there for her, however it just brought back painful memories from my past that I so desperately tried to avoid. I just sat there and cried quietly as I hugged my arms around my middle from the slight chill in the night. Rethinking everything that had happened today, I couldn't help but wonder how it could've been different if I had just stayed inside that damn house. How I could've prevented something from happening if I had tracked down Maggie myself. Maybe things could've been different.

But suddenly the zipper of the tent was being opened quickly, and Daryl was making his way inside as he finally returned from his hunt. I quickly looked away from him while frantically wiping my eyes, knowing he hadn't heard me crying, not even noticing I was in here at all at first from how silent I had been.

"Oh, hey." he greeted once his eyes raised from his boots, "I was bout to look for-" he then stopped himself noticing immediately the state that I was in, "Rose? Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, coming to kneel in front of me.

I tried to pull myself together, "Nothing, I'm okay." I said as I looked to the side, basically anywhere but his face.

I couldn't look at him, I just knew I would break down if I did. I could already feel the new tears building up in my eyes as I felt him gently take my hand in his and rub the back of it lightly with his thumb.

"Talk to me." he said in a soft voice.

I didn't say anything. I didn't even know where to start, today had just been painfully long and all I wanted was to go to sleep so it would be finally over. It seemed like we couldn't catch a break. And as if it couldn't get any worse, I saw out of the corner of my eye Daryl's eyes were staring down at my wrist as he still held my hand in his. I froze with widened eyes and suddenly didn't know what to do, I couldn't move.

"Rose." he said softly while looking at the scar, moving to take my opposite hand to see the other. But I quickly pulled both hands away from his grasp so he couldn't get a better look.

"Damn it." I cursed silently as I pulled my sleeves back down harshly, wiping my eyes with them as I tried desperately not to look him in the eye. I didn't know what I wanted, for him to leave or stay, when all I could feel now was just utter embarrassment.

He made no sudden movements for what felt like years, until I felt his finger and thumb gripping my chin gently to lift my head to look at him. His thumb rubbed softly on my chin as I finally brought myself to look into his blue eyes.

"Talk to me." he repeated.

That's when the sudden floodgate broke loose, my tears only falling more freely than they did before. I couldn't stop them, there was just so many emotions I was feeling about everything, and I couldn't get all of it out before he came back, so now he was witnessing it firsthand. I felt mortified about crying so much lately, it seemed like all I was able to do, like it was all I was good for these days.

His hands then moved to my cheeks when it began to be too much, his thumbs gently wiping my fresh tears away. He leaned in close to place a soft kiss on my forehead, waiting patiently for me to start talking whenever I was ready. And I did.

I told him what happened with Beth and how she tried to end her life. I ranted about how I should've been there sooner and not just sitting in the tent all damn day, but I didn't know. I should've known, the feeling I had alone was a good enough reason to stay close, but I truly didn't know. Regrettably I also when on to explain my situation as well, seeing as I couldn't really avoid it because of what he barely saw through the darkness.

I told him almost every bit of the conversation I had with her, though it made me the most uncomfortable, I didn't want her to believe she was alone in this. Informing him also that seeing her like that brought back too many memories for me and that's why I had been crying in the first place...and then we sat there. There was just silence. He didn't try to talk one time. He just listened.

After seeing that I was done, not having anything else to say, he finally broke the silence, "Yer one of the greatest people to walk on this earth, ya know that?" he asked.

I was slightly taken aback at what he said, a scoff leaving my lips as I shook my head, "Believe me I'm far from that." I responded, no longer looking at him.

"Look at me." he said softly.

I slowly tore my eyes away from my hands and met his again, almost burning under his gaze. I almost couldn't believe how much I was cowering away from someone I truly trusted, but then again this conversation was one that I didn't want to be having with anyone.

"What ya did for Beth, bein there for her, that's the best thing you can do for her. And showin her she isn't alone through all this, it's amazin what ya did for her today...now about you..." he trailed off, looking back down at my hands sitting in my lap.

