#Bahrain vacation ideas

[travelernight]

Bahrain’s Ultimate Adventure: Top 10 Stunning Places to Explore

[heartysworld]

Match points and podiums // Lewis Hamilton

A/N: I literally got the idea for this while I was watching the Wimbledon finale. I feel like I rushed it a bit, but I couldn't wait to post it for you guys, so here it is! I might edit it later on and add some bits but for now I'm quite happy with the result. Hope you enjoy it!

W.C.: 4.5k

MASTERLIST

You remember the first time you met Lewis like it was yesterday. It was at a charity event organized by mutual friends in Monaco. You were there as part of a tennis exhibition, and Lewis was there as an honor guest, fresh off another Grand Prix win. The evening was filled with laughter, champagne, and the mingling of two very different worlds—tennis and racing.

You had just finished another match, bringing home yet another win, and were chatting with some guests when Lewis approached you. He had a warm smile that reached his eyes, and there was an undeniable charm about him.

"Hello, I'm Lewis, it is very nice to meet you" he said, extending his hand. "I caught some of your match earlier. You were incredible out there."

You shook his hand, feeling a spark of something indescribable as a light pinkish color made its way to your cheeks. "Thank you, Lewis. I'm a big fan of your work on the track. Congratulations on your recent win."

From that moment on, something snapped deep inside your chest, making it impossible to look at another man the same way you looked at Lewis. His eyes sparkled with an indescribable force that felt like a magnet pulling a part inside of you towards him. His presence was otherworldly, that of a man who knew what he wanted and how to achieve it without ever giving up.

 As the months after the charity event passed you bonded over your shared dedication to your respective sports, your drive to be the best, and your love for adventure. Dates were often spontaneous, like a midnight drive along the coast or a quick flight to a secluded beach. Your love story was one of passion, mutual respect, and a deep connection that neither of you had ever felt before.

You began making appearances at each other’s’ sporting events, capturing the attention of both the media and the fans. Every time you had a free second, you were there to support Lewis- Bahrain, Silverstone, Singapore, and other locations thorough the Formula 1 season. Lewis respectively did the same, supporting you from the stands of your tennis tournaments. That was the beginning of your journey together.

One of your most cherished memories is from a summer evening in Spain. Lewis had taken you on vacation there during his summer break mid-season.

It wasn’t long before Lewis and you fell deeply in love. He admired your tenacity on the court, and you admired his precision on the track. You found comfort in each other’s presence, and soon, your lives began to intertwine even more. You met his closest friends and family members and were slowly eased into the Hamilton family dynamics. You passed the Roscoe approval test as Lewis’ mother Carmen liked to call it. The bulldog enjoyed your presence around the house whenever you were visiting, searching for you thorough the rooms of Lewis’ home whenever he heard your voice echoing from somewhere.

On your third night there, he surprised you with a candlelit dinner on the rooftop of your hotel, overlooking the city of Barcelona. The two of you talked for hours about your dreams, fears, and everything in between, the topic of your athletic careers long forgotten at that moment. Lewis had made it his priority to put his racing career on hold whenever he was with you. He refused to risk the possibility of losing one of the best things in life to his career that would end in the next couple of years. He loved racing, it’s been part of more than half his life, but you, he planned on keeping you forever.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Lewis asked, his eyes reflecting the twinkling city lights. The edges of his lips curved upwards as his eyes roamed over your features, taking note on every detail, every mole, freckle and dimple.

"All the time," you replied, reaching for his hand. "I want a family, a place to call home, and someone to share it all with. It has always been a dream of mine to become a mother. When I was a child I used to say that a family was the second thing, I desired the most after a Wimbledon trophy.’’ You said as you laughed at the last part, causing Lewis to smile even more at the thought of little you.

He smiled, squeezing your hand gently. "I want that too. And I want to make this come true with you by my side."

A year later, you and Lewis got married in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by family and friends. The wedding was a blend of elegance and simplicity, much like your relationship. You exchanged vows under a canopy of flowers, promising to support each other through every victory and defeat, every joy and challenge. The moment you exchanged your wedding vowels would forever remain engraved in your brain. You began first, holding a small piece of paper where your vows were written. You insisted on reading them as you feared your mind might betray you at the most important moment of your life.

As his fingers gently brushed against the skin of your wrist, a shiver of delight danced down your spine. It was a soft, almost ethereal caress, starting at the base of your neck and cascading downwards like a whisper of a breeze. The touch sent a warm, tingling sensation through your entire body, making your heart flutter and your breath hitch. It was as if his touch ignited tiny sparks of electricity, leaving a trail of warmth and anticipation in its wake. The connection between you felt electric, each shiver a testament to the depth of your feelings and the magic of the moment.

‘’Lewis, from the moment I met you I felt like I was being pulled towards a missing piece from myself. All my life I’ve been searching for a person who is willing to love and support me despite the hectic life I lead. I never thought I would ever meet someone as charming, loveable, and supportive as you. For the past three years you’ve done nothing but be by my side and hold my hand during the happy and sad moments I faced both in my personal and professional life. I promise to do the same for you, to be your biggest supporter in all aspects of life, to build a life with you, and make all of our dreams come true.’’

You were sobbing by the time you finished talking. As you looked at your husband-to-be you saw his eyes glistening with tears as he barely managed to hold them in. You mouthed a silent ‘’I love you’’ in his direction, receiving a gentle squeeze of your hand as a response.

Someone from the guests sobbed even louder, followed by the loud blow of their nose in a napkin, which caused everyone to laugh, including you and Lewis.

‘’My love, the light of my life, meeting you felt like finding the last missing piece of a puzzle I’ve been trying to complete ever since I took my first breath on this earth. I had lost all hope of finding the right person in this lifetime, but then I met you. Today, I vow to love you with the same passion and dedication that you bring to the court. I vow to support you through every challenge, to celebrate every victory, and to be the best husband and father I can be. Together, we will create a beautiful life, full of love, laughter, and shared dreams. Today, I give you my heart, my soul, and my forever."

Not long after, you found yourself pregnant with baby Amelia. It was a moment of pure joy and excitement. Lewis was over the moon, already envisioning the adventures you’d have as a family and remembering all the conversations you’d had regarding that special moment.

By the time he finished talking, you could see your and Lewis’ parents wiping tears from underneath their eyes. This was one of the most intimate and important moments of your life and you were happy that your families were there to share it with you two.

You continued to play tennis, balancing your passion for the sport with your growing family. Lewis was your rock, always there to support you, even when you had to stop playing mid-season due to your pregnancy. He held your hand through the morning sickness, the cravings, and the emotional rollercoaster, always reminding you of the incredible journey you were on together.

The years passed in a blur of sleepless nights, first steps, and family holidays. Amelia grew up surrounded by the world of sports, watching you on the tennis court and Lewis on the racetrack. She adored both of you and often tried to emulate your moves, whether it was swinging one of your rackets or pretending to drive a race car.

One summer afternoon, as you napped after a particularly exhausting day, Lewis and Amelia sat down to watch the Wimbledon final together. The living room was filled with the sounds of the match and Amelia’s excited chatter.

“Daddy, look at that serve! Do you think I can do that one day?” she asked, her eyes wide with admiration.

Lewis chuckled, pulling her close. “Of course, sweetheart. You can do anything you set your mind to. Remember, your mom is one of the best tennis players in the world. It’s in your blood.”

“I want to play tennis, Daddy. I want to see my name on the honor board at Wimbledon, just like mommy,” she declared with determination.

Lewis smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “That’s a wonderful dream, Amelia. But first, we have to wait for baby brother to arrive. Mommy needs to take care of him and then she can get back to playing.”

Amelia’s face lit up with excitement. ��I can’t wait to watch with my brother! We’ll both cheer for mommy together.”

The scent of freshly popped popcorn lingered in the air, and you could hear the soft giggles of your daughter, Amelia, mingling with the excited commentary. You stretched, feeling the weight of pregnancy slowing you down, but a smile tugged at your lips as you realized Lewis and Amelia were watching Wimbledon together.

You quietly walked into the living room, leaning against the doorway as you watched them. Lewis was sitting on the couch, Amelia snuggled up next to him, both of them fully engrossed in the match. Amelia’s eyes are wide with admiration as she watches the players on the screen, and you can’t help but feel a swell of pride and love for your little family.

 “And I’ll be so proud to have both of you cheering for me,” you said, your voice thick with emotion.

Lewis and Amelia turned to look at you, smiles spreading across their faces. Lewis stood up and walked over to you, wrapping his arms around you gently. “How was your nap, love?” he asked softly.

“It was good,” you reply, resting your head against his chest. “Hearing Amelia talk about her dreams made it even better.”

Amelia runs over and hugs your legs, looking up at you with bright eyes. “Mommy! Can we play tennis together when baby brother is here?”

You laugh softly, running your fingers through her curly hair. “Of course, sweetheart. We’ll play as much as you want.”

The match was intense, each point hard-fought, but the support of your family carried you through. You could see Lewis and Amelia in the stands, their faces filled with anticipation and pride. Next to them, your mother held Oliver, now two years old, who clapped enthusiastically every time you scored a point, your father right next to them, trying to entertain the toddler as much as possible.

Two years later, the atmosphere at Wimbledon was electric as you stepped onto the green court. You had worked tirelessly to get back into peak condition, driven by the dream of seeing your name on that honor board as Amelia had said before.

When you finally scored the last, winning point, the sound of the crowd’s cheers was deafening. Tears filled your eyes as you raised your racket in triumph, overwhelmed by the moment. You wasted no time running towards the stands and finding your family. Amelia was the first to latch onto your leg, screaming in happiness. Seconds later, you felt two strong arms envelop you in a familiar embrace you’d always recognize.

‘’ I did it Lew, I did it!’’ you sobbed as your hands cupped his face, bringing his lips towards yours in a rushed kiss, overwhelmed by all the emotions you were feeling at that moment.’’

‘’ You did it love! You fucking did it! I told you it would happen, I never lost hope in you!’’ your husband said as he pulled you against his chest. Moments later you felt everyone around you cheering and congratulating you.

During the post-match interview, a reporter asked, “How are you feeling right now, and what has it taken to get here?”

You took a deep breath, steadying your voice. “It’s hard to put into words how much this means to me. When I was little, I used to help my father build furniture to make enough money to support my passion for tennis. My parents’ unwavering support allowed me to pursue my dreams, and I couldn’t have done it without them. My husband, Lewis, and our children, Amelia and Oliver, have been my rock. Two years ago, I overheard Amelia telling Lewis that she wanted to see both our names on the honor board at Wimbledon. That moment has stayed with me and pushed me to keep going.”

BONUS

The crowd’s applause was thunderous as you finished speaking. You glanced up at Lewis, who was beaming with pride. Amelia was jumping up and down, her excitement infectious.

Later that year in Abu Dhabi, the atmosphere was tense. Lewis was on the verge of his eighth championship, and the entire world was watching. You were in the Ferrari garage with Amelia while baby Oliver stayed home in the company of both of his grandmothers. Your heart was pounding with every lap he completed.

Lewis needed to finish at least fourth to secure the championship, but you knew how much he wanted to win. The final laps were nail-biting, with Max pushing hard on the gas pedal behind your husband. But Lewis’s skill and determination shone through, and when he crossed the finish line in first place, the crowd erupted.

"Lewis Hamilton rounds the final corner, the crowd on their feet, the tension electric! And he crosses the line! Lewis Hamilton wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and secures his eighth World Drivers' Championship! What a monumental achievement! History has been made here today in the most thrilling fashion!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have just witnessed one of the greatest moments in the history of motorsport. Lewis Hamilton, defying all odds, with determination, skill, and sheer brilliance, has etched his name in the annals of Formula 1 forever. Eight championships, surpassing the legends of our sport, and cementing his place as the most successful driver in F1 history.

This season has been a rollercoaster of emotions, challenges, and intense competition, but once again, Lewis has shown why he is the master of his craft. His relentless pursuit of excellence, his unwavering focus, and his incredible talent have brought him to this pinnacle moment.

Congratulations, Lewis! You are a true champion, an inspiration to millions, and a testament to what can be achieved with heart, determination, and belief. What a day, what a race, what a champion! Lewis Hamilton, the 2024 Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion!"

You could see his body shake as he stepped out of the car. His father, Anthony was the first to get to his, giving him the time he needed to process everything he was feeling, before embracing his son in much much-needed hug You pushed through the crowd, holding Amelia’s hand. When Lewis saw you, he rushed over, pulling the two of you into a tight embrace.

He kissed you deeply, not caring about the cameras or the crowd. “We did it,” he whispered, his voice breaking.

You couldn’t hold back your tears as you nodded, “Yes, we did.”

During the trophy ceremony, Lewis pointed his trophy towards you and your daughter, his father standing proudly beside you. He then placed his hand on his heart, looking at you with so much love that it took your breath away.

In the post-race interview, Lewis shared the news that shocked the racing world. “It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m grateful for every moment. But now, it’s time to focus on my family. I couldn’t have done any of this without their support, and I’m excited for this next chapter of our lives.”

As the crowd outside gave him a standing ovation, you knew that no matter where life took you next, you’d face it together, as a family.

Back home, life settled into a new rhythm. Without the constant travel and pressure of racing, Lewis threw himself into being a full-time dad and husband. You balanced your tennis career with family life, savoring every moment.

One evening, after putting the kids to bed, you and Lewis sat on the balcony of your Monaco apartment, watching the night sky. He held your hand, his thumb tracing gentle circles on your skin.

“I never imagined life could be this perfect,” he said softly. “Thank you for being my rock, my partner, and my best friend.”

You smiled, resting your head on his shoulder. “We’ve been through so much together, and I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.”

Lewis turned to you, his eyes filled with love. “Here’s to the next adventure, whatever it may be.” You clinked your glasses together, knowing that no matter what the future held, you’d face it side by side, surrounded by the love of your family.

MASTERLIST

Reblogs and feedback are greatly appreciated

[purplephantomwolf]

Savoring The Finish Line

Chapter Four

Story Synopsis: Max Verstappen falls in love with a woman who owns a bakery.

Note: This is not an accurate portrayal of how the real people in this act. I do not know them personally, so I will not be portraying them accurately. Also, this is not an accurate portrayal with how a bakery works. I did my best with research, but it's not 100%.

Warnings for this chapter: Badly translated French

Previous chapters: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three

Next Chapter: Chapter Five

Masterlist

March 15, 2022

     I shiver when a blast of air conditioning hits me as I step off the airplane into the Bahrain airport. I adjust my backpack on my shoulder as I look around for baggage claim. Following the signs, I arrive at the carousel. Grabbing my suitcase, I head for the taxi line up. I climb into the first open taxi. “Uh, the Hilton please,” I say, giving the driver the address. I sit back as he takes off. 

