#OC: Goodbye Merry Go Round

[cheezyharu]

Sorta decided on a whim to finish/color in some doodles for. Basically no reason at all other than being bored

[abeautifuldayfortea]

Birth Pt. 1

Summary: Rosie delivers her fourth child, SR 1427. Tolkien barely writes about women. also read as: we need some strong women characters. Written with my OC Estella (by canon, Merry’s wife), but you can change her name to YN if you wish (InteractiveFics or Word Replacer II). Written hastily, will not edit till next week.

Warnings: Childbirth, blood, mentions of death

A/N: A self indulgent fic about the use of ergot as a vasoconstrictor before the advances and application of oxytocin in modern medicine to control severe postpartum haemorrhage. Severe postpartum haemorrhage is considered to be an obstetric emergency and time is of the essence. Historical use of vaginal douching, ergot or ‘labour tea’ as it was known and vaginal packing with rags  are recorded to reduce the mortality rate of women experiencing PPH. Blood transfusion was also an effective method of treating PPH, but I doubt that hobbits would have known about this as they were fond of simple things and disliked machines more complex than a mill. 

Fun fact: LSD also happens to be derived from ergot alkaloids. Ergotism was also known as St Anthony’s Fire. Don’t do drugs.

You can read more about the historical management of PPH here:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1633559/

https://mro.massey.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10179/3299/02_whole.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Words: 1411

The air hung low in the artificial darkness of the room. It felt too small, as if she was a burgeoning whale growing until the walls of smial that cradled her would shudder and the earth about them collapse. On the bedside table the preparations had been made. The linens and towels, each meticulously washed were pressed and folded. Upon the floor, a bucket of water rippled to the rhythm of soft padding of feet outside the room. She smiled, Sam had always been the more anxious of the two of them and where he could not follow, his feet would bore ruts in the floor. This was not at all Rosie’s first child. In fact, it was her fourth and at this point she rather cheerfully opted to call herself an ‘experienced amateur’ on the process.

This time, she had not felt the warm fluid run down her leg until her visiting friend, Estella had gasped at the liquid pooled by her feet. In a whirlwind that Rosie barely remembered she was swept up in her husband’s strong arms and laid her upon the bed before he was shooed out rather unceremoniously.

Then all too soon for her liking, it began. The one thing that Rosie certainly did not miss was the pain. As she pushed, she moaned with the feeling of being rended from the inside out with a rake, of tearing and burning as if her skin could no longer contain the spontaneous combustion within. The contractions came and went like the coming and going of the tide, only much faster. She felt as if the world about her continued to spin at a dizzying speed. Round and round the stars in her mind roared past and the aging of the world unravelled as the room filled with scent of her sweat and tears, hanging stagnant.

The brief feeling of a cold cloth applied to her forehead every so often was a temporary relief. The heat and the stuffiness of the still air nauseated her and the urge to throw up bobbed just below the surface of her sanity. Distantly, like white noise underwater, she registered the sound of encouraging words formed on familiar lips, but the language itself was lost to her and in that moment, surrounded by familiar faces of her friends, she was truly alone, walking upon a road of motherhood with not much at all to guide her. Rosie was not afraid, but that did not make her fearless and though she was alone, not once did she cower at the journey. Instead, she pushed forward with grim determination.

How much time had passed, she did not know. With a final push, the child slid free of her and Rosie sobbed silently into her wet pillow with the heaving exhaustion and the feeling of emptiness that filled her. “Another beautiful bairn, Rosie! A lovely, sprightly lad! May I?” Estella asked as she gingerly passed to Rosie the new life that lay, squalling, wet, red and wrinkled beneath the muslin towels. And seeing his tiny form cradled there in her arms Rosie was enthralled in the wonder of that singular moment. She nodded as she nursed her newborn, half awake in bliss and tiredness, knowing what Estella was asking permission for. The sensation of something being tugged and the wet mass of the placenta slithering out of her and against her thighs.

Someone had left the room and invited in the light and the fresh air and with it came Sam. In half a moment he was by her side and behind him toddled little Elanor Fairbairn, a spry four years old and curious as a fox. Her siblings were surprisingly sound asleep in the breaking dawn.

A slight smile came to Estella as she turned her attention away from the loving couple, leaving them to their quiet whispers as they tended to their love. The labour was a long one and lasted all through the evening and to the morning. Like a garden it flowers, she mused as she ran her fingers over the placenta. It was whole. She let out a breath of relief. Everything was progressing just fine.

And yet she paled at the piping voice of Elanor. “Mummy’s bleeding.”

The sheets were stained with a growing pool of red and Rosie cried out in surprise. Never had this happened to her before in her other children. Sam looked searchingly at Estella for answers and his eyes held her in that plea of desperation.

