#Aurora has slept for a long time and it is a little difficult for her to understand Hyrule's intentions

[gutiuniverse]

Aurora, holding a rock: Hyrule just gave this to me and said "I feel like you deserve the moon but all I can give you is a rock". Dawn: If you don't marry him, I will.

[potionsprefect]

One Birthday Wish

Ethan Ramsey x Victoria Clarke

Word count: 3.9k

Rating: Teen

Summary: It’s Victoria’s birthday but she’s not as happy as she should be

Category: angst (ish) fluff

Warnings: none (just mild language near the beginning)

“So how was the conference? I bet you loved sitting in board meetings every day.”

“I wish I was anywhere else. I used to look forward to them when I first joined the Diagnostics team but now I loathe them. Don’t dream big otherwise you’ll end up hating what you do.” Ethan laughed.

“At least they’re over now. You can come back to me. The right hand side of the bed has been very cold without you.” Victoria smiled.

Ethan suddenly went silent and Victoria’s heart suddenly sank. “Yeah about that...”

“Ethan? What is it?”

“The organisers want another conference in order to push this deal forward. They said it’s vital that there are no mistakes. I don’t know how long it will last or when I’ll be able to fly back home.” Ethan sighed.

“So you won’t be back in time for my birthday?” Victoria said her voice cracking a little.

“I don’t think so. I’m so sorry sweetheart. If there was anything I could do, I would.”

“It’s ok. I understand.”

“Vic...”

“No it’s ok Ethan, really I do. It just sucks.” Victoria sighed.

“I’ll make it up to you. I promise.” Ethan smiled even though she couldn’t see it.

“I know you will.” Victoria smiled back.

Victoria decided to end the call after that, not wanting to break down in front of Ethan because she knew he would feel helpless. She could feel hot tears rolling down her cheeks as she tried to compose herself.

Ethan had been in Washington D.C for a medical conference on behalf of the Diagnostic team and Edenbrook who were trying to push a deal through with a top pharma executive company on some new drugs for cancer patients. The conference was only meant to last a week and Ethan was meant to fly home tomorrow but now he was stuck there indefinitely. Victoria’s birthday was in two days time and it now looked like Ethan wasn’t going to be back to spend it with her.

Victoria’s eyes gazed towards the boxes that were sat on the other side of her room. They were birthday presents from her family and friends back home and it was just another reminder that Ethan wouldn’t be with her to watch her open them.

Victoria laid down on her bed and cried herself to sleep. She tried to hold the tears back as much as she could but they were freely flowing down her cheeks now. There was no stopping them.

All she wanted was Ethan by her side for her birthday. And that was the one wish she wasn’t able to make come true.

— — — — — — — — — —

17th February 2:17am

Sienna Trinh snuck out of her bedroom with a bag in hand, careful not to make a sound. Her other roommates, bar one should be joining her any minute. She carefully laid out four wrapped presents by the window. She heard the door to one of the bedrooms creak open and she whipped her head round hoping that the one person who didn’t know what was going on hadn’t just walked out of their bedroom.

She breathed a sigh of relief when it was only Jackie. “God Jackie you nearly gave me a heart attack!” Sienna whispered.

“Calm down Sienna. I don’t know why you’ve made us get up this early. We could’ve had at least an extra hour or two.” Jackie rubbed her eyes.

“Everything has to be perfect for Victoria! And we all agreed to set up early!” Sienna rolled her eyes.

“Yeah I seconded that if you remember. I voted for 4am.” Jackie sat on the sofa.

“I don’t know why I agreed to this time. I’ve barely slept.” Aurora said sleepily as Elijah followed behind her.

“You should’ve followed my lead and voted for a 4am start.” Jackie smirked.

“I’m wishing I did.” Elijah sighed.

“Guys this is important! We need Victoria’s birthday to be perfect! Ethan left us strict instructions whilst he sorts out her last present.” Sienna shushed them.

“She still thinks he’s stuck in D.C?” Aurora asked.

“Yes so we need to take her mind off that!”

“Well as long as he doesn’t end up being spotted by Victoria, I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Jackie replied.

The four roommates set up the living room with their presents. Just as they had laid out the last gift, Sienna’s phone buzzed.

“Great! Bryce, Raf and Kyra are here.” Sienna grinned walking over to the apartment door and opening it slowly.

“About time, it’s so cold outside.” Bryce shivered walking into the apartment.

“Keep your voice down! Victoria is asleep!” Sienna shushed him.

“Yeah no shit. It’s the middle of the night.” Bryce rolled his eyes.

“Where do you need us Sienna?” Rafael asked.

“Lay your gifts next to ours and the food can go on the counter next to the cookies I’ve made. I’ll help Kyra with the balloons.”

For the next 20 minutes the group sorted out the last few bits ready for the morning. The apartment was looking very pink, the colour being Victoria’s favourite. There were balloons hanging from the ceiling, and some standing up by the presents, a big happy birthday banner was hanging up by the kitchen counter and there was a ton of food on the counter ready to be consumed. Sienna had made Victoria a cake and her favourite cookies, whilst Rafael’s grandmother had made enough food for everyone to eat for at least three days.

“Is that it?” Kyra asked admiring her handy work.

“There’s one more thing.” Sienna headed to her room and returned with a massive sign that read “HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICTORIA” in bright white letters against a pink back drop with small pink balloons attached to it.

“Blimey Sienna how long have you been planning this.” Bryce laughed.

“Not long. It’s easy when you have a great crew.” Sienna smiled.

“That looks heavy. How did you manage to get it up here?” Jackie raised an eyebrow.

“She didn’t. I did.” Rafael said.

“Yeah and I paid you ten bucks for your help so don’t complain.” Sienna laughed.

“So why did Ramsey tell her he was stuck in D.C?” Bryce asked as the group retreated to the sofas.

“He just told us that he has something to sort for Victoria and felt telling her that he was still in D.C would make her less suspicious.” Elijah shrugged.

“And it definitely did. I heard her crying the other night.” Jackie sighed.

“Just what on earth is he planning?” Kyra asked.

“I don’t know but whatever it is, it better be big and make her cry happy tears rather than sad tears.” Sienna replied.

The group dispersed into their own rooms for the night, Bryce and Rafael with Elijah and Kyra with Jackie. They knew they had to be awake before Victoria.

“I hope she likes it.” Sienna murmured.

“Sienna don’t be silly! She’s going to love it. This is just the pick me up she needs.” Aurora smiled.

“You’re right. She’s going to love it.” Sienna said retreating to her bedroom and setting her alarm for the morning.

— — — — — — — — — —

4:37am

The laptop screen was giving him a headache but he needed to get this done before sunlight. He checked multiple tabs keeping an eye on all of them, seeing what deal was the best.

Ethan hated telling her that he wouldn’t see her on her birthday but it was the only way he could get this done without her noticing. It was anything but the truth as he had returned from D.C two days ago and the night he called her to tell her the news, he was sat in his apartment.

Ethan already had her presents in his apartment, all neatly wrapped up on his kitchen counter. This was just an extra treat for her, something he knew she’d enjoy. But finding flights was a lot more difficult than he anticipated.

He had already authorised the time off with Naveen and told him not to mention it to her. He could practically see him smiling down the phone.

He wasn’t sure why he had so many tabs open. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford flying first class but trips to Crete in July were highly popular.

The plan today was he would surprise her at the end of her shift outside her apartment and then he’d bring her back here for a meal and other activities. He knew he’d have to apologise for keeping her in the dark but he knew it would all be worth it.

Ethan looked through one deal that caught his eye and he knew he had to go for it. If he wasted anymore time he’d lose the deals altogether. He proceeded with the booking, a smile on his face when it was complete.

Ever since that fateful night with the maitotoxin, Ethan had made it his mission to treat her as often as he could. She had talked about not travelling enough, dedicating her focus to her career more and how she wished she had taken more time to see the world. Ethan promised her he would help her fulfil her wishes when she recovered.

Pleased with himself, he shut his laptop lid and headed to the bed to try and get a few hours sleep.

15 hours. Just 15 hours Ethan until you can hold her in your arms and never let her go. Ethan thought as he drifted off to sleep.

— — — — — — — — — —

6:14am

Victoria’s alarm woke her up and she sat up rubbing her eyes. Before she could even think about getting dressed there was a knock at her door and Sienna came in with a wide smile.

“Happy birthday!” Sienna beamed sitting on the bed and giving Victoria a hug.

“Thanks Si.” Victoria smiled a little.

“Are you ok? I know how upset you were when Ethan told you he wouldn’t be back in time.” Sienna gave her a sympathetic look.

“Yeah I’m ok. It is what it is. And besides I’ve got you and everyone else to keep me company.”

“Exactly! Now come with me. We’ve got a surprise for you.” Sienna said pulling Victoria up and covering her eyes with her hands.

Victoria walked slowly out of her room, Sienna’s hands not moving from her eyes. She knew she was in the living room because she was walking on hard floor compared to the carpet of her bedroom. Sienna removed her hands and Victoria opened her eyes.

“Surprise!” Jackie, Elijah, Aurora, Bryce, Rafael and Kyra cheered when she opened her eyes.

Victoria suddenly felt emotional. There were balloons and presents in the living room and a big sign that said happy birthday on it.

“You guys! You didn’t have to do all this.” Victoria smiled sitting down on the sofa.

“Yes we did it’s your birthday! We know you were upset when Ethan said he wouldn’t be back so we thought we’d surprise you.” Bryce said hugging Victoria.

“When did you do all this? The living room didn’t look like this last night.”

“We set this up early this morning. We had to be quiet so we wouldn’t wake you.” Bryce glared at Sienna who just shrugged.

“And by this morning we mean 2am.” Jackie rubbed her eyes.

“This is the best birthday ever. Thank you” Victoria smiled.

“Are you going to open your presents?” Aurora asked.

“I might wait until Ethan’s back. Whenever that is.” Victoria sighed.

“It won’t be long. He’d never stay away from you for long. He tried in our intern year and he couldn’t do it!” Elijah laughed.

“There is one present you could open.” Sienna said reaching for one in the pile and handing it to Victoria. “This is from all of us.”

Victoria opened the present carefully to reveal a photo album. As she opened it, her smile grew bigger as she saw pictures that dated back to their intern year.

“Do you like it?” Sienna asked.

“Seriously Sienna? I’ve never seen Victoria cry over a present before.” Kyra laughed.

“I love it! Thank you so much.” Victoria said looking at the pictures.

“I told you it was a good present idea.” Rafael said.

“Yes yes it was better than a BattleStar Galatica t shirt.” Elijah laughed.

“Or a coupon to an all you can eat sushi buffet.” Jackie said.

“Or packs of-“

“No Kyra!”

Victoria laughed at her friends. Knowing they all had shifts in less than an hour they all headed back to their rooms to get ready for the day. Sienna stayed behind, texting someone on her phone.

“Who are you texting?” Victoria asked.

“No one! Now are you sure about working today. Naveen did say you could have today off.” Sienna replied cheeks blushing a little.

Victoria gave her a puzzled look but didn’t press further. “Yes I’m sure. It’ll take my mind off of Ethan not being here.” Victoria said standing up and heading to her room to get ready. Making sure she was out of sight, Sienna fired off her last message before she headed to her room to get ready for her shift.

— — — — — — — — — —

Victoria was only three hours into her shift and she had already dealt with four P.I.T.A’s. We’re the P.I.T.A Gods punishing her today?

As she headed out the lab door after delivering her blood sample her pager went off.

Admin desk, delivery.

Confused, Victoria headed to the admin desk where she saw her roommates stood around a large box.

“What’s this?” Victoria asked as she approached them.

“No idea! It’s got your name on it.” Elijah grinned gesturing to the open.

Victoria unsealed the box and pulled out what was inside. It was at least a dozen red roses.

“Wow Victoria! Who bought you those?” Sarah, one of the nurses noticed the bright red roses on the counter. It appeared the interns had noticed as well as they were staring.

“There’s a note there.” Sienna said handing it to her. Victoria took it and opened it.

Hope these brighten up your day like how you brighten up mine.

Happy birthday. I love you.

E x

Victoria didn’t notice her eyes glisten with tears as she read the note over and over again.

“Well I wonder who sent these. I’d never thought I’d see Victoria cry in the workplace.” Jackie laughed giving Victoria a one armed hug.

“It’s my birthday so make an exception.” Victoria said wiping her eyes.

“Would you like me to drop this back at the apartment for you?” Jackie asked.

“Are you due a break?”

“I’ve dealt with two P.I.T.A’s so far this morning. I think I’ve earned a break. I’ll only be 20 minutes.” Jackie smiled.

“That would be great thank you.” Victoria smiled.

“No problem.” Jackie said taking the box of roses and heading out towards the hospital car park.

“You ok?” Sienna asked standing next to Victoria.

“Yeah I’m fine. They were a nice surprise.” Victoria said grabbing a chart and heading off down the hall.

Once she was out of sight, Sienna whipped out her phone and fired off a quick text before she headed back to her patients.

— — — — — — — — — —

Victoria was lost in her thoughts in the cafeteria when her phone buzzing in her pocket pulled her out of her thoughts.

Her heart swelled at the text. Deciding to chance it, she called him, crossing her fingers that he wasn’t in a conference meeting. She wasn’t expecting him to pick up but he did.

“Hello birthday girl.” Ethan said when he answered.

“I took a chance ringing you. I thought you’d be in a conference.” Victoria smiled.

“We’re on a 20 minute break.” Ethan replied.

“Well that’s good. How is it?” Victoria asked.

“Boring as usual. It would be better if you were here.” Ethan replied.

“If only. Those roses really cheered me up so thank you.”

“You deserve to be happy on your birthday. I just wish I could be there with you.”

“Me too. I miss you.” Victoria said a tinge of sadness in her voice.

“I miss you too. I’ll be back soon I promise. And when I am, I’m locking you in my apartment for the foreseeable.” Ethan teased.

“Careful Dr Ramsey, someone might hear you.” Victoria grinned.

“Let them.” Ethan grinned. “I’ve got to go now but I’ll call you later, let me know when your shift ends.”

“Ok I will do. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

When the call ended, Victoria headed back to her patients. She missed Ethan terribly but knew he would be home soon. She couldn’t wait to see him again.

Little did she know Jackie and Ethan were preparing his apartment for her arrival.

— — — — — — — — — —

Hours later Victoria headed out of the hospital and onto the train with her roommates.

“Did you not bring your car back Jackie?” Victoria asked.

“No I decided to walk. It’s not far and I needed the exercise.” Jackie shrugged.

The journey on the train went fairly quickly and soon they were walking down the road to their apartment. Sienna however was texting.

“You’ve been on your phone a lot today. Who are you texting?” Victoria asked. Behind her Aurora, Elijah and Jackie shot her a worried look but Sienna was as cool as a cucumber.

“No one. Just family. They want to know if they can visit at some point so we’re organising dates.” Sienna shrugged.

The group made it outside the apartment door when Sienna stepped in front of Victoria so her back was to the road.

“Before we go in I just wanted to know if you’ve had a good day. I know you’ve dealt with a few P.I.T.A’s today and I specifically told Zaid not to give you any tough cases.” Sienna said.

“I’m ok Sienna. I know you care about me and it’s really sweet. I’m really lucky to have you guys. You’ve made today bearable.” Victoria smiled.

“Well that’s good because we’ve got one last surprise for you.” Aurora smiled.

“Is it a sushi coupon?” Victoria grinned.

“No but that was one of my suggestions for the picture book. It’s something even better.” Jackie laughed.

“What could possibly be better than sushi at a low price?”

“Hopefully this.” Sienna said gesturing behind her.

Victoria turned round and her knees nearly buckled. No. No it couldn’t be.

There stood next to his car was the person who has told her two nights ago he wouldn’t be back for her birthday. All those feelings of being heartbroken and upset had evaporated the minute she saw him. Victoria could feel tears rolling down her cheeks as she ran down the steps and jumped into his arms. He held her tightly against him, kissing the side of her face, tears glistening in his eyes as well.

“Happy birthday Vic.” Ethan whispered pulling her in for a kiss.

Victoria eagerly kissed him back hugging him tighter. Her roommates smiled at the scene and then headed into the building, giving the couple much needed privacy.

“I thought you were still in D.C.” Victoria said through tears.

“I’ll explain everything back at my apartment.” Ethan said taking her hand and leading her towards the passenger side of his car.

Victoria climbed into the car and the journey to Ethan’s apartment was quick. Soon, they were walking through his apartment door.

“What’s this?” Victoria asked looking at the presents in his living room. “I thought they were the present in my apartment this morning.”

Ethan chuckled bringing her closer to him, running a hand through her hair. “They are. Dr Varma brought them over this afternoon.”

“I thought she was just taking the roses back.”

“She was but she grabbed the other presents and brought them round here. I thought you might like to open them here.” Ethan smiled.

“Speaking of here I need an explanation.” Victoria pretended to glare but her happiness broke through.

“And I’ll give you one. After I’ve given you something else.” Ethan grinned sliding his hands down her thighs and lifted her up. He’s sure he never moved to his bedroom so fast in his life as he threw Victoria onto his bed and proceeded to give her an evening she’d never forget.

— — — — — — — — — —

Four rounds later Victoria stirred and opened her eyes. Ethan was propped up on one elbow watching her with such content.

“That was incredible.” Ethan grinned.

“Indeed it was. Well worth the wait.” Victoria said turning to face him as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“Now I believe I owe you an explanation.” Ethan chuckled.

“Yes you do! I thought you were in D.C.” Victoria replied.

“The night I called you I was actually here. I had arrived back earlier that afternoon and was planning a surprise for you. I couldn’t do it with you here because I knew you’d catch me out, so I decided to tell you I was still in D.C. I know it was bad and I’m sorry if I upset you.” Ethan explained.

“Oh Ethan you could never upset me. I was just upset at the fact you wouldn’t be here. It wasn’t your fault I promise.” Victoria said hugging Ethan tightly. For the fourth time that day, Victoria felt tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I could hear how upset you were when I told you so I organised the flowers to be sent to you at work to cheer you up.” Ethan smiled.

“They definitely did, they were beautiful.”

“Now would you like your surprise?”

“Yes please!”

Ethan laughed as he reached over to his nightstand and pulled out an envelope and a Tiffany and Co bag. Victoria looked inside the bag and opened the box up to find a small necklace with two love hearts on it.

“Oh Ethan it’s beautiful.” Victoria said.

“Just like you.” Ethan said pressing a kiss to Victoria’s forehead.

“What’s in the envelope?”

“Open it and you’ll find out.” Ethan chuckled.

Victoria opened the envelope and gasped when she saw two first class plane tickets to Crete.

“You’ve been working so hard lately and I thought you deserved a break. So this is a treat for you in the summer. Also, this is holiday one of the many you’re going to experience in the future. I’m making it my mission to help you see the world as much as you can. Starting with Crete in July.” Ethan replied.

Victoria was speechless. She didn’t know if she could love Ethan any more than she already did. She wrapped her arms around him pulling him into a tight hug, kissing every inch of him she could reach when she pulled back to face him.

“Thank you. I love you.” Victoria smiled stroking his cheeks with her thumbs.

“I love you too.” Ethan smiled leaning in to kiss her deeply.

Victoria smiled into the kiss. She wasn’t sure if this was going to be a great birthday but it turns out this was the best birthday she’d ever had. Her one birthday wish has come true. And she couldn’t wait to experience many more with Ethan by her side.

— — —

A/N: I’ve written two fics in one day! Go me! I hope I find someone who loves me as much as Ethan and Victoria’s friends love her. Hope you enjoy this!

[nuka-blackwell]

A Haunting Past EXTENDED {Tiana/Rora/Marzel/Nuka/Marisa/Ella/Bambi}

The full version including Willa’s capture, Rescue & Bambi’s timely arrival.

+ Memories are stolen and returned. Lives are lost and save.Final goodbyes are given.

Once you get to the battle it’s the same I was just trying to be fancy, so this has everything.

Same TW: Blood, Broken limbs, Death, Wrist Slash (from Sora’s wound when Nuka took the blood) TW are in the para as well.

@truitt-story @aurora-rosewood @cinderellaashbourne

Nuka

Nuka hadn’t considered his little game with Tiana would ever be useful. Of course he intended for it to be fun and had even gained access to her house because of it. But finding out the princess of the forest lived in the house.

Lucky day for him indeed.

Slipping in even while the house was busy wasn’t difficult, he had passed Aurora by her room and quickly compelled her to forget him before he walked into the room with Willa having her quiet down in a moment.

They didn’t want to draw any attention now did they? Yet it was curious that there were bags packed as if Miss Willa and Ella were about to leave town. A shame for them they hadn’t moved a little quicker. But curious indeed.

Not enough for him to worry about it, not when he heard footsteps and he slipped out the window heading to Talon Manor.

One Sacrifice was in hand and the remaining would walk in by themselves later tonight.

Ella

They were pretty much all packed and ready to go. Ella would be a liar if she said she hadn’t been waiting for Aurora and Tiana to tell her that something was happening, after they revealed the truth about themselves. About the knights, and all the rest of it. It seemed like it was building to something, and had she not known about her friends, Ella would never have known about it at all. 

Though at least she and Willa would be out of the way for… whatever it was. She had made a deliberate decision not to ask too many questions, both so that she wouldn’t worry too much about the other girls and so that, should anything happen, she could claim deniability. 

All that was left to do was to collect Willa. Ella had put her down for a nap, hoping she might sleep through the journey out of town, if only because travelling with a baby was difficult at the best of times but made even worse when that baby was fussy. She crept up the stairs with the practised silence of a mother not wanting to wake her child, and peeked into her bedroom, where Willa’s crib was nestled in the corner. She knew where all the creaky floorboards were, avoiding them as she moved through the room, arriving at the side of the crib with a soft smile.

It fell away when she saw that the crib was empty, though.

“Willa?” Ella took a step back from the cot, dread sinking like a stone in her stomach, making her feel cold all over. Willa wasn’t one to climb out and run around, she never had been… “Willa?” Ella called again, louder this time, panic creeping into her tone. Last time she had found Willa gone she had been halfway through the woods, taken by the trolls--

“Tiana! Aurora!” Ella cried, skittering to the top of the stairs. “She’s gone! Willa, she’s-- she’s gone!”

Tiana

Tiana had barely slept that night, but somehow, in the early hours of the morning, she had managed to drift off. Which meant that she had a harder time getting up than usual. She trusted Ella to take care of the things she needed to get done in the early morning, so she took her time getting out of bed and getting ready. She was just finishing up the sandwich she had made Ella for the road when she heard Ella’s voice. What was that? Gone? Who—

When Tiana saw Ella’s face, though, she understood. A feeling of horror and dread settled in Tiana’s stomach. It was just what they had feared. Willa was gone. They hadn’t moved fast enough.

“Are you— are you sure?” Tiana stammered, though she knew there was no use. Of course Ella wouldn’t have missed her somehow. She looked to Aurora. “I mean— right. We’re going to find her, we have to— did anyone see anything last night?” Her head was spinning, but she had a feeling about who this could be.

Aurora 

Aurora was dazed, much like when she woke up from a sudden fainting spell, she was curled on her bed, dressed and ready for the day but it took a few moments to remember why she was ready and why Ella was screaming.

When she had though, she jolted out of her room running to Tiana and Ella the dread and heavy weight settling in. They had been too late, they had tried to protect Ella and Willa and they failed. Maybe whoever took her was close, Aurora could do what she did in Elfhame, extend her magic into the earth and see how far she could reach.

“If they are close I can- I can tell-” Aurora stated running back out of the room Lolly close on her heels barking madly at the commotion and the panic. Trying to tell them something no one could understand.

Getting to the backyard wasn’t any help though, whoever it was, was long gone and although Aurora had a feeling of who it was, or at least what family she had no proof.

“It has to be them right? The Blackwell’s.” Aurora stated meeting back up with the girls. “And we’re going to get her back.” 

Ella

It took Ella a moment to stumble down the stairs after Aurora; her eyes were fixed on the crib, the empty cot, the room that she had turned upside down when she had looked for Willa. She was just willing her to crawl out from under the bed, or behind the curtain, or something. Or anything. Anything other than the reality she was now faced with.

Was she such a terrible mother? To have her daughter so easily snatched from her not once, but twice? After the first time she had never left Willa alone, she had watched her round the clock, slept with her right by the side of the bed. But time had gone on, and nothing else had happened, and Ella had let her guard down. Things had seemed so normal, but she never should have begun to settle, she could see that now.

“The Blackwells?” She asked, fumbling the words, her throat dry and her mouth feeling like it was full of chalk. “What-- what about the Blackwells?”

TIANA

Tiana couldn’t bear to look Ella in the eyes. She had failed her. After all the training, all the preparation… even though Tiana had thought living with two Knights would protect Willa, Tiana couldn’t help but wonder if it made her even more of a target. The horrible feeling of guilt in Tiana’s stomach grew.

“Remember when we told you about that… Knights of the Round Table thing?” Tiana started, looking to Aurora for confirmation. “There was a little more to the story. We didn’t get into it because it was still sort of developing, and if anything were to happen, we didn’t want to put you in more danger, having that knowledge. But I think you need to know, now.”

Tiana took a deep breath. “There’s a plot to take over Swynlake. By these people. The Blackwells. It has to do with undoing the charter. And there’s a spell that requires… certain items. And certain people. It’s, er, why I had a weather vane stashed in my room for a little bit, for example. I’m wondering if— it’s possible that Willa was a target.” 

The implication dawned on Tiana: that meant Willa’s life could be in danger. “But we’re going to get her back,” she added quickly, glancing at Aurora again. 

Aurora 

“We never knew who they wanted just they wanted people.” Aurora supplied with a grimace. “We wanted you to get out of town before anything. I’m so sorry.” This was their fault. They should have moved faster, quicker. Done more. Done so much more.

“I don’t care what we have to do to get her back. We will. I promise.” Aurora stated without a second thought, perhaps she considered herself a pacifist, but taking someone she loved meant that she was going to do what she needed to get Willa home. To make this little family whole again.

“I know you weren’t planning to go but are you coming with us? A rescue mission of our own?”

Ella

She didn’t blame her housemates for a second. Even if there was more to the story than what they were telling her, it still wasn’t their fault. Ella knew that they would’ve done absolutely everything in their power to protect her daughter if they had known, and now she trusted them to do everything they could to get her back.

But like hell was Ella letting them go without her.

“Of course I am,” She said after a moment, once she had collected herself just a little more. She had to be strong, for Willa. She had to keep herself together until she found her again. “I’m not going anywhere without her. Not without my baby.”

TIANA

Tiana couldn’t imagine what this was like for Ella. She didn’t have any children. But she knew that her own mother would have done just about anything to keep her safe. So of course they had to get Willa back, and unharmed. She and Aurora had promised Ella that much. And beyond the promise, Tiana couldn’t imagine the house without Willa. She had developed a deep tenderness for Ella’s daughter over the past year, and now Tiana would do what had to be done to save her.

There wasn’t another option. Tiana wasn’t going to think about the alternative. 

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Tiana said decisively. “If the Blackwells took her, then our best shot at finding her is going to the ball. We’ll search the place, top to bottom. And we won’t leave without her.” She took Ella’s hand. “We’re getting her back, Ella. I promise.”

~TIMESKIP~

NUKA

Nuka watched everyone fall, as he held the unconscious Willa in his arms, her mother was here as expected and so were Tiana and Aurora, what he hadn’t accounted for or expected was both of them to jump into action. He had wanted Tiana to cower in fear like she did every time. He wanted to see Aurora falter the way she had last time.

But it was fine, it didn't matter too much to him. Nuka had all the time in the world for the game. Right now all he needed was a bit of Willa’s blood and with a prick of her finger, Nuka collected it. Abandoning her on a nearby table. 

Don’t worry little Willa, or the girls trying to rescue her. He would be back for her. He still had a game to finish.

ELLA

So much was happening, and it would be so easy to be distracted, but Ella only had one thing on her mind. She was looking for her daughter - she didn’t even care about the person who had taken her, she only wanted Willa. She just wanted to find her daughter safe and sound, and get her somewhere else - somewhere safe and secure, where they could lie low for a while. She wasn’t thinking too far ahead, admittedly. Her focus was just getting Willa, and keeping her safe.

Ella looked across the room, her gaze moving quickly, like she was pulled towards it, and she saw her: her little baby girl, being set down almost gently, as if the pair of hands holding her actually cared. Ella didn’t even bother to look at whoever it was had set her down, though she was sure Tiana and Aurora would-- she was already pushing her way across the carnage, all but throwing herself towards the table to grab up little Willa where she lay.

“Willa, sweetheart, my poor baby--” Ella shifted her in her arms, brought her close, pressed her ear to her chest until she could assure herself of the beating of her little heart. It was hummingbird fast, but it was there, it was strong. Ella ignored the tears in her eyes and held her daughter close, shielding her with one arm. “She’s alright,” She said, turning back to her housemates. “She’s alright, I think.”