     “Thank you,” I say, climbing out of the taxi. I grab my bags and pay. I enter the hotel, and my jaw drops as I look around. The hotel is beautiful. “Wow,” I whisper, walking up to the front desk. “Hello, I’m here to check in. My name is Adaline Claret,” I say. The employee quickly gets me checked in, and I head up to my room. Unlocking the door, I throw my bag onto the bed. I fling open the curtains and look at the view. “This is beautiful,” I think aloud. I look out and spot the track. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.” My stomach growls loudly, letting me know that I need to eat lunch. “Okay okay, let’s go find a place to eat,” I hum. 

     I wander the streets of the city looking for a place to eat. I spot a small restaurant and head inside. I’m quickly greeted and sat down. I order the first thing off the menu that looks good. 

     Once my food comes, I inhale it. “This is delicious,” I mumble to myself. I pay after finishing and head out to explore the city. I wander the streets taking in the sights. As it gets dark, I head back to the hotel. 

     I fall onto the bed, pulling up Estelle’s contact. I hit call and wait as it rings. “Bonjour, Adaline. How was the first day in Bahrain?” Estelle asks, after answering. 

     “It was great. The city is beautiful; the food is great. Are Elise and Lacey behaving themselves?” I ask. 

     “They’re being angels, don’t you worry,” Louis assures me. 

     “Oh good. It feels weird to not be working right now. I haven’t taken time off since I opened it,” I say.

     “Cherie, we’ve tried convincing you to take time off. It would be good for your health. You spend too much time working, it’s not healthy,” Estelle complains. 

     I sigh, “I know, I know. I just don’t want to close the bakery. Maybe I’ll hire some other bakers.”

     “I think that would be a good idea. If you do that, you can keep the bakery open when you take vacations,” Estelle agrees. I nod even though they can’t see me. 

     “Yeah, I’ll start looking once I’m back home,” I declare.

     “Okay, that sounds good. We’ll let you go to bed now. I’m sure you’re exhausted after the long day of traveling,” Louis says. 

     “Okay, good night. Let me know if there’s any issues with Lacey and Elise,” I respond, yawning. 

     “Good night, Adaline,” Louis and Estelle say, before hanging up. I quickly get ready for bed, before falling face first into the pillows. I quickly fall asleep. 

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

March 18, 2022

     I leap out of bed as my alarm rings. “I can’t believe I’m actually getting to see Formula 1 in action today,” I gasp, doing a little happy dance. I race around the room getting ready. The first free practice until 3, but I want to explore the paddock. I head downstairs for breakfast, grinning. 

      After eating, I hail a taxi. “Bahrain International Circuit, please,” I request. The driver pulls away from the hotel, and my excitement ramps up. I stare out the window, grinning as I see the circuit grow larger.  

     “Thank you,” I thank the driver as I climb out. I pull my paddock passes out of my bag and hang them around my neck. I walk up to the gate and scan my pass. I walk into the paddock and stand to the side. My head is constantly moving as I try to take everything in. My eyes widen as I see Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc walk past me. I take off down the paddock, looking for the Red Bull hospitality.

     I spot the hospitality and nervously approach it. “Okay, Adaline. You got this. You’re supposed to be here,” I mumble to myself, trying to calm my anxiety of being in an unknown place by myself. I scan the pass and the door unlocks. I grin and walk in, looking around. The hospitality is really nice and has a row of windows on the back that show the track. I walk over to them and look out. “This is so cool!” I gasp, looking down the pit lane. I check my bag and make sure I have Louis’ Ferrari hat. I promised him that I’d try to get Charles to sign it. I head out of the Red Bull hospitality and look up and down the paddock. I spot Charles and start to make my way towards him. 

     “Bonjour, Charles. Je suis désolée de vous déranger, mais pouvez-vous signer ce chapeau, s’il vous plaît? (Hello, Charles. I am sorry to bother you, but can you sign this hat, please?)” I ask him, when there’s a lull in his conversation. Charles looks surprised to see me talking to him in French. 

     “Bien sur, (Of course)” Charles smiles, taking the hat and my marker from me. He signs it quickly and hands it back, before going back to his conversation. 

    “Merci beaucoup, (Thank you very much)” I respond, before walking away. I grin and walk back towards the Red Bull hospitality, tucking the hat into my bag. 

     “Adaline!” I hear my name called. I turn around, knowing it can only be one person.

     “Bonjour, Max,” I grin, as he walks up to me. 

     “I am so glad you could make it!” Max says, holding the door to hospitality open for me. 

     “Trust me, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Thank you so much. This is amazing,” I enter the building, looking back at him. 

     “It’s nothing, I’m happy you are here,” he grins at me. He puts a hand on the small of my back and guides me further into the hospitality. “Let me show you around. This is where most people watch the race from because it’s comfier than the garage. Your pass will get you into the garage, so if you’d like to watch from there, you can.” Max explains as he starts walking. 

     “I will be watching from your garage everyday this weekend. Is it okay if I wear Red Bull merch? Or should I avoid that?” I blush, looking down at my outfit. 

     “It’s okay to wear the merch,” Max laughs. He leads me down some stairs, and the noise of Formula 1 cars gets louder. I feel my excitement climb. “And this is the Red Bull garage.” Max says, pushing open the door. He flourishes his arm, showing it off. My eyes widen and jaw drops. 

     “Max, this is amazing. Thank you,” I breathe out. My head goes every which way as I try to take in everything. Max goes over to a wall of headphones and grabs a pair.

     “These are for you. It can get quite noisy in here,” Max shouts over the noise of the wheel guns. I take the headphones from him and put them over my ears. I give him a thumbs up and grin. He laughs, giving me thumbs up back. Max gestures to the back of the garage and I nod, following him. I take the headphones off and Max says, “This is where you’ll watch from.” 

     “Okay, sounds great,” I grin. Max glances at his watch and looks back.

     “I have to go get ready for practice one. Have fun,” he grins and backs up. 

     “I will! Be safe!” I shout for him to hear me, before putting the headphones back on. I can hear Red Bull’s radios through the headset. I grin and watch the screens intently, trying to interpret the data. 

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

     I grin as practice one comes to a close. Max jumps out of his car and heads for his engineers to discuss the data. I take this break to go and find something to eat. I head up the stairs to the hospitality for lunch. 

     I munch on a sandwich that I’ve found as I look out across the track. I jump when I hear a voice behind me. “Did you enjoy the first practice?” Max grins, rounding the table. 

     “I did, it’s so exhilarating to watch,” I say, eyes shining with excitement. Max laughs and nods. 

     “It’s exhilarating to do,” he smiles. 

     “I’m sure,” I say, finishing my sandwich. 

     “I remembered that I don’t have your number. May I get it?” Max asks me, blushing a little. He holds out his phone to me. 

     I grin and nod, grabbing his phone from him. I slide him my phone so he can put his number in. 

     After I give Max his phone back, he glances at his watch and groans. “It’s almost time for me to get back in the car.”

     “Let’s get you back to the garage,” I laugh. I stand up and throw away my trash. Max follows me to the garage. He walks over to the car, glancing over at me quickly. I smile and nod to him, and he nods back. He hops in the car and I can feel the roar of the cars in my bones. I grin as Max pulls out of the garage. 

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

     I fall into bed, exhausted. I close my eyes and am about to fall asleep when my phone rings. “Hello,” I answer it, without looking at the caller id. 

     “So, tell me about today!!” I hear Louis say, excited. 

      I’m immediately wide awake. “Oh it was awesome! I saw Max. He gave me a tour of the Red Bull hospitality. I also talked to Charles Leclerc. I got your hat signed. It was exhilarating to watch. You could feel the roar of the engines in your bones from the garage.”

     “We’ll have to try to get tickets to Monaco,” Louis says, “I haven’t been to a race in years.”

     “I think so too. It would be fun,” I nod, yawning, “I should get to bed. Tell Estelle I say hello.”

     “I will. Have a good night, cherie,” Louis says. 

     “Good night, Louis,” I say, hanging up. I quickly change into my pajamas, and set my alarm for the morning. I crawl under the covers and fall into a deep sleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taglist: @milaeth @fanboyluvr

[distantlaughter]

alright top 5 brocedes moments

hey pu... it's the idea that 18 yr old lewis went out of his way to go on nico's website (freshly made btw...) and reminded him of their dream to be teammates again (in f1) like woah... mind shattering

this one from abu dhabi 2016... idk i am just like. obseeesssed with it. maybe it's cuz i just finished 2014 in my look thru of german nico articles where they talk about how gracious (or "Soft") of a loser nico was but idk it's just interesting... veeeery interesting

2008 bahrain okay i have a lot to say about this one: around this time they actually werent that close... sure they were friends but not really the "best friends since childhood" kind of relationship that was being touted by the media... more along of the lines of colleagues who've both shared and now achieved their dream of being f1.. not to say they didn't hang out (nico lewis and adrian sutil all went on a vacation tgt to thailand in 2007) but let's just say lewis had a favorite german and it (probably) wasn't nico and nico had a favorite brit and it (probably) wasn't lewis. it was, as nico puts it, "superficial" (ok i dont have a source for this one on hand but he said it!!! i swear) ANYWAYS.... it's an interesting video bc they're not as close they used to be but they still slip into their (What i would presume) old dynamic especially with their roughhousing/wrestling EXCEPT THEY'RE NOT THE BOYS THEY USED TO BE... it's different now... they cant have their youth and naivete (about being bffs forever in the same team in f1 all that) but they haven't quite realized it yet... the dream hasn't quite crashed down on them

lewis literally lying about not remembering when he first met nico... "I remember the first time I looked at the girls. I remember when I met my girlfriend, the first time I had sex.... But I never actually think about the first time I met Nico. I don't remember things like that." (x)

and of course... the most iconic video of them all

[seasidepierre]

OH AND ANOTHER DRABBLE SUGGESTION

bringing sunkissed cuties into the 2022 season.. like i wanna know how many races she’s going to, if they are a private couple or everyone knows about them, like i wanna be brought up to date with those beautiful people

You had absolutely lost your shit when Charles presented you with your own pass, with your name, in plastic and durable, stating a loud “Scuderia Ferrari” for the team under which you were supervised. You didn’t even know how he got a decent ID picture to add to the file he certainly had to put together, though you suspected that his newfound alliance with your father might be the culprit this time. Or should you say “again”.

“So I guess you’re happy about it?” Charles had chuckled.

Your grin was enough of a response and he didn’t press for words, knowing that you were often out of them and didn’t know what to say. So you did the only rational thing you could do at that time: you squealed, you danced on your feet a little and then you launched yourself at his neck, peppering his face with small but very loud kisses that made him giggle and wrap your hips with his warm hands. 

The fact that you were welcome to enter the paddock at any moment you deemed either necessary or just complimentary was enough to fill you with a deep joy and relief. This was Charles accepting you in his life, inviting you in it, even, and you couldn’t be happier about it. 

The first time you used that pass was in Barcelona, because you wanted to be there for the start of Charles’ season and he wanted you there anyway. You took a week of vacation, just to be able to enjoy the Spanish city and sun, which hadn’t been as hot as you’d thought it’d be but was still very enjoyable for the end of February. You scanned the pass on the little pole and the little jingly sound that came with it made you jiggle a little, which Charles found both hilarious and endearing. Charles had introduced you to the team, properly, which had been nice of him. You already knew Carlos, having briefly met him before, but this time, it was pretty chill. This was only a testing session, there was no hurry in any way. You got to speak with your boyfriend’s teammate and team principal, getting to know them both, as well as chat with some members of the team which had been pretty fun and nice, if you were being completely honest. 

You enjoyed a few days off with Charles in Barcelona, braving the breeze to lie on the sand of a beach with him, cuddling next to him and ignoring everything else, focusing on the warm rays and skin in contact with yours. You dropped enough kisses on Charles’ sternum to last a month, which he was pretty happy about and you got your fair share of forehead kisses too. All good in the world. You followed him and Andrea for the workouts, which usually ended up with Andrea giving you a list of very mild exercises to do while you waited for them to be done and which usually turned you into a bright tomato, cursing every God and nature for your very small endurance abilities. Charles would often laugh at you, especially when you crashed on the floor after a series of jumping jacks or squats, short of breath, feeling nauseous and on the verge of passing out. He wouldn’t laugh at you per say, because that would be mean and he never was, but he would laugh at your stubbornness and your mean glares at Andrea whenever he would turn his back to you. If looks could kill, your boyfriend’s personal trainer would be long dead by the time you left Charles at the airport, with a sweet kiss on the forehead and a piece of candy slipped in the back pocket of your jeans. That was something he had started to do a while ago and that you loved way beyond words. 

The second time you used the pass had been in Bahrain, because you were there for the testing and you wanted to be there for the official start of the season. You still have no idea how you managed to grab a couple of remote working days but you did, which allowed you to work on the different cases you were due to report on the following week. When you weren’t in the garage, you were nose deep into your laptop and when you weren’t at the track, you were buried under a mountain of papers, but you wouldn’t have traded your place for the world and you were ecstatic to just be there. You got to see your man on the top step of the podium and you shed a few tears at the bright smile he was sporting, holding his trophy like you would hold your teddy bear. When you parted at the Nice airport, him ready for a couple of off days in Monaco, you on the way back to London, you knew you wouldn’t be able to ignore the deep pull of wanting to be back on track as soon as possible.

Which happened in Imola, even though it didn’t go to plan and you got to face a very frustrated Charles, angry at himself and closed off like you had never seen him be. Even back in Monaco, on the weekend you met each other, he wasn’t as mad as he had been then in Italy. You didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what to say, so you just stayed there, a vague presence around him, just wanting to cast enough warmth and kindness for him to forgive himself. He didn’t say much when you bid your goodbyes that evening, in the Italian airport. He barely kissed you, if you recall well. But still you found an Italian sweet in your totebag and you smiled at the idea of this very very mad man turned into a thoughtful boy, just for you.

There had been numerous facetime sessions, enough nights spent on the phone or the computer, each of you asleep on the other end of the call, but not wanting to hang up, because hanging up meant being back to the loneliness when you could pretty much just spend the night with each other, even though the physicality of it was lost to a bunch of pixels. It would never be as nice as the days spent in between races, where Charles would forget he was a Formula 1 driver and spend his days in your bed, refusing to let you go, eyes droopy with sleep but his body warm and soft to your touch. It was still a way to have some domesticity even though you couldn’t, for real. 

It’s not that Charles didn’t want to show you off. The need never really appeared, if he was completely honest. He was fine having you to himself, he didn’t feel the need, nor the want, to broadcast your relationship to the entire world. He was content with you, he had everything he needed in you. You were enough. In that regard, he never really posted anything about you, nor did he answer questions about whether or not he had a girlfriend. There had been a few pictures, stolen at a restaurant or on a walk on the beach in Monaco, of you two together, arms linked, your head resting on top of his bicep. Your face was out there, whether it was because you had been shown as one of Tom’s and Harrison’s friends, or because you had been linked to Charles. Your Instagram account was private, which it had been for years before you even met the Monégasque, but truth be told, it’s not like they would find much more content on your page either. You weren’t secretive. It wasn’t about protecting anything. It was just a question of enjoying the small time you two had together and not wanting to spend it staging a photoshoot or taking pictures. You had pictures together, sure, they lived in a special folder that you opened whenever you missed Charles a bit too much, especially on the evenings when he wasn’t next to you and your bed was cold. But posting them online never really came to mind, as it never felt like you had to demonstrate he was yours to the world. You both knew you belonged to each other. It was plenty enough. Your friends knew about your couple. Your families knew about your couple. You didn’t need more than that. 

