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whoacanada · 4 years

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Zimmerbro AU

Summary: Andrew Phillip Rowe could skate before he could walk, and it wasn’t until he was almost twenty and well on his way to becoming a Las Vegas Ace before he knew why.

a/n: that’s right we’ve got a secret zimmermann brother au based on the fact that Bob was an active pro athlete for almost 15 years before Jack was born and almost definitely had relationships before Alicia. This particular one resulted in a secret love child.

When the call finally went out that year — a request for players willing to billet the incoming draftees — Andrew had been the first in line.

His already sparsely decorated guest room had been primed for a new tenant since he’d learned Las Vegas’ abysmal season had earned them the first pick of the 2009 draft. In his mind, Andrew had envisioned a tearful confession. A family reunion nineteen years in the making where he’d finally get a chance to connect with a half-brother he’d grown up learning about through news articles and stats pages.

He wasn’t ready for Jack to pull out of the draft days before the ceremony; wasn’t ready for the claims of an overdose or speculation about suicide attempts. He certainly wasn’t expecting to have to open his home to a young man with limp blonde hair and deep circles under his eyes with the same enthusiasm he’d promised he’d offer to a son of Bob Zimmermann.

Andrew was hoping for a little brother.

He got Kent Parson instead.

______

“You remind me of my boyfriend.” Kent slurs one night, completely gone on Johnny Walker Blue borrowed from Andrew’s wet bar. “It’s your . . . face.”

“Shouldn’t talk about things like that,” Andrew cautions gently, covering his own surprise. “Never know who might be listening.”

“Who fucking cares? He won’t talk to me,” Kent continues, ignoring him and sniffing like he’s on the verge of sobbing or puking, both options equally unwanted. “They wouldn’t tell me if he was even alive.”

Another unwanted puzzle piece locks into place.

“Jack?” Andrew suggests softly, and Kent begins to cry.

“You won’t tell right?”

Andrew shakes his head no, long enough for Kent’s bleary eyes to focus on the gesture and take it seriously.

Things are different, after that conversation. Not worse, or better, just different.

________

“He’s my brother.”

Andrew admits this one night, for no reason other than that he can.

Kent is across the room, backlit by lights from the Strip, his legs dangling off the arm of his favorite couch as he scrolls through his phone looking for distractions. Parse hasn’t lived with Andrew for almost two seasons, but he still turns up like a bad penny whenever he needs to commiserate with someone who knows his more lascivious secrets. Truthfully, Andrew’s grateful for the company. He’s a pretty genial guy, but he’s always kept his distance, a personality trait he likes to think he shares with an unassuming sibling, but there’s no way to know for sure. The farther Andrew gets from the 2009 Draft, the less faith he has in a reunion that won’t just bring crippling sorrow to everyone involved.

A secret Zimmermann son who actually made it in the NHL. Who has his name on the Stanley Cup, not once, but twice, largely thanks to the spitfire forward lounging in Andrew’s living room.

“Who’s your brother?” Kent asks, not looking up from his phone.

“Jack Zimmermann.”

Kent barks a laugh and rolls his head lazily to smirk at Andrew.

“That’s funny. I guess you kinda have the same chin. Was Marky digging for chirps?”

Andrew has no idea what that means, but he sets down his tablet and says, “No, he’s actually my half-brother. My mom dated Bad Bob in ’84 and got pregnant.”

The lackadaisical smile on Kent’s face falters as his gaze sharpens, like he’s actually looking at Andrew for the first time. Andrew responds by gesturing at himself lamely.

“That’s not funny.”

“No.” Andrew agrees. “It isn’t.”

Kent swings his feet down off the couch and braces himself against the overstuffed leather. He doesn’t look mad, but there’s something too close to disbelief for Andrew to convince himself everything’s okay. It takes a moment, but Kent must find what he’s looking for on Andrew’s face.

“Does Bob know?” Kent asks with that familiar overfamiliarity, as if they both still have some personal relationship with the living legend.

“Yeah. When Mom got pregnant she told him she didn’t want the attention since it was only a fling — ”

“Who the fuck doesn’t lock down Bob Zimmermann?” Kent breathes. “Also, why the fuck did she tell you that?”

“No shit, right? She got him to sign away parental rights, set up a trust, never spoke to him again as far as I know. I didn’t find out until after I signed with the Aces. She didn’t want me to get blindsided if it all came out, but the story never broke.”

“I mean, does Bob know who you are?” Kent questions. “Does Jack?”

Andrew shakes his head no, because he doesn’t think so, and Kent flops back against the cushions, face slack with disbelief; it doesn’t take long for his features to shift to anger.

“You knew this whole time and you didn’t tell me? Even after I told you —“

“Okay, there’s a whole-ass difference between you fucking dudes and and me being ‘Bad Bob’s bastard’,” Andrew bites, curtailing Kent’s imminent hissy fit. Appropriately, Kent closes his mouth, almost pouting.

“Fine. But that’s fucked.” Kent says after a loaded moment of silence. “I’m sorry you’re . . . you.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry you’re you, too.”

“You know Jack’s signing with the Falconers, right?” Kent offers like the worst kind of olive branch, unintentionally telling Andrew exactly what he was up to during that stretch of time between New England games a few months prior. “It’s not public but it’s happening. Ink’s dry.”

“I know. That’s why I told you. It’s gonna be weird,” Andrew swallows, thinking about playing Providence in the coming months.

“Fucking right it’s weird.”

_________

For the most part, the Las Vegas Aces are decent, stand up guys. Even with the accusations of gambling debts and mob connections with the ownership group, Andrew’s never been asked to hit a certain player a little too hard, or to take a dive so the other team gets a shot at a power play. A lot of talk, a lot of conspiracies, ‘Typical Aces hockey’, but there’s no malice. Not really.

Andrew thinks it’s hilarious he plays the game a lot like his estranged father, but he’s not a legend in the making, hell, at this point he’s barely regarded as more than a mid-level, reliable center that can bring home 40 points a season.

Carly whips behind Zimmermann’s back to clip his skate with a stick, dropping a ill advised chirp that sets every player in earshot on edge. Parse is close enough to catch the quiet slur, stiffening like he’s been hit, and Andrew watches Zimmermann recover quickly, steely and resolute.

Jack has his mother’s eyes — not the warm brown Andrew catches every time he looks in the mirror.

“He’s a fucking goon,” Andrew breathes, gliding up to Jack’s shoulder in lieu of an apology. Zimmermann doesn’t miss a beat, his gaze flicking to Andrew with the quiet rage of ‘who gives a fuck’. Andrew admires his commitment to the game. Coming back after so much, after so long, to willingly subject himself to the same kind of treatment that Andrew knows likely led to his original fall from grace.

“Hey,” Kent ducks his head as he slides up a little while later, mouthguard clenched between his teeth, and asks, “You see his twink?”

At Andrew’s obvious confusion, Kent jerks his head toward the glass behind the Falconers’ bench, to a raucous group of fans all sporting fresh Zimmermann jerseys. Andrew’s gaze drifts along the row of faces, lingering longer on the familiar, handsome couple beside the blonde young man. He may be imagining things — the stadium lights catching a bad angle — but for the briefest moment, Andrew holds eye contact with his father.

“He’s cute, right?” Kent says bitterly, like he doesn’t have a partner of his own back home.

“Yeah, he is. You gonna do anything about the slurs, Captain?” Andrew counters, earning a stern look from Parson.

“I’ll deal with Carly.”

“Oh, you will? Because I’ve never seen you shut him down before.”

“I’ll handle it.”

Kent’s expression goes stormy, and he gives Andrew a hard shove before skating off to set up for the next shift. To his credit, he does grab Carly by the arm and tell him something that earns a look of displeasure from the larger man, but Andrew knows a verbal warning won’t curtail someone as dead-set in his conservatism as Carly.

The next play, Carly flashes Andrew a toothy smile over the lineman’s shoulder, as if they’re in on the same joke, and his vision goes red.

__________

“Bad Bob’s outside,” Scraps rasps, like whatever brief interaction he’s just had has physically winded him. “He wants to talk to Flip.”

Andrew blinks up from the water bottle in his hands, previously concerned with the pink-stained gauze wrapped around his knuckles. A few of the guys start chirping, but most of them remain silent, still processing the fact that Andrew assaulted one of their own without clear motivation, in defense of an opponent.

“That’s what this was all about? You gunning for a trade?” Sorenson spits from his stall. “Needed to impress Bad Bob by beating the snot out of Carly?”

“Maybe I am,” Andrew sighs, pushing himself to his feet, wincing at the way his jaw aches from the few good hits Carly had managed to squeeze in before he went down. “What the fuck are you gonna do about it.”

_______

Andrew’s grateful he kept his skates on. He needs the boost of confidence that comes with the added height, especially when he finds Bob Zimmermann waiting patiently in the corridor like he’s just another staff member and not the second most recognizable figure in modern hockey.

“Hey kid,” Bob greets, casting an approving, overly-familiar eye over Andrew’s padded bulk and sweat-slick hair. “You can throw a hell of a punch. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy beat the piss out of a teammate before. Off ice, sure, but never during a game.”

His accent is just as thick in private as every interview Andrew’s ever caught live — but his tone is unexpectedly warm, even grateful — when Bob laughs at his own recounting of Andrew’s assault attempt, the sound is light and joyous like nothing in the world comes easier to this titan of a man.

Andrew wonders if Bob can recognize the chin they share beneath a his playoff beard; if there’s any resemblance left in a nose that’s been reset a half-dozen times.

Andrew grew up loved and never wanted for anything. His step-fathers, both of them, had been good men who never left him looking for a father figure. It wasn’t until his twenties that Andrew even realized there was hole where his bio-dad should have been, and not just a regular hole, a yawning sinkhole threatening to devour his entire sense of self, because his biological father turned out to be a man he grew up idolizing as a personal hero.

He’s not mad at his mother, but when Andrew struggles to find his voice — which is bullshit seeing as he’s almost thirty-five and a god-damned professional athlete — he can’t stop himself from feeling like a misplaced child.

“Do you,” Andrew swallows, looking over Bob’s shoulder to see if anyone’s watching them. Finding they’re alone, he rallies quietly, “Do you know who I am?”

Bob’s jovial expression softens into something remorseful, but unfathomably kind. “I do, buddy,” he acknowledges, somehow squeezing three decades of affection into one term of endearment. “I’ve known for some time, now. The whole time, actually.”

That hurts more than expected.

“Does your wife? Does Jack?”

Bob shakes his head, but it isn’t a hard no.

“Alicia knows, and Jack has some idea he’s got a half-brother, but it’s all in the abstract. No specifics. Definitely doesn’t know you play. I wanted to respect your privacy and your mother’s wishes. She let me know she’d told you the truth a few years back and I wanted to give you the space you needed if you decided to reach out. When you didn’t, well, a man makes assumptions.”

Andrew looks down at the concrete beneath his skates and sniffs hard, fighting nasal drip from the smelling salts he’d needed in the third period; or, at least, that’s what he tells himself. “I had a plan, back when — ” he stops himself, looking down at his skates. Bob’s eyebrows lift in curiosity, leaving room for Andrew to gather his thoughts, but he doesn’t take the bait, unable to bring up what could have been just yet. Bob seems to grasp the context after the moment.

“2009,” he acknowledges softly. “Hell of a year.”

“Yeah. It was. Is he okay?”

“What, Jack? He’s leagues ahead of where he was then —”

“No, I mean, tonight. Carly clipped him pretty hard before I got in there.”

“Oh, a little bruised up, but he’ll live. Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Okay.”

Andrew looks down at his bandaged fist and realizes he’s completely forgotten how gnarly his face must look.

“Trainer says I’m alright, but I’m gonna get leveled with a wicked fine, I know it.”

“Was it worth it?” There’s a look of guilty pride on Bob’s face, like the man’s enjoying himself a little too much when he leans in and whispers, “You just did something I’ve wanted to do since Jack was in mites. Fucking lay out one of those fuckers that’s got nothing better to do than bitch because they can’t play,” there’s a moment of hesitation, as if he’s worried about pushing a boundary, before he adds, “How’d it feel to look out for your little brother?”

Pride, it turns out, in contagious, and Andrew feels like he could go back on the ice and do it all over again. “Pretty fucking great,” Andrew can’t help a smile, wincing when the gesture pulls at his split lip.

Bob slaps a hand on Andrew’s shoulder pads, then gets a grip on the back of his head, heedless of his sweaty hair.

“Crisse, you’re a fuckin’ beaut, kid. I’ve wanted to tell you that for years.”

Andrew can’t blame the smelling salts anymore.

__________

Jack clearly doesn’t see his father standing there with red-rimmed eyes, or Andrew in an equally unkempt state, and has no reason to think anything untoward has happened when he offers a handshake and pulls Andrew into a hug, bouncing his free fist off the back of Andrew’s pads. “I owe you a drink,” Jack says decisively when he pulls back, shooting a grin between his father and Andrew. “Can’t believe you did that.”

“More than a drink, I think,” the blonde guy Andrew saw behind the bench pipes up. Jack’s ‘twink’. Boyfriend. Whatever. “Dinner at least.”

“A pie,” Bob suggests tightly, keeping his voice even as he turns to quickly scrub his fist over his eyes. Andrew recognizes the statuesque woman who strides up beside Bob, and one quick look tells him she definitely knows who he is.

“Hello, Andrew,” Alicia greets softly, genuinely. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“You, too.” he says, the tightness in his throat coming out as gruffness rather than emotion. “This is great, but I should go shower and, uh, it was nice meeting you all.”

Bob’s hand whips out and fists the sleeve of Andrew’s sweater, keeping him in place.

“You have plans tonight?”

Andrew debates lying, because he doesn’t know how to move forward from this point, but they’re all looking at him. Waiting. Expectant. There’s too much at stake, and yet somehow — A sharp whistle drags Andrew’s attention back to the locker room. Kent is peeking his head out, and god knows how long he’s been eavesdropping.

“Yo, Zimmermanns. Bittle.”

“Parson.” The blonde says curtly, earning a wry smirk from Kent.

“Flip, we got a presser if you feel like putting a bow on the evening,” Kent’s gaze drifts to Bob’s flushed face, and he adds, “Or, you can shower and slip out the loading bay while I cover for your aggro ass because this is not going to be fun. Your call.”

Andrew looks at the small family surrounding him, his family, and says, “I don’t want to explain.” Kent shrugs and ducks back inside while Bob’s brow furrows in confusion. “I can do dinner, but I don’t want to,” Andrew holds his hands out in front of him, trying to gesture what he means, and Bob snaps his fingers in understanding.

“Ah, ha, I got you, kid.”

“Neat. I’m gonna go shower.”

“We will be here when you’re ready,” Alicia offers. “Take your time.”

“Oh, I will,” Andrew replies before he can stop himself, cringing the second his back is turned because what the fuck could he be any more awkward?

Time will tell.

_____________

#zimbits #jack / bitty #omgcp #check please #my fic #my stuff #lost zimmermann brother au #bob's got another kid and I named him andrew again!#kent is not a bad guy #only carly is a bad guy and we hate him #long post #because it's a mini fic!

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justmairead-stuff · 4 years

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Harry and Meghan

So I’ve just finished the Oprah interview (from the UK) and have so many thoughts and feelings that I want to share. Since all other social media platforms are currently on fire I feel like this is a place where I can freely share my thoughts. So here goes...

The first thing I’ll say is that I may be a little biased. As Irish catholic I wouldn’t exactly call myself pro-royal, and I only watch the crown because it exposes some truth on the shit show that is the royals.

My overwhelming reaction to the interview is anger. No one should have to go through what Meghan went through. The racism and stigmas she faced are abhorrent and vile, and the reaction that some of the British public and the media are currently displaying just shows that she wasn’t lying. Twitter is running wild with theories that this was all fabricated, and that she’s acting, but the way it’s being reported show’s you it’s not. I’m sickened that someone could be treated this way.

But then I remember Diana. Someone who was initially welcomed into the family, but after her Australian tour things changed. She suffered from bulimia, but was offered no support. And it’s not hard to see how, as Harry said ‘history was repeating itself’. Meghan was initially welcomed by the family, went on the Australian tour and then everything changed. She was vilified to the point of contemplating suicide, but also told she couldn’t get help. Say what you will about their motives to leave the royal family, but it is clear that Harry saw what was happening and chose to protect his wife the way his father hadn’t.

And now all the gammons on Twitter and Facebook are out in force saying how ‘it isn’t the right time because Phillip is ill’, ‘she’s acting, they’re doing it for money’ and Piers bloody Morgan basically calling her a liar. They all seem to think this was some attack on the royal family, when in fact the interview shows the opposite. Harry and Meghan still love their family, and want to continue and heal those relationships. They speak so highly of the queen and say they have a closer relationship with her now than they have in years. People who say this was all about attacking them are missing the point, because the interview brought up several key issues.

Mental health; Institutional Racism; Misogyny, and the ongoing onslaught of hate and vitriol from the British media.

These are all systemic problems in Britain that need to be addressed, but are constantly overlooked. Harry has always been an advocate for mental health, and here he is once again detailing how the media pushed him and his wife to the edge. Meghan was so brave to talk about her experiences with mental health, and today on international women’s day, social media is filled with hate for a woman who hasn’t done anything to deserve it. Our Prime minister calls Muslim people ‘postboxes’ and the royals denied an unborn child a title because they were worried about the colour of his skin. Anyone who says Britain isn’t racist is lying to themselves, and that’s before we even recognise our history of slavery and colonialism. Plus, the press are raging over Meghan and Harry leaving, but no one seems to want to discuss that Prince Andrew is literally a NONCE!! How is that not a double standard.

People will disagree, but I see this as a generational problem. My parents are the same- brought up thinking racism is ok and that women are less than. They too are expressing their hatred towards Meghan because ‘she turned harry against his family’ and ‘why does she need to expose them?’ The generations growing up now want a different narrative. We recognise that Racism, Sexism and stigmas around mental health are all wrong and things need to change. We change things by having conversations about these key issues, educating others that don’t understand, and ultimately bringing awareness to prejudice. And that’s what they did. They broke down barriers and started a conversation about what is fundamentally wrong with this country, so that we can look inward and start to make changes within our society because that is the only way we move forward.

Rant over.

#oprah #prince harry #meghan markle #harry and meghan #british #royal family #lady diana #princess diana #equality #awareness #mental health #british royal family #international womens day #oprah winfrey

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nemo-of-house-hamartia · 3 years

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Dude, you got an oc for Pirates of the Caribbean too??

Just, how many ocs do you have that you have never spoken about? O.O

Hi there, Nonnie!

Yes, I do have an oc for Potc!! 😁😁😁

as for how many ocs I have......

let me just say.

MANY.

A GARGANTUAN AMOUNT.

Now, you have to take into consideration I created my first oc for fandom when I was a wee bebe of 11 years of age, and it was the year when "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" had just come out, and I had just fallen HARD for Draco Malfoy. I still remember distinctly coming back from the cinema and start imagining all these scenes in my head, while listening to my walkman, and at a certain point, I just felt that imagining wasn't enough anymore. I needed to put all those ideas down into words AND pictures.

And since then, I have NEVER STOPPED creating ocs for any fandoms that had meant A LOT to me.

I have something like 22 years on my back of creating ocs, so, as you can imagine, I HAVE A LOT OF THEM.

But allow me just to list down the fandoms and the characters I created for them, for the sake of it!😂😂😂😂

brace yourself, this gonna be a long one! (and I will limit myself to the main characters, not to the secondary one I created around them, because otherwise we would be here until next Christmas);

So here you have it, in no particular order:

The Lost Boys - Robyn Irons

Resident Evil - Thalia Thériaud

Assassin's Creed - Lucia Barbarigo (AC2), Aura the Selkie (AC Rogue), Colette, Antoine and Mathias Beaumont (AC Unity), Dorothea Starrick, Byron Harrison, Phillip Starrick (AC Syndicate), Isinofret (AC Origins), Apollonia of Naxos (AC Odyssey)

The Wolf Among Us- Tatiana Volkov

StarDew Valley - Carlotta De Saint-Exupéry

The Arcana - Raniya Al-Yassin

The MCU - Grace and Veronica Caruso, twin sisters

Elfquest - Nimue of the Northern Tribes

FFVII - Ranian Pendragon-ShinRa, Lilirara of the Forgotten City

FFX - Kiani Ronso, of the Ronso Tribe

FFXII - Nabirye Leia Ondore, Niraj Halim Ondore, Fearchar Aetius Bunansa

The Chronicles of Narnia - Winter, Sovereign of the North

Disney Fairies - Boreas, The Fast-Flying Fairies

Kingdom Hearts - Suen of Twilight Town/ Nexus of The World that Never Was

LOTR - Elwen Anariel

Harry Potter - The Dumbledore Siblings (Stephanie, Samantha, Andrew, Maxwell)

Pirates of the Caribbean - Eleanor Josephine John Henry Morgan Silver

A Song of Ice and Fire - Briallen Baratheon

My Little Pony G4- Ice Crystal the Pegasus, Fleecy Snuggle the Earth Pony, Nurse BebeHeart the Unicorn

Sailor Moon - Sailor Artemis, Sailor Hera, Sailor Demeter, Sailor Aphrodite, Sailor Athena (also known as the Sailor Olympus Group)

Star Wars - Kuni Laikantaar

Miraculous Ladybug - Ophélie Duval, Aida De Luca

Naruto - Sayuri "Onitora" Kureaki, Yukaku "Onikarasu" Kureaki

Percy Jackson & the Olympians - Viktoria Katsumi Kimball, Child of Ares

Labyrinth - Loreena, the Unicorn Fairy

Monster High - Aisling Skellington, Bran Skellington, Albine DesRoches

Ever After High - Gwenhwyfar Swan

Ouran Host Club - Alexandra Margaret Seymour

FullMetal Alchemist - Arkady Armstrong

Tekken - Mizuya Mishima

Interview with the Vampire/VTM - Artemis "Cainsblood" Hargreaves

So, there you have it, Nonnie. A very summarized list of the majority of Ocs that I have created in the last two decades of life. This is what happens when you have 0 social life, you are an introvert and an hermit, and have ADHD a fervid imagination, and a passion for researching and coupling Canon Characters with OCs.😂😂😂😂

I think I have probably still forgotten some, especially the one that I have created during my teenhood, but eh, my memory is not the best, and those that I listed here are the ones that I cared the most about anyway!

thanks for the ask!!

