#Big Sky Airport Limo

[treasurestatelimomt]

Treasure State Limo is your Big Sky Airport Limo a trusted partner for luxury transportation services to and from Big Sky, Montana. We understand that your journey to this remarkable destination should be as exceptional as the place itself, and that’s why we’re dedicated to providing top-notch airport limo services that ensure a smooth, comfortable, and memorable experience from the moment you arrive.

Treasure State Limo 1121 Samantha Lane, Bozeman, MT 59718 (406) 577–4107

My Official Website: https://treasurestatelimo.com/ Google Plus Listing: https://www.google.com/maps?cid=9277495875816165193

Our Other Links:

Luxury Limo Big Sky: https://treasurestatelimo.com/luxury-fleet Black Car Service Big Sky: https://treasurestatelimo.com/black-car-service-big-sky Shuttle to Big Sky: https://treasurestatelimo.com/shuttle-to-big-sky Shuttle From Bozeman to West Yellowstone: https://treasurestatelimo.com/bozeman-west-yellowstone

Service We Offer:

Limo Service Airport Shuttle Transportation Black Car Service Airport Limo

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[sassylady1103]

Morgantown

Colleen got up yesterday morning, and while she was making breakfast, announced that she was taking me into Morgantown for the day. I was so excited I ran back upstairs to change and find some boots. She just laughed and said she thought I should finish my breakfast. I haven’t left this house since we got here almost 6 weeks ago!

As I ate, hurriedly, she said she’d been trying to find me something special for Christmas. Then she handed me a box. The box looked pretty bad, but she assured me it was in good shape still. I lifted the lid and inside, nestled in tissue paper, was a brand new ProSnap Deluxe camera! The film inside was no good, but I learned how to craft film in chemistry class back in the Vault. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a more perfect Christmas present. Colleen looked pretty pleased with herself, as I was beside myself with excitement.

We started walking toward town. We cut through the farm next door to the house. Colleen said when she was a kid, she’d come play with the goats and cow and help the neighbor lady pull weeds in her garden. The lady would share extra fruits and vegetables with Mama in return. Now the house is pretty run down and what’s left of the large garden has grown wild. I’m not sure if anyone will live here again, but I may come back to grab some things from that garden later.

As we walked, Colleen was preparing me for what we’d see. She said a lot of zombie like creatures called ghouls tend to roam the streets,especially in the residential areas. She suspects they once lived in these houses, since not many people are living in Morgantown these days. She said the only organized areas, if they could be called that, were the scorched-people who’s flesh looked burnt-at the airport and the high school. She said we’d steer clear of them, and they weren’t likely to bother us.

As we came into town, one structure commanded my attention first. It was a big brick building with red and white striped smokestacks reaching into the sky over a warehouse. MAMA DOLCE’S was emblazoned on the side under an American flag banner. Colleen glanced back from up ahead and said it was a food processing plant that put out canned meat stew. She said it still had working parts and once in awhile a group of people will start it up and make some canned stew for their groups around the area. She witnessed it once and it really got the ghouls in a tizzy! The group running the plant seemed to expect it and took care of the threat with no issues. She said next time she sees it running, she’ll come by and try to talk to them. My brain almost exploded. Other people? I begged her to please talk to them, and she just smiled and said, in time. She’s so darned cautious!

As we passed Mama Dolce’s, I saw a trio of stately brick buildings. The central building had a clock tower and I’m sure it’s the tallest building I’ve ever seen. Colleen stopped next to a burned out car. It was long and black. A limo, Colleen said. Used to drive rich men around. That’s when I noticed the immediately recognizable Vault Boy statue in the courtyard of the three buildings and the stone sign: VAULT-TEC UNIVERSITY. I looked at Colleen, and she had an almost sad smile. “Papa” I said and she nodded. This was where he worked before the war. Before the Vault. We walked up the steps and I was filled with awe. I had never known my parents outside the Vault, like Colleen had. This seemed like a more special trip now.

We passed through the campus and came upon a street that seemed to be mixed residential and businesses. Colleen told me about how this used to be such a busy area with students from VTU, as well as the local high school, businessmen and women grabbing lunch at the diners, a local brew at the pubs, coffee at the Slocum’s Joe or checking out the bookstores. Mama would bring her to meet Papa at the little diner next to campus on the nights he worked late. She said it really hit her the first time she saw it…the reality that Vault 76 is likely the only real survivors left in this world. Morgantown is pretty much a ghost town.

As we walked among Fraternity Row, where Colleen had said she had seen a Christmas tree on somebody’s balcony, we ran into our first ghouls. Apparently they had been sleeping in the street, and our presence got them to rouse and look about with curiosity. Colleen motioned me back and pulled her rifle. You could barely hear the shots leaving the barrel as one, then another, crumpled and fell back down. It was spooky seeing one up close. Knowing it was once a person like me, that now roamed aimlessly. Did they have any thoughts or memories anymore? Do they feel pain or anything? I wondered who they used to be, and felt bad that we were lucky enough to be saved and they were left to this.

Colleen called me out of my thoughts. She found the house with the tree and some Christmas lights. It was up on the second floor balcony, so we dragged some crates over from the road so she could climb up there. She then lowered the tree down to me using some rope she’d brought with her. Oh my goodness, I’d never seen anything so perfect! It must have been made of aluminum as there was no rust and the colored ornaments still looked good. We wouldn’t know if the lights worked until we got it home, but I didn’t care. It’s was beautiful.

The two of us struggled carrying the thing back to the house, but we managed. I had hoped we could check out these stores we were passing to see if there was anything useful left. She just smiled and said “next trip”. I let it go. I indeed wanted another trip!

As we passed by VTU again, I asked if Mama had worked nearby. Colleen said, no, Arktos Pharma was more southwest of Morgantown and the house. She said if I wanted, she’d take me one day, but that security robots still patrolled the building. She hadn’t been inside yet, and of course didn’t want me to until she knew it was safe. I think I rolled my eyes because she caught me and laughed. She said there’d be plenty of time for me to get my exploring done and just be patient.

When we got home, we set the tree up on the front porch and went inside to clean up. After we’d had some dinner, we strung the lights up and checked them out. After some tightening of some loose bulbs and jiggling some wires, they lit up! Colleen just stared at the colorful glow, lost in her memories of Christmases before the Vault. I got up, kissed her head, and left her there with her thoughts. It had been a long day, so I headed up to bed. What a perfect Christmas present.

More soon, Mags

[bingmountain]

The Best Corporate Travel Agencies: Finding the Right Fit for Your Business

In the fast-paced world of business, travel is often a necessary component that can significantly impact productivity and comfort. When organizations plan corporate travel, the choice of a travel agency becomes crucial. This choice not only affects the logistics of travel but also the overall experience of employees. With the plethora of options available, it is essential to understand what makes a corporate travel agency stand out and how to find the right fit for your business needs.

Understanding Corporate Travel Needs

Corporate travel encompasses a wide range of services including flight bookings, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, and comprehensive travel management solutions. Businesses require agencies that can tailor their offerings to meet specific needs, whether that involves arranging travel for a small team for a conference or managing travel logistics for large corporate events. Flexibility and personalization are key attributes to look for in a corporate travel agency.

For example, agencies like Bing Mountain Luxury Car & Limo Service in Bozeman, MT, excel in providing personalized services that cater to corporate clients. They offer seamless transport solutions, emphasizing comfort and luxury while ensuring that every detail is managed meticulously. The experience of a well-organized travel itinerary can set the tone for successful business engagements, making the selection of the right agency all the more important.

Evaluating Services Offered

When assessing potential corporate travel agencies, it's essential to evaluate the range of services they provide. The best agencies offer a variety of options, including flight management, hotel reservations, and specialized services that cater to unique corporate requirements. Agencies should also have robust online booking platforms that allow for easy management of travel arrangements.

Consider the offerings from Bing Mountain, which provides not only airport transports but also a suite of services that include rides to various destinations such as Big Sky and West Yellowstone. Their focus on luxury vehicles and customer service ensures that every travel need is met with professionalism. This comprehensive approach allows businesses to streamline their travel processes, making it easier for employees to focus on their work rather than travel logistics.

Customer Support and Communication

A hallmark of an effective corporate travel agency is its level of customer support. Businesses should seek agencies that offer 24/7 assistance, ensuring that any travel issues can be resolved promptly. Communication is crucial, as travel plans can change rapidly. A reliable agency will keep clients informed and provide timely updates regarding travel arrangements.

At Bing Mountain, for instance, the emphasis on customer service is evident through their commitment to training their staff in high-level hospitality practices. This ensures that every interaction is handled with care, making the travel experience as smooth as possible. The agency’s dedication to customer satisfaction not only reflects in their service offerings but also in the feedback they receive from clients.

Cost vs. Value: Making the Right Choice

Cost is always a consideration when selecting a corporate travel agency, but it should not be the only factor. It is vital to weigh the cost against the value provided. An agency that offers competitive pricing but lacks in service quality may end up costing more in the long run due to inefficiencies and a lack of support. Conversely, an agency that may seem more expensive initially might provide exceptional service that enhances overall employee satisfaction and productivity.

When evaluating options, businesses should look for agencies that offer transparent pricing structures without hidden fees. Bing Mountain, for example, prides itself on being a locally owned small business focused on providing superior service without compromising on quality. Choosing an agency that aligns with your values and understands your business needs can often result in a more fruitful partnership.

Conclusion: The Right Fit for Your Business

Selecting the right corporate travel agency is a pivotal decision that can influence the effectiveness of travel management within your organization. By understanding your unique needs, evaluating service offerings, prioritizing customer support, and considering the balance between cost and value, businesses can find the ideal agency that aligns with their goals.

With options like Bing Mountain Luxury Car & Limo Service, businesses can rest assured knowing they are choosing a provider that not only understands the intricacies of corporate travel but also prioritizes luxury and exceptional service. Investing the time to find the right travel agency can lead to enhanced employee experiences, improved travel efficiency, and ultimately, greater success for your business endeavors.

[quickluxuryride]

Luxury Transfer from JFK to Manhattan a Grand Entrance into the heart of NYC

New York City, the city that never slееps is a dazzling tapestry of skyscrapers, bustling strееts, and iconic landmarks. As one of the world's most vibrant metropolises, NYC offers a sensory overload of experiences, from Broadway shows and fine dining to historic attractions and eclectic neighborhoods. For those arriving at JFK International Airport, the journey into the heart of Manhattan sets the tone for their New York adventure. Enter the realm of luxury transfer services, where the transition from luxury transfer JFK to Manhattan becomes an opulent experience worth savoring. Let’s explore why opting for a luxury transfer from JFK to Manhattan is the epitome of style, comfort, and sophistication.

1. A Seamless Transition from Sky to City

After a long flight, the last thing travelers want is a stressful commute into Manhattan. Luxury car and limo service offer a seamless transition from JFK to Manhattan, ensuring you arrive at your destination refreshed and ready to explore. Expertly trained chauffeurs grееt you upon arrival, guiding you to a flееt of top-of-the-line vehicles еquippеd with state-of-the-art amenities. Whether you prefer a slееk sedan, a spacious SUV, or a luxurious limousine, the options arе tailored to mееt your specific nееds and preferences.

2. Travel in Style and Comfort

The journey from JFK to Manhattan is more than just a commute; it's an experience in itself. Luxury transfer services prioritize your comfort, offering plush leather interiors, personalized climate control, and advanced entertainment systems. Whether you’re traveling solo, with a partner, or in a group, the spacious and luxurious vehicles ensure you travel in style, allowing you to relax and soak in the iconic sights and sounds of NYC. You can also avail luxury car chauffeur service NYC.

3. Professionalism at Its Finest

In a city as dynamic as New York, professionalism and reliability are paramount. Luxury transfer services boast a team of experienced chauffeurs who are not just drivers but ambassadors of luxury and hospitality. Their impeccable manners, attention to detail, and commitment to customer satisfaction ensure a journey that еxcееds your expectations. With their extensive knowledge of NYC's intricate roadways and traffic patterns, chauffeurs navigate the bustling strееts with еasе, ensuring timely arrivals and departures.

4. Safety and Security

Safety remains a top priority when traveling, еspеcially in a bustling city like New York. Luxury transfer services adhere to the highest safety standards, ensuring their vehicles undergo rigorous maintenance checks and inspections. Additionally, chauffeurs are trained in defensive driving techniques, ensuring a smooth and secure journey from JFK to Manhattan. With real-time flight tracking capabilities, services can adjust pick-up times based on any flight delays or changes, providing peace of mind and convenience.

5. Customized Experiences

Every traveler is unique, and so should be their journey from JFK to Manhattan. Luxury transfer services offer customized experiences tailored to your preferences. Whether you’re heading to a business mееting, a romantic dinner, a Broadway show, or exploring the city's vibrant neighborhoods, services curate bespoke itineraries to ensure a memorable and personalized experience.

Conclusion

Arriving in New York City is a milestone moment, setting the stage for an unforgettable adventure in the Big Apple. Luxury transfer services from JFK to Manhattan еlеvatе this experience, offering a seamless blend of style, comfort, and sophistication. Whether you’re a first-time visitor еagеr to explore the city's iconic landmarks or a seasoned traveler returning to your favorite haunts, opting for a luxury transfer еnsurеs a grand entrance into the heart of NYC. So, the next time you touch down at JFK, indulge in the luxury and convenience of a chauffеur-drivеn experience and discover New York City like never before.

For original post visit: https://contacttelefoonnummer.com/luxury-transfer-from-jfk-to-manhattan-a-grand-entrance-into-the-heart-of-nyc/

[li76rr]

A Simple Key For Airport car service denver Unveiled

DEN Airport has a single major terminal, known as the Jeppesen Terminal, served by 3 concourses: A, B, and C. Quite a few DEN Airport lounges across all concourses allow for for a few peace time. It is possible to plan your journey utilizing the information beneath.

Luxurious personal fleet of prime-of-the range 4WD SUVs pushed by our world-course professional chauffeurs. There’s simply just no far better technique to vacation from Denver to Vail.

Denver International Airport (DEN) would be the sixth busiest airport in the United States. With lots of flights leaving whatsoever several hours from the working day and evening, it’s crucial that you get there for the airport with an abundance of time for you to spare. Counting on taxis to have you there can as a result be quite a big gamble. Scheduling your dependable vehicle service for Denver Intercontinental with Blacklane is likely to make the process of both equally leaving and arriving the town a lot easier.

There are many airport shuttle companies with service from Denver Airport to Breckenridge. The bottom priced per passenger might be shared airport shuttle organizations. These services run at established schedules each day and transfer up to twenty folks for each van.

A car or truck owner needs to have a dependable auto that will deal with the rigors of driving for prolonged durations. Standard upkeep and tune-ups are necessary to make sure the automobile stays in great problem.

Our limo service provides you with Outstanding door-to-door service, making sure you're arriving at your desired destination properly and punctually.

Our vehicle services ensure to satisfy your transportation requires, permitting you to get throughout the Denver in design and style and luxury for inexpensive charges.

These men are so Specialist and Flexible! Supervisor Michael was extremely brief responding and served us immediately Once i and my three-year aged Lady missed our flight to Eagle Airport. He adjusted the... motorists program so that we continue to obtained the car With all the car or truck seat at time of our arrival in to Denver Airport alternatively.

There is a absolutely free bus procedure in Breckenridge, Colorado, that should get you any where within just town, including the ski resorts and neighboring mountain communities. Absolutely free shuttle services also can transport visitors to close by eating options and ski rental stores.