You used your pass a few more times, though. Once in Monaco, obviously, because this was your anniversary GP and you wouldn’t miss it for the world. You didn’t need to disclose about the heartbreak Monaco brought upon Charles, once again. You used it in Silverstone too, with your dad in toe, who literally lost his shit when the pass he was sporting got scanned and showed his picture on the small screen, along with his name and a bright “Ferrari guest”, which he hadn’t seen last time because you had hid it from him to keep the surprise. And truth be told, you hadn’t expected your own home race to be so cruel once again, Which might explain why you found Charles back in his little cubicle of a driver’s room with your dad’s arm around his shoulder, whispering the same words of encouragement and comfort that he gave you whenever you failed at something and would bawl your eyes out when you were younger. And sure it was heartbreaking to see Charles so beaten down by the hand of his own team, sure you were extremely mad at the strategists, but to see your dad and your boyfriend like that? It was just too much for your heart to handle. 

You used the pass once again in France, because it was close enough to Monaco and because you wanted to have some fun in the sun. You hadn’t been expecting to have to hold a crying Charles in your arms, trying his best to make no noise in his despair and frustration, but enjoying the feeling of your fingertips on his skull. You two took the first jet to Nice, then the helicopter to Monaco, and decided you wouldn’t speak about France 22 anymore. Which was a shame, because the atmosphere up until that dreadful yell had been really, really nice. 

At some point you wondered if the fact that you were coming to the races was more prejudicial than not, but Charles assured he wouldn’t be able to face it all without you, so you stayed at his side, as much as you could. 

You spent more time in Monaco in that first half of the year than you thought you would and he spent more time in London than he probably should have, but as the summer break rolled down on you, you realised that you wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

You finally had found your person and it felt exactly like it should. Family and friends had always told you that when you’d find the right guy, it would all feel easy and soft, and with Charles, it was as easy as breathing, and as soft as it could be. And despite the heartbreaks, despite the longing, despite the sad goodbyes and the lonely nights, you still felt like every second spent next to him was worth it, in the end. 

Charles was your own little ray of sunshine, your little space of comfort, your own taste at salvation. 

And you wouldn’t let him go, for anything in the world.

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Tell me what you liked the most about this!

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[asifwazirseo]

WHERE CAN AMERICANS TRAVEL WITH VACCINE?

https://wherecanamericanstravelnow.com/where-can-americans-travel-with-vaccine/

For this year 2021, American passport holders have seen an ever changing list of international travel options as the globe adapted first to vaccines and then now to the Delta Variants of the covid 19 virus.

Where can Americans travel with vaccine? As of the end of September, the total number of U.S. cases is around the 42.3 million mark, since the first coronavirus case in the country. Some countries are overwhelmed by corona cases, as well as some American states.

It is up to you to decide whether if traveling internationally is a good idea. The health risks are evident if you have not received the full dose of the covid 19 vaccine. Your destination might change its rules at any time. You may be forced to follow strict rules and regulations put in place by the country to fight the virus- wearing masks, social distancing, sanitizing, and curfews. And violations could lead to heftier fines and even jail.

Where can Americans travel with vaccine? If you want some expert advice before finalizing your decision, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US Department provides detailed, updated, and accurate covid 19 risk assessments by nation. Both sites rate most countries open to American travelers at level 4. Remember that all flying passengers age two and older must show proof of viral covid 19 negative results test taken three days before departure to enter the U.S.

List of countries

The following is a curated list of nations where it is still possible for U.S. passport holders to go for a vacation.

Albania

Andorra

Anguilla

Antigua and Barbuda

Armenia

Austria

Azerbaijan

The Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bermuda

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

The British Virgin Islands

Burkina Faso

Cabo Verde

Canada

Cayman Islands

The Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cote D’Ivoire

Croatia

Cuba

Cyprus

Czech republic

Democratic Republic of Congo

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Dutch Caribbean

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Estonia

Fiji

France

French Polynesia

French West Indies

Gabon

The Gambia

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Grenada

Guatemala

Guinea

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Iceland

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Jordan

Kenya

Kosovo

Kyrgyz Republic

Latvia

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Lithuania

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

Moldova

Monaco

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Namibia

Nepal

Netherlands

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

North Macedonia

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

St. Kitts and Nevis

St. Lucia

St. Vincent and The Grenadines

San Marino

Sao Tome and Principe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

South Africa

Spain

Sri Lanka

Switzerland

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Togo

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Turks and Caicos

Qatar

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

Uzbekistan

Venezuela

Vietnam

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Nations recently removed from the open list.

What follows are countries that have been allowing Americans to enter but have closed again or we have removed from the open list for some reasons:

Sweden: American travelers cannot enter Sweden directly but can go via another European country.

Bulgaria: current rules set by the governments’ nation make direct visits difficult.

Ethiopia: This cultural country remains in the removed nations because of the ongoing warfare.

Cambodia: The U.S. embassy reports that the Southeast Asian nation has stopped issuing tourist visas. You can visit the country for business or apply for business linked business.

[openclosehrs]

Dairy Queen Unveils New Tagline

Dairy Queen Unveils New Tagline

The DQ emblem has released a brand new tagline—Happy Tastes Good—which exemplifies the heart of the fast-service organization. With sparkling offers, candy new treats, and crave-worthy eats that makes any meal sense like an indulgence, the DQ logo is reinforcing that it’s a grin above the relaxation and a vacation spot for satisfied moments and recollections.

Click Here More Details : https://openclosehrs.com/

To celebrate Happy Tastes Good, a selection of delicious objects have been brought to the DQ treat menu, including:

New sundae toppings: Rich Choco Chunks, crunchy Praline Pieces and smooth Midnight Fudge, along with returning favourite Summer Berry, a satisfying combination of actual raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, all served over world-famous DQ soft-serve with the signature curl on top.

New Dreamsicle Dip: To complement the famous chocolate dip, fanatics can now sink their enamel into a gentle-serve cone with a vibrantly coloured, creamy orange and vanilla flavored coating.

From April 15 through May 19, those new flavors and more are to be had all through DQ 2 for $4 Treat Nights, in which fanatics can enjoy any two medium dipped cones or sundaes for $four after 8 p.M. At collaborating places. 

“We love being on the center of our lovers’ happiest reminiscences, whether it’s toasting to a group win, celebrating a birthday or absolutely treating your self to make the regular just a little greater special,” says Maria Hokanson, Executive Vice President of Marketing for American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ). “Happy Tastes Good is about the pleased moments you revel in when you visit certainly one of our eating places, from the primary chunk to the final spoonful.”

Happy Hypothesis

To prove that the DQ brand actually is inside the business of glad, ADQ commissioned a countrywide purchaser survey, which determined that:

69 percentage believe that having a Blizzard Treat is a happier way to start the summer season than sports including taking a road journey (forty three percentage), wearing shorts (forty percentage) or cannonballing right into a pool (29 percentage)

fifty six percent stated dipping a DQ chook strip into sauce feels like a collection hug to your flavor buds

fifty three percentage said a journey to a DQ vicinity is as happy as finding $20 to your pocket

Dairy Queen Names Iron Tip Competition Winners

International Dairy Queen, Inc. Introduced the winners of the Dairy Queen 2020 IRON TIP opposition.

IRON TIP is the logo’s biennial cake decorating competition for proficient cake artists employed through Dairy Queen shops. Nearly 450 DQ logo cake decorators from throughout the globe entered this 12 months’s competition. The competition challenges the cake decorators to retain to improve their abilties in presenting notable designs to Dairy Queen guests.

The opposition commenced with  rigorous rounds at some point of which entrants embellished cakes according to the opposition’s tips and submitted images in their layout artistry. A panel of judges decided on five finalists to compete in-person at Connect 2020, the DQ brand’s flagship franchisee, vendor, enterprise professional and device management convention, which changed into held January sixteen-19 in New Orleans.

The finalists and their guests – one from Canada, one from the International department, and 3 from america, had been flown to New Orleans to wait Connect 2020. The finalists participated in front of a crowd of cheering convention attendees in three timed rounds of cake adorning that tested their creativity, artistic abilties and capability to remain calm and focused beneath pressure.

“These super artists are without a doubt proficient designers who take satisfaction in adorning Dairy Queen® logo cake designs to deliver pleasure to their shop’s fanatics. As a logo we're particularly appreciative that we attract this kind of high caliber of skilled artists to share their abilities with our fans on a international foundation,” says the IRON TIP organizer Cheri Buswell, director of idea assist services at IDQ.

The very last opposition outcomes had been:

1st area winner, Candice Gumm of Appleton, Wis., obtained a $1,500 coins prize and commemorative plaque.

2nd region winner, Kelly Kirkland of Orleans, Ontario, Canada, acquired a $1,000 cash prize and commemorative plaque.

3rd region winner, Sandra Wheeler of Vail, Ariz., received a $750 coins prize and commemorative plaque.

4th place winner, Patricia Mason of Mentor, Ohio and fifth region winner, Chona Villanueva of Bahrain, each obtained an Iron Tip medallion to understand their participation, technical abilties and artistry.

“In line with our persisted boom as a machine, this year marked the highest quantity of entries we’ve ever obtained, raising the exceptional of competition. The five triumphing finalists are actually the nice of the exceptional,” provides Buswell.

Dairy Queen Rings In New Year with $6 Meal Deal

The Dairy Queen logo is ringing inside the new yr with ample fee, fueling tummies and exciting flavor buds with the brand new $6 Meal Deal, which is to be had all day lengthy at participating DQ locations national.

For simply $6 (excluding taxes), fans have their preference of savory all chicken DQ Chicken Strips paired with a choice of dipping sauce, or a juicy 1/3 lb. Double Cheeseburger made with a hundred percentage beef and crowned with melted cheese, pickles, ketchup and mustard on a toasted bun. The $6 Meal Deal is served with huge fries, beverage, and a small sundae.

“Fans can fill up with delicious taste and range that not most effective satisfies starvation, however additionally affords wallets with a post-vacation wreck,” says Maria Hokanson, Executive Vice President of Marketing at American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ).

To make the $6 Meal Deal even sweeter, for simply $1 extra lovers can improve from a sundae to a small Blizzard Treat—which includes Heath Caramel Brownie, the January Blizzard Treat of the Month that functions a decadent trio of crunchy HEATH pieces, brownie portions and wealthy caramel topping blended with creamy DQ vanilla tender serve.

Throughout the 12 months, the DQ brand is launching new cellular app deals that include country wide weekly exclusives on treats, food and liquids, redeemable most effective at participating DQ restaurants inside the U.S., apart from Texas.

[bountyofbeads]

https://apnews.com/e36db7c72c1adba1a6cae75091bc273d

AP says a US official told it the new airstrike north of Baghdad was "not an American military attack." No idea of this is true, but would it then be a US coalition attack? Israel? (But this would seem unlike the usual Israel attack.)

Iraq official says airstrike targets Iran-backed militia

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and ZEINA Karam | Published January 3, 2020 7:50 PM ET | AP | Posted January 3, 2020 |

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran promised to seek revenge for a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad’s airport that killed the mastermind of its interventions across the Middle East, and the U.S. said Friday it was sending thousands more troops to the region as tensions soared in the wake of the targeted killing.

The death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, marks a major escalation in the standoff between Washington and Iran, which has careened from one crisis to another since President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions.

In more violence, another airstrike almost exactly 24 hours after the one that targeted Soleimani killed five members of an Iran-backed militia north of Baghdad, an Iraqi security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. The Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces confirmed the strike, saying it hit one of its medical convoys near the stadium in Taji, north of Baghdad. The group said none of its top leaders were killed. A U.S. official said the attack was not an American military attack. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.

The targeted strike against Soleimani and any retaliation by Iran could ignite a conflict that engulfs the whole region, endangering U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and beyond. Over the last two decades, Soleimani had assembled a network of heavily armed allies stretching all the way to southern Lebanon, on Israel’s doorstep.

“We take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over,” Trump said of Soleimani.

Still, the United States said it was sending nearly 3,000 more Army troops to the Middle East, reflecting concern about potential Iranian retaliation for the killing. The U.S. also urged American citizens to leave Iraq “immediately” following the early morning airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport that Iran’s state TV said killed Soleimani and nine others. The State Department said the embassy in Baghdad, which was attacked by Iran-backed militiamen and their supporters earlier this week, is closed and all consular services have been suspended.

Around 5,200 American troops are based in Iraq to train Iraqi forces and help in the fight against Islamic State group militants. Defense officials who discussed the new troop movements spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a decision not yet announced by the Pentagon. A Pentagon official who was not authorized to be identified said the U.S. also had placed an Army brigade on alert to fly into Lebanon to protect the American Embassy. U.S. embassies also issued a security alert for Americans in Bahrain, Kuwait and Nigeria.

The U.S. announcement about sending more troops came as Trump said Soleimani’s killing was not an effort to begin a conflict with Iran. “We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war,” Trump said, adding that he does not seek regime change in Iran.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “harsh retaliation” after the airstrike, calling Soleimani the “international face of resistance.” Khamenei declared three days of public mourning and appointed Maj. Gen. Esmail Ghaani, Soleimani’s deputy, to replace him as head of the Quds Force.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the killing a “heinous crime” and said his country would “take revenge.” Iran twice summoned the Swiss envoy, the first time delivering a letter to pass onto Washington.

Iranian Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the U.S. attack a “cowardly terrorist action” and said Iran has the right to respond “in any method and any time.“

Thousands of worshipers in Tehran took to the streets after Friday prayers to condemn the killing, waving posters of Soleimani and chanting “Death to deceitful America.”

However, the attack could act as a deterrent for Iran and its allies to delay or restrain any potential response. Trump said possible targets had been identified and the U.S. was prepared. Oil prices surged on news of the airstrike and markets were mixed.

The killing promised to further strain relations with Iraq’s government, which is allied with both Washington and Tehran and has been deeply worried about becoming a battleground in their rivalry. Iraqi politicians close to Iran called for the country to order U.S. forces out.

The Defense Department said it killed the 62-year-old Soleimani because he “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.” It also accused Soleimani of approving orchestrated violent protests at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

The strike, on an access road near Baghdad’s airport, was carried out early Friday by an American drone, according to a U.S. official.

Soleimani had just disembarked from a plane arriving from either Syria or Lebanon, a senior Iraqi security official said. The blast tore his body to pieces along with that of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces. A senior politician said Soleimani’s body was identified by the ring he wore. Iran’s state TV said Friday 10 people were killed, including five Revolutionary Guard members and Soleimani’s son-in-law.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

The attack comes at the start of a year in which Trump faces both a Senate trial following his impeachment by Congress and a re-election campaign. It marks a potential turning point in the Middle East and represents a drastic change for American policy toward Iran after months of tensions.