--Nemo

#Asks answered #lots of fandom #SO MANY OF THEM #some that I actually miss ngl

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madswritingvoid · 3 years

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Afternoon Delight

Pairing: Max Phillips x f!reader

Words: 1.7k

Warnings: 18+ SEE YA MINORS, smut but like soft smut, oral sex (m), masturbation (f), unprotected p in v sex, cockwarming, blood, vampire stuff, Max Phillips is a warning lol

A/N: Yes I 100% think Max would want his name in your phone to be Vamp Daddy and no I will not be taking questions about it at this time. BUT here’s another smut piece about my vampire husband, because I love him.

(Tagging @jettia because apparently she likes pain and wanted to read this if I ended up posting it)

Max Phillips is annoying. Not a joke, or an exaggeration, just a fact. He’s smarmy, sleazy, sneaky, manipulative, seductive, exhausting, and all yours. As much as his “management style” (re: turning everyone into vampires), may seem unethical or out-of-the-box, he really knew how to turn a company around. Surprisingly, when he isn’t being a total frat boy asshole, he’s also a pretty awesome boyfriend.

Yeah, sometimes you gotta remind him that no Max that isn’t funny or say that again and it’s a stake to the heart and the dick, but overall you know you love him and he loves you. He’d kill for you, literally. So when you hadn’t received your morning “show me your boobs, babe” wake-up text, you knew something was up.

With his cocky attitude and air of self-assurance, you’ve never seen anything really make Max sweat. Not until two nights ago when he said his bosses, the big bag vamps, were coming down for a branch visit today. You glance over at your phone to check the time and saw it was almost lunchtime for you both and decide to shoot him a quick text.

You: I know yours came in today but how’s my big bad vamp doing? xxx

Vamp Daddy🧛🏻‍♂️: :(((((((((((((

You: Is someone in the need for......

Vamp Daddy🧛🏻‍♂️: yes

You: an afternoon delight?

You: You could have let me finish, but okay.

Grateful you were working from home today, you sent off a final email and decided to take a half day, knowing Max would really need some help to relax.

You slinked off to your bedroom and changed out of your work-appropriate but very casual matching sweat set to slip into one of Max’s favourite sundresses you have- a deep cranberry with black lace around the bottom and on the chest highlighting your boobs, Max’s favourite, and the length hitting just above your knees made it “easy access” in his words. You keep your natural Zoom meeting makeup on and opt for a quick swipe of your favourite deep red lipstick to match the dress, ready to make Max’s afternoon.

Walking into the familiar office building you can immediately feel the energy is off. Not that it wasn’t always weird, since almost everyone in here was dead, but today it was even worse. Too quiet, too cold. You almost wanted to crack a “jeez, who died?” joke to lighten the mood, but you got the feeling today was not the day and walked right into Max’s office.

“Awww baby, what’s all this?” You coo as you glide over to him. What a sight he is. He’s sitting in his big office chair with his head right on the desk, long arms splayed out in front of him making his big hands hang over the desk’s edge. A total look of defeat. Hearing your voice Max’s head shoots up and immediately you’re hit with a classic Phillips pout, puppy dog eyes in full effect. “Baaaaabe,” he whines while making grabby hands at you until you’re finally within reach.

Pulling you into his lap, he buries his face in your neck, rubbing his nose up and down the column of your throat as your hands make their way into his hair, massaging his scalp. “Maxie, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” You’re only met with a heavy sigh as he takes his head and burrows between your boobs, “Everything,” he mumbles against your chest. “They loved my presentation, but hated the office,” he grumbles.

“Well, that’s easy to fix, we can go out this weekend and get some new decor to liven up the place,” you grin and start really going to town on his scalp making Max almost purr and lean into your touch more. Before you could offer more support he started shaking his head, motorboating you but you could tell his heart wasn’t in it.

“No babe,” he sulks, finally lifting his head up to meet your eyes again, “they hated everyone in the office. Said Andrew was weird and Dave had an ‘offputting’ quality. He’s dead! Almost all of us are dead! What do they expect? And that’s not even the worst part!!!” He moans, “he hated everyone, but liked Evan?” You actually gasp, no one likes Evan. He’s so mopey and annoying, especially after Max bounced back from Evan almost murdering him, showing up to work the following Monday as if nothing happened. “Oh baby, that doesn’t make any fucking sense, I’m so sorry,” you soothe him as your hands move from his hair and start to make their way down to his belt.

Realizing what you’re doing, Max’s whole mood changes. Smirking, he puts on a much more playful pout, “yeah baby,” he coos, “it’s been real hard. But now that you’re here something else has got real hard too, and I think I know how to fix that.” You slide off his lap and onto the floor quickly, Max lifting you up for a moment to slide his now folded suit jacket under your knees in a surprising moment of kindness. Pressing a kiss to his knee as a thank you, you make quick work of his belt and pants and pull out his hardening cock. As you begin to stroke him slowly you make eye contact and spit right on his dick, making him groan.

“Love you baby, let me make you feel good,” you say before taking the tip of his cock in your mouth, swirling you tongue around him and licking the salty precum that was already leaking from him. As you continue to work more of him into your mouth, you can feel Max absolutely melt into his leather chair and take whatever you give him. “That’s it baby, always so so good, always know what I need,” he praises and you moan around his length, the compliment going straight to your core.

Not being able to take it anymore, you snake the hand not pumping the part of him you can fit in your mouth, you slide your hands underneath your underwear and start circling your clit. You moan around his length again and Max slightly bucks his hips, sending him farther down your throat. “Fuuuuuck yes, sweet cheeks, that’s it,” he can’t stop it now as his hips start a shallow bit steady rhythm as he fucks into your mouth. Letting him take what you need you slide two fingers into your dripping pussy, using the heel of your hand to keep rubbing your clit while you pump your fingers.

The only sounds filling the office are Max’s groans and the wet noise of you fucking yourself on your hand. You can tell Max is close because his pace quickens and you can hear the chair arm rests groan under his tight grip until he gives one final thrust, shooting his load right down your throat. Making sure you don’t waste a drop, you continue softly sucking the tip of him as you start to chase your own high until Max uses his vampire speed and strength to take your hand out of your underwear and move you back into his lap. You whine at the loss of your orgasm and stare with lust filled eyes as Max takes the hand that was just inside you and cleans your fingers of the slick covering them.

“Now sweets, you’ve been so good to me, I figured letting you cum on my cock would be an appropriate thank you,” booping your nose he gives a little tug to rip your panties right off and sink you down on his still hard length. Your eyes roll back and you let out a high pitched moan at the stretch, you were already so wet from earlier he was able to push in with no resistance. “There it is champ,” he chuckles, “here’s your reward.” Putting his hands firmly on your hips he starts to move you up and down on his length, his hips meeting you with each thrust. All you can do is throw your arms around his neck to hold on, chanting his name as he hits that sweet spot over and over.

“Had s-such a bad day baby,” he growls, “but this- this pussy always does the trick,” you clench at the praise causing him to thrust a little harder. Knowing your so close to falling over the edge, you decide to give Max another treat, “B-baby,” you whimper, “f-feels so good. I’m so close, b-bite me,” his hips stutter before his pace resumes again. Grabbing your jaw he makes you meet his eyes and asks, “fuck, I love you, but are you sure? You don’t have to-” he groans as you clench around him again, your walls fluttering as the coil continues to tighten. “Yes! Fuck,” you babble, “I’m gonna come baby please,” you run your fingers through his hair and pull his face into your neck.

Feeling how much you’re gripping his length, Max licks across your pulse point and gives the area a little kiss before sinking his teeth into the soft skin. Once you feel his fangs break through, the coil snaps, and you absolutely gush all over his cock. You continue to moan as Max works you through your high as he continues to drink from you. Tugging on his hair twice to tell him to stop, Max stops thrusting into you and licks over the bite marks, his spit healing them instantly. Kissing your neck again you hear a mumbled, “thank you baby,” as Max wraps his arms around you.

You sit there for what feels like forever, him still seated inside of you while you go back to massaging his scalp. Noticing the time you attempt to get up, “Max! Honey, your lunch break has definitely been over I should go home,” his grip tightens around you as you get hit with puppy dog eyes again. “You could go home,” he agrees, “or you could just stay right here with me inside of you while I finish this report. I’m the boss, I can always leave early for my baby,” he gives your ass a gentle slap causing you to clench around him again. Groaning, he leans down to press a kiss to your temple, “besides I’ll definitely want to have you at least one more time before we go. Why don’t you have a little nap on big ol’ me?” He jokes, but you can’t bring yourself to make a come back, already feeling your lids grow tired from what just happened.

Nuzzling into his neck, you give his skin little kisses, “sounds good baby,” you slur, “sounds real good.”

#max phillips x you #max phillips x y/n #max phillips x reader #max phillips #bloodsucking bastards #pedro pascal #pedro pascal imagines

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starrywatermelon · 4 years

Text

Jealousy

Gilbert Blythe x Fem! Reader, Ruby Gillies x Fem! Reader (platonic)

Requests: here and here

Authors note: These two requests are similar, so I decided to merge them together. This also steered a lot more to Ruby and Y/N’s friendship, so I kinda have a love hate feeling towards this fic.

Warnings: Kinda obsessed Ruby? Jealousy (as the title suggests),slight bullying, not 100% true to plot

Word count: 1,471

Y/N has always been close friends with the girls of Avonlea. All of them had practically grown up together, sharing secrets and talking about crushes. She had also always known that Ruby was in love with Gilbert Blythe. Ruby would be livid if anyone else had a crush on him, and everyone swore to not like him, no matter how handsome and kind he was. Y/N herself even promised Ruby that she would try to get the two together, only if she could be a bridesmaid. But what Ruby didn’t know, was that Y/N also liked Gilbert, but she had never mentioned it to anyone.

Years and years went by, but nothing had changed. A new girl named Anne even joined the school, and she too got the “Gilbert is off-limits” talk. Anne did seem a bit scared at first, but she also eventually got used to it.

“Did you all see Gilbert today?” Ruby exclaims as the girls take out their lunches.

“Yes, he goes to school with us and you're always talking about him!” Josie replies in frustration.

“No, I wasn’t going to speak about just him today. I was going to ask if you saw him this morning! He was talking to a girl.”

Y/N started to feel slightly nervous, but she kept listening to the conversation.

“A girl?”

“Yes, Tillie. A girl, about our age. I couldn’t see her face, but I wonder why he was talking to her.”

“I don’t think it's any of our business on why he was talking to her.” Diana retaliates.

“But what if he’s in love with her? What if she’s in love with him?” Ruby has tears in her eyes when she says this.

“Ruby, I don’t think that’s the case, if it was, we all would know. Right?”

“I hope that’s the case, Anne.I really do.”

She didn’t say anything else, none of the girls did. They all ate their lunch, everyone but Y/N tried to figure out who the mystery girl is.

The sky was orange and pink, clouds scattered everywhere. It was still fall, which made it convenient for Gilbert and Y/N to meet up. Today, she decided to go to his house and tell him about what happened. Not caring about her appearance to much, she ran to Gilbert’s house.

“Gil! Open up!”

A yawning Gilbert opened the door, and smiled.

“Hey! I didn’t expect you to come over today.”

“I didn’t expect to come over either, but something happened today that I wanted to tell you about.”

Gilbert’s smile drops, quickly letting her in. What the two didn’t know, was that a boy was watching, one that shouldn’t be trusted with secrets. That boy? Billy Andrews.

He was standing close by, and when Y/N entered the house, he went closer.

“What happened today Y/N/N?” he hears Gilbert, who sounds worried

“Today, Ruby was talking about how she saw you with a girl. She saw us, Gilbert. Thankfully she didn’t see who the ‘girl’ was but I just can’t stop thinking about if she finds out. Our friendship will be ruined forever and-“

She was quickly cut off by his arms around her, pulling her into a hug, and then giving her a small kiss on the forehead.

“It’s ok. Ruby won’t find out... And if she did, I’m sure she wouldn’t be too mad.”

“I hope that’s the case, I really do.”

Sure, Ruby hadn’t found out, but Billy certainly did.

Days went on, and nothing too interesting happened. Ruby continued to gush about Gilbert, the other girls continued to pretend that they were interested, Mr. Phillips continued to give the students a very hard time, and Y/N and Gilbert kept meeting up.

What was different, was the fact that Billy had kept spying on Y/N and Gilbert. He kept collecting small bits of information from their conversations, just waiting to use them against the two. After all, he never liked them anyway.

However, on this particular day, the class had decided to stay behind to play a game. The class sat in a circle after Mr. Phillips had left, waiting for Josie to explain.

“Whomever the bottle points to, you are permitted to kiss.” she made sure to look at everyone as she said this. “It needs to be boy-girl, boy-girl.”

“Where does that leave Cole?” Billy sneered

The class laughed, but Y/N wished she could punch him.

“Jane, go sit next to your dumb brother. Tilly, you're over there... and Anne, switch places with Charlie.”

Gilbert sat quietly in the circle, the one day he had decided to stay behind, they were playing spin the bottle. With Y/N and Ruby there. But, if Y/N and him kissed, Ruby couldn’t get mad.. right?

The first round, Diana and Moody kissed, and then Anne and Cole, and before he knew it, it was Gilbert’s turn.

Gilbert took a deep breath and slowly spun the bottle, desperately trying to avoid eye contact with the h/c girl he so very loved... However, the odds weren’t on his side today. As he slowly looked up to see who the bottle landed on, he met Y/N’s eyes. Both of them immediately froze in place, Gilbert seeming more nervous than the other.

“What’s wrong, Blythe? Are you too scared to kiss your girlfriend in front of us? You embarrassed for having to date her? C’mon, don’t be too scared, she's not as bad as carrots.”

The whole class gasped, and Ruby looked over at Y/N.

“What he’s saying.. Isn’t true, right?”

“No, of course, it’s not true Ruby, you know I’d never hurt you-”

“She's lying,” Billy replies. “I saw them, meeting up, for weeks. They so desperately tried to hide from you.”

The short blonde girl’s eyes filled with tears. Never in a million years would she think that her best friend would betray her. Without thinking twice, Ruby ran out of the room.

After a moment of hesitation, Y/N runs after her, quickly catching up to Ruby, whos standing outside of the small school.

“Ruby...”

“Shut it Y/N! I can’t believe you were seeing Gilbert behind my back. All this time, I trusted you. I trusted that you wouldn’t talk to Gilbert, but you did. You knew that I liked him, yet you still went and stabbed me! Right in the back.”

She couldn’t even deny what Ruby was saying, because it was all true, and she felt terrible. Ruby and Y/N have been best friends since day 1, and when Ruby told the girls about her crush, Y/N wasn’t sure on what to say, because she knew she like Gilbert too. Seeing her best friend standing there, tear-stained cheeks, it killed her.

“Ruby. Please, let me explain.”

Ruby didn’t reply, as she tended to do when she was upset, but slightly looked over at the other girl, which was all she needed to start.

“I’ve always liked Gilbert, ever since I saw him. And I’ve always liked you. You were my first friend, and we’re the closest two friends in the group. So, when you told us that you liked Gilbert, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to be a good friend, so I tried convincing myself that I hated him. I tried not to think of him, or talk to him, or even look at him! But it turns out he liked me too, he had liked me for a while. So, I tried to meet up with him secretly, so I wouldn’t hurt you. I know I probably should have told you, and I know you probably don’t forgive me, which is perfectly fine, but I hope we can still be friends.” Y/N finished, almost breathless.

“Your right. I don’t know if I can forgive you this very moment. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to stop being your friend, but I really, really wish you told me sooner.” A small smile forms from Ruby’s lips after this statement, like she's about to say something else.

“What? what is it?”

“Is Gilbert a good kisser? I mean, I’m still mad but-”

The two burst out laughing.

“Honestly Y/N, I don’t think I could ever hate you, but it’ll take me time to stop being mad at you... I should go back inside though, everyone’s probably stopped the game.”

“Yeah.. we should.”

They head back into the back room, where everyone is staring at the door, waiting for them to come back in.

“Is your argument over already? Well, good. We’re still playing, and Gilbert still needs to kiss Y/N before we move on.”

“Well, what do you say Y/N?”

“I say we get it over with before Josie bursts into flames.”

Gilbert smiles and then puts his lips against hers, and to answer Ruby’s question, Gilbert Blythe is a good kisser.

#gilbert blythe imagine #gilbert blythe x reader #gilbert blythe #anne with an e imagine #anne with an e #ruby gillis #ruby gillis x reader #x fem!reader #x female reader #oh my god this is trash #i hate this❤️#I hope its not TOO bad tho

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shirbertshitposts · 4 years

Text

Shirbert Moments in Anne of Green Gables Part 2

The fateful slate scene

Mr. Phillips was back in the corner explaining a problem in algebra to Prissy Andrews and the rest of the scholars were doing pretty much as they pleased eating green apples, whispering, drawing pictures on their slates, and driving crickets harnessed to strings, up and down aisle. Gilbert Blythe was trying to make Anne Shirley look at him and failing utterly, because Anne was at that moment totally oblivious not only to the very existence of Gilbert Blythe, but of every other scholar in Avonlea school itself. With her chin propped on her hands and her eyes fixed on the blue glimpse of the Lake of Shining Waters that the west window afforded, she was far away in a gorgeous dreamland hearing and seeing nothing save her own wonderful visions.

Gilbert Blythe wasn’t used to putting himself out to make a girl look at him and meeting with failure. She should look at him, that red-haired Shirley girl with the little pointed chin and the big eyes that weren’t like the eyes of any other girl in Avonlea school.

Gilbert reached across the aisle, picked up the end of Anne’s long red braid, held it out at arm’s length and said in a piercing whisper:

“Carrots! Carrots!”

Then Anne looked at him with a vengeance!

She did more than look. She sprang to her feet, her bright fancies fallen into cureless ruin. She flashed one indignant glance at Gilbert from eyes whose angry sparkle was swiftly quenched in equally angry tears.

“You mean, hateful boy!” she exclaimed passionately. “How dare you!”

And then—thwack! Anne had brought her slate down on Gilbert’s head and cracked it—slate not head—clear across.

Avonlea school always enjoyed a scene. This was an especially enjoyable one. Everybody said “Oh” in horrified delight. Diana gasped. Ruby Gillis, who was inclined to be hysterical, began to cry. Tommy Sloane let his team of crickets escape him altogether while he stared open-mouthed at the tableau.

Mr. Phillips stalked down the aisle and laid his hand heavily on Anne’s shoulder.

“Anne Shirley, what does this mean?” he said angrily. Anne returned no answer. It was asking too much of flesh and blood to expect her to tell before the whole school that she had been called “carrots.” Gilbert it was who spoke up stoutly.

“It was my fault Mr. Phillips. I teased her.”

Even though I’ve read this scene numerous times and seen it played out in adaptations just as many times, it always makes me cringe. I think this scene really well establishes who these characters are though. Anne is daydreaming so hard that she is completely oblivious to her surroundings, but Gilbert is misinterpreting it as her ignoring him. I think this honestly sets the tone for the rest of their relationship. Often Anne is entirely concerned about her own world, and is not thinking about her world in relation to others. Gilbert however is seen often reflecting on Anne’s place within his world, whether that be here when he is thinking why isn’t she looking at me or later on when he’s wondering if the futures they are working towards are one they are going to share.

Anyway this is the first time we get to see into Gilbert’s thoughts and immediately we see that he is interested in her not only in the sense that she is the new kid that seems to be ignoring him, but also that he thinks her looks are interesting. He thinks she has big eyes unlike any of the other girls at school. It’s the first hints of a school boy crush.

Unfortunately for everyone involved he decides to get her attention he’s going to tease her in a way that is basically bullying. He pulls her hair and calls her “carrots” which we know from her reaction to Mrs. Lynde calling her that is the greatest insult in Anne’s eyes. She hates it so much they she won’t even repeat it to the class to explain what happened. So her natural reaction is to lose her temper, yell and hit him with her slate. Also I think it’s important to note that Gilbert is introduced as being nearly 14 and Anne is only 11. When you’re that young, age gaps feel way bigger and so it’s going to feel more threatening to an 11 year old to have a 13.5 year old pick on you than if it was just someone you’re own age. This is all to say Anne’s reaction isn’t surprising. Like this is exactly how I would expect a sensitive 11 year old to react to this situation.

It is nice to see that Gilbert takes responsibility for his actions immediately and admits to Mr. Philips it was his fault. We are already seeing that he is a character, who is redeemable, even if everything we have seen and been told about him so far is that he relentlessly teases his classmates.

Also side note in the midst of this scene kids are harnessing crickets on strings and walking around the school with them...like that is so funny to imagine...the utter chaos of the schoolhouse under Mr.Philips negligent care...

#aogg book spoilers #shirbert moments #anne of green gables #shirbert #anne shirley #gilbert blythe #no one asked but here's a story from my childhood kind of related to this #in middle school there was this boy who would push girls in the hallway to flirt with them which is not great #the one time he pushed me I was annoyed so I pushed him back so hard he fell to the ground #no joke the other girls in the hall clapped when he fell down #and he stopped pushing people after that #i guess i wanted to share this because it goes to show that pre-teens tease each other in school but some take it too far #until another kid gives them a taste of their own medicine #and LMM captured that in AoGG perfectly with Anne and Gilbert here

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luminouslumity · 4 years

Text

So, I'm watching Harry and Meghan: The Week that Shook the Royals, and it was as interesting as it was frustrating at times. That said, I did like that we got to hear from both supporters and detractors, how a few white commentators are very much aware of their privilege and spoke out in support of Meghan, how the UK's racist past was addressed, and I think what I liked the most is how people like Andrew Morton have pointed out what I've been saying, and that is that the Royal Family hasn't really changed since Diana. And then you have Fergie and Captain Phillips, and royalty in general just isn't very kind towards commoners and outsiders. None of this is new, sadly, Meghan just happens to be the latest victim of it and it'll be interesting to see where things will go from here.

#prince harry #meghan markle #duke of sussex #duchess of sussex #british royal family

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your-dietician · 3 years

Text

Over 270,000 people sign petition for France vs Switzerland to be replayed

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/sports/over-270000-people-sign-petition-for-france-vs-switzerland-to-be-replayed/

Over 270,000 people sign petition for France vs Switzerland to be replayed

Switzerland’s goalkeeper Yann Sommer (R) saves a penalty by France’s forward Kylian Mbappe during the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 football match between France and Switzerland at the National Arena in Bucharest – GETTY IMAGES

Over 270,000 fans have signed a petition calling on Uefa to replay the Euro 2020 last-16 match between France and Switzerland because “the rules (of the game) were not respected” when Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer saved Kylian Mbappé’s decisive penalty.

Mbappé’s miss resulted in the world champions crashing out of the tournament in Bucharest after leading their eventual conquerors 3-1 at one point in the match.