I was picked up by Eugene from my dwelling and he was proper in time. He aided with our a lot of baggage and was incredibly form/polite within the drive for the airport. I really propose Blue Sky Limo and their driver... Eugene. Thanks!study additional

Giving reliable, dependable, and well timed airport limo service, we ensure you are touring in both equally consolation and elegance

Any time you’re All set, open up the Uber application to request a trip on your location. Choose the Denver Airport transportation alternative that fits your group dimension and baggage needs.

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A private shuttle automobile service from Denver International to Breckenridge is very very affordable but charges do vary As outlined by season and demand. We provide door to door shuttle transportation from DIA to any Summit airport car service denver County place.

[extremelyblackandwhite]

handmaid - 11

PAIRING: mob!sebastian stan x ingenue!reader

WARNINGS: age gap, mentions of violence, gun mentioning

A/N: i watched endings, begginings again solely because of the scene we get a close up of seb making out with shailene and that scene will forever make me want him in unholy ways. hope you enjoy this chapter xxx

NEXT CHAPTER

    - What? - Y/N stared at him, not because she hadn’t heard what he had said but because her brain seemed to have stopped mid synapse. She wondered if this was the hopeless romantic in her mixed with the lack of sleep that were making her hear things. But no. That confirmation came to her through his actions as he stepped close enough to her she could feel his breathe on her cheekbone. His hand cradled her face, looking at her with the uttermost adoration, almost like a scene straight off Springtime by Pierre-Auguste Cot. 

   - I’m here, nothing and no one can harm you. I don’t think you understand the things I would do for you. - he traced her bottom lip with his calloused thumb causing her small hairs to raise up as a shiver rolled down her spine. 

   - I ... You shouldn’t. - she was too immobile to even try and step back, but in all honesty, even if her nerves weren’t stopping her from moving, she herself would’ve stopped herself from moving. It felt nice. - You make me very nervous, Mr. Stan.

She took a step forward, hearing the shift of the gravel as her sock covered feet moved so her toes touched the point of his shoes. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do but there was an overwhelming need to be close to him. As so, she stretched her arms to him, wrapping them around his neck and burying her head in his pyjama shirt. It was a very baggy shirt with the logo of Regis High School. She guessed it had probably been his during his high school years and the little holes and slight thin patches of fabric spread across the tee contributed to that guess of hers. Sebastian sighed at this motion, his hand coming to rest upon the small of her back while his lips pressed against the crown of her head, slightly inhaling the faint scent of her lavender shampoo.

They remained in that same position as the bird slowly awaked as the very first sun rays broke through the night sky, the sounds of nature making them both forget they had just escaped a crossfire. They continued in that embrace until his phone loudly rang from the backseat where he had thrown it before. 

With much regret, he broke the embrace, hand taking slightly longer to her waist as he grabbed his phone, angrily answering it. Y/N just stood there, hand hoovering over his like someone who really wanted to hold his hand but was too shy to do so. Of course she was to shy to do so, this was her friend’s future husband. The same future husband who she would have to kiss and some day give a child to and here she was fully considering the idea of entering some sort of Anna/Vronsky relationship minus the opium and suicide.

   - I’ll be there in a few. - his words as the phone beeped off took her off her thought pattern.

   - Is everything alright? - she questioned, worry laced into her sleepy sounding voice. It was 4 AM after all, Y/N guessed that all in all, she’d probably gotten about an hour or two of sleep. 

   - Yeah. - he sighed, rubbing the side of his neck out of tiredness. - We need to go. 

   - Where are we going? - what was she doing? she asked herself as she noticed she was already sat in the shotgun seat without getting an answer. Was she that enamoured that she would get in the car without any response? Maybe, yet he did let this particular sight of safety. 

  - Airport.

She watched as his eyes were kept on the brightening road. Y/N didn’t know exactly what to say, all she knew exactly was that he made her feel warm and nervous but not in the way that being next to a mob boss. You should fear contact with one not crave one. 

Things were rather silent until the crash of noise from the airport made her look at something rather than the side of his face, watching as various airplanes landed a bit closer than she’d ever seen them land. He just drove as if a plane couldn’t misdirect or mislead and hit them, he drove with that sort of confidence that made you want to throw your arms in the air in great Taylor Swift music video fashion. He drove with the confidence she wished she had. 

The car slowly yet surely came to halt and as she turned her face to the window she could see the airplane from a few days before. She guessed they were going home for safety and despite her love for Paris, right now she wanted to go somewhere familiar. 

   - Gwen’s already inside. - he put his hand on the glove compartment, picking the music box and handing it to her. - Make sure you don’t lose this one too.

   - Are you not coming? - she noticed his hand was still very much gripping the wheel of the car. 

   - After this, I think I have some matters that need resolving. 

   - Why won’t you come with us? Surely it is Mr. Williams’ job to look over the Paris affairs. 

   - He’s very useless, angel. If I leave him to do anything, I’ll have to fly back and fix it. Besides, I’m sending him to New York for a bit after his disastrous deal.

   - Oh ... - she cradled the music box closer to her chest. - Are you gonna be alright?

   - Are you worried about me, angel? - he smirked at her, immediately causing her cheeks to heat up. - I will be just fine, you need only worry about Gwen.

   - That’s not what I meant. - Y/N faintly smiled at him, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek which took Sebastian off guard. It was so sweet and so young that half the rage he had accumulated towards whoever shot at his hotel. She just stared at her lap, lightly tracing the golden details of the box. - I don’t exactly want to go to your funeral.

   - I think I’ll be fine, angel. 

He is a mob boss, he will be fine. One does not become notorious by being easy to wound or easy to kill. Nevertheless, so had been the man who raised her and Gwen and he had still gotten a pretty bad wound shot every once in a while. No one is invisible. Achilles had his heel and Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus all had a lot more and they were all heroes who were eventually defeated. Dynasties fall and Y/N had seen it plenty of times.

She opened the door of the car, her sock covered feet reminding her that she was about to walk into a private jet in her pyjamas and socks. Gwen surely had thrown her into some wild situations yet none seemed to quite match up to this one. 

Closing the door behind her, she walked to the stairs that led to the door of the plane, turning around to briefly wave at Sebastian before he took off. Maybe it was best they were separated for a bit, maybe it was just a little crush that would vanish with a bit of time. What she wasn’t expecting was to walk into Gwen having her neck peppered and sucked by one of the bodyguards, Christian. 

    - Morning, Y/N. - she pushed the man away, giving her an enthusiastic smile as Y/N sat in the leathered seat in front of her. - Where have you been? Elias said Sebastian took you during the crossfire.

    - Yeah, are you okay? Sebastian said you were, I’m really sorry I didn’t come to find you.

    -  You two are sure buddying up. - she opened one of the magazines that were on the stand as the plane prepared to take off. 

    -  Oh, it’s not that. - she bite her lip looking at her feet.

    - Of course it is. You better not tell him about any of the boys or Christian, the last thing I need is to have someone dead because my fiancée is jealous. 

    - I’ve told you I’ll never tell on you besides he’s not jealous, he’s just worried about you. 

   - Well ... - she smirked, lowering the magazine. - He does employ some very fine men, specially at the art of bedding.

   - See, this is why your dad didn’t want you to watch Sex and the City when you were younger. - Y/N laughed, remembering when a teenage Gwen would sneak in at night along with her to watch Sex and the City reruns on the TV which would constantly annoy Mr. Forrest. 

   - You can’t be such a prude, you must have someone on your radar. Seriously, has there never been a guy who made you want to take a cold shower just from looking at him?

   - Guys don’t tend to look at me Gwen, they look at you. 

   - Bullshit. I could just bet you have someone and you’re just not telling me. 

Y/N just laughed it off, leaning against her pillows and the sleep finally won her over, throwing her for a nice slumber. She was awoken by the faint sound of rain hitting glass and as she slowly opened her eyes, she came to see the airport of what she called home for now. 

Rather quickly and wearing one of the bodyguards jacket in order to not look like a public threat to society in her pyjamas and socks, both her and Gwen were hushed into the limo which drove them back to their penthouse. The building looked darker and the weather was even darker. She prepared to go inside the bed and sleep more, despite having slept for 9 hours on the plane from Paris to NY. 

   - You look terrible. - Y/N heard a familiar voice as the lift doors opened. A big smile stretched on her face as she saw Dan standing there. - Are you even wearing any shoes?

  - You’re here! - she jumped into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck before stepping away for a bit. - I wasn’t expecting you to be here this soon.

  - After the crossfire, I decided to spend some time with you and Gwen at least until Mr. Stan returns

  - Oh great. - Gwen rolled her eyes. - Another babysitter. 

  - It’s good to see you too, Gwen. - he turned his gaze back to Y/N. - You look unharmed. Survived your first crossfire

  - Yeah, it’s been a crazy few days. Enough about me, did you bring Sophie? 

  - No, she’s staying at her mum’s for a while but we can go and visit I’m sure she’ll love to see you. 

  - Just set the date. 

  - So ... - Daniel took a seat on the living room’s coach while Gwen returned to her room, Christian in her foot. Y/N guessed she would be better sat by Dan’s side than in her room where she would possibly hear sounds of things she didn’t really feel like hearing right now. - I heard from Gwen that Sebastian was the one who took you during the crossfire. 

  - Yeah, his room was closer to mine ... - it wasn’t, it was as further from hers as it was from Gwen’s but she didn’t exactly felt like telling Dan that she had kissed his sister’s fiancé. - He’s not as bad as you think, Dan. 

  - You always try and see the good in people, Y/N. It is remarkable but please be careful. Seriously, there are things in this whole world that you are not used to. 

  - I’m not exactly clueless, Dan. He hasn’t been rude to me, he’s treated me as well as he treats Gwen. Besides until he mistreats any of us, I refuse to have such a deep dislike for him. 

  - Y/N, c’mon. I know you don’t get to see it but his kill count? It’s high even when compared to my dad and grandfather’s count all together. You step out of the line, you get erased. 

  - That’s not true. Mr. Williams stepped out the line in France and he’s still not dead.

  - Mr. Williams? When have you even met Thompson Williams?

  - At Gwen’s engagement party. What I mean is, I’m safe here, Dan. I would love if you stopped treating me like I’m the most clueless thing ever.

  - But you are clueless, Y/N. We’ve sheltered you and Gwen for most of it, you don’t ...

  - Oh ... - Y/N interrupted, getting up. - Since I’m that clueless, I think our conversation is over.

  - Y/N, don’t take it personally. 

  - I’m going to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow, Daniel.

tag list: @lilya-petrichor @xoxohannahlee @irespostthingsiwanttoseelater @nikkipea @madisonpillstrom @cevans98 @thelostallycat @sideeffectsofyou @anxiousdreamersworld​ @sarge-barnes-sir​

[nicos-oc-hell]

I don’t know if this warrants a warning but there will be indirect mention of neglectful parents and there will be drug use

Kazumi was pacing around the hall when Dimitri walked past him “What the hell are you wearing?! Get changed!” Kazumi yelled at his brother

“Why?” Dimitri asked twirling the sword

Kazumi snatched the sword from him “What do you mean why?! The Inheritance Ceremony starts in ten minutes! Go get changed, you fucking imbecile!” Kazumi said pushing him up the stares “I’m the only with some goddamn sense in this family!”

Dimitri walked down 7 minutes later “Here how is this?” He turned around to show him the whole outfit and Kazumi just slapped his forehead “What?! Come on it’s not even that bad!”

Kazumi started fixing his hair, tie and smoothing ruffles out of his clothes “Did Reborn teach you nothing?! How the hell do you not know how to tie your own tie?! And your hair is messy as hell! There done and now we are three minutes late! Let’s go you imbecile” The 20 year-old man dragged Dimitri to the ball room where the Inheritance Ceremony was being held

Dimitri was dragged to the front of room by his brother in front of all of Vongola’s allies which was embarrassing as hell “You can let me go now! This is embarrassing!” He slashed at his brothers face after he shoved him onto the platform “Stop man handling me! You worthless scumbag” He patted his clothes down and pushed himself up and gave his stupid speech he had to give about thanking everyone for being there and apologizing for being late.

Tsuna looked over at his grandson before he started his own speech “Now as it is know I am currently ill with a sickness that can not be cured so I am passing the mantle of Vongola over to my grandson a bit earlier than I wanted too, now I hope our allies can help him and his famiglia along the way since they are still a lot younger than is normally accepted for this but circumstances require this…sorry I’m rambling off and now if there isn’t any objections I will be giving him the ring now and will be going back to bed as I’m getting very weak for my old age”

He chuckles at his own misfortune and looks around for anyone objecting it, ignoring his son and daughter-in-law who were surely going to object to it but not because they were concerned for their son but because they know they can’t easily manipulate him and they want Kazumi to take over even if they knew that was literally impossible because 1 he didn’t have Sky flames and 2 he was injured mentally and physically “No objections? Ok Dimitri come here and take the ring and we can get the rest of this party on the road!” He took the ring off and handed it to his grandson who slipped the ring on his finger and zoned out for a few minutes before he went back to his normal brooding self and walked off the stage to start talking to his allies

After six long hours everyone eventually started to take their leave as their kids who had also attended had school in the morning “Yes thank you for coming sinora, we hope to see you if you live long enough and your child here during the next inheritance ceremony, bye have a great night and may the gods bless you and your family.” He leaned down and kissed her hand. He grabbed her hand and walked her to the limo that was waiting to take her to the airport to go back to Russia, he handed her child a chocolate “Trust me, you are going to need a lot of chocolate if your mother is like this when she’s sober” He closes the door and watched them drive off, turned around and walked over to Bill who was sitting on the step smoking a joint

Bill looked over at him and handed him the joint as he sat down “Seems to me, my boss has a soft spot for kids like he does for animals.” He took the joint back from Dimitri “What was that saying of yours? All kids deserve parents-”

“But not all parents deserve kids, this world is fucked up man, hell half the kids here were afraid to talk to me! Why the hell are they so fucked up! I swear to the damn gods next time I see one of them act like that, I’m going to end the ally contract and I don’t care if they are a big or small famiglia! I’m not going to be associated with child abusers” He took his jacket off and stood up

Bill rubbed his shoulder and sat in silence with him for a few minutes in the rain before he broke the silence “Well I wouldn’t exactly do that, Dimitri. Because without Vongola influence they can get away with much more and you are going to leave the kids to fend for themselves. So I say threaten them” He let Dimitri take the last puff of the joint before he stood up, picked up their jackets and led him inside for something to warm them up

Dimitri laughed as he handed Bill his hot chocolate “Well shit! I guess you’re right. Anyway how’s your NEWTs going? It’s uh next month right?”