The tensions are rooted in Trump’s decision in May 2018 to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, struck under his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Since then, Tehran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone and seized oil tankers. The U.S. also blames Iran for other attacks targeting tankers and a September assault on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry that temporarily halved its production.

Supporters of the strike against Soleimani said it restored U.S. deterrence power against Iran, and Trump allies were quick to praise the action. “To the Iranian government: if you want more, you will get more,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted.

“Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran,” Trump’s former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, wrote in a tweet.

Others, including Democratic White House hopefuls, criticized Trump’s order. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Trump had “tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox,” saying it could leave the U.S. “on the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East.”

Trump, who was vacationing at his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, said he ordered the airstrike because Soleimani had killed and wounded many Americans over the years and was plotting to kill many more. “He should have been taken out many years ago,” he added.

The potential for a spiraling escalation alarmed U.S. allies and rivals alike.

“We are waking up in a more dangerous world,” France’s deputy minister for foreign affairs, Amelie de Montchalin, told RTL radio. The European Union warned against a “generalized flare-up of violence.” Russia condemned the killing, and fellow Security Council member China said it was “highly concerned.” Britain and Germany noted that Iran also bore some responsibility for escalating tensions.

While Iran’s conventional military has suffered under 40 years of American sanctions, Iran can strike in the region through its allied forces like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iraqi militias and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called on “the resistance the world over” to avenge Soleimani’s killing. Frictions over oil shipments in the Gulf could also increase, and Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard has built up a ballistic missile program.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it in a statement Friday that it had held a special session and made “appropriate decisions” on how to respond, but didn’t elaborate.

Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett held a meeting with top security officials Friday, but the Israeli military said it was not taking any extraordinary action on its northern front, other than closing a ski resort in the Golan Heights near Lebanon and Syria as a precaution.

The most immediate impact could be in Iraq. Funerals for al-Muhandis and the other slain Iraqis were set for Saturday.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi condemned the strike as an “aggression against Iraq.” An emergency session of parliament was called for Sunday, which the deputy speaker, Hassan al-Kaabi, said would take “decisions that put an end to the U.S. presence in Iraq.”

___

Karam reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Robert Burns, Lolita C. Baldor and Zeke Miller in Washington; Jon Gambrell and Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Nasser Karimi and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran; Bassem Mroue and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut; and Joseph Krauss and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

[secondreckoning]

Chapters: 3/7 Fandom: Overwatch (Video Game) Rating: M Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Fareeha "Pharah" Amari/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler Characters: Fareeha "Pharah" Amari, Angela "Mercy" Ziegler Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Slow Burn, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual S*x, Blood and Injury Summary: In a world where people share dreams with their soul-mates, Angela, a weary trauma surgeon, walks her dreams alone. Nearing forty, she believes she’s simply not one meant for a soul-mate until vivid visions of Egypt begin to brighten her nights.

Hand in hand with her dark-haired dream woman, Angela traverses the sun-blessed streets. Heat and sun fill the paths before them, but it never taxes her body as the real world does. More noticeable is the warmth of the hand gripping hers, the palm pressed against her own. Twice, Angela tries to speak up, to say something—to thank her guide for the tour, for her hand, for her smile—but of course, no words come.

Together, Angela and her dream partner wander through the street.

Angela wakes, warm, still breathing in sunshine and breathing out wonder.

Through the nights—nights on Angela’s part, she has yet to pinpoint her soul-mate’s location—they wander up one side of the street and down the other. Sometimes, when she dreams, she meets her soul-mate at the height of day, in pure sunlight and sometimes they wander the streets in a hazy dusk, the air sweet and heady with lotus blossoms. But in every dream, her soul-mate waits for Angela, quick to flash an encouraging smile her way and always bearing an open hand to hold.

Her soul-mate.

Angela’s soul-mate .

Angela nurtures the idea of a soul-mate, her connection to this woman. She cradles it in the hollowed out spot in her chest, where she used to carry her nanotech aspirations, her dreams of saving the world. They’ve left an empty space—big dreams leave behind big spaces—and once she calls it such, once she writes it down in her journal, the idea of a soul-mate is neither big or daunting or unfulfillable,

It is small and comfortable and warm.

Angela flips her journal around and writes from the back heading in:

I see a woman in my dreams.

I see a woman when I sleep.

I share my dreams with someone.

And twenty or so variations later, she writes, in slow deliberate letters:

I think I have a soul-mate.

Tingles creep up her hand and wrist and arm, and Angela’s throat tightens. She lays the pen across the page and rises. She walks a loop around her apartment, eyes blurring, and then another, until they clear. Upon her return, she stretches out on her bed and writes whatever she’s learned, every precious bit of knowledge about her soul-mate.

(Her soul-mate.)

(Her soul-mate .)

(Her soul-mate.)

Good grief, this is why no one ever shuts up about it, isn ’t it?

She writes, so there is no uncertainty:

Angela’s Soul-mate (!!!!)

- Taller than I am. (At least 5’8”) - Age: Late twenties - mid-thirties. - Perfect smile - Perfect hands - Tattoo beneath right eye. (Ouch!) - Likely Middle Eastern. - Very good facial structure. - Beads / bangles in hair (Significance?) - Okay, good overall structure.

What’s your name? Angela traces a loose circle with her fingertip over the page. Who are you? What can I show you ?

Am I good enough?

She inhales once, sharp and sure, and kills the thought. Pulling her phone in across the coverlet, Angela pulls up a list of possible countries: Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

Angela runs her teeth over her lip. Where are you?

More importantly , she thinks, switching to a list of timezones, why are you asleep in the middle of the day?

She compares her time on the west coast against a list of possible countries: depending on the country, there’s a ten to twelve hour time discrepancy between them.

Angela picks up her pen, runs the opposite end over her lips, and writes, tentatively: Doctor?

Why else would her soul-mate sleep at noon?

***

Angela catches her soul-mate most often when she sleeps at home, in her own bed, on regular hours and on occasion, whatever late night naps she sneaks at the hospital.

Emily remarks, once, “You slept? On your own? As in, you came to the realization you were tired and decided to lie down and sleep? On your own? Of your own free will? ”

Angela rewards Emily’s snark with an eye-roll, but she’s not wrong. Sunlit streets and soft smiles await her when she sleeps and oh , these days Angela sleeps . Together, with her soul-mate ( her soul-mate!) Angela sees dusty, sturdy structures in sandy tones, clearly aged, but their history lost on her without context. Once they wander the street’s length, down one way and then up the next, Angela’s soul-mate waits for her outside the old gate the next time she sleeps. They begin a new journey down past the vendors and their wares.

Tonight, at the hospital, it’s past four in the morning, and Angela expects a normal dream, maybe a poor one. Likely an average, soul-mateless one, which creep in more often now when she finds time to sleep on a shift.

Pager and phone aligned by the hospital-standard pillow, Angela adjusts a starched sheet once more and shuts eyes.

She’s thinking of patient stats and an encroaching vacation and does the hotel have a pool and probably and oh I need new swimwear and is that buy one get one half off yarn on until Thursday or Friday and she doesn’t expect to sleep at all, really. But one second she’s repositioning her arm under her pillow and chastising herself for trying to pull off a particular shade of yellow with her last bikini and then she’s out—

***

Angela stands in a hazy dream.

It is not a grey anxious nightmare or a loud crimson-stained one or a sunlit soul-mate dream.

Later, she’ll clock it as a normal, desire-driven dream. But asleep and unthinking it’s—

—it’s a bar—

—it’s a hotel bar—

—A faceless man in grey pants and vest over a white shirt polishes a glass. Behind him is a wall of liquor glasses and taps, back-lit with lights. In front of him is a bar of dark wood, polished to shine and lined with bar stools—

—and a dim, golden haze lingers over it all; over Angela; over the barman; over the other guests—

—the other bar patrons are there, but not there; a cacophony of chatter buzzes in Angela’s ears and movement blurs just outside the range of her vision—

—Angela squints; the other patrons only possess noses and eyebrows and mouths when she looks at them and thinks about it—

—with the exception of the dark-haired figure at the other end of the bar, perched atop a stool, sleeves rolled up—

—oh—

—her heart flutters high in her chest and she swallows, hard—

—Suddenly, quite suddenly, Angela is aware of herself, of her own body. She’s aware of her legs, bare to an inch above her knees and the bareness of her shoulders. She’s wearing a dress, a specific dress. One of her own: a black cocktail dress, the skirt a soft flare around her knees and the halter neck high—

—she’s not worn this dress in years, really, not even to charity galas the hospital puts on—

—it belongs to a different Angela, an Angela who left a long, long time ago—

—but she finds it fits her now; the skirt of the dress narrowing at her waist, a pair of black flats on her feet in complement to the outfit—

—because, at the end of the bar, sleeves rolled up to bear her forearms sits Angela’s dream woman, Angela’s soul-mate—

—and—

—there’s Angela’s heart again, fluttering away—

—her soul-mate’s in dark dress pants and a navy blue shirt, lightly tailored to fit, two darts the only concession to curves beneath. Heat washes through Angela, from the base of her throat to her thighs—

—there’s no fear here, in this dream, no hesitation; there is action and there is desire—

—Angela approaches. She reaches out a hand and trails her finger down the length of the bartop as she closes the distance—

—she is beside her now, beside her soul-mate, with her rolled-back sleeves and the golden light catching on the adornments in her hair. Angela leans in and guides the same wandering finger over her soul-mates bare arm; from the inside of her wrist to the folded edge of her sleeve—

—Golden beads swing with the motion of her head, and the woman glances up at her. She catches Angela’s eye; a smile breaks over her face—

—and—

—oh—

—here’s that wave of heat again, coating Angela’s senses, honing her focus on her soul-mate; on her bared arms, on the outline of her form beneath her shirt—

—Angela’s soul-mate rises. She lifts a hand to Angela’s face, fingertips curve over her ear, pushing any hair neatly aside. She leans in and whispers—

—it’s not a true whisper, or a true voice, but a voice in the way voices work in dreams: Angela’s ear tickles at the passing of her breath and she knows what the woman means—

—Got us a room—

—Angela’s heart picks up a fresh beat. She needs not reply; she smiles up at her soul-mate and her soul-mate knows—

—They turn to leave and her soul-mate’s hand comes to rest in the small of Angela’s back—

—The dream is quickening now, skipping forward with Angela’s heartbeat—

—and they’re in the hotel room—

—Angela registers: a plush carpet, a numbed champagne glow from a single wall sconce, night sky and sea glittering out of a window to her left and on her right, a grand bed, coverlet pulled back to expose dark silk sheets glistening in the low light—

—and she’s kissing her soul-mate. They stand before the windows. Angela’s arms are up around her soul-mate’s neck, entangled in her dark hair, guiding her head down to her own hungry mouth. Her soul-mate’s threaded one hand through Angela’s hair and the other’s on Angela’s side, cradling her ribcage—

—oh—

—Angela’s at the buttons on her soul-mate’s shirt, swift and sure fingers working down the line between kisses—

—and her soul-mate returns the favour: back to her soul-mate, Angela catches glimpses of their outlined reflections in the windows. Fingers unzip and part the fabric over her back. Lips brush the crook of Angela’s neck. Her dress is free and a single finger trails down the length of her spine—

—again, the dream stutters forward—

—she lies in silken sheets, her soul-mate bent over her. She breaks a long, deep kiss and presses softer ones to the tender spot on Angela’s neck; along her collarbones. Every moment is heightened; every touches sings with an electric undercurrent of delight. Angela grips her soul-mate’s shoulders and hooks a leg over her hips and—

—Angela flips the script—

—she grins down at her baffled soul-mate. She’s on top now, blonde hair loose and tickling her soul-mate’s cheeks as she straddles her. Their hands are entwined, her soul-mate’s pinned gently to the pillow. Angela leans forward and bridges the space between them—

—lips brushing her soul-mates ear she whispers—

—you’ve done so much for me, it’s your turn now—

—she kisses her again, deep and pointedly. She grips her knees tight around soul-mate’s hips and—

—and—

***

Angela jerks back to reality.

Noise—incessant, aggravated, perky noise—hammers into her eardrums.

She’s awake: painfully, rudely, cruelly awake.

Courtesy of her pager.

Jaw-clenching, she swats at it, and it clatters off the bunk and into the dark. Plastic cracks and the beeping stops. Someone below her murmurs, “Hey ,” in a thick voice.

Right, top bunk.

Angela stretches, arms out and toes down. “Stupid pager.” A needy itch courses under her skin, hot and begging for relief. But the on-call room is the wrong place to scratch it. It’s the wrong place to dream hot, needy things in the first place.

She sits up and slides to the floor. Her bunkmate grumbles when her feet hit the linoleum, so she murmurs a quick “Sorry,” and goes off to the dark corner to grope for her pager.

Stupid pager. Stupid pager, stupid pager, stupid pager . How often does Angela ’s brain grant her a good dream? Not a normal one or, more rarely, a nice one, but a truly good dream, courtesy of her own neurons and grey matter? She pulls her phone out and casts the dim screen light along the wall and into the corner. Stupid pager .

It’s there, sitting in three pieces: body, battery cover and a battery. Angela scoops it up and pockets it, cursing it all the while.

Angela tugs her white coat back on and straightens her scrubs. Lifting a hand to check her hair, she corrects herself: Stupid Angela .

And it is stupid. Stupid of her brain to piece together a scene. Based on the scenery of their shared dreams, her soul-mate is very likely from a Middle Eastern country, and wouldn’t drink. The hotel bar angle? Moronic. Moronic and insensitive.

And her happy little rendezvous in the hotel room?

Hopeful, wishful stupidity.

Halfway out the door, Angela pauses.

Happy little rendezvous .

Because that’s what it was, wasn’t it?

A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth.

Something happy.

***

At some point, Angela’s third-wheeling vacation with Emily and Lena has turned from a distant foreign thing to plan about into an official countdown. She breaks the time between into chunks: after this shift she has twenty-four hours off, a seventy-two hours shift, another day off and then her final three-day shift. Three weeks of sun, city beaches and whatever the local art scene offers.

And at some point, Angela’s thoughts turn from “Is it socially acceptable to knit at the beach?” into something else.

Angela clears her throat. “Question,” she says, “How would, uh, someone—someone with a soul-mate—control the, um, destination in a dream?” She pulls her glasses off her nose, hooks them over her pocket, unhooks them and pushes them back on. “A soul-mate dream.”

Hospital halls stretch out on both sides. Angela’s dropped in on Emily’s last round of patient check-ins for the day, overlooking a handful of patients on the out-patient ward.

Emily’s marking a chart. “Asking a lot of questions about soul-mate dreams lately, Dr. Ziegler,” she lifts her head and fixes Angela with a squint. “Any chance you’ve got something to share?”

“I meant— they’re theoretical questions.”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

“Theoretical questions, about theoretical soul-mates.”

“If you’re certain.”

“From someone like you, who has experience. With a soul-mate. A non-theoretical soul-mate. And non-theoretical dreams.”