TIANA

Tiana was surprised that Nuka left Willa without much of a fight. She had been readying herself for a battle, to do anything she had to do to get Willa back in Ella’s arms safely. It almost made Tiana a little nervous. Because Nuka clearly had more up his sleeve. 

But Tiana couldn’t think about that right now. First, she had to make sure Ella and Willa got to safety. As Ella picked up her daughter, Tiana watched Nuka disappear into another part of the ballroom. She stayed there for a moment, her sword raised, until she could be quite sure Nuka was not coming back. He seemed otherwise occupied. For a moment, Tiana wondered if she should go after him, but she had to make her first priority Ella and Willa. If the Knights needed her, she would go help them as soon as she knew her housemates were safe. She turned back to the others. “Is she okay?” Tiana said, rushing over to Ella. “I think— we can try and find someone to check her out, make sure she isn’t hurt?”

OLLIE (TW: Blood, Arm Gash)

His next choice was a human, one he had seen quite a bit at the hospital lately, working with kids. How kind and caring. Not really.

Grabbing Ollie’s right arm he cut horizontally deep enough that it was quite a bit of blood and exactly how Nuka liked it. Really Nuka should have punctured each of the flowers on his chest but he was being nice and time was more important. He could play with his food later.

Aurora 

Aurora followed quickly her hands on her taslisms, ready to make sure she protected the girls. She had failed once already but she wasn’t going to fail again. All of the Blackwell’s were running around quickly and suddenly she wondered why she never figured it out before. 

Vampires.

They needed to stay on guard. And ready for anything. 

Surrounding Ella, Aurora made sure Tiana and herself were the first line of defense as everyone else jumped into battles, Marzel was with his sister. There were so many people unconscious. “We need to figure out if she took the same thing as them or she’s just unconscious.”

ELLA

They could’ve all been vampires, every single one of them, and it wouldn’t have stopped Ella. She had hunkered down by the table where she had scooped Willa up, clutching her close to her chest; it was the first time she really stopped to look around and even then, it wasn’t to wonder what was going on. It was only to try and find the best way to get them out of the carnage and somewhere safe.

“I think she’s ok,” Ella said, glancing up briefly at Aurora and Tiana before she looked at her daughter again. She couldn’t be sure, of course she couldn’t, but--

Willa wriggled a little in her arms, and then blinked big, blue eyes up at her mother. Ella felt lighter almost immediately, like she could finally breathe again. “There you are,” She said, a smile in her voice, tears in her eyes. She looked up at Tiana and Aurora again, giving a nod. “She’s awake - we have to get her out of here. We can go to the forest, maybe. Bambi should be able to look after us both.”

SORA (TW: Blood, Wrist Slash, Broken Ribs)

Nuka ran over to the next target glancing up only briefly at his Mother and Arthur as they began to tumble. He’d help her soon, not that she needed it, Arthur was unmatched in both brilliance and brawn. He had no chance.

But Nuka felt that tick of annoyance building up. How dare any of them think they could face them. How dare they try to oppose them.

|| Grabbing the boy's wrist Nuka made a slash || drawing the blood needed and even though his wrist dripped blood it wasn’t enough for Nuka. Dropping the boy roughly he kicked him in the ribs forcing him back into a wall feeling just slightly better at the small act of violence.

TIANA

Tiana let out a sigh of relief for the first time that night. Willa was okay. That was what mattered. And Bambi would help, of course he would. Tiana tried to avoid turning serious, urgent moments into sentimental ones, but she couldn’t help it. She pulled Ella and Willa into a hug. 

“Be careful. Stay there until we give you the all clear,” Tiana instructed. “I’ve got a feeling this night is only going to get scarier.” She glanced at Aurora. “Should we all walk there together?”

Aurora 

Aurora nodded, they needed to get Ella to safety. First and foremost that was the most important thing. But there were so many screams of terror around them. People were going down. And then the most terrifying sob was heard and Aurora twisted her head to Marzel and his sister.

“I’ll back both of you up. Ella go!” There just wasn’t enough time for anything and that was the point. Strike when they were all down at least they hadn’t poisoned a child at the very least.

ELLA

It was surprisingly easy to find her feet. Ella would’ve gone alone, if Aurora and Tiana had needed to stay here to help, but she was glad that she didn’t have to. When Aurora told her to go she was up and running, following Tiana through the crowds of people. She kept Willa’s face tucked in against her chest, shielding her from as much of it as she could until they were out, and hopefully, safe.

“Thank you,” She said, once she could hear herself think. “For finding her. And for helping us both,” She looked between her housemates, smiling softly. “I suppose your night isn’t over just yet, but… we should be safe, until we have the all clear.”

TONY (TW: Broken Arm, Blood)

Salt - They had trapped his Mother with salt. These people were prepared for it and it pissed Nuka off. He needed to move quicker. As that anger ticked higher and higher, the only thing stopping him from jumping in and killing the knights was the fact his Mother needed him to collect the blood.

One more to go after this. Grabbing Tony’s arm roughly he heard the bone crack before he even drew the blood, but Nuka’s eyes were wild as he slowly stopped caring. 

Not that he did before but he dug into Tony’s skin to draw his blood before running off to his next target.

TIANA

Tiana whipped her head around at the sound and froze for a moment, but then she remembered what she was doing. She had to get Ella and Willa out. She could help Marzel once she knew they were safe. 

“Right. No time to lose,” Tiana agreed, motioning for Ella to follow her to the door. It was a good thing Talon Hall was so close to the lake, and to the forest. Hopefully the animals would have alerted Bambi. 

BAMBI:

The forest was in a tizzy. It had not been unaffected by the strange smoke that billowed through the town. Of course, the animals were left alone, and himself, but those few humans and humanoids that resided within its borders were overtaken. 

Something was very wrong. 

In an instant, the edges of the forest shored up, becoming denser. Old paths grew over and entrances to the forest became indistinguishable from the rest of the treeline. Bambi was not taking any chances with whatever this was. 

Only the birds and the smallest of critters could manage to make their way through. 

That was how he found out that Ella and Willa were headed to the forest. He cut a path, following the birds, to where the would be and with a clench of his fists, a hole opened in the trees just as the trio stopped. 

“Ella,” Bambi said, flicking his eyes towards the other two with her. He assessed them for a moment before looking back at Ella and his sister. “What’s happened?” 

Aurora 

Aurora made sure to cover the girls as they ran, the smoke was blinding and they didn’t have much time. They were going to have to move fast, be back to help the others but Willa and Ella were their family too and they needed to protect her.

Standing in front of the Great Prince was something though, even if he seemed like a kid.

“There’s a group of Vampires trying to destroy the town?” Aurora mused with a slight shrug. “It has to do with the Charter and we don’t know the repercussions of it. But it’s not going to be good. If you can protect Ella and Willa, Tiana and I would be grateful and we can go help the town.” Aurora offered a little more sincerely looking at each of her housemates. They would be fine after this, they had to be. 

ELLA

“They took her,” She blurted, shifting Willa in her arms. Ella didn’t know what exactly her daughter could hear, but she supposed it must be the forest. As soon as they had gotten close she had perked up a little, looking surprisingly no worse for wear, and now that she was within arms reach of her brother Willa twisted in her mother’s arms, reaching out a chubby little hand for him. 

Ella wasn’t so delighted, though. She knew Bambi would understand how she felt - he had been there the first time, too. “For whatever it was they did. I think she’s fine,” she added, looking at Bambi. “But I don’t… I don’t think I’ll feel safe at home.” 

BAMBI:

Bambi’s eyes narrowed, pinched, at the sorceress. Humans were so troublesome. 

Except, of course, Ella and Willa. 

He stepped closer, though he did not leave the comfort of the trees. Reaching out, he touched his sister’s hand with his own, as if reassuring himself that she was alright. His heart clenched in his chest to think something might’ve happened to her. If it was up to him, he would keep her here in the forest. Where she would be safe. 

It was not up to him. 

At least she appeared unharmed. 

“Of course, Ella. You know you are welcome here, any time. The trees are open for you.” He grabbed Ella by the bicep gently and pulled her closer, toward the trees. He looked over his shoulder at the women. 

“If there are any other children and their caretakers that need protection, tell them to come to the forest edge and say that they are a friend to the trees and creatures here. Children only.” And with that, he flicked his wrists and the trees and foliage closed around them again, plunging the forest into darkness. 

TIANA

Tiana had never ventured very far into the forest. Under other circumstances, she wasn’t sure she trusted this. But Ella trusted Bambi, so Tiana did, too. She made a note to tell people to bring children to the forest, if they had to. 

“Thank y-“ Tiana started, but the forest had already closed itself again. She turned to Aurora. “Alright, we’ve got to get back inside. I think I saw Nuka trying to hurt Marzel, I—“ Tiana couldn’t speculate. She would only make herself crazy. “I’ve got to go help him, before it’s too late.” 

NUKA

Nuka’s last target already had a knight over her body, his sword drawn to protect her. Did all of his games have to have knights attached to them? It was annoying. Dull. Boring. Blood needed to be drawn first before they really fought.

Maybe she was a distraction and he would be useless.

Either way he still had to get through him. Rushing Marzel, Nuka grabbed the sword in his palm so even though it sliced him he disarmed Marzel grabbing him around the throat so he couldn’t speak.

“We did our research. We know your kind. Don’t think your voice is going to save you here.” Nuka mocked holding tighter and tighter until Marzel couldn’t breath. The sword tossed to the side, Nuka reached over with his bloody hand though it healed and snapped Marzel’s wrist as Marzel kicked out with the power only a merman’s tail could have (Well with legs) pushing Nuka away and dropping Marzel again in front of his sister.

Coughing out Marzel leaned low. He didn’t have his human weapon but he would fight to the death to protect his sister. 

Nuka didn’t have the time, Arthur was fighting his Mother and she needed the charter broken now.

Rushing ahead Nuka didn’t attempt to play nice anymore, slamming Marzel into the wall and letting him fall limply to the ground.

Marisa was next. And Nuka was pissed off. Grabbing the girl’s throat he squeezed watching her even unconscious struggle for a breath before he sliced down her arm, watching the blood fall like a waterfall. More than enough to shatter that charter. And with this he had done what he needed to do.

Weren’t you proud of him, Mother?

Looking up at his Mother to see how she was doing, that elation dropped and Nuka snarled, she was bleeding.

What had he done, what had Arthur done! She wasn’t healing!

Nuka needed to get to her, to protect her. And as he worried about his mother his grip tightened on Marisa’s neck, cracks heard but not cared about. It was this distraction that allowed Marzel his opening. Slicing his sword through Nuka forcing him to drop Marisa, Marzel rushed to catch her and stop her head from cracking on the ground.

Grabbing his sister Marzel checked her pulse, watching her head lull to the side. At first he couldn’t even find it and when he did it just grew weaker, fainter. Her name could heal- maybe- hopefully. He just needed to stop the bleeding as it pooled around them. 

Marzel scrambled to rip off pieces of his jacket trying to stop the bleeding. Begging his sister to live. They were supposed to go back to the ocean, they were supposed to lead their pod. He was going to follow her to the ends of the earth.

He had only been here to protect her.

The sobs ripped out of his throat as he tried to save her as he begged for help, covered in her blood.

“Marisa, please. Please. I’m sorry I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry. Please just wake up. I’ll do better next time please. I won’t fail again. Please. I’m sorry Valentino I promised you I’d protect my family and I failed again. Please please. Just give me this chance.” Marzel begged again and again as his sister’s head lulled to the side.

Those words couldn’t be the last. Those words couldn’t be the last ones he heard from her.

This couldn’t be the end, it couldn’t.

“Wake up please. Wake up.”

Aurora 

Well that worked? Even if it was a bit rude. All that mattered was that Ella and Willa were safe. And any kids that needed protection as well.

Nodding at Tiana they both rushed inside, where Nuka was ready to go after Marzel again and he was clutching at his sister sobbing. 

TIANA

Tiana had remained in the shadows, trying not to let Nuka see her. She just needed to protect Willa and Ella. That was top priority. And she trusted Marzel to handle this on his own. After all, the sparring attempts with Belle had proven that Tiana was not the best fighter. But she was small and quick, and she believed she would be best suited to hanging back.

But when she saw what Nuka did to Marisa, Tiana had to clasp a hand over her mouth to hold back a scream. It was just so brutal, so cruel. And so surreal. Once, Tiana had considered Nuka and Marisa her friends. Marisa was her best waitress, and Nuka was one of her best customers. And now, he had-- no. He couldn’t have. Marisa had to be…

Nuka fell and Marzel caught Marisa, and the sound of his voice was enough to confirm to Tiana what had happened. Tiana staggered backward, her hand still over her mouth, tears falling without Tiana even really noticing, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her as she struggled to catch her breath but it caught in her throat. No. No. No.

She couldn’t stand there any longer. She had to do something. Tiana rushed over to Marzel, one hand on his shoulder, the other reaching for Marisa’s hand. It was all over. The realization was crushing and horrible, but Tiana knew it was a million times worse for Marzel. He needed to get out of here before he got hurt-- or worse. He was in pain. He wasn’t going to be thinking straight. Tiana knew loss well, and she didn’t know if she would still be here if she were in a battle situation when she had found out what had happened to her father.

“Marzel,” she said in a low voice, a little wobbly but determined. “Take Marisa and go. Someone can help her. There… there has to be something. But I’ll take on Nuka. You need to get out of here.”

MARZEL/AURORA/NUKA

They had gotten Willa back and for the most part that was all Aurora cared about, at least until she could tell how many people were getting injured during this. It was bloody, it was terrible and Aurora couldn’t stop it. Directing Lolly to stay at Ella and Willa’s side Aurora watched the terror appear on Tiana’s face and her rush down to Marzel and Marisa.

She didn’t know them well not more than within the knights for Marzel but the pain of losing a sibling was insurmountable. Aurora already knew that. His regents were painful to look at.

But Nuka was already standing and Marzel wasn’t moving, as he continued to sob into Marisa’s chest, her heart a slow beat.

Marzel couldn’t even feel the pain of his broken wrist. Not when it felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest. Did he have anything to live for if he had failed his duty.

Tiana’s words barely registered to him. He did need to get Marisa out of here, he needed to get her help. Gathering her body in his arms ready to run Nuka stood up and Aurora moved to grab her talismans keeping Willa and Ella behind her.

“Too late.” Nuka called out. “One, Two, Three, Falter. One Two Falter.” He called out in regards to Marisa’s heart. “She’s lost too much blood. Even a mermaid like you can’t survive that.” Nuka grinned a side glance thrown to Zira and Arthur. She would be fine. Nuka had a game to play and it seemed his favourite player had thought she won.

“Can you really take me on Tiana. Of course you don’t remember all the times you already tried but it never goes well.”

TIANA

Wait— a mermaid?

Confusion flickered across her face as she looked at Marzel and Marisa, as though trying to figure out whether that could be true just by looking at them. No, not the time, Tiana thought. She’d try and figure that one out later. Right now, there were lives at stake. And she wouldn’t put it past Nuka to say something just with the purpose of confusing her.

She drew her sword, praying that her practice wouldn’t fail her now. Oddly enough, Tiana thought of Belle. Irritating, maybe a little bit, but self-assured and competent. She needed to channel a little bit of that energy. Maybe that twisted ankle wouldn’t be for nothing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. But you’re outnumbered, Blackwell. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Tiana said in a voice that was not really her own. She wished she could muster the strength of Gareth— but Gareth was scared, too. Tiana was just going to have to lean on her team. “Either say your piece and surrender, or you’re going to lose this fight.” 

MARZEL/AURORA/NUKA

Nuka scoffed at Tiana’s ill placed confidence. He could say his piece but it would be more fun for her to relive it. Meeting her eyes Nuka compelled her to remember before meeting Aurora’s and doing the same.

Anger flooded through Aurora as she remembered and it was only one instance to remember. Reaching out Aurora threw the seeds forward quickly turning the house into a battlefield she could control vines wrapping around him and when he ripped them and moved away Aurora tried again and again. Not letting up. She didn’t know how Tiana would react and she needed to cover her.

And Marzel who had sunk to the ground knowing his sister wasn’t making it out of here, not alive. He tucked her hair behind her ear and softly sang to her as if he could take away any of the pain she might be feeling. Marzel had failed but he would get revenge for her, even if he died doing so.

Slowly Marisa’s heart stopped and Marzel whispered his goodbyes forcing himself to stand. His voice was still horse from what Nuka had done earlier but it wouldn’t matter. His wrist was broken but it didn’t matter not as he drew his sword again.

He was going to kill this bastard.

TIANA

There was so much happening at once. Too much. Time seemed to go in slow motion, the vines creeping over the floor and Marzel falling to the ground and the memories coming back to her, one after the other. Each one started out familiar: Nuka, joking and flirting with her at the bar. Nuka, walking home with her after work. And then the unfamiliar part: Nuka, sinking his teeth into her neck. It was almost like Tiana was back there again, in that alley, and she felt the terror seize her in a way that was so real, so palpable, that she never wanted to feel that way again. 

Tiana was proud and stubborn. She didn’t let anyone control her destiny but her. And yet the memories proved that someone had, over and over again managed to terrify and control her, then wipe it from her memory. That was what angered Tiana most. Not the blood drawn from her, not even the betrayal of someone she had once considered a friend. It was the fact that Nuka had managed to make her feel so weak and pathetic, so out of control of her own life. 

As she grasped the full extent of what had happened, Tiana started to become aware of her surroundings again, and she heard Marzel’s song, low and mournful, an unfamiliar language. Maybe he was a merman… but that was not the point right now, Tiana reminded herself.

Nuka had taken away the one thing Tiana clung most tightly to: her dignity. And, worse, he had killed a woman in cold blood, an innocent woman, someone who used to help Tiana when the restaurant got crazy and who made Tiana want to be a better boss. And clearly someone who Marzel loved very dearly. Tiana had never seen Marzel like this before. She had always thought he was cold, guarded, closed-off. Marisa brought out something different in him. And now, she was gone. 

This time, Tiana didn’t even need to pretend. She was angry, numb to the pain, ready to do whatever it took to make Nuka feel as pathetic as he had made Tiana feel. “You are despicable,” Tiana spat, raising her sword higher. She glanced at Marzel, who was drawing his sword, and she could see something dangerous in his eyes. Under other circumstances, Tiana might have told him to go, that he wasn’t in his right mind, that he shouldn’t do something he might regret. But Tiana had no mercy left. Not after the horrors she had just seen Nuka commit. “Rot in hell.”

She exchanged a look with Marzel and then charged forward, her sword raised. 

MARZEL/AURORA/NUKA

Marzel truly had no emotion on his face, the anger seeped just below the surface bubbling, his rage was palpable. He was empty, his purpose in life was to protect his future Queen and he had failed. Just like he failed to protect his late fiance, just like he failed to protect his home.

There was nothing quite like the rage of a siren scorned. And this time it was toward a vampire and thankfully not a human. 

Nuka didn’t notice nor care about this journey on Marzel’s face, but Aurora did. She watched the waves of anger roll off of him and she never knew an instance she had seen a reagent that dark and suffocating. It was only matched when Nuka glanced up and watched his mother fall to the ground and his rage surrounded him.

Suddenly the vines he had been able to dodge along with Tiana and Marzel’s sword weren’t what he was focused on. 

Nuka screamed about killing him while he battled the two knights but as soon as Aurora could surround him she grabbed him tightly with all the vines even as her head swung.

“I can’t hold onto him much longer!” Aurora yelled out.

TIANA

This was probably some of Tiana’s best work when it came to fighting, which wasn’t saying much, considering her inexperience and her ankle injury, but it was saying something. She managed to hold Nuka off, anyway, even if the few hits she managed to get in barely seemed to faze him. The vines helped. But Tiana didn’t want Aurora to use all of her energy. 

“Aurora, it’s okay! We’ve got it! Save your energy!” Tiana called over her shoulder. She wasn’t so sure about that, but if Aurora fell unconscious, it would be another person down. And another person the Blackwells could try to use for their scheme— although, as Zira fell in the distance, Tiana gained more hope that the Knights might actually be able to stop them. 

No time to think about that, though. She kept trying to pin Nuka against the wall, but he was too fast, too strong. At the very least, though, the vines kept him from escaping. 

It occurred to Tiana, as she and Marzel surrounded Nuka, that if he slipped up even slightly, they could beat him. And then— what were they going to do? Turn him in to the Sheriff? Make him beg for mercy? Kill him? Tiana had never in her life wanted to kill someone before. She wasn’t sure she did now, even. But there was a determined glint in Marzel’s eye. And after seeing what Nuka had done to Marisa… Tiana made a decision.

If Marzel tried to kill Nuka, Tiana wasn’t going to stop him.

She slashed at Nuka, slowing him down, and shot Marzel a meaningful glance. One that said, Do it. 

MARZEL/AURORA/NUKA

Marzel didn’t know what was up with Aurora and Tiana, why she couldn’t hold her magic. But he did know he didn’t need her to hold him. Even now as he struggled against the vines, hissing and ripping them apart. 

Aurora stumbled even with the call of Tiana. She needed to conserve her energy and even without Lolly she knew she was using too much of her magic. With Willa and Ella behind her they couldn’t take a chance.

But there was a moment that Nuka stopped fighting, a calm surrounding him and Aurora watched Marzel’s lips moving singing him into a stupor. Slowing him down enough and reaching out for Tiana. The last blow would be his.

This wasn’t the first time that Marzel had killed someone and it wasn’t going to be the last, there was no hesitation nor was there any regret. Not for Nuka of all people. Marzel wished he could make it more painful.

That’s why at the last second he stopped his song, waited until the recognition flooded his face and then Marzel sliced through his neck his head falling off his body and he stabbed his sword through his body.

“How do we make sure he’s dead?” Marzel questioned. Glancing back at the girls.”

“Fire?” Aurora supplied weakly, all her resolve to do anything to protect Willa and Ella, Tiana now that she had jumped into a fight escaped her as she her vines got coated in blood. She had participated in that.

TIANA

It all happened so fast. And Tiana thought she had prepared herself, but how did you prepare for a murder happening right in front of you? Even if it was one you had aided in, of a person you despised more than anyone else…

A wave of nausea came over Tiana. But she had to focus. Nuka was a vampire, which meant it would be difficult to tell whether he was dead for good-- Tiana tried to remember what she knew about killing vampires. Not very much. Maybe she should have studied this more… but it was too late at this point. 

“Sure. Yes. Fire,” Tiana said, trying to get her bearings. One thing at a time. Having a next step to focus on helped. Zooming out too much and thinking about how insane all of this was did not. She realized she was shaking all over. Tiana took a deep breath and tried to focus on the task at hand. “B-but I don’t want anyone else getting hurt… maybe we ought to go outside? Or we could find a Magick who could do it…” 

In the distance, other fighting continued, but Tiana tried to block it out, Otherwise, she was going to completely lose it. One thing at a time.

MARZEL

“I’ll just burn his head. He can’t survive that.” Marzel stated simply. Perhaps he would feed his body to a shark or something. Of course that would be hard to do but Marzel didn’t care. Nuka deserved to die in the most painful way possible.

Gaining a lighter from somewhere Marzel arranged Aurora’s vines in a way to burn them and eventually Nuka’s head. It was Simba’s voice that brough Marzel’s attention away and he glanced to Arthur.

“I’ll finish up here. Go to Arthur.” Marzel would be right behind, his eyes trailing to his sister’s dead body and focusing back on disposing on Nuka.

TIANA

Tiana didn’t have to be told twice. She wanted to get away from this scene as quickly as possible. The image of Nuka killing Marisa would haunt her forever, she knew, and the less time she spent here around all this death, the better. But there was one more thing to do.

Tiana glanced at Aurora to make sure she was still conscious (she looked a little ill, but still okay) and then turned her gaze to Marisa. Her coworker. Her friend, even, lately. Tiana burned with regret that she hadn’t gotten to know her better. But all she had was this moment.

“Just… one second,” Tiana said, and knelt down beside Marisa’s body. If only she had gotten here sooner— if only she had been strong or fast or brave enough to take Nuka down before he had the chance to harm Marisa. She couldn’t change the past, but she could at least do her best now to say goodbye. She took off her tuxedo jacket and laid it on Marisa like a blanket, like she could be sleeping, covering the massive gash on her arm and the bruising on her throat. 

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears again. It was so uncharacteristic of Tiana, to be emotional and sentimental like this. But everything felt wrong. Everything felt off. This was the only thing that felt right. She imagined this was the kind of thing her mother would do if an innocent person was killed, and that was the thought that she clung to. Compassion and kindness and gentleness. Things Tiana didn’t always think she was capable of. So she channeled Eudora. 

She pressed a gentle kiss to Marisa’s forehead and then stood up, rolling up the sleeves of her dress shirt. “Alright. Let’s go find Arthur.” 

MARZEL

Nuka’s head burned and there was no relief from the pain. The anger and grief, he had killed and nothing felt better. Of course Marzel knew it wouldn’t solve anything, he killed and killed and none of the lives of his pod had been returned. This would never heal Marzel, nothing ever could.

He was a broken man before his sister died and he was nothing of one now that she had.

Marzel barely appreciated Tiana’s sentiment, he couldn’t. He just didn’t have it in him.

Stumbling to his sister Marzel ran his fingers over her hair before picking her up and setting her away from the fray. She wouldn’t be hurt anymore tonight. And this night wasn’t close to being finished, even as Aurora and Tiana moved to speak to Arthur, Marzel knew it wasn’t over, the night was just beginning.

Eventually Marzel stood, placing a kiss on Marisa’s hair. “I’ll be back soon. You would want me to protect the people here wouldn’t you? To love and appreciate humans. I may never to the extent that you did. But I will protect them for you. That I promise.” Marzel stated softly before moving to join the other knights around their king.

[eleanorbloom]

When You’re Ready Ch. 10

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f! MC (Eleanor Bloom) x Ethan Ramsey.

Word Count: 5.3k (Sorry!!!)

Warning: Innuendos at the beginning, then, just angst and a bit of cursing.

A/N: Yes, I’m sorry. Today’s chapter is the longest I’ve done so far, but it’s worth it (at least to me) because is about my babyyyy. Things are going to get harder from now on, so I’m excited for the upcoming chapters!! I hope you enjoy the angst because there’s more to come. Hehe.

A/N2: I’m gonna post some One Shots for Kinktober, so I was wondering if anyone wants to be tagged? It will be BrycexEleanor and DrakexMC from The Royal Romance. I’ve never published anything for TRR but I’m planning to write something in the future. Meanwhile, I’ll exercise with some smut muahaha. So let me know if you wanna be tagged 😏

Taglist @utterlyinevitable @binny1985 @shanzay44 @choicesficwriterscreations @laiba-the-person @starrystarrytrouble @lahellacute @lucy-268​ @aylamreads @cinnamonspongecake @romewritingshop @angela8756

_______

Chapter 10: Stay.

Funny you’re the broken one

But I’m the only one who needed saving.

 “Is that Raf?”—Eleanor raised her head from Bryce’s chest and stared at the ceiling, trying to prick up her ear.

At the distance, it was heard a deep voice in the middle of a mix of laughter.

“Yeah, that’s totally him.”

“What is he doing here so early?”

“Early?”—He chuckled—"It’s midday, babe.”

“Midday?!”—She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and checked. It was 12.10.—"And how we slept through all morning?”

“We stayed up late, don’t you remember? I think we got here like 3 am and then you just couldn’t shut up about how mad you were because Ramsey is being irrational about the influencer girl.”

“Oh, right. Drunken rant.”—Her cheeks blushed—“I’m sorry”

“Why are you sorry?”

“For making you hear all this crap when probably I ranted all night at Donahue’s about it.”

“Actually, you were just pissed off that Ramsey was mad at you, but when we got here you said the real stuff.”

“Like what?”

“Like you think that Ramsey is suspecting about your relationship with me and he’s taking it on you. He’s mad because you went behind his back with the Gwyneth thing, obviously, but he has contained his rage for weeks, and now he’s just… exploding.”

“Oh, fuck, you’re right, I did say that—She covered her face with both hands—"God, I’m so stupid.”

“Why? I think you’re right. He’s been acting like an ass with me this whole time too, he looks at me like I’m a piece of garbage or something.”

“But it’s really unprofessional that he is taking a work issue to an extreme just because he is what? Jealous? Mad that I’m getting over him? It’s very inconsistent of him.”

“Yes, it is. Are you going to do something about it?”

“Like what?”

“Like talk to him, tell him to stop,, that he shouldn’t take it on you at work just because he’s jealous.”

“I… I don’t know, I wouldn’t like to mix things, maybe I’m wrong.”

“You’re not wrong, Elle. You can’t let him be this ass with you, much less affect your work.”

Bryce saw how her head inside was spinning around, and her hands tensed over his rib cage.