He then gently grabbed both of them and slowly rolled both of my sleeves all the way up to the middle of my arm. I tensed when he did this and he noticed, but yet he didn't stop. He raised my left wrist up to his lips, and began to leave soft kisses over every inch of the scar. Then moved to my right wrist and did the same exact thing, leaving goosebumps on my skin, but a warmth in my heart.

He held both of my hands tightly once he was done, looking back up at me as he spoke again, "Yer so strong, and ya never have to be ashamed of these. They're just marks on yer body to show that ya made it, even when things were really hard. I get yer ashamed of showin em, but you don't have to be. Not with me." he finished.

I stared at the man in front of me in awe. Nobody had ever spoken so beautifully about me like this before. Nobody had ever complimented the thing that I was the most insecure about. No one had ever kissed the places I had once hurt so badly. Nobody except him.

Tears built up back in my eyes, but this time for a completely different reason. I was quick to take my hands out of his, wrapping my arms around his shoulders to bring him into a hug as I felt I could finally breathe.

I heard what sounded like a sigh of relief come from him as he quickly wrapped his arms around me as well. Maybe he was worried about what he had said upset me, but it did quite the opposite. It made me relieved. Relieved that someone cared enough for me to not only see the good side of me but also the bad.

But with the way he spoke, and the way he was hugging me back so tightly, it almost made me question if he knew the feeling as well. The feeling of being ashamed or insecure because of something marking you from your past. And maybe he did. But I wasn't going to ask. I would wait until he felt comfortable enough to tell me, like he did for me just moments ago.

~ Thanks for reading!

[the-firebird69]

Watch "Little Big Town - Boondocks (Official Music Video)" on YouTube

You came up with ideas to make clubs for light bikes and choppers and bobbers and we're trying for a Hard knock kicker 5150 we got a bunch but nowhere near enough and we need the Hondas and others barbers. And choppers pagliani and other such things not really full-blown choppers it's not our style. We want to do this this weekend and have rides where We are. Our friend is lost almost everybody and we're estranged and somewhat mean and we got critically injured a bunch of times but some of us are still here and understand what he's saying. He created a club called "Boondock Saints" he says he thinks it's where the movie came from because he was just calling it boondocks and somebody put saints on there and they put little angel of wings in the name or the image on their jackets of people they lost loved ones and children and we're going to have a ride for them. It's a positive thing but he wants to have us have a place we can go and start to actually do things that help us instead of harm us and it's thinking about what happened and what happens to us that helps and I did start thinking about it today it's because of what he's doing and say and a Conway but really he's saying they're going to activate these Kaiju. It was very odd you remember the key and it's the door he said the key looks really weird and it's the door to the bookstore at the Vatican and also there is a coat of arms and their branding people and it's been Arnold and others and the brand says who's controlling it was the crown so he made an upside down one in braided him and that's what's in the movie and yeah I guess we're a pain in the ass. But he's right we should make a memorial but he doesn't know where and doesn't know what's cultural correct and he doesn't know what would rally people versus make them upset so we're going to try and figure that out. The guys in American choppers in Orange county choppers have an idea except for Mike and make it in class and to put names on as they come in and where they're from and the third or the second or the 20th next to the name and I might put a little bit of what happened and each time they come in you at your new one in and it's a reason to come in and together it's a great idea and it's really really nice and it's about getting together and making sure it stops and our friend said you have an inside and out back and people go in and they see the person and they can mourn and come out and donate to the cause or make a conviction and we'll have conviction pins and other that we do that stuff a lot of people don't do it anymore but we're going to this idea is great and we're going to make it work and to memorialize your loved one and they become martyrs. He also wants a wall of fame for people who have done acts and didn't make it like Randall tex Cobb. And yeah it's one of those guys that fell on him and he was stronger than a lot of people. I've been the same room as of everybody else on glass too he says but maybe with a picture and a short narrative and we agree with that and I say this we find long and hard and we won't ever forget you those who are lost but we definitely won't forget those who are still here