Emily scribbles her signature on the bottom of the tablet and clips the plastic pen at its side. “You want to clarify anything, Dr. Ziegler?”

Angela shoves her hands into her coat pockets until they’re wrist deep and pushing at the seams. “I was just thinking, you know, if I had a soul-mate—that’s IF , Emily—it might be nice to share some of my experiences with her. Since, presumably, this vacation will produce some of them.” She looks pointedly away. “You know. Theoretically. If I had one.” She pauses. “If.”

“If?”

“If,” Angela insists.

Emily’s eyebrows are high and skeptical when Angela turns back. “Well,” she begins, “If you have—”

“Ever have.”

“—ever have a soul-mate, I guess you just, I don’t know, focus?” Emily finishes.

“Focus?”

“Truth is, I don’t know.” Emily shrugs. “It’s never been a problem for me and my non-theoretical soul-mate. It just... happens. She saw here as much as I saw London before, and now it’s mostly mutually-shared spaces.”

“Helpful.”

Emily continues, “But when I did have something to show her, I focused. Think of it like meditating, with a mantra.” She shut her eyes and sucked in an exaggerated deep breath. “I will show my bed to my soul-mate tonight. I will show my bed to my soul-mate tonight.”

“Theoretical soul-mate,” Angela corrects.

Emily fixes her with a no-funny-business-now look: all narrowed eyes and squared shoulders. “Are we talking about theoretical soul-mates or actual soul-mates here, Ange?” she asks, voice surprisingly gentle.

Angela backs up two steps. “Thank you for your input, doctor.”

“Angela—”

“I’ll see you tomorro— Ow.” Her spine comes up against a door frame.

“Get back here—”

Angela smiles and lifts her hand in a broad final wave, and then ducks into the room and out of sight.

***

Angela really, truly wants to share some of her life with her new soul-mate. Her upcoming vacation is at the top of her list.

They’ve never visited any of Angela’s locales. Angela’s held hands with her soul-mate in markets and streets steeped in history, the years worn into the grooves between stones like dust. Always her soul-mates choice. Angela cannot complain—when someone carries places so rich in their blood, they want to show them off. All Angela has to offer in return are stark hospital walls and the blank canvas of her apartment.

What, exactly, is she supposed to offer in return?

Thank you for showing me what must be one of the most culturally relevant places in the history of humankind. Here ’s the apartment I’ve never decorated. On your right’s a drop of spilled nail polish. Tour’s over! Have a wonderful day!

Angela stares down at the list of possible locations in her journal. She’s pre-emptively axed her apartment for now, along with the hospital. Who wants to see a hospital? Most people avoid hospitals. At best, hospitals offer healing. At worst, dead loved ones and test results they never hoped to hear. Even then, at its best, healing went hand-in-hand with hurt. The threshold between unwell and better was a hard boundary of pain and vulnerability. Not everyone reached the other side.

Chewing the end of her pen, Angela decides: her favourite craft store. It is small, the focus on fabric and string based crafts. In the back corner, two entire walls of yarn selections meet. A bin nearby holds over-sized balls of specialty yarn, a novelty item for novelty blankets. No other place in her waking world holds as much colour as her soul-mates dreams.

Angela’s got on what she considers her comfiest pyjamas: a thin, over-sized cotton shirt and shorts with a tie at the waist. Her co-conspirator for her test run is a bottle of Merlot. She finds its moral support more than sufficient.

A few more sips and teeth marks in the end of her pen and she’s picked out a mantra: Tonight, my soul-mate comes to me.

More purposeful than yarn store yarn store yarn store yarn store , in Angela’s opinion.

She sips Merlot and scrawls it down in her journal, once and then another, and another. She writes it twenty times. Her hand aches—one of her surgeries ran long today. Is this how miscreants at school felt when teachers punished them with lines? Angela never wound up in much trouble. During times a teacher punished the whole class, they usually found an excuse to send quiet, smart, good-natured Angela off on some errand. Especially after her parent’s death.

Angela shuts her journal and sets it aside. She stands, stretches and massages her hands, focusing on a particular ache by her index finger’s knuckle. She tucks her Merlot to bed in the kitchen and then tucks herself into bed.

In her head, she caresses her mantra: Tonight, my soul-mate comes to me.

Tonight, my soul-mate comes to me.

Tonight, my soul-mate comes to me.

Tonight —

***

Tonight, a red nightmare cold-cocks Angela.

Tonight she is in a stifling plastic tent, incendiaries beating hot light outside the walls, and everyone she’s ever loved is on her table.

Tonight is nightmare variety number two: the stench of charred flesh and blood in her airways, the ground rolling with explosions under her feet, the bodies more ruined flesh than human being—

—and a diluted red light coats everything in sight—

—and a nurse hovers over her shoulder—

—Angela’s lungs seize tight—

—these are old words, words she’s known since a child, words ready to rip and tear—

“—Angela, sweetheart, there’s been an accident— ”

—super-imposed over—

“—Doctor, two car crash victims, incoming!— ”

—always the same patients—

—always—

—always—

—always—

—always her father, first—

—his face is calm, even regal in its composure—

—but it’s a grey face, a lost face—

—and black bruises mottle his chest—

—and his gut is split open and black blood congeals at the edges—

—and Angela’s hollering for someone to start fluids through a sob-choked throat—

—and she’s ready to intubate, the plastic line shaking in her hands; she’s prepared to snake it down the cold meat of her father’s trachea—

—and two impulses, two separate Angelas tug at her—

—the combat medic urging her He’s already dead, move on, move on—

—and the hospital surgeon reminding her You try everything, so when you tell the family you’ve tried everything—

—and the tube’s hanging out of his mouth now, connected to nothing—

—so she threads a needle, and she tries to stitch—

—stitch the pieces back together—

—and his skin refuses to yield; Angela grits her teeth and pushes the needle—

—and it’s as though she’s sewing mats of rubber together; thick and unyielding, their forms resolutely set—

—and outside the tent, thunder crashes—

—and Angela knows it’s not thunder, not really—

—as a child, she based her assumptions off movies and television, but as an adult, she’s heard the sound; felt it—

—a car crash is all the roar and violence of thunder, but it reverberates through bystanders, shudders right down the length of your spine—

—Angela gasps as it rolls through her—

—and her father’s gone now there’s no saving him, no more work she can do—

—and now before her is her mother, and—

—outside the tent, lightning flickers across the sky and the horrible crash plays over and over—

—a voice so close hot breath blasts the side of her face hollers, “You’re the only one who can help her, Doctor Ziegler!”—

—and staring down at her mother’s body, memories surface; memories carved into a younger Angela’s tender brain—

—in fragments, she hears:—

“—T-boned at the intersection—”

“— the side of impact—”

—and in her memories she’s small and vulnerable with grief; adults pat her hair, her shoulder—

—and they murmur soft things to her, kind things—

—It was over quickly, sweetie—

—They’re at peace now, Angela—

—No more pain, no more suffering—

—take good care of you—

—but they say nothing about why her father’s casket is open, showing off his waxy dead face and why her mother’s face is shut and hidden behind the casket’s lid—

—and now, Angela cannot move at all—

—and she’s staring down at what’s left of her mother, bile rising in her throat, needle gripped to the point of pain in her fingers—

“—Do something, doctor!—”

“—Doctor Ziegler, you need to act now!—”

—Angela palms a scalpel, looks down and away from her mother—

—and her own breath rattles in her lungs and the heat seeps into her skin and the voices holler into her ears—

—Angela grips the scalpel, looks down and plunges it into her own thigh—

—she gasps; electric pain surges through her—

—and they’re yelling again, yelling—

“—Angela, this is your last chance!—”

—and she looks up and it’s another familiar face: dark hair, kind eyes, golden beads—

—Angela’s looking down at her soul-mate’s body, at a body she longs to learn, and it is mutilated by the course of war—

—shrapnel ravages a line from her shoulder to her opposite hip, bisecting her body with metal; crimson seeps through her plain tank top where it pierces through to her skin—

—she meets Angela’s eyes—

—and now she’s thrashing on the table, calling out, begging—

—there are no words in shared dreams, but her meaning suffuses Angela—

—she wants her mother—

—and as Angela stares, she flickers—

—once—

—twice—

—and her soul-mate’s in her usual blue Henley, body intact—

Her soul-mate sits herself up, both hands stretched behind her. She glances down at herself and sucks in a deep breath. Shifting, she offers a hand out to Angela. Skies of blue and sandy stones flicker at the edge of Angela’s vision.

Outside the tent, noise fades to silence. Beneath her feet, the ground stills. Lucidity drenches her, crisp and clear as an overturned bucket of cold water.

This is a soul-mate dream.

This is a shared dream.

This is my doing —

—and chaos crashes back—

—familiar brown eyes lose focus—

—her mouth opens in a scream—

—and the hand outstretched to Angela is a bloody stump—

***

As if her brain is a puppet and someone’s tugged the string, Angela jerks awake and sucks down a gulp of air. Sweat slicks her body, from head to toe, and loose hair clings to her face. She’s fisted handfuls of sheets in her sleep and drawn them close to her chest.

And she cannot breathe.

Hands clawed and shaking, she tears sheets away from herself. Darkness hangs over her room, the only familiarity in the outlines of her bedroom, traced with yellow streetlight. Angela frees herself, crawls to the edge of the bed and throws herself to the floor.

Cold wood meets her sweaty palms. Angela’s mouth is open and she’s sucking at the air, but her chest is squeezing in on her lungs, on her heart and she can ’t breathe—

In the dark of her room, on the chilled varnished floor, the only arms Angela has to wrap around her are her own.

So she does.

Breathe, she commands her body. Breathe, dammit.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breath returns to her, five or ten or twenty minutes later and the vise on her chest eases up. Something heavy rises in Angela’s throat in its place; she leans forward until her forehead brushes the floor and parts her lips in a sob.

[meanderings0ul]

Option 3-Philinda Fic Preview#2

I am officially over 22k for this Tahiti fic and still hoping to post in late April before we get the show back May 10th. This will be an all in one go posting, not a chapter fic. I just feel like it’ll read better that way. It’ll definitely be my longest one-shot ever. >_>

This bit is from close to the middle of the fic. General levels of disturbing themes typical for aos. -M

*

They walked around that bend of the island on a whim, far enough to get the frozen kind of cocktails again. As long as they stayed in the surf they didn’t seem to be intruding on anyone. And the frilly, frozen drinks made it feel more like a vacation somehow.

Melinda’s dress tugged around her knees, wet along the hem on one side.

Phil got them margaritas then mai-tais and they shared a few tapas in a shady corner. It made it feel less like a dream, to see other people around, the bartender and someone who came in for a tray of pina coladas, to hear a radio playing from the next building over.

She had a couple more, had just enough to drink to let him swing their hands between them walking back, to let Phil ramble mostly to himself.

He went quiet eventually, stroking her scarred wrist with his thumb. “I feel like I should remember when this changed, when we changed. Like there was a moment somewhere and I didn’t recognize it.”

“I remember.”

“You do? Really?” He sounded startled.

“Wasn’t anything dramatic.”

“Tell me?”

A larger wave tugged at their legs again and he moved to walk closer to her, sunlight heavy and gold, starting to dim.

“I missed you. We lost… Then Shield went legitimate for a while. You were gone so much, and I missed you. I wanted you with me, like we used to be. And then I kept wanting.”

She could feel him looking at her, but he didn’t say anything. She finally shrugged. They walked slow.

“I still remember it, in the Framework, what I was doing in there when I should have met you,” he said.

“Me too.”

“It doesn’t weigh on you,” Phil said. It wasn’t a question.

“Only Mace weighs on me.” She could remember her Framework life clearly, but it wasn’t real. But, there were too many very real what-ifs to carry with the way that Mace had died.

“Hydra in there was…”

“Phil, I had nothing left in there. I had nothing but work. You weren’t there. All our friends were either dead in the takeover or never recruited. I was high ranking, but I wasn’t inner circle. There was plenty I didn’t know about. I didn’t have you, Fury and Maria to hand me extra details. Mom died in the Takeover. Assassinated for knowing too much, just like she’s always worried about. And Katya… everyone knew what I was, what I’d done.”

“What was different?” Phil asked.

He might as well. They were already talking about it and she’d had enough drinks to keep her heart from racing. Melinda was still silent a long time, trying to find the words.

“You don’t have to tell me,” he said gently.

She heard herself laugh, brief and harsh and empty. “Nothing. Nothing changed.”

His breathing changed when he understood. “…oh. May, I…”

“First they had me in some like, ritzy spa place I knew was fake. Then AIDA or Radcliffe built a maze of some building around that house, made it feel like something I could escape. I must have run that simulation hundreds of times. Then I guess the actual Framework was ready.” Melinda swallowed, but didn’t stop, because if she stopped she wouldn’t tell him and if she didn’t she’d never tell him.

“I don’t know how long I ran the Bahrain rescue mission for, but it finally just let her hear me. She heard me and let them go, sat down. We were able to get her to an ambulance, give her something to make her drowsy. We were going to be able to get her help. Then it let me do it again.

But the last time… you already weren’t there. I already had no idea who you even were. I threatened someone else until they agreed to try and stall for me. Katya heard me, understood me. We got her back to the states. Andrew was working with her.”

“You still met him.”

“Yeah.” They hadn’t met through Phil or anyone he’d recruited so it hadn’t changed. They’d hit it off at a damn bus stop because of a friend of a friend, that kind of thing. It’d been so normal once.

“Good.”

“He wasn’t real. And she made him tell me how happy he was when she killed…” She still couldn’t say it. Two lifetimes and both of them he’d have been safer, been better off without her.

Phil squeezed her hand tight. Their feet shushed through the water slow.

“You told Fury no, in college. You must have. If you’d quit the Academy I’d have still met you.”

“I did. But Simmons was right. It didn’t quite take for me. I remembered too many details from the real world, knew things before they happened sometimes, said things I shouldn’t. I think it messed with whatever passed for my brain chemistry in there eventually. But I turned Fury down. Rewrote my project about something else. Graduated late, got my teaching certification instead of going to graduate school. Tried to live simply. Married someone I never loved and had nothing in common with because it seemed like I should. Was committed twice, both brief thankfully. I never met…”

Melinda knew the two other women he’d loved and the few fuck-buddies he’d been fond of, all people he’d met through Shield. He’d never met anyone he’d been in love with, or any of his closest friends. Their friends.

It sounded so empty. Even in that hellscape, she’d been happy long enough to know what she’d lost.

Melinda reach out to wrap her arm around his waist. Hands weren’t enough. His arm settled around her shoulders easily, rubbed fingers along her triceps.

They ended up making out on the couch until Phil was ready to sleep.

[gurodoyi-blog]

Madagascar Visa on Arrival Help!

https://de.ivisa.com/madagascar-visa-on-arrival

Desiring to learn more about the world usually includes travel restrictions and visa problems.  A whole lot of folks know English, clearly, but a great deal of instructions, media and so forth might be in French.  Get a Malagasy phrasebook, it is going to make life simpler.