But a petition was launched by a disgruntled French fan, Pierre, in the aftermath of the penalty shootout, demanding that Uefa replay the tie because Sommer’s feet were over the line as Mbappe struck the ball. Goalkeepers need to keep at least one foot on the goal-line when facing a penalty, otherwise the spot-kick can be retaken.

Neither the referee nor Var intervened on Sommer’s save but more than 270,000 people signed the petition – which has now been closed – despite several different angles showing that Sommer’s foot was on the line when Mbappé kicked the ball.

The hosts of the petition, leslignesbougent.org, wrote that “Uefa had been officially approached to gauge its position on the matter”, and that Pierre had informed the host site that he wished for the petition to be closed after the angles showing the legality of Sommer’s position came to light. “Our servers exploded,” the site added.

The original petition read: “During the penalty shootout of the France v Switzerland match, goalkeeper Sommer was not on his line ahead of Mbappé’s shot. We ask that Switzerland’s qualification is cancelled so that the match can be replayed.

“Sport must be played within the rules and that evening the rules were not respected.”

02:53 PM

Czech Republic v Denmark

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand says the team is looking to Christian Eriksen as an inspiration ahead of the match against the Czech Republic in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals.

Story continues

Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s opening game of the tournament. Team-mates were left shaken after seeing him receive emergency medical treatment on the field.

Hjulmand says “we’ll play with that heart of Christian Eriksen once again.”

The winner will face either England or Ukraine in the semi-finals.

02:49 PM

Masterful Jordan Pickford has joined an elite band valued more by his country than his club

Unlike at Everton, when Pickford wears an England shirt he looks like he is sure he belongs out there, the undisputed No 1.

Jamie Carragher’s latest column for Telegraph Sport.

Jordan Pickford celebrating England’s last-16 win – GETTY IMAGES

02:38 PM

The Battle of Rome

Paul Ince’s bloody headband, chaos in the stands – and Southgate’s dark side.

England’s last trip to the Italian capital, in 1997, was another game they could not contemplate losing. David Seaman looks back on that momentous night.

Paul Gascoigne (L) and a topless Paul Ince (R) – GETTY IMAGES

02:20 PM

England get to work…

… with the quarter-final against Ukraine just over 24 hours away.

Kalvin Phillips of England trains during the England Training Session at St George’s Park on July 02 – GETTY IMAGES

Mason Mount of England trains during the England Training Session at St George’s Park on July 02 – GETTY IMAGES

Tyrone Mings shifting some tin – GETTY IMAGES

01:56 PM

Boris Johnson says he has no plans to reduce Euro 2020 stadium crowds

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday he did not plan to order a reduction in crowds attending the remaining Euro 2020 matches due to take place at Wembley.

Crowd capacity at Wembley will be increased to more than 60,000 fans for the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020 under a pilot scheme announced last week.

“Of course we’ll follow the scientific guidance and the advice if we receive any such suggestion,” Johnson said in response to a question at a news conference, alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel who said she was worried about Uefa’s decision to let more people into stadiums.

“But at the moment… the position is very clear in the UK, which is that we have certain events which we can put on in a very careful and controlled manner with testing of everybody who goes there.”

01:34 PM

England fans in Rome

The first pictures are beginning to filter back home…

Fans gather in Rome ahead of Ukraine v England – Rome, Italy – July 2, 2021 – REUTERS

12:20 PM

Germany’s Kroos announces retirement from international football

Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has announced his retirement from international football after his team’s exit from the European Championship, the 31-year-old said on Instagram.

The 2014 World Cup winner earned 106 caps for his country, contributing 17 goals and 19 assists.

Kroos said it was clear to him “for a long time” that he would not be available for the World Cup in Qatar next year.

He said his priority now would be to focus on his club career with Real Madrid and spending time with his family.

Reuters

12:16 PM

The eight defining games of Raheem Sterling’s England career

From scapegoat to star man, Sterling has been the object of anger and criticism but is now England’s most experienced player and one of Euro 2020’s pre-eminent players.

Here, Sam Wallace runs down the eight matches that have defined his international career to date.

England’s forward Raheem Sterling celebrates the first goal during the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 football match between England and Germany at Wembley – GETTY IMAGES

12:00 PM

Emma Hayes signs new Chelsea deal

A revealed by Telegraph Sport in May, Emma Hayes, who has starred as a pundit at Euro 2020, has signed a new deal to remain as manager of Chelsea, the Women’s Super League champions have announced.

The 44-year-old has been with the club since 2012 and guided them to four WSL titles, two FA Cups and two League Cups. Hayes’ side were also Champions League runners-up last season.

She said on Chelsea’s official website: “Everyone knows what this club means to me.

“The work we’ve done together over the last nine years has been hugely rewarding, full of growth of the women’s game, accompanied with winning, which is one of the club’s key values. I really look forward to keep building on the successes we’ve already achieved and I’m delighted to have extended further.

Emma Hayes the manager of Chelsea Women lifts the Barclays FA Women’s Super League trophy after the Barclays FA Women’s Super League match between Chelsea Women and Reading Women at Kingsmeadow on May 09, 2021 in Kingston upon Thame – GETTY IMAGES

“It’s been a year and a half without fans, so I can’t wait to welcome them back to our home and share with them the wonderful team we’ve built together.”

Having retained the WSL trophy and the League Cup in 2020-21, Chelsea fell short of adding the Champions League as they were beaten 4-0 by Barcelona in the final in Gothenburg.

That was a first appearance in the final for the Blues – who reached the semi-finals in 2018 and 2019 – and the first by an English club since Arsenal, who had Hayes as assistant manager at the time, won the competition in 2007.

11:24 AM

Some more Premier League news…

Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour has joined Norwich on a season-long loan deal.

The 20-year-old impressed for Scotland in a goalless draw against England at Euro 2020 on June 18, before then having to self-isolate after returning a positive Covid-19 test.

Following his performance at Wembley it was reported that several Premier League clubs were interested in signing Gilmour on a temporary basis.

Newly-promoted Norwich have won the race for his signature and Canaries boss Daniel Farke feels Gilmour is a “perfect fit” for his Canaries team.

“We are really happy to have brought Billy in,” said Farke, who saw midfielder Emiliano Buendia leave for Aston Villa for £33million last month.

“We must say a big thank you to Chelsea and all those involved for making this deal happen. I think it helped that in the past we have shown that young players with potential are in good hands here at Norwich City.

Billy Gilmour – GETTY IMAGES

“He will help us to achieve our targets. We still have to keep in mind that he is an unbelievably young guy and that he hasn’t played regularly on this level. We have to give him some time and space to improve and find his rhythm.”

Gilmour made 11 appearances for Chelsea last season, starting three Premier League matches.

The former Rangers youth player was an unused substitute in both the FA Cup and Champions League finals as Thomas Tuchel’s side lost the domestic showpiece to Leicester but beat Manchester City to become champions of Europe.

11:10 AM

The England team Gareth Southgate should pick to defeat Ukraine

Telegraph football writers pick their XIs – and you can too, by clicking here.

We have asked our writers to pick who they would like to see face the Ukrainians, especially bearing in mind that four of the England squad are on yellow cards.

10:50 AM

How England can beat Ukraine and take another step to glory

What do we know about England’s opponents? What are their strengths and what are the areas to exploit? Who are the players to watch out for?

Telegraph Sport spoke to Ukranian football expert Andrew Todos and former Norther Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, who masterminded a win over Ukraine at Euro 2016.

You can read our big match dossier by clicking here.

Graphic depicting England and Ukraine’s star players

10:30 AM

England at full strength for Ukraine

Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad all trained on the eve of England’s Euro 2020 quarter-final against Ukraine.

The reward for Tuesday’s 2-0 last-16 win against Germany at Wembley is Saturday’s clash against Andriy Shevchenko’s side in Rome.

The Three Lions fly to Italy on Friday afternoon and the full squad trained at their St George’s Park base that morning.

Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell were among those in action, having left isolation on the day of the Germany match after coming into contact with Chelsea team-mate Billy Gilmour, who tested positive for Covid-19 after playing for Scotland against England.

Harry Maguire, Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips and Phil Foden are a booking away from a suspension heading into the quarter-final.

Manchester United defender Maguire, who was named man of the match on Tuesday, is set to join manager Southgate at Friday evening’s press conference in Rome.

10:23 AM

Captain Kane reporting for England training

JULY 02: Harry Kane of England trains during the England Training Session at St George’s Park on July 02, 2021 in Burton upon Trent, – GETTY IMAGES

10:08 AM

In Premier League news…

From our reporter, Mike McGrath.

09:44 AM

Achilles

No, not the Trojan war hero, but the cat that lives in St Petersburg’s Hermitage museum. He chose Spain while attempting to predict the result of tonight’s quarter-final.

Probably no need to play tonight now – the cat’s called it…

Achilles the cat, that lives in St. Petersburg’s Hermitage museum, chooses Spain while attempting to predict the result of the UEFA Euro 2020 quarter final match between Switzerland and Spain during an event in Saint Petersburg, – REUTERS

09:23 AM

De Bruyne and Hazard

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez will give Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard until the last minute to prove their fitness ahead of tonight’s Euro 2020 quarter-final clash with Italy.

Manchester City star De Bruyne suffered an ankle injury during Sunday’s 1-0 win over Portugal, during which Real Madrid’s Hazard also limped off with a muscle problem, and neither was able to train with the rest of the squad on Thursday morning.

However, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the game in Munich, Martinez said: “We all know that we are fighting against time, but we’re going to take until the last minute to make the decision.

“Every day that goes by, every time they can sleep and get three meals and get some treatment, we see an improvement, and then we’ll see [today] if they can be involved or not. Unfortunately at the moment, we cannot make a decision.

“Obviously it will be difficult for [today] – a soft tissue injury in Eden’s case, maybe is difficult for a game like tomorrow, and for Kevin, having a ligament problem maybe is a bit different.

“But it’s more a medical decision. At the moment, it’s not a football decision; [today]it will become a medical decision in the afternoon and then we’ll make a football decision after that.”

De Bruyne left the pitch looking dejected in Belgium’s win over Portugal – GETTY IMAGES

Martinez could do with having all his most potent weapons available for a clash with an Italian side which is unbeaten in 31 matches, while both teams are bidding to become the first to win 15 consecutive European Championship matches since the start of qualification.

09:06 AM

In case you missed it…

Neil Diamond told The Telegraph yesterday how “thrilled” he was that England fans were singing his famous ‘Sweet Caroline’ song at Wembley.

“Well, I hope you can do it again – here’s to England”, he told The Telegraph.

The 1969 song has featured in every England victory celebration at Euro 2020 and was a high point of celebrations after the team beat Germany 2 – 0 in the round of 16.

After the match, striker Harry Kane and coach Gareth Southgate both told the media how much they enjoyed hearing fans belt out the song in unison.

08:52 AM

Tournament odds

The bookies have England now as Euro 2020 favourites – even at 2/1 in some outlets.

Then come Spain (3/1) followed by Italy (4/1), with Ukraine the outside shot with bookmakers at 33/1.

08:41 AM

Magic Monday

A look-back at the day that proved internationals reach parts that the club game cannot.

As if Spain 5 Croatia 3 wasn’t enough, Switzerland and France also served up a classic on Monday night. What made it so memorable?

Read Thom Gibbs’ excellent breakdown here.

08:30 AM

RIP Charlie

08:16 AM

Predictions for this evening

Let us know in the comments below!

I’m going Spain and Italy to progress… just.

08:14 AM

Alvaro Morata

As Sam Dean writes, Alvaro Morata has scored 21 goals in 44 appearances for his country. He has won 14 major trophies in club football. He has played for four of the biggest clubs in the world and he has been transferred between them for a combined total of more than £170 million. If he finds the net against Switzerland on Friday, he will become the highest scorer in Spain’s European Championship history. Everything about his CV, and his list of accomplishments by the age of 28, suggests that Morata must be one of the continent’s elite forwards. And yet, for many people, the former Chelsea striker still seems to be regarded more as a punchline than as a top-level predator.

Read about how Morata has emerged from the darkness in a bright, dangerous Spain side.

Spain’s Alvaro Morata celebrates after scoring his side’s fourth goal during the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between Croatia and Spain at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen – POOL GETTY

07:59 AM

Can Switzerland do it again?

A reminder of how the Swiss got there in the first place.

They knocked out the world champions, France, on penalties, after fighting back from 3-1 down.

Refresh yourself on events in Bucharest by clicking here.

Kylian Mbappe missed the crucial penalty for France – GETTY IMAGES

07:35 AM

The Swiss are back!

Remember this bloke?

Swiss fan reacts to their victory over France

Topless and fully clothed, desperate and ecstatic: a Swiss football supporter has become a viral sensation after cameras zoomed in on his rollercoaster emotions watching his team beat France in the Euro 2020 tournament.

Found by Swiss media after images of him yelling and grimacing during Monday’s match went round the world, Luca Loutenbach has already amended his Twitter account to describe himself as the “Nati’s official meme since 28.06.2021.”

The Nati is the nickname for Switzerland’s national football team.

Loutenbach, 28, told Switzerland’s Blick TV that he was “just a normal fan”.

But those filming the game thought otherwise, zooming in on him several times during the play as he perfectly encapsulated Swiss fans’ ecstasy, dejection and frenzied joy – starting off wearing the Swiss red shirt and ending up topless and screaming.

The images quickly went viral, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeting one with the comment “man of the match”.

“A star is born,” Swiss public television RTS said.

“Thanks for all your messages, what is happening to me is unreal,” he wrote Wednesday on Twitter.

“I’m actually quite discreet, even if that wasn’t on show during the game. So this is fun for one or two days, but I hope it will ease off a bit after a while,” he told Swiss TV.

Such is his fame that Switzerland’s airline Swiss has gifted him a free ticket to Russia to see his team play Spain in the quarter finals on Friday in Saint Petersburg.

The country’s tourism agency has also contacted him via Twitter to offer a relaxing weekend away in Switzerland.

07:18 AM

Good morning!

Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live coverage of the build-up to quarter-finals day, with the first two last-eight games kicking off tonight. Switzerland face Spain in St Petersburg at 5pm before Belgium take on Italy in Munich at 8pm.

England midfielder Jack Grealish said captain Harry Kane is the best player he has ever played with and tipped the Tottenham Hotspur forward to break the Premier League scoring record.

Kane drew a blank in each of England’s three group games at Euro 2020 but scored the second goal in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Germany which put them into a quarter-final clash with Ukraine in Rome on Saturday.

Grealish said Kane, or “H”, was a deadly finisher but also praised his work outside the box.

“No one here would ever doubt ‘H’,” Grealish told British media on Thursday. “He’s the best player I’ve ever played with.

“He’ll break the Premier League record and the England one but he’s not just a goalscorer. He’s unbelievable when he drops deep and finds passes and puts it through people’s legs.”

Alan Shearer is the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer with 260. Kane is seventh on the list with 166.

Grealish came off the bench to play a role in both goals in the win over Germany but the 25-year-old said he was uncertain if he would start against Ukraine, given the attacking options at coach Gareth Southgate’s disposal.

“It’s difficult. I’m always playing every minute at Villa. I have to be realistic about myself and the talent that we have, especially in my position,” he said.

“You’ve got six players that play either side of Harry that, in reality, could play for most clubs in the world — myself, Jadon (Sancho), Marcus (Rashford), Raheem (Sterling), Phil (Foden) and Bukayo (Saka),” he said.

“That’s scary how good us six are. That’s not being big-headed. That’s just the truth.”

Reuters

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amandajoyce118 · 4 years

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Agents Of SHIELD S7E05 “A Trout In The Milk” Easter Eggs And References

The team heads to the 1970s where they discover that Hydra has received a hand up from the Chronicoms.

You know the drill. If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’ve already seen the episode. Especially since I’m watching the episode four days after it aired. So, yes. There are spoilers.

Those Opening Credits

They are so very ‘70s. If you’ve ever watched a sitcom or a spy series from the era, you’ll see nods in the sequence.

Sousa Wonders About Ending Up In The Present

Perhaps Sousa’s questioning of Daisy and Coulson about ending up in their present time is a nod to the actor’s cameo in Avengers. Let’s hope the show actually ties those two together instead of just giving us an Easter egg or two.

Dooley’s Booth

Coulson talks about Dooley’s booth in the old bar that becomes a SHIELD meeting spot. Dooley was the chief of the New York office of the SSR, for those who didn’t watch Agent Carter.

Bendeery English Ale

Daisy drinks one of these in the SHIELD bar, and there’s also a poster for it in Malick’s office. It is the official unofficial beer of the show. It’s named for a friend of Nick Blood’s and first appeared back in season two.

You Always Bounce Back

Yeah, this is, what, the third time someone has referenced Elena’s first episode of the series and her powers. That feels like it’s not going to bode well for her, but not sure what to make of all the on the nose references just yet.

‘70s SHIELD Uniforms

Those blue and white jumpsuits are straight out of the comics of the same era. Yep.

Project Insight

We all saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier, right? Project Insight is the big project created by Hydra that targets “threats” to the world in the form of Stephen Strange and Tony Stark. In other words, it calculates the probability that people will go against Hydra and advises on whether or not they should be eliminated.

The Episode Title

The phrase is, as Sousa points out, an “old timey one,” and it’s fun that it gets used repeatedly in the episode.

Coulson Is From Processing

When Malick asks Coulson where he’s from at the bar, Coulson says he’s from processing. That’s a callback to season five when the team ended up in the future. It’s what Deke told them to say when anyone asked where they were from so they wouldn’t give away that they were time travelers.

Come With Me If You Want To Continue To Exist

This show loves to nod to its sci-fi and action movies, right? While Elena talks about Bond movies early in the episode, this line is a nod to the Terminator franchise.

The Launch Hangar

Where the Insight rocket/satellite combo launches from in the middle of the lake is where the zephyr usually launches from in the future.

The Episode Tag

Nathaniel Malick isn’t even supposed to exist anymore, but he’s sure working on living up to the family name, huh? His wanting to talk to Daniel Whitehall about surgically transferring abilities should sound familiar. Whitehall lives for so long by surgically transferring Jiaying (Daisy’s mom, remember her?) to himself.

The List Of SHIELD Assets/Hydra Threats

I saved this one for last because this is where the majority of the episode Easter eggs come from. When Daisy and Sousa get the list of “threats” for Project Insight in the ‘70s, the computer has a nice “Level 7 only” at the top of the screen. That’s a nod to how the show began, with Coulson as a Level 7 agent, welcoming Ward to his new status on the team.

Sousa and Daisy mention that Bruce Banner, Peggy Carter, and Nick Fury all show up on the list. The long list features some other names that should be familiar. There are actually two sets of lists, but it’s really hard to make out the first one, so help a girl out if I miss some names.

Roberto Gonzalez and Victoria Hand both show up. You might remember them from earlier seasons of the show. Vic is killed by Ward when he breaks Garrett out of SHIELD custody and Gonzalez is killed by Jiaying when he tries to have a meeting with her. I believe Isabel Hartley is also on the first page of the list, but not positive because her name is blurry. In the comics, she dated Vic, but she was killed in the first episode of season two.

Also on the list? Jim Morita and Gabe Jones. They’re both Howling Commandos. Gabe also happens to be Trip’s grandfather while Jim is grandfather to Peter Parker’s school principal.

Some more familiar names that appear are Nicole Amador, Susan Morse, and Nathan Bowen. The first is likely a relative of Akela Amador from season one, while Susan Morse is mother to Bobbi Morse in the comics. Nathan Bowen is the father of Tandy (from Cloak And Dagger) and a scientist who works for Roxxon.

Still with me? Good. Because there are even more.

Conrad Murphy is the father of Sandra Murphy in the comics. Sandra is one of the “Caterpillars” or Secret Warriors in the comics, though she’s not on Daisy’s team. She actually is on the team sent to spy on the Russian organization Leviathan (which was in Agent Carter) and her entire team ends up dead.

Andrew and Margaret Nelson appear - though on separate halves. I’m curious if they’re meant to be relatives of Foggy Nelson from Daredevil, though their names don’t ring any bells for me. It’s worth noting that the show has connected to Daredevil in the past with other Easter eggs and Skye and Matt both having a connection to St. Agnes.

There’s a Susan Parker on the list, who could be related to Peter Parker, or she could be a really random reference to a character that appeared in one comic book in the ‘40s? Likewise, Michael Phillips is a name that is connected to a mercenary who worked with the Punisher in the comics who used to be a CIA agent, but that feels like too common of a name. (There’s also an assistant director with the name who works on the show, so he could just be a nod to him.)

Betty Wright is a famous singer who actually rose to fame in the ‘70s. She died this year. She wrote the original “Where Is The Love” and has been sampled on tons of R&B tracks. Likewise, Mark Roberts might be another pop culture nod since he was an actor who started working in the ‘30s, though that was just his stage name, so who knows?

I’ve got nothing on Ben Taylor, Ben Harris, James Cook (unless they’re talking about the British explorer who would have already been dead), Ronald Collins, Roger Stewart, Leonard Torres, Robert Moore (though I did think initially that it said Morse and wondered if Bobbi was named after her dad), and David Robinson. I also didn’t catch the last name for the entry that starts with Theresa. But that’s - a lot. So, some of the names are presumably filler names, entered just because they were ones the team could use, and they could also be nods to people the VFX team knows in real life.

Edited to add:

Chastity McBride

I completely forgot to note that May’s alias in this episode is a real SHIELD agent in the comics. She’s only appeared in a handful of comics and her main mission was stopping John Garrett and Elektra from an assassination plot.

I think this is the longest list I’ve done in a while, so no speculation this time. Until next week. Or, I guess, later this week!

#agents of shield #aos season 7 #aos easter eggs #aos spoilers #mcu

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yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy · 4 years

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Why So Jaded? Chapter 6

Let’s get complicated.

Chapter 6

Buddy sent the message to not spring the gilded cage for any reason. Not yet anyway. He needed to secure the second bird first which is what he referred to Violet as and insisted that she was not a threat. And that meant that he had to get all the medical data for Violet’s medication because at this point he had developed a preventative medicine for Violet to take daily to keep the headaches from occurring in the first place. Like heartburn medication but for her brain. One of the downsides to the new meds was even though she took it daily and could still use her powers, she could only use them so much before she felt the headaches come back. But the more she took it and the less she used her powers, the better, like getting ahead of the curve instead of always chasing behind it. Buddy wanted to make sure that Phillip could never, ever hold this over her or use this against her to keep her with him. The other downside was the new meds were slightly toxic, but in small doses, she was ok and would build up a tolerance, but it meant she couldn’t overdose or speed up her own progression of the medicine. She had to stick to the regimen precisely. But it gave Buddy and the medical team time to come up with an alternative. But it would, in theory, cure her, however it would take years and Buddy feared what those toxins would do for her long term but it had been the best solution he could come up with so far.