“Just think about it.”—He added, stroking her hair comfortingly—"Don’t think for a second this is your fault, ‘cause it’s not. He made his choice in the first place.”

“I know…”

Eleanor leaned on her elbow to look at him in the eyes, smiling faintly at him.

“Thank you for being so understanding”

Bryce smiled back and then caressed her cheek while his eyes were expressing tenderness and protection.

She nuzzled into his soft chest losing herself into the sweet scent from his neck.

“Let’s focus on something less stressing and boring instead”—She whispered, lovingly.

“Like what?”—He asked tantalizingly roaming his hands through her back.

“Like the fact that I’m finally waking up with you.”

“Aw, you woke up really sugary today, uh?”

“Don’t you like it?”—She asked seriously.

“I have sweet tooth just because of you.”

“Awwww”—Eleanor encircled her arms around his neck pulling him down to her lips.—“You’re saying I’m sugary, but you just gave me a diabetic coma.”

“And I am having constipation ‘cause you, Eleanor Bloom, are being too cheesy.”

She burst out laughing, resonating in the whole apartment.

“Bryce! You’re impossible.”

“And you are impopsicle, babe.”—Before she could retort anything, he caught her lips into his, his hands travelling slowly down her bum. He deepened the kiss the moment she opened her mouth in a sigh.

“Do we have time for a quickie before getting ready for the concert?”

“Is it me or you’re doubting about your timing skills?”

“No, I’m just asking for consent.”

“We are wasting precious seconds, Dr. Lahela.”

Both chuckled before Eleanor pushed him against the bed and climbed on top of him, the sheets falling and pooling behind her, exposing her bare body.

“Sweet, sweet cowgirl ride me till the end of the world if you want”

Eleanor laughed hard again.

“Yeehaw!”—She joked between laughs.

This time it took like two minutes to make her stop. It would have been more if it weren’t for Bryce, who replaced her laughs for other more improper exclamations  that soon had to be hushed too.

By the time Bryce and Eleanor appeared in the living room, all their friends were ready for the Music Festival Eleanor had invited them, courtesy of her patient, Gwyneth Monroe. After a quick chat, they all headed to Cambridge, excited for the new adventure.

The group spent the afternoon eating, drinking, playing lawn games and, of course, enjoying the music. At some point, they split when Eleanor, Kyra, and Aurora decided to see an art exposition while Bryce, Elijah, and Jackie joined Sienna to see an indie band she had been fangirling all afternoon.

Once the group met again, an hour later, it didn’t take long for Bryce and Eleanor to get lost in the crowd, enjoying the music while savoring the moment alone in the open air.

The sun was about to set when Bryce felt his phone buzzing. As he pulled it out of his pocket the letters froze him. He ended the call and saw 10 missing calls and a lot of messages in the notification bar.

“Bryce, where are you?”

“I’m outside your apartment.”

“Bryce, please answer me! Are you at work?”

Eleanor stared at him worried, sensing his nervousness.

“Is everything alright?”

“I… I have to go.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Nothing, I just remembered tomorrow I have a really difficult surgery and I need to study up.”

“Okay.”—Her brows knitted, suspicious.

He kissed her quickly and turned to leave, but she caught his wrist before he could get lost in the crowd.

“Bryce!”

“What?”—He replied, trying to hide the fear that was invading him just right.

“If something wrong you can tell me, you know that, right?”

“Yeah.”

He smiled faintly and gave her one last kiss before walking out of the crowd.

He didn’t know how he reached the parking lot and got in the car, his hands were trembling and a knot of anxious had settled in his stomach. He pulled the phone out and called back.

“Bryce!”—He heard on the other end of the line—"God, I’ve been trying to reach you for hours, where are you?!”

“Keiki, what’s going on? How is that that you’re in Boston?”

“I’ll explain later, are you coming?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in forty.”

“Hurry up, I’m bored to death here.”

When he got to his floor, she found a tall girl in a red leather jacket sitting against his door, a backpack between her legs. He barely recognized her, even if he had seen dozens of pictures of her on her social networks. She was a teenager now, not the little girl that said goodbye to him with tears in her eyes when he left for college.

“Keiki”

“Bryce”—She said getting up from the floor. He opened the door a few moments later and both got in.

“Can you explain to me now what you are doing here?”

“Hey, bro, I’m glad to see you too.”—She ironized—“Thanks for the kind welcoming.”

“Keiki, please.”

“I ran away from home, okay?”

“You what?”

“I don’t wanna live there anymore.”

“Keiki, you can’t do that”

“Why not? You did it.”

“I went for college…”—He replied, feeling the guilt sharpening inside him.

“Yes, and then you never came back because you couldn’t stand our parents. It’s the same with me.”

“That doesn’t excuse that you escaped from home and underage. Do you have a plan? Or you’ll just wait until they come here to take you back and maybe they will report me for child kidnap?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Bryce. They wouldn’t that.”

“Still this isn’t right, Keiki. It could’ve happened something to you on your way here.”

“Yeah, but it would have been worth it if it means not spend another second in Maui.”

Bryce looked at her, intrigued. He couldn’t understand how things were bad for her if she had everything she wanted back in Hawai. A room the size of his apartment, all the clothes she wanted, and millions of things to do. But that was enough? He knew well it wasn’t.

“Can I stay with you?”

“Of course, Keiki, but you’ll go back tomorrow. Call mom to know if she can buy you a ticket flight back, I’m not sure I have the money for that.”

“Don’t you understand? I’m not coming back there, Bryce. Period.”

He shook his head and sighed. It was impossible to reason with her, and he knew it wouldn’t get anything by pushing her even more.

“Call her to let her know you’re here, then.”

“I bet she already knows.”

She seated on the couch, looking at him defiantly. He just ignored her act.

“Have you eaten something?”

“Some Doritos I bought around the corner.”

“What do you want to eat? I’m calling a delivery.”

“You don’t cook? I want real food, Bryce.”

“I’m a surgeon, not a chef, Keiki”

“Either way, you should know how to feed yourself by now, how you have survived all these years?”

“Take out.”

“Unbelievable”

Bryce didn’t know what to do. Maybe he could just watch a video on Youtube and cook something basic to save the day. Eleanor’s face popped in his mind, but he shook off the idea as soon as it emerged. Calling her would implicate to tell her the truth about his family and he wasn’t ready for that.

“Okay.”—He said after some deliberation—"I’ll go to the grocery store, so you have food for breakfast tomorrow and all that. Do you wanna go with me?”

“Nah, I’m tired, I think I’m gonna lay down a bit.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be back in a bit.”

The moment he was out of the apartment, Bryce rubbed his hand across his face in exasperation. He didn’t know what to do, how to deal with his sister, and with the mistake he had been making all those years.

He always knew he shouldn’t have left her sister just like he did; never go back to Maui; call her just once in a while to finally only for her birthday. The guilt that has been accompanying him for ten years was materializing now in one of his worst fears: face his sister and deal with the consequences of his abandonment, the rage and the loneliness she might be feeling, all without prior notice.

He tried to clear his mind. At that moment he needed to stay calm to give Keiki the stability she had come to look for with him. He was the adult there, so he couldn’t let the feelings overwhelm him and make Keiki feel worse than she already was. 

Once he regained calmness, Bryce made his way to the grocery store where he collected all the ingredients for a spaghetti recipe he read on the internet, plus some vegetables, fruits, bread, butter, bacon, eggs, cookies, Doritos, so Keiki would have something to have breakfast and eat while she was at his place.

When the doors of the elevator opened again on his floor, she found the silhouette of a woman with a black and golden dress on, talking to Keiki. He froze for a moment until both directed to him.

“Elle”

“Hi Bryce”—She looked at him surprised, while Keiki just eyed them, leaning in the door frame, arms crossed.—“What’s happening?”

“Let’s get inside and talk, okay?”

Keiki moved backwars to let Bryce and Eleanor in. He went straight to the kitchen and set the bags over the counter meticulously, like trying to gain some time before facing her. After a few moments, Bryce turned to Eleanor.  

“Elle, this is my sister Keiki. She arrived today from Maui. She’s visiting.”

“Like hell. I told you I’m not planning to go back there, Bryce.”—She barked while she was flopping on the couch with the remote control in her hand.

“Hi Keiki, I’m Eleanor, nice to meet you”—She replied, giving a smile, even if she wasn’t looking at her.

“Yeah”—The girl just said, her eyes not moving from the TV.

Bryce just sighed, making evident his frustration. Eleanor looked at him worried and then pulled him to the kitchen.

“Can you explain to me now what’s happening? Why your sister ran away from home? Hell, I didn’t even know you had a sister, Bryce.”

Even if he wasn’t ready to talk about it, Bryce knew it wasn’t fair Eleanor didn’t know he had a sister, while she had talked about her family countless times.

“Elle, I…”—Now another fear was materializing: telling the truth about his family to someone from Boston. To the woman he loved, no less.—“To make a long story short, my family was a big deal in Hawaii. When I was in high school my dad went to jail for insider trading, and my mom only got off by testifying against him even though she was right there helping him the whole time.”

Eleanor gazed thoughtfully at him until she realized.

“Oh my god, Bryce… Your parents are The Lahelas? As in property tycoons turned white collars criminals The Lahelas?”

“That’s my family, and Keiki lives with them back in Hawaii. Dad got paroled a while ago for good behavior.”

Bryce saw as she remained in silence, surprise in her eyes. He couldn’t help but wince, waiting for the disappointed look, the disgust, the judgment. But nothing of it came. She instead tried to understand why Keiki was running away from home, what could have triggered that. She tried to convince him that this was not a simple rebellion as he was thinking. There was no judgment in her eyes or words. She just focused on Keiki and how to help him to deal with her.

Once Bryce felt less tense, he asked Eleanor to help him with dinner, which she accepted gladly. Half an hour later, the three of them enjoyed a plate of pasta that felt tastier as it was a result of collaborative work. 

Even if Keiki was hesitant to talk at first, the food put her in such a good mood that Eleanor got her to chat a bit with her, Bryce observing the exchange with admiration. From the answers, Eleanor could tell Keiki was a smart girl and mature for her age; she had a hot temper but the same self-assurance Bryce had, even the same smirks and looks.

“Thanks for dinner, Eleanor. .”—Keiki said before going to sleep.—"Good to know I won’t starve to death my first night here.”

“You’re welcome. It was nice to meet you, Keiki.”

She smiled at her and then got to the room.

Eleanor and Bryce stood in silence for a bit, none of then sure who had to speak first.

“Bryce, why you never told me? This is big.”—Eleanor finally said, standing in front of him, concerned.

“I know… I just…I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Of you judging me.”

“Judge you? How could I judge you, Bryce?”

“Because it has always been like this. People know me and it’s okay at first, but then, when they know that I’m the son of a criminal, they assure me it’s okay but they never look at me the same, never treat me the same. They look at me like I’m about to do something, or like I’m a professional liar and I’m trying to cheat on them.”

“Bryce..”—She whispered, cupping his cheeks, her eyes full of sadness.

“I wanted to start from scratch here, no one knowing about my parents, no one judging me for that, just focusing on what I am, on how hard I worked to be at Edenbrook and be known for that.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry this happened to you.”—She said as he took him in her arms, embracing him tightly.

They stayed in silence for a while.

“How could you ever think that I would judge you, that I would treat you like that? I would never, Bryce. Never.”

“I know but some part of me thought you would.”

“Now I understand why you always changed the topic when I asked you.”

He nodded.

“But now you know you can trust me, right? Whatever you need, I’ll have your back.”

“I know, but… it’s not that simple, Eleanor. Since high school, people have seen me as a disease the moment they know I’m a Lahela, so I’ve never had anyone to trust about what I felt or just tell…stuff… the stress, the sadness… the things friends share. I never needed anyone to deal with problems, I could do it on my own until… until I met you, but I’ve ignored the feeling because I don’t wanna hold on to you, I’m scared that you’ll go away and I’ll lose the one person I trusted.”

“Why would I go?”

“Because nothing’s settled between us. There’s still the possibility that you’ll go with Ramsey or simply break up with me because you don’t want me anymore.”

“Bryce, we’ve been together for two whole months, I’m not planning to go anywhere.”

“Yeah, that’s what you say now, but you still want our relationship to be a secret because you don’t want Ramsey to know and make it a reality, because some part of you don’t want it to be true.”

“How can you say that?”

“Don’t be hypocrite Eleanor, please. I’m not stupid.”—Bryce retorted, hurt. She had never seen him this serious and cold.

“It’s not like that. And I don’t get where you’re going with this.”

“My point is, Eleanor, that I want to trust you, I really do want to tell you what is happening inside my head, but I can’t if the one person I can trust maybe won’t be here with me in two months or in a year. It doesn’t work like that with me. I have to keep on my own as always.”

“Bryce, no matter what, I’ll always be here for you, even if things turn out different-”

“No, Eleanor”—He interrupted—“Please don’t do this. Don’t be this selfish, thinking that if we end up things, we could go back to what we were. If I hold on you, I don’t know how I’ll deal with losing you or be away from you while I heal.”

“Bryce… Don’t be afraid, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith…”

“Don’t you think I haven’t taken enough leaps, Eleanor? I showed my feelings for you, I told you I loved you even before we were dating. You’re the only person I’ve done that with, and yet there is always a possibility that you won’t feel the same ever. And what about you? Yeah, you took a leap when you started dating me, but you can’t take a leap in leaving Ramsey in the past, tell him the truth, scrub all over his face that you moved on, because your ego is terrified that you weren’t enough to heal him. So, don’t dare to tell me that I should take a leap.”

He turned around and sat on the couch, both hands over his hair.

Eleanor looked at him, seeing the real Bryce for the first time. The Bryce that feels in pain, angry, annoyed, frustrated. Vulnerable. Human. The side she had never seen in him and she always wanted to know.

She took a few steps towards him and squatted down to face him.

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to push you —She murmured—”I just want you to know that I’m here for you if you need me, okay?”

“I know, but I don’t think I’m ready for this, Eleanor. This is too much, and I need to deal with this on my own, that’s how I know best.”

“I understand.—She said softly, while taking his hands on hers.

The moment he felt his touch, his eyes threatened with tears and a knot ached in his throat. He pulled away from her grip.

“I… uh… I need you to go, Eleanor. I want to be alone.”

“Of course”—She replied, standing up.  

Once she collected her things she went to the door.

“Whatever you decide, just remember that I want the best for you, Bryce. I know we are in a complicated situation right now, but I’m doing my best to end this hell soon.”

And she left.

Bryce stood unmoved on the couch recounting the events of the past hours as the tears streamed down his face.

His biggest fears had occurred, and now he was feeling the incessant need of trusting Eleanor, tell her all the pain that was buried in his heart, but he just couldn’t. Just like his issues about his parents,  he had been burying the thoughts about Eleanor not wanting to confront Ethan about their relationship. He knew she still loved him and couldn’t blame her for that, but it was hurting him more than he thought, and he had just ignored his feelings and not said anything to her because if he opened up to Eleanor, even for one single thing, it would be like to open the pandora box, and he wasn’t ready to let all go.

Things were difficult in the next days. Keiki was absolutely decided to stay with him, especially since his parents didn’t reach him or Keiki to make her come back to Maui, and he still didn’t know how to deal with Keiki, because at any try of conversation, they ended up fighting or she ignoring his tries to be friendly.

The frustration and guilty were getting bigger and bigger.

He didn’t speak to Eleanor, and barely spend time with the rest of his friends. He just locked in on himself, focusing on working hard, and go straight home to be with Keiki even if they didn’t say anything or just argued. She was alone all day so she needed some company, and he really wanted to understand her, bonding with her and be like they were before, o maybe not like before, but he wanted to be her brother again.

However, soon he realized that he had been too harsh with Eleanor. Even if she was still in love with Ethan and didn’t want to make it official, it was all within their agreement. And more importantly, she had always been very respectful of their relationship, because she had only eyes and time for Bryce, and even if she wasn’t ready to commit, to tell the truth to Ethan and stop loving him, she was all in the relationship with him. He was her priority, he sensed that. He knew it.  Because she had been refusing any contact with Ethan since he was back.  When Bryce assumed that Eleanor had kissed him the night she stayed at Donahue’s, the reality was different.  And Ethan’s behavior the past weeks was proof of that. So, he felt bad for reacting that way. She didn’t deserve it when she only wanted to help.

*

Bryce was walking by the fourth floor, expecting to find Eleanor there, when he heard heated voices inside an empty room.

“This anger you have against me is about something else and I won’t allow it, Ethan.”

“What do you mean by ‘something else’?”

“Not work-related. You have been an ass to me for weeks, and whatever might be your reason, you’re being unprofessional and you’re exactly what you wanted to avoid.”

Then, absolute silence.

If Bryce was right, Eleanor was confronting Ethan about his behavior in the past weeks. She didn’t address the problem openly, but it was clearly a step he thought she wouldn’t take so soon.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”—She said when she ran into him, not cathing it was him at first.—"Bryce? Hi”

“Eleanor”—They stared in silence for a moment—"I was looking for you. What time does your shift end?”

Bryce saw the brief moment Ethan passed behind Eleanor, his face impassive and cold as steel, ignoring their existence completely.

“Half an hour, I’m doing my final round. Why?”

“I need to speak to you, meet me in the atrium as always?”

“Okay, yeah.”—Her cheeks flushed and couldn’t help but look at him with hope.

“See ya later, then.”

He waited in their usual spot and finally, fifteen minutes later, she appeared.

“I’m so sorry, I had to run new tests for a patient, and it took me ages.”

“Don’t worry, I’m glad you’re here.”

“So…”

“Let’s go to my car, we can talk there.”

“Okay.

Once both got in the car, they looked at each other until Bryce broke the silence.

“Elle, I want to apologize. I realized I was too unfair with you the other day. I know you were trying to help and I just took it on you, because I was frustrated with the situation and I didn’t know how to deal with it, let alone with another person offering help.”

“It’s okay, Bryce, it’s me who should apologize. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.”

“No, you were trying to help me, and I thank you for that. But I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that about Ramsey. You have been very respectful to our relationship, I want you to know that. I really appreciate it, babe. It’s just that sometimes this is… hard.”

“Bryce, listen, you were right, you don’t have to apologize for telling me the truth. I am afraid, and sadly I still have feelings for Ethan and I don’t want to hurt him, but I don’t want to hurt you either, so it’s all so complicated.”

“I know, Elle, I know, that’s why I shouldn’t have been so rude. By no means you have been unfair or mean to me. It’s just that this is getting a bit hard for me, that’s all, especially now that I’m dealing with something big in my life and I want to hold on to you… But I’m terrified to do so.”

Eleanor rested her hands over his. 

“Look, I know I can’t promise you we will be together forever, but I want you to know that our relationship it’s the most important thing to me now, and I’ll do whatever I can to take care of us. We are still in this difficult process until things are clear inside my head, but right now I want to be here for you, I want to help you with your sister and with whatever you need. Just say the word, okay?”

He smiled thankfully and then nodded.

“Truce?”—She said, offering her hand.

“Truce”—He agreed, but instead of taking her hand, he kissed her sweetly in the lips.

Eleanor giggled against him.

“God, I missed you so much.”—He sighed, parting from her just a brief moment, to keep kissing her for another couple of seconds.

“Me too. These days have been a real nightmare without you. How are you dealing with Keiki?”

“Not so well, actually. That’s why I wanted to ask you if you would like to go home with me tonight. I haven’t been able to talk with Keiki, and if you there with me, maybe I’ll understand her better. I don’t wanna fight with her anymore.”

Eleanor smiled warmly at him.

“This means that you’re letting me in?”

Bryce had made his decision but couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

“Yes. I want you with me in all this, Elle.”

“You won’t regret it. I promise.”

When they get home a delicious smell invaded their nostrils. Keiki was in the kitchen apparently frying some beef.

“Hey Keiki”—They both greeted.

“Hey. Eleanor, I didn’t know you were coming. I hope I’m doing enough food for the three of us.”

“We’ll make it work”—Bryce said, hopeful.

“If not, Bryce, you can call a delivery just as you like.”

“Haha, always so loving, sis. Whatcha doing?”

“Mongolian beef, I found an easy recipe on Instagram and here I am.”

“You need any help?”

“Umh, maybe with the rice, I have to chop the scallions and then have an eye on the beef.”

“Sure.”

They both washed their hands and then Eleanor taught Bryce how to cook rice while suggesting topics to talk. Some were delicate and Keiki reacted badly, but after every scowl Eleanor gave to Bryce, he tried to act more empathetic, listening to her before judging.

Once the dinner was served, the three seated with smiled on her faces.

“Keiki, this is great!”—Eleanor praised after giving the first taste to her plate.—“You had cooked before?”

“Yeah, a couple of times, but it’s not that I have the chance to do it often when you have people who cook for you”—She replied, a bit embarrassed.

“And what do you like to do? Reading? Singing? Playing an instrument? Skateboarding?”

“I like drawing, reading, and sometimes taking pictures.”

“That’s great. Boston has such beautiful places to do it.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I’ve took some really nice. ”

“You must show me them after dinner, okay?”

“Sure”

“ And what about your friends? You are not missing them now that you’re here?”

“Nah, I don’t have actual friends there, they all hate me.”

“Why they hate you?”—Bryce asked, brows furrowed.

That was the moment Bryce had been waiting since her sister got there, because with that question, Keiki let everything out. 

Bryce finally knew the motives that made her leave home and fly all over the Pacific Ocean and to the other side of the country to be with him, even if they hadn’t seen each other in ten years.

And it happened that her sister was living the same hell he lived. Her classmates hated her for what his parents did, and of course, they hadn’t done anything to protect her. They only cared about their reputation.

The mistake he kept making for ten years had led to this. Her sister suffering from loneliness, abandonment, bullying. Just like he did.

“Keiki I’m …. I’m sorry I didn’t call more. I should have been looking out for you.”—Bryce finally said.

“It’s not like you could have done anything from all the way over here.”

“I could, Keiki. I should have tried, I should have done better, I should have stood in front of mom and dad if you needed me to. And I didn’t. I let this happened. But I’m gonna do better, starting from today.”

Bryce got up from the chair and opened his arms, inviting her sister to do the same. After a few moments of staring at him, she finally stood up and threw herself into his arms.

“I’m sorry I was a jerk when I turned up. And like… every day since.”—She apologized, complete sincerity in her eyes.

“The only jerk here is me. You can stay with me for as long as you need, okay? We’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks, Bryce.”

“I’m sorry, Keiki. Truly.”

“Bryce, it’s okay. I’m happy that I can count on you.”

“Always.”

The three chatted on the couch until Eleanor started to feel sleepy. She and Bryce said goodnight to Keiki, who had given his bed back a couple days ago as she found out the couch really comfy and his brother needed proper rest more than her.  When they locked in the room, Bryce pulled Eleanor to his chest gently, resting his forehead into hers.

“Thank you for doing this.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“All the right questions, and all those scowls and deadly glares that meant ‘stop screwing it up, Bryce’ is doing nothing? Really?”

“Ah, well. It was minimal. You did the hard job here, you get your sister to talk, and you listened to her and empathized with her. You apologized. You were the support she was looking for. You did it amazing, Bryce. Not me.  I’m so proud of you.”

“This wouldn’t have been possible without you.”—He kissed her in the lips, giving her the sweetest smile she had even seen in him, it made her stomach flutter.

“Good things happen when you trust people, you see?”

“Only with you.”

“I know. And I won’t let you down.”

___

[emmerrr]

okay so i flew through cdth yesterday in 2 sittings and now that my mind has stopped reeling and i’ve slept on it i’m ready to have some OPINIONS. long and rambly ones. spoilers under the cut!:

one of my favourite things about trc is just the way it’s written, the way the story is told regardless of what you think of the content, and i was pleased to see this continue. i really appreciate good prose, and this has it in abundance. (it’s much darker in tone than trc, but that’s to be expected!)

i loved hennessy and jordan. i loved how much of jordan’s pov we got considering she’s a dream, and i hope that we get some of matthew’s in future books, especially now that he knows the truth.

speaking of matthew, he broke my heart into splinters. the fact that he figured it out on his own rather than having to be told. leaving campus and wandering off and not really remembering/knowing why. ronan sitting there in silent shame after matthew tells him he’s just as much of a liar as declan just...it’s so painful. and i wonder if knowing that he’s a dream is the key to unlocking his own personhood, apart from ronan, if that makes sense?

because jordan and hennessy really do read as different people; jordan has independent thought and independent feeling and i know she was the most complex clone because she was the first and had been around the longest, but still. i feel like hanging around with jordan will be good for matthew.

“Matthew leaned heavily against Declan, like he would’ve when he was small. Declan wasn’t a huggable Lynch, but Matthew had never cared. He’d hugged him anyway.” -- i’m going to CRY.

also: “I went to soccer and all I could think about was how you said I might not have internal organs.” and: “It’s not real, it’s just not real. I want to be real.” -- jesus CHRIST this poor kid.

i loved the jordan/declan stuff, which i wasn’t expecting to. i’m interested to see how that unfolds especially with how painful declan thinks it is to love a dream (or to love anything, actually).

but i absolutely hated that all of the other hennessy clones were just slaughtered like that.

declan really is out here just cleaning up after ronan’s messes and trying to look after matthew and maintaining this boring image so as not to attract attention even though he’s fucking neck-deep in this illegal magical artefacts black market world huh.

i love how often he slips in that he he hates niall #same

the ronan and declan dynamic was so good. they’re clearly in a better place with each other than they were in trc but it’s also obviously still difficult, but they’re so clearly brothers and they care about each other andi just want them to be okay.

i remember seeing a theory a while back that aurora was not declan’s mother and thinking it made sense even though i didn’t particularly like it, but it was still a shock to see it right there on paper, that aurora really was dreamt in the resemblance of someone niall knew, and that is declan’s real mom. it’s SO creepy and gross. i wonder how long declan has known about that or if he’s always known.

which brings me to the fucking NIALL CLONE who clearly loves declan more than the real niall actually ever did?? like...whose dream is he? he can’t be niall’s because if so he’d be asleep, surely? i’m so confused.

i’m so excited for more hennessy and ronan interactions. i think that they need each other, they both need a friend like them who actually understands what it’s like. “Hennessy, please don’t let me be the only one.” -- he really has felt alone and now he doesn’t have to be, and neither does she.

i don’t have a whole lot to say about farooq-lane tbh because her chapters were the weak link for me. almost every time it was one of her chapters my interest dipped just a little, they were the ones i had to sit through to get to the parts i was more interested in. idk i just don’t really know enough about her yet, but as she’s clearly got a conscious maybe i’ll warm to her more in future books.

that being said i really liked this: “Sometimes people still try, even if they don’t think a thing will work. Sometimes there are nice surprises in this world, Parsifal.” 

i’m still confused about bryde. i really thought when they finally saw him he’d be someone ronan knew, and for a while i thought it might be his uncle (because the aunt and uncle from new york were mentioned a couple of times so i thought maybe they’d be relevant especially as neither of their actual names were said), but ronan didn’t seem to recognise him when he appeared at the end so now i don’t know. unless i’m missing something.

there was more adam than i thought there would be which is ALWAYS a good thing. i sorely missed his pov though and hope we get some in the other 2 books.

i love how clear it was that ronan and adam love each other. i love how often ronan mentions how much he loves adam in his pov. i love that they have their own little latin sign-off so that they know how much they love each other. i love that adam, even when irritated, casually throws out that he saved ronan because he loved him in reference to an incident that happened before they’d even kissed for the first time (and i wonder if that’s the first time it’s been said in english?). just....they’re in love man! we knew it, but it’s right there on the page!