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The continent is mostly packed with Western Cordillera a massive mountain formation.  With over 170,000 islands and 240 million people, it gives an incredible tourism experience.  Inhabited islands can be quite conservative and should you go, you will need to act based on the regional ways.

The Unexposed Secret of Madagascar Visa on Arrival While a few of these countries need you to get a visa immediately on arrival, some allow you stay for a predetermined period before you're going to be asked to get a visa, and a few will not even need you to get a visa, however long you spend.  On exiting Thailand, you are going to have to experience the passport control.  The small known Vanuata is another country you'll be able to explore without needing to make an application for a visa permit.

It is based on the country of your passport.  All western passport holders are entitled to a visa on arrival.  Now is a great time to have a global passport if you don't have one yet, as now you may see the list of visa-free countries for Ghana passport holders.

Haiti is among the most visited tourist destinations around the world.   IRAN Iran is situated in West Asia.  This South American country is a terrific destination for those who seek adventure.

Fiji is another top destination for travellers which don't wish to experience the rigours of requesting a visa.  Unfortunately, there's no Vietnam Embassy or Consulate in Madagascar at the present time.  Asia is undoubtedly the biggest and most populous continent on earth.

| There's no need to attend an embassy or consulate to finish a visa application beforehand.  So, no visa is obligatory for Indians to go to Nepal.  If your visa was denied, you might discover helpful information on Ineligibilities and Waivers on usvisas.state.gov.

Citizens with valid passports of these countries might apply for an Indian e-Tourist Visa. Please be aware there are certain countries that make it possible for you to enter easily in the event that you get a valid UAE residence visa.  Also, some countries may not demand a visa irrespective of the length of time you stay.

The Pain of Madagascar Visa on Arrival Even though a visa can at times be a must in order to be in a position to travel somewhere, it doesn't always guarantee you will enter that country since the border guard makes the last call.  Otherwise, it is possible to also elect for visa on arrival facility.  If you submit an application for a Visa on Arrival at the airport, you get to prevent any pre-trip hassle, but you will need to file your visa application and produce the payment at the airport itself.

The immigration window is just for those who already have the visa.  Based on the queue, you may have to wait up to two hours ahead of your visa is ready. Passport is a requirement and has to be valid for three or more months from date of arrival.

The Honest to Goodness Truth on Madagascar Visa on Arrival Thailand entry requirements are quite apparent.  All nationalities are qualified for the eVisa and the application only requires a couple of minutes.  In fact, lots of countries don't allow entry without a visa issued ahead of time.

If you're planning a worldwide trip, you will need to acquire your visa and other documentation right.  After document check, you will be provided a token number.  There are a lot of requirements that you'll need to fulfill in order to get a visa and they vary from nation to nation.

Madagascar Visa on Arrival - Is it a Scam? The economy of the nation is not too stable and the purchasing power of the citizens is quite low.  Within this true manner, it's quite interesting to explore Canadian passport and the pleasant privileges Canadian citizens are sure to enjoy while flying across the 7 continents of earth.  Travelling to Fiji is an excellent idea if you're attempting to choose a holiday that everybody in the family will love.

Ruthless Madagascar Visa on Arrival Strategies Exploited Thirty days visa is going to be granted at no cost on arrival, which will be extendable for the identical period.  Keep in mind your stay doesn't exceed 15-30 days.  It's possible to stay up to 90 days in Haiti and as expected you should have the ability to show that you're going to be returning at the conclusion of your journey.

Haiti is among the most visited tourist destinations around the world.   IRAN Iran is situated in West Asia.  This South American country is a terrific destination for those who seek adventure.

If you've got your evisa, then arriving via Libreville International Airport is the sole option to go into the country.  It's thought to be among the safest of the island destinations.  It is suggested to travel through Madagascar with a skilled tour operator if it's your very first time visiting.

Madagascar Visa on Arrival: the Ultimate Convenience! The continent is mostly packed with Western Cordillera a massive mountain formation.  Madagascar isn't a quick, one-week holiday you must give yourself a whole lot of time to find the island.  It's a self-governing island below the influence of Britain.

| The economy of the nation is not too stable and the purchasing power of the citizens is quite low.  Within this true manner, it's quite interesting to explore Canadian passport and the pleasant privileges Canadian citizens are sure to enjoy while flying across the 7 continents of earth.  The country will certainly be going to impress you with its attractiveness.

Things You Should Know About Madagascar Visa on Arrival Haiti is among the most visited tourist destinations around the world.   Traveling to visa-free and visa-on-arrival countries won't only enable your budget but in addition make it relatively simple to plan a vacation.  This South American country is a terrific destination for those who seek adventure.

All visitors to Madagascar are required to obtain a visa to enter the nation.  It's thought to be among the safest of the island destinations.  It is suggested to travel through Madagascar with a skilled tour operator if it's your very first time visiting.

The 30-Second Trick for Madagascar Visa on Arrival For more details, you may visit Niue official immigration site.  To submit an application for the eVisa, you merely will need to enter information like your name, address, date of birth, passport information, and travel plans.  After providing all of the documentation, travelers are requested to wait.

The neighborhood music is outstanding.  A whole lot of folks know English, clearly, but a great deal of instructions, media and so forth might be in French.  Get a Malagasy phrasebook, it is going to make life simpler.

The continent is mostly packed with Western Cordillera a massive mountain formation.  Madagascar isn't a quick, one-week holiday you must give yourself a whole lot of time to find the island.  It's a self-governing island below the influence of Britain.

[thatsympathywreath-blog]

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[melindacoulson4]

It’s a tragedy

Philinda. Speculation for 5x12. How do you respond? What do you say when you know you're running into certain death and the woman you love is right in front of you? This is what it means to be the shield.  Ch.1/3.

He knew this decision would turn into a blowout fight. Right from the beginning, when Daisy and Fitz ran into the control room and began spewing details about how the kree calling device blew up in the storage room and Noah was now dead. The same storage room that apparently also held three monoliths encased in fiberglass. But what good would fiberglass be against a detonated alien artifact.  Daisy had tapped into the security camera feeds for the room as Fitz went on and on about the implications of anything in that storage room getting out. There were rows upon rows of stored shield tech. Powerful weapons. Decommissioned O84s. Fitz paced back and forth spewing garbled speech, trying to wrap his head around all of the possible things that could be happening in that room. He and Melinda watched Fitz, unable to comprehend the science lingo coming from his mouth.

They all turned towards the image that popped up on the screen before them. It was something completely unimaginable. A glowing blue light hovered in midair at one end of the room. It didn't seem to come from any object. It was just there, floating with the light swirling around haphazardly. He'd seen many things in his lifetime, hundreds of unexplainable, mind boggling things: everything from gravitonium to LMDs to Tahiti to Carl Creel. There was a spectrum of weird that he’d gotten used to. Nothing seemed to surprise him anymore after years of coming into contact with these things. But this left him speechless. It looked like a literal rip in space and time, like a special effect from a sci-fi movie that could never come to fruition.  Daisy switched camera angles.  The next view that they got was of absolute chaos. Metal containers were shaking in place; some were on the ground busted open. Metal shelving units were overturned. Items were zipping past the screen like a twister was ripping through the room. He wondered how that blue light was creating all of this disruption.

Something else caught his eye. There was movement along the left side of the screen. It appeared that there were shadows moving quickly in and out of the camera feed. But as he looked closer his heart truly dropped into his stomach. The shadows took on a distinct shape. There was no doubt in his mind of what they were: people. There were people in that room.   They watched completely entranced as someone ran past the screen, going so fast Phil could only make out a blur of movement. Another one moved to the right side of the feed and this time the camera picked up more detail. A woman stood there with dark hair, a black jacket, jeans, and boots. He couldn’t make out anything significant or familiar about her. There was no clue as to who she was or how she ended up in there. Another figure appeared. This time a man, obviously distressed with his arms waving wildly. He grabbed the woman by the elbow and they both took off running. They appeared to be normal, but they were clearly terrified of something other than the floating blue light in the room. That's when they saw a familiar face flash across the video feed.  “This can’t be real,” Daisy gasped. The wild black hair. The misshapen forehead. The distinct massive body. It was Lash. All of the evidence was right there in front of them, illuminated by the bright cerulean blue light. But he still couldn’t wrap his mind around it. It was impossible. Lash was dead. Andrew was dead. Daisy had been with him when he died. May had seen the body. There was no way he could be here, alive and in this timeline, right now. And yet they could all clearly see him stomping around the area and moving in and out of the video frame.  He caught Melinda's gaping stare out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't imagine what was running through her head. "I may be able to get ears in there...," Daisy trailed off as she rapidly typed on the keyboard.  He almost objected, unsure if he even wanted to hear any horrible sounds coming out of that room. At first, there was a deafening silence and then the sounds of destruction: crunching metal, items banging around, winds whipping.    Just when he was beginning to think it wasn’t so bad, the screams began. The bloodcurdling type of screams that momentarily freeze the body in place just on instinct alone. Ones that make the brain say: someone is about to die. It accessed the primal part of the brain and caused the heart to accelerate, knees to weaken, and shivers to run in waves through all four limbs. In his case, all three limbs, the robotic forearm and hand being the exception.  All of those people, who even knew how many were in there, would be slaughtered by Lash. Hell, it most likely was already happening right now by the sounds of those screams. Lash was a beast- an unstoppable force of pure strength.   He knew right then that someone would have to go in and assess the damage. Those people were nothing but innocent civilians trapped in that room. They could be people from the future, the past, another universe, a different dimension. They could've come from anywhere. He couldn't let them stay there in the room where no logic existed.  There was no doubt in his mind that if they let whatever was happening in that room continue to develop, hell would rain down upon them all. If something so powerful was somehow released into the world there may not be a world left after that. An extinction level event would occur. Maybe this was where the end began. Maybe this was why the Earth cracked apart. Maybe it had nothing to do with Daisy. Either way, someone had to fix the problem. Someone would have to find a way to lead everyone to safety and get the monoliths contained. He knew there was no other choice but himself. Who better to go storming into a room full of nightmares than a man who had a nightmare spreading inside of him already- one that would kill him any day now. He was a ticking time bomb. If he died in that room it wouldn't be a sacrifice. It would merely be the universe speeding up the inevitable.  So when he opened his mouth and shared his plan to go in alone everyone else took that as an invitation to yell out reasons why they should be the one to accompany him.  I know what Lash is capable of! I am the only one with an actual scientific background to deal with the monoliths! I can solve the problem! Oh really? And what equipment would you use? You don’t even have your powers. He was my husband! You're not seriously using that as a reason.  None of you understand the gravity of this situation!  You'll be killed in an instant! I am the engineer here!  You'd be way in over your head. I'm going. On and on they argued. Daisy, Melinda, and Fitz shouted at each other for a full five minutes. He had a sneaking suspicion that he could've vacated the room and they would've been none the wiser. But he couldn't take the risk of any of them trying to follow him.  He'd laid it out clear and dry. None of them were expendable. Only one person had to go in and that person would be him.  They all froze and stared at him in complete shock, not quite believing what he was saying.  He found it easier to turn away in that moment, to flee before they gained their senses back. But of course Daisy stepped in his way before he could get anywhere. She told him that he couldn't go in alone and asked him why he had to be the one to go.  He ignored the question. She didn't need to know about the sickness inside of him. None of them needed to know. Instead, he'd turned it back on her and told her why she had to stay. He told her that she was the future of shield. She had a knack for inspiring people and he said that was why she would become the next leader. And that's how they ended up here, arguing in this moment.  "To lead what? To inspire who?" She snaps with a shake of her head, not quite grasping what he has been telling her.  "Shield. There's an idea....a symbol. That must continue," he explains. She is everything that shield stands for. He saw it right from the beginning. She's a leader: innovative, passionate, and intelligent- the ideal replacement to become director of shield. If anyone were to rise up and take the reins he would want it to be her.  "There is no shield!" She screams adamantly.  Technically, she's right. There is no base of operations. No director. No army of agents. There's only the seven of them (not including Deke) in their core group. The extraordinary people that he's chosen to surround himself with. They have all become shield. They've carried the burdens: not having families or personal lives. The losses: Rosalind, Andrew, Lincoln, Mace, Tripp, Hunter, Bobbi, and now Talbot. The heartache: Bahrain, Daisy's parents, Ward's betrayal, Melinda's captivity and subsequent replacement. The trauma: being dropped in the ocean, losing a hand, being killed and brought back, being responsible for Mace's death, Mack losing a daughter in the framework, Jemma stuck on an alien planet, and most recently Yo-Yo losing both arms. Year after year they've suffered in the name of protection, justice, and truth. Person after person being bombarded by unimaginable obstacles. Yet each one of them has risen to the occasion to carry on shield's message.  "This is shield. Right here! Every person in the bunker is shield. You are all needed to keep it going!" He will not allow anyone else to die. No one else will go in with him. They are all needed. This world needs them. All of them: Fitz, Simmons, Melinda, Daisy, Mack, and Yo-Yo. They all bring something unique to the table. Each person has a specific skillset that no one else possesses. Together they make the perfect team. They represent the shield.  "And what...you're not needed then?" Daisy asks incredulously, arms crossing over her chest.  I don't have a choice, he opens his mouth ready to fire back, and then snaps back to reality. He can't say. He can't give her an answer.  He refuses to tell them about his imminent demise. It would only make things worse. He sighs heavily. She's backed him into a corner, which makes him equally frustrated and proud of her. And just like that she’s validated what he’s been saying, becoming the leader that he sees within her. Never backing down from a fight. Always trying to save everyone (except herself). She's never shied away from a challenge. If she believes something is wrong, she speaks up. That particular trait now impedes his escape but still, he appreciates her concern.  He knows they can't waste anymore time arguing. The outcome will be the same no matter what she says. He is going into that room unaccompanied to fix whatever the hell the problem is. He'll eliminate the threat no matter what the cost.  "I am needed right now to go in that room and if a sacrifice needs to be made then that's what will happen. I am going in...alone. End of discussion!" He orders, cutting off all of their rebuttals.  He catches Daisy's flinch, Fitz's raised eyebrows, and Melinda's devastation.  He storms off before Daisy can get another word in, swiping his icer and holster off of the table nearest to the screens on his way out. Before even thinking about entering the storage room he stops by their makeshift armory. It’s one thing to run head first into a situation without backup, but it’s a whole other beast when you have no artillery to aid you. There are multiple rows of various types of guns, grenades, gas masks, goggles, vests, helmets, and shields in here. There are cases of bullets. This armory has everything an agent could dream of having if that agent was living in the 50’s, that is. Unfortunately, nothing has been updated around here. There’s no advanced Fitzsimmons developed and tested tech. They don’t have a stock of icers, which were only created a few years ago. Everything they had was lost in the explosion of their former base. The only icers they had left were the ones that had come from the storage on the zephyr.  He needs something out of this world to help him. He really wishes that bambino was stored somewhere around here. He would definitely appreciate that sort of fire power right about now. There just wasn’t a rule book for this sort of thing. How does one fight an inhuman beast hell-bent on destruction? One who also happens to be the former husband of the woman he’s madly in love with. The thought makes him cringe. He settles for two grenades. They seem like the most powerful weapons in this armory. As he picks them up, he realizes there is writing stamped on the sides. SSR 141849387and SSR141849388 He feels a spark of boyish excitement reading that, nostalgia overtaking him. He wonders how old this bunker really is. He could spend hours exploring every room, taking in the work of former agents. But he knows he can’t afford to think about that right now. It would only make walking into that room with the blue light, Lash, and three monoliths that much harder. He shakes the feelings away.