Bja

Went to this and we have a lot of light choppers we built because those ones are too heavy for us. And they're too heavy for him right now he says at some point they'll be right he's going to be a big boy but he wants to find a kicker and we say it's not around yet so he's going to wait and he wants someone that's a 49cc and a lot of our girls do we can put better motors on we know how to do that too and with the Chinese motors now they're powerful ones you can buy so I'm going to kind of get involved if that's okay and we're going to ask people they say you should and you should just make sure you don't cause trouble and we will too and we saw people riding us and we know who so we're going to set this up and it's going to be like at a Roadhouse but not the one in the movie and it's probably why the starts but it's with clones and Max so we figured it out. It's a wonderful idea that he had and it came from one of ours he's a cork and he's lieutenant level and he tried real hard and he did the show idea with the girl who is pleased because he said he knows him and the food around and stuff you know joking but he got things going found bikes rehab them and then he decided if you want to try and build but he couldn't so he auctioned off some bikes to try and get money to do it and we showed up because there are bikes and we knew about it and now we're going to try and build the bike it's great and our friend here could never do it he's swamped in overwhelmed all day long everyday and these guys fall over faster than you can break and are the weirdest people on Earth because of

Bja

We had an experience on the bus you said that some of these cars have a macho sound and I thought he was making fun of it and he explained the whole thing how they're going around and they have these regular Bradley GTS and their kits and they're old from the '80s and '70s and then he said that they fix some of them up really well they sound real loud and powerful and I said I wonder what he's talking about for her so I read what he wrote it is coming back a lot more than I thought and we're going to do this and some people of ours have a car that can beat him and I know it's us that's sort of us it's actually Billy z who kind of hates us and we hate him so it's good because they're in a fight now and it's what we should be doing it's going to work

Trump

[devaigh]

The Winner

Chapter 3

Much ❤❤ to my wonderful beta @sassenachbydesign for all her help, and for talking things through with me. This story would not be possible without her.

“There's my girl.”  Claire smiled wide as her daughter descended the last few steps. “I was starting to wonder where you had gone”

“Oh, no where. I was just... showing some of the guests to their rooms.” Brianna motioned absently behind her.

“I see. It seems like almost everyone has arrived, yes?”

“I think so.”

Claire linked arms with her daughter, leading them outside towards the wide terrace. “Well since the guest are mostly settled, I thought you could help me with something.”

Brianna raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly would that be?”

“I have a surprise for Roger. I assumed you would like to help me with it.” Claire grinned. “I have it hidden away for now. I happened to come across something that he would find interesting. But it looks like I will have to show you later.” She inclined her head. “I think someone is looking for you.”

Brianna followed her gaze, her own blue eyes lighting up when she saw  Roger. Her mother was right, as soon as Roger caught her eye, he hurried over, greeting Brianna with a soft kiss.

“Hello again, Dr. Randall.”

“Roger, please I've told you to call me Claire”

Roger blushed. “Aye, I'm sorry Claire.”

“Forgiven.” Claire smiled looking between her daughter and future son-in-law. “How about I leave you two, and I'll see you both this evening at dinner? You should both take some time for yourselves before things get too crazy around here. Just don't be late.”

“We won't Mama.” Brianna leaned over giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. “We'll see you later.”

“Aye, tonight.” Roger grinned, pulling Brianna close to his side. She fit neatly under his arm. “Right now, if you'll excuse us, I would verra much like to have Bree to myself a bit.”

“I suppose it's alright.” Claire teased. “Just behave both of you. We have a lot of guests, so make sure you're both back in time. We don't want to keep them waiting.”

Claire waved them off as she turned to go back to the beach house. She took a deep breath, enjoying the warm, salty air. It had been awhile since she had had a proper vacation.

For the last several years, it seemed as if she hardly left the hospital at all. Now she had two glorious weeks on a private beach in the south of France.

Claire fully intended on enjoying herself, even if she did have a wedding to see through.