“He loved the Barns, he was bored of the Barns, he wanted to leave, he wanted to stay.” -- i feel weirdly vindicated by this line because this is sort of how i always imagined ronan would feel about the barns eventually. everyone’s moving on and he’s stuck. 

which brings me to the fucking nightwash stuff. it’s one thing that it happens when it’s been too long since he’s last dreamt something, but the fact that it also happens when he’s too far from home is another and i find it a little tiresome tbh. i’m just hoping that this is something they find a remedy for in the trilogy so that he’s not literally trapped at the barns forever. (especially when he doesn’t want to be! he was going to look at apartments in cambridge! where adam is! and adam wants it too much!!!!)

them just walking past each other while ronan was imagining this reunion was so fucking funny, but i actually liked the hesitance there, ronan taking in that adam looked different and looked like he belonged. long distance isn’t easy and it can be hard to adjust when you see someone again after a little while even when you love them, so ronan saying ‘this is fucking weird’ was so good because it broke that tension and just...ugh, it felt so honest.

the crying club!!!!! adam collects criers around campus and befriends them!!

the fact that they think he had this idyllic childhood when that is the farthest thing from the truth, but he just wants to start over because no one there knows that about him and he can just be himself...and ronan calling him on it but then backing down just as quickly...it’s all too much!

all the dream crabs and stuff trashing adam’s room and the fallout from that with ronan obviously having to shoulder the blame but also being banned from campus was so upsetting. adam wiping the nightwash tears from his eyes and saying ronan coming to cambridge wasn’t going to work broke my heart because of how much adam wanted it to, but obviously it can’t with ronan like...leaking all over the place.

adam drove a round trip of almost an entire day on a motorbike that ronan accidentally dreamt into being in adam’s college room, just to spend a surprise 3 hours with ronan for his birthday. KING of romantic gestures.

i know the mentions of gansey and co were only fleeting, but i LOVED them, the text exchanges were so funny and so good and so THEM and they’re all so clearly still friends and i love that.

ronan’s names for people in his phone, SARGENTO, DBAG LYNCH and the fact that adam is MANAGEMENT ashjfjlhgl i can’t.

last one, but i liked how much stuff that i have read in fanfic or written into my own with regards to pynch actually rang pretty true in cdth. not necessarily with plotline specifics but more just their dynamic, how they were with each other.

i’ve definitely forgotten some stuff but i literally only read it yesterday so these are just my initial thoughts. my paperback copy arrived today so i’ll re-read it (slower) and see what i think after that, but all in all...i think i kinda loved it.

feel free to come yell at me about it and i’m sorry this is so long and messy i have a lot of feelings

[bethanyrob94]

the morning after || tee & beth

Discord thread featuring: Beth & @timmyteehill

When: October 25th, 2020

Where: beth’s apartment

Mentions:  @kingsboroaurora @ellicfm

Description: beth tells tell that she has stopped taking her meds and cheated on rora

Trigger Warnings: bipolar disorder, misuse of medication, cheating, crying

Bethany.

There was a lot to describe what was going on inside of beths head right now, but she couldn’t exactly seem to put into words how she was feeling. She had felt so good and energized for the last several weeks, and now Beth actually felt like dirt. This was probably the worst she had felt in a while; hungover, sad, a terrible sister, and a dirty fucking cheater. In the moment, what she had done with Wes seemed fine. She didn’t think twice about Aurora last night even though she was in a couples costume with her. And poor Ellie. Beth had gotten her hammered, knowing she was a single mom and had to go home to an infant who needed her. She popped her head up from under the covers when she heard her friend come into her room. She didn’t say anything, she just laid head head back on her pillow and scooted over a bit so he had room to sit on her bed.

Tee

Tee had spent the morning drinking lemon and ginger tea in an attempt to soothe his stomach. This was probably the first party in a while where he didn’t do anything too crazy but the drinks were still having an effect on him. It was only fair that he share some of his hangover cure with Beth, especially since there were some things she said the night before that he wanted to talk to her about. So he got Kami to drop him off at her place and made his way to her room after preparing some tea. Beth looked like shit but he was too good a friend to actually say that. “Here”, he said, handing over the cup of tea to her. “This should help.” Tee sat down on the bed beside her and tried to think of the best way to broach the subject. “You want to talk about last night?”

Bethany.

Her brown eyes watched at the therapist put down the tea he had brought for her on the table beside her. “Thanks.” With a sigh, she sat up just enough to sip on the hot liquid. No. Beth didn’t really want to talk about last night. She had already told Ellie was had happened, and she was still preparing herself to tell Aurora. Because she had to. Tee’s perspective might be good. He could keep a solid relationship. Something Beth never could really do “We can.” She said with a morning rasp and a slight nod. “Do you ever do that thing...where things are going well for you...and you have no reason to fuck it up, but you fuck it up anyway? Like...I don’t know what I’m saying.” Beth was a self- sabotager. Things were going so well for her, which terrified her. So, of course, she was going to do something dumb. Like stop taking her meds and cheat on her girlfriend.

Tee

Tee knew exactly what Beth was talking about as it was something he used to do a lot. Now he tried to keep his fucking up for when things weren’t going so well in his life, which still wasn’t great, but at least it was progress. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” This didn’t bode well for what happened last night and it made Tee feel bad that he didn’t ask more questions the previous night. He knew something was not right if Beth was taking shrooms and going to the haunted house but at the time she seemed too out of it for him to ask. “Is that what happened yesterday?” Tee wondered if the meds she mentioned had anything to do with it.

Bethany.

Beth set her tea down, and took a deep breath to brace herself for what she was about to tell Tee. She trusted him enough not to judge her and to actually help her with what was going on. He was one of her best friends for sure. “Okay. You have to promise not to tell anyone.” She made him promise by holding out her pinky finger for him to latch onto it. “I stopped taking my medicine weeks ago. Which explains the shrooms, the haunted house, I’ve been ditching work, drinking a lot, and...” she took one more deep breath as she felt her chest tighten. “I cheated on Rora last night, Tee.” Her eyes fell to her lap.

Tee

Tee hooked his own pinky with Beth's, promising that he wouldn't tell anyone. There was no one for him to tell, even if he wanted to, but Tee would never break his friend's trust. Especially since he could tell that whatever Beth was about to tell him was very serious. He wasn't expecting her to say that she stopped taking her meds, although he should have probably realised from her behaviour lately. The signs were all day. Her showing up in a haunted house with no fear whatsoever after she told him they terrified her, the shrooms...it was all adding up. This was actually something that he dealt with often in his line of work. Having to take medication for the rest of your life and from a young age...it wasn't an easy pill to swallow. "How come you stopped taking them?" he asked, wanting to understand her reasoning behind it. Judgement wouldn't help anyone in this situation although he couldn't stop his eyes from going wide when she admitted to cheating on her girlfriend. Well, shit. "Oh." What else could he say to such a revelation? "Are things between you two not going well?"

Bethany.

That was a loaded question. And Beth wasn’t exactly sure why she stopped in the first place. She pulled her knees to her chest before she spoke. “Well. I misplaced my meds at first. So I missed a couple of days. Then I started feeling really good. Like...energy I haven’t felt since before I was diagnosed, and I guess I didn’t want it to stop. Now I’m fighting with Ellie, cheated on my girlfriend, I haven’t showed up to work in like three days so my job might be down the drain...” she gripped her knees tighter. “There was nothing wrong with me and aurora. Everything is going to so well....I dunno why I did it, Tee.” She put her head in her knees and finally let out a little sob. Something she definitely had been needing to do all morning.

Tee

What Beth was describing after missing her meds sounded to him like an emotional high which was common with bipolar disorders and which was often followed by lows. It's not like Tee could say much without asking more questions and he didn't feel like that was his place. Beth was one of his best friends, not his clients and, as usual, he needed to remind himself of that before he put his foot in his mouth. He also knew that this was a delicate time and so he needed to be careful of what he said. "I think....and I'm going to say this as someone that really cares about you. I think you need to consider taking your meds again. I know it cannot be easy knowing that you have to take something for the long run but they help you regulate things so you don't feel too high but you don't feel too low either", he said, trying to say it in a way that came off as helpful rather than judgemental. The situation with Aurora was a little harder for him to help out with. He could be as comforting and positive as he wanted but Tee didn't have any control over Aurora's reaction to this. At the end of the day, Beth was his close friend so his loyalties lay with her. And so he brought her in close for a hug when she started crying, trying to offer what little comfort he could.

Bethany.

Beth did not want to turn into tee’s job. She wasn’t going to do that, but she needed her friend to know what was going on inside her head. She had really fucked bed life up in just a few weeks. Now what was she going to do. She listened to Tee speak, and leaned into him to cry when he gave her a big hug. It was definitely much needed, even though it only made her feel a little bit better. She nodded into his chest when he told her it’s a good idea to start raking her meds again. She couldn’t argue with that. After a few minutes of just crying and crying and crying into her friend’s chest, she took a deep breath and reached into her bedside table drawer to grab her lithium. She popped the pill in her mouth and swallowed it sigh the tea. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess. Thank you for coming over.” She put her hand on her forehead. “I don’t know how I’m gonna face aurora.” She felt a big pit in her stomach grow at the thought of admitting to her girlfriend that she had slept with someone else.

Tee

Tee didn’t try to stop his friend’s tears. Sometimes there was nothing better than a good cry for the situation not to look so grim anymore. All he did was hug her closer and offer a few word of comfort whispered in her ear. He watched as she pulled back and took her meds, grateful that she didn’t put up a fight. The meds weren’t the solution to everything but at least they would help. “Don’t apologise, you’re good. What are friends for?” he smiled. Although his smile dimmed at the mention of Aurora. That wasn’t really something he could help with, except for maybe offering some advice. “I know it’s going to be hard...but I think you should tell her.”

Bethany.

“Thank you...” She squeaked. Thankful that someone was on her side because she knew that people were definitely going to hate her. she hated her. Bethany up a bit and wiped her snot on her sleeve. “I’m going to tell her.” She said with a timid nod. “She deserves to know, and I don’t want her to hear about it from anyone else.” Beth really did love Aurora. Maybe manic Beth didn’t know how to show it, but the sane and rational Beth wanted to do what was right. She couldn’t believe she had ruined something so good for her. Typical Beth. “Can you stay for a little bit? I don’t want to be alone.” She asked.

Tee

In Aurora’s place, Tee would probably appreciate being told directly instead of finding out through someone else. It was less hurtful that way. And, while he didn’t know Aurora incredibly well, he was hopeful that she would take time to reflect on the situation before coming to a conclusion. Not that he was trying to make excuses for Beth, but it was a difficult situation for everyone involved. “Yeah, of course. I’m not going anywhere”, he said, making himself more comfortable. “Things might be less than ideal right now but you’ll get through it, I know you will.”

[withabackpackandcamera]

September 17th, 2020

Day 4: A Late Start To A Nice, Chill Day in Fairbanks

After staying out until the early morning hours viewing the northern lights, we slept in to recuperate and regain our lost energy from a very long and productive last 24 hours. Our first stop after we were up and ready to go was The Cookie Jar, a brunch place we had found online with great reviews. And it was super yummy! We ordered the Stuffed Nolan (which is made of two cinnamon roll halves stuffed with cream cheese, grilled, and then topped with strawberries and whipped cream with syrup to add on the side) and Biscuits and Gravy with Sausage Links, Hash Browns, and a Poached Egg. The servings were quite generous and the food was amazing, especially the Stuffed Nolan… it was so good! Luckily, because there was so much of it, we took half of it home to have for later. The biscuits and gravy were delicious too! Wow, what a start to the day!

Once we had our fill, we drove out of town about 20 minutes to the North Pole, a little town in Alaska that was happily named so in the past that now attracts visitors from across the world just because of its name and association with Santa Claus. We quickly drove through town and saw the candle-cane-like street lamp posts and sign posts, the forever-hanging Christmas decorations, and the Santa-related street names in town. 

We then visited The Santa Claus House, a large gift shop stocked with everything Christmas-related. Outside the shop on the grounds was a very large Santa statue with a sled in front. On the walls outside of the house were Christmas murals. Inside were lots of gifts, Alaska souvenirs, punny shirts and sweaters, Christmas trees, and Santa Claus himself! He was a jolly old fellow and we enjoyed hearing his conversation with others and also enjoyed conversing with him about this crazy year, the typical tourist flow in the North Pole, his work history, etc. We even got to see him making short video messages for family members of customers stopping by the house! We walked through and looked at the different merchandise on display before we asked someone about the letters to Santa that were supposedly posted up somewhere in the shop. After a worker there showed us the location of the letters, Cynthia and I spent a good 15-20 minutes reading through all the different letters, from both kids and adults, sent in from around the world and routed here to Santa in North Pole, AK. It was so fun to read through some of the amusing and innocent messages written on those letters. So many heartwarming ones too! We definitely had fun reading them! And it reminded me of the good old days when Santa (i.e. my mom and dad) left me and my brother presents we didn’t ask for under the tree. Good times, good times. 

Once we bid farewell to the Santa Claus House, we made a quick detour to pick up Cynthia’s bag that we had left at The Cookie Jar before driving onward to the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center in downtown Fairbanks. We were hoping to visit the center and learn more about Fairbanks and Alaska’s history through the exhibits but we came a tad late and only a small part of the center was still open for viewing. So we made a quick visit out of it with plans to return tomorrow morning before leaving town. 

As we left the visitor center, the rain was starting to take a turn for the worse as the clouds were starting to build and drizzle was starting to come down. We made a quick stop to view the Moose Antler Arch right behind the center, as well as the Lend Lease Monument and Chena River nearby before heading back home to lay low and rest. The late night was quick to catch up to us throughout the day. Even though we had soft plans to check out different areas outside of Fairbanks today, with the weather looking the way it did and us feeling tired from the late night, we knew the smart thing to do was to rest for a few hours before dinner. 

So I took a nap and Cynthia used that time to work on a presentation she had to give as part of her upcoming interview. After a couple hours of rest, we left the BnB and drove through the small area known as Downtown Fairbanks on our way to grab dinner from Fushimi Japanese Fusion. We ordered the Third Ave Roll, Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box, and Shrimp Shumai and brought it home to enjoy in the comforts of our AirBnB. Even though we had had sushi recently, it was nice to have some good, warm food and not fast food for dinner and to enjoy it after just running around eating unhealthily yesterday. 

The night slowly crept in and before we knew it, we had reached the point in the evening where we had to commit to sleeping or chasing the auroras. Again the weather tonight was not particularly great with on and off rain throughout the area and heavy clouds. However, as I kept track of the data being posted on the websites I previously spoke of, conditions slowly started to improve, prompting me to get myself out of the warm bed I was sitting in and out to the car, all while dragging poor Cynthia out with me to see the Northern Lights one last time. 

Tonight, instead of driving to the same spot we went to last night, I drove about 50 minutes out of Fairbanks to Murphy Dome, which was labeled a mountain peak on Google Maps and was one of the many spots that many websites advised for viewing the auroras in and around Fairbanks. The drive took longer than I expected because we had to drive on a very heavily pot-holed dirt road up a mountain in complete darkness. But when we finally arrived at Murphy Dome, wow! The skies were super clear with minimal light pollution and the view of the night sky and stars was spectacular!  

The views of the sky were amazing. And there weren’t too many people in the area, not that it mattered because the area was huge. But the thing that was difficult to deal with was how windy it was. It was SO VERY WINDY. And what made matters worse was the fact that the ball head on my tripod was loose and there was no way to tighten it without the right tools. FML. So I had to make do while keeping as warm as possible in the unrelenting wind while watching what ended up being a spectacular show of northern lights. 

Unlike last night’s light show, tonight’s was way stronger and way more visible. The lights were greener, the skies were clearer, and those two conditions combined to make the perfect viewing opportunity. At first, the auroras were found streaming across the sky like one big flowing river. However, as the night went on, the activity increased significantly and changes to that stream began to happen, to the point that they appeared to be dancing across the sky like nothing I’ve had a chance to see before! It was crazy! And beautiful! And mesmerizing! The only bad things about seeing the auroras where I saw them were that 1) they were actually quite difficult to photograph given the way they looked in the sky and  2) the surroundings I was shooting in was subpar. Straight lines in the sky are hard to frame. And when you do have those straight lines, it’s much better if you frame it relative to the surrounding scene. But at the top of the mountain at Murphy Dome, there wasn’t much of a scene to frame in the foreground to make the photos look good. So I just had to capture what I could and delete whatever didn’t work out later. Oh, and it was really cool to see the Milky Way galaxy and some shooting stars above in such a pure, dark sky. It was awesome! 

After standing outside in the cold and wind for 2-3 hours and watching the northern lights peak and then start to slow down, it was finally time to go home. By this point in the night, Cynthia was long gone and fast asleep. So, similarly to last night, I called and caught up with my dad on the drive home before arriving at the AirBnB and going straight to bed around the same time as last night. Not sure if I’ll be able to get up as early as we intended on getting up tomorrow… We’ll see… because we have a very long day ahead and much ground to cover. 

5 Things I Learned/Observed Today:

1. Fairbanks is known as the “Golden Heart City”. 

2. The Dalton Highway is a Wild Wild West-type road that takes you from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle and is supposedly a very desolate, primarily unpaved road that is used mostly by truckers for their jobs. Occasionally, tourist companies and tourists themselves venture out on this road to reach the outskirts of Alaska. If you’re ever thinking of taking a trip into the Arctic Circle via this route, you will need to be prepared for the worst case scenarios and pack and plan accordingly. 

3. The North Pole has candy-cane-striped light poles and billboard/sign poles lining streets! Also, there are a lot of streets that are named after Christmas things. The town itself is pretty small though. The main attraction is the huge Santa at the Santa Claus House, the gift shop there, and meeting Santa in real life!

4. Supposedly, the current Santa is from FL and moved to CA to do his job as Santa before landing his dream gig at the North Pole. And after chatting with him, I got to see first hand how good a fellow Santa is. No matter how hard I tried to get him to troll someone about something, he was always so nice with his words. And he made the good list this year because he was wearing his mask! Good job Santa! Even though his mask made him look a little creepy… 

5. “Thank you” in the native Athabascan language is “Enaa Baasee’”.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Beneath an Aurora Sky (Ch. 8)

Summary: The South Pole Station is equipped for research and Edge has always made sure things run smoothly for the inhabitants. His charges are meant to follow his rules and regulations, and in turn, he makes sure they survive in the arctic temperatures. It takes plenty of hard work and determination and Edge, along with his crew, can handle both.

He wasn’t counting on one of the newest researchers. He wasn’t expecting Rus.

Tags: Spicyhoney, First Time, Arctic AU, Hurt/Comfort

Notes: So, bourbon came up with an amazing AU and did some lovely art for it: please look at it and love it.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Read Chapter 8 on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

Leaving Rus sleeping alone in his bed was one of the more difficult things Edge had done in recent memory. He only slept briefly himself, persuaded by Rus’s warmth and the unfamiliar comfort of holding someone in his arms, but in the end, it was early in the day and Edge was too restless to stay in bed as long as Rus should.

Instead, he carefully eased away from his bed companion. Rus made a soft sound of complaint and Edge froze, waiting until he settled again. He looked small buried within the blankets, the shadows beneath his sockets still dark and obvious. He was covered from his chin to his toes, as chaste as a fresh apple, and yet somehow, simply watching him sleep was a temptation. Edge shook away the urge and took a moment to tuck the covers warmly around him before escaping the room. Hopefully Rus would sleep for a few hours yet.

Outside the door, he straightened his clothes so they looked a little less slept in. If Undyne saw him looking like he’d just rolled out of someone’s bed, she wasn’t going to keep her opinion to herself and Edge didn’t need a dose of her crowing glee today.

Today was one designated for necessary maintenance and when he went out to the building that housed the Core generator, Red and Undyne were already there, working together in companionable silence. They both looked up at him as he walked up and whatever greeting Red was about to give died as his sockets narrowed.

“you smell weird,” Red said in lieu of a good morning. He pushed up the protective goggles that replaced his normal sunglasses, his entire face scrunched in distaste. “doesn’t he smell weird?”

“You see a nose on this face?” Undyne grumbled. She shut the maintenance door before pushing up her own goggles; the Core was damagingly bright and Undyne didn’t have an extra eye to lose. “Weird, how?”

“I do not smell weird,” Edge snapped. Predictably, they ignored him, looking him up and down suspiciously. Honestly, it was becoming obvious that he needed to add more duties to their schedules if they had this much free time for speculation on their hands.

Red only shrugged, scratching at the stocking cap covering his skull. “i dunno, just weird, sort of sweet. like sugar, maybe, or honey? where’ve you been today?”

“He took the fashion victim breakfast earlier—" Undyne trailed off, her eye widening. “No. You didn’t.”

Edge sighed at the dawning awareness on both their faces. “Nothing happened.”

“Nothing happened in a way that left you smelling like snack cake?” Red asked with gleeful scorn.

“All I did was convince him to get some sleep.”

“and offered yourself as a mattress?” Red prodded him in the knee with a sharp elbow, easily dodging the kick Edge aimed at him. “gotta say, boss, that’s right neighborly of ya. anything else you felt like giving him? or maybe you need to borrow a cup of something sweet, bet he’s got a few things he could offer.”

“I didn’t come out here to discuss my proclivities, Red, I came out because Alphys told me you haven’t been in to use the machine. You need to—” Edge stopped and sighed. The space where his brother had been standing was already empty.

“Gettin’ soft, Boss,” Undyne said dryly. She sank back to sit on the floor, her hands dangling between her knees. “Usually you would’ve had that bad puppy by the scruff of the neck before you said a word. Maybe you needed a longer nap.”

“I didn’t need a nap at all,” Edge said, irritated. But she wasn’t wrong; his distraction with Rus was throwing him off un unexpected and very unappreciated ways.

“Maybe you need somethin’ else.” She ducked but Edge’s swipe at her was only halfhearted.

“We may as well finish this; he’s not going to come back as long as I’m here.”

“I could nab him for you, boss.” Undyne smiled widely at him, her needle-sharp teeth gleaming in the harsh fluorescent lighting.

“No,” Edge shook his head. “All that would get us is a tendency for him to run from you as well. I’ll corner him eventually. I wish I understood why he hated the machine so much; it’s helping him and using it is painless.”

“Dunno, boss.” Undyne dug through the toolbox, hefting up a heavy wrench. “He’s never been too fond of the lab, though. Weird, ain’t it, he was the one who helped us get this gig.”

“I know,” Edge murmured. When they’d been cast out of the Monster community, they’d been allowed into the Human world as neutrals, for whatever the worth that ‘allowed’ offered. After a few months of what could loosely be called surviving, Red was the one who told them about the Institute’s offer. Edge couldn’t have said how he even came across it; after his injuries, Red had been confined to the squalor of their cramped, shared apartment while the rest of them struggled to earn any coin they could in a world that often despised them for existing.

At first, it all seemed entirely too good to be true. His brother somehow contacting the Institute and all of them being offered employment? Despite his reservations, Edge had cautiously agreed, with Undyne and Alphys following at his heels. They’d been given funding and resources to come to the station on a strict six-month contract.

It hadn't taken them long to prove themselves, handling the workload and temperatures far better than the Humans before them, and between Alphys’s energy experiments and Edge’s strict policies, they’d come to be known as a safe place for scientists to work without fear, either of the elements or anything else. The Institute handled the roster and funds, they handled the rest.

That six-month contract quickly become a year, then two, and they were coming up on a third with no end in sight. His contacts at the Institute offered respites for them frequently, even suggesting to temporarily shut down the station for them to take a vacation to warmer climes.

Thus far, each offer had been refused. Even Alphys, whose appreciation of heat was well known to them all, made no bones about the fact that leaving what had become their home held little interest for her.

They might not own the station, but there was no questioning that it was theirs.

And right now, they had a Core to maintain.

“Let’s get this finished,” Edge picked up a set of goggles, readying to open the maintenance door again.

“You got it, boss.”

~~*~~

Red managed to avoid him for most of the day, sly bastard that he was. He’d always had a sort of preternatural skill at avoidance, for work, for confrontation. If it was something his brother didn’t want to deal with, then he simply wouldn’t.

Except for while Edge might lack his brother’s skills in wiliness, he made up for it with an excess of stubbornness. A plan was slowly forming to capture his brother and he only needed an extra pair of hands to do it.

His phone chimed and Edge paused, retrieving it from his pocket with surprise. They weren’t able to use the actual phone function on the devices but so long as they were in range of the WiFi, it could be used for messages. Not that they gave their personal information to any of the scientists, it was strictly for in-house communication and emergencies, or in his brother’s case, the terrible puns and memes that caught his attention. So who…?

It was a further shock to see the message was from Alphys. He had no doubt that Undyne and Alphys sent each other horrifically sappy messages all day, but he couldn’t think of any occasion of Alphys messaging him in the past.

The message was brief: Rus is outside, on the back side of the station.

Alphys hadn’t included so much as an emoticon, so the sly insinuation Edge was feeling was probably only in his own mind. He still mentally set aside the plan he was working on and went to pull on his outdoor gear.

True twilight had passed an hour before and outside the velvet black sky was strewn with stars. The aurora wasn’t visible tonight, but the sight was no less stunning, so long as one paused to look up. Hundreds of stars caught in the pale web of the Milky Way, chasing away the darkness.

Edge walked to the southern side of the station, his boots crunching on the hardpacked snow. The lights of the station set a glaring halo around the buildings and it made the dark surrounding it all the starker. Outside the circle of lights, he could see unfamiliar shapes not far away, one of which was likely his target.

The facility was never completely locked down. Rus wasn’t the only one whose research could be time sensitive, but scientists were supposed to use a special sign out alert if they were working outside alone. Edge hadn’t checked if Rus used it, though he probably had. Not that it mattered; Alphys had plenty of ways to get information, more even than Red.

His footsteps were ample warning of his approach. Rus didn’t look at him, his attention was on the device in front of him, a telescope, although unlike any one Edge ever saw before. Strange dials and extra lenses dotted it and Rus was adjusting them briskly with gloved fingers.

His laptop was sitting on a small camp table, the screen dark. Next to it was a pad of paper and a pencil. Edge barely glanced at it; it was impossible to say if the notes were in an unknown language or if Rus’s penmanship was simply that terrible.

Edge was the one who broke the silence, “How long have you been out here?”

With a final twist of one of the dials, Rus looked up at him. His pale eye lights were amused but there was no mistaking the dark circles lingering beneath his sockets. “well, hey, good afternoon to you, too. not too long, boss, i’m fine. besides, bonnie gave me a thermos to take out with me. keeps me toasty from the inside out.”

Hearing that their cook was giving special privileges to her obvious favorite was no surprise. To hear Rus calling him boss did give him a prickle of discomfort; after hearing his real name in that sleep-husky voice, he’d distantly hoped to hear it again in sly cheer of his waking hours. Perhaps he didn’t remember; Rus had been nearly asleep. It didn’t seem right to bring it up again, not right now.

Rus poured out a steaming cupful into the cap of the thermos and held it out teasingly. Edge took it and sipped, grimacing almost immediately. It was sweet enough to send a cramp through his tongue and he handed it back with haste, ignoring Rus’s grin.

“Don’t stay out here too long,” Edge warned. Though he might check on him again; Rus seemed the type to lose track of time, absorbed in whatever data he was getting from the star-strewn sky.

“i won’t,” Rus made a little ‘x’ over his chest with one finger and when Edge started to turn away, he added lazily, “what, no goodbye kiss, edge? you already shorted me one earlier. sneaking out while i was sleeping,” Rus shook his head sadly. “i missed your whole walk of shame.”

Edge stopped. His breath fogged in the arctic air and here in the darkness with the heavens staring down at them seemed like a moment for honesty.

“What do you want from me?” Edge asked bluntly. They’d shared words, kisses, and even a bed at this point but answers were few and far between. Rus, his conundrum, his puzzle who offered kisses and yet was shocked when Edge offered to nap with him.

A look at Rus found his easy flirtation faltering. He looked up at the glimmering stars, his own breath clouding around him as he said, with unusual sincerity. “right now? a kiss. we can see about tomorrow later.”

He’d be gone in a few short weeks and Edge wouldn’t see him again, unless he came back for another rotation and even then, that could take a year, longer. He was, in no particular order; a distraction, an astronomer, a fashion victim. A student. A temptation.

Edge leaned down and took his kiss.

It was nothing like the short, sweet touches they’d shared. He swallowed Rus’s startled moan, pulled him suddenly to his feet to better ravage the sweetness of his mouth. The feel of Rus in his arms only filled Edge with the urge to pull him closer, to learn how to tease more of those breathy, startled cries free.

Until his tongue curled against Edge’s with stunning intent, forcing him to stifle a moan of his own. Rus tasted of sickly-sweet coffee, of his own softer, delicate sweetness and they stood there in the icy blackness of night, sharing it between them with a desperate press of teeth and tongue.

It was far too cold for any more than this, dangerously so, and with great reluctance, Edge drew away. Only to catch Rus as he wobbled on his feet.

“oh,” he mumbled, panting in foggy gusts. Color was burning high in his cheek bones and his soft eye lights were temptingly hazy, but this time Edge resisted.

“Don’t stay out too long,” Edge repeated. He straightened Rus’s scarf, carefully rewrapping it.

“hah, actually, i’ll head in now, i've got my data.” Rus gave him crooked smile, but his eye lights were back on the stars. The flush in his cheekbones was lingering. “bet you’re busy all day, anyway. playing chaperone for anyone?”

An idea occurred to Edge then, so beautifully simple it was bound to work. “No, but actually, I could use your help with something.”

“really? me?” Rus seemed stunned, almost absurdly so.

“It won’t take long, but I don’t want to keep you if—“

“no, no! i can help!” Edge watched in bemusement as Rus hastily began packing his gear, only stepping in to help when he was sure it was safely stowed. He slung the carry strap for the telescope over his shoulder, wincing at the weight. Rus didn’t even protest, only gathered the rest of his equipment.

He was entirely too excited for a simple favor and Edge only hoped he didn’t regret offering. Red was not the easiest to deal with in the best of moods and if his plan worked, he was going to be very angry at them both.

Hopefully, it would be worth it.