He stuffs the grenades and the three extra bullet clips that he’d snagged from one of cases into a small zipper pouch in his hand. The storage room is down two floors and on the left side of the hallway three doors down. He finds the elevator, enters it, and presses the correct floor. It jolts to life almost startling him as he could still feel some of the residual tremors flowing through his legs from the high of his fight with Daisy. The excess adrenaline is still lingering within his body.

Don’t think of Daisy now.   Better yet, don’t think of anyone. Focus on the mission. It’s difficult to do so when he’s at a total loss for a plan right now. Talking some sense into Lash is out of the question. Killing him with simple bullets is out of the question. He has no clue. The only thing that makes a bit of sense is to somehow lure Lash back to the monolith that he came from. That’s the big question though. Where the hell did this Lash come from? Some nightmare dimension full of dark terrors he assumes. A place where items like the darkhold originate from. The doors open as the elevator stops, signaling the arrival of the desired floor. Before moving, he checks and rechecks the chamber in his handgun, reholsters it, then grabs the icer from behind his back and tucks it into the front of his waistband. Get in there and do the job, he tells himself. Pretend it’s just another mission, he repeats over and over in his mind. After taking one last deep breath he steps off of the elevator and begins marching towards his target at the end of the hall on his left. He only gets five steps before the door to his immediate right swings open and slams against the wall. A figure steps out and cuts him off. It’s obvious who it is. Melinda. He doesn’t want to believe that she came down here for him. He wishes she didn’t. He really wishes she didn’t.  All he can do is stare at her as her chest heaves in an attempt to catch her breath. Her left hand falls against the wall as she braces herself, visibly cringing.

It takes him a few seconds to figure out why. Once he does, concern shoots through his veins. The door that busted open only seconds ago is labeled: STAIRWAY, which means she ran down the stairs to get here in time. She ran on her wounded leg and now she’s in pain. All for the chance to try and stop him.

His teeth clench together at the thought of her rushing to move down the steps, hurting herself in the process. That’s what always seems to happen. She is always getting hurt because of him. This will be the last time, though. He’s not coming back out of that room once he goes in. There are too many things that could go wrong in that room. He can feel the danger in his gut like a sixth sense. It’s the ugly truth that he’s come to accept.  He simply watches Melinda breathe in front of him, unable to come up with a proper sentence. She looks right back at him, her dark eyes filled with anger. The last time she was this pissed off was when he implied that she was too quick to kill- that she was trigger happy. That ended with her slamming a car door in his face and a silent treatment for three agonizing hours. The laser focus that she has on him now makes him feel disarmed and bear, like she can see right through him and read each thought that crosses his mind. This will be the end of them, he thinks and hopes that she’s unable to read that thought. "So that's it. You're just going to go in there alone and get yourself killed?" she asks as a deep frown forms on her face, concealing the hurt that he knows is just under the surface and threatening to break through.  He sighs. He should've known she wouldn't give up that easily. “Melinda…please.” He doesn't know if he has the emotional strength to deal with this. And he certainly doesn’t want their last moments to be made up of snarls and wounding words. They already have a lifetime supply of those from previous arguments. She steps closer, pushing off the wall with a closed fist. "Please what? Don't bother you? Don't talk to you? Don't get in your way? Because that's all I feel like I'm doing lately!" She yells as the frustration of the last few days finally comes out. She takes a breath, calming herself. "Do you not want me around anymore?" She swallows thickly.  No. God, no. He'd never truly wanted to drive her away. But life had forced his hand. There wasn't a choice here. He had to push her away.  He hangs his head in shame. "No. Of course not. I'm sorry that it seems that way. It wasn't my intention." He never meant to hurt her. He just needed to stay away for his own sanity. He couldn't have her there- always near him, so he lied and made up excuses to keep them apart. If not, he would've broken down and spilled everything.  The muscles in her jaw clench. "It wasn't your intention? Just stop! Why do you keep talking to me like I'm just another agent? I'm....we're...more than that. Just tell me what you really mean. I can't do this anymore, Phil." Her frustration washes over him and seems to wrap around his legs tugging him down towards the darkness. He can't do this anymore either. It's slowly sucking the life from him. The constant lying and pretending that he's okay.  It's taking a toll and he just wants it all to end.  But he knows he has a duty to perform. He has to fix this last problem before giving in to the pull of death. Maybe then it will mean something. This way, he won't die pathetically from a heart attack. They won't find him dead in bed or slumped over in a chair. Instead, he'll do this one last thing for them. He'll go out dignified and fighting.  "I need to go in there by myself. I need to know that the team will be safe." He inhales sharply. "I need to know that you'll be safe,” he tells her sincerely as his voice deepens with the pain of everything left unsaid between them.  Her safety means everything. The thought of her in danger is like a lead weight in the pit of his stomach. If Lash got anywhere near her. If the monolith somehow sucked her in like it did to Jemma. If what happened to Yo-Yo happened to Melinda. He wouldn't be able to survive any of that.  She closes the distance between them with a few steps towards him. She stops merely inches from his face. It’s the closest they’ve been in weeks. "Phil....I need to know you'll be safe." She echoes his words, emphasizing each one as they fall from her trembling lips.

It’s obvious that she knows the reality of this situation. That the chances of his survival are slim to none. She knows what a hard call is. They’ve both seen the aftermaths countless times. The spiral Daisy went into after Lincoln’s sacrifice being the most recent. And what happened in Bahrain being her own personal hard call. They both know that once he goes in that room he’ll likely never come back out. Her fingers curl around his leather jacket, clutching it tightly in both hands as tears unashamedly begin rolling down her cheeks. The sight makes his knees weak as if an arrow has pierced the back of both of legs. It takes everything he has not to collapse in front of her. Her distress triggers something deep inside of him. He feels his throat turning to stone as he tries to swallow. His nose burns as he fails to hold back his own tears and he knows that this reaction cannot be prevented. There’s no real reason to hide it any longer. He can only be strong for so long, especially with the way she looks now.

The tears continuously fall from her lashes. He can tell that she’s trying to keep them at bay, but now that it’s started she can stop it.

It shakes him to his core because he's never seen her cry like this. He lifts a shaking hand, trying to be strong for her. His unsteady hand cups her cheek. "Please. Don't cry," he whispers. His thumb gently wipes the wetness away beneath her eye, mindful of the bruising on the side of her face.

Then, he silently begs her to stop making this so hard. The love that he feels for her pours out of him through his tears. He loves her heart, loves that she would try to stop him from going in that room. It’s just another demonstration of her unwavering devotion. She gazes up at him, tears still shining in her eyes. Her grip becomes tighter and she tugs at his lapels, making him take a step closer to her, eliminating all space between them. Their bodies now flush against each other. His hips brush her stomach with each breath they take.  There are so many things that he wants to say but nothing seems appropriate now. Her face inches closer to his and in a blink- before he can process what’s happening, she kisses him, still holding him close to her body. He wants this to happen, has never wanted anything more in his life. He's never waited for something so long. But, at the same time he knows that this is a terrible decision on his part. In the end, he’s powerless against it. There's an electric pull between them that can't be fought against. All he can do is let his eyelids close, shutting out the world, as their lips explore each other for the first time.  The first sensation he feels is relief, knowing that this moment is real. She’s real this time. There isn’t an android version playing him. She’s Melinda, flesh and blood. And she chose this all on her own. There was no programming deep inside her brain making her kiss him. It's all her. After that, there’s an overwhelming sense of warmth as her soft lips seem to caress his. It’s emotional and passionate. He lets it take over as he sinks into their embrace, matching her enthusiasm. He opens his mouth to deepen the kiss. She tilts her head giving him a better angle. They duel back and forth and it becomes somewhat sloppy as they fumble a bit, noses bumping. She sucks on his lower lip. Their tongues tangle together. All decision making capabilities have been put on pause. As anyone who knows them could’ve guessed, their passion threatens to overrule rational thought. It’s much too easy to lose control when he’s longed for her over the course of the last few decades and now she’s giving him all of her in this moment.  It needs to stop now. He needs to get a grip before it's too late. Regrettably, he pulls back, knowing that one more second of her would mean defeat. Their lips stick together briefly as they both move slowly away from each other. It uses up all of his remaining strength to keep himself from leaning in and capturing her lips again. Everything between them seems so clear in this moment. The want, the desires burn bright. They could’ve had something magical between them. And that kiss was nothing but a cruel tease. It makes him want impossible things, both in body and mind. He wants to press her into the nearest wall and forget about everything, all of his responsibilities. He wants to hold her face in both of his hands and kiss her for hours. He wants all of it. Everything she has to offer.  When the rational part of his brain demands that he flee right now, the rest of him stays put, body cemented in place. She breaks his resolve. He wants to be weak. To give in just this once. To be selfish. He wants to take her hand and run. Didn't they deserve it? After all of the hell they've been through. Didn't they deserve a breath of fresh air- some sort of slack from the universe? It’s like he’s always been waiting for the okay. The signal that it was time. The universe calling out to him: sure, Phil. You two have experienced enough heartache. Now go be free.  They were supposed to do so many things. They were supposed to experience each other.

He wants to know what it's like to wake up in a pile of warm blankets with his arms wrapped around her. Bodies pressed together. He wants to share everything. To weave his fingers through hers as they sit with the rest of the team, beers in hand, thighs pressed together, feeling each other’s warmth.

To run to her after being separated after a tough mission, bodies colliding. They would think nothing of the dirt or sweat on them because it wouldn’t matter as long as they were together. He’s lost count of the number of times he’s wanted to do that very thing, but instead he’d held his hands at his sides and settled for a quick: you okay?  He wants to see her fierce protectiveness coming out when it comes to everyone on the team and not being forced to hide his admiration. He’d be able to verbalize how lucky he is to have her.  He longs to make stupid, corny jokes just to see her fight to keep the smile from forming on her face.  He wishes they could just be together.  But now, all the universe says to him is: Too little, too late, Phil. You had every possible chance to tell her, but you never did. You took it all for granted. Now you're chance has passed. You missed it. You’re thirty years too late.  That's the tragedy of being them. Being friends isn't enough. Being partners isn't enough. Being whatever they are right now isn't enough.  Their one and only kiss will never be enough. None of it will ever be enough.  Which is why, he allows himself another brief moment of closeness between them- one that he's denied for years. His arms wrap around her waist, pulling her into him once again. He holds her like he's always wanted to. They both envelop each other in a hug. His hands sneak under the back of her jacket in an attempt to get closer. The heat from her back penetrates the cotton fabric of her t-shirt and warms his palms as he touches her. At the same time, he’s able to feel how taut her muscles are in her shoulder area. He applies some pressure with his fingertips, hoping to relieve some of her tension. She matches his enthusiasm. Her arms envelope his body as she clings to him just as he is to her.  This is where he's supposed to be. It feels like home. The bliss of the moment is broken soon after as a distant scream echoes through the hallway. It brings him back to the present, back to reality. The one where he's dying and can't keep holding onto her. The one where he knows this would never work out. She would never let him go in there alone now that she has him here. Now that they're joined together like this after sharing a kiss and pouring their hearts out.  That's why she can't know what he's going to do.  He squeezes his eyes shut and presses a kiss to the side of her neck, feels the shiver run up her skin in response. He buries his face in her soft hair, the warmth there. This will carry him through. As long as he keeps in mind that he’s fighting for her to live he'll do whatever it takes to keep the horrors from escaping that storage room. He won't let them get to her. Nothing will have a chance to even come near her.  As they begin pulling away from each other he spots tears still shinning in her sad eyes.

 “I want you to know something,” he whispers.

His hands drop from under her jacket and discretely move towards the icer tucked into his waistband. His fingers grasp the metal handle. The gun seems to be heavier this time around, but he knows it’s just his reluctance to do this. He’s betraying her trust again. She'll wake up alone realizing what he's done. Maybe she'll hate him, maybe she won’t. Either way he won't be coming back to find out. The icer rests between them, pointed at her stomach, as she continues staring into his eyes, unaware of his movements.  “What is it?”

She asks with such openness that it threatens to strike him down. For the first time in- he can't even remember how long- she doesn't realize what's about to happen. She doesn’t anticipate what's to come. And he knows it’s only because she has her guard down. She has complete trust in him. Trusting him to never hurt her or crush her. He hates himself for it.  They’ve run out of time.  So he takes one more breath and allows himself three seconds.  Three seconds to get lost in her eyes. Three seconds that he wants to spill his heart out but can't quite bring himself to form any words. Instead, all he can do is stare into her eyes, silently conveying it all. All that he feels and he can only hope that she’ll be able to understand his motives with time.  Three seconds. You're my partner. My best friend, May.  Two seconds. “You mean everything to me.” he tells her softly.

One second. I love you.  He doesn’t give her a chance to respond. He wouldn’t make it if she said anything back. Just the thought of hearing her say any words from the heart threatens to break him. Instead, he squeezes his eyes shut, unable to look at her, as he pulls the trigger on the icer. A small yelp of surprise leaves her mouth before the drug overtakes her, dragging her into unconsciousness. He feels the slight shake of her body in response to the substance and knows that it’s done the job. She goes limp against him, her weight crashing against his chest. He catches her and wraps his arms around her, holding her up. It'll keep her knocked out long enough for him to get into the room and find a way to barricade the doors shut. So that he can lock everyone out indefinitely, for their own good. He has to keep her away from the room. They need significant distance. He picks her up and moves her into the elevator. He can send her away, far away where she'll be safe from harm. The best he can do is set her down against the wall. The metal material is anything but comfortable, but at least she won't be sitting out in the open, vulnerable. He crouches down in front of her, drawn to her closed eyes. All of the pain is gone from her face. Her expression is clear as she rests in deep sleep. The magnetism between them compels him to lift his left hand and touch her face one last time. Half of it is covered by locks of hair that have fallen in the way during their relocation. He brushes it behind her ear and brings his palm to her jaw, just holding her. It feels so natural, as if he's done it every day for the last ten years. He now has a clear view of the bruises that still linger underneath her skin. They line the side of her face where she was brutally hit during one of her fights in the future. When he first saw the marks and asked her about them she brushed off his concern. Fitz was the one that came to him and relayed the story of what happened in the pit. It was just another tick against him. She would've never been in that situation if he hadn't left her all alone to face the kree with a severely wounded leg.  Looking at her now he is reassured that she'll be able to move on without him. The loss may hurt for a while, but her strength will keep her afloat. She's the strongest person he's ever met.  He nods to himself deciding that now is as best a time as ever to leave.  He gives one last goodbye.  "Melinda....I love you and....I'm so sorry for all of this. I hope one day you can forgive me." He says this knowing that he won't be alive to experience that forgiveness.  His body moves away gradually, savoring the physical feeling of her, knowing that he's losing her with each second. His fingertips run across her jaw, neck, shoulder, bicep, forearm, and then her wrist. That's when his hand cradles hers- the last part of her. He keeps the connection until only their fingertips brush and then her hand falls limply at her side.