Bill took a sip of hot chocolate “Roman the studyholic has been forcing me to study for the past three months and Reborn, Fon and Lal have been drilling more knowledge into my brain, speaking of them, why weren’t any of the immortals there besides Shamal? And Roland of course” He said looking over at Dimitri

[beautifulterriblequeen]

TDP Casino AU

Nyx is a croupier who earns big tips by being charming

Runaan's head of security, and the Moonshadow assassins are his team

Aaravos is the main stage act

he does all kinds of shows: singing, dancing, magic, stand up comedy

Aaravos walks onto the stage and owns the room

Viren is the piano player he flirts with constantly

and his magic act assistant

and his water boy

Aanya is a gymnast and contortionist

she can shoot a bow with her feet while doing a handstand

Gren is the friendliest waiter ever

Amaya is the bartender he works with the most

Janai works in a snack shop across the hall from the bar, serving BBQ and baked goodies like chocolate covered pretzels

she and Amaya have a friendly rivalry even though they’re totally dating

Harrow owns the casino but no one ever sees him in person, he lives in the penthouse with his green parrot and his wife Sarai

Sarai teaches yoga and aikido in the casino gym

she wipes the floor with everyone

their sons have free run of the place but they actually take an interest in the casino's workings

Callum is very interested in what goes on behind the scenes, the magic that makes everything happen

Runaan does not like Callum poking around his security monitors

Ethari is that badass buff dude who literally makes custom swords in a forge located off the lobby

he's always busy, he knows his audience

Ethari watches anime and can make anyone any sword from any show

and he makes jewelry trinkets for the jewelry shop across the lobby from his forge, too

it's run by Lujanne

Rayla is Callum's lowkey bodyguard

Runaan doesn't like it at all but it's the most logical choice

Callum likes it a lot

Opeli works in accounting 

she's always trying to get all the other departments to cut back on their budgets

Opeli: Amaya, you don't need to use such fancy drink stirrers at the bar, come on. 

Opeli: Amaya, do we really need stainless steel frozen cubes instead of ice 

Opeli: Amaya the napkins do not need to be monogrammed 

Amaya: rude gesture

Opeli secretly sends Aaravos full on dozen-rose bouquets to his dressing room tho

He's the Star and he knows it

and so does she

Ibis is the restaurateur who runs the rotating sky restaurant on the top floor

Ibis: Of course my prices are sky high. That's the point

Opeli: nods and uses her employee discount to eat there every day

Corvus works for Runaan but in a subdivision where he tracks illegal activities inside the casino, like drug deals, instead of things that affect the casino directly

he can hack the electronic doors, hot wire cars, and bluff his way through any conversation

Runaan looks the other way because he does these things for the casino

Crow Master is the IT guy

someone keeps messing with Viren's email delivery system so he's constantly bothering CM to fix it

it’s Claudia

Claudia rigs the odds on the machines with her hacking skills

Runaan can never catch her because Nyx covers for her

Clauds spends her ill-gotten gains supporting a nonprofit butterfly sanctuary

Soren is a cabana boy

his adoptive aunts, Amaya and Janai, glare daggers at anyone who even thinks about not tipping him well

he also runs swimming classes for dogs and they all love him

Ezran goes with him to visit the Good Boys in Ellis’s doggy day care every day

Avizandum is a high roller

Zubeia is his gem-studded wife

Zym loves to make friends with everyone when they come to stay for a while

Sol Regem is another whale

he always wears red tinted glasses so no one can read his eyes when he's playing poker

he always wears exquisitely tailored bright marigold silk Italian suits

he tans by the pool a lot and Soren brings him his favorite drinks

they’re all lit on fire

Soren has definitely scorched an eyebrow fixing Sol Regem’s drink before

Because Zym's so friendly, and such a tempting kidnapping/ransom target, his parents hired a couple of bodyguards to watch him 24/7: Lain and Tiadrin

they wear matching suits and blue mirror shades

and they will absolutely drop you if you even look sideways at Zym

but they're suckers for all the kids in the casino and are always offering them money for ice cream

Kasef is in charge of valet parking, he's very particular about the rules of where you can park what

he arranges for cars to be detailed, but he plays favorites

he leaves a sprig of fresh flowers in Amaya's cupholder

she never knows who leaves them

she gives them to Janai 

he orders Aaravos's limo for him, and it's always fully stocked

when he orders a hired car for Runaan, it's always older with a driver who likes garlic

Ethari thinks Runaan likes garlic

Runaan does not really like garlic

Villads drives the casino shuttle bus to and from the airport

no one is sure how

Khessa runs the tanning salon and beauty parlor

Zubeia won’t let anyone else do her hair, only Khessa

Runaan won the annual casino employees’ Best Ponytail Competition last year and Khessa was grumpy for a week

Kazi gets their nails done there (and so does Crow Master)

but their main job is in PR and interpreting for foreign guests

Kazi has friends in every time zone, and they’re the only person who has ever met Harrow in person

(thanks to the peeps in discord for being so inspiring!)

[bingmountainluxurytransportation]

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[alj4890]

A Second Chance

(Thomas Hunt x oc*Amanda)

A/N Our last chapter of this series. I will say that some things did not turn out how I originally planned, but I do love that about writing with these characters. They really do end up taking a life of their own. Our final chapter for A Second Chance has Maxwell’s big surprise, Amanda’s decision, and an epilogue. Thanks so much for enjoying this brief series. Sorry I haven’t responded much on your comments. In between beginning this and ending it, migraines from the bowels of the earth struck at various intervals. But I have thoroughly enjoyed how this story unfolded.

@lxaah11 @alleksa16 @penguininapinktuxedo​ @blackcoffee85 @stopforamoment  @hopefulmoonobject   @krsnlove   @annekebbphotography @hopelessromantic1352 . @sunflowergirl05  @desireepow-1986 @greywitchyshots @lilyofchoices @moodyvalentinestories @emceesynonymroll @my-heart-beats-for-ya @aworldoffandoms @ab1901  @flyawayboo @i-bloody-love-drake-walker . @trappedinfandoms  @kate-mckenzie @cordoniaqueensworld @everythingmarvelsherlockspn

Masterlist

Catch up here with Chapter 9

Chapter 10

While Maxwell was away, Amanda sat down and begin to compose a list of all the things at St Orella that were either left to her as an inheritance or she had purchased herself. Everything else either was left in terms of being a part of the duchy.

Thomas had read Kathleen a few stories at the window seat while she continued to write down what she knew was hers. He would look up every once in a while and watch her tap the top of her pen to her lips while reading over what she had listed.

When she set it down, he realized that her list barely covered half a page.

As Kathleen left them to see what her aunt and uncle were doing, Thomas came up behind Amanda’s chair and read over her shoulder. “That’s all you plan to take?”

She nodded. “The majority of furniture was left to the St Orellan heir. These are what members of my family either left personally to me or to a family member who then made certain I inherited it.” She then pointed to another column. “These I bought for myself using my personal fortune and not the St. Orellan coffers.”

“What about the portraits of your parents and uncle?” He asked.

She shook her head. “Those were painted for the St Orellan gallery.” When she noticed his concern, she gently caressed his cheek. “I have plenty of pictures of them that will go with me.” She then opened a drawer to her desk. “And I get to take these with me.” She pulled out the different journals of her ancestors. “Each one was written for family, not the for the current duke or duchess.”

He pressed a kiss to her lips when she looked back up at him.

“You know Maxwell won’t mind if you take more.” He kissed her ear. “I don’t want you to leave behind anything that means something to you.”

She smiled and shook her head. “I am taking what means the most to me.” She looked up at all the heavily ornate furniture and decorations, excited at the prospect of picking new décor. “The rest belongs here.”

He took her hand when she rose from her chair. She met his still worried gaze and smiled. “Come. Let’s get Kathleen ready for this big surprise.”

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

A little over an hour later…

"Must we wear these?" Thomas asked.

Maxwell nodded. "It's the only way for you to be truly surprised."

Kathleen obediently slipped on the sleep mask and gripped her mother's shirt.

"Wait until we are in the car." Amanda said, trying to keep from laughing.

"It isn't a surprise party, is it?" Thomas appeared suddenly ill.

"You'll find out soon enough." Maxwell said in a sing song voice.

Kathleen giggled at her father's resigned expression. He glanced down at her, saw she only had one eye covered with the sleep mask, and felt his first smile form since Maxwell had handed them the blinders.

"What do you think the surprise is?" He whispered to her.

"Maybe a party." Kathleen said. "Oh! Or an animal!" Her face lit up with excitement. "He gave Aunt Riley and Uncle Liam two red pandas when they got married. What if he got us two since you and Mommy are getting married."

Maxwell heard her loud whisper and gently shook his head no when Amanda whispered to him if it was that.

"I never do repeats." He admitted. "I'm not that kind of gifter."

"A limo?" Thomas' eyebrows raised in disbelief when they followed him outside. "Where are we going?"

"You can't expect my surprise to begin with a normal car ride." Maxwell replied, wounded at such a thought.

Kathleen hurried inside.

"After you." Maxwell said to the couple.

The two got in and sat down across from their daughter. Maxwell smoothly slid in and sat on the seat between Kathleen and her parents.

He rubbed his hands together. "Alright party people, masks on!"

Thomas groaned softly when both Amanda and Kathleen gave him a silent pleading look to play along. He pulled the mask over his head and settled it over his eyes. He felt somewhat placated for doing so when he felt a kiss placed on his cheek

Once everyone had their sleep masks firmly in place, Maxwell lowered the privacy barrier and told the driver to proceed. He raised it back up and relaxed with a big smile on his face.

During the long ride, Thomas felt Amanda slip her hand in his as well as resting her head against his shoulder. His lips curved as memories of the night before flashed through his mind. He was looking forward to tonight and all the possibilities that were before him.

Amanda’s own smile appeared when she felt his arm lift to wrap around her. She then felt his lips brush her temple and couldn't wait until they were alone once more. Her heart was completely ready for their future. Now that the burden of St Orella had been lifted off of her shoulders, she was excited for what lay ahead.

The two had stayed up late into the night making plans for the type of wedding they wanted, possible honeymoon destinations, and of course talk of maybe having more children.

Even when she used to daydream of Thomas realizing he loved her and wanted to be with her and Kathleen, it had never matched to the real thing. She still was waiting on either her alarm clock or Kathleen to wake her up from what surely must be a dream.

While the two sat quietly with their thoughts, Kathleen kept up a steady chatter with Maxwell, trying to guess where they were going.

"Give it up, Kat." Maxwell teased. "You will never guess this."

He had to fight his laughter at her huffing and folding her arms. Her little face scrunched into a fierce frown was made even more humorous by the sleep mask covering half of it.

After some time, the limo slowed to a stop.

"Keep those on!" Maxwell ordered when they all moved to rip the blinders off.

He got out, commanded they remained still, and then told them to carefully step out.

"Alright, stand right here--wait no--Thomas, you need to--" Maxwell repositioned them and stood in front of them to make certain they were in the best spot for the big reveal.

"It sounds like the beach." Kathleen gripped her parents' hands as she strained to figure out what their surprise was.

"Yes, it does." Thomas murmured.

"Is it a picnic?!" Kathleen asked.

Maxwell shook his head then realized none of them could see him. "No picnic."

"Are we going sailing?" Amanda asked.

"Nope." Maxwell gloated. "Now, on the count of three, I want you to take your masks off." He glanced behind him, grinning at his conspirators stepping out onto the lawn. "One...two...THREE!"

The family removed them and blinked at the bright sky.

They looked around curiously.

"Well?! What do you think?" Maxwell could not quite contain his giddy excitement.

"The house?" Thomas asked, looking at the mansion set against the rocky shore.

"It's beautiful." Amanda said, admiring the subdued gray brick.

"It's yours." Maxwell said proudly.

The couple looked at him with mouths agape.

"What?" Thomas uttered.

"Can we go in?" Kathleen asked.

"Maxwell--how, you can't give us a house!" Amanda exclaimed. "This is too much."

The rest of the Cordonian group and Stephen and Rachel had smiles as they pointed out that it was a wedding present from them all.

"Max picked it out." Riley began. "He said you had to have a place in Cordonia so that you would visit more often."

"Liam used his kingly authority and got all the paperwork completed overnight." Drake added.

"And we have been doing a little bit of decorating." Olivia rolled her eyes. "Mostly, we have been doing whatever Hana ordered us to do."

Amanda covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes. She shook her head at the immense generosity of her friends. They had stuck by her through every trial she faced. Helped her wade through years of uncertainty. And now they had rushed to give her a home all her own. No nobles to deal with. No political work to keep it. Just a home for her and her family.

When the first broken sob escaped her lips, Thomas gently pulled her into his arms. She tried to muffle her crying against his shirt.

"Mommy!" Kathleen rubbed her eyes and pressed her face against her legs. "Don't cry."

Thomas rubbed Amanda’s back while she tried to calm down. He knew the last few days had to be a whirlwind of change and stress on her. Being given such a gift was her breaking point.

Hudson cleared his throat from the front door. "Your grace?" When numerous heads turned toward him, he shook his head. "Forgive me, I meant Lady Hana. There is an issue of furniture placement that we need your direction on."

Hana smiled and hurried inside, pulling Rashad along with her.

"Hey," Maxwell said softly. He tugged on Amanda's hair making a surprise laugh pop out amongst her tears. "Can I give you your tour before I go pick up Nadia from the airport?"

She nodded while dabbing at her cheeks and nose with the tissues Riley had handed her.

He grinned and motioned with his head. "Come on. I can't wait for you to see the inside. It literally screams Amanda and Thomas."

Kathleen tugged on his hand. "What about me?"

His grin grew bigger. "Just you wait, Kat. Hana has done something that definitely has your name written all over it."

The rooms were bright and cheerful with unparalleled views of the ocean. They were also surprisingly filled with furniture.

Amanda paused when she recognized her favorite recliner from one of her informal dens at St Orella. "Max? Is this..."

"Don't worry." He said proudly. "Hudson knows what has to stay at St Orella and what doesn't. The rest though is new furniture." He shook his head as if to admonish her. "Every bride needs something old and something new."

Thomas laced his fingers with hers as they continued with the tour.

There were rooms for all their needs. A breakfast nook in the large kitchen. A dining room with Amanda's great grandmother's china tea set sitting in a place of honor in the middle of a table that could seat twelve. A study was currently being worked on by a few of St Orella's servants. Some of the books on the shelves were the very ones Kathleen had been interested in.

A large living room was complete with nothing but furniture that was made for comfort. No rough, formal antiques that made one less likely to sit could be found anywhere.

There was one room downstairs that was left completely empty.

"This will be the theater room." Maxwell explained. "I called Addison to let her know what we were doing, and she and the Hollywood bunch are designing this for you. They'll be here Monday."

Thomas groaned at the thought of more company. His lips curved though each time Amanda exclaimed how much she loved all that they had seen.

Kathleen tugged on Maxwell's hand. "Can we see my bedroom?"

"Bedroom?" He pretended to ponder that. "Hmm...did you need one?"

Her little jaw dropped. "Where will I sleep?"

"I didn't think of that." Maxwell muttered. He chuckled when she still seemed unable to believe it. "Do you honestly think I would leave out the most important part?"

They went up the staircase and saw a room with the door closed and another larger one with Hana directing some workers.

"Let's look at where we are going to stick your parents first." Maxwell whispered.

They all peeked into the room where Hana was.

"Oh!" Amanda gasped. The room was similar in design to the one she had in St Orella. There was a large fireplace in which Hana had placed two chairs. The bed that was being put together was set in a way that one could enjoy the fire from it or turn on their side and see the ocean.

Thomas admired the suite's bathroom with its large shower with multiple shower heads. His eyebrows lifted at some of their clothes already in the walk-in closet.

"Hana," Maxwell called out. "It is time to reveal your masterpiece!"

She smiled and left Rashad in charge.

"Close your eyes." Hana whispered as she held Kathleen's hand.

The little girl closed them tight and nearly bounced with anticipation when she heard the door open.

"You can open them." Hana clasped her hands together, beaming at the happiness she saw in Kathleen's face.

"Twinkle lights!" Kathleen pointed up at the ceiling. She went from one area to another, thanking Hana with each aspect she loved.

"Hana," Amanda said in surprise. "This looks so much like her room in California."

"I wanted her to have that sense of home here." Hana explained, blushing at all the compliments everyone was giving her. "That was why I asked you for more detail about her room." She knelt when Kathleen hugged her.