Save her.

But Estella did not have time to explain as she looked him evenly in the eyes. Her breath shuddered as she clamped down on the visceral fear in front of her. “Sam, I need you to boil the water and brew some ergot tea. Keep it in the water for three minutes, but not more. Get me as many towels as you can.” Her hands shook slightly as she fumbled with the jar of ergot, struggling to find the clasp on its lid. The dark contents in its clear container defied her, so close and so far, mocking her in her incompetence. Measuring out the ergot hastily, she handed it to Sam who took it wordlessly and disappeared to the kitchen.

An aide ushered Elanor out of the room.

“You’re going to be just fine, Rosie. I need you to lie back down again and slow your breathing. Can you tell me what you see on the ceiling?”

They had attempted to douche Rosie at first but where they cleaned, the blood seemed to return and so they resorted to packing her with rags torn hastily from the manchester. The flood kept coming even as Estella frantically stuffed the pushed the cloth into her and yet the red bled through like an overgrowth of deathly flowers.

The iron tang of her blood filled the air and it struck Rosie then with the very real fear that she would die then. She wanted to send for her husband then so that she may say goodbye, but the air from her fluttering lungs would not carry her words.

Her breath came in quick huffs now and the vision began to blur. Her pulse quickened. The warm grip of a calloused hand on hers that she recognised as Sam’s comforted her and though she could barely see him then, she could tell by the warm liquid on her face that he was weeping.

How cold you are, my Rosie! He seemed to be saying as he rubbed her arms.

But something warm was on her lips, a liquid trickling into her mouth and she swallowed wordlessly as someone ladled tea for her. She did not know what it was, but she did not have the strength to refuse it.

In the dark of her blindness and the room about her Rosie was suspended in time, between the world of the living and the warm pull of a long sleep that swathed her. It was as though she herself were back in the womb of her mother, only it was the smell of iron and earth that surrounded her. She had a thought then that perhaps death was not so bad after all. The drum of her own heartbeat filled her ears as she slipped from the waking world.

Beyond her knowledge, Estella checked her pulse and was relieved to find it had slowed back down. They had weathered the worst of the storm. She eyed the soaked rags at the foot of the bed and between her legs. Now began the long and anxious wait to see if septicaemia would take hold of her. Quietly, as Sam held Rosie and her newborn in a loose embrace, she began the long and tedious work of cleaning up. The bedsheets and the towels she gathered into the now empty bucket to be burned and the jar of ergot left uncovered on the bedside table she recovered, praising Eru as she did so. She was thankful that no convulsions plagued Rosie, for the use of ergot had many undesirable and often life threatening side effects.

Leaving the couple be, she gathered her things and retreated to the guest bedroom. Left behind in their shared room, Sam blearily opened his eyes, swollen from crying and briefly registered a shadow that rounded the corner of the door. A croaking ‘Thank you’, chasing after their form. 

Closing her door gently with a click, Estella waited a moment to make sure she was alone before casting herself onto the floor. With a silent ferocity, she wept. Trembling, she fell then into a careless sleep and through many dreams that she would not remember afterward.​

Tag list:

@moriamithril

[wiypt-writes]

Riding On

Ch 17-Let Me Take An Elfie…

Summary: Christmas arrives in the Adler household and its full of laughter, giggles, and one huge gift that money simply can’t buy…

Warnings:  Bad Language words, Smut (NSFW, 18+)

Pairing: Frank Adler x Fliss Gallagher

A/N:  So, like, I’m over 2020 and wish it was Christmas already. This chapter brings Riding On Part 1 to a close and I’ll be likely taking a little break from writing this to concentrate on some stuff I have going on Stark Spangled for the Birthday Party! I hope you enjoy!

This one is dedicated to The Evangers…you know who you are!

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding On Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 16 Part 2

 Monday morning rolled round and for the first time in ages Frank woke well rested. After their plan had worked, he and Fliss had played the recording back to Greg who had been torn between calling them a pair of reckless dumbasses, and being elated with what it meant. Whilst he was unsure the court would permit it as evidence, he was going to have “some damned fun filing it anyway” and then set about giving them the final coaching for the Child Welfare Department interviews on Monday.

To Frank and Fliss, this was the final thing they could do. The last chance they had to get their feelings across and make a good impression before it was then over to the courts. And whilst Fliss was still hopeful that Polland would sign the papers as soon as he realised they had him on tape, Frank wasn’t quite as optimistic. So it was for that reason that over breakfast on the Monday he found himself rehearsing his speech to the Social Worker, just had he had done 2 years or so prior.