He hoped and prayed that while they were in Vegas nothing would happen. Because if anything did, it would screw him over from ever breathing the outside air ever again for the next three years.

“Good morning Mr. Pine.” Violet greeted at 9:50 am when she came in to gather him and his things.

“Good morning Ms. Parr.” Buddy answered, damning himself for sweating like a stuck pig.

“Are you ok?” Violet asked.

“I’m just really nervous, I want everything to go well and I don’t want anything to go wrong because I want to be able to breathe outside air between now and three years from now.” Buddy confessed as he used a handkerchief to wipe his brow from the sweat that had accumulated there since the last time he wiped it only a few moments before.

“Alright, we got about two minutes before the others come, come with me.” Violet insisted as she put her tablet and her phone on the counter and took his hand and quickly led him into the apartment side of the space and into the bathroom before pulling him into the shower before putting up another forcefield around them to give them privacy since the shower doors were frosted for privacy.

“Buddy, you are worrying me with your worry. Do you have any reason to believe that anything would happen? That anyone, including yourself is in danger?” Violet pressed as she looked into his eyes both pleadingly yet determined.

“No, I have no reason to believe there’s sabotage or imposter-ing or an attack or anything like that. I’m just...I’m just scared. Cause if anything happens, I get put on lock down and I don’t want to lose the precious few freedoms I have, I don’t want to betray your trust.” Buddy professed as he stared right back into those magnificent violet eyes she had before her look softened and she dropped the forcefield and just hugged him which surprised him at first before he returned it just as tightly. Oh this was heaven. Just hugging her and holding her. She smelled amazing and the hug was so grounding and comforting to him. It’s exactly what he needed.

“It’s going to be ok Buddy. I’m nervous too. I don’t want anything to happen either. And if you say you don’t have a reason to suspect anything then I believe you and I trust you to tell me the truth. If you’ll be honest with me, I’ll be honest with you. Deal?” Violet murmured into the crux of his neck and shoulder.

“Deal.” Buddy answered as he realized that even though he was getting massages and not getting touch starved per say, he was starting to starve for her and now he really hoped that nothing bad would happen. He had her trust. That’s all that mattered. He had it and he needed to keep it. But all too soon she was pulling away from him and straightening up.

“We’ll be ok, you’ll see.” Violet sweetly assured him as she reached out and squeezed his hands with her own.

“Are you ready to leave Mr. Pine?” Violet asked, slipping back into her liaison voice once again.

“Yes.” He confirmed.

“Good, you look great by the way, the cream suit and baby blue shirt suits you very well, so handsome.” Violet praised as she then led them out of the bathroom with his hand still in hers as he looked from her to the mirror to see for himself, giving his reflection a smile because, she said he looked great, handsome even. But once they left the apartment side of the lab and the door opened, Violet quickly let go of Buddy’s hand and hastened her pace to quickly gather her tablet and her phone again before she also opened the watch box and put the watch on his wrist, using her thumb print to lock it into place before taking the pin and putting it on his lapel and then straightening up his other handkerchief that matched his tie that was in the breast pocket and straightened up his tie bar, tie and collar.

“There, picture perfect.” Violet smiled happily once she was done as the security detail gathered Buddy’s luggage and brought it down to the vehicle before another woman came into the room, dressed similarly to Violet. She was perhaps a little taller and more robust than Violet but very professional looking and had the same commanding presence that Violet had.

“Ms. Parr? Is the asset ready?” She asked.

“Yes he is. Mr. Pine, meet your handler. This is Veronica Andrews. Miss Andrews, this is Mr. Pine.” Violet introduced.

“Hello, pleasure to meet you.” She cordially greeted as she shook hands before Violet touched her phone with hers and had her touch the lock on Buddy’s wrist with her thumb print.

“You two are now tethered. Mr. Pine, the distance of your tethering will be adjusted according to Ms. Andrews’ preferences and specifications. Also Nelson, Leland, Soche and Pike will be your security detail. They all know your safety protocol. Ms. Andrews. If you would please state for the record what your safety protocol password is?” Violet urged.

“Pumpernickel.” Veronica answered with an amused grin.

“Mr. Pine?” Violet prompted.

“Shmoke.” Buddy said.

“Excellent, these passcodes will be used until we have a breach in security in which case- the passcodes will be changed. Ms. Andrews, do you relieve me?” Violet formally asked.

“I am relieving you Ms. Parr from Mr. Pine as an asset and am taking control of the asset.” Veronica confirmed.

“I am relieved. See you soon.” Violet bid them before Buddy was taken down to the street to get loaded into a car along with his luggage as Mr. Leland and Mr. Nelson took the drivers and passenger sides of the car, opening the doors for Buddy and Veronica while Violet took the helicopter to the airport to get Phillip squared away herself.

“How was he?” Phillip asked.

“He’s understandably nervous because he has realized that if any tiny little thing goes wrong, it’s his head that’s gonna roll. Who wouldn’t be at least a little anxious? Remember how I was the first time I was in charge of taking you anywhere?” Violet asked.

“Yeah you had six different escape routes for every street and stop light we would either go through or stop at, you had it in your head it was gonna be a 16 blocks kind of mission and you had every conceivable attack figured out and countermeasures taken. Half of my security team threatened to quit if they had to deal with you ever again.” Phillip huffed a laugh before taking another sip of his drink.

“Well he’s equally anxious as I was. I would think he’s gonna get an ulcer by the end of the weekend. Thankfully the only thing he’s responsible for is himself.” Violet mused.

“I still think we should test him.” Phillip said.

“And that’s not fair, to anyone.” Violet insisted.

“When is life fair?” Phillip returned and Violet had a feeling he was going to whether she agreed or not. But she knew full well that Phillip was determined and if he was going to do this. She was at least going to make it worth it.

“You want to make it a proper test and a proper bet?” Violet asked determinedly.

“Yes. If he fails the test. Another year will be added to his servitude.” Phillip began as Violet suddenly liked the sound of that term.

“A year is a fair term. Fine. If he passes. A year off. Breaking and entering for a white male is three to six months usually in the system- with no priors- or a year with. And you’re tripling the timeframe. So I say, when and if he passes. He will only be in your contracted servitude for two years instead of three.” Violet specified before she offered her phone and let her finger hover over the record button. “Do we have a deal?” Violet asked as she offered her hand for him to shake.

“Deal.” Phillip agreed and shook her hand before they repeated the terms and agreed to them on the recording just as Buddy’s car pulled into the lot and he was unloaded from the SUV and put on the plane with them as everyone’s luggage was loaded into the plane as Veronica directed where Buddy should sit, since she spent the entire way there dictating her own rules for her asset which were much stricter than Violet’s ever were but Buddy understood he would have to walk the line. But once he came aboard the jet, he didn’t like the smug grin Phillip had when Phillip looked at him- the way a wolf would look at a lamb but one look at Violet and her simple reassuring smile was enough for him as Phillip immediately set off getting the perfect trap for Buddy.

“Miss Andrews, a word.” Phillip urged her as he got up and straightened up as Veronica practically bounced out of her seat to go with him to the back of the plane as Buddy frowned in confusion after them but another reassuring smile from Violet helped his nerves from fraying completely but he did shoot her a text.

‘What’s going on?’ Buddy asked with a questioning glance to Violet.

‘Nothing you need to be worried about. You told me that I had no reason to be worried and if you are a man of your word, then I believe you and I trust you and I’ll take that leap of faith. So if I’m not worried, you don’t need to be either.’ Violet replied before Phil came back with the smuggest grin on his face as Veronica looked a little blushed herself with a giddy smile but sporting a new pair of very high tech glasses, the same kind of glasses Violet used when she needed to see what the naked eye never could which got Violet to humph as she decided to put on her own before both Veronica and Violet returned to a schooled stoic look before Phillip sat down next to Violet before Violet simply adjusted the angle of her phone in her hand so he could read the text before Phillip huffed a laugh and curled his lip derisively.

“You’re gonna fall on your face.” Phillip sneered lowly.

“We’ll see.” Violet maintained.

“But if she’s on high alert, I am too. Besides, since you’re so sure that he’s gonna run, I have to be ready to apprehend him and take him down don’t I?” Violet pointed out in a low murmur so no one else would hear the conversation which got Phillip to frown and grump himself and look sullenly out of his window as Violet gave Buddy a quick wink and another smile because she knew Phillip played dirty and tried to think of all the ways Phillip was going to sabotage Buddy and what countermeasures she was going to make to even the odds.

After the relatively short and uneventful flight to Vegas, Buddy happily checked into the nice suite that had been arranged for him which was coincidentally right across the hallway from the suite Violet and Phillip had gotten before Veronica put special sensors with hidden cameras all around the suite so that she would know exactly where he was within the room at all times but only told Buddy that it was sensors as Buddy’s gut was telling him that that’s not all they were as he warily stared at them but one of the rules was not to mess with the sensors so he simply unpacked and settled in as he crashed on the bed. He knew something was up. He just had to think of what it was and be ready for whatever it would be then his phone dinged as he picked it up to look at it and noticed it was a text from Violet, inviting him down to the pool and suddenly he felt like swimming as he messaged Veronica, asking if they could go down to the pool and to his delight- she confirmed and Buddy got dressed in his swim trunks and flip flops and waited until Veronica got him and was surprised she was also wearing a bathing suit and a bathrobe and just as they were about to leave Mr. Leland was opening the door for Violet who was just inside the room in her super suit before she hit a button on it and the suit itself vanished, leaving her bathing suit underneath it- the only thing visible on her body and it was Buddy’s turn to be blown away and awestruck and his mouth was suddenly dry before Violet lifted the bathrobe around her shoulders just as Phillip came out, wearing his own swim trunks and suddenly Buddy felt like a big fat hog next to a Greek god. Because Phillip was jacked. How was he supposed to compete with that? Why would Violet ever look at him with lust or desire when she had that at her fingertips? And just like that, his ego was hit and starting to deflate.

And once at the pool, it didn’t let up because once at the pool, Violet shrugged off her bathrobe and revealed she had the most kickass tattoo on the back of her left shoulder and the way that bikini hugged her body was a work of art and the way her amazing, curtain of ebony locks fell down her back before she brushed them to the side to braid her glorious mane under the cabana with Phillip. No wonder most people thought they were an item. He would have assumed as much. And to see Phillip and Violet put sunscreen on each other while he struggled just to get enough on his own fair self before he burned to a crisp was tantamount to torture. He knew Phillip was flaunting her and his closeness with her in his face and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Need some help?” Veronica finally asked.

“Yes please. Thank you.” Buddy confirmed as he handed her the sunscreen as she dutifully applied it to him just as a seemingly drunk and tipsy girl came and sat down nearby who was happily sucking down her literal bucket of a cocktail.

“Oh my god you guys are such a cute couple!” She gushed in her very thick Long Island accent as she seemed to notice them.

“Oh, no, we’re not together.” Buddy quickly corrected her.

“Then why is she applying sunscreen? Is she your sister?” She asked as Buddy looked at her like she was crazy since Veronica was very clearly black as Veronica snorted a laugh.

“No…” Buddy slowly answered.

“Oh well what is she to you then? Is she a friend with benefits?” She continued to guess.

“No.” Buddy shook his head adamantly.

“I’m his head of security.” Veronica finally stepped in which got the inebriated girl to gasp in delight.

“You are such a great guy to not only get a woman but a woman of color protect you! Affirmative action for the win!” She cheered.

“Why does she need to protect you? Are you like, super important that people want to hurt you? Are you Jeff Bezos?” She asked.

“No!” Buddy exclaimed as Veronica straight up laughed.

“He wishes. I think you’re going to be ok Mr. Pine, I’m gonna get a drink.” Veronica decided and Buddy actually whimpered.

“No, no don’t leave me with the drunk girl.” Buddy pleaded but Veronica just laughed as she walked away as the drunk girl came and sat down facing him in the next sunchair.

“Mr. Pine, ooh so important, is it after pine like the tree? Do you own a lumberyard?” She asked.

“No, I don’t own a lumberyard, but yes pine like the pine tree.” Buddy answered as he stared after Veronica and even looked to see Nelson and Leland at a distance chatting with Veronica at the bar since Soche and Pike were in their rooms getting some sleep since they would be taking the night shift.

“Are you hungry? Do you want some nachos? Or do you want a drink? Oh do you want to try some of mine it’s so good!” She gushed as she offered it to him.

“No thanks, I don’t drink and swim.” Buddy tried to politely refuse, even though right at this moment, there was nothing he wanted more but Veronica had a very strict- you will only drink water- policy while she was his handler. Because water was best at showing whether or not your drink was tempered with. But if he absolutely insisted. He could have one social drink a day so Buddy was saving it for later in the evening.

“Are you here with someone? Like a bachelorette party or something?” Buddy tried to get rid of her.

“I like your watch, it’s so fancy.” She said as she grabbed his wrist and pulled it closer to her face so she could see it better.

“Hey, hey, hands off.” Buddy tried to shake her but she had an iron grip and she pulled him with surprising strength until he was leaned all the way over as she used her bucket drink to hide their faces.

“I’m a friend of Violet's, she asked me to keep an extra eye on you. Stay vigilant. That’s all I can say and don’t let anyone else get this close to you other than those who you explicitly trust and stare at any other girl other than her because her current asset is a piece of work and he’s not above punishing her for your offending gaze and vice versa.” She said quickly and in all seriousness, dropping the drunk act in a flash and fixing him with a look that cut him to the core before she slipped right back into the act and got up and pretended to stagger away.

“Well see you around Mr. Lumberyard!” She waived drunkenly just as Violet dove into the pool which got Buddy to turn his attention back to her just as Veronica returned with a drink and a bottle of water for Buddy.

“I thought Miss Drunk Girl stood a chance.” Veronica noticed as she sat in the sunchair and adjusted the umbrella to shade both of them.

“Drunk girls are never my type.” Buddy informed her.

“Good.” Veronica said simply.

“Mr. Sebastian has given the order that if you so wish- you can enjoy the company of a companion of the gender of your choice for a short while, if you’re interested, that’s why he pulled me aside on the plane.” Veronica offered. “They even have call girls whose specialty is to impersonate Super’s and they take requests.” Veronica tempted.

“No thanks.” Buddy firmly refused.

“Well that’s your call. It’s either going to be this weekend, or from what I understand, could be a long time before you get a chance to get laid again.” Veronica mused.

“We’re kind of out in public, could we not talk about such things in such a public setting?” Buddy requested.

“Well if you change your mind, do so sooner than later, because the process of me doing background checks and vetting those companions is a long process and your cut off is 10pm, doors locked, no one in or out which means I have to know by no later than 6pm.”

“Yeah, I’m not gonna change my mind.” Buddy firmly told her because Drunk Girl’s warning was chilling his bones still. If Violet sent her, that meant that Violet knew something was up but couldn’t say anything and the drunk girl did good getting him alone to deliver that message.

She said ‘don’t let anyone you don’t trust get close’. She also told him that Phillip would punish Violet if his ‘gaze was offensive’. Which meant that Buddy couldn’t look at her much or often. All Buddy could do is sit back and fold his arms over his chest and think about this.

But hearing Violet squeal as Phillip played with her in the pool was too tempting of a sight. He was just picking her up and throwing her into the pool before jumping in nearby and chasing her under the water as she tried to get away as she was laughing hysterically from being chased, weaving around the little kids in the shallow end before he noticed paparazzi holding their cameras up and clicking pictures from over the fence.

Every picture they took of Violet could be a threat to her and her identity. Wasn’t she scrutinized enough? But for all he knew, Phillip had placed his own spy right next to him in Veronica and just as Buddy decided to come into the water, Phillip pulled himself and Violet out of the pool and back into the cabana and after a few laps around the pool and feeling his skin practically sizzle, Buddy decided he had enough torture and figured he’d be at least safe in his room, at least he could watch TV or something.

Violet was both relieved yet disappointed Buddy left the pool as she had to come to the realization why she was attracted to him. He was soft. And that wasn’t to say that was a bad thing or a weakness. He had been so comfortable and comforting to hug. While Phillip was sculpted beautifully, cuddling with him was like cuddling with a side of hanging beef. While she was sure Buddy was stronger, he was more function than aesthetic and had a nice ‘dad bod’ but without reminding her too much of her own dad. But who he was as a person, was more attractive than Phillip. Because he was kind, considerate and genuine. It wasn’t a head game all the time.

The next day was the first day of the Expo and Buddy had to keep his distance but thankfully could meet with his work associates and see his old friends and Veronica kept a respectful distance and still acted like his bodyguard and let him bend the rules of allowing to have a cocktail or two with his own friends and associates which she allowed.

“So tell me again, what kind of bet would you make that you would get into such a deal that you would have to live at SEB and work for Sebastian of all people?” Keith pressed since that was the “official story” was that Buddy and Phillip had had a big bet between them. If Buddy had won, Phillip would be working for him for three years, if Phillip won, Buddy would work for him for three years. And Buddy lost.

“High stakes poker. Very stupid bet.” Buddy answered.

“Well, you were never that good at cards.” Greg noted.

“But are you treated well at least?” Keith asked.

“Oh yeah, like an honored guest, I get a whole floor of the building to myself, most of which is a whole lab with equipment I used to dream of using and then the rest is my own personal apartment, fully furnished. It even has its own gym and laundry facility and full kitchen. Which that in itself is worth millions, especially in the city, and especially in Metroville. And the views are amazing And it’s not like I’m completely cut off from the outside world, I’m here aren’t I? And I have my own security.” Buddy honestly appraised before Phillip arrived with Violet and every guy within sight seemed to become acutely aware that a goddess such as her was in their presence and the way Phillip held her close, like he would a girlfriend was almost challenging. But Violet was still in the glasses, scanning everyone in the room and finding any potential threats to herself, Phillip and Buddy even though Veronica was doing the same but she still smiled fondly as did he when their gazes locked before she forced herself to look away as Phillip took them to the bar and got them drinks.

“It’s like I forget Phillip has that knockout of an assistant every time I see him and then she appears next to him and reminds us of our own mortality.” Keith murmured as he gave Violet his own appreciative glance.

“She’d be an even bigger knockout without those glasses though.” Peter, a friend of Buddy’s appraised.

“I like them. They make her look even more sophisticated.” Buddy shrugged, careful with his words because he had a feeling everything was still being recorded and would be reported.

“Yeah but I hear he keeps her on a super short leash and she works 24/7. She never gets a day off. Is that what you're finding?” Greg asked Buddy.

“No, she's my liaison to Sebastian directly but I only see her Monday through Friday- 9-5. She gets weekends off and vacations like anyone else.” Buddy shrugged.

“But at least you get to see her that much. The rest of us only see her at the expos. What’s she like?” Keith pressed.

“Perfectly professional.” Buddy answered simply, figuring the less he said about her, the safer he would be.

“So she’s all business, well, looking like that, I would think she would have to be.” Greg mused.

“So enough about her, I haven’t seen you guys in what feels like forever, what’s going on? I want to hear what’s going on with you guys.” Buddy suggested before they continued and even got dinner and got to hit the casino a little before Violet and Phillip appeared in the same casino and once again, the attention turned to them as they went to the roulette table.

“Come on, let’s play some roulette.” Keith urged them before they all agreed and Buddy simply hung his head in defeat and followed his friends over to the table and stood on the other side of the table across from Violet and waited to see what Phillip and Violet would do as Violet looked at the game and everyone else around the table and Buddy could tell she was sizing everyone and everything up before she put a chip on the red two, the black three and the red four as Buddy followed and put his chips on hers in equal amounts while Phillip put his own chips on his own lucky numbers.

“Place your bets, place your bets.” The dealer offered as others did the same before he spun the wheel and Buddy wondered why Violet would choose these numbers.

Meanwhile Violet simply prayed to the universe to show her a sign of how long she would have to be in Phillip’s servitude.

“Two!” the dealer called as he gave Violet and Buddy their payouts as Violet blew out a breath of relief before she did the same thing again, only covering it up to five, hoping that the universe would tell her how long Buddy would be in servitude and Buddy was still matching her bets with his own as Phillip continued to do his own thing.

“Two again!” The dealer called out once the ball hit the 2 box and Violet seemed to be especially pleased and relieved before she took a leap of faith and put two chips on both the 25 slot and the 31 and that’s when Buddy realized the pattern. 2- how long she had the contract to work for Phillip, the second two was maybe a confirmation. But he knew Phillip was 25 and he was 31. She was asking who to bet on.

“Thirty one!” The dealer called out and Violet didn’t want to push her luck anymore and quit betting but Buddy simply put his own chips on 24 for the next round as he gave her a meaningful look as Violet was all too eager to see where the ball landed and even he could see Violet breathe heavier as the ball bounced around on the wheel as they shared a meaningful look.

“Twenty four.” The dealer called out and her smile was more precious than any bet’s payout. And after that, Buddy himself stopped playing, taking her own cue before Phillip tried once more, putting his own lucky numbers down but once again- it landed on any number than what Phillip chose before he finally gave up and went around to the other games, losing more and more money while every time Violet was near Buddy, he would do nothing but win as they all found themselves at a high stakes black jack table, only this time they were also joined by Xavier Fissured who was also Phillip’s and Buddy’s second fiercest rival and Violet had her own history with him, specifically his wife who was Ziva, who’s Super name was Razuva since she could control metal but could also conjure blades from the shadow realm and she had a penchant for making things razor sharp daggers and then throwing them at people. But while Violet had been on the Superhero side, Ziva had been a neutral Super and never signed on with The Agency and instead had been hired as Xavier’s personal assistant and bodyguard and his one woman army. In fact it was because of Xavier’s relationship with Ziva that Phillip felt he needed to imitate it since Xavier had only been following in Buddy’s footsteps with Mirage or Natalia as he knew her. Only Xavier made his relationship with Ziva work flawlessly and it was because of Xavier’s success with Ziva by his side that Phillip was following Xavier’s example of getting his very own personal Super in Violet.

“Bartholomew, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you without Natalia. Although I must say it’s been several years since I’ve seen either of you, where have you been hiding out lately?” Xavier asked as Ziva and Violet exchanged a meaningful look.

“Oh I’ve been around. But Natalia, she, she left me, she got married to Bill Willhouse about seven years ago.” Buddy answered.

“Yeah I did remember seeing that in the paper, don’t you remember me showing you that Dearest?” Ziva noted sweetly to Xavier.