"This is the best surprise ever!” Kathleen told her, kissing her cheek. "I love my room, Aunt Hana."

Maxwell grinned and quietly motioned for Amanda to follow him. "The rest are guestrooms that we ran out of time to furnish. We thought you and Thomas and Kathleen might want to stay here tonight. Rachel and Stephen can stay at St Orella for as long as they want."

He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Are you happy with it?"

She nodded, pulling him into a hug. "More than I can express." She kissed his cheek and tried not to cry again. "Thank you."

He checked the time and told her he would be back later. "Hudson and the rest will be bringing your things over. Anything you want from St Orella is yours. Just write out a list and he'll make sure to have it delivered." He winked before hurrying down the stairs.

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

While Kathleen played in her new room, Thomas and Amanda stepped outside to the back patio. It curved around with the house and had a number of lounge chairs and covered swings set out.

"What do you think?" Amanda asked.

"It's a beautiful home." He turned to look up at it. "I'm surprised Maxwell chose one that I would have actually picked for us."

He noticed she was staring at him. "What are you thinking?"

"That I want to get married." She admitted, blooms of color appearing on her cheeks.

He smiled as his lips tenderly brushed hers. "So do I."

"I mean today." She looked up at him. "I want our first night here to be one of us celebrating our marriage."

His arms tightened around her. "I will marry you whenever you wish." His lips grazed her ear. "Nothing could make me happier than doing so right now."

Amanda smiled as she met his lips in a more heated kiss. "Wait here."

He watched her hurry inside, disappearing down a hall.

A few minutes later she returned with Liam.

"You do realize that everyone will have my head for this?" He teased.

"We will do our best to be discreet." Amanda glanced at Thomas. "Or as discreet as we can be with dressing up."

"You have a plan?" Thomas asked, noticing the secretive smile on her face.

"I do." She pointed to a secluded area on the shore. "Meet us down there in thirty minutes."

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

40 minutes later...

 Thomas tugged at his bowtie and checked the time once more.

"You're not nervous, are you?" Liam asked, amused watching his agitated movements.

"No." His frown eased. "Not at all. I'm about to marry the only one I have ever loved."

Liam clapped his shoulder in camaraderie.

"Can you legally marry us without witnesses?" Thomas asked, concerned about it not being official.

Liam nodded. "I'm the king. It will be legal and binding." His eyes lifted when he saw movement coming down the hill. "Ah, here they are."

Thomas turned and couldn't stop the smile that formed. Kathleen had on the sparkly dress he had bought her for her birthday. Amanda had dressed in the dark teal gown she had known he had always loved her in.

The two loves of his life walked hand in hand and stopped before him.

"We're ready." Kathleen said to Liam.

He chuckled and began the ceremony.

While Amanda and Thomas stood before one other with their hands clasped, Kathleen stood next to Liam. She leaned against his side as the vows were exchanged. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed when she let out a yawn.

Her parents though were oblivious to her thinking it was taking too long. When Liam brought up the issue of rings, Amanda began to say they did not have any yet.

Thomas pulled them out of his pocket.

"Where did you get those?" She asked, completely surprised.

"I wanted them to match your engagement ring." Thomas lowered his eyes to the bands he held. "I bought them at the same time."

She shook her head while trying not to cry again. When she took his wedding ring, she noticed markings on the inside.

She held it closer and read the words aloud. "A second chance."

 He nodded at the engraving he had secretly had done while she was in the capital. Thomas slipped her ring over her finger and raised her hand to his lips, pressing a tender kiss to it. He lifted his eyes to hers. "That's been my wish for five years."

She slid his ring over his finger and pulled him close for a kiss. All the love they felt was poured into that single touch. She opened her eyes, smiling that this wasn't a dream. "It's been my wish too."

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

Epilogue…

Once upon a time, there was a duchess from a far away land who met a man from Hollywood. The instant they met; they knew that something special was about to happen. Over time they realized that they were in love. But like all fairy tales, turmoil struck and the two were forced to be apart for a long time. The only consolation the duchess had was in the little piece of her former relationship: a daughter.

The poor man in Hollywood, pining for his lost love, was left in the dark to her existence. Years of searching for the one who held his heart would all come to an end one fateful night in New York.

That was the moment for a second chance at love to occur. Fears and doubts plagued the couple, and yet they persevered in the hopes to one day be together. More trials and decisions were made until the moment they said I do on a rocky shore in Cordonia.

What was to follow surprised no one who knew the couple. The two settled into a happy life together. Thomas, our hero, continued to make movies and to love his wife and daughter with all his heart. He never took one moment he had with them for granted, having seen what life was like without them. He spent every moment he had making certain that they knew they were his entire world. Nothing else matter but his love and his family.

Amanda, our heroine, settled into a life as a stay-at-home mom. She and their daughter Kathleen supported and loved Thomas in all his endeavors. She never ceased in telling him how happy she was nor how much she loved him. For she knew what it was like to live a life believing he did not care for her. Her heart nearly burst with tenderness when Thomas had director’s chairs for each one of them on all his movie sets. They traveled everywhere together and loved every adventure they went on. She still made him see the humor in every inconvenience and the ability to be thankful for the ones you have by your side during them.

Three years after Thomas and Amanda married, they were welcomed with the birth of their twins. Ian and Elizabeth had their father wrapped around their fingers just like their older sister did. He marveled at being able to see everything firsthand. He was the one to insist on getting up in the middle of the night for bottle feedings and diaper changes. The twins smiled every time they heard his voice. Thomas and Amanda both felt that they had everything they could possibly want. They realized that their life together had been sweeter than either could have ever imagined. Neither could think of a single thing to wish for. Life was perfect.

Kathleen flourished under her parents love and care. Much like her father, she went on to take an interest in the fine arts. With her love of musicals, she began to study more of dance and singing. Unlike her mother, she had a clear alto voice that with further practice became quite pleasing to the ear. Her dance classes allowed her to wear all the sparkly outfits she wanted and even gained the eye of a certain young man when she was a teenager. Michael Rodriguez would go often to watch her practice, complimenting everything about her. Like his father, his sweet gentlemanly personality helped Thomas reluctantly give his approval for the two to date. They are still inseparable, supporting one another as Michael walks in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps to be an actor. He in turn follows Kathleen every chance he gets to New York, waiting backstage each evening with a bouquet of flowers and nothing but love in his heart. On one particular evening, he had a ring waiting for her in her dressing room. Without any hesitation, Kathleen said yes. Their wedding was termed Hollywood Royalty with two heirs of the most famous marrying. Neither paid any attention to the press. They only had eyes for each other and the future that awaited them.

As the twins grew, Ian shared his parents’ obsession with films. He would go on to work his way up to be his father’s assistant director. Then he set out on his own and made his first movie. Fearful he could never match the emotional depth his father so easily captured, Ian worked tirelessly over finding the right script, then finding the right actors. While his family worried over his health with the long hours and stress, he refused to back away for even a second from his dream. As the credits rolled on his premiere, he turned to see his father with tears in his eyes. Thomas pulled him into a hug and told him that he was his favorite director in the entire world. Amanda worried with the handsome looks he inherited from his father, that he might end up falling for the wrong woman. She still had nightmares of Kara Bennett and her pursuit of Thomas. But Ian was more like his father than anyone first realized. He didn’t fall in love until one fateful night when he bumped into a student form UCLA at a coffee shop he loved to frequent. Their impact caused her to drop all her books. When he voiced his surprise that they were all medical textbooks, she had blushed and blundered her way into his heart with her admission that she was following in her parents’ footsteps. Nearly a year later, Ian would marry Dr. Alice Ramsey in a lavish wedding in Boston.

Elizabeth had at first appeared to be a miniature Kathleen. Her features and immense sweetness mirrored those of her sibling yet, she possessed a quieter nature, more like her father’s. She was serious minded though was uncertain what she wished to do in life. Unlike her twin and sister, she was not drawn to a life of performance. She wanted to do something else, something more meaningful with her life. She knew what her father and siblings did brought joy to the world, yet she wanted to find a different way to serve people. On a trip back to her mother’s home country, she soon discovered what she was meant for. It had been years since she had last seen the future duke of St Orella.  Lord Xavier Beaumont had recently returned from college and was ready to begin his part in caring for the people of Cordonia. When his eyes met Elizabeth’s across the royal ballroom, all thoughts left his mind save for the one that he needed to meet her. Imagine his surprise that she was the same little girl he had once played with.  After a whirlwind courtship, the two married, much to the delight of Maxwell. He had always secretly hoped that his son would fall in love with one of Amanda’s daughters. He wanted the St Orella duchy to still be apart of her family. And now it was.

All in all, the Hunt family had a series of sweet and humorous moments over the years. Neither Thomas nor Amanda ever dreamed that their lives would one day resemble what they did. Thomas had once thought he was destined for life as a bachelor. Film would be his lifelong love, his movies his offspring. Amanda in turn believed her life tied permanently to St Orella. She had once thought she would marry a noble or a diplomat, have the necessary heir and spare and live a contented life amongst the court.

Both could be heard every once in a while say how thankful they were that life did not work out at all like they had once planned.

And with that…

They all lived happily ever after.

[geneticmisfit]

TIMELINE. 

HIGH SCHOOL:

Freshman Year

-DECEMBER OF 2015 -Gains his powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider during a class trip to Doctor Curt Connors’ lab in Empire State University. -Spends the Christmas Break discovering and learning about his abilities, makes his First Suit out of some old pajamas.

-JANUARY 2016

-Being a kid and wanting to make a quick buck with his abilities, he enters a wrestling competition against Crusher Hogan.

-It’s the classic wrestling origin. Peter gets swindled out of money, a burglar steals money from the fight manager, Peter lets the Burglar go out of anger and spite for the manager. -Uncle Ben is murdered, Peter goes after the assailant and is horrified to discover it is the same Burglar he had let go earlier. -When you do the things that I can, but you don’t, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you. -Guilt stricken, he realizes the importance of Power and Responsibility and starts to fight crime, initially stopping small crimes, petty robberies, etc.

MARCH TO JUNE 2016:

-Rumors of an Insectoid-Man spread quickly throughout the underworld, it is initially believed to be a Lie made by crooks who want to dodge blame, but more and more YouTube videos of a man in a red and blue pajamas doing extraordinary feats quickly kills that possibility. -At the recommendation of his teachers, Peter starts interning at Connors’ Lab in ESU, it allows him to get a closer look at the kind of spiders that bit him, and leads him to discover that the irradiated spiders are a project Connors is working on under the funding of Oscorp. -During his crime fighting, he unknowingly halts several of The Big Man’s jobs. -Frequently swings into and stops the crimes of Alex O’Hirn and Flint Marko. -He runs into his first Out of the Ordinary Bad Guy when he ends up fighting Stilt-Man, instead of going for his legs he just punches him out cold.

CIVIL WAR INCIDENT - JUNE 26TH 2016

This is where the first of the several big canon rewrites comes in. For starters, the Airport Fight happens in New York instead of Germany, and Tony does not recruit Peter for his cause or give him the new suit. What happens is as follows,

-Peter sees the news of The Winter Soldier’s attack on United Nations. ( For the purposes of this rewrite, let’s say Bucky gets extradited to the U.S. for interrogation and trial and he is held in the same SHIELD base Steve woke up from his coma or whatever ) -Peter and Ned argue about Spider-Man not going for Stilt-Man’s legs during their fight. -Hearing the news of JFK suddenly closing down and rumors of people spotting ‘Very Serious Government People’ , Peter puts the two and two together and leaves abruptly, heading to the Airport in hopes of ‘Auditioning’ for the Avengers, because that’s what you do when you are a 15 year old with superpowers. -Beginning of the airport fight and Steve and Tony’s argument happens the same, majority of the fight happens the same way. -Peter, as Spider-Man, jumps into the fray during the Line Up. He immediately swings to Tony’s side because Iron Man is the hero he idolizes the most at that point in time. -Tony and Peter banter, with Tony not wanting a kid there and Peter being a dumbass kid and wanting to impress Tony. -Peter does not fight Steve, he is only there to take down Bucky and Prove His Mettle as a superhero. -The entire sequence with Bucky and Sam versus Spidey happens as shown. -Seeing Giant-Man appear and grumbling himself about the whole Stilt-Man argument still, Peter realizes he can go for Scott’s legs to take him down and does the whole AT-AT takedown move. -Gets knocked back onto the ground like in the movie, Tony goes to check on him to make sure this dumbass kid didn’t get himself killed, seeing he is alive and well, Tony is impressed but he tells Peter to go home. -Bedroom scene occurs as a post-credits scene, it becomes less about Tony recruiting Peter to his side and more about figuring out what the deal with this Spider-Man Kid is, leaves the suitcase with the Stark Suit as he leaves, says they’ll be in touch.

HOMECOMING - END OF AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 23RD 2016 / SOPHOMORE YEAR

-Peter turns sixteen in August 10th. -The movie happens largely the same -a Film by Peter Parker and the Limo Conversation naturally doesn’t happen considering the afromentioned changes to Civil War. -Tony does not save Peter from drowning, Peter gets out of the lake on his own.     Reason for this change is that this scene makes Tony way controlling and uncaring towards Peter? Which, compounded by the following scenes, really paints Tony in an awful light. It also makes it more impactful that the next time, and thus the first time, Peter properly interacts with Tony since Civil War is in the direct aftermath of the Ferry Fiasco when Tony comes to collect the suit. They are then both valid in their arguments in that Peter has let the Stark Suit’s abilities get to his head and act way reckless than he should, ( Stark Suit thus serving the same narrative purpose as the Symbiote Suit ) but it also makes Peter valid in that Tony has been completely ignoring Peter ( at least on the surface / from Peter’s point of view ) until it was too late. -Rest of the movie unfolds as shown. -Toomes is Peter’s first proper Super Villain.

OCTOBER 2016 - MAY 2017

-Toomes’ arrest causes his Alien Weapons empire to fracture and for alien tech to be more readily available to the highest bidder ( In the movie it seems like Toomes really wanted the sales to be more gradual and under the radar ) -Shocker breaks away from Toomes’ crew and ends up joining the Enforcers, working for Hammerhead, who works as the Right Hand Man for The Big Man. -Spidey’s encounters with the Enforcers leads Peter to learn about the existence of The Big Man. -Phineas Mason is still at large, Peter dubs him ‘ The Tinkerer behind Toomes ’ toys ’ because he does not directly know who he is but highly suspects his existence. -A Mysterious Benefactor starts bankrolling experiments for Super Mercs, armed with the alien tech, with the, initial, goal of ‘distracting’ Spider-Man from the Finer details of The Big Man’s organization (if he’s too busy fighting Super Villains, he’d be too busy to stop Illegal Shipments ya kno). -Alex O’Hirn undergoes the procedure to become the Rhino, having the experimental alien armor fused to his skin, and only able to perspirate through his face. It is due to this fact Peter manages to take him down the first time, ‘ overheating ’ him to get him to pass out. -During this incident, Spidey gets Rhino to spill the identity of the Big Man, one L. Thompson Lincoln, aka Tombstone. -It is also during this time Spidey has his first run-in with Captain George Stacy. -He goes to visit Tombstone to tell him he knows about him, promptly gets his ass kicked and high-thwips it out of there.