He needn’t have bothered though because, as Greg had predicted, the Social Workers discussion with him mainly centred on practical things such as Frank’s new job and his role, what Fliss did for a living, their new home and a little bit of digging into her background which was done sensitively and compassionately. It was the same Social Worker from 2 years back, a dark haired lady called Sarah Kellet, which Frnak was glad about, and she’d smiled when she’d run through things, checking all the facts that Greg had provided her before simply stating that was all she needed.

“What, no soul-searching questions?” Frank asked, arching an eyebrow. She chuckled and shook her head.

“Not this time.” she smiled “It’s a little different Mr Adler. You already have formal Guardianship over Mary so this isn’t about whether you’re suitable or not. This is really just a fact gathering exercise about whether or not formally providing you with Parental Status would be in her best interests.”

Frank swallowed and Fliss gently tangled her fingers in his as Sarah looked at them and smiled.

“Don’t worry.” She beamed. “When I spoke to Mary before it’s clear she’s exceptionally settled, and she adores her new brother as she refers to him as. You’ve created a very stable and loving environment for her, you’re financially credible, not that that’ the be all and end all, and you have a home, family support…all of this will be evidenced in my report.”

“So, do you make recommendations to the court?” Fliss asked and Sarah shook her head.

“Not as such, I’m merely here to pull together a factual, comprehensive report on how Mary is.” She tapped her pen slightly “And it’s always a little easier in cases like this when the minor has been in the care of the applicant prior to it. But, I will be making it quite clear in my conclusions that from the CWD point of view it would be in Mary’s best interests for the court to allow the adoption to go ahead, regardless of Mary’s father raising his objections. Basically if comes down to it, we’ll be fighting your corner.”

Fliss turned to Frank who let out the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding and she smiled at him.

“So, that’s it.” Sarah shrugged. “I’ll send a copy of everything through to the courts and your attorney Mr Adler. All that’s left is for me to wish you both a Merry Christmas and I’ll see you at the hearing whenever that is.” They both rose, shaking her hand and then Frank held the door to the room open for Fliss. She stepped out in front of him, and turned to him smiling.

“That’s it.” She shrugged “We did everything we could.” “Yeah, yeah I know.” He nodded “I’m just relieved it’s all over. Well, for now anyway.”

“Yup, so let’s get on with enjoying Christmas.” Fliss beamed as they walked down the corridor to the little area at the bottom where Mary was waiting. She was sat, reading a book being supervised by another one of the social workers and looked up, smiling as they entered. The woman who’d be supervising left them alone after bidding them goodbye and the three of them walked out to the truck.

“Think your mom and dad will be ok with Alex for a little longer?” Frank asked as Mary bounced ahead of them slightly.

“Sure, why?”

“I thought we could take her for a pizza and bowling, just the 3 of us before we pick Evelyn up from the airport.” Frank said “Been a while since we went.” “Yeah, sounds good.” Fliss beamed “I’ll call mum and let her know.”

Of course Verity and Bill were only too happy to keep Alex. Sian and the twins had arrived earlier that morning and Verity told Fliss that Sian was enjoying Auntie cuddles whilst batting her eyes at Steve asking him if he fancied another. Steve’s response had been to choke on his coffee. They headed to the bowling alley, where Fliss and Mary found to their delight that the skittles were all painted like elves for the festive period. They had 3 games and as usual they whooped Frank’s ass, leaving him in a fake mood declaring Christmas was cancelled. No sooner had the words left his mouth, Mary had vaulted onto his back causing him to laugh and attempt to pull her off. Eventually he succeeded and dangled her upside down by her ankles, the girl shrieking as he swung her round before setting her down.

“She’s getting a bit big to do that with now!” he looked at Fliss, letting out a huff as Mary righted her sweater and climbed into the truck.

“Well, she is 10 in a couple of months.” Fliss smiled and Frank shook his head.

“Don’t remind me.”

Fliss chuckled as she climbed into the passenger seat and the 3 of them headed off to the airport to collect Evelyn. They stood in the arrival lounge, Frank’s arm tossed over Fliss’ shoulders and Fliss could tell he was a little apprehensive. This was the first time he’d seen Evelyn since she had admitted outright she’d bribed Polland to give evidence. He’d told Fliss he wasn’t sure how he was going to react, that he didn’t want to be angry, but he couldn’t help it. Fliss had simply told him that they’d deal with whatever happened when it came.

As Evelyn walked through the glass double doors, pulling a huge case behind her, Mary shot forwards to greet her and the woman bent down, giving her a cuddle. Once more it struck Frank just how different it all was to the first meeting they’d had just over 2 years ago and as he watched his mother gently smooth Mary’s hair back any anger he was feeling simply dissipated. He knew only too well after the events of the last few years, he couldn’t change the past but he could make sure history never repeated itself. He watched as Mary and his mother made their way over to him and he took a deep breath as Evelyn glanced up at him, her face wrought with worried anticipation. She opened her mouth to say something, and Frank knew full well it was going to be an apology so he shook his head.