A sudden movement from one of the balconies caught her eye. Twisting, she held one hand up, trying to see; the early afternoon sun was in her eyes. She could only make out what appeared to be a huge, hulking shadow, as it crossed her face. Blinking the sun from her eyes, she turned back towards the wide breezy porch and disappeared once more inside.

**********

Jamie stood frozen on the balcony of his room, his eyes locked on the point where Claire had just vanished. He could feel the rough, weathered wood of the railing give slightly under his hand as his fingers wrapped tightly around it.

Seeing her, moving so gracefully around the the edges of the beach with her lovely nest of curls floating around her face, simply stole his breath.

She looked just as lovely as the last time he saw her, when he kissed her goodbye. Jamie could feel the bitter sting of tears pricking at his eyes. With a huff, he shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

Did he truly had any claim on her after all these years?

What he could even say to her?

No, he reminded himself. He was here for one reason only. To see his newly found daughter wed. It was the least he could do for the lass. He would stay, for Brianna, and then take his leave.

It was probably what was best for everyone.

***************

“This place is beautiful LJ. How did you ladies ever decide to stay here?”

Clare laughed, “Well honestly, I've always loved this part of France. I used to come here with my Uncle when I was a little girl.  We would always stay in villas like these for a few weeks each summer. It was one tradition we always kept.” she shrugged. “I myself haven't actually been here in years. When Brianna suggested it, I guess I just went along.”

“So Bree made the suggestion.”

“She did. I don't quite know where she got the idea, but I have to say, I think it was a great change.”

“You deserve a vacation LJ. You work too hard.” Joe said, his eyes serious. “You never take time for yourself. I know Bree is your whole world outside the hospital, but she's grown now. She's about to be married. You should start thinking about you again. Maybe find you a man...”

“Joe..” Claire slumped in her chair. “Please, I have no reason to think of anything like that.” She rolled her eyes. “I haven't been with anyone since Frank, and that's the last thing I want to consider!”

It was true.

Claire's relationship with the older Professor was one that still left her sore. A quick whirlwind of a romance that still left a bitter taste in her mouth. She knew that her hasty marriage had only been the painful product of her shattered heart and discovery of her pregnancy. Yet she still had agreed. Had it not been for Brianna... Well, Claire still wasn't sure what she would have done.  Moving to Boston had been her way of putting her past behind her. It was a way to start over, and discover what she truly wanted.

That's how she had met Joe.

Three years after moving across the pond, Claire had started medical school. It had long been a dream, something she had wanted for as long as she could remember.  At first, it had been somewhat easy with Frank around, despite his annoyance at her studies. Frank had wanted Claire to remain at home, which had caused a lot of their fights.  

When they had finally split, Claire  felt only a sense of relief.

She could finally pursue what she wanted, and while her daughter went to school, Claire would be in classes as well, usually until it was time to pick Bree up. Then, once she would drop her off with the sitter, Claire would work nights as a nurse at the local hospital.

It was a long, exhausting few years. When she met Joe, she had found a friend she could rely on. When sitters were difficult to find, Joe's wife Gail would take Brianna, sleeping from Claire's arms, refusing to take any sort of payment as Claire was ushered to class or work. Between the two, Claire had kept herself and her daughter fed, and safe. She had no idea how she had made it through school without them.

By the time she had graduated, Brianna was almost in the double digits. Then her routine was mostly worked around her daughter. As a single parent, Claire was forced to work odd hours, until Brianna was old enough to stay home alone.

“I'm doing just fine, on my own Joe.”  Claire said, brushing away her thoughts.

“I never said you weren't LJ. I only said you need to do something for you. You have a lot to offer anyone.”  Joe stood then, patting Claire on the shoulder. “I hate to run, but I need to go see where Gail went.”

“Of course. You both should get some rest. It's a long way from Boston.”

“See you at dinner?”

Claire smiled. “Absolutely. Thanks Joe.”

“My pleasure LJ.”

**************

Claire stood on the edge of the terrace, her long dress billowing around her. Her eyes were closed,  her face tipped up to catch the fading sunlight. She could taste the salt in the air around her, feel the weight as it tangled in her curls. A deep rich aroma floated towards her from somewhere along the beach, it reminded her of dinner.