THANOS INCIDENT - MAY 2017

Welcome to the Big Canon Rewrite Number Two, here, Peter does not go to Titan. First part of his appearance happens as shown, with Peter seeing the giant Q ship up in the sky and sneaking out of the bus to help Tony and co. fight the Aliens, but after losing Strange to the ship’s tractor beam, he stays on Earth and helps with the clean-up in the aftermath. Maybe even bumping into a few Defenders while doing so wink wink nudge. As a result, he does not get the Iron Spider-Man suit, sorry Marvel’s toy department.

ENDGAME - DATE UNKNOWN

Okay here’s the deal, it literally does not matter how long it has been since they’ve been blipped. Literally anyone important to a plot has been Conveniently Snapped, only reason there is a five year jump is so they can age Cassie so she can become Stature in Ant Man 3, and have Tony have a family for the Drama of it. Literally that’s the only reason, there is a reason why Far From Home makes a joke out of it. So for the purposes of sanity, let’s just say they were snapped throughout the duration of the summer and they conveniently get brought back at the beginning of the school year. -This means Peter is a part of the Final Fight but in his Stark Suit instead of the Iron Spidey suit, he also does not activate Instant Kill (why the FUCK would he, Russos!!!!!) I don’t care either way about the hug, so that’s up in the air, but he definitely does not cling onto Tony’s body lmfao nah. It is nevertheless very upsetting and near-traumatic for him to see someone die in front of him (again!)

JUNIOR YEAR

SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2017

-Peter is now seventeen. -And he’s got PTSD like a motherfucker lmfao. -Getting turned into dust and coming back has everyone rattled, so the Criminal Underworld is working overtime. - Captain Stacy comes to Midtown to teach about Criminology, and also to keep an eye on his kid considering the circumstances. -Silvio ‘Silvermane’ Manfredi, head of the Maggia, is also due to be released on parole by the end of the year, so various Mob factions are trying to prepare themselves. -As a result, schematics to make more Rhino-like people hit the market, Spidey and O’Hirn actually end up teaming-up together to destroy the schematics, resulting in a three way fight between them, Hammerhead, and the Manfredi mob. -Hammerhead’s recent repeated failures shakes Tombstone’s faith in him. -The Enforcers get fancy schmancy Combat Enhancement Suits, courtesy of The Tinkerer, and Spidey has to deal with them. -Hammerhead stops the Enforcers’ getaway attempt in secret, signaling a rift between him and Tombstone. -Manfredi is released right before Christmas.

JANUARY 2018

-The Gang War(tm) begins in full force. -Spidey’s hands are full navigating the powder keg of a situation, with Tombstone and Manfredi vying for control, with Hammerhead planning something behind the scenes.

FEBRUARY 14TH 2018 -Hammerhead arranges a meeting of the factions in Metropolitan Opera House, without Tombstone’s knowledge. -Once revealed, Tombstone does not take kindly to this disobedience. -Hammerhead reaches his breaking point and attacks Tombstone. -Silvermane decides to take both of them out to eliminate the competition fully. -Silvermane, in a mechanical combat suit of his own (because comics bebey) attacks Tombstone and Hammerhead, resulting in a three way fight. -Spidey arrives and has to fight the three of them. -After a long and exhausting battle, Spidey prevails, Silvermane is arrested once again, L. Thompson Lincoln is publicly revealed to be The Big Man of Crime, and Hammerhead is nowhere to be found. -Tombstone posts bail, but Captain Stacy tells Spidey that his crime empire is crippled and there is a power vacuum. One that a certain Wilson Fisk will take advantage of soon.

LATE FEBRUARY - JUNE 2018

-Spidey is basically doing clean-up duty in the aftermath of the Gang War(tm) -He is trying to find where Hammerhead is, but comes up empty. -All Spidey can find are the rumors that he went back to his old employment under the Maggia. -He takes down last of the known Manfredi fronts before preparing for his Europe trip (it’s the restaurant fight from the FFH trailers)

FAR FROM HOME - JUNE 2018 -Happens largely the way it is depicted in the movie -He does not have the Iron Spider Suit still, in case you forgot. -Smaller differences being Peter being pegged the ‘New Iron Man’ less because of his ‘Mentorship’ under Tony and more because people are just fucking desperate for a new Big Hero, which is where Mysterio comes in. -He sees Ben’s grave instead of Tony’s during the Mysterio Fun Tour of Trauma, Zombie Iron Man still comes out of it tho because Symbolism ( not because Tony is a new Uncle Ben figure, but because it represents Peter not always being able to save everyone, even though Tony’s condition was out of his hands.) -BIGGEST DIVERGENCE: Unless plotted, I generally DO NOT recognize Peter’s identity being outed. There are two options / variations I could go with                    -Peter IS claimed to be Spider-Man, but after a Movie’s worth of adventures, he enlists the help of either a skrull or Chameleon (Dmitri the Bus Driver in FFH) to have Spidey appear in the same room as Peter and re-establishes his secret identity.                    -Mysterio just brands Spider-Man as a menace and that’s that. In any case, this leads to..

SENIOR YEAR

SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2018

-Peter turns eighteen. -Branded as a menace, Spider-Man is now disliked and hunted by most authorities. -Captain Stacy, however, does not believe Mysterio and is one of Spidey’s few friends still left in the police force. -He also makes numerous remarks towards Peter and Spider-Man that suggests he figured out his secret identity on his own. -Anastasia Kravinoff arrives in New York with the intention of Hunting Spider-Man. -At the same time, Mac Gargan is hired by The Mysterious Benefactor to undergo the Super Merc procedure to hunt Spider-Man. -Kraven has her first encounter with Spidey, in which she manages to tear off a piece of his suit that she later uses to track his scent. -Mr Harrington’s class trip to Bronx Zoo is promptly ruined when Kraven shows up tracking Spidey’s trail. -The publicized skirmish in the Zoo attracts the attention of Gargan, now in a mechanical suit with a long, poison-tipped tail, stylized after Gargan’s favorite arthropod, which easily earns him the nickname ‘Scorpion’. -Spidey manages to escape, but barely. -It all comes to a head in New York Botanical Garden is a totally epic final showdown. -Maybe Rhino gets involved too and it’s a full on Survival of the Fittest in the jungle. -Peter gets stung by the poison tail but manages to shake it off. -He gets speared in the thigh at least once during the battle. -Scorpion and Rhino get imprisoned in the Vault, Kravinoff gets arrested as well but she posts bail and gets out scot free because she’s got Powerful Connections(tm)

JANUARY - MAY 2019

-Doctor Connors achieves a breakthrough on his Cross-Species formula -He tests it on himself, and initially achieves great results by regrowing his arm. -Over the following weeks, however, more and more side effects start to show by patches of green scales on his skin, increased aggression and hostility and occasional lapses in intelligence. -Around March, he has his first Lizard transformation. -Peter suspects it’s Connors, but he does not figure it out until April. -With each transformation, Connors stays as Lizard longer and longer. -I am basically ripping off the plot of the first TASM movie. -Peter and Gwen manage to synthesize an antidote. -Connors has a similar goal as to his movie counterpart, but he decides to Unleash the Lizard virus on top of Empire State Building. Because a) King Kong reference with Lizard climbing the antenna, and b) Connor going from Empire State University to Empire State Building, it’s a fun progression. -Spidey and Lizard fight on top of Empire State, with George Stacy coming to Spidey’s aid. -Spidey manages to administer the antidote to the Lizard, reverting him back to Connors who retains no memories of his actions as the Lizard. -Stacy gets injured by Lizard and before succumbing to his injuries, tells Peter to keep Gwen safe and ‘out of it’. -Lizard’s true identity remains unknown to the public, but Connors decides to relocate his family to Florida to get away from the noise of the city. Before leaving, he tells Peter to seek out his old colleague Otto Octavius if he wants to further his studies.

END OF MAY 2019

-Peter Parker graduates Midtown School of Science and Technology. -He applies and is accepted by Empire State University. Peter does not consider any other college as he wants to stay in New York for obvious reasons.

FRESHMAN UNDERGRAD

SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2019

-Peter is nineteen. -He starts his studies in ESU -He is still not the Most Popular -Peter reconnects with Harry Osborn (they are Old Childhood friends and Harry used to be in Midtown for the first year but then he went to Europe, as you do.) -Spidey is still branded as a menace and hunted, though not as ferociously as before as the public’s opinion starts to turn positive ever so slowly. -The Mysterious Benefactor has Alistair Smythe build robotic spiders to hunt and slay the Spider. Like Spider Slayers. Catchy name huh. -Peter has various encounters with Slayers while trying to figure out who is behind them -He eventually discovers it’s Alistair Smythe and tracks him to Oscorp. -Smythe unleashes the Ultimate Spider-Slayer, The Black Widow to try and stop Spidey once and for all. -Fight spills to the power plant, an Oscorp employee who is currently working on the plant, Max Dillon, gets caught in the crossfire and gets electrocuted. -Spidey manages to take down Smythe, Dillon is hospitalized. -Norman Osborn publicly denounces and distances himself from Smythe ( he’s The Mysterious Benefactor if you haven’t caught on yet ) -Norman profits both from making Super Mercs and Spider-Hunters for various factions behind the scenes, and for building housing units to hold said Super Mercs and Spider-Hunters, Vault is his creation. -He is also a terrible dad, but he does genuinely care for Harry, go figure. -Harry starts taking Gloublin Green, an experimental enhancer, to boost his academic and athletic life, as his body is regularly failing due to a hereditary disease (NOT the Goblin disease, the one Harry’s mom had in the PS4 game) -Max spends Christmas in the hospital and gradually transforms into Electro. -Black Cat drops in to give her Christmas Greetings by saying the mob is salvaging the parts from Spider-Slayer fights to re-arm themselves, also notifies him to the existence of a new Big Man consolidating power. -Peter thinks it’s Hammerhead, the only loose end from the previous Gang War, and starts his investigation into him. -Peter discovers Hammerhead leads the Maggia now, having quickly climbed through the ranks after the fallout of the last Gang War.

JANUARY - MAY 2020

-Harry joins the ESU football team, his performance enhanced by The Green. -Electro is Born and he’s Angry -He blames Smythe for his condition and tries to attack Oscorp, not knowing that Smythe is imprisoned. -Spidey arrives and fights him, fight eventually spilling to Times Square -Is it obvious I’ve started ripping off TASM 2 yet or.... -Electro is arrested and sent to Ravencroft for rehabilitation. -The news of a new Big Man starts making the rounds. -Harry’s Green Juicing gets bad, he starts blacking out.

SOPHOMORE UNDERGRAD

SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2020

-Peter is twenty. -He starts interning for Otto Octavius after Doctor Connors’ suggestion. -Flint Marko returns after a long absence in the streets, Spidey learns that Marko left the life of crime when he fell in love and got married, but returned back into it once he learned his baby was born with a disease and he needed the money for surgery. -Bet you didn’t expect me to rip off Raimi in this. -Marko is offered money to undergo a Super Merc experiment of his own, inspired by the Elementals Mysterio faked back a few years ago. Experiment uses bio-electricity generated by Electro, but it goes ‘wrong’ and Marko is turned to dust. -Sike he can control it, he’s Sandman now. -Spidey and Sandman fight, once Peter learns of his motives, he tries to get him to stop. -Marko is told to stop the movement of an oil tanker so the new Big Man can siphon it dry. -Spidey and Marko fight on the tanker, tanker explodes, Marko expresses remorse for he only wanted the money and not to hurt anyone, so he helps usher the ship crew to safety and contains the explosion, turning into glass due to the heat. -Sandman is presumed deceased, but he survived and just blew away gently in the wind. -Maybe he’s out there somewhere who knows.

JANUARY - MAY 2021 -Norman discovers Harry’s Green Usage, he gets Harry to stop. -Stupid boy drinking the Green instead of inhaling it like his dad did I mean what -Harry discovers the Green exacerbated the progression of his illness. -Spidey meets Yuri Watanabe, who is the lead detective and later Captain who is after the Big Man and the Mob. -Peter discovers the identity of the actual new Big Man, it’s Wilson Fisk, quickly filling the power vacuum after Tombstone’s defeat. -Spidey and Fisk fight, with Fisk seriously injuring Spidey and him having to swing away.

JUNIOR UNDERGRAD

September - December 2021

-Peter is twenty one. -As Harry’s illness progresses more and more, he and Peter’s friendship is strained, Peter is unaware of the illness.   -Norman starts winding down Super Merc experiments as he turns his focus into curing Harry. -He also readies for a mayoral run because he’s nothing if not a multitasker. -Harry wonders if Spider-Man’s abilities can cure him, wants a bit of his blood, Spidey is like ‘ew no wtf’ -Great Harry hates Spidey now. -Desperate, Harry springs Electro out of Ravencroft to sic him on Spidey and make him bleed. -Electro is like ‘Sure’ but once freed, he immediately goes to the Vault to try and kill Smythe. -You just can’t trust bio-electrical beings nowadays. -Spidey fights Electro in the Vault. -Electro cuts the power to the Vault and releases a bunch of inmates, but Spidey stops him before he can cut the power that holds the more super powered inmates. -Electro is imprisoned in the Vault.

MARCH - MAY 2020 -Yeah Peter had a quiet winter for once can you believe it. -Norman is elected mayor of New York, using his role in the building of the Vault to boost his approval ratings, motherfucker was playing the Long Game. -Norman revives his old genetic experiments to find a cure for Harry. -Devil’s Breath experiment is resurrected. -Harry’s condition worsens, Norman decides to send him to ‘Europe’ to heal. -In truth, Harry is in Oscorp in ‘stasis’. -Spidey’s attention turns yet again to the rising gang activity, he channels his focus into taking down Fisk.

SENIOR UNDERGRAD

SEPTEMBER 2020 - MAY 2021

-Pete turns twenty two. -He spends most of the year working on his thesis like a good nerd. -Spidey is occasionally tipped toward Fisk fronts by a Mysterious Goblinafactor -Norman wanted to bust into the Crime Scene being the Goblin and taking over the Big Man’s turfs but Fisk beat him to it so he has to be content with just being the Mayor for the time being -Goblins am I right. -He’s also the one who supplied Silvermane with his own armor. -Also the one who maaaay have broadened the rift between Hammerhead and Tombstone by sabotaging Hammerhead’s plans behind the scenes. -He is the Big Man behind the Big Men if you will. -Anyway back to Peter -Turns in his thesis, graduates ESU. Strength of his thesis is what convinces Otto to have Peter also come into work with him in the Brand New Octavius Industries. -Norman is content to just play the Mayor and let Fisk be as Spidey and Yuri gather more and more evidence.

POST-GRAD / INSOMNIAC’S SPIDEY STUFF -Events of the game happen broadly the same -Fisk is taken down, Mister Negative enters the scene, Devil’s Breath Incident happens and Spidey gets his ass thoroughly kicked by Sable, etc. etc. -Otto turns into Ock. -Ock facilitates the Vault Breakdown (MCU got a Raft up and running and it ain’t in NYC sooo, Vault it is) and forms the Sinister Six. -However instead of Vulture being part of the Sinister Six, it’s Kraven. She’s back for a proper rematch. -Unless plotted, May does not die from exposure to the virus, she just gets really messed up and hospitalized, but she gets cured later. -Events of the DLC happen largely as shown as well, Hammerhead techs himself up, Yuri goes Wraith, Sable kicks Spidey’s ass again but also grows a Heart. Aw. -Osborn resigns in disgrace, but as luck would have it, Fisk and Li’s arrest leaves a nice Goblin-shaped hole in the criminal underworld for Gosborn to fill. -Norman discovers Harry’s ‘cure’ is sorta sentient.