~~*~~

tbc

[patricia-von-arundel]

December Prayer

Rating: G

Summary:  In the first hours of new life, when one's whole world has changed, there is so much wonder and pain, so much hope and so much fear... A love letter from a young mother to her newborn child of winter.

Such a blur, the last day and night; an impossible kaleidoscope of noise and movement and fear and pain, pain such as she had never known, had never dreamed a person could endure and live to tell of it. And yet – live she did. She lived, and breathed, and greeted those allowed in to see her with the expected courtesies, and wondered at her own experience. She had never considered herself a strong person. Truly, she had rarely considered herself at all; she had always been told what she was: daughter, princess, betrothed, wife, queen. Why risk thinking of – wanting – anything more?

But now, almost against her will, certainly against her better judgment, she felt strong, brave – capable. She had weathered the pain, she alone; no one could shoulder it for her or shelter her from it or tell her to look away, this was nothing for a young lady's gaze.

Such a good girl. She had relished the praise, basked in it, warm as summer sun. They patted her on the head, offered benevolent smiles, and sent her on her way. How could she have known she was capable of more? She had yet to reach the end of her second decade.

Mother. Of course it was what came next, regular as clockwork. Pain and blood and soothing voices, the midwife and her trembling apprentices; one of them had cold hands, another broad ruddy cheeks, but their names, if she had ever known them, were gone. She felt bad about that – they had been frightened, but they had helped. They had seen her safely delivered of child. She would ask their names, see that gifts were sent. It was almost Christmas, after all.

She had wondered if the baby would be born on Christmas, but –

“The Winter Solstice, little one?”

She turned at the sound of the voice, melodic and familiar and lilting with gentle humor; she pushed herself up on her elbows, ignoring the pain, letting the smile – nothing demure or controlled about it – spread across her face.

“In such a hurry you chose the shortest day of the year?”

She laughed; that twinged, too, through sore muscles, but she didn't mind. “She was very insistent it be today.”

“Child of winter.” Leaning over, smiling, a long finger stroking down the baby's downy cheek. “She looks like you. She'll be a beauty.”

She blushed, pleased – not at the compliment to herself, but to the child. She hadn't realized babies were quite so monstrous at birth, sticky and red and squash-faced, but the midwife had not seemed concerned, so it must not have been startling. They had cleaned the baby before she held her, but no more than what seemed a few precious seconds had passed before whisking away again. She hadn't protested. She never did.

Good girl.

“You should sleep, little one. While she is.”

She smiled. “It's strange – I'm not at all tired.”

A smile in return, the older woman's eyes crinkling like parchment at the corners. “I remember the feeling well. And also my regret later.” Her gaze casting downward once more. “Has he seen her yet?”

She shook her head. “Some of the men went out looking for him. He left when the pains began. He was... he was very nervous.”

“For the best. Men have no place when a woman is in childbed.”

She'd heard the sentiment expressed before, but still, she had missed him. He had helped her so, to get this far. Would he be pleased, though the child was a girl? She thought he would be. His warm hands had spread tentative and trembling across the swollen expanse of her middle, his eyes wide, his breath shallow, and he let his lips ghost across her skin...

Yes, she thought he would be pleased; pleased and proud. He was a good man, gentle and kind, and if he wanted a son, surely one would come, and until then – and evermore – he would love this little daughter, just as she did.

She hoped he got back soon. She wanted to show him – show him his firstborn child. She wanted him to be proud of her.

The older woman came to her side now, taking her hand. “They told me how brave you were. You did well.”

She couldn't help it – she grinned like a child herself. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“If I see him, I'll send him in.” A swift kiss to her cheek, leaving the faint scent of powder and rosewater, and the older woman was gone.

And then – silence. She looked to the window, where night was already, once more, taking reign. The shortest day of the year, the announcement not yet made, for when it was, the night, no matter the dark and the cold, would come alive with revelry, with raucous excitement, noise to wake even a heavy-lidded newborn from the depths of sleep. She would not know they celebrated her birth.

But for the moment, there was only this: this perfect, pristine silence. She could hear, soft as summer rain, the gentle breaths of a baby who had, mere hours before, drawn her first. She had read, as all children must do, stories of saints of monsters and magic, but never had the books held such a miracle as first breath. After, a noise – not a choked cry of cold and shock, but a soft “cah,” almost a query, as if politely questioning the abrupt change in environment. Only when they began to clean her, washing away the mess of birth, did she begin to give off indignant howls. But even those had been brief, and she had remained quiet since, slipping off into easy sleep, refusing to wake even for the wet nurse. She, too, had had a long, difficult day.

Outside the window, the aurora was playing across the sky, vivid kites of green and blue. She had lived here for the better part of three years, but still, they might have been an unanticipated sorcerer’s trick; at home, they had been no more than an occasional faded patchwork at twilight. Her child would grow up with a sky that blossomed like a meadow in spring. Would she appreciate the wonder? Surely, it would be impossible not to do so.

She took a deep breath, pushed herself to a sit, swung her legs over the side of the bed. It hurt, but she had endured worse – even today, there had been much, much worse. She stood up – slowly, carefully – and waited for the throbbing pain to ease, the dizziness to pass. She swallowed hard, wondering if she had used up the store of bravery and strength within herself.

She didn't think she had. She didn't.

She crossed the room in tiny, tentative steps, hugging the wall, running her hand along the paneling. The bassinet – small and ornate, rosewood and soft, warm coverings – was near the window. Near the lights of the aurora. She wanted the baby to see them. It was a sudden desire, but fierce, and there was none here to deny it to her, or argue with her foolishness.

But the baby still slept, and though she gazed down, gnawing her lower lip, for a long moment, she couldn't bring herself – yet – to disturb such peaceful slumber. Already, the baby looked... looked more like she supposed a baby should look, smooth-skinned and pink-cheeked under the flickering lamps. Let her sleep. As long as she needed – let her sleep.

The lights outside weren't going anywhere, besides – this night would be a long one. She edged closer to the window, close enough to place one small hand against the glass, the chill creeping down her fingers. The winters here were so harsh, harsh and unforgiving. Could a newborn grow and thrive in such a place? Surely, surely it could, babies must be born every winter, and the cold couldn't take them all, it couldn't possibly...

But the fear had her now, burrowing into her heart, sharp-toothed and barb-clawed, and she shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself, though the baby had left the warm safety of her womb beneath. Exposed now to the world, unprotected, anything could happen to her beautiful baby girl, anything. Her breath hitched and she looked wide-eyed at the window; at the cold, merciless night beyond.

But – the lights.

Warmth, life: shining color, dancing like fire across the expanse of this long December night.

“Please.” She was not a person of great faith, though she had been dutiful and pious, as expected, in services, but now she found herself speaking to the hope of something greater, to something larger and more powerful than herself. She spoke to the lights. “Please. Keep her safe, and strong, and secure. She's... she's so small and helpless and good, she's so good. And... and all I want, all I ever want, is for her to be safe. And I can't do it alone, I know I can't, I don't know how, but I, I swear, if... if you'll help me, I'll... I'll do my best. I'll do anything I can for her, just... just keep her safe. Please. Please...” Her voice was shaking, and she clasped her hands together like a child at prayer, holding them beneath her chin. She stared up at the ribbons of color. She whispered, “Amen.”

How long, then, did she stand there, still and silent? How long did she watch the rainbow at the window? It might have been seconds, or minutes, or hours – time, like so much else, had changed. All she knew, after, was what drew her away.

The baby made a noise, not quite a cry, and she turned to find ice-blue eyes open, one fist worked free from swaddling and tracing slow, looping shapes in the air.

She bent, though it hurt to bend, and slid careful hands beneath the warm bundle of her baby – support her head! - and lifted, cradled to her chest, whispered nonsense of comfort, though still, her tiny daughter did not cry. They went to the window, now, together.

“Look,” she murmured. “Look at this beautiful night when you were born. Can you see the lights? Oh, and look! Look! It's starting to snow.” She gazed fondly down, down at those blue eyes, round cheeks, brown hair that seemed frosted now with winter light. “Can you see it?” She smiled, hugged the baby tightly to her chest. “Elsa?”

[onceandfuturekiki]

Sleeping Hook Fic: From Long Sleep (updated)

I wrote this fic a long, long time ago. All the way back during season 2. Overall it was one of my favorite things I’ve ever written, but I knew that it needed some more work, and I always told myself that one day I’d dig back into it. Finally, five years later, I did.

This was originally written after the episode where Hook took Aurora’s heart, before the following episodes (where he caught it before it went into the portal and sent Mulan back with it, where Mulan and Aurora stayed to look for Philip and Snow, Emma, Hook, and Cora went to Storybrook), so keep that in mind while reading. Now I guess it could be considered a sort of AU.

I hope anyone reading it for the first time likes it, and I hope people who read it the first time around like the work I did to fix it up and go a little deeper into the characters and their relationship.

Storybrooke was bloody awful. If Killian had known how awful it was, he might have reconsidered his plan for revenge.

Maybe.

And worst of all, there was no way back now.

Well... that wasn't quite true. There was no way back for him. There were people in town with considerable power who could reopen the portal, as dangerous as it was. But none of those people were inclined to help him.

Nobody in Storybrook was.

Considering how feared and disliked Rumpelstiltskin seemed to be by everybody, Killian had figured he'd receive a bit more goodwill for his plans to end the Dark One once and for all. But his failed attempt bought him no friends. While he might not have been the most popular and beloved person in town, the presence of Belle seemed to soften both Rumplestiltskin and the town's opinion of him, which meant that the pirate who tried to kill him and failed in a spectacularly pathetic action wasn't going to be anyone's favorite person. And his other actions canceled out any remaining positive feelings the people of the town might have had for him.

One action in particular seemed to earn him a fair amount of dirty looks. Stealing the princess's heart. Once that little piece of information came to light, everyone started looking at him with disgust and disdain. Everyone but the princess.

She didn't look at him at all.

Aurora had hoped that Storybrooke would awaken some kind of wonder in her. Snow had told her stories around the campfire, of horseless carriages and flameless lamps and all the information anyone could need at one's fingertips at all times. It all sounded like something out of a fantastical tale, containing things beyond ever her wildest imaginings. And she'd hoped that the sight of it would move something in her.

She was unsurprised that it didn't. Her heart was missing. She figured it was pretty hard to feel much of anyhting without it.

Or at least that's what she thought. She'd felt so disconnected, so empty. Her grief over losing Philip had faded to a dull ache in the back of her mind, and soon it was just as numb as the rest of her. When she found out what Captain Hook had done to her, how he'd taken her heart while she slept, she figured that explained it, that the feeling of complete and absolute nothing was because there truly was nothing inside of her.

Until she heard Snow and Emma whispering to each other in their kitchen.

"I don't understand. Regina had Graham's heart and he was still able to feel," Emma had argued, her words hushed but urgent.

"But he thought he couldn't, remember?" he mother shot back.

"But that was just in his head. He really could. I know he could."

"Sometimes these things are more psychological than physical. I can only imagine that it's quite the burden, knowing that your heart is gone. Plus she was under that sleeping curse for so long, and then she lost her true love. The poor thing has been through so much. It's no surprise that she just shut down."

So, Aurora thought, the voice in her head just as flat and monotone as it was when spoken out loud. It's not my body that's broken. It's my brain.

She wasn't sure there was much of a difference.

Ruby finally took pity on him.

"You lost someone," she said to him one afternoon, taking a seat next to him on a bench in the middle of town. It was his new favorite pasttime - his only pasttime, really - finding a place to sit and just drinking himself into oblivion. Nobody ever talked to him, so the presence of Ruby next to him, the sound of her voice directed at him, was more than a bit startling.

"How do you figure?" he shot back with considerably less charm than he would have used in the past.

"I know the look. It's one I'm pretty familiar with."

He hadn't responded, but as he looked over at her he realized he probably didn't need to. The sneer he tried to direct at her didn't do much of anything by way of intimidating or scaring her away. She convinced Granny to let him rent a room, in exchange for him doing whatever odd jobs the needed to be done. The older woman still wasn't all that pleasant toward him, but at least it was better than her previous decree that she'd never let a monster like him under her roof.

So the once fearsome Captain Hook spent his days cleaning bathrooms and changing light bulbs while the townsfolk looked at him not with fear and awe, but disdain. He finally learned that to protect what little pride he had, he needed to just ignored them all together.

That was when the princess started watching him.

Aurora was surprised that he was still in Storybrooke. She knew he couldn't go back to the Enchanted Forest, not without the help of several people whose bad sides he had managed to get on. But the curse that had kept the town isolated had lifted when Emma returned from the Enchanted Forest. He could have gone anywhere. Stolen a boat and just sailed away. It would have been easy.

And yet, he stayed.

She'd ignored him completely for a long time, unable to even muster hatred for him, and unable to even be upset by the fact that she couldn't hate him. And she didn't want to give the captain the satisfaction of seeing what he'd done to her.

But the longer he stuck around, the more interested she became in what he was doing. Working for Granny, staying above the diner. It was so strange, seeing him doing such menial labor. He had manipulated her, violated her trust and her body, and handed her heart over to monster. It was one of the worst things anyone had ever done to her, and here he was. The perpetrator of this horrible thing that had been done to her was just... cleaning toilets and sweeping floors. It was like her mind couldn't reconcile it, and she found herself filled with the need to watch him, to see him live. She was almost fascinated.

It wasn't quite a feeling, but it was close.

He felt her eyes on him all the time.

It had taken Killian two weeks to realize that Aurora was spending hours of every single day just sitting in a booth at Granny's. Not eating, not talking to anyone. Just sitting. It had taken another day for him to realize that she was watching him.

He was embarrassed by how much his observational skills had slipped.

He wasn't the cocky, charming Captain Hook that Aurora remembered, the man who had flirted and snarked while he was being held as a prisoner as though he didn't have a care in the world. The man who had used such smooth, calculated words to get her to gain and exploit her trust. It wasn't that he was broken, exactly. It was more that he was just... defeated.

She figured that made sense, though. Defeat at the hands of Rumpelstiltskin was probably a self-esteem killer

"Eat with me."

The voice startled him. It had been so long since he'd actually heard it.

Killian assumed she was talking to someone else, but when he turned around, Aurora was looking right at him.

It had been so long since he'd looked at her. If he was being honest, he'd have to admit that he had been trying very hard not to look at her. If he didn't look at her, he could pretend that the guilt over what he'd done to her wasn't eating away at him, that what he felt toward her was the same vague disinterest he felt toward most people these days. So when he looked at her now, really looked at her, their eyes meeting as he turned around, he was shocked by how empty she looked. There was nothing in here eyes. No feeling. No hatred or anger or disappointment. Her face was just a blank slate of nothing.

Had they been back in the Enchanted Forest he would have had a clever retort, some cutting remark to distance himself from the whole situation. Maybe even a cruel comment about her missing heart or her complete lack of emotion. But here in Storybrook, he just looked at her, dumbfounded, and then sat in the seat across from her.

She stared.

Sometimes they ate, sometimes they simply sat there staring at each other, sometimes they didn't look at each other at all.

After two weeks, Aurora wasn't sure why she invited Hook to sit with her every day. They didn't talk. No words were ever exchanged between them other than her quiet command of "sit" or "eat with me" every single day. He didn't even say anything when he obeyed, just sitting down across from her, his mouth shut and his posture guarded. The urge to talk to him, to ask him why he had done it, to try to make him feel bad or get him to apologize was never there at all. They just sat, silently, until Granny had decided he'd taken a long enough break and ordered him to get back to work.

But she was surprised by how comfortable she was in his presence. It was something she couldn't explain, how at ease she had come to feel around him. The first few days had, admittedly, been awkward, but after that being around him was just easy. It was one of the few things in her life that actually felt that way. Everything else, even just existing from day to day felt so difficult, so the surprising peace she felt when she sat with Killian, even as it was tinged with a bit of curiosity, was something she almost treasured. Aurora had no idea exactly why she felt so at ease around him, but she knew she didn't want to let it go.

Finally, Killian couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you just trying to torture me into insanity with your silence? Is that your plan for revenge?"

A look that was almost surprised crossed Aurora's face. "No."

"So, what, are you just trying to get up the nerve to ask me why I did it? If it was worth it? You want me to admit that I feel guilty, that I feel something over what I did to you? If that's the case, you're going to be disappointed." He could hear his words becoming more frantic, but he couldn't control it. He tried to push it down, confused as to where it was all coming from, how the itch that had existed in the back of his mind since the first time she'd asked him to sit with her was exploding inside of him.

"No."

"What is this then?"

She looked at her plate, and he thought he saw her brow furrowing, so slightly that he wondered if he was imagining it.

"I don't know."

It wasn't the most satisfying answer, but it was better than "I hate you".

The outburst had made her wonder, and she found herself preoccupied with thoughts about the strange relationship they had developed, and why she was so invested in that relationship, in maintaining whatever it was between them, even if it was just silent lunches.

She'd watched him, both during their time together and while he was working. He certainly was different than he'd been before they'd all come to Storybrook. The Captain Hook she'd known was full of anger and revenge. He had a purpose, however horrible at was, and he was driven. Now, though, he seemed to have no purpose. Instead of setting off for something else, something better, he stayed in a town where everyone hated him, where so many people he had wronged lived, doing menial labor in exchange for the bare necessities of a bed and food. It was something she couldn't wrap her head around. She just knew she was drawn to it, that it, and him, fascinated her.

But as for what that all meant, and how it could answer his questions... she really didn't know.

It made him uncomfortable, the emotional nothingness with which Aurora had confronted him. He knew how his words had sounded, how they'd felt as they left his mouth, and the fact that she'd met them with the same blankness she seemed to have in reaction to everything these days had left him feeling jittery. Angry, even.

He thought about ignoring her, brushing off her commands that he sit with her. Just walking away from the situation entirely. But the thought of it, of not sitting with her every day... it made his heart ache.

Killian found himself wishing, not for the first time, that he had never come to Storybrook.

A week later, she though she had it figured out.

"We're alike."

If she could feel anything, she would have been amused by the way he choked on his water, his eyes bulging as he looked up at her from his plate.

"Excuse me?" Killian coughed out.

"You and me. We're alike."

"How do you figure?"

"You've been hanging around Storybrooke for months now with no purpose. You could take off at any time and you don't. You haven't tried to take revenge a second time. You haven't headed for the sea. You've just stayed here and performed menial labor. You don't even talk to anybody. Do you really think I believe that you feel anything anymore?"

He arched an eyebrow, clearly not liking the way the accusation tasted. "But I still have my heart."

Aurora shrugged. "Apparently it's not the lack of heart that's left me without feeling."

His slowed chewing was the only indication that her words had any effect on him at all.

He couldn't get their conversation out of his head.

If it wasn't Aurora's lack of a heart that had turned her into a shell of a person, then he didn't need to feel guilty.

It was hard for him to admit that he felt guilty about stealing the girl's heart at all, because he had, after all, gotten what he wanted for it. Hadn't he?

But he did. She had been different when he'd rejoined the girls, eyes dead and face empty in a way that he was surprised to find disturbed him deeply. He had never realized how much fire had really been inside of her until it was gone.

Knowing that it wasn't the lack of the heart that had killed her soul should have alleviated that feeling, though. If he wasn't responsible, he shouldn't feel guilty.

But he did. It was intense, all consuming even. He'd been trying to push it away, to act like it wasn't there, but that had only seemed to make it worse. Ignoring it hadn't stopped the overwhelming guilt that had taken up residence in his stomach, the way it clawed at his throat. It had been so long since he'd really felt anything like it, but now that he was being honest with himself, he knew exactly what that feeling was.

That wasn't the only thing he felt. Now that he'd let the flood gates open it was all rushing in. How useless he felt, how lost he was. He'd spent over 300 years with one goal in mind, and now he'd failed. It was humiliating, and it left him wondering what if there was any point to his existence now, if there was really any reason for him to be here. Or anywhere.

And then there was the princess, all the other confusing emotions beyond that overwhleming, crushing guilt. Their daily meetings had come to mean so much to him, had become the one thing he had to cling to. She was one of the very few people in town who didn't openly despise him, and the only one who truly seemed to want him around. That knowledge made even that massive guilt bearable when they were together.

It had been a long time since a woman had inspired much genuine feeling in him. Hell, it had been a long time since anyone other than Rumplestiltskin had inspire much genuine feeling in him of any kind. The guilt he had been feeling since he'd lost Aurora's heart had been bad enough. Now he was filled with so much more, so much confusing emotion in regards to that woman that he couldn't figure out. And to make it all so much was worse was the fact that his intense emotion was being met by pretty much nothing on her end.

Well, I guess you're wrong, Princess. I do feel something.

Aurora wasn't sure when it happened, but when she thought of Killian, there was… something. She wasn't sure what it was. When she thought of everyone else she knew in Storybrook, the only thing she felt was a spark of recognition. Her brain telling her yes, you know this person. But when she thought of him, something else sparked, beyond just the ease she felt when she was with him, or the curiosity she felt when she watched him.

She didn't know what it was, but she wanted to find out.

Killian thought he couldn't have been more surprised to find Aurora at his door late one night.

Until she kissed him.

To complete the surprise, he kissed her back.

The emotions exploded inside of him, and he didn't try to push them down.

As she laid on her back next to Killian, Aurora tried to pinpoint a feeling beyond the pleasant numbness of her body.

After several long, silent moments, Killian, stretched out on his back beside her, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, asked, "What was that all about?"

Her hand moved from where it was resting on the pillow next to her head, pressing into her chest where her heart should have been pounding, instead feeling the complete nothing that now occupied that space, and tried to separate that sensation of nothingness from whatever emotions might be swimming inside her pleasure-clouded body. "I'm not sure yet."

"How old are you really?"

The sound of Aurora's voice startled Killian. "I'm sorry?"

"I know you spent time in Neverland. So how old are you really?"

It was such a simple question that it took him off guard. After weeks and weeks of loaded silences, the simple "get-to-know-you" talk made him feel oddly uncomfortable.

"I don't remember, actually," he responded after a moment.

Silence fell between them once again for a long time. He listened to her breathing, letting his eyelids drift closed as he focused on the calming sensation of her presence. It lulled him into a dreamy state somewhere between waking and sleep, so he was surprised when she turned over onto her side to face him. "You lost the person you loved," she whispered.

"Yes…" Killian replied, not sure where she was going.

"You lost the person you loved, spent decades waiting to get your revenge, and you failed."

"What's your point, Princess?" he bit out, not happy about being reminded of how badly Rumplestiltskin had beaten him.

"Everything you planned fell apart. You lost everything but you still had no choice by to keep going." There was something new to her voice. Not the emotionless tone he'd grown used to, but something like surprise, blooming into something that might have even been awe the more she talked.

"And?"

"That's how we're alike."

He looked over at her then, studying her face. Despite the way her voice sounded, her face, though shadowed, still seemed to hold that familiar blankness, but in the dark, the blankness looked almost like sadness. He wanted to touch her, to roll over and pull her into his arms, holding her close. Instead, he turned away from her.

"So this was just an experiment, right? To see if you felt anything?"

Silence.

"Well? Did you?"

"I don't know yet."

He didn't tell her what he felt.

The words were pushing at him, wanting to get out. He wanted to tell her that she was wrong about him, that he did feel, that he felt so much, and that so much of that was for her. He wanted to tell her that he didn't know what it meant and that he didn't know what to do, but that those feelings had been the only thing he'd had to hold on to since he arrived in Storybrook.

Instead he stayed silent, turning over onto his side so that his back was to her, listening to her breathing as she slipped into slumber.

When Aurora woke up, he was gone.

She felt something.

Killian detested poetry, but he couldn't help but see the poetry in this.

He stole her heart, so she took his in turn.

The least he could do now was get hers back.

She spent a week eating lunch alone at Granny's before Belle seemingly took pity on her, sliding into the chair at the table with a sad smile that made Aurora's throat feel tight.

"He was in the pawn shop early one morning last week talking to Rumpelstiltskin. They made a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

The pity in Belle's eyes was almost too much to take. "To go back."

The tightness in her throat spread through her chest, and she had to take a quick, sharp breath against the sudden ache that was seeping through her.

So he had made a deal with Rumplestiltskin and gone back to the Enchanted Forest to get away from her.

She wished she felt nothing.

It seemed like such a simple deal, a favor in return for passage back to their old world. But Killian knew he was making a bargain with the devil.

It was worth it, as far as he was concerned.

As was the trip across the ravaged, dangerous land.

He knew that retreiving her heart, if he even managed to do that, wouldn't absolve him. But this wasn't about him. It wasn't about trying to assuage his guilt so he wouldn't have to feel it anymore.

This was all about her. What he could do for her.

He knew that having her heart back wouldn't fix her.

But he hoped the gesture would at least help.

If she hadn't been through all that she had, the desperate pounding on her door at two in the morning would have frightened her.

A wild-eyed Killian Jones standing at her door, satchel in hand, was the last thing she'd  expected to see. And the feeling that flared up inside of her, the warmth that was suddenly bursting through her chest in the spot where he heart should have been at the sight of him, his clothes dirty and torn, scraped and bruises littering the skin she could see, was so unexpected that she had to grip the edge of the door so hard her fingers went numb in order to stay upright.

He held the satchel out to her. "I thought you might be wanting this back."

She opened the bag with trembling fingers, wanting to see what she had been missing for so long, unable to truly believe she had it back, despite being able to hear the strong heartbeat.

When she finally saw it, her heart, glowing in the bag, the heartbeat still strong, her eyes filled with tears. She looked up at Killian, trying to make her mouth form some kind of words of thanks, only to find that his eyes were also glassy as he watched her, his hand reaching out to wipe a tear away from the corner of her eye.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Aurora smiled.

She was beautiful.

Of course, Killian had always thought her to be beautiful. As far as he was concerned that was just an objective fact. But before it was a sad, broken beauty, the blank emptiness making her overall loveliness somewhat tragic.

Now, as they laid in bad watching each other, his hand trailing up and down her spine, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. More beautiful than the sea, more beautiful than the Jolly Roger. It made an overwhelming joy spread through his body, and he made no attempt to push it away. His fingers trailed up her back, down her arm, over her collar bone, and finally to her chest, pressing against her skin so he could feel her heart beating, strong and steady, beneath his palm.

A small, quiet smile graced her face.

He had caused that.

Her smile grew as she brought her hand to his face and he turned his head, pressing a kiss to her palm.

"I'm finally awake," she said, her smile spreading over her face.

THE END

[toxoiddiamond]

T H E B A S I C S Given Name: Nam Jihun Nicknames: Julian, Jules Age: 32 Birthday: June 7th Zodiac Sign: Gemini Birthplace: Aurora, Colorado Current Location: Grand Island, Nebraska Speaks: English, Korean (he is fluent in Korean and always spoke it at home with his parents, but he doesn't speak it much anymore) Dominant Hand: Right Education: He has his Associates Degree in Automotive Technology. Occupation: Before his life got turned upside-down, he was a mechanic, a job he genuinely liked. Now that he's in a new city and planning on staying for a while, he is hoping to find a job in another garage. Vehicle: He doesn't have a car anymore, but has enough money saved up that he could get one off of Craigslist or something if he really needed to. But for now, taking buses and trains has been working out fine for him. Worldly Possessions: He left most of his possessions behind when he went on the run. Now he just has a couple changes of clothes, along with a few other necessities. Pet(s): He has never had a pet before, but always wanted one.

A P P E A R A N C E Height: 5'9" Hair: Slightly wavy and unruly, just long enough that it gets in his eyes/face if he doesn't push it back. Facial Hair: Usually has at least some facial hair, though he occasionally shaves it all off. Eye Colour: A lovely shade of brown. Skin Tone: His skin tone tends to change slightly with the seasons-- darker in the summer, paler in the winter, though he is never pasty or anything. Clothing: At the moment, he doesn't have much. A couple of t-shirts, a couple of flannels, and two pairs of jeans. He has a worn-out pair of combat boots that he wears most of the time, and a pair of even more worn-out tennis shoes in his bag as a "just in case" sort of thing. He also has a sherpa-lined denim jacket, though he doesn't often need it. Distinguishing Marks: A bunch of scars here and there on his body, most of them fairly recent, because for some mysterious reason he has found himself in a lot of fights lately~ Face Claim: Steven Yeun

H E A L T H Physical Health: He's always been in good health, but since he became a werewolf, it's been excellent. He has seemingly endless endurance and stamina, never really gets sick, and is twice as strong as he used to be. The only downside is that he doesn't sleep as well now, though he at least seems to need less sleep than before. Still, he hasn't felt fully rested since his transformation. He's also noticed that his appetite has increased, which doesn't help his food budget, but isn't too much of a problem. Physical Abilities/Limitations: Thanks to his werewolf blood, Julian is almost always warm, and does well even in very cold weather. He is also surprisingly strong, and is fast with good reflexes. However, in hot weather, he tends to slow down and be very lethargic. Addictions: He smoked as a teenager, but had managed to quit in his twenties. Of course, now that he has all these stressful things going on in his life, he has taken it up again. Allergies: No allergies, lucky for him. Mental Health: He's definitely going through some shit right now, what with being recently turned into a werewolf and dealing with all the ramifications of that. He misses his old life, and feels very isolated and lonely.