“Oh yes, she has had two children since then right?” Xavier asked.

“Yes, little Billy, and Luca. Thankfully they take after Natalia more than Bill.” Ziva answered with a fond smile as Buddy was torn between feeling sorry for himself, feeling happy for Natalia yet wondering what Violet would be like as a mom while Phillip was looking at Violet and wondering the same thing.

“How are your own children doing Ziva? Are they here with you?” Violet asked, shifting the focus of the conversation for Buddy’s sake.

“They’re doing just fine, thank you for asking Violet, they're at home with the sitters, so it's a couple's retreat of a business trip for us this time. How’s your family doing? Being safe? I understand your littlest brother was almost kidnapped as an infant.” Ziva dug with a smug smirk with a side eye at Buddy as Buddy’s cheeks flushed as did Violet’s.

“Oh how awful. Who would dare steal an infant?” Keith asked.

“Oh I heard it was a Supervillain, Syndrome wasn’t it? But he died shortly after correct?” Xavier asked Violet.

“He did, his cape got caught in the air suction of a jet turbine. That’s why most Supers these days don’t wear capes anymore. Sure they look cool but functionally a hindrance. Of if they do wear capes it’s for press and public appearances only.” Violet answered. “But to answer your question, Jack is doing fine, he’s in the fifth grade now, he’s staying with Aunt Edna during spring break. Helping her design her winter line because Jack loves fashion, my parents think he’ll be the next Ralph Lauren.” Violet answered.

“Aww, that’s so nice and such a safe occupation. I love it when young ones find their calling early and really throw themselves into it, it shows drive and determination.” Xavier praised.

“Yeah, the problem is every time I get to visit home, he wants to dress me up constantly because I’m his only sister and the only one with enough patience to let him use me as a fashion doll. He actually made me the dress I’m wearing tonight.” Violet revealed as she looked down at it. “Wow, he’s very talented, because I was about to ask you where you got it because it’s beautiful, and it hugged you like it was custom made for you, I was about to ask if Edna had made it for you.” Ziva praised.

“And you have one other brother correct? The Olympian? Dash Parr, he’s always the fastest in all of his races, set some world records.” Xavier asked thoughtfully.

“Yep. He runs circles around everyone, that and he practically lives on a steady diet of White Lightning Energy drinks because his idol White Lightning himself, his walls are covered in posters of him.” Violet revealed and Buddy thought hard before realization dawned on him but one look of warning from Phillip and Violet had him keeping his revelation to himself before they were dealt again and Violet got twenty so she stayed where she was. While Phillip was at 17 while Buddy sat at 16 while Xavier was also at 20 while Ziva was at 19 herself. Phillip tapped on the table and got a six of clubs and was out. Buddy decided to go for broke and tapped the table, gesturing that he wanted another card.

“And it’s a five of spades. Black Jack.” The Dealer announced.

“Congratulations Mr. Pine.” Violet offered and even though she lost, she was content that at least Buddy won that hand.

But the very next hand Violet got 21 which made her happy to finally win one before the drunk girl returned. Thankfully less ‘inebriated’ than she was before and gasped when she recognized Buddy. But in reality had been shadowing all of them all night, but just outside of Buddy’s notice. “Mr. Lumberyard!” She exclaimed, her loud, thick Long Island accent cutting through the chatter like a bull horn which got Buddy to drop his shoulders in defeat and groan as Violet, Phillip, Xavier and Ziva all started snickering their laughter which soon infected the rest of the table.

“So what are we playing? Are we playing black jack?” She asked and Buddy had to reach out on both sides of himself to his friends and hold his friends in their seats to keep her from getting too close but she still pressed herself up to his back and Buddy sat as straight as he could to get away from her.

“Miss, could you please give me some personal space?” Buddy requested, trying to remain polite.

“Oh, sorry, otherwise your bodyguard over here will body slam me huh?” She said as she backed up just a smidge.

“No but you are still encroaching on Mr. Pine’s personal space, please back away Ma’am.” Veronica urged her as she moved her back even more.

“Ma’am is so formal, I’m Cindy! Oh is this seat open?” She offered her hand for Veronica to shake before Cindy got the last available seat.

“Oh my goodness so much energy at this table, it’s so magnetically charged. You Sir- I’ve never seen a truer neutral energy. You let good things come to you, work for what you truly want and let go what doesn’t work yet you find contentment easy, it’s why you’re so happy and the biggest reason for that is the lovely lady next to you. Is this your wife? She’s stunning. You compliment her so well. You know I can tell she has a razor sharp wit and just a sharp personality, you two, you two got it right, you’re gonna live happily ever after.” She appraised as she sat at the table and waived her hands gesturing to them as Xavier and Ziva smiled happily at each other.

“Cindy was it?” Ziva returned, trying to peg which Super she was because even if the accent was fake, Ziva felt like she knew her and Ziva simply closed her eyes before she saw three shadow figures behind Cindy and that’s when Ziva figured out ‘Cindy’ was Fates. Fates was also a neutral Super but completely independent and only popped up at seemingly random times before she disappeared again.

“Yes, Cindy is short for Cinderella, cause my mother is a big fan of Disney.” Cindy began.

“And what brings you to Vegas Cindy?” Ziva questioned.

“I’m here to see the Amazing Jonathan, he’s doing a special show this weekend.” Cindy answered.

“So are you like a psychic?” Phillip huffed a laugh.

“I am!” She confirmed as Violet just grinned more smugly as Ziva could only do the same.

“Now I can tell that there are three poles at this table, you sir, are the neutral, you sir are the positive one.” Cindy insisted as she gestured from Xavier to Buddy.

“Really?” Buddy asked. Not feeling that way at all.

“But you sir. Uh, so much dark negative energy, because you miss- you have slightly positive but still pretty neutral energy which means you’ll only compliment whoever you’re with, but not him, he is just sucking every scrap of positivity in your life. Is this your girlfriend? Not a wife, I’m not getting wife vibes. I sense so much unhappiness here. You guys are unevenly matched. It’s never gonna work. Honey, cut your losses, maybe get with Mr. Positivity over here, I get a feeling you’d fare better. In fact yes, my spirit guide Mama Momo, she’s telling me that you two have less than five years left in your relationship.” She insisted as she gestured between Phillip and Violet as Violet simply blinked in surprise but bit her lips to keep her smile from cracking her face in half and to keep herself from laughing in utter delight.

“I’m not his girlfriend, I’m his assistant.” Violet answered.

“Oh, thank God, because a romantic relationship between you is doomed. And you sir, the best advice I can give you is you better be changing your energy to more positive energy because once she’s gone, you’re going to have a hard time replacing her. You have been blessed to have her in your life. It took a lot of searching for you to find her and it’s taken so much to keep her but the more you try to lock her in and keep her with you, the more you lose her and drive her away. She is an emerald, a priceless gem with no compare. But you know the thing about emeralds? You drop a diamond, it bounces, but if you drop an emerald, they shatter, they’re more precious and rarer than diamonds, and they look so strong but they’re surprisingly so delicate and fragile and you are asking too much from her. When I look at you Ma’am, all I see is an emerald in a setting that’s too small and too tight. Not the setting for you Doll.” Cindy appraised.

“Hmm, interesting. So you said he was positive? What do you see when you look at him?” Violet asked as she nodded over to Buddy who looked a little alarmed at the prospect.

“Oh, Mister Positivity. He’s like one of those big strong giant trees, like a cedar or pine, he’s grown despite very difficult circumstances and he has turned so much beauty and wonder from his own pain, he’s growing in the mouth of a now dormant volcano, but it won’t erupt ever again, he’ll be safe, he’s hardy and has been pushed and battered by the weather and survived forest fires in the past and after every trial, the world sees him growing stronger because of the trial and learning to bend instead of breaking. And his roots are deep. He’s very nurturing, he’s creative and loves to see the things around him grow and why everything he seems to touch thrives and turns out so well. That’s why his friends find so much refuge with him. look at them, flocking to his sides and supporting him through thick and thin because they find shade and relief near him and sustenance and the birds of paradise find their roosts in his boughs. He’s not the prettiest tree in the forest but he’s the pillar of it, one of the original trailblazers. But I get the sense that something is trying to plant a fence around you to keep you from growing too big while you’ve been dormant for a few seasons. Which is ok, every tree has a dormant season and yours was just longer than you were used to, it scared you and pushed you to extremes, maybe a bad decision or two. But now that you’ve come out of your dormant stage and you’re growing again, you’ll break free of the fence faster than you think you will and you’ll consume the fence and turn it into something beautiful. Miss Emerald, you’d be better off with the tree than the sponge next to you.” She appraised.

“Too bad I’ve signed a noncompete then.” Violet answered with a knowing grin and a playful snap of her fingers in mock disappointment.

“I’m sorry I’m a what?” Phillip asked Cindy.

“You’re a sponge, you know, like one of those ones you use to scrub your dishes. You’re a nice sponge but your rough side is rougher than the gravel of my driveway, but all you do is consume, it’s never enough for you. You don’t know how to give back or give as good as you get. All you do is consume resources and destroy anything you deem a mess. You’re useful. But you lack substance and you can’t hold the resources you acquire for nothing, like an oversaturated sponge, you poke it and it gushes before it soaks it up again. That’s why you keep consuming all you can. Even now, you can’t be happy for anyone else’s success but your own.” She answered before she went around the table appraising everyone else which was entertaining in itself as they continued to play black jack and the more Phillip played, the more he lost while Buddy and Violet kept winning, Xavier and Ziva simply sat and played a few rounds but were content being observers often trading off and once Phillip was out of chips, he just sat and sulked, and despite Violet’s own winning streak, she knew much more of this and Phillip was going to be a nightmare for the rest of the weekend.

“Ok, we better call it a night. Good night guys, see you tomorrow at the expo again.” Violet offered as she took her winnings and left the table with Phillip, getting her chips in higher values so she wouldn’t have to carry heaping handfuls of chips.

“Yeah, I’m gonna call it a night too.” Buddy insisted as he took his own winnings as well, he was then escorted to turn them in as Xavier and Ziva invited Cindy to do a proper reading on them in a more private setting.

“Would you like for me to call Miss Patrice for you this evening?” Violet offered to Phillip, hoping that would at least soothe his bruised ego if he got to play with some strings instead.

“Yes.” Phillip answered sullenly.

“Ok, do you want me to call Miss Julie too?” Violet offered.

“Yes.” Phillip answered, his tone of voice getting less and less sullen and more agreeable.

“Ok, let me turn these in real quick.” She offered before she stepped and turned in all her chips and got a thick wad of t100 dollar bills and put them into her purse before she noticed Buddy and his friends were all behind her, about to do the same, giving Buddy one last appreciative glance and adoring smile over her shoulder before escorting Phillip back to his room.

“Phillip Dear, stop thinking about what the psychic said, there is nothing about you that has ever been “spongy”.” Violet soothed.

“But she wasn’t wrong about you, you are a precious gem and you’re more fragile than you like to admit.” Phillip countered.

“She could have said that about any woman and been right. What woman doesn’t like to think of herself as a precious gem? Beautiful, valuable but delicate. And if she was really a psychic, she would have seen the fiery jet turbine and all the shrapnel that’s still embedded in Mr. Pine’s body when she was “reading” him.” Violet countered but could tell Phillip wasn’t convinced.

“She was playing to Mr. Pine’s ego, trying to get a private reading, which you heard her when she talked to Xavier and Ziva, a private reading with her was a grand, she was working us and everyone else at that table. She gave you bad reading so you’d get a paid one where she would change her tune. She had to paint someone as the low bar. And to paint Mr. Pine as the high bar- where everyone else could strive to reach it was one hell of a ply. What man doesn’t like to hear that he’s a great big tree with deep roots that all his friends like to flock to, that’s weathered storms and forest fires but he’s still standing tall and proud? Besides she was just a half drunk woman in a casino. Don’t let her words live in your head rent free. That space is too precious and valuable to let trash like her stay there.” Violet urged, feeling guilty for contradicting her friend’s words but she needed to keep her head and her job at the moment but she took Cindy’s words to heart while hoping that would snap Phillp out of this ‘petulant toddler’ phase he was in today and that finally seemed to work as Phillip seemed to be more resolved before Violet made that phone call to Miss Julie and Miss Patrice for the evening for Phillip.

However, when they made it up to the room, four ladies of the evening were waiting for them. Two of them, were obviously hardcore dominatrix queens who were draped in special cords for macramé and who were waiting outside Phillip’s room while the other two were dressed up as Supers, Violet stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the cheap- imitation of herself in her old red and black knock off version of her supersuit and she knew a Mirage knock off when she saw it and they were standing outside Buddy’s room before Phillip hooked his arm behind Violet’s back and brought her forward to their room with the smuggest smirk on his face.

“Let me get changed before you ladies get to work.” Violet offered to Patrice and Julie as she quickly got in the room and got changed into street clothes so she could go where she pleased for the evening and just as she was leaving Buddy was arriving before he himself stopped in his tracks as he stared in horrified shock.

“Miss Andrews, please tell me none of those women are for me because I distinctly remember not wanting any “company” for the late evening.” Buddy tried to say to Veronica as he turned to her as Violet paused as she put on her jacket on in her own doorway before she came over to Buddy.

“Is there a problem Miss Andrews?”

“Yeah, uh, none of those girls are for me.” Buddy insisted as he was sure his cheeks were going to be permanently red.

“And I made no such arrangements for them either, are they a threat?” Veronica asked.

“Wait here.” Violet offered before she walked up to the “Supers” but gave Phillip’s direction a glare since he had already gone into the room.

“Hi, Miss Patrice, Miss Juile, Mr. Sebastian will see you now.” She invited as she nodded over to the door before they walked into it, dragging their heavy bags on wheels where they kept the best toys and shut it behind them.

“So, what are your names ladies?” Violet asked the “Supers”. “I’m Invisigirl. And this is Mirage and we’re here to see Mr. Pine.” The first girl said as Violet had never seen a worse- black hair wig in her life.

“Ok, who called and arranged for you to come? Did you get a down payment? What was the credit card used?” Violet asked before the girls got their phones out and gave her the details and Violet did her best to keep her cool and if Phillip wasn’t about to get tied up and whipped, she would be doing so herself.

“Well it seems there is a bit of a mix-up ladies. You see, Mr. Pine has not ordered or authorized your visit and you have not been vetted because Mr. Pine is the kind of client that needs to have an extensive vetting process for everyone around him. Including anyone spending any private time with him. And what’s more is Mr. Pine was not expecting or anticipating your visit and is not willing or accepting of it either, which no offense to you, this was a prank by who requested your presence here tonight. So, there are two options for you. One is, you simply accept the down payment and go to your next client. Or the man who did make the arrangements can enjoy his gift himself and you can receive the other half of your payment for any and all services rendered to him instead.” Violet offered as the girls looked at each other and shrugged.

“Two?” They decided.

“Then right this way.” Violet said as she then opened her room and led the way.

“Oh Phillip Darling.” Violet called out in a sickeningly sweet tone just as Miss Patrice and Miss Julie were already tying up Phillip who was already naked and ready.

“Mr. Pine is politely refusing your gift. So, instead of letting such a gift go to waste- it’s being returned to you. Ladies- Meet Phillip. Here’s the second half of your payment. You ladies have fun and maybe if Miss Julie and Miss Patrice are feeling generous, they’ll teach you a thing about macramé.” Violet offered.

‘Whip him hard ’ Violet mouthed to Julie and Patrice with a look as she also slipped them a few bills of her winnings as they started giggling as they finished slipping the blindfold over Phillip’s eyes.

“You ladies have fun, I’ll be back in an hour and a half.” Violet cooed before she turned and left the room, her shoes hitting the floor extra hard just in time to see Veronica getting Buddy secured for the night.

“Is Mr. Pine in bed yet?” Violet asked.

“Shouldn’t be. Ms. Parr, I had nothing to do with that, should I be looking into it?” Veronica insisted.

“I know. And no need, Phillip did it. He’s testing out weaknesses, as usual. You and your team were fine. I would like a word with Mr. Pine though.” Violet requested before Veronica opened Buddy’s door for her.

“Hey,” Violet greeted, seeing Buddy simply in his room, putting his winnings away into the room’s safe.

“Hey, listen I didn’t…” Buddy began.

“I know Buddy, I know. It’s ok. The way you handled that particular situation was perfect and that was Phillip’s stunt and there was no breach between yourself and your own security. If you are ever faced with a situation that isn’t right you turn to your handler and your security team. So bravo.” Violet reassured him as Buddy blew out a breath of relief.

“You wouldn’t by any chance be tired or sleepy right now would you?” Violet asked.

“Not...particularly, I’m usually a night owl.” Buddy admitted.

“Would you want to go on a walk with me?” Violet asked hopefully.

“Is that allowed? Would Miss Andrews be ok with that?” Buddy asked as he paused.

“Yeah, all that needs to happen is for me to take temporary ownership of a different client while she takes ownership of mine for a while so I don't literally strangle him with macramé cords.” Violet answered through a gritted smile and a laugh that conveyed she was being serious.

“Yeah, let’s do it then.” Buddy insisted.

“Miss Andrews, I’m requesting a trade in assets so I don't endanger my own, just for the next two hours. Because they’re going to be an hour and a half and then if you could call housekeeping to change the linens and other things in the room when they're done, I would be much obliged.” Violet formally requested.

“You got it.” Veronica agreed.

“Oh and you’re going to hear a lot of noises, surely you can discern between BDSM noises and actual distress right?” Violet asked Veronica while Buddy did his best not to react too strongly to that and keep his snickering to a minimum.

“Of course.” Veronica nodded.

“Mr. Pine.” Violet invited as she took his arm but waived off the rest of the security.

“Get some sleep and some rest guys. We’ll be ok, I need the space from Mr. 2 Year Old right now.” Violet urged them before they nodded and stayed put and just as they got to the lobby, they saw the paparazzi hanging out which gave them both pause.

“Uh, isn’t there a hotel bar on the roof?” Buddy suggested.

“There is.” Violet realized before they went up to the roof and got a table in the farthest corner away from as many people as they could get.

“So, what was that down there?” Buddy asked.

“A dirty trick.” Violet answered honestly.

“Pisses me off every time he pulls stunts like that. He was trying to see if one- you would disobey the protocol of having an unvetted person by your side. Your friends were ok because you previously knew them for a long time and trusted them and they posed no threat to you personally. Two- he was testing whether or not you still had feelings or leanings for either Mirage or if you had developed anything for myself which was an especially low blow, even for him. Third, he was out to just plain embarrass you because he has no shame. Fourth, he was giving you a catch 22 because on one hand, he “gifted” those girls and their services. So if you take the gift- he can prove you have “weaknesses” which he himself is guilty of, or if you refused- you’re being rude for not accepting a gift. And all I can do is say- I’m sorry. I’m sorry my boss has the maturity of a 2 year old and if I was not contractually obligated to him- I would have quit tonight and probably asked you for a job if my heart wasn’t so set on retirement and the noncompete wasn’t as long or as extensive as it is. Or better yet, I would have taken the largest horse cock dildo Julie always brings and shoved it up his ass without lube.” Violet spat with a snarl of her own as Buddy eagerly listened to her rant.

“Yeah but then you run the risk of the fucker enjoying it.” Buddy ventured which got Violet to crack a grin as he mirrored her as he was so pleased and relieved that Mr. Greek God had flaws that Violet hated. It gave him hope.

“Although if you would have quit and asked for job, I would have given you one, fuck that noncompete. Honestly I would give you anything you ask for. Problem is I’m kind of under house arrest, only my house is in an office building in the business sector and I’m not allowed out much.” Buddy appraised.

“You have another island compound that’s self sustainable, I could go there and just wait.” Violet shrugged.

“You are more than welcome to and you have my open invitation to do just that. But it’s still under construction. And not quite as big or as nice as the last one. And three years is an awfully long time to wait, especially for me. I’ll be honest, I’m not worth it.” Buddy admitted.

“Don’t sell yourself that short.” Violet returned with a playful grin as their drinks were brought to them as they pulled away to accept the drinks but soon had gravitated back together.

“What would it take for you to break your contract with him?” Buddy asked curiously before Violet held up three fingers while she took a good long pull from her very strong drink.

“Pregnancy which is neigh impossible for reasons, my death, or his death, but if I fail to protect him from his untimely death within the parameters of the contract, then I don’t get my final payment but if I die in the line of duty, my family gets the final payment, no strings attached.” Violet answered.

“What’s your final payment? Or am I not allowed to even ask that?” Buddy asked as Violet debated whether or not to tell him before she went with her gut and gestured for him to get closer before they each leaned as far over as they could and thankfully because of the small table, they were practically nose to nose before Violet went to his ear and whispered it into his ear.

“A hundred million.” Violet breathed as Buddy guffawed like he had gotten sucker punched in the gut.

“Ok, now I gotta know, what’s the noncompete?” Buddy asked as they both leaned their elbows up on the table and held their chins in their hands, only a few mere inches between them and well within kissing distance.

“The noncompete is I can not be what I am for Phillip for anyone else, I can’t be a handler, an assistant, or part of a security detail for anyone in the same fields Phillip is in- which those are almost too numerous to number- for the next ten years.” Violet revealed, still keeping up their closeness and dropping her voice to a low murmur so that only Buddy could hear her.

“But you could be an advisor, or CEO or something like that.” Buddy tried to point out.

“Yeah... I’ll be perfectly honest with you Bud- after this job, the only way you’ll get me in an office is a bank- to cash a check. I never want to wear heels or pencil skirts and business jackets again unless I absolutely want to." Violet answered.

"Why do I get the feeling you're more of a barefoot, toes in the sand kind of person?" Buddy felt compelled to say.

"I don't know why your feeling is absolutely right." Violet confirmed with a bright smile before she giggled as Buddy laughed at the way she worded that.

"Oh my GAWD It's like you're psychic." Violet teased in her best Long Island accent and laughed so hard when Buddy let his head fall off his chin as he slumped onto the table with a whining, whimpering groan as Violet reached out and held his hand with hers which got him to sit up and once again mirror her body language and was happy when she didn't take her hand away, instead she started to trace the scars on his hand and Buddy simply let her do as she pleased because at this point any touch was welcome, if not sorely wanted.

"I tried so hard not to laugh when she read Phillip as a wet sponge. I mean she was absolutely right and on point for all of it but jeeze. That was brutal." Buddy admitted.

"Oh I know right? God, do you have any idea how much I had to coddle him after that? She was a little too good and he pouts more than any toddler I know." Violet admitted with a scoff.

“But she did read you well, and me, and everyone else at the table. And she is very good at what she does. Almost like she is totally a real psychic.” Violet said, even though her tone was light and teasing, she was still being serious.