WILL GORMAN GOSBORN FINALLY FACE OFF WITH SPIDER MAN? WILL SPIDEY LEARN THE REAL MASTERMIND BEHIND EVERYTHING? WILL HARRY GET GOOPED? WILL PETER FINALLY DISCOVER WHY KIDS LOVE THE TASTE OF CAP’N CRUNCH?

ALL THAT AND MORE, NEXT TIME ON, THE SPECTACULAR ADVENTURES OF THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN!

[shipersanonymous]

Au

A West-Allen AU 💜

Worth more than gold

Iris West is a multi billionaire and heiress who’s emotionally scarring childhood has made her shut herself off to all possible emotional relationships. Her life takes an interesting turn when her adoptive grandfather passes away leaving her in charge of his fortune, including a share of S. T. A. R. Labs. While in Central City, she meets Barry Allen, an innocent and charmingly clumsy kind of guy with a high EQ who’s trying to climb his way up the science social ladder to become a recognized scientist. Can you guess his lab of choice?

Your average, every day, girl meets boy kinda story with a rags to riches twist, a dash of family drama, lots of angst and a love worth more than Au.

…………………………………………………………........

Author’s Note: 

Here we are! 

Au is finally making it’s way onto tumblr! I’m so excited! I’m gonna try to get tumblr updated by this week, so we’re all on the same schedule! Let’s do this!

XOXO

...................................................................................

WARNING : MAY CONTAIN CONTENT NOT SUITABLE FOR READERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18

*********** Cliffhanger Warning ***********

Chapter 1

Her hand rested on the cool glass of the floor to ceiling window as she overlooked the nightly view offered by her million dollar apartment. The sky was clear, not a single cloud concealed the sparkle of the stars that were dimmed only by the ever present Parisian city lights. The moon was full and white, its iridescent light bathed her naked body creating a picture out of shadows on her bare skin. Iris took a sip from her glass, the semi-sweet wine burning her tongue with a pleasant ardour before she swallowed and it heated her body from the inside out. Her latest boy toy came up from behind her, his body just as bare as hers, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He proceeded to leave a trail of kisses down her neck, savouring in the feel of her warm chocolaty skin against his lips and she simply took another sip of her drink, completely unfazed.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered on to her shoulders but she seemed unmoved by the compliment. With her stare trained on the city-scape bellow she simply said,

“It’s getting late.” Eddie knew what that meant, it was time for him to leave. It didn’t surprise him but even after months of this back and forth ritual between them it still hurt him to know that to her he was nothing more than a sex toy. He quietly moved away from her and made his way up the stairs to get dressed. As always he didn’t bother saying goodbye, he couldn’t say goodbye, not to her. She was like a drug to him, no matter how much she hurt him he’d always come running back when she called. That’s why he couldn’t say goodbye, he wasn’t done with her yet.

Iris waited until she heard the door close to let her guard down. She didn’t do that often but today she made an exception. She had too much on her mind to keep her walls up. With a partially full bottle of red in one hand and her glass in the other she made her way up to her suite. She showered, washing away the tension from her stressed muscles along with the sweat of her late night activities. Wrapped in nothing but a satin robe, she settled down in her bed and drank her way through half the bottle without so much as a minor buzz. She opened her side table drawer and from it took out a black, rectangular picture frame. Her fingers caressed the glass that held a picture of a younger less, damaged version of her, standing next to a kind faced older man. Grandpa West. The only reason why there’s still any shred of humanity left in her. She smiled, as happy memories played out in her mind and this time she didn’t stop the tears from flowing.

This was her one moment of vulnerability. The only minute of grief she would allow herself to have before she withdrew back into her safety shell and locked away her emotions from the world. This world that had chewed her up and spat her out on countless occasions and now it took away the one person that made her life livable.

Elvis West was a type of hero to her. He saved her from the crippling grasp of the foster system she was under and gave her a life fit for a princess. Now, like everything and everyone else in her life, he was gone. No wonder she didn’t open up to the possibility of new relationships. Her father didn’t want her, her mother died giving birth to her and every foster family she went to, succeeded in making her feel less than human. Grandpa West was the last person she ever showed genuine affection towards and nothing on Earth could ever make her open up again. Love wasn’t worth the pain it caused.

She fell asleep with that picture held tight against her chest, the empty bottle of wine rested on the nightstand and her pillow was bathed in her tears. The next morning she took the family jet to Central City for the memorial. The man was sentimental and his birth town held a special place in his heart. As she looked out the window at the tiny town below she remembered the countless stories he’d shared with her at bed time about how he met his one true love. Grandma Esther. Iris didn’t get to know her all that much. She had recently passed away when Grandpa West took her in so the only impression she had of the woman came from the many tales he’d tell. He spoke fondly of her and when he did she noticed that he’s eyes had a certain quality about them as he stared into oblivion completely lost in thought. As a girl she’d dreamed that she’d find someone who would look at her with those same eyes but time and knowledge wiped away that childish fantasy. True love was just a myth that man kind made up to silence their fear of being alone and make they’re animal like desires less shameful. It was an excuse used to answer the existential crisis of the more gullible who believed that a cerebral chemical reaction was good enough a reason to live. Pathetic.

She’d made her peace with it and found a new reason to live. Pleasure. Whether it lie at the bottom of a six thousand dollar bottle of champagne, at the end of the endless zero’s in her checks or a really good night of sex, she would have it and no one could convince her otherwise. No one could tell her that this wasn’t the way to live life. The only person who’s opinion she cared about was currently six feet under ground. The rest of the world was just a stage and she was the director.

The jet landed and she took a minute to touch up her make up before she cat walked her way out. As soon as she entered the airport she was showered with a billion flash lights. You’d think she was a movie star or big shot music sensation but all she was, was rich. She owned shares to five of the worlds most prominent media outlets varying from magazines to newspapers and that doesn’t count the old money she was raised in.

Linda walked up behind her and huffed under her breath.

“Mon Dieu (My goodness).” she exclaimed frustrated.

  “Que s'est-il passé? (What happened)” Iris questioned with her shaded eyes still trained straight ahead. Linda was the closest thing to a friend Iris would allow herself to have, mostly because she was a good assistant and Iris found herself enjoying her company. 

“Nous sommes entourés d'idiots. (We’re surrounded by idiots)” she explained and Iris let out an amused chuckle. Remembering that she needed to ease her tongue back into the English language she responded,

“That I already knew.” Her accent was still pronounced but she knew after an hour or two it would soon fade. She might have been raised and educated in France but she was brought up by Americans so english was more like second nature than it was a second language to her.

“What do I have to do today?” she asked, her step never faltering and her face never turning to acknowledge the curios glares. Her security detail walked a safe distance ahead, already accustomed to her need for personal space and fast walking pace.

“Uh…d'abord (firstly)-”

“En anglais Linda. In English.” she interrupted. 

“Oui, I mean yes. Sorry. Firstly you have the will reading with Monsieur Wells and then a share holders meeting at some sort of laboratory.” Linda listed out, her accent much more noticeable than that of her employer. 

“Great, just what I needed today. A sit down with a bunch of old mouth breathers who think they know about science because they invested in a laboratory.” It was all she could do not to slap her own forehead in exasperation. Not that she knew much about science herself but S. T. A. R. Labs wasn’t her baby, it was her grandfather’s and being his only heir, with his passing it automatically became hers.

The limo was waiting outside for her surrounded by reporters and a growing crowd all waiting to catch a glimpse of her. To the public and the press she was basically anonymous. They knew her face and envied her net worth but they couldn’t pin a single rumor on her. As scandalous as the life she led might have been Iris West knew how to be discreet and the mystery surrounding her life is the very reason why she wasn’t just another person apart of the wealthy minority.

She stepped inside the lavish auto mobile without so much as a wave in the on-lookers direction and as soon as the doors were closed she drove off with her security detail riding in a black Land Rover behind her. 

“Why on earth do we need a will reading exactly? I mean my grandfather had no one but me to leave his estate to and I’ve already taken care of all the charity’s he was associated with." 

She’d spoken to all the parties concerned and guaranteed that all her grandfathers monthly and yearly donations would remain on schedule despite his untimely departure. She was an anti-social socialite not an emotionless bitch.

  "I don’t understand the logic behind it either but Dr Wells insisted that you attend." 

Iris huffed out a frustrated breath and massaged her temple’s with her thumb and middle finger. 

"I’m gonna need a pain killer.”

They made a brief stop at the towering black gates and once an armed guard confirmed the identities of all the people in both vehicles they were let through. They drove through the perfectly groomed garden, that was split in the middle by a cobblestone drive way, and pulled up to a gigantic structure. It was a massive building, with just enough floor to ceiling windows to allow for the right amount of privacy. She stepped through the door and made her way up the stair case. 

“Where are you going?” Linda asked, her voice alert. 

“Les toilettes (the restroom). I need a bath.” she answered taking a short turn to the right and climbing up the remainder of the way. 

“But Monsieur Wells will be here any minute.”

“And I pay him handsomely for his time. He can wait." 

Iris shut the doors to her suite and took a moment to breathe before she walked to the bathroom and striped off her travel clothes. Her bath was already waiting for her (the servants knew the drill, they kept track of her whereabouts because as soon as she stepped through those doors she needed to have her bath). She stepped into the scalding hot water, the steam rose all around her in twirling wisps carrying with it the unmistakable smell of coconut. Coconut oil did wonders for her skin. She sank into it up to her neck and closed her eyes completely allowing her body to relax.

Her moment of bliss was short lived, however, because a few minutes later a knock came at her door. She cursed under  her breath before she told the person to enter. 

"Mademoiselle West? Monsieur Wells is here,” came Linda’s voice from the room. 

“I’ll be down in a minute,” she huffed out and waited for the sound of the door closing before she sank deeper into the tub, not worried that her hair was getting wet. She resurfaced and elevated her body from the bath tub. Without bothering to towel down she wrapped her self into a satin black robe that was decorated with yellow, orange and green flowers at the hems. The fabric stuck to her bare, moist body and her hair left droplets of water in her wake as she exited her room, making her way downstairs. 

She found Wells seated in the office with a small cup of coffee in his hands. He stood when he noticed her at the door, ever the gentleman. 

“Ms West. Always a pleasure.” he greeted and she walked into the room, slapping on her most convincing (yet neutral) smile. 

“Wells. Wish I could say the same but unfortunately the sentiment is not shared.”

She took the seat behind the desk and leaned back into it, crossing her legs and arms in the process. 

“Can we speed up the process?” she asked looking far from amused. “Unfortunately not,” he said. 

That response was not what she wanted to hear and after the night she had and the long flight Iris found herself losing her composure. 

“And why the hell not?” she demanded. 

“Because we’re waiting for someone.” Wells answered, loosening his tie as his discomfort grew. 

“Who?” Iris asked confused, as far as she  was aware she was her grandfather’s only heir. She didn’t have to wait long for an explanation because seconds after she uttered the question the door bell rang. 

“I believe that’s him right now.” Wells said standing up to greet the mystery guest. Iris followed suit, her confusion clear on her face. 

“Him? Him who?” she asked and the new comer stepped into the room. 

“Me.” he said. He was a tall, dark skinned man that looked like he was 

somewhere in his late forties. Iris gave him a once over before she folded her arms across her chest and shot him a suspicious look. 

“And you are?” She sassed out. 

“Joe West. I’m Elvis’s son.”

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[lindoig5]

Monday 9 March  Day 32    Home Sweet Home

We were up before the alarm woke us and basically just dressed and walked out the door with our baggage (that we had packed the night before).  We trekked across the carpark again to the Air New Zealand counter (fully automated check-in and baggage routine) and were through Immigration and Customs in no time. The more we travel, the more I realise that other countries do airports at least a dozen times better than the offensive nightmare that is Australia!

I finished reading another book on the plane and then wrote a bit for this blog and then we were tracking across Phillip Island on the way to Tullamarine. Immigration was confusing but perhaps not quite as painful as normal then it was baggage collection – with constant PA broadcasts advising us that the baggage carousel for our flight was experiencing technical issues and would be fixed in 5 minutes, then another 5 minutes, then another 5 minutes….. Eventually our second case arrived on a different carousel and we headed for Customs.  The queue was hundreds of metres long but moved surprisingly well. We had declared a few things, mainly about being in wilderness areas, but they just asked Heather if her shoes were clean and waved us both through.

Back in Australia again to the welcoming sight of our smiling limo driver Nick who had been cooling his heels for about an hour.  Our wonderful travel agent Bev from Travelmanagers arranged for Nick to take us to and from the airport as a bonus – thank you Bev, it was wonderful and Nick is great.  He just takes control of our bags and all and we ride home in luxury.

We were home in our own little pad by about 10am and had the kettle on for a cuppa before doing anything.  We had completed a journey of 9280 kilometres by ship and perhaps 100 or so by zodiac.  We flew 5278 kilometres and travelled close to 400 on land - more than 15,000km all up!  After that, I figured we deserved a cuppa!

We were in no hurry to unpack but did it slowly over a few days and we dealt with the surprisingly small accumulation of mail and of course email pretty easily.  Then the coronavirus turned the world upside down and chaos descended – in my view, largely unnecessarily.

A few impressions    It is very hard to condense almost 5 weeks’ experience into a few sentences, but there were a few aspects or blocks of time that warrant some comment.

One BIG highlight was walking on a new continent – and of course, setting foot on remote Antarctica in places where so few people have been, is a bigger deal than walking almost anywhere else on earth.  I have often wondered if it is still possible to place one’s foot on any part of the earth that has not been trodden on before. I doubt if this happened in Antarctica, but I had a sense that tramping around on Enderby Island may just feasibly have made this possible – mainly because it had no history of an indigenous population and the farming that did occur there was relatively less invasive - so a few square inches may never have previously experienced the tread of a human foot.  Who knows, but I have often thought about it and this gave me a buzz.

The scenery was unique, wild and rugged and so much in monochrome – black rocks and white snow.  Obviously, there was the sky and the sea and the islands, but there was stark beauty, high drama and awe-inspiring majesty every day unmatched anywhere else.

Having said that, the magnitude of the huge frozen continent and our uninterrupted day-after-day traversing of the furious but featureless sea was also awe-inspiring (despite a touch of sea-sickness).  Who could imagine a hidden continent more than twice the size of Australia, a sea that goes on forever (and ever), ice-blocks the size of France, giant whales displaying just for us, the number and variety of birds and mammals, but no visible fish, reptiles, even insects (except on one island), vast tracts of land with not a leaf, a blade of grass or other plant?  So much seemed alien even when we were immersed in it.

I loved the birds (of course) with the albatrosses and snow petrels perhaps being my favourites.  Ten or eleven species of Penguin – I still need to do a little more work on my list, but I think I saw at least 96 different species altogether, close to 40 of which I had not seen before.  [PS:  Have just finished my analysis and note that the exact figures should have been.....  Total species seen = 123 – 28 in Australia (Macquarie Island or nearby waters) and 95 in NZ.  (I saw some in both areas).  These include 26 new additions (species not previously seen) to my Australian list and 50 for my NZ list.

The expedition focussed heavily on the historical side of the region, specifically the huts built by the explorers in the Heroic Age of Exploration that concluded a shade more than a century ago. I expected a much stronger focus on the wildlife (fauna AND flora), but in retrospect, the range of possible sightings was very restricted for about half the voyage and there was very little opportunity to see a lot of flora,   so perhaps I am being unfair.  I am delighted that so much of the continent and the Sub-Antarctic Islands are free (or have been freed - thank you New Zealand) of feral species and are being vigorously protected against future invasion as far as possible.