Soon she thought, soon she would turn back inside and change for the large dinner planned for all the wedding guests.

Despite the exitement surrounding the festivities, Claire found herself longing for more of the quiet moments. She looked forward to when the wedding was over, everyone was gone, and she could spend a few days to herself before she went back to her life.

Claire yanked off the wide straw hat she wore, seeking the warmth of the fading light. Her shoulders had gone slightly pink since she arrived, but she found she didn't care. Her normally creamy skin had started to freckle just so. She rubbed her arm lightly, amused how the lightest touch of her fingers left a brief imprint. She would need to remember her sunscreen.

“Careful there. I'd no like to see ye burned.”

Claire froze. The sound of the voice behind her thrumming through her. Her eyes shot open, wide and alarmed. As if in slow motion, she turned, her brow eyes automaticity looking up, locking her gaze on the man she never thought she'd see again.

“It's nice to see ye, Sassenach.”

[the-firebird69]

This is what the latest hk3 look like with a V-Twin 2 and it was a 250 CC and the one we have now is faster it's like 15 horsepower and this had like 10 and this bike would go 100 miles an hour the tires are like this but they're a little smaller not much and it's smoother the exhaust is like this it's awesome looks like a bobber and it's cool looking and it is what I want to try and sell and I want to sell it as hard knock kicker 5150, it says this is what they're looking for and we know it you want to go over here you want to fight the clones for me which is fine and this is a perfect thing to do right now when I come over and say that's our company you can't sell it and all this dumb s*** then you won't make any agreement I'll probably end up doing with my grandson to try and get them over here again. He doesn't care as much as people think but at least have money but he's hoping just for maybe something to ride around on or 49cc won't move this that much probably go 40 miles an hour I do have the HK one designs and the hk2 and he wants me to put all three out with different size motors the HK one would have a 49cc the hk2 would have a 110cc I'm over the 200 or the 250 and the hk3 would have the 200 or the 250 and both are V-Twin and both are nice and you know what it's a great idea there's a whole bunch of smaller people who need bikes and the revolution kind of fail and you're small and everybody would be mad we would see who we're going to go ahead I'm going to start this and we have several websites that will probably put them on there and actually one of them's go-kart.com and you can try and order one now and then can't get it to you but it says right on there out of supply right now they just change it anyway because of the Chinese and people won't buy it he wants to look like his design and I agree and there's a couple other designs that I like and he does too and the original ones and the frames and everything be the same but the connections are stronger the metal is better and the parts are better for the bike and I'm going to start the purse price out about 2300 for an hk3 with a 250 v-twin and he says not to go much higher and I will try and trim it down I do see what he's saying there's ways to do it without sacrificing the quality of the machine side and it is to make parts rapidly and he said to go ahead and do it and people are looking for that these things will sound like madness and they're going to come here into a certain place and they're going to go after them and it really is what they need to do and right now what a pain in the ass and my people love these bikes too there's a point to that it's my grandson's design and I put it out there like that Randall and he got him to go to China he knew about it too and he was in Vietnam so come on let's be real this is a great thing

Wie Chan Lin

I think you won't do it but then again I might be the competition and you're saying the pad stuff might be mine Pagsta might be mine and yeah the 300 was great I'm going to start that up again I don't know why I'm not doing it he said he might buy that instead and you know what this is working out great it's just like 100 rebel it's a little slower and it doesn't care but the motors are better than they used to be we can make them beefed up or sell performance kid as an ad in the shop or aftermarket I'm going to go ahead and start this now

Jet li

Well they say they're going to do it and usually they don't end up doing it. So it's starting to piss me off that everybody's saying this about this bike and I don't know why the hell this is a big deal everybody wants everyone in the mental hospital so I'm trying to figure it out no I'm going to check into this

Uriel and Goddess Wife

[the-firebird69]

Kikker 5150 Hardknock Bobber Motorcycles by Kikker5150

This is not our company and they refuse to drop the name and they're not producing bikes anymore and they're just leaving it there saying that it's them it's there in the UK and they won't sell to anybody and they won't build any.