“So what are your plans for when your contract is up? Or can you not tell me or would you prefer not to answer at this time?” Violet asked, remembering that his watch still had a listening device and grateful he wasn’t wearing the pin at the moment because Veronica had taken it off back in the room and never put it back on as she gave the watch itself a meaningful glance.

“No it’s ok, honestly, just...business as usual. But definitely without any criminal elements or activity.” Buddy answered which got Violet to smile happily.

“Good, get on the straight and narrow and never get off of it.” Violet admonished.

“Will do.” Buddy confirmed as they took a moment to finish their drinks and order another one.

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Violet prodded.

“Ask away.” Buddy invited as he felt the alcohol completely relax himself and loosen his lips, he was liable to tell her anything and everything.

“Do you think that you’ll ever be able to move on romantically or was Natalia it for you or have you already moved on?” Violet asked in a low murmur.

“Well, until Xavier asked about her, I hadn’t thought about her in a while.” Buddy said before he figured now was a good moment in time to “slip” as he held up his hands to air quote and gave Violet a meaningful look and mouthed ‘for Phillip’ Buddy pointed to the watch.

“Although it’s eerie how similar you are to her and you remind me of her a lot. It’s like you are to Phillip, what she was to me.” Buddy said as Violet could only mouth 'thank you' to him.

“Where there’s a lot of truth in that actually and it’s because of your relationship with Natalia that inspired Xavier to get with Ziva because Ziva has special “gifts” similar to the gifts and talents that Natalia had and they ended up working out and clicking and having off the charts chemistry and fell in love or so she’s told me. And then Phillip wanted his own “gifted and talented” person by his side. Preferably female, preferably the best The Agency had to offer.” Violet revealed as she pulled his hands down and gave him a meaningful look to indicate she was being completely serious.

“The only problem was Phillip went through every other agent that The Agency had available and none of them could stand the gilded cage and quit in rapid succession and every time they tried to find a replacement, they just kept upping the price, trying to make the gilded cage more and more appealing. And the thing was is I had already walked away from The Agency at the time and I had gone into the wind and off the grid, like I only talked to my family through burn phones, because I was healing…” Violet began before emotion choked her voice.

“I was healing from all the horrible things I suffered previously and it was the only way I knew how to survive to keep myself from going supervillain myself. And it gave me perspective and it forced me to be a human being rather than just a Super.” Violet confessed in a very low, small voice that Buddy had to listen up for but it broke his heart all the same.

“And then Phillip gave The Agency an ultimatum, if he couldn’t have his own "Natalia" or “Ziva” rather, he wasn’t going to give them tech or do any business with them and he’d be looking for his own, on his own for a Super who wasn’t with The Agency and they couldn’t chance a villain getting to him and him ‘turning to the dark side’. And that’s when they searched high and low for me, they spent over a million dollars just to find me because I was the last resort and I was the last basket to put all the eggs in. And by that point I had healed just enough to be more or less- kinda, sorta, stable. But I had only healed to the ‘numb’ stage and the ‘I don’t give a fuck anymore’ stage and they both made me offers I couldn’t refuse. The Agency put up 25 million up front, as a "sign on bonus" and this first year I’ve collected an additional ten million, next year- I’ll collect 20 million, and the last year I’ll collect thirty million, just from The Agency, which they are a trillion dollar company, so it’s not like they didn’t have the money and my final payment with them once this contract is fulfilled is 75 million. And then Phillip, matched it and then some. Phillip gave me 50 million to sign on because I was “the best of the best of the best” which The Agency assured and insured that I was and of course he’s matching the increased pay gradient and then of course I got put into bodyguard boot camp for three months in addition to 'how to be an executive assistant and leadership’ courses. And that’s when Mirage got called and pulled back in and she and Ziva themselves trained me in this job. Which was difficult for Ziva because she was pregnant with her son at the time and Mirage had just had Luca. So that’s why I probably remind you of her, because I’m her protégé. I have been her protégé from the age of 16 till now. The last time we talked was a just a week ago when you became an asset and she had some really incredible insights on you, of course her information was a decade old but so far she’s been right on most of it.” Violet revealed.

“That...that explains everything.” Buddy had to realize. “So what has she been wrong about?” Buddy asked curiously.

“Your ego. It’s not nearly as massive and all encompassing as it was a decade ago. And instead of trying to make the world fit you and your vision, you’re the one doing what you can to accept and work with your current circumstances and your willingness to work with everyone else, and be a team player, especially with the medical personnel who actually really like you and I heard a rumor that once you’re done with SEB, if you’re going to stay in medicine, they’ll be sending you resumes because they haven't signed noncompetes. You’re also way less entitled than she said you were. Also the video that got me to see you for you, and to realize that things have changed, I had her watch it when we last spoke. She cried. Like she was sobbing. She was and is so proud of you for all the personal growth you’ve done and she made me promise to help you as much as I could. And I’ve been happy to do just that and then once she watched it, she had all kinds of insights and ideas. Like this outing- going to Vegas and seeing your friends, this was her idea and because it was her idea and because she vouched for you and me to Phillip that Phillip was ok with it. And it’s this aspect of my job that I, surprisingly, enjoy the most. Because with Phillip, I’m clearly babysitting. But with you, I’m just hanging out with a friend and it’s easy and such a welcome break because I feel like...I feel like I can just be Violet with you and I don’t constantly have to be Ms. Parr. If you catch my drift. And that’s only because you’re always just you. Both Natalia and Ziva showed me the importance of being a good mirror. So since you’re just you and you’re being genuine and honest and sincere with me. It’s easy and practically effortless for me to be the same. You’re my favorite part of the job and I’m really going to miss you when it’s all over. And it’s because of that that I am dreading so much the possibility of you breaking your own contract and trying to fly the coop earlier than you should because I don’t want to destroy one of the very few very good things in my life.” Violet professed as she wiped a stray tear from her eyes despite her faltering smile and Buddy both wanted to cry and hug her and kiss her and promise and swear his undying love and loyalty to her and only her for the rest of his life but he couldn't quite get the words past his own mouth.

“I don’t want you to destroy me either. And you are the single, greatest most amazing thing in my life too, at the moment, and you make all of this bearable and worth it. And it will be because of you and only you that I promise that I’ll never try to break free either. At least until your contract is up. Because that’s what friends should do. Help each other.” Buddy offered, damning his own cowardice for not confessing to more which got Violet to smile appreciatively.

“Deal.” Violet offered before she got a call on her phone.

“Yeah?” She answered.

“We have a problem.” Veronica offered.

“Oh for fuck’s sake what did Phillip do now?” Violet groaned in a whimpering whine.

“Cocaine.” Veronica answered in all seriousness before Violet’s eyes snapped wide open.

“Fuck, I’ll be right there.” Violet said.

“Ok, I’m extending the tether by a thousand feet, that should be more than enough to get you back to your room, settle us up, I’ll pay you back for mine, I gotta go, Phillip’s high as a kite.” Violet quickly offered as she hopped off her high bar stool and left as Violet started jogging down to the elevator.

“Ok, what am I walking into?” Violet asked into the phone.

“He did about two and a half lines of coke off of Invisigirl’s ass.” Veronica answered.

“And?” Violet pressed.

“He thinks he can fly and was trying to leap off the balcony, but Julie and Patrice have him tied to the bed and currently the guards are restraining Mirage and Invisigirl to keep them from untying him because for some reason it’s like they’re brainwashed.” Veronica said.

“Ok, I’m in the elevator, Mr. Pine and myself were thankfully only at the hotel bar on the roof just getting a drink, so at least I didn’t go too far and he’s up there settling us up so I can come down and I extended the tether so he can come later. Fuck. I can’t leave Phillip alone for five minutes. We weren’t gone but what...27 minutes. Not even half an hour. I knew I should have gone through those protocols with them before I left. God fucking damnit!” Violet cursed herself angrily.

“Veronica, this isn’t on you, this on me, this was my lapse in judgement. I knew it was gonna bite me in the ass. At least we have the situation under control and stable right?” Violet furthered.

“We do, for now.” Veronica assured her.

“Good, I’ll get there as soon as the elevator gets me there.” Violet urged before she hung up.

Violet got to the floor and booked it to the room and quickly threw her stuff in a chair as she came over to Phillip who was writhing and trying to hump the air.

“What happened?” Violet put to Patrice.

“Invisigirl brought the MDMA, Mirage brought the coke- He did both in the bathroom when they were “cleaning up” for the second act, he took the MDMA first before we could stop him and when we heard them shushing each other, we knew something was up and we walked in on him snorting coke off Invisigirl’s ass, they had five lines, he did the first two lines and was halfway through the third. That’s when we got the others. I’m so sorry Ms. Parr, I thought they were…” Patrice tried to explain apologetically

“No, I didn’t clear them, I should have, I was too pissed at him and wanted him to suffer more than the usual, so this is on me. Thank you guys for interfering. You did the right thing. Veronica, please tell me you have Narcan.” Violet urged.

“It’s already administered.” Veronica offered.

“Thank God,” Violet murmured.

“Hey, Mirage- what happened?” Violet asked as she came over to her to try to get her side.

“We were just having a good time but Philly needs to fly, we have to untangle him, he needs to fly free!” The girl professed as she continued to struggle against the holds that Phillip’s other body guards had on her and Violet could only look sadly at her because MDMA and cocaine both intensified Phillip's powers and he was using his powers on them to get them to do what he wanted, the weaker the mind, the stronger the effect.

“Invisigirl? What happened.” Violet asked, hoping her mind was stronger.

“Philly paid for Mr. Pine to have the Hollywood treatment and if Mr. Pine didn’t want it, do it once he passed out. But since we couldn’t do it for Mr. Pine, Philly said he’d take it himself.” She answered and if Violet had been pissed before, she was livid now as her eyes once again burned a luminescent ultraviolet.

“How long ago did Philly order this?” Violet pressed.

“This morning.” Invisigirl answered before she noticed Violet’s eyes.

“Woah, are you a Super?” Invisigirl asked before Violet got up and stomped over to a bag she had in the closet.

“I need to secure the Supers in the chairs.” Violet ordered as she got the machine out of her bag and got it set up as the girls tried to fight the bodyguards who forced them into the chairs as Patrice and Julie helped tie them in the chairs before Violet used her device and erased the last 24 hours of their memories and knocked them out.

“Veronica, go down to the front desk, get a room for these two to stay the night in.” Violet urged before the now passed out girls were untied and put on the bed with Phillip who was starting to come down from his high.

“What about us?” Patrice asked as she gestured to Julie and herself as Violet got to her purse and pulled out a few more thousand dollars and handed it to each of them.

“As always, this never happened. Thank you so much for doing everything you did tonight and making sure this didn’t blow up in my face anymore than it did. I owe you ladies. Thank you so much for your services, they’re appreciated.” Violet thanked them before giving them each a hug.

“No problem, anything for you and Mr. Sebastian.” They mirrored as they finished getting redressed and packed their things up and left before Violet went over to Phillip who had finally fallen asleep before she went through untying him. Grateful she knew all these different knots and how to untie them before Veronica came back and was directing the body guards to pick up the other two girls and take them and their things to another room in the hotel just as Buddy was getting back and got to see the two girls being carried out as Phillip was moved to the couch just as housekeeping was coming to the clean and scrub the room of all the evidence as Violet put her device back and gathering the chord they used to tie them all up and threw it away with gloves as she paused when she saw Buddy looking into the room curiously as she came over to him.

“What happened in here?” Buddy murmured quietly.

“Both nothing yet, way too much, I’ll tell you when we get back to SEB, get to bed before anyone sees you snooping.” Violet urged him and once housekeeping was done, she uncloaked her super suit from under her clothes and pulled off a special device that looked like a small spider and put it on Phillip’s chest and pressed to turn it on.

“Scrub Phillip.” She ordered before it seemed to multiply as the nano technology began to clean Phillip from any contamination on the molecular level other than his own biome which had already been programed into it as they all roamed his body as Violet just shook her head as she got ready for bed herself and once it had finished, it chirped at her as it reorganized itself into it’s previous spider shape as she came and got it and put it back into her suit before Phillip’s body guards picked Phillip up and put him into bed before Violet tucked him in and bid everyone a good night before she put another special sensor on Phillip to make sure he didn’t die in the night before she retreated to the second bedroom in the room and went to bed.

Violet found herself on a beach, in a cabana, it felt Mediterranean to her before Buddy came into the cabana wearing just a pair of swim trunks carrying two drinks and passed one to her.

“Aw, thank you Mr. Pine.” Violet found herself saying as she eagerly took it from him.

“You’re welcome Mrs. Pine.” Buddy grinned before he kissed her sweetly and then settled in next to her on the daybed on the other side.

“What I miss?” Buddy asked.

“Nothing much, did you see the news?” Violet asked as she showed him her phone before Buddy whistled lowly.

“Yikes, wouldn’t want to be that guy.” Buddy appraised before he handed it back to her as Violet refocused on her phone to see a picture of Phillip and some blonde girl. It was a paparazzi picture of the two of them trying to get to their sports car as it was reported about a scandal and possible rumors of a divorce.

“Just think Honey, that could have been you.” Buddy teased her.

“Could have. Grateful it isn’t. Much happier right where I am and who I’m with.” Violet cooed as she cuddled into his side, happy to use his arm as her pillow before Buddy used the condensation from his drink to boop her nose, getting the tip of her nose wet which got them to giggle as Violet wiped it off on his chest before they settled back in as Buddy simply stroked her arm with his fingertips, savoring the silky softness of her bare skin as they simply laid there and relaxed.

Then the dream morphed and they were in bed and wrapped up in blankets and each other.

“Easy, easy, sunburn babe.” Buddy reminded her.

“Sorry.” Violet answered as she let up from clawing his back with her fingertips as he was already seated as far into her as he could get before he started up again and while Violet had had sex more times than she could count, this sex felt so much more sacred because it was heartfelt and created out of love instead of lust or boredom or anything like that. Just two in love people making love. And that’s all either of them could ask for.

#Why So Jaded?#Why So Jaded Chapter 6 #Synlet #Buddy Pine #Bartholomew Pine #Violet Parr #Modern AU #Corporate espionage AU #Look I am a sucker for cliche's ok?#Prophetic dreams being a big one.#Pry it from my cold dead hands

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perfectlyandrogynousbouquetworld · 4 years

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Gilbert & Anne in Anne of green gables’ book