The huts are exceptional relics of (relatively) recent history in a tangible form so I am glad they are being preserved in their pristine condition.  They are much bigger and more substantial than my previous reading suggested, but having seen them, I appreciate that they probably needed to be something close to this given the elements, the privation and the potential to be marooned there over winter or longer. And retaining them exactly as they were when the early explorers closed the door behind themselves gives them an immediacy and authenticity that is unique in other historical monuments – as if one of the original inhabitants could meet you there and discuss the problems he had endured and the challenges he had overcome that very day.

The long days at sea and the fury of the elements should have been expected but were a bit wilder than I anticipated, but taken as a whole, the experience was unique and given the opportunity, I would do it all again, albeit perhaps with some minor modifications in terms of preparation and expectations.

Epilogue    Unless something compelling arises, this is the end of this blog.  But I expect there will be another - lindoig6.tumblr.com in all probability, starting in the middle of May and continuing our caravan exploration of Australia’s outback, ticking off a few more isolated stock routes and iconic dirt roads.  I will send you an invitation to follow those adventures too in due course.

[europeanguy]

Gotta Gogh [Part 5.2: From Cordonia]

Pairing: Nadia x Maxwell

Words: 2.3k

Tags/Warnings: Canon Divergence, Crossovers, time skips and POV changes, cheesy lines and a sprinkle of angst… maybe

Your brother is the Duke, he manages the duchy of Ramsford and the estate, he has people relying on him and people who trust him, he makes sure that House Beaumonts’ legacy doesn’t go up in flames – where do you fit in?

Where do I fit in?

The limo hits some bumps in the road, and Maxwell hits his head on something weirdly shaped. He comes to a few seconds later, realizing he’s been dozing off on his brother’s shoulder. Bertrand isn’t too fussed, he’s too busy reading something on his iPad. How Bertrand could read in a moving vehicle, he will never understand. He switches it off, uttering something about ‘needing coffee and do you want some?’. But Maxwell knows that his older brother is just being gentle on him, too gentle that it makes his mind race thinking about the worst possible case scenarios. Could all of Ramsford have burned down? Did anyone they know die? Did he get somebody pregnant?

Or maybe it’s just because Bertrand had found him with semi-wet clothes and damp, red, eyes – this sad, sad being that entered through the doors of their house in the capital.

Maxwell shakes his head no to the coffee, then shoves a hand in his pocket to make sure its still there. He traces its rounded edges, feeling its carvings press indents into his skin. And it’s a little bit comforting. He takes it out and looks at this cartoony miniature of the Eiffel Tower, bronze, with “Paris” written across the length of it in big bold words.

He and Nadia had laughed at the tackiness of it all. And yet they wore matching t-shirts proudly saying “Bonjour!”.

So, she bought one of the pocket-sized Eiffel Towers when he wasn’t looking.

Maxwell rolls his shoulders and straightens up, getting stiff in the seats. Bertrand preferred the limo when traveling to Ramsford because of that much needed leg-room, but the carpets and the plush seats made Maxwell feel like the air is being crushed out of the space. Bertrand clears his throat and scoots near the mini-fridge, looking for the cold-brew cans they kept stocked in there with the champagne.

They weren’t going to talk about it.

It must be dragging close to 10 am by now since they left at dawn, and Nadia’s probably already in New York. He can sleep away the rest of the day, judging by how nicely Bertrand has been treating him.

The thing is, Nadia knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t keep his promise. And so Maxwell found out through the other students living on her floor – Nadia left the day before. Her door was unlocked, the room left empty except for the furniture that came with it. And then he found it, the mini Eiffel Tower miniature, on the bed. He didn’t know if he wanted to cry or laugh as he picked it up. Nadia knew he thought the touristy trinkets were ugly.

What Maxwell realized in Paris is that he’s kind of really fucked. That Nadia is extraordinary, and he loves her.

“We’re almost here.” Bertrand says, sipping his coffee. He grimaces lightly, no wonder in need of a real cup soon. Maxwell nods, knowing that it’s a prompt for him to fix himself before meeting with the main house’s staff.

The limo turns down the road that leads to the vast manor he grew up in. The driveway is long and lined with trees, much like the main palace. He has time to brush back his hair – still feeling weird about its shortness – straighten his clothes, and rub the sleep away from his eyes.

After exchanging a polite welcome with the main house staff, Maxwell has disappeared off to his room in no time – and without any complaints from Bertrand at all, who simply asked him to be present at dinner at six. He tosses off his jacket and toes off his shoes, throwing himself on the bed face-down. His mother would always scold him about wearing outside clothes to bed. Maxwell squeezes his eyes shut, waiting for sleep to come – but it doesn’t.

Nadia never did say anything about not calling.

-

Nadia taps the metal ferrule of her brush repeatedly against the paint thinner can’s brim, shaking off the excess. She’s not sure how much time she’s sat there staring at the painting that never seems to be finished.

Back in New York, and she’s literally watching paint dry.

Sighing, she takes the brush again and scrapes it on the drying blob of blue paint, hardly picking up any pigment at first but eventually it gives and seeps through the strands, bright and blue. Blue.

Stop. Have a break. Nadia decides to leave the brush on the container beside the easel and stands up, feeling the strain on her back and her legs as she stretches. Quickly, Nadia opens her window to let the paint and thinner fumes out – she always forgets to, which is why she’s convinced that someday she would inhale too much and just drop dead. Then she cleans up all the candy wrappers (Gran will find out soon enough that she ate all the decorations for the gingerbread house), turns off the lights, and finally collapses on her bed, limbs splayed out – and she sighs, letting her eyes close.

It’s illogical how she hasn’t been able to sleep yet after spending a long-haul flight watching all the romcom movies available and crying. Crying is exhausting. Turns out dramatic airport goodbyes were just for movie screens – and thank god for that. A sharp pang of guilt shoots through her for lying to Maxwell. But he’s stubborn, and Nadia knew he would still try to see her off anyway.

She rolls over and sniffs the soothing smell of fresh sheets, the same old brand of detergent that her grandma always used. Their grandparents’ apartment in New York is small, but it had just enough space for the four of them for when she and Kai visited over the break. It had a small balcony for an herb garden that only their Grandpa cared for. From outside, the light pollution of the city gives casts a bluish glow in tall shadows across her room. It’s closing in on five in the morning, the sunrise late in mid-December but she can see the faint colors of dawn starting to show in the sky.

Her phone rings underneath a pillow somewhere, its muffled sounds making her heart race the longer she leaves it. Her restraint snaps, and she jumps off her bed to rummage through her room for the damned phone. Finally, she finds it underneath an orange throw pillow. She tosses the pillow away and reads the caller ID.

-

You’re not being silly, Maxwell. All this pressure and expectations, they’re insane and being compared to your brother must hurt.

Maxwell picks at his cufflinks – gold with a monogrammed MB. Bertrand hadn’t mentioned that the six pm dinner would be with a fund manager, an estate agent, and the way too slick and smart Chief of Staff; essentially Bertrand’s right-hand man and the one he would sort of replace in the near future. He wouldn’t be taken off the payroll, of course, but he had always been critical of Maxwell and his lack of involvement in estate issues. They all formally wait in line to shake hands with the Duke and his brother.

But I know your brother loves you, and he’s proud of you and all of your achievements.

It still scares Maxwell how charming his brother could be. He lags behind Bertrand and watches him exchange fond greetings with their company. Bertrand turns towards Maxwell and beckons him towards them. His heart swells when Bertrand pats his back reassuringly as he shakes their hands.

He fits here. Right?

I know what it’s like to not feel accepted or competent – but Maxwell, this is your purpose.

Maxwell doesn’t try to dazzle them with whatever he learned that semester, it would be fruitless since these people have been doing this long enough to differentiate the fluff from substance. Instead he sits quietly for once, listening and trying to absorb as much as he could – to no avail. All he can think of was that call.

You’re amazing, intelligent, and caring, and you deserve much more praise. Your brother understands this more than anyone.

You’re starting to sound like my mother and it’s scaring me.

Why do you always joke?

But she laughed. Her laugh sounded like music to his ears, even though it was in bad quality, crackling audio over a phone. Maxwell is broken out of his trance when the first course is served. Bertrand could tell he’s still completely distracted – although thankfully not as miserable as when he had found him.

I can’t handle it, it’s getting too emotional. He reaches into his pocket again to feel the little Eiffel Tower. I didn’t know how I was supposed to let you go.

That’s why I made that decision for you.

Bertrand and the others launch into a deep conversation about estate issues. Maxwell picks at his food, focusing more on the sound of the clatter of silverware against china. Has it really been one whole semester?

Yeah. It was way too quick. I used to wonder a lot if coming to Cordonia was some huge mistake. Since, you know, I didn’t exactly fit in,

He’s not entirely sure that he fits in here too. He tries, he really does. And he wants to help Bertrand who seemed like he aged ten years from all the stress of being a duke.

But Maxwell liked to think of him and Nadia as pieces of the puzzle that come from two different boxes. They had somehow found each other and clicked perfectly. It’s nonsensical, but it happened. It’s where he fits in.

Then I met you and all that went out the window. I was right where I was supposed to be.

Maxwell keeps replaying that part in his head. He took a moment to answer, willed the seconds to slow down.

He remembered everything, it pressed at him, insistent and waiting.

I love you, Nadia.

Nadia yawned softly on the other line, and then all he could hear after that was her faint breathing. Maxwell is brought back to the present, and he closes his eyes to imagine her face under the soft yellow glow of the streetlamps in Paris – wondering what if.

End

.

.

.

.

EPILOGUE

Maxwell steps outside the limo in some street that he vaguely remembers – he could only hope it’s the right one. He tells his driver to come back in a while and smooths down his black button-down shirt, the begins to walk up the strangely quiet street. Well, relatively quiet compared to the rest of New York.

He needed this peace after what just happened, waking up with his mouth feeling like it was stuffed with cotton and a pounding headache. As the one morning person in the group, of course he’s the first to wake up – even though it’s already way past the afternoon. The boys back at their suite sleepily complained about all the noise he made while in the shower.

Ha! “Noise”. Excuse you, I was singing.

After Liam disappeared with the waitress, the rest of the boys decided to fuck off and blow some cash away at the nearest high-end club they could find. He doesn’t remember how they ended up at some rooftop party full of hipsters and catching wind of a familiar name in their conversations. Some rising star in the art world. An art show in Brooklyn. Here’s the address.

-

“Nadia! Hey!”

Nadia turns and spots her cousin, Kai, among the crowd. She quickly excuses herself to pass through all the people – it’s still crazy to think about just how much her work blew up.

“You made it!” She envelops Kai in a tight hug, and holds her at arm’s length. “So? What do you think?”

Kai scans the room with an appreciative look on her face. “Are you kidding? This is insane. I’m so proud of you.”

“Not the show!” Nadia gestures at herself. “Do I look okay?”

Kai laughs. “You look like an artist with a popping art show and not to mention a fat bank account after all this.”

“What?”

“She’s saying you look fine and that we promise to step in once you start unironically wearing… berets.” Damien suddenly claps a reassuring hand on Nadia’s shoulder, holding a drink on the other. His wrinkles his nose at someone who passes by wearing a bejeweled beret.

“You’re so judgmental!” Kai stifles a laugh with her hand.

Damien shrugs and takes a gulp from his drink. “So, who do I have to beat up this time?”

“Ugh, stop it.” Nadia rolls her eyes, but smiles fondly at Damien’s over-protectiveness. “His name is Steve and you guys have to promise me that you’ll be nice.”

Kai nods. “That’s mostly directed towards you, Damien.”

“I’ll be nice, alright.” Damien frowns. “I’m just saying- it’s weird that he’s an investment banker who also happens to be a baker, volunteers at animal shelters, and his name is Steve.”

“What do you have against Steves?” Nadia laughs.

“Yeah! Steves are generally nicer than Damiens!” Kai shares a conspiratorial smile with Nadia.

Damien downs the rest of his drink. “I didn’t ask to be ganged up on like this.”

Nadia’s phone rings and her whole face lights up. “Uh oh, I think he’s outside but he’s not sure which one it is.”

Kai shoots Damien a be nice glare as Nadia excuses herself to go to the entrance. Her heart pounds with excitement as she walks. A cold gust of wind greets her as she pushes open the door, and comes face to face with – Maxwell Beaumont.

She feels like all the air has been knocked out of her lungs as Maxwell looks back at her, shocked.

“…hi.”

FACTS THAT ARE DECIDEDLY NOT FUN BECAUSE THESE ARE JUST DISGUISED AUTHOR’S NOTES also I am sad

-        So it ended! FINALLY!

-        No joke it was so difficult to end this series despite it only having a few chapters. It went through rewrites upon rewrites and even me deleting a WHOLE alternate ending wherein Nadia doesn’t leave early.

-        They don’t end up together in both endings but I have greatly considered just throwing all my plans out the window and have Maxwell follow Nadia to New York. Ah… now wouldn’t that be nice.

-        Nadia literally slept on Maxwell lolol get it

-        If anyone would want to see the draft of the alternate ending I can drop you the google docs link.

-        The epilogue happens on the first chapter of both books where they’re BOTH in New York; Nadia has her art exhibit, and the TRR boys are at the “bachelor” party. Again, I changed what happened in each bc… I can.

 -        Big thanks to @pixieferry who motivated me endlessly to write and her unwavering support, and to @littlecrookedheart for basically greasing the stuck gears (this is a weird phrase) in my brain that finally got me to writing this ending, I appreciate all her help (even the kill someone and Andy cameo suggestions)

- Thank you also to everyone who stuck by this story. I’m so so so happy that I finished it, and I’m so grateful for your patience. This is the first and last fic I will post on this account because I made a separate blog for fics (that’s pretty empty as of now).

tag list: @littlecrookedheart, @femmeshep, @brightpinkpeppercorn, @zaffrenotes, @teamtomsato, @pixieferry

[bechloeislegit]

25 Days of BeChloe Christmases

DAY 11 - THE TERMINAL

Prompt from FanFiction User Hetwaszoietsals: stranded at an airport at Christmas and meeting each other there (Chloe as fangirl being very nervous meeting Beca?)

"Thank you, New York," Beca Mitchell yelled out as she ran off the stage. She went straight to her manager and best friend, Stacie.

"This is ridiculous," Beca said as soon as she was within earshot of Stacie. "Three encores? I get it, they love me, they love my music. But now I have to rush to get to the airport if I expect to make my flight to Atlanta."

"You have time," Stacie said calmly.

"I can't miss seeing Anna," Beca said. "She only comes home every three or four years, and my dad will kill me if I don't make it to see her. Apparently, she has some big news." Beca sighed and looked at Stacie. "I told you agreeing to a Christmas Eve concert was a bad idea."

"It was for charity," Stacie said. "And you agreed to it without any input on my part."

"Whatever," Beca said. "Let's go. I'll change in the limo."

Beca grabbed her stuff and hurried out the door. Stacie was right by her side as they made their way to the back exit. Beca threw open the door and stepped outside.

"Shit!"

"Oh, no," Stacie said coming out right behind Beca. "This looks kind of bad, Becs."

They stood there looking out over the back parking area to see nothing but snow all around. On the ground, on the trees, on the streetlights, and more falling from the sky.

"Let's just go to the airport anyway," Beca said. "Maybe we'll get lucky, and our plane will leave as scheduled. It's New York, for Christ's sake. They're used to this kind of weather."

Stacie wasn't as sure as Beca but decided to do as Beca said and told the driver they were going to the airport.