Our bikes are made locally and they're made in huge factories doesn't gigantic assembly factory several of them here that your realm is assembling and it's a gigantic bike tons of people buy it and lots of times it's because these people are snots and won't sell it to anyone and because they're a little bit stupid and don't make him and it was bja who passed up on the experience and business of a lifetime you would have been loaded it would have had tons of money instead he has none in this blaming us all the time for his inadequacies as a business person so we're going to request finally that they shut the website down and we're going to put ourselves people search Hard knock and it's our name and brand as thiers is defunct and has been defunct for years. The owner is Mia of this particular one and he wouldn't leave it up there if he wasn't making them because it gives people the idea I gave to us and people say that he is deceased and they saw him die and that makes it ours and the family is at us for money for the name and the branding and we're going to negotiate with them until we come up with some kind of solution which may take a while and it's actually these two Big fellas other people not related to them and he's related to them and says if you want something you should probably get me something or you won't get anything cuz it's ridiculous I'm doing all the work all the thinking all the ideas and you just want stuff for nothing you can't have the right company at all John C Reilly who they murdered to try and take it from I guess you got a point though I should probably have you have part ownership so Brian murders you and I don't get anything so they leave me alone I'm going to look at that great idea

Thor Freya

Good God you're impetuous Preston my my does this fit you though

Hera Zues

What a douche I mean it just some dumb stuff you want to be part of this company so we come after you and the Idiot will have like whatever it is 1% between you two. Okay it's a relative business you didn't cut you in before and CA says it was too small and they weren't doing that much business and it was not aliens but maybe overall that's really not that much so if they do a good day sir yes really and yeah we make a lot of mistakes here it's a mental hospital all day long this is welcome to what my life is like

Since you're probably going to go through with it just give me a headache you two big fellows and it's probably the dumbest thing I've ever said that I like to share too cuz I helped John C Riley set it up and no I did not it was in the UK since it sounded like Texas that was one of his dealers which was him and he actually rode the bike out in the movie in the past

CAA says

Justin

We're going to go ahead and do this as you owe us money and said I don't know you any money at all and like I said if you want in you can have to pay for it I just decided something I don't have a say here no you don't, he says

Preston

Your going to find out what it's like to be tortured by these jackasses if you get a portion of it or appear to or have some sort of deal or even wear the jacket and have money from it.

Zues Hera

We'll go ahead and do that and we'll sit down with the Thor try and figure out something and he's so stock options I agree with that. And the reasoning CA says there's no not know what portion of the ownership is or the stock and owning by the stock there's no way to tell and you can give him like 100th of a point it would be a huge dollar amount and so go ahead and do that and sign them up and everything give him a few dealerships nearby also tons of sells tons cuz thier big and it couldn't support their weight the larger one the bigger motor and it can do it very well and it's rated for a certain weight which is over what Joe used to weigh. They're relatively pleased with it pun intended they're going to go up there and start hanging around like I said John C Riley was was really bja against the shake it down for it. Never been huge huge fights over it and they're going to think that they want it from John C Reilly was Randall text cobb is now up there in the mountain. As a matter of fact I can get CAA something and it would heat them up we get going to discuss and do it because he needs to be heated up and it's complaining all the time and constantly bothering him and pestering and binding him and bugs and all sorts of things you can have something that is Dad owed it's in some will that was made and there is one actually people trying to find it it doesn't have to be the original it works although it would be nice so Bitol and Goddess Wife have several of them and we're going to sit down and meet with them and Thor right now actually

Hera

Then again he's right in the light of what those two are not going through because they're already going through it it's something to do because we'll be working here instead of sitting around blabbing with these idiots God help us it looks stupid it looks bad and it sounds stupid I'm tired of being stupid with them idiots so I'm going to go ahead and try one or the other see what happens to them first.

Bitol and Goddess Wife