Tearing his gaze away from her, he turns around before he has a chance to stop himself and quickly clicks the 20 on the elevator, before stepping out. His breath stutters in his chest as he hears the doors close and the whine of the elevator coming to life once again. It’s done. She’s gone.

The distance already seems to be shattering his heart as he takes his final walk down the hall. Numbness spreads in his legs and arms but he pushes through. He has to. There's no other choice. There is no room for emotions now only logic.

He’s prepared to do whatever needs to be done to keep everyone else in this bunker safe.

He'll be the shield. 

//end Chapter 1// 

[thevisafly]

When Will The Travel Industry Be Back Post This Global Pandemic?

What does Covid-19 have to do with travel? Due to the widespread pandemic that has been termed Covid-19, many industries are suffering losses because of government’s decisions to enforce lockdowns, as well as other movement restriction orders. This contagious infection means people can no longer travel to work freely, and the transport of non-essential goods are becoming more and more confined. One of the most obvious – and hardest – markets to be hit is that for travel and tourism. Cancelled flights and movement restrictions coinciding with what would be peak summer breaks and vacation plans is a major loss. But what would this industry look like after it’s all over?

There have also been some theories as to what the kind of demand will look like, with one end of the spectrum thinking of an empowered people, who have learnt to live without the simple pleasures of travel, and the other end that sees a population starved of this pleasure, just waiting to get back out again. It seems as though the reality sits closer to the latter end, however, we see no problem with this: it would only mean new demand for what was once a commonplace commodity. Tom Marchant, one of the founders of the luxury travel operator Black Tomato, speaks his opinion – “After weeks and perhaps months staying home, this longing for authentic human connection and togetherness will be stronger than ever… But there will be less of a cookie-cutter travel mentality”. Which then brings forth the question, how far away from this cookie-cutter tree will the fruits of a post-Covid industry fall? Jannik Lawaetz, LuggageHero’s CEO, also agrees that this demand is going to come back stronger than ever – with experts in the industry particularly hopeful, it leaves no doubt as to the industry’s mentality being that of a thrust-back; a defiant push against the effects of this pandemic. So if the market is just waiting to be stimulated, when is it actually going to be rubbed the right way? When might this change? Much like all other industries, it looks as though this major economical blow will change the fate of what we now know as the travel industry. However, the future seems hopeful: as of recent statistics, the market has seen the past 16 days show a 229 per cent  increase in global flight bookings that were made to the UK, during the dates around January 2021. A 171% increase was made in the same kind of bookings to Spain, as well. This shows that although people are currently withdrawing from travelling, what with all the flight cancellations and such, the consumers still have hope for the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021. Which also implies that, as Covid-19 worsens with hundreds of deaths everyday, the confidence of the people will move further and further into 2021 – not a great outlook. Although restrictive measures have been taken to limit the virus’ spread, as of today, cases still seem very much on the rise. It looks to be a longer wait than 2020-end. We can’t ascertain this though – cases such as 2009’s H1N1 have proven otherwise. The WHO declared the virus a pandemic that June, and by mid-September vaccines had been created. Seems short when you say it, but that was actually a whole 3 months! The pandemic was considered over by August 2010, though, which was almost a whole year later. Not to make anyone lose hope, because as of an update dated mid-March, vaccines for the coronavirus have already been in the making in China. Nevertheless, there seems to be plenty of suppressed demand waiting for the channels to open, so the sooner the better!

A ‘New Normal’, or back to the old ways? Being one of the largest economic sectors in the world comes at a cost. This $8.8 trillion industry sees its doomsday because of the one thing it was valued for: access to other parts of the world. Even in a pre-Covid situation, there has been much speculation over the topic that excessive tourism might not be good for the long run – however, many countries see it as their prime source of money inflow, so they might be willing to take measures into their own hands if push comes to shove. Professionals at Tourism Industry speculate a full recovery by 2023, which is a full two and a half years from now. Although this seems particularly daunting (which it is), the travel industry might shift towards a more sustainable approach, allowing for preparation for any future outbreaks or economic dips. Countries are already switching to digital transactions and a more virtual approach to both essential and non-essential items: bank transfers, work meetings and social gatherings (even virtual graduation ceremonies!) are now part and parcel of today’s world, so looking at a more virtualized travel industry (i.e. VR tours and an immersive online experience) doesn’t seem so far off from reality. The IATA has forecasted an annual loss of $113-252 billion for the airline industry: revenue projection prospects moved swiftly from a growth of 4% to anywhere between a 13 to 30% year-on-year descent. Unemployment is now a bigger problem worldwide, with an estimated $24 billion (plus) wiped away, as more than 825,000 jobs have been lost. But this isn’t all dull and dreary – the silver lining here is that tourist spots are getting a bit of a breather, and they’re using this time well. The infamous canals in Venice have seen clear waters for the first time in decades, and geese now flock regularly to the plaza. Imagine what this would look like on your next trip to Italy – isn’t that a good bargain? However, many sources claim that the future is more invested towards local exploration, rather than a global footprint. What this means is, once individual countries start opening up borders within themselves, people will definitely stimulate air travel and holidays: just not abroad. The prospects of natural wonders being explored in and around your city may just start to look like a good idea. People who want to explore will find a way to do it no matter what resource they have, and this seems like the next best option: if foreigners come to your country to look around, why can’t you do the same? Is what the logic behind this is. And why does this matter? Because this is a good hint: the travel industry could see a pickup as soon as nationwide lockdowns – such as that of India – ease off. Whilst this may not be an end-of-year affair, or a wait towards 2023, it is still a compromise as well as a prospect that shouldn’t be taken lightly. As the virus is still very much in sight, a careless populus during the much-awaited end to lockdowns could lead to an even larger spread of the infection. Which, by extension, means a longer wait towards an industry recovery.

How certain are we that this is the case? Since travel isn’t an ‘essential’ good (which many travelholics might strongly object to), the future of it, as well as its return, is a wholly prospective deal. To sum it up, tentative dates may range from the hopeful year-end towards a full recovery only in 2023. What we need to keep in mind, however, is that the key word here is tentative: the best-case scenario sees a stringent adherence to government laws, coupled with a healthy lifestyle and appropriate medical measures. This doesn’t only make sure you stay Covid-free, though: it makes sure industries can start opening up faster. Lowered case rates mean that countries can now start shifting their aims from improving healthcare and trying to flatten the metaphorical curve, to focusing on the economic stimulation that many desperately seek. However, the worst-case scenario could mean multiple nationwise lockdowns, and a more powerful, mutated virus as a result: slowing down the economy even further, and hence delaying all your future trips to Bali, Greece and anywhere else you dreamt of going. Therefore, please ensure the safety of yourself and others by wearing your masks, using that sanitizer, and staying at home!

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[bsanne-blog1]

حجز فنادق البحرين Will You Discover A Great deal From This Hotel Guidance?

A lot of alternatives exist when booking journey accommodations, from shady motels to five star resorts on the strip. Hotel good quality can make or split a holiday. Read this report to discover the best lodge. To accommodate a tiny family members with no possessing to spend for far more than one resort space, look for a spot that offers suites. Frequently the rates are competitive with one-space rates at other lodges, but the addition of a residing location (and a fold-out mattress) indicates that far more of you can slumber comfortably. Prior to commencing a resort search, consider thinking about what lodging you want and can find the money for. Determine out if the hotel's spot is much more crucial than its price or if you minimal to hotels beneath a certain price variety. Also think about regardless of whether you want 1 that has things like spas and health and fitness facilities or just a stunning check out. حجز فنادق البحرين If you know that you will require to make mobile phone calls from your lodge area, verify to make positive you will have free Wi-Fi service. Fairly than utilizing the in-place telephone, and getting billed an arm and a leg, use an World wide web cellphone support that is free of charge. For instance, both Skype and Line are prospects. Do not constantly presume that being on the club ground of a lodge is a fantastic way to waste income. Although you may possibly have to pay for this upgrade, you will finish up preserving a lot more income in the end. This is simply because issues like drinks, appetizers and cost-free breakfast are component of the offer, and these items are quite pricey when bought separately. When keeping in a hotel, it is wise not to provide valuables. If you do have beneficial jewelry, documents or other objects be positive to stay at a resort that has a safe in the workplace. By making excellent use of this amenity, you can preserve your personalized belongings protected and get pleasure from peace of brain. If you plan on bringing your loved ones to a resort, you should search for household-friendly policies and particular deals on the web. Try utilizing household vacation review sites. You can find many household resorts and vacation resort evaluations. حجز فنادق البحرين Looking by means of these sites should assist you also identify discounts to make your trip a lot more satisfying and affordable. To preserve your actual physical fitness heading when you are on the street, when you examine into a hotel, examine out the fitness centre. Even in fitness centers in which you only see a treadmill or two and a set of dumbbells, you can nonetheless get in a bodyweight workout and a cardio routine. It could not be best, but it receives you by means of till you are back on your residence turf. Be informed of your environment in a hotel to remain risk-free. Will not open the door without having being aware of who is behind it. Use the peephole. فنادق البحرين Lodge inhabitants are especially vulnerable to theft. Examine in with the entrance desk if there are any deliveries to your doorway and preserve the door locked even when inside of. حجز فنادق البحرين Be watchful not to make extended length phone calls on the lodge phone. Bahrain Seem to the World wide web, as an alternative. A good deal of resorts offer Skype connections over Wi-Fi. You can keep linked with friends, loved ones and enterprise colleagues this way, instead than creating expensive long length calls. Make confident that your family members enjoys their stay by contacting forward to make sure the hotel's swimming pool is working, There are not numerous things that are as frustrating as heading to your lodge with children that really want to swim only to see that it has been shut. Before booking a hotel room, ask the hotel about their return coverage. You in no way know what could occur and you may possibly stop up getting to cancel your reservation. If there is no return coverage, you could be basically throwing your money down the drain. Never book with a hotel until finally you know this information. Continue to be safe and secure in a resort. Tourists to resorts are often robbed even when they are within the room. Use each and every lock the hotel offers, like the take care of lock, chain and deadbolt. Hotels are a magnet for shady people seeking to exploit individuals who are touring with a great deal of money and valuables. Find out about the using tobacco policies if you smoke. فنادق البحرين There are often rooms designated for individuals who smoke. If the resort has one, ask for this sort of space. Specific hotels will charge you a steep charge if you get caught smoking in a space that is non-smoking cigarettes. Be sure to adhere to the rules of the resort. Typically individuals merely ebook the initial hotel shown in the cellphone e-book or on their look for motor. This is a mistake. This is dangerous business that can typically backfire, leaving you dissatisfied. Use the ideas from this article so that you do not have to devote the night in unpleasant lodging.

[brownsugarnspices]

Resort فنادق البحرين Ideas And Tips You Can Use On Your Next Trip

When arranging out resort stays, there can be significantly that is sight unseen. That is why you need to have to know what it will take to locate the proper lodge deals. You have to recognize what info you want in order to make a smart determination concerning what location to stay. Read through on so that you can end up sleeping in ease and comfort up coming time you might be on the road. To hold your family active and engaged when you are in a hotel much from house, chat to the concierge when you check out in to get a listing of close by points of interest. At the stop of every single working day, sit down and map out a program for the next early morning. Bahrain This gives you much more holiday time and considerably less time sitting down in front of a television waiting to choose what to do. To maintain your ingesting water cleanse in a resort space, rinse out your ingesting eyeglasses, even if there is a paper include or a plastic wrapping about it. Dust and particles from the plastic can settle in the glass, major to an uncomfortable first sip. Taking the time to rinse it out will make your experience greater. If you are traveling with pets, be sure to decide on lodges that have good accommodations for them. This is especially real if you are planning on an prolonged continue to be. A great resort that makes it possible for pets should have features for them. افضل فنادق البحرين These may consist of and groomer, doggy working day care and particular going for walks regions. فنادق البحرين If you program on bringing your loved ones to a hotel, you ought to appear for family-welcoming procedures and specific deals on the internet. Try employing family members trip review web sites. You can discover many household lodges and resort testimonials. Searching by means of these internet sites need to support you also locate bargains to make your vacation more pleasant and reasonably priced.

Be confident to seek the advice of AAA to help you make exceptional plans for your total getaway. It may possibly occur as a surprise to find that an vehicle club membership gives lodge discount rates, but that is the case. You may possibly save 5% or even much more on nationwide resorts. People discount rates insert up to excellent cost savings, particularly if you will be obtaining an extended remain. Make area a prime priority when it will come to browsing for hotels. If you are likely to be being in a city and want to sight-see, it might not be clever to remain in a resort thirty minutes away from all the motion. Inquire the lodge about attractions shut by or seem up their area on the Internet. حجز فنادق البحرين It is usually فنادق البحرين useful to select a resort that contains a totally free breakfast. Although many of the breakfasts are not elaborate, they supply you a way to start your working day off proper without having to search for a place to consume. Many hotels offer a continental breakfast that contains, espresso, tea and pastries whilst other individuals offer cereal, eggs, pancakes, waffles and other breakfast foods. Maximize your hotel stays with membership plans like the ones that Marriott or Decision Lodges provide. When you do, you get factors every time you remain at a resort. When staying in a lodge space, are you often anxious with the security and stability of your area? For considerably less than $3 bucks you can alleviate these fears. Obtain a rubber doorstop and often pack it with your other necessities when touring. It is straightforward to use and is extremely successful. Simply wedge the doorstop below the inside of the door. Mixed with the door's deadlock, no a single stands a chance of coming by way of your door uninvited. If you have a little one with you, remember that lodge rooms are not usually established up for babies. Do not fail to remember to pack a number of items so that you can little one evidence the place. For example, an outlet include is modest but it plays a large position in retaining your youngster protected. Determine out if you want a lodge you can or can't smoke in. If cigarette smoke bothers you, seem for a lodge that will not have smoking rooms. افضل فنادق البحرين Even so, if there are smokers in the lodge, you may possibly have troubles with odors. Sometimes, people who smoke rent non-smoking rooms because that is all that is obtainable, and then they smoke in them in any case. By selecting a lodge that does not let smoking cigarettes, you can completely keep away from the scent of cigarettes. There are a lot of concealed charges that can significantly enhance the value of your lodge remain. For illustration, a lot of accommodations deliver a newspaper outside the house of your space and demand you for it. To guarantee you are not billed for any unwanted things carefully read the contract before signing for your lodge place. Whether or not you might be on vacation, traveling for organization, or needing a hotel for some other purpose, you absolutely want to be satisfied with your place. There is practically nothing like examining out with additional fees or getting sad with your surroundings. Being aware of what you know now need to support make certain that you pick the appropriate hotel subsequent time.