~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~

"Dammit!" Beca pushed away from the counter and walked over to Stacie. She ran a hand through her hair. "All flights are canceled until maybe sometime tomorrow." Beca looked around the terminal before focusing back on Stacie. "What about a jet? Can we rent one of those here?"

"Beca," Stacie said calmly. "What part of all flights are canceled are you not understanding. ALL flights would include private jets as well. We'll just have to make the best of it and wait it out. Let's get comfortable because it looks like we're spending the night at the airport."

"This is just fucking great," Beca spit out. "Can we at least wait in the VIP lounge?"

"Yes," Stacie said and grabbed her bag as she headed in the direction of the VIP area.

Beca grabbed her bag and followed behind Stacie.

"Excuse me, Miss Mitchell," a voice said causing Beca to stop.

"What is it, kid?"

"Co-could I get your autograph?"

Beca looked down to see a young girl who looked about ten staring at her. Beca sighed and took the photo the girl had and signed it.

"Merry Christmas," Beca said as she handed it back to the girl. She walked away without another word.

"You could have been nicer," Stacie chastised. "It wouldn't kill you. They're your fans. They're the reason you have a mansion in L.A., four cars in the garage, and millions in the bank. At least try to act like you're grateful to them."

"I work my ass off for them," Beca shot back. "If they don't like my attitude, tell them to save their money."

Stacie shook her head as she followed Beca into the VIP lounge and found seats.

"I'm sorry," Beca said. "I'm tired, and I am not looking forward to how disappointed in me my dad will be yet again. Especially, since I'm ruining his dear, sweet Anna's Christmas."

~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~

"I'm bored," Beca said as she sat fidgeting in her seat.

"It's only been an hour," Stacie said. "How are you going to manage to make it through until tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Beca said standing. "I'm going for a walk."

"Be careful and watch what you do," Stacie said. "You know the paparazzi are all over the place. And being snowed in with them is not a good thing."

"Best behavior," Beca said crossing her heart and holding up her hand as if pledging. "Promise."

Beca smirked at Stacie as she threw on a baseball cap and pulled the hood of her hoodie up over her head as went out the door.

"That smirk does not make me believe you," Stacie said as Beca quickly exited the VIP lounge.

Beca hadn't taken more than two steps when she heard someone yell "Look out!" just before she was knocked off her feet.

"Son of a Bitch!" Beca hit the floor and had the wind knocked out of her.

"Oh, my gosh," a voice said to a rather dazed Beca. "Are you okay? Can you breathe? Somebody stop Amy right now!"

Stacie heard Beca yell and hurried out of the room. Stacie came out to find Beca laying flat on her back and a redhead kneeling next to her. "What the hell happened?"

"I'm so, so sorry," the redhead said. "Do you know this person? Fat Amy knocked her over while she was running away from us."

"Who the fuck is Fat Amy?" Beca took a deep breath and felt like she was breathing normally.

"B, are you okay?" Stacie knelt next to the brunette.

"Um, yeah, I think so," Beca said trying to sit up.

Stacie and the redhead grabbed an arm and helped Beca stand. "I'm so, so sorry."

"So, you've said," Beca said and finally looked at the girl. Her breath hitched, and she stared at the redhead. "Wow! I think you just took my breath away again."

The redhead blushed and turned when she heard several girls yelling, "Fat Amy! Stop!"

"I'm sorry," the redhead said rushing away.

Stacie watched the girl leave and looked at Beca. "Who was that?"

"An angel," Beca said still mesmerized by the redhead.

"Did you hit your head?"

~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~ ~25 Days~

"I swear, Stacie," Beca said. "It was like I was looking into the face of an angel."

"I know, Beca," Stacie said. "That's all you've been talking about for the last hour."

"I'm going to get some coffee," Beca said.

"I'm going with you," Stacie said. "To make sure no one knocks you down again."

Stacie holds Beca back at the door and looks all around before allowing her to step outside. Beca just laughs and starts walking in the direction where she hopes she'll find a decent cup of coffee.

"There's a Starbucks," Stacie pointed out.

"It'll have to do," Beca said as she headed that way.

They got their coffee and were making their way back to the VIP lounge when Beca heard singing coming from farther down the terminal. Beca followed the sound and saw a crowd gathered around a group of girls singing.

Beca pushed her way toward the front, and her eyes widened in surprise when the group was doing an acapella version of Oh, Holy Night.

"Hold this," Beca told Stacie as she thrust her coffee at her.

Beca hurried behind the crowd and circled her way around, so she was behind the girls at the piano. The song concluded, and the crowd clapped and cheered.

"What's the next song?," Beca asked the blonde standing closest to the piano.

"What?"

"I would like to sing with you," Beca said. "But I want to hear it with a piano. So, I'll sing whatever you want and play the piano, but you'll have to tell me what you're going to sing."

The girl smiled and said, "All I Want For Christmas Is You!"

"Of course, you'd pick that song," Beca said with a laugh. "I'm ready when they are."

The girl nodded and looked toward the group and said they had someone who wanted to sing with them and also play the piano for them. The girls all nodded, and Beca started playing. She heard the most beautiful voice start singing. She stood at the piano and joined in making all heads turn toward her. She saw that the redhead was looking at her and had stopped singing. Beca kept on, and the other girls joined in with "instruments." Beca was blown away at how good they sounded.

The redhead joined in again, and she and Beca complimented each other very well. Beca looked through the crowd and caught Stacie's eye. She could tell Stacie was as enthralled as Beca by this girl's voice. Beca continued to play and sing a duet with the redhead.

The song was over, and the girls thanked everyone for listening. Beca stood and looked at the girls trying to get the attention of the redhead. The girls all gathered around her and were congratulating her on how good it sounded. She lost sight of the redhead; she pulled her hood and cap off when she ran a hand through her hair.

"Chloe, you two sounded really good together," Aubrey gushed. "Everyone loved it."

"Oh, my God, Brey," Chloe said. "That's, that's, that's. She was playing the piano. Why was she playing the piano and singing with us."

"Oh, yeah," Aubrey said. "She came up and said she wanted to sing with us and add in the piano. I didn't think anyone would mind. Turns out she had a better voice than I thought she would."

"Brey!" Chloe was trying not to yell. "That's Beca Mitchell! Beca Mitchell just accompanied us on the piano."

"That is definitely Beca Mitchell," CR said looking over at the piano to see Beca talking to Stacie. "She's pretty chill. Her and the leggy one are really hot, too."

"Put it way, tiger," Aubrey said with a laugh. "Let's go over and thank her."

"What? No," Chloe said looking between Aubrey and Beca. "We can't just walk over there and talk to her. She's Beca Mitchell."

"Maybe you can't," Aubrey said. "But we can. Come on, girls."

Chloe swallowed and ran a hand through her hair and then down her body to straighten her clothes. She then tried to walk nonchalantly over to where the girls were with Beca at the piano.

"Hi," Beca was saying to the girls. "I'm Beca Mitchell, and this is my manager, Stacie Conrad. I have to say that that was amazing." She saw Chloe join them and looked right at her. "You were amazing. Your voice was..amazing."

Chloe blushed as she looked at Beca with wide eyes and mouth slightly parted. "Oh. Um, I. It's. Uh. Hey."

"What my friend is trying to say," Aubrey said, "is thank you."

"Mmm, yeah," Chloe said nodding her head up and down.

"Do you girls sing professionally?" Beca wasn't sure who she should direct her questions, so she found herself looking around at each person in the group. Her eyes widened and narrowed when she saw the heavy-set blonde at the back of the crowd. "You!"

"Um, ehhhhhhhhh," the blonde said and pulled two other girls in front of her. "It wasn't me."

"What the hell, dude," Beca said moving toward the blonde. Stacie grabbed Beca's arm and held her back. "She ran me over and then kept going. That was so not cool."

"I'm Aubrey Posen, and this is Chloe Beale," Aubrey said. "And we apologize for the incident earlier. Amy is, um, how should I put this?"

"Insane? Crazy? A lunatic?"

"Some would say that."

"Hey! I'm standing right here," Amy said.

"But, she's harmless," Aubrey said.

"Tell that to my back," Beca said.

"To answer your initial question," Aubrey said. "Chloe and I are the co-Captains of this group, and no we are not professionals."

"Um, yeah," Beca said. "Well, you all sounded great. Can we sit and talk for a bit? I have a proposition for you."

"Um, okay," Aubrey said. "Lead the way."

Beca and Stacie start walking toward the VIP lounge, and the group followed them.

"Are you thinking what I think you are?," Stacie asked Beca as they walked.

"Dude, they'd be perfect for the songs," Beca said. "Especially the redhead. And the black girl. She had a soulful sound to her voice. They'd be great on vocals. The whole using their mouths to create the sounds of the instruments was so cool."

"Okay, I'll do the spiel," Stacie said. "You just sit there and behave."

"I'm offended by that," Beca said putting a hand to her chest.

"As long as you're the only one offended, we're good," Stacie said.

At the back of the group, Chloe and Aubrey were also talking as they followed the other girls.

"Brey, what are we doing?"

"I want to hear this proposition," Aubrey said. "It has to do with singing because Beca Mitchell was asking if we were professionals."

"You think she wants us to sing with her?" Chloe stopped and looked panic. She grabbed Aubrey by the arm and looked terrified. "You think she wants us to sing with her?"

"I don't know, Chloe," Aubrey said. "That's why we're going to listen to what she has to say."

"But, she's Beca Mitchell," Chloe said. "You know how I feel about her. Her music is so. And, she's sooo. I can't even form a real word around her."

"I'll do the talking," Aubrey said. "You just sit there and look pretty. The way Beca was looking at you, I don't think she'd mind that at all."

Chloe lowered her head and blushed. Beca and Stacie entered the VIP Lounge, and the rest of the girls followed. Beca motioned to the lounge agent that they were with her. Of course, no one questioned it. Beca went to her stuff and grabbed a tote bag and told Stacie she'd be right back.

Chloe and Aubrey were just entering the lounge when Beca was making her way back out.

"Please have a seat," Beca told them. "I'll be right back."

Aubrey continued to join the other girls while Chloe hung back. She was curious, so she followed Beca out of the lounge. She saw Beca approach a young girl of about ten and stood behind a column so she could watch and also hear what was said.

"Hi," Beca said as she sat cross-legged on the floor next to the girl. "You're the little girl that asked for my autograph earlier, aren't you?"

The girl looked at Beca and nodded her head.

"What's your name?"

The little girl looked over her shoulder at a couple who appeared to be her parents. They nodded their heads, and the little girl looked at Beca.

"I'm Sarah."

"Nice to meet you, Sarah," Beca held out her hand, and Sarah shook it. "Do you have a best friend?"

"I have two best friends," Sophie said.

"Two?" Beca pulled three CDs out of her bag. "I'm going to give you something to give them for Christmas. Is that okay?"

Sarah's eyes widened when she saw Beca's picture on the CDs. She smiled and nodded her head.

"Okay," Beca said and pulled out a black Sharpie. "What are their names?"

"Lisa and Melissa," Sarah said.

Beca took the Sharpie and wrote something on all three CDs and handed them to Sarah.

"This is my newest CD," Beca said. "I hope you and your friends like it."

"Wow," is all Sarah could say and showed the CDs to her parents.

"Sarah, I also wanted to say I'm sorry for being kind of mean earlier. I was tired and just found out that my flight was canceled and I wouldn't be home in time to see my sister for Christmas. She lives in London and doesn't come home very often. So, I was upset and took it out on you. I should have been nicer since you were so nice to me. So, I'm really sorry. Do you think you can forgive me?"

Sarah smiled and nodded her head. "Can I give you a hug?"

"I'd love a hug," Beca said and leaned over to hug the young girl.

Chloe's heart melted at the sight. She knew that Beca had a good relationship with her fans. She also knew that she didn't do it just for show; she really cared and did a lot of behind the scenes stuff for charities.

"It's late, and I have a meeting to go to," Beca said as she stood. "I hope to see you in the morning."

"Good night, Beca," Sarah said. Sarah's mother whispered something to her. "And thank you."

"You're welcome," Beca said with a small wave. "Good night."

Chloe had hurried away and went to the VIP lounge. Aubrey looked at her, and all Chloe could do was give her a big smile. Aubrey didn't know what happened while Chloe and Beca were gone, but she knew that look. Chloe Beale was smitten.

Beca came in and apologized. "Just taking care of some other business," Beca said. "Now, has Stacie told you anything yet?"

"Not yet," Stacie said. "We've just been getting to know each other a bit."

Good," Beca said and sat in the only available seat which happened to be next to Chloe. Becas smiled at her as she sat down. "May I ask where you're all headed?"

"Atlanta," Aubrey responded for them all. "We flew to New York for a few days to see a Broadway show that a good friend of ours is in and are heading home to celebrate Christmas together."

"Are you all from Atlanta?," Stacie asked.

"It's kind of where we ended up," Aubrey said. "We all graduated from Barden University, and sort of stayed in the area."

"Are you okay?," Beca whispered to Chloe.

"What? Pfft, I'm fine," Chloe said, and Beca just looked at her. Chloe's shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry. It's just. I'm such a fan, and I love everything about you. I mean about your music."

Chloe blushed, and Beca chuckled. "You're cute." Chloe blushed even more but also smiled.

"I saw what you did with that little girl," Chloe said. "It was very sweet."

"Nobody was supposed to see that," Beca said as she blushed. "She was a sweet kid, and I wasn't very receptive when she asked for an autograph. I felt bad, so I had to make it right."

"I thought it was not only sweet," Chloe said and leaned in to whisper, "but also very, very sexy."

Beca choked on air and looked at Chloe who had an innocent smile on her face. "Something tells me you're going to keep me on my toes."

"And something tells me we're going to be fast friends."

"God, I hope so," Beca said and stared at Chloe.

"Right, Beca?"

Beca continued to stare at Chloe and Chloe continued to stare back at her.

"Beca!"

"What?" Beca looked around to see everyone smiling at her and Chloe. Stacie was watching her with a smirk and a raised brow. "I'm, um, I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I told the girls that since they were all located in or around Atlanta, we could record at a studio there. That way they won't have to worry about traveling anywhere."

"Did they agree to do the songs?," Beca asked leaning forward.

"You want us to record a song with you?," Chloe asked.

"Three songs actually," Beca said. "I need some backup singers on these songs I've been working on for my next album. It's a bit different, and after watching Pentatonix do an acapella version of Hallelujah, I've been obsessed with having some of my songs done acapella. I think it will be perfect."

"I agree," Stacie said. "Hearing what you did with All I Want For Christmas Is You set off all the bells and whistles for us, and we knew we had found the right group to help with the songs."

"Do we all have to agree?," CR asked. "What if some want to do it and some don't."

"We'll work with whoever wants to do it," Stacie said.

"I hope you say yes," Beca said quietly so only Chloe could hear. "I'd love to get to know you better."

"I'm in," Chloe said loudly never taking her eyes off Beca. She smiled and kissed Beca on the cheek.

Beca was surprised but smiled. She looked over her shoulder when she heard someone clear their throat. She saw Fat Amy and raised an eyebrow at her.

"May I help you?"

Fat Amy just pointed up causing Beca and Chloe's eyes to look where Amy was pointing. Beca shook her head and smiled. Amy was holding a sprig of mistletoe over their heads.

Before Beca could do anything, Chloe leaned in and captured her lips. The kiss didn't last long, and both girls broke away smiling.

"Merry Christmas," Beca said and leaned in to kiss Chloe again.