H I S T O R Y Job History: His first job was working at his dad's used car lot, helping to fix up cars and get them ready for sale, and also helping with some of the office work. After becoming a certified mechanic, he took a job in a small but reputable auto repair shop/garage. Fondest Memories: A family trip to Korea when he was a teenager. A spring break trip he went on with his friends in his freshman year of college. Various memories with his two best friends. Worst Experiences: Being attacked by a werewolf. His first transformation into a werewolf-- he doesn't remember much of it, but he remembers it was painful and he was terrified. And after his transformation, realizing that he had put everyone in his town in danger, and that he had actually killed someone.

C O M M U N I C A T I O N Speech Pace/Style: He's usually a bit soft-spoken, unless the situation calls for him to speak up. He's not exactly a smooth talker, but he doesn't stutter or stumble over his words much either. Accent: American. Even when he speaks Korean, he has a little bit of an American accent. Usual Curse Words: He doesn't curse a whole lot, but he does have a fondness for saying "Jesus Christ" or "fucking Christ" if he's frustrated.

P E R S O N A L I T Y, M I N D S E T, A N D B E L I E F S Personality Type: INFP-T Sense of Humor: Julian is pretty easily entertained. Chances are, if someone tells a joke, even if it's really bad, Julian will at least crack a smile. Habits: Laughs when he's nervous or uncomfortable. Has a hard time making eye contact, so he usually just looks at the floor or off to the side when he talks to someone, or he might focus on the other person's chin/mouth so it at least seems like he's looking at them. Quirks: He has a tendency to arrange things in order of color, or in alphabetical order. Also, there is a certain spot on the back of his neck that he has always really liked to have touched/stroked/massaged, and that has only intensified since he became a werewolf. That is definitely the best way to calm him down or help him relax~ Fears/Phobias: Public speaking-- he freezes up if he has to speak in front of more than a few people, and he absolutely hates being the center of attention. He also hates crowds/being in a crowd, and gets really tense and anxious anytime he's forced to be somewhere crowded. Strengths: Although Julian is usually a bit of a loner, he is very loyal and protective over anyone he does get close to. He would do anything for his friends and family (and let's be real here, he would do anything for Cybil as well). Julian is very level-headed, and often acts as a voice of reason. He is able to take a step back and look at things from a logical standpoint most of the time, and because of that, he gives excellent advice (though he doesn't always make the wisest decisions himself). He's a very honest person, and he wears his heart on his sleeve. Though that is sometimes a weakness for him, it can also work in his favor-- he doesn't lie, and he doesn't play games or try to hide how he feels about anyone. Flaws: Julian tends to freeze up when he's in stressful situations, or if he has to make any difficult decisions. He does not do well under pressure, and always prefers having more time to think through any decisions he may have to make. If he gets really stressed out or anxious for whatever reason, he may completely shut down, not really hearing/responding to anyone, sort of having a deer in the headlights look. It didn't used to happen much, but now that he has significantly more stress in his life, it's been happening more often. Julian kind of has a tendency to blame himself for a lot of things, even if they're not really his fault. This also leads to him being quite a pushover, and forgiving other people way more easily than he should, even if they really hurt him. He's ended up in more than one relationship where he kept getting hurt, but still kept coming back for more. Hopes/Desires: He used to have really simple hopes and desires. Like, he wanted to have his own garage someday, get married, maybe raise a couple of kids. Now, he has no idea what he wants, and is having a hard time accepting that a lot of what he wanted may not be possible anymore. Self-Esteem: At the moment, not so great. He accidentally killed a person, so he doesn't like himself much. It's pretty much all he can think about. Religion: He was raised Christian, but stopped going to church as soon as he moved out of his parent's place. The only time he goes now is on Christmas, just for nostalgic reasons.

R A N D O M Sleeping Position: He hasn't been sleeping well lately, so he kind of tosses and turns, trying to sleep in various positions and get comfortable. Boxers or Briefs?: Boxer-briefs. Day or Night?: He's kind of torn. He used to like nighttime the best, but now he always feels uneasy at night, like someone-- or something-- is watching him. Top or Bottom?: Usually bottom. Partying or Relaxing?: Parties freak him out, so he'd take relaxing anytime.

R E L A T I O N S H I P S Closest Friend: Julian had a wide circle of friends back home, and his closest friends were a couple of his coworkers at the garage, Allan and Isabelle (Izzy). He left without much of a goodbye to either of them, and doesn't plan on ever talking to them again, even though he misses them. Relationship History: His relationships have all been on-again-off-again sort of things, for various reasons. He was taken advantage of a lot and put up with a lot of shit he shouldn't have, because he's a sucker and gives out infinite second chances. One of his boyfriends cheated on him, and Julian still took him back when he came begging, even though he swore to himself he wouldn't do it. So, yeah. Not the best relationship history. Sexual Partners: He's had three boyfriends over the years that he's slept with, and one very awkward one night stand when he was lonely after a break-up. Thoughts About Sex: He loves it, and has kind of a high sex drive. He's usually been the one initiating sex in all his relationships-- not that any of his partners have minded that.

P A R E N T S Name(s): Nam Jinho and Nam Minji Age(s): 60 and 57 Occupation(s): His father owned a used car lot for a long time, but is now retired. His mother buys beat-up furniture and refurbishes it, mostly as a hobby, but she actually makes quite a bit of money from selling her pieces. Religion: Christian Quality of Relationship With Their Child: It was kind of rough for a while after Julian came out-- they told him what he was doing was wrong, that it was a sin, etc. But they've somewhat changed their minds. It still makes them uncomfortable that Julian is gay, but they've done their best to accept him for who he is, and have even asked him about his boyfriends although it's very awkward for them. But they love him, and just want him to be happy, whatever that means for him. Living/Deceased: Both alive~

D A I L Y L I F E Living Arrangements: Julian recently went on the run, and is now trying to settle down and live a low-key life in Grand Island. He's managed to find a small studio apartment for himself, fully furnished, but hasn't yet left any sort of personal mark on the place-- it's very plain.

[imhereforbvcky]

Absolution - Part 2

Masterlist  -  Part 1  -  Part 3

Summary: Bucky must figure out how to live with some of his worst memories when he can’t shake one particular ghost from his past.

Prompt(s): Could you do a Bucky story inspired by Murder Song - Aurora?

Warnings: AAAAANNNNGGSSTTT so much angst. Ok, we’ve got swearing, nightmares, looks at Bucky’s captivity and the unpleasantness related to it, murdery sadness, I think that covers it?

Word Count: 1409

Author’s Note: Italics are Bucky’s journal pages/memories

Bucky watched his therapist seated across from him, holding the pages that Bucky had torn out of his journals to share. He could see his own dark heavy hand through the thin pages, and he worried. His hands fidgeted in his lap, as he studied the doctor across the room.

“How did you meet her?” was the only question the man asked. It was so… unassuming that Bucky felt nervous to answer, like it must be some trick.

“Um she… she was there, in Siberia when I woke up from the surgery.” Still no more questions, just… patient listening. “Not there, exactly. She spoke to me, through a drain pipe that ran through the wall between our… cells, I guess.”

“She was a prisoner too?”

He nodded. “There were a handful of them that came and went… She was there already when I woke up.” Bucky swallowed the lump in his throat, remembering all the whispered moments they’d shared. He remembered the desperation they’d each laid bare, unable to hold on any longer, only for the other to breathe hope through a rusting pipe. A voice through a hole in the wall had saved him. “That one’s my first memory of her.”

July 23

I slept through the night but I dreamed of waking up. There are a few hazy memories between the fall and when I first heard her, but they’re cloudy and they don’t fit together right.

She said I might never remember them, that I’d been in and out of medical because of the prosthetic. She didn’t know much but she said she’d heard them talk about how well the material was taking, or rather wasn’t taking and then I’d come and go for weeks at a time until they stabilized everything.

I’d woken in a panic, the memories felt like a muddy dream and there was a machine where my arm should be. She’d called to me through the pipe.

“Hey, shh! Hey, you’re okay!”

I sure as shit wasn’t. I clawed at the sheets and stumbled out of the bed, a sharp burning pain radiated through my shoulder and down my entire spine when I tried to push myself up with the metal arm. I was a soldier, and trained on how to handle captivity, but this… this was more than anyone had ever trained me to handle.

I think I nearly died of a heart attack right there when cold slender fingers reached out over mine. “Shh! Shh, just breathe,” that soothing murmur insisted. “If they hear you they’ll come sedate you again, they want you to heal.”

Finally, she pulled her small bony hand back away through the drain pipe. “There you go,” she encouraged as I dragged myself to sit up, finally settling my breathing into a normal pattern. She offered her name and asked mine. Nervous and taking in my surroundings in a soldier’s survival mode, I rattled off my service number.

“Okay, you’re a soldier,” she seemed a little worried. For some reason I didn’t want her to worry. “What’s your name, though?”

“J-James,” I finally breathed. “James Barnes.”

“That’s good.”

Was it? Why was that good?

“Hang on to that,” she urged, a serious firmness in her tone. “They’re going to try to take it from you, but remember who you are.”

“H-how do you know that?” I asked shakily, sweat forming over my skin from the pain of the gruesome seam where my skin met the shining metal prosthetic. “Who are you?”

She told me how HYDRA took soldiers and civilians alike, how they’d overtaken her small village and kept those who were fit for their work with Zola. The rest were executed immediately, the lucky ones, she called them.

“I’ve been here long enough now to see soldiers like you turn to monsters, and to see the ill cured only to try on a new disease or weapon until they’re dead.” Her voice wasn’t cold and removed when she talked about these things. She hadn’t adopted the self-protective dissociation I expected, she was devastated and so, so alone. “It’s easy to forget who you are. To start to think you’re just a piece of lab equipment or a gun. As soon as you do, you’re dead or you’re theirs.”

July 27

Sam has food poisoning I’m not surprised; he’ll eat any damn thing he sees. Just the smell from his room is horrifying. Before I can pass his door I see her. I see her. She’s leaning against the wall beside his door, holding her stomach as if her entire body would come apart if she let go. I know she’s not real. I know it’s a guilty projection from my trauma-ridden mind. But god I just want to help her. I can never help her. It’s enough to kick my memories into overdrive and it’s not just a picture in my head, I can smell it and see it and practically feel it.

I never saw her like that, hunched over and sick, I never saw it. But I remember it.

She moaned softly when they dropped her body onto the bed in her cell. I could hear the springs whine under the rough treatment. They didn’t say a word as they left. They never did, not to her. There was a loud clang as her door crashed closed.

“You okay?” I asked her as softly as I could through the pipe. It was best to be gentle when she’d just returned. It was hard to know what horrors she’d seen and sometimes even the sound of my voice startled her.

A stifled sob was my only reply before the bed creaked again. I heard her heaving and felt my own stomach flip. I hated them. I hate them. All I wanted was to comfort her, to stroke her back gently and whisper that she’d be okay. I couldn’t do either of those things. Neither of us would ever be okay.

I have no idea how many nights were spent that way, listening to each other suffer and trying to find any comfort. I won’t call it hope, because after a while there just wasn’t any to be found.

When she was sick from the testing I’d tell her about Brooklyn, and Coney Island, I told her how I wanted to take her dancing and about my favorite dance halls. I told her about my sister and laughed about what the hell kind of job I would get with a damn metal arm.

When I came back shattered and lost, not quite myself, echoes of words I didn’t understand lingering at the edges of my memory, she’d talk to me. She’d tell me about her village and what it was like to be from a place where everyone knew each other. I could hear the smile in her voice and wondered how she managed to smile in a place like that, after everything. I think she only did it for me. Or maybe I just want to think that. I loved her, I think.

“I can see you really care for her,” Bucky’s therapist told him, looking up from the pages in his hands.

Bucky nodded, pushing his hands into his hair anxiously. “I don’t even know how much time we had together, really. I don’t remember all of it. I hate that they took that from me, too.”

“It doesn’t have to be about the time, James.” He had that gentle urging voice on again. “We can form extraordinary bonds under extraordinary circumstances. Even if it was only a short time or--”

“It was years,” Bucky interrupted, “I know that. When I… When she died I had already been there long enough for the trigger words to work.”

“I’m sorry, James. It must have been difficult to lose her.”

“You haven’t even read it yet,” Bucky eyed him, slightly apprehensive.

“I can see how much you cared for her, regardless of what’s on this paper,” he lifted the pages like they were nothing, like they didn’t contain his patient’s worst memories. “Her loss is still painful for you.”

“I can’t get her out of my head.” Bucky chewed on his lip, staring at his hands in his lap, silent for a long moment. He could feel the doctor’s eyes on him, patient and understanding. He drew in a deep, shuddering breath, “I loved her. I loved her and I killed her.”

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[captainswanapproved]

Try Something New, Darling

So since my blog got deleted, over the next few weeks I’ll be reposting most of my old one shots. 

Summary:

AU. Emma doesn't leave Killian behind in "Tallahassee".

Word Count:~4k

"Swan! Swan!"

His voice was broken, completely, and utterly broken. Emma stopped.

Should she really be doing this? Leaving a man behind. A man who had risked his own safety to help her?

She'd been left alone enough times to know how awful it felt.

"Emma, please," he said, behind her, so softly that she couldn't be sure that she'd heard it.

Emma turned back and knelt down in front of him, taking his cuffed hand in hers. "If I unchain you, you have to swear that you will help me get back to my son, and I have to believe you."

"You can trust me, Emma," said Killian, his blue eyes searing into hers.

He wasn't lying.

"What about Gold?" she asked, "Er—Rumplestiltskin."

Killian frowned. "I still want my revenge, but I'll keep you out of it. Once we get to Storybrooke, you'll not have to see me again."

Emma stared at him for a long moment. "You intend to die for your revenge," she said softly.

Killian nodded. "The Dark One leaves no survivors."

"What if there was another path?" asked Emma.

"There isn't," said Killian.

"You don't have to be alone. Storybrooke could be a new start for you."

Killian shook his head. "Trust me, darling, as soon as the Dark One learns that I am back in Storybrooke, he will come after me. I intend to put up a good fight, but I will not survive. But none of this should concern you. You'll be back with your son. That's what is important."

Emma bit back a reply. It wouldn't do for him to know that she didn't want him to die. She hated the thought that she might lose someone else. They'd only known each other for a day, and yet he was already beginning to work his way into her heart. It scared the hell out of her.

"So, are you going to unchain me, because if not, we could turn this negative into a positive," he quipped, grinning up at her in an attempt to relieve the tension of the moment. His thumb caressed the back of her hand, sending a shiver down her spine.

"I'll go get Anton," she murmured.

-/-

Emma was trying to keep her concentration on the task at hand, climbing down the beanstalk, but it was a difficult task with the pirate right beside her.

They'd been silent, but she could feel his eyes on her, as if he were trying to learn all her secrets just by looking at her. The scary thing was that he was probably capable of doing so.

"Tell me something, darling," said Killian, "Who abandoned you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Emma quickly.

"The climb would go a lot faster if you opened up, love. I'll be dead in a few days, so you can tell me anything."

"His name was Neal," she said, instantly regretting it. Talking about Neal was the last thing she wanted to be doing.

The beanstalk shook violently. Emma felt a hand reach out for her.

Killian had dug his hook into the stalk and used his hand to steady her.

She could feel the heat of his palm through her thin tank top.

"What the hell was that?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we best hurry and get to the ground. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was Cora trying to cut the stalk down."

Emma's eyes widened. "No. It's Mulan. I told her to cut it down if we weren't back in ten hours."

"That was a rather confident move," said Killian.

"I'm a realist."

The beanstalk shook again, and Killian's grip tightened.

"I'd say he have a good thirty feet," said Killian, "Shall we jump?"

Emma nodded and slipped her hand into his and together they fell.

-/-

"Emma! You're alive! Did you get it?" asked Mary Margaret pulling her daughter into her arms.

"We got it," said Emma.

"I'm sorry, Emma," said Mulan, holding her sword. "I was just doing what you asked of me."

"I know," said Emma. "Let's just get those ashes. Hook is coming with us."

Mary Margaret threw a skeptical glance at the pirate. "Are you sure we can trust him, Emma?"

"He risked his life to help me get the compass. I trust him."

Mary Margaret nodded. If her daughter trusted him, then it was good enough for her.

Emma turned to Killian. "Where to next?"

"Cora will be back at the settlement," said Killian. "She'll have the ashes on her person."

"So how will we get them?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Leave that to me, ladies," said Killian. "I've always been great at improvisation."

-/-

The five of them headed back to the camp, until night began to fall.

"We had better make camp," said Killian. "We'll need our strength to best Cora, and we still do not have a way of defeating her."

"Rumplestiltskin would know of a way," said Mary Margaret.

Killian's expression soured at the mention of his name.

"Well, we can't exactly get in contact with him," said Emma.

"Aurora," said Mary Margaret, "do you think you could get a message to Henry."

"It's possible," said Aurora.

"You don't have to do this," said Mulan.

"I want to," said Aurora.

-/-

Killian paced back and forth waiting for the young princess to fall asleep. "What exactly are we doing?" asked Killian.

Emma leaned against a tree. "My son was under a sleeping curse. So was Aurora. Victims of sleeping curses go to a netherworld when they sleep. They can communicate."

Killian noticed the way her voice faltered when she said her son was under a sleeping curse. "It wasn't your fault, Emma" said Killian.

Emma looked up at him with wide eyes. "It was," said Emma.

Without thinking about it, Killian reached out for her, taking her hand in his. Why the hell did he feel the urge to comfort her? Well, that he didn't know. All he knew was that her skin was warm beneath his, and he wouldn't mid holding her in the future, just as he'd done in the giant's lair.

They waited for Aurora to awaken with news from Henry.

Killian shifted closer and leaned against the tree beside Emma. Their hands were still joined.

Mary Margaret looked up at them with a curious expression on her face.

What had happened up on that beanstalk?

Aurora awakened and said, "We agreed to meet back in an hour. Henry is going to speak to Rumplestiltskin."

"Thank you, Aurora," said Mary Margaret, wrapping her arms around the younger woman, who was still shaking. She knew better than most the horrors of the dream world.

Across the campsite, Killian glanced at Emma, "So, we've an hour. I can think of several ways to pass the time."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I bet you can. "I might try and get some sleep myself," said Emma, dropping to the ground.

Killian sat down beside her and slid his arm around her shoulders.

Emma didn't have it in her to protest. She laid her head on his shoulder, her eyes closing as she drifted off to sleep.

As Killian sat there holding her, he started to think for the first time in centuries that maybe there was more to life than revenge.

-/-

"Emma, love, wake up," said Killian, shaking her gently.

Emma's eyes flew open, and the first thing she noticed was the fact that she was pressed flush against the leather-clad pirate. Her cheeks turned red. She stood up and went over to her mother. "What did Henry say?"

"We are going to go to Rumplestiltskin's cell. He kept a vial of squid Ink there. It will help us to immobilize Cora," said Mary Margaret.

"Let's go," said Emma.

Mary Margaret shook her head. It's the middle of the night, Emma. The ogres are out. It's too dangerous. We'll get going at dawn." Mary Margaret shot her daughter a sly grin and lowered her voice. "Get some more sleep. You and Hook looked rather cozy."

Emma glanced over at Killian, who was gazing at them with pointed curiosity.

"There's nothing there," said Emma quickly.

"For you, nothing always means something," said Mary Margaret.

"All that matters is getting back to Henry," said Emma.

Mary Margaret nodded. "Of course, but Emma, once we're back—"

"Nothing's going to happen," said Emma resolutely.

Mary Margaret let the subject drop. Hook was a pirate after all. Still, Mary Margaret swore that she'd seen a spark between them.

-/-

Killian had volunteered to take the night watch while every one else slept.

He sat on the ground near the fire. He glanced over at Emma, who was curled up beside her mother. What had this woman gone through that had left her so broken? He wanted to know. He wanted to know everything about her.

It was strange that he found himself caring for someone else after 300 years of living only for revenge. He tried not to dwell on the fact that he was starting to finally put Milah behind him. Of course, he would always love her. She would always have a special place in his heart, but for the first time in centuries, he thought that maybe it could be possible for him to find love again. To find his happy ending.

Killian shook his head in effort to clear it. They'd only known each other for a day, and besides, she was the Savior. She couldn't possibly want anything to do with a good for nothing, one-handed pirate.

"So, Captain, I see you've made your choice," said a voice, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Killian stood up and whirled around only to see Cora.

"I haven't a clue what you're talking about," said Killian.

"You really are a terrible liar," said Cora, "but if she means so little to you, perhaps I'll just take her heart now. My daughter would certainly thank me for it." Cora swept over to Emma. "She certainly is a pretty little thing, Captain," she cooed, "As pretty as her mother. I cannot fault your taste."

Killian scowled at the woman.

"Speechless are we?" asked Cora. She knelt down beside Emma, reaching for her chest.

"Don't," said Killian.

Cora smirked. "I'll make you a deal Captain. You can keep your little princess if you hand over the compass. I'll return to Storybrooke and the five of you can start a new life here in this ogre ravaged land."

""You think I would give up 300 years of revenge for a woman?" said Killian.

"I do," said Cora. "Because love is weakness, Captain, and after only twenty four hours Miss Emma Swan has already become your new weakness. Don't even bother trying to deny it. I know you too well. Now give me the compass and no one will get hurt."

"No," said Killian.

Cora smirked. "Well then, my dear Captain, we're going to have to do this the hard way." Then she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

-/-

"You look like you've seen a ghost," said Emma, coming up to him not a half an hour later.

"Go back to sleep, love" said Killian.

Emma sat down beside him. "What's wrong," she asked.

Killian looked away.

Emma gazed at him for a long moment.

"I have to trust you, Hook, if you're going to come back with us," she said softly.

"Cora paid me a visit," he said.

"What?"

"She offered me a deal for the compass," said Killian.

"What were the terms?"

"That's not important," said Killian. "I didn't take it."

"I thought pirates only looked out for themselves," said Emma offhandedly.

"I have a code, Emma. When I make a promise to someone, I keep it."

Upon seeing the pain in his eyes, Emma instantly regretted her words. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't dwell on it, love. I'm used to it."

"That doesn't mean you deserve it," said Emma. "I can take over the watch if you want to rest."

"I won't be able to," he said.

So they sat together in a companionable, watching the embers die down.

-/-

"What the hell is that?" cried Emma, pointing a little ways ahead of them.

The others glanced in the direction where Emma was pointing. A mob of reawakened corpses was trudging across the barren hills and they were closing in.

"It's the villagers," said Mulan.

"Cora must've sent them," said Mary Margaret, drawing her bow.

"Can we outrun them?" asked Aurora.

"No," said Mary Margaret. "This is the fastest route to the cell. Draw your weapons and charge."

Mulan, Emma and Killian drew their swords as Mary Margaret began shooting arrows at the corpses.

The mob closed in on them from all directions. Emma was still rather inexperienced with a sword, and was hacking wildly at the attackers. Killian attempted to keep Emma in his peripheral version as he sliced through Cora's abominations.

"Emma, behind you!" cried Mary Margaret, firing several arrows in a quick succession.

Emma whirled around, brandishing her sword wildly, but five of the corpses closed in around her, knocking her to her knees and dragging her in the opposite direction.

"Emma!" cried Mary Margaret.

Killian turned just in time to see Emma and her captors disappear in a purple puff of smoke. "Cora," he growled. "You'll not take her from me."

-/-

"Wake up, Miss Swan," hissed Cora in Emma's ear. "Your beloved pirate is probably on his way right now."

Emma opened her eyes, adjusting to the darkness of what she could only assume was Rumplestiltskin's cell. "My pirate?" she murmured.

"Ah yes, the pirate that chose you. When he did that, he made a very fatal mistake. Fatal for you, that is. Regina will be so happy to learn that you are dead. She'll not have to share her son with you."

Emma's eyes widened. "If you're going to kill me, just do it now," said Emma fiercely.

"Oh no, that wouldn't be any fun. I have to wait for the opportune moment. Your mother and the pirate will want to see this." Cora waved her hand and a hunk of bread and some water appeared in front of Emma. "Now eat up, dear. I like my victims to be at full strength before I kill them. I'll see you very soon."

Emma lunged at the older woman, but the sorceress disappeared with a wave of her hand.

Emma cursed softly. Cora was leading them right into a trap, and she was the bait.

-/-

Mary Margaret was amazed at the determination showed as they made their way to the cell. Something must have happened up on the beanstalk. After all, she and David had fallen in love with over the course of a single adventure, and the pirate seemed that he was in a similar boat.

"Hook," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get her back."

"Aye," said Killian, flinching at the contact. He couldn't fight the feeling that they would arrive just in time to see Cora ripping out Emma's heart. Killian couldn't face losing another woman again. Especially considering that Emma wasn't even his to lose. A promising future would be ripped away from him before it even had a chance to begin.

"We're almost there," said Mary Margaret.

-/-

"Well, my dear Snow, it took you long enough to get here. What kind of mother are you?" said Cora with a wicked grin as Mary Margaret, Killian, Mulan and Aurora barged into the cell.

Cora flicked her wrist and Emma was forced against the rock wall, stone wrapping around her wrists.

"Let my daughter go, Cora!" cried Snow, drawing her bow and arrow.

"Now why would I do that? I have your little princess right where I want her. She makes an excellent bargaining chip. Give me the compass and perhaps I'll spare her life."

"Don't do it," said Emma.

"Here," said Mary Margaret, tossing the device to Cora. She wouldn't lose her daughter. Not again.

Cora pocketed the object. "Good girl, Snow," cooed Cora.

"Release my daughter," demanded Mary Margaret.

Cora shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm glad to have an audience for this. It may very well be my finest moment."

Cora swept over to Emma and plunged her hand into Emma's chest.

Emma's cries of pain mingled with Mary Margaret's and Killian's.

"Captain, this is how dear Rumple killed your lover, is it not? Emma's death will be rather poetic."

"Don't," growled Killian. If not for the bars between him and the sorceress he would have run her through with his sword already.

Cora's fingers tightened around Emma's heart.

"Mom," said Emma, "Find a way to get back to Henry."

"Oh, Miss Swan, the only one who will be making it back to Storybrooke is me." She yanked her hand back, but was unable to remove Emma's heart.

Cora narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "What's going on?" she said with frustration.

"You're not going to hurt my son," said Emma.

"Oh my dear, don't you know? Love is weakness."

"No it's not," said Emma, her eyes widening with realization. "It's strength."

A pulse of white light burst from Emma's chest, obliterating the bars of the cell and knocking Cora back.

The rock crumbled, and Emma was free and in her mother's arms within seconds.

"No!" shrieked Cora, getting up and lunging towards the mother and daughter only to be met by Killian's blade.

Then the woman grinned. "No matter. I'll soon have everything I need. Storybrooke awaits."

-/-

"What are we going to do," said Emma, pacing back and forth. "There is no squid ink in this cell, and without it we'll have no way to stop Cora."

"Emma, I found something," said Mary Margaret, withdrawing a scroll from the hole in the wall.

Emma crossed the cell and unrolled the scroll. "It's just my name," said Emma with frustration

"Emma, it's written in squid ink," said Mary Margaret. If we dip one of my arrows in it, I'll be able to immobilize Cora."

"No," said Killian. "Put the ink on one of the shafts of your arrows. It will be more effective."

Mary Margaret stared at the pirate, taking a moment to put the pieces together. "How?"

"This squid ink is from Neverland. I spent enough time there to learn a few tricks. Cora works quickly so we have to get a move on."

Mary Margaret nodded and pulled out one of her arrows. "Hold this," she said, handing the arrow to Emma. She made quick work of blowing the ink onto the shaft of the arrow, before tucking it safely back into her quiver.

"Let's go," said Emma.

-/-

"Cora will be at Lake Nostos," said Killian.

Mary Margaret nodded. "It's that way. We have to hurry."

Mulan and Aurora hung back. "This is where we go our separate ways. Take this," said Mulan, presenting her sword to Emma. "The blade deflects magic. I hope you make it back safely," said Mulan.

"Thank you," said Emma, taking the blade.

"Best of luck to you both," said Mary Margaret to Mulan and Aurora.

With that, Emma, Mary Margaret and Killian set off at full speed towards the lake, hoping that they'd arrive in time to prevent Cora from making it to Storybrooke.

-/-

Mary Margaret fired two successive shots. The first knocked the compass from Cora's hand and sent it flying into the sand several yards away. The second, as Killian had anticipated, Cora caught in her hand before it pierced through her chest.

"You think you can stop me with a simple arrow?" asked Cora, with a mocking grin.

"I do," said Mary Margaret.

"Oh, my dear girl, you have a lot to learn." But then Cora's eyes went wide as she realized what had happened. "Squid ink?"