« That's Gilbert Blythe sitting right across the aisle from you, Anne. Just look at him and see if you don't think he's handsome." Anne looked accordingly. She had a good chance to do so, for the said Gilbert Blythe was absorbed in stealthily pinning the long yellow braid of Ruby Gillis, who sat in front of him, to the back of her seat. He was a tall boy, with curly brown hair, roguish hazel eyes, and a mouth twisted into a teasing smile. Presently Ruby Gillis started up to take a sum to the master; she fell back into her seat with a little shriek, believing that her hair was pulled out by the roots. Everybody looked at her and Mr. Phillips glared so sternly that Ruby began to cry. Gilbert had whisked the pin out of sight and was studying his history with the soberest face in the world; but when the commotion subsided he looked at Anne and winked with inexpressible drollery. "I think your Gilbert Blythe IS handsome," confided Anne to Diana, "but I think he's very bold. It isn't good manners to wink at a strange girl." But it was not until the afternoon that« things really began to happen. Mr. Phillips was back in the corner explaining a problem in algebra to Prissy Andrews and the rest of the scholars were doing pretty much as they pleased eating green apples, whispering, drawing pictures on their slates, and driving crickets harnessed to strings, up and down aisle. Gilbert Blythe was trying to make Anne Shirley look at him and failing utterly, because Anne was at that moment totally oblivious not only to the very existence of Gilbert Blythe, but of every other scholar in Avonlea school itself. With her chin propped on her hands and her eyes fixed on the blue glimpse of the Lake of Shining Waters that the west window afforded, she was far away in a gorgeous dreamland hearing and seeing nothing save her own wonderful visions. » « Gilbert Blythe wasn't used to putting himself out to make a girl look at him and meeting with failure. She SHOULD look at him, that red-haired Shirley girl with the little pointed chin and the big eyes that weren't like the eyes of any other girl in Avonlea school. Gilbert reached across the aisle, picked up the end of Anne's long red braid, held it out at arm's length and said in a piercing whisper: "Carrots! Carrots!" Then Anne looked at him with a vengeance! She did more than look. She sprang to her feet, her bright fancies fallen into cureless ruin. She flashed one indignant glance at Gilbert from eyes whose angry sparkle was swiftly quenched in equally angry tears. "You mean, hateful boy!" she exclaimed passionately. "How dare you!" And then--thwack! Anne had brought her slate down on Gilbert's head and cracked it--slate not head--clear across. Avonlea school always enjoyed a scene. This was an especially enjoyable one. Everybody said "Oh" in horrified delight. Diana gasped. Ruby Gillis, who was inclined to be hysterical, began to cry. Tommy Sloane let his team of crickets escape him altogether while he stared open-mouthed at« tableau. Mr. Phillips stalked down the aisle and laid his hand heavily on Anne's shoulder. "Anne Shirley, what does this mean?" he said angrily. Anne returned no answer. It was asking too much of flesh and blood to expect her to tell before the whole school that she had been called "carrots." Gilbert it was who spoke up stoutly. "It was my fault Mr. Phillips. I teased her." Mr. Phillips paid no heed to Gilbert. "I am sorry to see a pupil of mine displaying such a temper and such a vindictive spirit," he said in a solemn tone, as if the mere fact of being a pupil » « When school was dismissed Anne marched out with her red head held high. Gilbert Blythe tried to intercept her at the porch door. "I'm awfully sorry I made fun of your hair, Anne," he whispered contritely. "Honest I am. Don't be mad for keeps, now" Anne swept by disdainfully, without look or sign of hearing. "Oh how could you, Anne?" breathed Diana as they went down the road half reproachfully, half admiringly. Diana felt that SHE could never have resisted Gilbert's plea. "I shall never forgive Gilbert Blythe," said Anne firmly. » « Mr. Phillips's brief reforming energy was over; he didn't want the bother of punishing a dozen pupils; but it was necessary to do something to save his word, so he looked about for a scapegoat and found it in Anne, who had dropped into her seat, gasping for breath, with a forgotten lily wreath hanging askew over one ear and giving her a particularly rakish and disheveled appearance. "Anne Shirley, since you seem to be so fond of the boys' company we shall indulge your taste for it this afternoon," he said sarcastically. "Take those flowers out of your hair and sit with Gilbert Blythe." The other boys snickered. Diana, turning pale with pity, plucked the wreath from Anne's hair and squeezed her hand. Anne stared at the master as if turned to stone. "Did you hear what I said, Anne?" queried Mr. Phillips sternly. "Yes, sir," said Anne slowly "but I didn't suppose you really meant it." "I assure you I did"--still with the sarcastic inflection which all the children, and Anne especially, hated. It flicked on the raw. "Obey me at once." For a moment Anne looked as if she meant to disobey. Then, realizing that « there was no help for it, she rose haughtily, stepped across the aisle, sat down beside Gilbert Blythe, and buried her face in her arms on the desk. Ruby Gillis, who got a glimpse of it as it went down, told the others going home from school that she'd "acksually never seen anything like it--it was so white, with awful little red spots in it." To Anne, this was as the end of all things. It was bad enough to be singled out for punishment from among a dozen equally guilty ones; it was worse still to be sent to sit with a boy, but that that boy should be Gilbert Blythe was heaping insult on injury to a degree utterly unbearable. Anne felt that she could not bear it and it would be of no use to try. Her whole being seethed with shame and anger and humiliation. At first the other scholars looked and whispered and giggled and nudged. But as Anne never lifted her head and as Gilbert worked fractions as if his whole soul was absorbed in them and them only, they soon returned to their own tasks and Anne was forgotten. When Mr. Phillips called the history class out Anne should have gone, but Anne did not move, and Mr. Phillips, who had been writing some « verses "To Priscilla" before he called the class, was thinking about an obstinate rhyme still and never missed her. Once, when nobody was looking, Gilbert took from his desk a little pink candy heart with a gold motto on it, "You are sweet," and slipped it under the curve of Anne's arm. Whereupon Anne arose, took the pink heart gingerly between the tips of her fingers, dropped it on the floor, ground it to powder beneath her heel, and resumed her position without deigning to bestow a glance on Gilbert. « but when she met Gilbert Blythe on the road or encountered him in Sunday school she passed him by with an icy contempt that was no whit thawed by his evident desire to appease her. Even Diana's efforts as a peacemaker were of no avail. Anne had evidently made up her mind to hate Gilbert Blythe to the end of life. « She flung herself into her studies heart and soul, determined not to be outdone in any class by Gilbert Blythe. The rivalry between them was soon apparent; it was entirely good natured on Gilbert's side; but it is much to be feared that the same thing cannot be said of Anne, who had certainly an unpraiseworthy tenacity for holding grudges. She was as intense in her hatreds as in her loves. She would not stoop to admit that she meant to rival Gilbert in schoolwork, because that would have been to acknowledge his existence which Anne persistently ignored; but the rivalry was there and honors fluctuated between them. Now Gilbert was head of the spelling class; now Anne, with a toss of her long red braids, spelled him down. One morning Gilbert had all his sums done correctly and had his name written on the blackboard on the roll of honor; the next morning Anne, having wrestled wildly with decimals the entire evening before, would be first. One awful day they were ties and their names were written up together. It was almost as bad as a take-notice and Anne's mortification was as evident as Gilbert's satisfaction. When[…] » « When Gilbert Blythe recited "Bingen on the Rhine" Anne picked up Rhoda Murray's library book and read it until he had finished, when she sat rigidly stiff and motionless while Diana clapped her hands until they tingled. » « Then, just as she thought she really could not endure the ache in her arms and wrists another moment, Gilbert Blythe came rowing under the bridge in Harmon Andrews's dory! Gilbert glanced up and, much to his amazement, beheld a little white scornful face looking down upon him with big, frightened but also scornful gray eyes. "Anne Shirley! How on earth did you get there?" he exclaimed. Without waiting for an answer he pulled close to the pile and extended his hand. There was no help for it; Anne, clinging to Gilbert Blythe's hand, scrambled down into the dory, where she sat, drabbled and furious, in the stern with her arms full of dripping shawl and wet crepe. It was certainly extremely difficult to be dignified under the circumstances! "What has happened, Anne?" asked Gilbert, taking up his oars. "We were playing Elaine" explained Anne frigidly, without even looking at her rescuer, "and I had to drift down to Camelot in the barge--I mean the flat. The flat began to leak and I climbed out on the pile. The girls went for help. Will you be kind enough to row me to the landing?" Gilbert obligingly rowed to the landing and Anne, disdaining assistance, sprang nimbly on shore. "I'm very much obliged to you," she said haughtily as she turned away. But Gilbert had also sprung from the boat and now laid a detaining hand on her arm. "Anne," he said hurriedly, "look here. Can't we be good friends? I'm awfully sorry I made fun of your hair that time. I didn't mean to vex you and I only meant it for a joke. Besides, it's so long ago. I think your hair is awfully pretty now--honest I do. « Let's be friends." For a moment Anne hesitated. She had an odd, newly awakened consciousness under all her outraged dignity that the half-shy, half-eager expression in Gilbert's hazel eyes was something that was very good to see. Her heart gave a quick, queer little beat. But the bitterness of her old grievance promptly stiffened up her wavering determination. That scene of two years before flashed back into her recollection as vividly as if it had taken place yesterday. Gilbert had called her "carrots" and had brought about her disgrace before the whole school. Her resentment, which to other and older people might be as laughable as its cause, was in no whit allayed and softened by time seemingly. She hated Gilbert Blythe! She would never forgive him! "No," she said coldly, "I shall never be friends with you, Gilbert Blythe; and I don't want to be!" "All right!" Gilbert sprang into his skiff with an angry color in his cheeks. "I'll never ask you to be friends again, Anne Shirley. And I don't care either!" He pulled away with swift defiant strokes, and Anne went up the steep, ferny little path under the maples. She held her head very high, but she was conscious of an odd feeling of regret. She almost wished she had answered Gilbert differently. Of course, he had insulted her terribly, but still--! Altogether, Anne rather thought it would be a relief to sit down and have a good cry. She was really quite unstrung, for the reaction from her fright and cramped clinging was making itself felt. » « Previously the rivalry had been rather onesided, but there was no longer any doubt that Gilbert was as determined to be first in class as Anne was. He was a foeman worthy of her steel. The other members of the class tacitly acknowledged their superiority, and never dreamed of trying to compete with them. Since the day by the pond when she had refused to listen to his plea for forgiveness, Gilbert, save for the aforesaid determined rivalry, had evinced no recognition whatever of the existence of Anne Shirley. He talked and jested with the other girls, exchanged books and puzzles with them, discussed lessons and plans, sometimes walked home with one or the other of them from prayer meeting or Debating Club. But Anne Shirley he simply ignored, and Anne found out that it is not pleasant to be ignored. It was in vain that she told herself with a toss of her head that she did not care. Deep down in her wayward, feminine little heart she knew that she did care, and that if she had that chance of the Lake of Shining Waters again she would answer very differently. All at once, as it seemed« and to her secret dismay, she found that the old resentment she had cherished against him was gone--gone just when she most needed its sustaining power. It was in vain that she recalled every incident and emotion of that memorable occasion and tried to feel the old satisfying anger. That day by the pond had witnessed its last spasmodic flicker. Anne realized that she had forgiven and forgotten without knowing it. But it was too late. And at least neither Gilbert nor anybody else, not even Diana, should ever suspect how sorry she was and how much she wished she hadn't been so proud and horrid! She determined to "shroud her feelings in deepest oblivion," and it may be stated here and now that she did it, so successfully that Gilbert, who possibly was not quite so indifferent as he seemed, could not console himself with any« belief that Anne felt his retaliatory scorn. The only poor comfort he had was that she snubbed Charlie Sloane, unmercifully, continually, and undeservedly. » « They had met and passed each other on the street a dozen times without any sign of recognition and every time Anne had held her head a little higher and wished a little more earnestly that she had made friends with Gilbert when he asked her, and vowed a little more determinedly to surpass him in the examination. « not a word could she utter, and the next moment she would have fled from the platform despite the humiliation which, she felt, must ever after be her portion if she did so. But suddenly, as her dilated, frightened eyes gazed out over the audience, she saw Gilbert Blythe away at the back of the room, bending forward with a smile on his face--a smile which seemed to Anne at once triumphant and taunting. In reality it was nothing of the kind. Gilbert was merely smiling with appreciation of the whole affair in general and of the effect produced by Anne's slender white form and spiritual face against a background of palms in particular. Josie Pye, whom he had driven over, sat beside him, and her face certainly was both triumphant and taunting. But Anne did not see Josie, and would not have cared if she had. She drew a long breath and flung her head up proudly, courage and determination tingling over her like an electric shock. She WOULD NOT fail before Gilbert Blythe--he should never be able to laugh at her, never, never! Her fright and nervousness vanished; and she began her recitation, her clear« sweet voice reaching to the farthest corner of the room without a tremor or a break. Self-possession was fully restored to her, and in the reaction from that horrible moment of powerlessness she recited as she had never done before. When she finished there were bursts of honest applause. Anne, stepping back to her seat, blushing with shyness and delight, found her hand vigorously clasped and shaken by the stout lady in pink silk. » « I wouldn't feel comfortable without it," she thought. "Gilbert looks awfully determined. I suppose he's making up his mind, here and now, to win« the medal. What a splendid chin he has! I never noticed it before. I do wish Jane and Ruby had gone in for First Class, too. » « Gilbert Blythe nearly always walked with Ruby Gillis and carried her satchel for her. Ruby was a very handsome young lady, now thinking herself quite as grown up as she really was; she wore her skirts as long as her mother would let her and did her hair up in town, though she had to take it down when she went home. She had large, bright-blue eyes, a brilliant complexion, and a plump showy figure. She laughed a great deal, was cheerful and good-tempered, and enjoyed the pleasant things of life frankly. "But I shouldn't think she was the sort of girl Gilbert would like," whispered Jane to Anne. Anne did not think so either, but she would not have said so for the Avery scholarship. She could not help thinking, too, that it would be very pleasant to have such a friend as Gilbert to jest and chatter with and exchange ideas about books and studies and ambitions. Gilbert had ambitions, she knew, and Ruby Gillis did not seem the sort of person with whom such could be profitably discussed. There was no silly sentiment in Anne's ideas concerning Gilbert. Boys were to her, when she« when she thought about them at all, merely possible good comrades. If she and Gilbert had been friends she would not have cared how many other friends he had nor with whom he walked. She had a genius for friendship; girl friends she had in plenty; but she had a vague consciousness that masculine friendship might also be a good thing to round out one's conceptions of companionship and furnish broader standpoints of judgment and comparison. Not that Anne could have put her feelings on the matter into just such clear definition. But she thought that if Gilbert had ever walked home with her from the train, over the crisp fields and along the ferny byways, they might have had many and merry and interesting conversations about the new world that was opening around them and their hopes and« ambitions therein. Gilbert was a clever young fellow, with his own thoughts about things and a determination to get the best out of life and put the best into it. Ruby Gillis told Jane Andrews that she didn't understand half the things Gilbert Blythe said; he talked just like Anne Shirley did when she had a thoughtful fit on and for her part she didn't think it any fun to be bothering about books and that sort of thing when you didn't have to. Frank Stockley had lots more dash and go, but then he wasn't half as good-looking as Gilbert and she really couldn't decide which she liked best! » « Anne worked hard and steadily. Her rivalry with Gilbert was as intense as it had ever been in Avonlea school, although it was not known in the class at large, but somehow the bitterness had gone out of it. Anne no longer wished to win for the sake of defeating Gilbert; rather, for the proud consciousness of a well-won victory over a worthy foeman. It would be worth while to win, but she no longer thought life would be insupportable if she did not. » « Jane promised solemnly; but, as it happened, there was no necessity for such a promise. When they went up the entrance steps of Queen's they found the hall full of boys who were carrying Gilbert Blythe around on their shoulders and yelling at the tops of their voices, "Hurrah for Blythe, Medalist!" For a moment Anne felt one sickening pang of defeat and disappointment. So she had failed and Gilbert had won! Well, Matthew would be sorry--he had been so sure she would win. And then! Somebody called out: "Three cheers for Miss Shirley, winner of the Avery! » « I don't know it. I guess you're going to teach right here in Avonlea. The trustees have decided to give you the school." "Mrs. Lynde!" cried Anne, springing to her feet in her surprise. "Why, I thought they had promised it to Gilbert Blythe!" "So they did. But as soon as Gilbert heard that you had applied for it he went to them--they had a business meeting at the school last night, you know--and told them that he withdrew his application, and suggested that they accept yours. He said he was going to teach at White Sands. Of course he knew how much you wanted to stay with Marilla, and I must say I think it was real kind and thoughtful in him, that's what. Real self-sacrificing, too, for he'll have his board to pay at White Sands, and everybody knows he's got to earn his own way through college. So the trustees decided to take you. I was tickled to death when Thomas came home and told me." "I don't feel that I ought to take it," murmured Anne. "I mean--I don't think I ought to let Gilbert make such a sacrifice for--for me[…] » « I guess you can't prevent him now. He's signed papers with the White Sands trustees. So it wouldn't do him any good now if you were to refuse. Of course you'll take the school. » « The beauty of it all thrilled Anne's heart, and she gratefully opened the gates of her soul to it. "Dear old world," she murmured, "you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you." Halfway down the hill a tall lad came whistling out of a gate before the Blythe homestead. It was Gilbert, and the whistle died on his lips as he recognized Anne. He lifted his cap courteously, but he would have passed on in silence, if Anne had not stopped and held out her hand. "Gilbert," she said, with scarlet cheeks, "I want to thank you for giving up the school for me. It was very good of you--and I want you to know that I appreciate it." Gilbert took the offered hand eagerly. "It wasn't particularly good of me at all, Anne. I was pleased to be able to do you some small service. Are we going to be friends after this? Have you really forgiven me my old fault?" Anne laughed and tried unsuccessfully to withdraw her hand. "I forgave you that day by the pond landing, although I didn't know it. What a stubborn little goose I was. I’ve« been--I may as well make a complete confession--I've been sorry ever since." "We are going to be the best of friends," said Gilbert, jubilantly. "We were born to be good friends, Anne. You've thwarted destiny enough. I know we can help each other in many ways. You are going to keep up your studies, aren't you? So am I. Come, I'm going to walk home with you." Marilla looked curiously at Anne when the latter entered the kitchen. "Who was that came up the lane with you, Anne?" "Gilbert Blythe," answered Anne, vexed to find herself blushing. "I met him on Barry's hill." "I didn't think you and Gilbert Blythe were such good friends that you'd stand for half an hour at the« gate talking to him," said Marilla with a dry smile. "We haven't been--we've been good enemies. But we have decided that it will be much more sensible to be good friends in the future. Were we really there half an hour? It seemed just a few minutes. But, you see, we have five years' lost conversations to catch up with, Marilla. » « Something about the firm outlines of Anne’s lips told that Mrs. Rachel was not far astray in this estimate. Anne’s heart was bent on forming the Improvement Society. Gilbert Blythe, who was to teach in White Sands but would always be home from Friday night to Monday morning, was enthusiastic about it; and most of the other folks were willing to go in for anything that meant occasional meetings, and consequently some “fun.” As for what the “improvements” were to be, nobody had any very clear idea except Anne and Gilbert. They had talked them over and planned them out until an ideal Avonlea existed in their minds, if nowhere else. » « I could never whip a child,” said Anne with equal decision. “I don’t believe in it at all. Miss Stacy never whipped any of us and she had perfect order; and Mr. Phillips was always whipping and he had no order at all. No, if I can’t get along without whipping I shall not try to teach school. There are better ways of managing. I shall try to win my pupils’ affections and then they will want to do what I tell them.” “But suppose they don’t?” said practical Jane. “I wouldn’t whip them anyhow. I’m sure it wouldn’t do any good. Oh, don’t whip your pupils, Jane, dear, no matter what they do.” “What do you think about it, Gilbert?” demanded Jane. “Don’t you think there are some children who really need a whipping now and then?” “Don’t you think it’s a cruel, barbarous thing to whip a child…any child?” exclaimed Anne, her face flushing with earnestness. “Well,” said Gilbert slowly, torn between his real convictions and his wish to measure up to Anne’s ideal, “there’s something to be said on both sides. I don’t believe in whipping children much. I think, as you say, Anne, that there are better ways of managing as a rule, and that corporal punishment should be a last resort. But on the other hand, as Jane says, I believe there is an occasional child who can’t be influenced in any other way and who, in short, needs a whipping and would be improved by it. Corporal punishment as a last resort is to be my rule.” Gilbert, having tried to please both sides, succeeded, as is usual and eminently right, in pleasing neither. Jane tossed her head. » « Anne gave Gilbert a disappointed glance. “I shall never whip a child,” she repeated firmly. “I feel sure it isn’t either right or necessary.” “Suppose a boy sauced you back when you told him to do something?” said Jane. “I’d keep him in after school and talk kindly and firmly to him,” said Anne. “There is some good in every person if you can find it. It is a teacher’s duty to find and develop it. That is what our School Management professor at Queen’s told us, you know. Do you suppose you could find any good in a child by whipping him? It’s far more important to influence the children aright than it is even to teach them the three R’s, Professor Rennie says.” “But the Inspector examines them in the three R’s, mind you, and he won’t give you a good report if they don’t come up to his standard,” protested Jane. “I’d rather have my pupils love me and look back to me in after years as a real helper than be on the roll of honor,” asserted Anne decidedly. “Wouldn’t you punish children at all, when they misbehaved?” asked Gilbert. “Oh, yes, I suppose I« shall have to, although I know I’ll hate to do it. But you can keep them in at recess or stand them on the floor or give them lines to write.” “I suppose you won’t punish the girls by making them sit with the boys?” said Jane slyly. Gilbert and Anne looked at each other and smiled rather foolishly. Once upon a time, Anne had been made to sit with Gilbert for punishment, and sad and bitter had been the consequences thereof. “Well, time will tell which is the best way,” said Jane philosophically as they parted. » « What is the matter?” asked Gilbert, who had arrived at the open kitchen door just in time to hear the sigh. Anne colored, and thrust her writing out of sight under some school compositions. “Nothing very dreadful. I was just trying to write out some of my thoughts, as Professor Hamilton advised me, but I couldn’t get them to please me. They seem so stiff and foolish directly they’re written down on white paper with black ink. Fancies are like shadows…you can’t cage them, they’re such wayward dancing things. But perhaps I’ll learn the secret some day if I keep on trying. I haven’t a great many spare moments, you know. By the time I finish correcting school exercises and compositions, I don’t always feel like writing any of my own.” “You are getting on splendidly in school, Anne. All the children like you,” said Gilbert, sitting down on the stone step. » « Gilbert had finally made up his mind that he was going to be a doctor. “It’s a splendid profession,” he said enthusiastically. “A fellow has to fight something all through life…didn’t somebody once define man as a fighting animal?