"Squid ink," said Mary Margaret. "Emma, get the compass."

"Allow me, my lady," said Killian with a mock bow. Running over to the other side of the lake and sifting through the sand for the compass. Then he sauntered over to Cora, slipping his hand into the pocket of her cloak and removing the wardrobe ashes. "I'm much obliged, Cora. I wouldn't be here now if you hadn't sent me to Emma."

"You'll never kill Rumplestiltskin without my help," said Cora. "Snow and her daughter will not allow it to happen, and even if you do get past them Rumplestiltskin will slaughter you as soon as he sees you."

"I'm not worried," said Killian.

"You don't seriously think that Emma Swan would ever want you, do you?" asked Cora with a sneer. "She's a princess. You're a pirate, and a black hearted one at that."

Killian frowned. He shouldn't dwell on Cora's words. She was just saying anything to get him to betray Emma. He'd sworn that he would get Emma home, and Killian was nothing if not a man of his word. Once he arrived in Storybrooke, well, he'd go from there. "Nice try, love," hissed Killian, "but you're stuck and you'll not be making it to Storybrooke."

He turned away. "She'll never love you. No one ever will."

Killian flinched and walked away from Cora only to see Emma walking towards him. Their fingers brushed as he handed her the compass.

"Thank you," said Emma softly. "Now let's go home."

"As you wish," he said, tossing the ashes into the lake.

Emma took her mother's hand in one and then Killian's in the other, and together they jumped into the swirling portal.

-/-

Henry sat by the wishing well, a daily habit he had taken to while Emma was gone.

He kept hoping he'd be there to see Emma and Mary Margaret emerge from the wishing well.

He heard the crunching of leaves underfoot behind them. David emerged from between the trees. "Henry, they'll come back," he said, sitting down beside his grandson.

"I hope so."

"They will," said David.

A strange sound pulsed through the forest. Henry whipped his head around to stare at the fountain, only to see a hand on the edge. Henry stood up as his mother hoisted herself out of the well.

"Henry!" she said, rushing to take her son into her arms.

"You made it," said Henry, hugging his mother tightly.

"Of course I did. It's good to see you kid," said Emma as David came over and joined them, watching the well closely and waiting for his wife to appear.

She did a moment later and David ran to her, kissing her lightly.

"Who's that," asked David suspiciously, as a third figure emerged from the wishing well.

"Hook," said Mary Margaret.

"As in Captain Hook?" asked Henry excitedly, wriggling out of his mother's arms and going up to the pirate.

Killian's heart clenched at the sight of the boy. He reminded him of young Baelfire.

"This is my son Henry," said Emma.

"Good to meet you, young sir," said Killian, extending his hook with a teasing grin.

Henry grinned back at the pirate. "Oh cool! Emma, can he come to Granny's with us?"

Emma looked towards her mother, who nodded with a smile. David looked a bit suspicious. He didn't like the way the pirate was looking at his daughter.

"Sure, why don't you come with us," said Emma.

"That is unnecessary. I've some business to attend to."

Emma shifted closer to him. "You don't need to do this," said Emma. "You can be a part of something. You can have a new start here."

Killian stared at Emma for a long moment, his eyes expressing his indecision. It was Emma's fingers curling around his hand that did it. "I'd be glad to join you," he said. Perhaps he'd find Rumplestiltskin later, but who was he to deny a request from a beautiful woman.

"Good," said Emma.

-/-

Rumple's walking stick clattered to the ground when the Charmings and Killian entered the diner.

"You," he said, standing up.

Killian sneered at Rumple. "It's been a long time, Crocodile."

"Not long enough," said Rumple, closing in.

Emma's fingers curled around Killian's wrist, holding him back. "Don't."

"This doesn't concern you, Miss Swan," growled Rumple. "He is a good for nothing pirate and I intend to finish him off."

"No," said Emma. "I'm sheriff, and no one is dying, or even getting hurt for that matter."

"It would be unwise to cross me, Miss Swan. You still owe me a favor."

"If you promise not to go after Hook I'll owe you another one," said Emma smoothly. "He helped us defeat Cora. And it is because of him that we found a way back to Storybrooke."

Belle came to stand beside Rumple. "Rumple, let go of the past," she said.

Rumple looked back and forth between Emma and Belle. His mouth was set in a thin line. "Fine. The miserable pirate lives, but I'll be cashing in on that favor sooner rather than later, Miss Swan. Let's go, Belle." Then Rumple and Belle left the diner, but not before Rumple uttered a threat to Killian, "This isn't over, pirate."

Killian was shaking with anger. Emma laid a hand on his shoulder. "He's not worth it. Be the better man."

A bit of the tension left Killian's body underneath her touch. He certainly was the better man. He was no bloody coward.

-/-

"Where is the Captain going to stay," asked Henry after their food had come.

"I'm sure Granny has a room available," said David, casting a suspicious look at the pirate, who had spent the entire time conversing with or staring at Emma.

As much as he hated to admit it, David recognized that look.

"Aye, you needn't worry about me, lad," said Killian.

"Where's your ship?" asked Henry.

Killian looked away. "Back in the Enchanted Forest."

They all fell into an awkward silence after that, and thirty minutes later the plates were cleared. "Why don't you all head back to the apartment," said Emma. "I'll make sure Hook gets settled in here."

David cast yet another surreptitious glance at his daughter and the pirate.

Mary Margaret took his hand in hers. "Okay, Emma. We'll see you soon." Then the three of them left the diner.

"Come on Hook. We'll get you a room," said Emma, guiding him through the hallway that led to the inn. Granny was behind the desk. "Oh hello, Miss Swan," she said.

"Do you have a room available?" asked Emma.

"Certainly," said Granny.

Emma removed a handful of bills from her wallet and handed them to the older woman. "He'll be here for a while."

"Fine," said Granny. "You'll be in room 11. It's straight up the stairs and around the corner." The older woman handed him a set of keys.

"Much obliged ma'am," he said, with a wink.

The older woman flushed.

Emma shook her head and dragged Killian up the stairs.

"You're certainly very accommodating, Emma," said Killian, invading her personal space, once they were in front of the door, "Showing me to my room like this."

"I just want to make sure you're all set," said Emma. "I owe you. You helped me get back to my son."

"Aye, perhaps some gratitude is in order," he said with a teasing grin, tapping his lower lip.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you couldn't handle it."

Killian leaned in closer, his breath hot on her cheeks. "Perhaps you're the one who couldn't handle it."

Emma had never been one to back down from a challenge, and she had certainly wanted to kiss him from the moment they'd met. She grabbed the collar of his jacket and crashed her lips against his, kissing him deeply.

He returned the kiss with fervor, his good hand running through her hair before trailing down her side and coming to a rest at her hip.

They stayed like that for a long, perfect moment, before Emma drew back.

Killian looked dumbstruck. "That was—"

"A one time thing—" said Emma firmly. "Good night Hook." Then she turned on her heel and disappeared down the stairs.

Killian stared after her, knowing that he had already fallen hard and fast for this beautiful, stubborn, infuriating woman.

[ladyiceflame-blog]

An Inconvenient Wedding:

Chapter 6:  Dream of Memory

Following a hot shower, and a furtive release of Naruto’s infamous ‘Sexy Jutsu’ in the plum orchard, Kakashi found his three students asleep in Team Seven’s collective tent.  Sakura had been given a painted paper screen for her privacy.  Sasuke slept with his back to the room.  Naruto was sprawled belly-up and snoring. He felt a pang of guilt as he divested himself of his gloves, flack jacket, tool pouch and shinobi boots.  The path of ‘teacher’ was proving hard to resign himself to, after so many years of being on his own.  He’d managed to dance around mentoring responsibilities for awhile, but, on observing this group’s obvious regard for one another during the “Bell Test”, something just...clicked into place.  A gut feeling that had prompted him to finally accept the burden of sensei.  They all had so much promise, and they had so much faith in him.  He couldn’t let them down. “I promise to be a more attentive teacher tomorrow, guys...” he whispered, as he removed his forehead protector, and slid under the blanket of his cot. Had an overly relaxed attitude spoiled the teacher-student experience for Miriyume, he wondered, as his body succumbed to the little raptures of lying down after a long day.  Would he leave these kids as embittered as she was?   How exactly had her sensei failed her?  Did they ignore her?  Coddle her?  Abuse her?  It was difficult to imagine any of those scenarios.  Shimogakure seemed to be a close-knit, amiable community.  But something had happened to send her and her comrades wandering the known world. He began to dredge up every memory he’d had of her ninja village.  There weren’t that many.  The Land of Frost was a rugged frontier, rarely thought of by the Five Great Shinobi Lands.  The Daimyo was renowned for its wealth gained through trade, and the shinobi village was famous for its exuberant passion in all things, be it battle, celebration, or...anything, really.  The reputation had made Shimogakurans the butt of many jokes amongst the other established Lands, and sadly, this had served as his main source of information. But his actual time in Shimogakure had put some things into a clearer perspective.  Yes, they tended to be loud and boisterous.  Yes, they loved their drink.  Yes, they sang and danced and had strange superstitions and customs, but they truly LIVED their lives, unapologetically.  You couldn’t fault that. And their land....so mesmerizing, with such a mystical beauty, all its own.  He’d gone there in the late winter on an Anbu mission, in search of a missing-nin.  What he’d found had been beyond all his imaginings. It had begun with those sublime lights, dancing in the night sky as Team Ro emerged from the great forest that straddled the border between Hot Water and Frost.  Azure and emerald ribbons of light seemed to beckon them into another reality... ...Memory blended into dream, as Kakashi drifted off into a blissful sleep... Team Ro’s target was an ex-ninja from Konoha who was rumored to have taken shelter in distant Shimogakure. On approaching the village, it became clear that they had arrived in the middle of a festival of some sort.  No surprise there.  This place was infamous for their love of celebration.  Rarer was the day that didn’t have a party of some sort.  The cold, crisp air carried the sounds of strange music, full of percussive rhythms and haunting, sonorous horns.  And laughter.  Most memorably, the laughter. The population of the village seemed to be divided between two locales: the village proper, and a nearby frozen lake, along the edge of a rather dramatic bluff.  Kakashi decided to divide his team into two groups, and investigate simultaneously.  He and Tenzo took the lake.   The hypnotic music began to resolve itself into a more organized melody, and singers began to weave their voices into their instruments.  This was yet another of the land’s eccentricities: an utter adoration of music.  Tenzo gave him a quizzical look as a lone soprano began to dominate the quintet of musicians gathered by the lakeside.  His life had been so sheltered in Root.  Kakashi wasn’t sure if he’d been properly briefed on enough foreign culture... “Its said that Shimogakurans have a song for every occasion,” Kakashi whispered, as they waded their way into the sprawl of revelers, dressed in heavy wools and furs.  “...an at least two drinks...” “And these are....shinobi?” Tenzo returned, regarding the laughing, smiling faces surrounding them.  Their Anbu masks drew some curious double-takes, but no blatant alarm or resentment.  That was something positive, he supposed. “I’m willing to bet a large percentage are,” he replied.  “This village has put more emphasis on building alliances than keeping or stealing secrets.  They are more apt to lend assistance than attack outright.  Those policies create a very different kind of ninja...” “I see...” Tenzo acknowledged, as a rather amorous man chased a laughing woman past the two.  “Then our target should stand out like a sore thumb.” “That’s my hope,” Kakashi answered, as he assessed the scene.  “You go clockwise around the lake, I’ll go counter,” he instructed. As his team mate set off, he tugged his heavy cloak tighter around himself, and maneuvered his way to the lake edge, to get a better overall view of the people lining the shore, and the ice-skaters on the surface.   Torches and festive, red lanterns supplemented the bright aurora, providing ample lighting as he paced soberly along the bank.  He caught the heady scents of freshly baked gingerbread, roasting chestnuts and warm, spiced cider.  Everywhere he looked, the camaraderie was enormously palpable; in their actions, words, laughter.  Even their rough-housing.  He could easily see the allure of this place.  If only it weren’t so damned cold!  And just what were these people doing out here on a frozen lake, anyway?  Didn’t they have warm homes, or cozy indoor halls?  Kakashi side-stepped another amorous couple, set to chasing each other from the icy surface, into the fluffy snow.  The young girl tackled the man, and buried him halfway into a snow drift.  He couldn’t help but smile a little at that.  What were they celebrating, exactly? As his sharp eyes scanned the crowd for any answers, a streak of red, the color of imperial peonies, shot past the periphery of his left eye, trailed by an iridescent light.  When he turned to see what it was, all thoughts of cold, food, mystery holiday or even mission fled his mind. She was exquisite.  Pale, alabaster skin.  Fiery long amber hair, tipped in scarlet.  She was wreathed in a nimbus of iridescent light as she skated gracefully along the ice.  Generous curves clad in the color of joy, and eyes that echoed the blue and green ribbons of light dancing above.  Those eyes found his for a split-second, and his heart had to pause in response.  Its next beat sent a tremor through his entire body, sending his chakra pathway system tingling.  Then, with an impish smile, she glided back into the throng of skaters. “Hey, now!  Wait your turn...” a friendly-sounding man chastised lightly, as he placed a hand on Kakashi’s surprised shoulder.  “...There’s plenty for everyone.   No need to rush the line!” Kakashi’s feet had kept moving despite his pleasant distraction.  He had unconsciously cut in line at a makeshift, lakeside bar. “Say,” the man continued, scrutinizing his mask in obvious amusement, “You’re not from around here, are you...?  I suppose I can forgive your over-eagerness this one time...” “My apologies, I’m not in line,” he excused hastily, as he returned to his lakeside prowl. A quick breath of cold air to clear his head.  Mission first, he inwardly scolded. His quarry was a man of large build, ruddy skin, pale eyes, and a long, livid scar that ran from the corner of his right eye, to the bottom of his split chin. His ninjutsu focused on brute strength and earth techniques.  His name was Kohai, and he had single-handedly brought down two remote ninja stations in the eastern part of the Land of Fire, and had nearly destroyed a third.  Orders were, there was to be no fourth attempt.   Kakashi scanned the crowd again and saw no one remotely like Kohai’s description.  The only ruddiness around here was the growing ‘gin blossoms’ on most everyone’s noses and cheeks.  The sharp scents of whiskey and sake were flavoring the air. Tenzo was suddenly beside him again. “I’ve seen no sign of our target, sempai,” he reported, as he patiently endured a slight jostling by a spirited gaggle of kids rushing out onto the ice. “Let’s make another circuit before meeting up with the others, just to be certain,” Kakashi returned. “Yes, captain,” Tenzo acknowledged, and headed off. Trusting the latest recruit to his team to scour the shore, he stepped onto the ice, taking care to focus his chakra enough to provide a good grip.  The locals seemed to have taught themselves to form their chakra into a skate blade shape... A second later, Kakashi stood on chakra blades of his own, courtesy of his Sharingan. He skated to a spot on the center of the lake, and did a slow pan of the people gliding about him.  Mostly people his age, involved in some strange game of cryptic tag.  It seemed more of a dance, keeping a basic time with the music;  people locking arms, spinning about one another.  Launching people at each other, catching each other before they fell down.  Small feats of competitive acrobatics...and suddenly, there she was again: The fiery-haired maiden in the crimson, heavy silk dress was skating in unison with a tall, swarthy-skinned man who spun her out in a death spiral with practiced ease.  He then caught her in a recovery spin to absorb the momentum, and returned her to the ice.  She then broke off to give another woman a try as she pirouetted into a group of much younger skaters.  Her rich laughter chased away all feelings of chill in this stark, cold realm. Kakashi watched in silent wonder, studying the intriguing lady’s iridescent aura.  That was chakra!  She radiated it, effortlessly, it seemed.  Two of the children latched onto her hands, and turned her into an anchor-point in their spinning game.  Her heavy skirt flared out to buffet their safe descent back to the rink surface.  Then they scattered abruptly, leaving her slightly dizzy and smiling. Kakashi regarded her from the safety of his Anbu mask, watching her aura ebb and flow about her.  For some reason, he was unable to focus on much else when she was around.  He felt firmly grounded...and yet, paradoxically exhilarated. He watched as she reached up to adjust the large, sable hat that she wore, just before a loud snap from the shoreline heralded screams of alarm, and the deep groan of large wooden barrels on the move.  They both turned to see the large casks of Shimogakuran whiskey rolling out onto the frozen lake, buckling the thick ice with their massive weight.  Kakashi sidestepped what had promised to be a painful collision with one of the kegs. Chaos erupted from the bank, as most of the skaters fled.  People rushed forward to retrieve the huge casks, heedless of the swiftly cracking ice.  Weirdly, the musicians seemed undaunted, continuing their song. The maiden in the red dress caught sight of a trailing cord, still attached to a slow-rolling barrel that had nearly made it all the way across the fractured rink before settling on its end.  Without any hesitation, she skated after it, confident that she could save it.  She took hold of the line, and wound some of its slack around her elbow, managing to halt its progress.  Cheers from her skating comrades sounded from the safety of the shoreline, as she attempted to drag it back, digging in hard with her chakra skates, to no avail.   Dissatisfied with the grip she had, she unwound the cord, and wrapped it harness-style over her shoulders and chest.  Kakashi smiled at her tenacity, as she began to tow the unwieldy keg back toward its point of origin.   “These people put too much importance on whatever’s in those barrels,” Tenzo commented in Kakashi’s ear. “I agree,” Kakashi admitted, as he watched the scarlet-clad maiden struggle with the weight of her burden.  Her friends seemed to be unconcerned, and even laughed at her lone plight...until the ice cracked again. Enough damage had been done to the surface to send a huge chunk of ice plummeting off the far edge of the lake, over the bluff.  The remaining floes heaved to make up the sudden difference.  The abrupt backward motion tugged the maiden’s barrel with enough force to send it back onto its side, and it began rolling off toward the cliff’s edge.  The maiden was yanked violently off her feet, and drug with it. “Miri-chan!” someone screamed, as she struggled to untie herself from the dangerous anchor. His famed reflexes had Kakashi leaping to the large floe that the maiden was struggling to find purchase on, just as the barrel went over the cliff.  With a flash of his katana, he severed the thick cord that would have drug her to, at the very least, grievous injury on the icy boulders below the natural falls.  He then fielded her to a firm stop, and helped her to stand, as the impact of the barrel on the rocks thundered its demise. “Thank-you, stranger,” were her first words to him, as he helped her unwind the cord that bound her.  “That’s not how someone is supposed to die of whiskey...” “You’re...you’re welcome...” he returned, winding the cord up and subconsciously tucking it into his tool pouch a second before a small mob of her friends assaulted her from behind, and sent her flying into him with their momentum.  He caught her against his chest, feeling a new, heady warmth flood into his being. She smelled of amber and wild roses. “Miriyume!” a slightly feral-looking peer with the red fang-stripes of the Inuzuka Clan on his cheeks called out, grabbing hold of her.  “Are you alright?!” “Yes, yes,” she returned, as he pulled her into the group embrace of a few others.  “No thanks to your laughing!” “What were you thinking, Miri-chan?” another young lady chided.  “Those barrels weigh a ton!” “I’m thinking that there’s going to be some hung-over fish in the river tomorrow...” Miriyume glanced over toward the bluff edge, then returned her eyes to her mysterious rescuer.  “...and a new, valuable acquaintance made tonight.  What’s your name, stranger?”  Her blue-and-green eyes sparkled slightly, as she noticed his Sharingan. “I am...Yurei,” Kakashi returned, attempting to keep all emotion out of his voice, as he gave his Anbu codename.   “You seem solid enough to me,” Miriyume smiled impishly, one side of her full, dark rose lips hitching up higher than the other.  “Now, remove that mask so I can kiss my rescuer...” She said it so casually!  Caught between desire, shock, and duty, he stood motionless, as she moved closer. As she began to raise a hand to unmask him herself, he took a prudent step backward. Another man grabbed her shoulder. “Miri-chan...” its owner, a tall, stocky young man, the one who had been skating with her earlier, cautioned: “He’s an Anbu agent...with special ops.  They don’t take off their masks.” Kakashi inwardly sighed, as Tenzo began to hover in the area behind him.   “Then how am I supposed to thank the man who saved my life?” Miriyume demanded.  “Tsugei gave me a half-eaten dango, and I kissed HIM!” “Kiss the mask...?” the other girl suggested. “I don’t kiss masks!” Miriyume fumed. “Then words will have to suffice,” the tall one determined. Miriyume stood toe-to-toe with Kakashi, and peered hard up into the eye holes of his dog mask, scrutinizing his odd-colored irises. “I find it hard to trust masks....I don’t like pretension,” she confessed openly. “Pretense is my life as a shinobi,” Kakashi returned. “But not mine....” Miriyume riposted, as the ice began to shift and grate again.   “This lake is shot,” the Inuzuka declared, as he grabbed hold of his attendant ninken before it tipped a fragmented floe.  “Let’s find our fun elsewhere!” “Thank-you, Yurei,” Miriyume concluded with a polite bow, then was whisked away by her friends. Tenzo approached his Captain. “What happened, sempai?” “What?” Kakashi snapped back to cold reality with a sudden shiver as he watched the kunoichi in the red dress effortlessly navigate the hazardous ice with her companions as easily as rabbits frolicked through open meadows in spring.  “Um...nothing.  Have you seen any trace of our target?” “I have not, sempai,” Tenzo returned.  “If he is here, he must be in the village.”  He caught his senior team mate’s eyes regarding the retreating figures of the group of skaters again, as they romped along the snow-packed road leading into Shimogakure.  “Their boundless energy must be a way of combating the cold up here.  I hope this Kohai is as miserably frozen as I am...”  He punctuated this with a sneeze. “Let’s find the others...” Kakashi directed, turning on his headset as they started toward the village. The target had been found.  He was in the village, posing as some harmless fur-trapper from the wilderness between Kumogakure and here.  He’d shown up a few months ago, calling himself ‘Moeru’, and was renting a room at the local inn.  But his scar, and the cruel glint in his eyes had been dead give-a-ways to Konoha’s best trackers. “I’m afraid he may have taken notice of our presence here,” the Anbu agent known as “Neko” reported, as she walked with Kakashi and Tenzo through the merrily riotous streets of Shimogakure.  “He’s making it a point to stick to the crowds now...” “Catching him alone will be impossible,” Tenzo lamented. “Until things wind down...” “The party never seems to stop up here,” Neko commented, as a drunken reveler stumbled into her and gave her a hug as apology. “I think I heard a rumor about drinking contests being a formal part of their shinobi training,” Kakashi chuckled, as he observed the mad whirl of festivity surrounding them.  The musicians from the lake had joined up with others, and had set up in the village’s main square.  Dancing and horseplay abounded.  Nearly everyone had a drink in their hand... “Tori?” Kakashi spoke into the headset that they all wore, “Where is the target currently?” “Still hiding in the crowd....here in front of the sake bar,” he promptly answered. “You’re going to have to be more specific....” Neko laughed, seeing sake literally everywhere. “South of the main square....in a crowd gathered two shops down...on your right.  He’s aware of us, and spooked.   No doubts,” Tori returned. “Then we’ll have to ���collect’ in front of witnesses.  Can’t be avoided,” Kakashi lamented.  “Everyone, close in.  Slowly.  We need to employ the utmost caution.” “Perhaps the crowd’s presence will temper his reaction somewhat,” Tenzo hoped aloud. “This man brutally murdered over a dozen shinobi, along with whatever civilians that happened to be in the way,” Kakashi reminded.  “Don’t count on it.” While crossing through the main square, they passed a circle of people, with a blindfolded woman standing at center.  She was spinning counter to the ring of people while chanting something.  Suddenly, she reached out, grabbed a man’s face, and kissed it ardently on the mouth. “Is it...Kenjuro?” she asked her smiling victim. Laughter and cheers erupted as the man returned her kiss. “What’s with the ‘kissing games’ around here?” Neko asked.  “I’ve been seeing this kind of stuff all night...” as a random man placed a garland of light purple roses on her head, then stumbled off, in search of more targets for his floral gifts. “I’m not sure,” Kakashi admitted distractedly, as he thought back to Miriyume’s offer on the shattered ice. “I believe it has something to do with this celebration,” Tenzo offered, admiring his comrade’s rose crown.  “But it seems harmless enough....” A loud crash sounded up ahead.  A man lay sprawled over a broken pile of what used to be a wooden bench.  He’d only narrowly missed landing on a pyre.  Despite the damage, everyone, including the mildly injured man, was laughing.  It was Kakashi’s first encounter with Iron Chest Grappling. “These people are crazy!” Tenzo exclaimed, as the latest challenger was helped back up and dusted off.  “They’re so busy brawling with themselves, that our own actions may go unnoticed!” “Perhaps,” Kakashi smiled, as he caught sight of their quarry.  Kohai was standing amidst the spectators of this strange...sport, drinking deeply from a large ceramic bottle labeled “whiskey”. Good.  With any luck, his skills would be dulled by the infamously strong spirits that flowed so freely here.  His signature Lightning Cutter technique might even seem unsporting... “Is everyone in range of the target?” Kakashi whispered into his headset. Neko and Tenzo nodded.  Tori and Usagi replied in the affirmative. “Then move in, Heaven-and-Four-Wind formation...” As Kakashi, Tenzo, Neko and Usagi closed in on the ground, Kohai threw a strong arm around a passing girl, forcing the Anbu quintet to freeze in their tracks. “So...” Kohai began, giving Kakashi a victorious scowl, “...How does a lonely guy like me go about getting a pretty girl like you to kiss him?” “He can lay off the garlic...for starters...” the girl returned, obviously not enjoying his attentions. “Well, that’s not very nice!” Kohai censured, drawing her in tighter.  “What happened to all that ‘Shimogakuran hospitality’?” “It ran away...on account of your breath!” the girl protested, struggling against his vice-like grasp. “Neumi...?” a familiar voice called out of the press of people.  “Is everything okay...?” “Miriyume!” the girl exclaimed in obvious relief.  “He won’t let go!” Dammit! “Everyone, hold position!” Kakashi hissed into the headset, as he inched closer, slipping past all the others who had stopped to watch this sudden drama play out. Miriyume was standing imperious, arms folded across her chest, her jewel-tone eyes narrowed menacingly in annoyance.  Her chakra aura was ablaze.  She was flanked by two of the young men who had been skating with her earlier: the Inuzuka, and the tall, swarthy one. “I suggest you release her,” she advised Kohai frostily. The missing-nin chuckled lewdly: “Only if you show me a little...geniality of your own, in return.” In half a heartbeat, Miriyume had drawn a double-edged jian from....somewhere, and had cut the crude laces on Kohai’s fur cloak, causing it to fall from his broad shoulders. “Take off your coat and stay awhile...”she smiled wickedly, as she rested the sword’s blade against her right shoulder.  “How’s that?” Kakashi rushed forward to stand between Miriyume and the Anbu mark.  Kohai was not a  man to taut so casually. “Lady Miriyume!  Please allow us to take over now,” he pled. “So...you Anbu curs have finally found me,” Kohai sneered, shifting his grip on the girl.  “I was beginning to wonder if I’d been forgotten.” “Let go of Neumi!” Miriyume demanded, “Or I’ll alleviate you of the arm that holds her!” Her opalescent aura flared brighter as she surged chakra into her ivory-white sword, causing most to squint.  The crowd had prudently withdrawn somewhat in deference to the kunoichi. Kakashi had to admit, she had a sublime kind of anger... “You’re bold,” the missing-nin chuckled.  “I almost believe you, you backwater harpy!” he taunted further, as he tightened his hold on the hostage and began to force his way through the crowd. Miriyume’s chakra flared even stronger, and began to make the air around her hum. “Oh, I’ll MAKE you a believer!” she roared, as she struck her sword into the ground and performed a sequence of strange hand jutsu that even Kakashi couldn’t follow, as her comrades readied their own weapons: a pair of kukri for the Inuzuka, and an iron-banded rokushakubo for the other. “Shimogakurans....scatter!” Miriyume directed, and announced her jutsu: “Wintermist jutsu!” The air was suddenly filled with a dense swirl of snowflakes, greatly reducing visibility. “Dammit!” Kakashi swore into his headset.  “Tori?  What do you see from above?” “The target has cleared the snowy mist, but he’s not alone,” Tori reported, leaping along the rooftops nearby.   “He still has his hostage?” Neko pressed. “...and a pursuer...or three...” Tori answered. Kakashi growled his frustration.  This was getting messy.  “Converge and kill target!” he ordered, as he raced through the snow and mist.  At least the innocent bystanders had heeded Miriyume’s demands, and had cleared the streets.  It was one less thing to worry about. Kohai was a monster, reputed to have abandoned all empathy before becoming a genin.  He tore lives apart as an amusement.  He shuddered to think of what could be happening at this very moment. As he exited the frosty fog, he braced himself for the worst.  Broken bodies in the snow.  Kohai gone.  Miriyume’s blue-and-green eyes growing dim and distant.... He was pleasantly surprised. Her team—and they HAD to be a team—had deftly contained Kohai inside a tight, ever-weaving circle of fluid movement.  It was like a ballet: even the Inuzuka’s ninken was in perfect sync. “Let her go already, scumbag!” the Inuzuka growled, taking a swipe at Kohai’s arm with a kukri, as Miriyume dared a simultaneous slash with her sword at his knee.  She scored a glancing cut to his calf. “I’ll get you for that, princess...” Kohai swore, rounding on her. “Not a princess...a priestess,” Miriyume corrected, as she swung a surprising uppercut slash towards his chest to keep him at bay.  She managed to nick his cleft chin before he slapped her weapon from her hand. Kakashi was suddenly between them, and delivered a solid punch to Kohai’s chest that sent him hard enough to the ground to send snow flying.  Team Ro surrounded them. “This man is listed in the Black Ops Bingo Book,” Kakashi informed the tempestuous kunoichi and her team.  “Let us handle this.” “Ooh....” the Inazuka seemed to brighten.  “Does he have a big price on his ugly head?” “His history...or his bounty, isn’t the point here!” Miriyume fumed.  “My only concern is Neumi!  And I’m not about to entrust her safety to some...deviant troupe of kabuki actors!” The Inuzuka laughed.  Tori gasped. “How....dare you!” Neko hissed.  “We are special forces ninja!” Kakashi was utterly blown away by her sheer, fearless nerve.  Did nothing phase her? “Heh,” Kohai, standing under the guard of six weapon users and a ninken, chuckled.  “Those masks are pretty ridiculous, aren’t they?” “Shut up!” Miriyume spat back.  “Don’t agree with me, you pathetic excuse for a trapper!  Your methods are sloppy, and you leave good meat out to rot.  You are, without a doubt, the worst hunter to ever trudge through our village!  Now, let Neumi go, before I really get angry!” With a dramatic upswing of her empty hands, her forearms were instantly wreathed in iridescent arcs of electricity.  Kakashi’s eyes widened in shock.  What was this jutsu?   She had tapped into her vast, ambient chakra to fuel a lightning jutsu very similar to Chidori.  But instead of the high, bird-like chirping of his own Lightning Cutter, hers was accompanied by a low, almost sub-sonic thrumming that reverberated in his marrow. Without any conscious thought as to why, he activated his Lighting Cutter in response.  Miriyume had a split-second to look offended before a most inconvenient thing happened: With a force like an electromagnet, his right hand, which held the Chidori, and her left hand, because it was the closest to him, were drawn together so powerfully that Miriyume was drug through the snow to slam into his chest.  For a brief moment, both experienced a profound rush of eldritch energy that left them feeling euphoric, and far too vulnerable. Out of fear, Miriyume doused her lightning jutsu, and drew a shaky breath.  Kakashi did likewise. The crack of a bo staff against Kohai’s thick skull stole everyone’s attention, as Neumi was pulled free of the missing-nin’s grasp by the Inuzuka.   “What the hell was that?!” the Usagi demanded of his captain, as the bo staff user stepped over Kohai’s fallen body to better regard his team mate’s strange predicament.  The long red scarf of the odd-eyed Anbu agent had wound itself around the two of them on impact, lashing them together in an awkward embrace. “I’m...not sure,” Kakashi admitted, regarding Miriyume’s equally puzzled face, which was still right below his own.  “What did you do?” “What did YOU do?!?” Miriyume retorted, as she struggled to put some polite distance between them.  All she could manage was to challenge his ability to keep them both balanced.  “You ruined my Storm Gauntlet Technique!” “‘Storm Gauntlet’?” Kakashi echoed, fighting to keep them both standing, “Are you a lightning affinity...?” “Obviously!” Miriyume answered, as her frustrated fidgeting landed them both in a heap “Now, would you release this weird scarf jutsu already?!?” as she lay in defeat against his grey body armor. “I don’t have a weird scarf jutsu...” Kakashi defended calmly, as he looked up into the combined circle of faces of Tenzu, Tori, and Miriyume’s friends as they bent over them. “Not that he’s admitting, anyway!” the Inuzuka laughed, as he reached down to help the kunoichi to her feet.  He was rewarded with an alarming zap of static electricity that caused him to shriek and jump back. “It must have been some magnetic side-effect of your lightning jutsus in such close proximity...” Tenzo theorized aloud. “Its never happened before,” Kakashi peevishly countered.  “And I’ve worked with many lightning users.”  The warmth of her body on his was immensely comforting, despite the snowy bed... “Well, our Miri-chan is one-of-a-kind,” the tall bo staff user smiled, as he effortlessly lifted the both of them to a standing position once again. “Our target is unconscious and secure, Captain,” Neko reported.  “And although he is listed in the Bingo Book, I believe Intel would be much more impressed if we were to deliver him alive.” “Agreed,” Kakashi declared, as he continued to regard Miriyume up close.  “Your teammate is very skilled with a bo staff.  Most can only seem to kill with a such a weapon.” “His gentleness is his strength,” Miriyume returned, as the others began to peel away the offending scarf in cautious, crackling turns. “That was almost a surgical attack,” Neko complimented, examining the slight bruising on Kohai’s crown.  “If we’re quick, we probably won’t even need to use tranquilizers...” “Heh....” the bo staff user began, as he helped to unwrap the stubborn scarf.  “Sounds like most of Gek-kun’s dates...” “That’s just rude, Earthquake!” the Inuzuka shot back.  “But not as rude as this guy and his pervy scarf!” as he became frustrated with the stinging static.  “I don’t get it...” catching Kakashi’s eye, “First, you refuse her kisses...now you demand her hugs...  Make up your damn mind!” “I didn’t refuse!” Kakashi defended. “You didn’t agree, either,” Miriyume concluded.  “Which is as good as a refusal around here.  And on this night, in particular,” as Tenzo managed to loosen their bindings. In reality, Kakashi had once again excused his timidity with duty.  Anbu agents did not remove their masks, ever.  Especially in foreign territory.  They were soon liberated from the scarf, and once again, parted ways. But this was a dream.  And dreams denied reality. As she began to slip the rough silk bonds, he wrapped one free arm around her, and removed his mask with the other. “Then, kiss me, Miriyume,” he demanded, as his fellow agents gasped.  “I’ve bound myself to the rules all of my life, but for you, I’ll break a few.” “Only a few...?” she teased, as her hands on his chest migrated past his collar, up his neck, over his cheeks, and ploughed into his sterling silver hair. She pulled his head down toward her burgundy hued lips, but stopped a mere breath short of connecting, and whispered: “I don’t kiss masks...” In complete defiance of all his instincts before meeting her, he reached up and yanked down the offending cloth that had hidden his face from everyone else for so long.  He then covered her lips in hungry, passionate attrition. And she was forgiving him, kissing him back with every ounce of ardent ferocity.  Perhaps more.  Her hands were around his waist now, drawing him closer than the scarf had. The air around them crackled, as their chakra natures tugged at one another, playfully lacing into one another.... She tasted like sun-warmed strawberries... He felt a touch on his shoulder that he knew didn’t belong to her, and he immediately stepped away from it.  The touch became a tapping, and he slapped it away. “Come on, now,” a voice was saying.  “We’ve got to be going...” He saw hands reaching out to pull Miriyume away, and he clutched her harder against him, refusing to let go of this moment. “Leave her alone!  Stop grabbing me!  Why are you tearing us apart?!?” he raged, as the hands kept grabbing and pulling, getting stronger and more insistent. “Kakashi!” Miriyume pleaded, as her team mates tugged harder. “No!  Don’t take her away from me!” he screamed. “Kaka-sensei!” Suddenly, it was all gone.  The snow.  Team Ro.  Miriyume.  Replaced with the inside of a roomy tent.  Naruto and Sakura laying in a pile across the room, and Sasuke with a death-grip around his waist, as he lay on an overturned cot. “What....just happened?” Kakashi was almost afraid to ask. “You were dreaming,” Sasuke answered.  “And Naruto tried to wake you.  Then you grabbed him.” “I...did?” checking suddenly for his half-mask, which was still in place.  He sighed in relief. “Yes, you DID!” Naruto returned hotly, obviously annoyed.  “You nearly squeezed the life out of me!” “Then you started screaming,” Sakura added, looking a little rattled.  “Do you suffer from night-terrors...?” “What–what was I screaming?” Kakashi gulped. “Something about a girl....and being ‘torn apart’...?” Sasuke answered.  “What kind of nightmares do you have?” “Well...I...” A soft knocking at the entrance spared him explanation. “I heard yelling,” Hokage Hiruzen announced.  “Is everything okay in here?” “My apologies, Hokage-sama,” Kakashi stood and bowed in respect.  “It seems that I was suffering from a bad dream of some sort....” “Not those again,” Sarutobi sighed. “No.  A different one,” Kakashi insisted. “Hmph,” Hiruzen huffed.  “Well.  Whatever it was, set it aside, and join us for breakfast.  The cooking-nin have outdone themselves.” Naruto raced outside.  Sakura and Sasuke gave their sensei varying looks of concern, then joined their team mate.  Hiruzen lingered by the door, an expression of clear unease on his aged face.   “Are you sure you’re okay, Kakashi?” “I’m as okay as I can be.” “Is it this wedding?” The look on Kakashi’s face was pure panic. “I...uh...” “...Don’t get assigned to too many weddings, I know,” Hiruzen factored kindly.  “But this one is...different.” “Its–“ ”It’s a diplomatic undertaking, with the potential to cement good relations with a Land that has largely tried to remove itself from the rest of the world.  And what benefits the Land of Frost, will in turn benefit many other lands as well, due to Shimogakure’s extensive network of alliances.  Ours included.” “Do all of the Land of Frost’s many accords and treaties involve a bride?” Kakashi derided. Hiruzen chuckled slightly.  “Until now, no.  Its an unusual tactic, but these are unusual circumstances.” There was something more in the old man’s eyes.  Something he was reading in his own.  Something Kakashi couldn’t bear to admit, and something else that Hiruzen wouldn’t share. “So this ‘union’ is a loveless one?  Based solely on diplomatic interests?” he was gnashing his teeth beneath the cover of his mask. “Many marriages, especially between foreigners, often are,” the Hokage stated.  “Hardly romantic, but much is sacrificed in the interests of peace.” “Perhaps too much...” Kakashi intoned somberly. Hiruzen saw the pain, and it cut him in turn.  This man had suffered so much, always in private. Now here he was, clearly wanting relief, and his hands were tied against it. Sarutobi sighed.  Hold fast, Kakashi.  You are needed here. “Tomorrow’s ceremony will be an act of goodwill that promises to usher in a new age of better relations with the Land of Water, for us all,” Hiruzen repeated, not knowing what else to do.  “And the Land of Fire has been asked to witness and guard these rites, by the Lady Ice Flame herself.  Let’s not disappoint her.” With that, the Hokage took his leave.

[godsandvillainsrpg-blog]

Congratulations ANGELA! You have been accepted as AURORA GIORDANO.

Note from Admin Jade: This application demonstrated such a beautiful portrayal of Aurora from start to finish. From the delicate naïveté shown in your sample to your description of the icy queen that now stands in the place of the slain princess, you’ve painted a stunning multi-faceted portrait of this complex character. We can’t wait to see what you and your Aurora bring to the dash!

OUT OF CHARACTER

Name: Angela Age: 25+ Preferred Pronouns: she/her Timezone: CST Activity Level: I work a full time job with 12 hour shifts, so there are some days that I cannot get on and do much, but I am still a very active RPer and at least check in every day even if I cannot write a big reply. I always let my admins and partners know what’s going on. Triggers: REMOVED Anything Else? Some very minor tweaks since last time, specifically in the motives section.

IN CHARACTER

Desired Character: Aurora Marice Giordano

Aurora: Dawn Marice: “Star of the sea” (Latin) or bitterness (Hebrew) - the dichotomy in meaning is particularly appropriate for this stage in Aurora’s life Giordano: Descend or Flow Down

Describe this character in your own words:

Aurora is a girl whose upbringing was steeped in fairy tales and wonder until it all come crashing down around her. She was beautiful, protected, bright, and adored; the image of her mother and the joy of her father. Her family delved into darkness but none of it seemed capable of attaching itself to her. She was like a creature from an old hollywood film, beautiful and untouchable. Incorruptible. Audrey Hepburn mixed with Grace Kelly and Cinderella. Her life was enchanted, perfect, and as lovely as she was. A hopeless romantic, she was content to wait for true love, the kind of love that existed in fairy tales. When she met Christian, that was exactly what she believed she found.

Her brother’s best friend made her heart leap like no one had before. He was brilliant and gorgeous despite his lonesome upbringing. The fact that he had her brother’s friendship and her father’s blessing made it all the more clear that they were meant to be together. He treated her like the princess she had always considered herself to be, playing the part of the princely gentleman to perfection.

They say hindsight is 20/20 and Aurora never fully understood what that meant until her wedding day. Her sister in a white gown, the love of her life leaving her broken hearted and humiliated. All of a sudden those little things she’d let blur into nothing as she focused on her love came into sharp focus. The way Christian and Giuliana would whisper to each other. The questions about what her family did and how they did it. The way he’d wormed his way into the heart of the business through her and her brother. And she’d been so stupid, so blinded by her love for him that she had given him everything. Love like that, all consuming, could not survive. It burned too hotly, too fiercely to be extinguished, it could only rage and burn itself out until she had nothing left but hurt, betrayal, and the desperate need for revenge.

Christian LeFevre would regret this action until the moment he died, hopefully at the hand of a Giordano. And Giuliana? Her betrayal would be her undoing, Aurora would see to that herself. Gone is the naive heroine of the fairy tale, gone is the little girl who dreamed and danced and knew nothing of the darkness. That darkness was her birthright and had always lurked in her soul, waiting for the right catalyst. The fact that she was able to distance herself from it for so long only makes it stronger now. There is a hissing in her ear, a voice similar to Christian’s, telling her that no one is trustworthy, they all have their own agendas so she might as well serve only her own. She cannot trust anyone but herself. Given the right motivation, anyone and everyone will turn on you.

They might have killed the princess, but in her place stands a queen, icy and untouchable.

What are this character’s motives? What drives this character? What are their goals?

Since the aborted wedding, Aurora’s goals and motivations have changed drastically. Once she wanted to live happily ever after, now she truly understands that was never an option. She stayed out of the family business before, but now she’s going to make up for lost time. Christian’s love may have been a lie, but she still learned things about the man when they’d been sharing their lives and her bed. The gauzy, immaterial goals for her future that she’d clung to as a child have warped, crystallized and hardened, focused with laser precision on the destruction of the Lefevre’s stolen empire.

Giordanos have ruled in this city for generations and she will do whatever it takes to ensure that they continue to do so, regardless of the personal cost. She has to find a way to hurt those who hurt her family, who hurt her, and to make such an impression with the pain that they’ll never be able to get up and try again. You do not cross the Giordano family and live to tell about it. It is a lesson she is all too eager to teach her selfish, ungrateful sister and that bastard husband of hers. With the anger burning so hotly inside her, it is difficult for her to flesh out a truly poetic plan the way she knows she needs to, but it will come to her. It might be temporarily satisfying to burst into their home and mow them down with a machine gun, but she knows it’s will be far more satisfying to destroy their marriage, their very souls, before they are taken out entirely. The games have only just begun.

Despite this, Aurora is not as reckless as her little sister, actually going out in the night and committing acts of violence herself, but she can understand Alessia’s choices in theory. She still wants to protect her and would prefer if she let those hired to do the unsavory aspects do their work in peace but Aurora can identify with the need to make sure it’s getting done. It might even comfort her to know that her little sister is smart enough to make sure she doesn’t let anyone get under her defences.

At this point in her life, self preservation comes first. And second. No one will ever hurt her the way Christian and Giulianna did. Never again will she allow herself to be in a position where that could happen. There must always be a piece of her she keeps back, something held in reserve to ensure she cannot be broken so completely. Additionally, she has started keeping track of the things that can be used against others if needed, even those she loves. Or tries to remember how to love. Minor grievances that would have once been shrugged off are now carefully catalogued in her memory. She ignored the red flags once, but never again.

What potential plots do you foresee for this character? Where do you see this character’s story going? What potential storylines would you like to explore, both with the character themselves and as a part of the group as a whole?

REMOVED

Would you be open to this character’s death? Though we’d love to keep all characters alive and well in an ideal world, the nature of this group may put some characters’ lives in danger at one point or another. Should your character’s death be necessary for the furthering of the plot, would you be open to the idea of killing them off and working with the admin team to create a new role for you to take on? Absolutely. I’m all for it if it’s in the best interest of the RP.

PARA SAMPLE

The day of the wedding dawned bright and clear, the sky a brilliant blue and the air sweet with flowers and birdsongs. Though Aurora had hardly slept, she bounded out of bed with a smile and began her preparations. Nothing could slow her down or dampen her spirits. Not today. The morning flew by in a whirlwind of manicures, hair appointments, makeup, and photographs. It was everything she dreamed it would be and more. She was the center of attention, the golden princess buoyed up by love and joy and excitement. This was her fairy tale, the start of her own happily ever after.

He loves me.

People kept asking if she was nervous, if she had any cold feet and she could tell them honestly that she did not. Christian was her soulmate, she could no more doubt true love than she could doubt that the stars shone in the sky. She was so blinded by her own devotion that she completely missed the snarl behind her oldest sister’s smile and the fact that she wasn’t getting ready with the rest of them. Giuliana had her hair and makeup done, the style remarkably similar to Aurora’s own, but she had yet to put on her dress as she sipped a glass of champagne. The wedding planner would make sure her sister got ready in time, Aurora wasn’t worried.

He loves me.

Before she knew it, guests had poured in and everything was set. It was time.

Christian and the rest of the groomsmen stood at the front of the large church and Aurora couldn’t help peeking in to see them. It was bad luck to see him before the wedding, but surely this didn’t count. The wedding was practically underway. He looked as handsome as ever in his crisp black tuxedo standing beside her brother and the priest. Her heart thumped madly in her chest. This was it. The processional began, her mother taking her seat up front before the bridesmaids began to walk down the long aisle to the front of the church.

“Where is Giuliana?” Aurora hissed at her father, clutching his arm as they prepared for their turn. Alessia turned over her shoulder and shrugged. “I thought she was right behind me.”

Waving the younger girl on, Cassius sent the wedding planner to look for his eldest daughter. The woman had no sooner rounded the corner than Giuliana emerged. She was not dressed in the rose pink gown the rest of the bridesmaids wore, but in all white, right down to her bouquet.

Aurora blinked at her, dumbstruck. “What are you doing? What are you wearing?”

Giuliana didn’t answer, she merely moved in front of her sister as the wedding march began to play and strode confidently down the aisle. Whispers rustled through the crowd as the people realized this was not the Giordano they’d come to see married. Christian beamed at her, looking at her like she was the sun, an expression so full of triumph and adoration that Aurora thought she was going to be sick. She stood at the back of the church watching her sister take her place beside her fiancee. Franco looked as though you could knock him over with a feather, Alessia’s face was a dark cloud, and Bella looked confused. Was she supposed to be happy for the couple in front of her or upset for Aurora?

“Dearly beloved,” the priest began, not missing a beat. This had been planned. Extensively planned. Giuliana and Christian were getting married and they’d hijacked her wedding to do it. Heads darted back and forth between the wedding happening in the front of the church and the spurned bride standing at the back as if waiting for the punchline that would never come. A strangled sob sounded from her throat and she turned and fled, dropping her flowers along the way.

He loves me not.

EXTRAS

http://rebelscumwrites.tumblr.com/tagged/muse:%20aurora

http://weheartit.com/thebutlerdidit/collections/114139526-aurora

[jtg423]

Potential Webtoon? (open to suggestions/opinions)

Character names/backgrounds

Jae /jay Tsoka: leader of the group occult five Meets aurora as she is left on the front doorstep of his team house as she is abandoned by her family and the society around her for the powers she emits (they say she is too strong for them to handle/don’t know what to do with her/want her to learn how to control it) Relatively young (around 18-19) Was groomed to be a leader of the prestigious occult five since he was a child (father was the leader of the previous generation of the occult five) Grew up in the life of luxury and though naive, he is steadfast, strong and not a pushover as people expect him to be Both mother and father died in an assassination attempt on his life by one of their most trusted confidants when he was 16 Has black hair and a 5 ft 7 build Doesn’t trust Aurora at first but takes her in to see if she has what it takes to join the occult five She wows him with her (uncontrolled) power and gives her a place to live with them Starts to fall in love with Aurora as the time goes on Kei Ito: Same age as Jae Is Jae’s right hand man and most trusted confidant in the Occult Five Comes from an abusive background and his mother was one of Jae’s maids so naturally, Kei hated him as they were growing up Father abandoned him at the age of five and he hated Jae even more for the affection his father gave him Kei and his mother lived in one of Jae’s multiple rooms in Soka household (most likely the basement) His mother would beat and abuse him many times for doing trivial things such as not bowing to Tsoka family members or getting a bad grade at school His mother considered him as a pesk and a stain on her reputation She blames him for many things that went wrong in her life like his father leaving them and having to take this degrading job to support themselves She maintained appearances though, saying that she loves him whenever asked or seen with him in public (fake display of affection) Kei found solace in Penelope, another maid that lived in the household that was a few years older than his mother. She would sing to him in her free time and love to tell him stories about her long lost daughter that was taken away from her as soon as she was born (born with purple hair) As Kei grew older and into his powers (most likely inherited from his father) he began to secretly train in the Tsoka household training grounds which Penelope let him into 13 years old he was training/honing his powers at the training grounds at midnight when Jae, who was considering doing the same thing, found him Kei wanted to hide at first but Jae quickly found him and asked what he was doing there Kei remained silent as the flashlight shone on his face and Jae basically answered all the questions himself Then, out of nowhere, he starts insulting Kei, saying that he never knew he existed and that his mom does degrading things for him and that his father wasn’t there because of him etc Continues to insult Kei until he loses it and rages against Jae, trying to get a hit at him and use his powers to attack him

Jae dodges it though and eventually uses his powers to his advantage, turning the tables on him and winning their ‘fight’

As Kei laid defeated on the ground, Jae offers him a helping hand

Kei doesn’t really trust it, having been hurt all his life, but takes it anyways

The lights from the watchtower, having heard the commotion, turns on and both Kei and Jae hide, Kei using his invisibility spell/power while holding onto Jae’s hand to hide them both

From then on, Jae and Kei remain inseparable and close friends, both their mothers are content but Kei’s mother always had ulterior motives such as trying to convince Kei to take Jae’s place in the household/power.

Kei, having grown much stronger from training with Jae, made her occasionally shut up but never actually hurt her

Is witty yet sometime stoic and serious member of the group

Hides his true feelings often behind humor and silence

Is first annoyed by Aurora’s presence in the Occult Five mansion, feeling like she doesn’t belong there at first, but slowly grows to warm up to her

Also falls in love with Aurora but is always hiding his feelings around her/in denial because he knows his best friend is in love with her as well

When he has to kiss her multiple times to help her gain her powers back in the second season, he has to deeply control himself to not go overboard and ravage her (giving her too much at too little time) and keep his feelings hidden

Says a tounge twister/ random sayings to distract himself whenever they are forced to share a same bed in the hotels near the conventions as he follows Jae and his comrades, leaving the hidden sticky notes with updates on Aurora’s progress

Has white hair

Aurora Ando:

Main protagonist of the potential comic

Is same age as Jae and Kei but more closer to Kei in birthday (Kei is two days older)

Found on the beachy shore 18 years ago by a nun who takes her into the orphanage she helps run

The other nuns thought the powers that Aurora began to emit as she grew older were the work of the devil so slowly and slowly they began to isolate her from the other children until finally locking her up in a room during her formative years

With no training available whatsoever, Aurora had no way to know how to control her powers or even really use them except for making a spoon levitate and bend

Before aurora was locked up, she met a young boy around her age who came through the orphanage who showed her how to make things levitate and move

She was 9 years old and ‘fell in love’ with the boy she nicknamed Ollie (real name Oliver Ito Otkins/Oto/Ono)

The boy had powers too but only when he hugged her (basically absorbed some of her powers like Kei did at the end of season one. He is kei’s long lost brother from another mother and was trained to more subtlety absorb people's powers as his own by his father who died

Kei did this only on a last resort basis as Oliver did it multiple times for his own greed)

Ollie eventually had to leave after two years and once he did, things started going downhill for Aurora after Oliver told the nuns about her and her powers (Oliver is one of the main antagonists)

Aurora escapes the orphanage with the help of sister Sally, the sister/nun that found her in the first place

Sister Sally read up on the work the Occult Five did in the newspaper and how selective they were in their tasks and choosing potential members to train for the next generation

After some digging, sister Sally found out where the main mansion was located and drove Aurora there under the pretense that she was taking her out to buy groceries

It was raining the day she was left outside the mansion gates

Aurora meets Jae first and after going through the very difficult selection process on the occult five training grounds, she is granted refuge in the mansion to begin her controlling and training of her powers

Sometimes aurora looses herself in her powers, apparent when her brown eyes turn bluish red and her hair turns a tint of reddish brown (normally when she gets suuppperr angry)

In this somewhat ‘sage mode’ she knows not what she does and can be very destructive

Jae seems to be the only one who can calm her down/return her by pinning her down and speaking a secret/ whispering a spell into her ear (he learned this secret spell from his father who told him that someone with great power will one day cross his path and he must train them well because if not, it will cause great damage)

Very naive and trusting of others

Emits a positive aura and finds the best in things

Has no idea about Jae and Kei’s feelings for her

Has a heart of gold that shines when she uses a destructive/strong power

Near the end of season one, she starts to come into realization for her feelings for Jae (Jae kisses her while outside of the gang’s common karaoke bar celebrating the defeats of an enemy)

This changes at the beginning of season two, when Jae orders Kei to erase her memories regarding him and the team (to lessen the hurt of leaving them) as well as take like 95% of her powers to begin the training process again

Grows to have feelings for Kei in the second season as a result

Has brown hair

Mina Hara:

Has purple hair

Was raised by a single ‘dad’ who was a criminal and never had a stable home (moved from place to place and sometimes slept on the streets)

Joined the occult five after learning more about her past (is the actual daughter of Penelope that was taken away from her once she was born)

Learned that her actual dad died (was murdered) once she was born and that the guy who raised her was her dad’s cousin who fell for Penelope years before as they went to the same school (he murdered him)

Never got her and was insanely jealous when Penelope was pregnant with Mina

Because Penelope had healing power through song and her dad has archery/ mind altering/perception changing power she inherited it

Her ‘dad’ had the power to control fire?? (Mainly used Mina as a tool to get what he wanted/ get rich and she didn’t really have a childhood) And was/ is insanely strong which is why they didn’t get caught for stealing and stuff

Mina grew to hate her ‘dad’ for lying to her and preventing him from meeting her mom/having a normal life (her ‘dad’ constructed it like this to put a fire in her heart to achieve more strength/motivation but didn’t tell her until the final battle to the death when he’s about to be killed by Mina. He tells her he is proud of her and what she has become)

Falls for Jae as he is/was the first person to not use her for her powers/sees her as a person and not a type of money bank as her ‘dad’ saw her as (was going to steal from him at a marketplace under her dad’s orders)

Hated Aurora at first but grows to like her more slowly than Kei

Annoys the crap out of Kei (have a brother/sister relationship)

Avid cat lover ever since she secretly cared for a stray when her dad and her were sleeping on the street because of his gambling bets

Was a troublemaker in school

Has purple hair

Aged 18

Has a cat named kipper/Kip (Chaton’s brother)

One of the strongest of the occult five

Parker James:

Born to expat British father and American mother

Father was a researcher in the “superpowers” and sent into exile to Japan?? from the UK after looking too much into it

Troublemaker

Two years younger than Jae, Kei and Aurora

Has a pet cat/Russian blue named Chaton

Is weary of Aurora but grows amazed of her powers.

Has a child like atmosphere/aura around him because although he grew up in a somewhat stable environment, his father would try to experiment on him to conclude if the ‘powers’ are natural/ born into or can be injected into him since he was small

The experiment worked and he was injected the powers of speed an/ can make force fields and attack from deceased power people / super heros which he always felt guilty for

Was very fond of his mom very dearly until she died of leukemia when he was 16

Dad was abducted shortly after the experiment, as well as his plans (fall into the hands now grown Ollie and Kei’s father and then just Oliver, main antagonist)

Has blonde hair blue eyes

Very happy and naive but when angry he can cause major damage

Has an older sister who he doesn’t really talk to and unbeknownst to him, dated Jae while in high school

His sister grows to have a love hate relationship with Oliver and turns to the ‘dark side’ after becoming his apprentice (she is normal and hates Parker for his powers as their father disregarded her since she was a girl (named Paris for the city she was born in)

Loves to skateboard and tries teaching Aurora at some point