…and I want to fight disease and pain and ignorance…which are all members one of another. I want to do my share of honest, real work in the « world, Anne…add a little to the sum of human knowledge that all the good men have been accumulating since it began. The folks who lived before me have done so much for me that I want to show my gratitude by doing something for the folks who will live after me. It seems to me that is the only way a fellow can get square with his obligations to the race.” “I’d like to add some beauty to life,” said Anne dreamily. “I don’t exactly want to make people know more…though I know that is the noblest ambition…but I’d love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me…to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn’t been born.” “I think you’re fulfilling that ambition every day,” said Gilbert admiringly. And he was right. Anne was one of the children of light by birthright. After she had passed through a life with a smile or a word thrown across it like a gleam of sunshine the owner of that life saw it, for the time being at least, as hopeful and lovely and of good report. Finally« Gilbert rose regretfully. “Well, I must run up to MacPhersons’. Moody Spurgeon came home from Queen’s today for Sunday and he was to bring me out a book Professor Boyd is lending me. » « In the twilight Anne sauntered down to the Dryad’s Bubble and saw Gilbert Blythe coming down through the dusky Haunted Wood. She had a sudden realization that Gilbert was a schoolboy no longer. And how manly he looked—the tall, frank- « faced fellow, with the clear, straightforward eyes and the broad shoulders. Anne thought Gilbert was a very handsome lad, even though he didn’t look at all like her ideal man. She and Diana had long ago decided what kind of a man they admired and their tastes seemed exactly similar. He must be very tall and distinguished-looking, with melancholy, inscrutable eyes, and a melting, sympathetic voice. There was nothing either melancholy or inscrutable in Gilbert’s physiognomy, but of course that didn’t matter in friendship! Gilbert stretched himself out on the ferns beside the Bubble and looked approvingly at Anne. If Gilbert had been asked to describe his ideal woman the description would have answered point for point to Anne, even to those seven tiny freckles whose obnoxious presence still continued to vex her soul. Gilbert was as yet little more than a boy; but a boy has his dreams as have others, and in Gilbert’s future there was always a girl with big, limpid gray eyes, and a face as fine and delicate as a flower. He had made up his mind, also, that his future must be worthy of its goddess. Even in quiet Avonlea there were« temptations to be met and faced. White Sands youth were a rather “fast” set, and Gilbert was popular wherever he went. But he meant to keep himself worthy of Anne’s friendship and perhaps some distant day her love; and he watched over word and thought and deed as jealously as if her clear eyes were to pass in judgment on it. She held over him the unconscious influence that every girl whose ideals are high and pure, wields over her friends; an influence which would endure as long as she was faithful to those ideals and which she would as certainly lose if she were ever false to them. In Gilbert’s eyes Anne’s greatest charm was the fact that she never stooped to the petty practices of so many of the Avonlea girls—the small jealousies, the little deceits and rivalries, the palpable bids for favor. Anne held herself apart « from all this, not consciously or of design, but simply because anything of the sort was utterly foreign to her transparent, impulsive nature, crystal clear in its motives and aspirations. But Gilbert did not attempt to put his thoughts into words, for he had already too good reason to know that Anne would mercilessly and frostily nip all attempts at sentiment in the bud—or laugh at him, which was ten times worse. “You look like a real dryad under that birch tree,” he said teasingly. » « Gilbert Blythe was probably the only person to whom the news of Anne’s resignation brought unmixed pleasure. » « But there’ll be so many clever girls at Redmond,” sighed Diana, “and I’m only a stupid little country girl who says ‘I seen’ sometimes…though I really know better when I stop to think. Well, of course these past two years have really been too pleasant to last. I know somebody who is glad you are going to Redmond, anyhow. Anne, I’m going to ask you a question…a serious question. Don’t be vexed and do answer seriously. Do you care anything for Gilbert?” “Ever so much as a friend and not a bit in the way you mean,” said Anne calmly and decidedly; she also thought she was speaking sincerely. » « Then she locked the door and sat down under the silver poplar to wait for Gilbert, feeling very tired but still unweariedly thinking “long, long thoughts.” “What are you thinking of, Anne?” asked Gilbert, coming down the walk. He had left his horse and buggy out at the road. “Of Miss Lavendar and Mr. Irving,” answered Anne dreamily. “Isn’t it beautiful to think how everything has turned out…how they have come together again after all the years of separation and misunderstanding?” “Yes, it’s beautiful,” said Gilbert, looking steadily down into Anne’s uplifted face, “but wouldn’t it have been more beautiful still, Anne, if there had been no separation or misunderstanding…if they had come hand in hand all the way through life, with no memories behind them but those which belonged to each other?” For a moment Anne’s heart fluttered queerly and for the first time her eyes faltered under Gilbert’s gaze and a rosy flush stained the paleness of her face. It was as if a veil that had hung before her inner consciousness had been lifted, giving to her view a revelation of unsuspected feelings and realities. « Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it « revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps…perhaps…love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath. Then the veil dropped again; but the Anne who walked up the dark lane was not quite the same Anne who had driven gaily down it the evening before. The page of girlhood had been turned, as by an unseen finger, and the page of womanhood was before her with all its charm and mystery, its pain and gladness. Gilbert wisely said nothing more; but in his silence he read the history of the next four years in the light of Anne’s remembered blush. Four years of earnest, happy work…and then the guerdon of a useful knowledge gained and a sweet heart won. » « They were leaning on the bridge of the old pond, drinking deep of the enchantment of the dusk, just at the spot where Anne had climbed from her sinking Dory on the day Elaine floated down to Camelot. The fine, empurpling dye of sunset still stained the western skies, but the moon was rising and the water lay like a great, silver dream in her light. Remembrance wove a sweet and subtle spell over the two young creatures. "You are very quiet, Anne," said Gilbert at last. "I'm afraid to speak or move for fear all this wonderful beauty will vanish just like a broken silence," breathed Anne. » « Gilbert suddenly laid his hand over the slender white one lying on the rail of the bridge. His hazel eyes deepened into darkness, his still boyish lips opened to say something of the dream and hope that thrilled his soul. But Anne snatched her hand away and turned quickly. The spell of the dusk was broken for her. "I must go home," she exclaimed, with a rather overdone carelessness. "Marilla had a headache this afternoon, and I'm sure the twins will be in some dreadful mischief by this time. I really shouldn't have stayed away so long." She chattered ceaselessly and inconsequently until they reached the Green Gables lane. Poor Gilbert hardly had a chance to get a word in edgewise. Anne felt rather relieved when they parted. There had been a new, secret self-consciousness in her heart with regard to Gilbert, ever since that fleeting moment of revelation in the garden of Echo Lodge. Something alien had intruded into the old, perfect, school-day comradeship -- something that threatened to mar it. "I never felt glad to see Gilbert go before," she thought, half- resentfully, half-sorrowfully, as she walked alone up the lane. "Our friendship will be« spoiled if he goes on with this nonsense. It mustn't be spoiled -- I won't let it. Oh, WHY can't boys be just sensible!" Anne had an uneasy doubt that it was not strictly "sensible" that she should still feel on her hand the warm pressure of Gilbert's, as distinctly as she had felt it for the swift second his had rested there; and still less sensible that the sensation was far from being an unpleasant one -- very different from that which had attended a similar demonstration on Charlie Sloane's part, when she had been sitting out a dance with him at a White Sands party three nights before. Anne shivered over the disagreeable recollection. But all problems connected with infatuated swains vanished from her mind » « Gilbert Blythe and Charlie Sloane, both trying to keep as near the elusive Anne as possible » « She enjoyed the evening tremendously, but the end of it rather spoiled all. Gilbert again made the mistake of saying something sentimental to her as they ate their supper on the moonlit verandah; and Anne, to punish him, was gracious to Charlie Sloane and allowed the latter to walk home with her. She found, however, that revenge hurts nobody quite so much as the one who tries to inflict it. Gilbert walked airily off with Ruby Gillis, and Anne could hear them laughing and talking gaily as they loitered along in the still, crisp autumn air. They were evidently having the best of good times, while she was horribly bored by Charlie Sloane, who talked unbrokenly on, and never, even by accident, said one thing that was worth listening to. Anne gave an occasional absent "yes" or "no," and thought how beautiful Ruby had looked that night, how very goggly Charlie's eyes were in the moonlight »« worse even than by daylight -- and that the world, somehow, wasn't quite such a nice place as she had believed it to be earlier in the evening. "I'm just tired out -- that is what is the matter with me," she said, when she thankfully found herself alone in her own room. And she honestly believed it was. But a certain little gush of joy, as from some secret, unknown spring, bubbled up in her heart the next evening, when she saw Gilbert striding down through the Haunted Wood and crossing the old log bridge with that firm, quick step of his. So Gilbert was not going to spend this last evening with Ruby Gillis after all! » « They started gaily off. Anne, remembering the unpleasantness of the preceding evening, was very nice to Gilbert; and Gilbert, who was learning wisdom, took care to be nothing save the schoolboy comrade again. Mrs. Lynde and Marilla watched them from the kitchen window. "That'll be a match some day," Mrs. Lynde said approvingly. Marilla winced slightly. In her heart she hoped it would, but it went against her grain to hear the matter spoken of in Mrs. Lynde's gossipy matter-of-fact way. "They're only children yet," she said shortly. Mrs. Lynde laughed good-naturedly. "Anne is eighteen; I was married when I was that age. We old folks, Marilla, are too much given to thinking children never grow up, that's what. Anne is a young woman and Gilbert's a man, and he worships the ground she walks on, as any one can see. He's a fine fellow, and Anne can't do better. I hope she won't get any romantic nonsense into her head at Redmond. I don't approve of them coeducational places and never did, that's what. I don't believe," concluded Mrs. Lynde solemnly, "that the students at such colleges ever do much else than flirt. » « Gilbert and Anne loitered a little behind the others, enjoying the calm, still beauty of the autumn afternoon under the pines of the park, on the road that climbed and twisted round the harbor shore. "The silence here is like a prayer, isn't it?" said Anne, her face upturned to the shining sky. "How I love the pines! They seem to strike their roots deep into the romance of all the ages. It is so comforting to creep away now and then for a good talk with them. I always feel so happy out here." "`And so in mountain solitudes o'ertaken As by some spell divine, Their cares drop from them like the needles shaken From out the gusty pine,'" quoted Gilbert. "They make our little ambitions seem rather petty, don't they, Anne?" "I think, if ever any great sorrow came to me, I would come to the pines for comfort," said Anne dreamily. "I hope no great sorrow ever will come to you, Anne," said Gilbert, who could not connect the idea of sorrow with the vivid, joyous creature beside him, unwitting that those who can soar to the highest heights can also plunge to the deepest depths, and that the natures which enjoy most keenly are those which also suffer most sharply. » « But there must -- sometime," mused Anne. "Life seems like a cup of glory held to my lips just now. But there must be some bitterness in it -- there is in every cup. I shall taste mine some day. Well, I hope I shall be strong and brave to meet it. And I hope it won't be through my own fault that it will come. Do you remember what Dr. Davis said last Sunday evening -- that the sorrows God sent us brought comfort and strength with them, while the sorrows we brought on ourselves, through folly or wickedness, were by far the hardest to bear? But we mustn't talk of sorrow on an afternoon like this. It's meant for the sheer joy of living, isn't it?" "If I had my way I'd shut everything out of your life but happiness and pleasure, Anne," said Gilbert in the tone that meant "danger ahead." "Then you would be very unwise," rejoined Anne hastily. "I'm sure no life can be properly developed and rounded out without some trial and sorrow -- though I suppose it is only when we are pretty comfortable that we admit it. Come -- the others have got to the pavilion[…] » « Gilbert did not love any of them, and he was exceedingly careful to give none of them the advantage over him by any untimely display of his real feelings Anne-ward. To her he had become again the boy-comrade of Avonlea days, and as such could hold his own against any smitten swain who had so far entered the lists against him. As a companion, Anne honestly acknowledged nobody could be so satisfactory as Gilbert; she was very glad, so she told herself, that he had evidently dropped all nonsensical ideas -- though she spent considerable time secretly wondering why. » « Gilbert, to be sure, was still faithful, and waded up to Green Gables every possible evening. But Gilbert's visits were not what they once were. Anne almost dreaded them. It was very disconcerting to look up in the midst of a sudden silence and find Gilbert's hazel eyes fixed upon her with a quite unmistakable expression in their grave depths; and it was still more disconcerting to find herself blushing hotly and uncomfortably under his gaze, just as if -- just as if -- well, it was very embarrassing. Anne wished herself back at Patty's Place, where there was always somebody else about to take the edge off a delicate situation. At Green Gables Marilla went promptly to Mrs. Lynde's domain when Gilbert came and insisted on taking the twins with her. The significance of this was unmistakable and Anne was in a helpless fury over it. » « You mustn't work too HARD," said Anne, without any very clear idea of what she was saying. She wished desperately that Phil would come out. "You've studied very constantly this winter. Isn't this a delightful evening? Do you know, I found a cluster of white violets under that old twisted tree over there today? I felt as if I had discovered a gold mine." "You are always discovering gold mines," said Gilbert -- also absently. "Let us go and see if we can find some more," suggested Anne eagerly. "I'll call Phil and -- " "Never mind Phil and the violets just now, Anne," said Gilbert quietly, taking her hand in a clasp from which she could not free it. "There is something I want to say to you." "Oh, don't say it," cried Anne, pleadingly. "Don't -- PLEASE, Gilbert." "I must. Things can't go on like this any longer. Anne, I love you. You know I do. I -- I can't tell you how much. Will you promise me that some day you'll be my wife?" "I -- I can't," said Anne miserably. "Oh, Gilbert -- you -- you've spoiled everything." "Don't you care for me at all?" Gilbert asked after a very dreadful pause, during« which Anne had not dared to look up. "Not -- not in that way. I do care a great deal for you as a friend. But I don't love you, Gilbert." "But can't you give me some hope that you will -- yet?" "No, I can't," exclaimed Anne desperately. "I never, never can love you -- in that way -- Gilbert. You must never speak of this to me again." There was another pause -- so long and so dreadful that Anne was driven at last to look up. Gilbert's face was white to the lips. And his eyes -- but Anne shuddered and looked away. There was « nothing romantic about this. Must proposals be either grotesque or -- horrible? Could she ever forget Gilbert's face? "Is there anybody else?" he asked at last in a low voice. "No -- no," said Anne eagerly. "I don't care for any one like THAT -- and I LIKE you better than anybody else in the world, Gilbert. And we must -- we must go on being friends, Gilbert." Gilbert gave a bitter little laugh. "Friends! Your friendship can't satisfy me, Anne. I want your love -- and you tell me I can never have that." "I'm sorry. Forgive me, Gilbert," was all Anne could say. Where, oh, where were all the gracious and graceful speeches wherewith, in imagination, she had been wont to dismiss rejected suitors? Gilbert released her hand gently. "There isn't anything to forgive. There have been times when I thought you did care. I've deceived myself, that's all. Goodbye, Anne. » « Phil," pleaded Anne, "please go away and leave me alone for a little while. My world has tumbled into pieces. I want to reconstruct it." "Without any Gilbert in it?" said Phil, going. A world without any Gilbert in it! Anne repeated the words drearily. Would it not be a very lonely, forlorn place? Well, it was all Gilbert's fault. He had spoiled their beautiful comradeship. She must just learn to live without it. » « Life was very pleasant in Avonlea that summer, although Anne, amid all her vacation joys, was haunted by a sense of "something gone which should be there." She would not admit, even in her inmost reflections, that this was caused by Gilbert's absence. » « Gilbert would never have dreamed of writing a sonnet to her eyebrows. But then, Gilbert could see a joke. She had once told Roy a funny story -- and he had not seen the point of it. She recalled the chummy laugh she and Gilbert had had together over it, and wondered uneasily if life with a man who had no sense of humor might not be somewhat uninteresting in the long run. But who could expect a melancholy, inscrutable hero to see the humorous side of things? It would be flatly unreasonable. » « Fred and Diana drove away through the moonlight to their new home, and Gilbert walked with Anne to Green Gables. Something of their old comradeship had returned during the informal mirth of the evening. Oh, it was nice to be walking over that well-known road with Gilbert again! The night was so very still that one should have been able to hear the whisper of roses in blossom -- « the laughter of daisies -- the piping of grasses -- many sweet sounds, all tangled up together. The beauty of moonlight on familiar fields irradiated the world. "Can't we take a ramble up Lovers' Lane before you go in?" asked Gilbert as they crossed the bridge over the Lake of Shining Waters, in which the moon lay like a great, drowned blossom of gold. Anne assented readily. Lovers' Lane was a veritable path in a fairyland that night -- a shimmering, mysterious place, full of wizardry in the white-woven enchantment of moonlight. There had been a time when such a walk with Gilbert through Lovers' Lane would have been far too dangerous. But Roy and Christine had made it very safe now. Anne found herself thinking a good deal about Christine as she chatted lightly to Gilbert. She had met her several times before leaving Kingsport, and had been charmingly sweet to her. Christine had also been charmingly sweet. Indeed, they were a most cordial pair. But for all that, their acquaintance had not ripened into friendship. Evidently Christine was not a kindred spirit. "Are you going to be in Avonlea all summer?" asked Gilbert. » « It was filled with lilies-of-the-valley, as fresh and fragrant as those which bloomed in the Green Gables yard when June came to Avonlea. Gilbert Blythe's card lay beside it. Anne wondered why Gilbert should have sent her flowers for Convocation. She had seen very little of him during the past winter. » « On the accompanying card was written, "With all good wishes from your old chum, Gilbert." Anne, laughing over the memory the enamel heart conjured up the fatal day when Gilbert had called her "Carrots" and vainly tried to make his peace with a pink candy heart, had written him a nice little note of thanks. But she had never worn the trinket. Tonight she fastened it about her white throat with a dreamy smile. » « Say, Anne, did you know that Gilbert Blythe is dying?" Anne stood quite silent and motionless, looking at Davy. Her face had gone so white that Marilla thought she was going to faint. "Davy, hold your tongue," said Mrs. Rachel angrily. "Anne, don't look like that -- DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT! We didn't mean to tell you so suddenly." "Is -- it -- true?" asked Anne in a voice that was not hers. "Gilbert is very ill," said Mrs. Lynde gravely. "He took down with typhoid fever just after you left for Echo Lodge. Did you never hear of it?" "No," said that unknown voice. "It was a very bad case from the start. The doctor said he'd been terribly run down. They've a trained nurse and everything's been done. DON'T look like that, Anne. While there's life there's hope." "Mr. Harrison was here this evening and he said they had no hope of him," reiterated Davy. » « Marilla, looking old and worn and tired, got up and marched Davy grimly out of the kitchen. "Oh, DON'T look so, dear," said Mrs. Rachel, putting her kind old arms about the pallid girl. "I haven't given up hope, indeed I haven't. He's got the Blythe constitution in his favor, that's what." Anne gently put Mrs. Lynde's arms away from her, walked blindly across the kitchen, through the hall, up the stairs to her old room. At its window she knelt down, staring out unseeingly. It was very dark. The rain was beating down over the shivering fields. The Haunted Woods was full of the groans of mighty trees wrung in the tempest, and the air throbbed with the thunderous crash of billows on the distant shore. And Gilbert was dying! There is a book of Revelation in every one's life, as there is in the Bible. Anne read hers that bitter night, as she kept her agonized vigil through the hours of storm and darkness. She loved Gilbert -- had always loved him! She knew that now. She knew that she could no more cast him out of her life without agony than she could have cut off her« her right hand and cast it from her. And the knowledge had come too late -- too late even for the bitter solace of being with him at the last. If she had not been so blind -- so foolish -- she would have had the right to go to him now. But he would never know that she loved him -- he would go away from this life thinking that she did not care. Oh, the black years of emptiness stretching before her! She could not live through them -- she could not! She cowered down by her window and wished, for the first time in her gay young life, that she could die, too. If Gilbert went away from her, without one word or sign or message, she could not live. Nothing was of any value without him. She belonged to him and he to her. In her hour of supreme agony she had no doubt of that. He did not love Christine Stuart -- never had loved Christine Stuart. Oh, what a fool she had been not to realize what the bond « was that had held her to Gilbert -- to think that the flattered fancy she had felt for Roy Gardner had been love. And now she must pay for her folly as for a crime. Mrs. Lynde and Marilla crept to her door before they went to bed, shook their heads doubtfully at each other over the silence, and went away. The storm raged all night, but when the dawn came it was spent. Anne saw a fairy fringe of light on the skirts of darkness. Soon the eastern hilltops had a fire-shot ruby rim. The clouds rolled themselves away into great, soft, white masses on the horizon; the sky gleamed blue and silvery. A hush fell over the world. Anne rose from her knees and crept downstairs. The freshness of the rain-wind blew against her white face as she went out into the yard, and cooled her dry, burning eyes. A merry rollicking whistle was lilting up the lane. A moment later Pacifique Buote came in sight. Anne's physical strength suddenly failed her. If she had not clutched at a low willow bough she would have fallen. Pacifique was George Fletcher's hired man, and George Fletcher lived« next door to the Blythes. Mrs. Fletcher was Gilbert's aunt. Pacifique would know if -- if -- Pacifique would know what there was to be known. Pacifique strode sturdily on along the red lane, whistling. He did not see Anne. She made three futile attempts to call him. He was almost past before she succeeded in making her quivering lips call, "Pacifique!" Pacifique turned with a grin and a cheerful good morning. "Pacifique," said Anne faintly, "did you come from George Fletcher's this morning?" "Sure," said Pacifique amiably. "I got de word las' night dat my fader, he was seeck. It was so stormy dat I couldn't go den, so I start vair early dis mornin'. I'm goin' troo de woods for short cut. » « Did you hear how Gilbert Blythe was this morning?" Anne's desperation drove her to the question. Even the worst would be more endurable than this hideous suspense. "He's better," said Pacifique. "He got de turn las' night. De doctor say he'll be all right now dis soon while. Had close shave, dough! Dat boy, he jus' keel himself at college. Well, I mus' hurry. De old man, he'll be in hurry to see me." Pacifique resumed his walk and his whistle. Anne gazed after him with eyes where joy was driving out the strained anguish of the night. He was a very lank, very ragged, very homely youth. But in her sight he was as beautiful as those who bring good tidings on the mountains. Never, as long as she lived, would Anne see Pacifique's brown, round, black-eyed face without a warm remembrance of the moment when he had given to her the oil of joy for mourning. Long after Pacifique's gay whistle had faded into the phantom of music and then into silence far up under the maples of Lover's Lane Anne stood under the willows, tasting the poignant sweetness of life when some great dread has« been removed from it. The morning was a cup filled with mist and glamor. In the corner near her was a rich surprise of new-blown, crystal-dewed roses. The trills and trickles of song from the birds in the big tree above her seemed in perfect accord with her mood. A sentence from a very old, very true, very wonderful Book came to her lips, "Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning." XLI Love Takes Up the Glass of Time "I've come up to ask you to go for one of our old-time rambles through September woods and `over hills where spices grow,' this afternoon," said « Gilbert, coming suddenly around the porch corner. "Suppose we visit Hester Gray's garden." Anne, sitting on the stone step with her lap full of a pale, filmy, green stuff, looked up rather blankly. "Oh, I wish I could," she said slowly, "but I really can't, Gilbert. I'm going to Alice Penhallow's wedding this evening, you know. I've got to do something to this dress, and by the time it's finished I'll have to get ready. I'm so sorry. I'd love to go." "Well, can you go tomorrow afternoon, then?" asked Gilbert, apparently not much disappointed. "Yes, I think so. » « Is that the dress you're going to wear tonight?" asked Gilbert, looking down at the fluffs and frills. "Yes. Isn't it pretty? And I shall wear starflowers in my hair. The Haunted Wood is full of them this « summer." Gilbert had a sudden vision of Anne, arrayed in a frilly green gown, with the virginal curves of arms and throat slipping out of it, and white stars shining against the coils of her ruddy hair. The vision made him catch his breath. But he turned lightly away. "Well, I'll be up tomorrow. Hope you'll have a nice time tonight." Anne looked after him as he strode away, and sighed. Gilbert was friendly -- very friendly -- far too friendly. He had come quite often to Green Gables after his recovery, and something of their old comradeship had returned. But Anne no longer found it satisfying. The rose of love made the blossom of friendship pale and scentless by contrast. And Anne had again begun to doubt if Gilbert now felt anything for her but friendship. In the common light of common day her radiant certainty of that rapt morning had faded. She was haunted by a miserable fear that her mistake could never be rectified. It was quite likely that it was Christine whom Gilbert loved after all. Perhaps he was even engaged to her. Anne tried to put all unsettling hopes out of her heart, and reconcile herself« to a future where work and ambition must take the place of love. She could do good, if not noble, work as a teacher; and the success her little sketches were beginning to meet with in certain editorial sanctums augured well for her budding literary dreams. But -- but -- Anne picked up her green dress and sighed again. When Gilbert came the next afternoon he found Anne waiting for him, fresh as the dawn and fair as a star, after all the gaiety of the preceding night. She wore a green dress -- not the one she had worn to the wedding, but an old one which Gilbert had told her at a Redmond reception he liked especially. It was just the shade of green that brought out the rich tints of her hair, and the starry gray of her eyes and the iris-like delicacy of her skin. Gilbert, glanc« ing at her sideways as they walked along a shadowy woodpath, thought she had never looked so lovely. Anne, glancing sideways at Gilbert, now and then, thought how much older he looked since his illness. It was as if he had put boyhood behind him forever. The day was beautiful and the way was beautiful. Anne was almost sorry when they reached Hester Gray's garden, and sat down on the old bench. But it was beautiful there, too -- as beautiful as it had been on the faraway day of the Golden Picnic, when Diana and Jane and Priscilla and she had found it. Then it had been lovely with narcissus and violets; now golden rod had kindled its fairy torches in the corners and asters dotted it bluely. The call of the brook came up through the woods from the valley of birches with all its old allurement; the mellow air was full of the purr of the sea; beyond were fields rimmed by fences bleached silvery gray in the suns of many summers, and long hills scarfed with the shadows of autumnal clouds; with the blowing of the west wind old dreams returned. "I think," said Anne softly« that `the land where dreams come true' is in the blue haze yonder, over that little valley." "Have you any unfulfilled dreams, Anne?" asked Gilbert. Something in his tone -- something she had not heard since that miserable evening in the orchard at Patty's Place -- made Anne's heart beat wildly. But she made answer lightly. "Of course. Everybody has. It wouldn't do for us to have all our dreams fulfilled. We would be as good as dead if we had nothing left to dream about. What a delicious aroma that low-descending sun is extracting from the asters and ferns. I wish we could see perfumes as well as smell them. I'm sure they would be very beautiful." Gilbert was not to be thus sidetracked. « I have a dream," he said slowly. "I persist in dreaming it, although it has often seemed to me that it could never come true. I dream of a home with a hearth-fire in it, a cat and dog, the footsteps of friends -- and YOU!" Anne wanted to speak but she could find no words. Happiness was breaking over her like a wave. It almost frightened her. "I asked you a question over two years ago, Anne. If I ask it again today will you give me a different answer?" Still Anne could not speak. But she lifted her eyes, shining with all the love-rapture of countless generations, and looked into his for a moment. He wanted no other answer. They lingered in the old garden until twilight, sweet as dusk in Eden must have been, crept over it. There was so much to talk over and recall -- things said and done and heard and thought and felt and misunderstood. "I thought you loved Christine Stuart," Anne told him, as reproachfully as if she had not given him every reason to suppose that she loved Roy Gardner. Gilbert laughed boyishly. "Christine was engaged to somebody in her« home town. I knew it and she knew I knew it. When her brother graduated he told me his sister was coming to Kingsport the next winter to take music, and asked me if I would look after her a bit, as she knew no one and would be very lonely. So I did. And then I liked Christine for her own sake. She is one of the nicest girls I've ever known. I knew college gossip credited us with being in love with each other. I didn't care. Nothing mattered much to me for a time there, after you told me you could never love me, Anne. There was nobody else -- there never could be anybody else for me but you. I've loved you ever since that day you broke your slate over my head in school. » « I don't see how you could keep on loving me when I was such a little fool," said Anne. "Well, I tried to stop," said Gilbert frankly, "not because I thought you what you call yourself, but because I felt sure there was no chance for me after Gardner came on the scene. But I couldn't -- and I can't tell you, either, what it's meant to me these two years to believe you were going to marry him, and be told every week by some busybody that your engagement was on the point of being announced. I believed it until one blessed day when I was sitting up after the fever. I got a letter from Phil Gordon -- Phil Blake, rather -- in which she told me there was really nothing between you and Roy, and advised me to `try again.' Well, the doctor was amazed at my rapid recovery after that." Anne laughed -- then shivered. "I can never forget the night I thought you were dying, Gilbert. Oh, I knew -- I KNEW then -- and I thought it was too late." "But it wasn't, sweetheart. Oh, Anne, this makes up for everything, doesn't it? Let's resolve to keep this day« sacred to perfect beauty all our lives for the gift it has given us." "It's the birthday of our happiness," said Anne softly. "I've always loved this old garden of Hester Gray's, and now it will be dearer than ever." "But I'll have to ask you to wait a long time, Anne," said Gilbert sadly. "It will be three years before I'll finish my medical course. And even then there will be no diamond sunbursts and marble halls." Anne laughed. "I don't want sunbursts and marble halls. I just want YOU. You see I'm quite as shameless as Phil about it. Sunbursts and marble halls may be all very well, but there is more `scope for imagination' without them. And as for the waiting, that doesn't matter. We'll just be happy, waiting and working for « each other -- and dreaming. Oh, dreams will be very sweet now." Gilbert drew her close to him and kissed her. Then they walked home together in the dusk, crowned king and queen in the bridal realm of love, along winding paths fringed with the sweetest flowers that ever bloomed, and over haunted meadows where winds of hope and memory blew. » « Gilbert lifted Anne from the buggy and led her into the garden, through the little gate between the ruddy-tipped firs, up the trim, red path to the sandstone step. "Welcome home," he whispered, and hand in hand they stepped over the threshold of their house of dreams. » « Anne, this is Captain Boyd. Captain Boyd, my wife." It was the first time Gilbert had said "my wife" to anybody but Anne, and he narrowly escaped bursting with the pride of it. » Extrait de: L. M. Montgomery. « The Complete Anne of Green. » iBooks.

#anne with an e #gilbert blythe #anne shirley #anne of green gables #shirbert

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