“It’s done.” He said simply “And I don’t wanna waste a single second more thinking about it, ok mom?”

Evelyn nodded, and then in a sudden display of affection she moved to embrace him. It was a little stiff but Frank didn’t shy away, wrapping his arms around his mother in a gentle hug before he pulled away and took her bag off her.

When they reached Bill and Verity’s neither Frank nor Fliss was surprised to find that Verity had laid a spread on. She loved entertaining and so had taken it upon herself to pull together a buffet consisting of a selection of cold meats, breads, crudités, dips and savoury snacks along with a huge plate of her infamous brownies. No sooner had Frank walked into the kitchen he had a beer thrust into his hand by Steve who winked at him and he turned to Fliss a little sheepishly with a shrug.

“I’ll drive home.” She rolled her eyes playfully as she gently turned Alex so that he was against her chest, head raised slightly as he looked around.

“Oh fuck that.” Evelyn said, taking the red wine that Bill handed her as Frank gave a snort at his mother’s language, not that it surprised him, she’d always been quite colourful that way despite her proper appearance and professional demeanour “We’ll get a cab. It’s Christmas.” “See, she gets it!” Steve nodded to Evelyn who simply shrugged and took a sip of her wine before she set it down on the kitchen counter.

“May I?” she asked Fliss, gesturing to Alex and Fliss smiled.

“Of course, here…” she passed him over and Evelyn looked at the baby who broke into a gummy smile.

“He gets more like you ever time I see him.” Evelyn whispered, looking at Frank who smiled.

“Yeah, so I’m told” he shrugged, attempting an air of nonchalance but as Fliss looked at him smirking he knew he had failed. He fucking loved the fact his boy looked like him, it massaged his ego and he didn’t care one iota about how smug it made him appear.

After Mary, Charlie and Joel had eaten, the three of them headed upstairs to the movie room, arms laden with snacks as Bill put The Santa Clause on the large screen and the adults all settled in the living room. Evelyn asked if she could feed Alex and Frank obliged, handing her the baby and the bottle. There was a little more chat before Verity cleared her throat and addressed the huge elephant in the room.

“So, how did it go with the social worker kids?”

Fliss and Frank exchanged a glance before Frank smiled “Good, really good. In fact, she said in her conclusion they’ll recommend the adoption is processed regardless of any objections but, we’ll see. For now we’ve done everything we can so it’s down to the court in the New Year.”

“Oh, that’s…that’s great, that’s really….great.” Bill said, nodding as his eyes misted over and Verity stood up, moving to give Fliss a cuddle as her eyes had filled at the sight of her father’s emotions. Frank could feel the tears stabbing at his eyes too so, under the guise of nipping to the bathroom he took a moment and headed through the kitchen and out of the bi-folding doors, stepping onto the veranda which overlooked the landscaped garden and pool area.

Lost in his own thoughts, he hadn’t been out there that long when he heard someone behind him. A tumbler of scotch was pushed into his hand and he looked up as Steve clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Thought you might need that.” He said, as he set the bottle and his own glass down on the table, fishing in his pocket for his cigarettes. As he sparked it up he took a drag, blowing it out to the side taking care to remain hidden.

“Fucking 38 and still hiding the fact I smoke from my mum.” Steve snorted and Frank shook his head.

“Hate to break it to you Steeb but she knows.” He chuckled at the look on Steve’s face “She was complaining to Fliss about it the other day.” “No shit.” Steve muttered, “Oh, well, fuck it…”

Frank laughed again and took a sip of his drink before he asked Steve about the house he was purchasing just out east of Tampa. Steve explained the sale was going through now and they should be ready to move in towards the middle of January.

“Good.” Frank nodded “If you need a hand, moving and stuff, just holler. Lord knows you did enough for us, I’d be glad to help.” “Don’t worry you will be.” Steve smirked and Frank snorted.

“How’s Sian taking to the move? Fliss said she was a little apprehensive.” “Yeah, she was.” Steve shrugged “But she’s also excited. I mean of course she’s nervous to leave her family behind but she knows it’s too good an opportunity to pass up on, and it won’t be forever. Probably about 5 years or so and we’ll head back home.” “I wouldn’t bet on it.” Frank said, knocking back his scotch.

“Why’s that?” Steve asked, his voice coming out as a slight mumble as he held his cigarette between his lips so he could top Frank’s glass up again.

“Well-cheers-“ Frank nodded, taking the tumbler off him “-it’s like Fliss said, once this place gets it’s claws into you, you kinda grow to love it.”

Steve chuckled and dropped his now done dab end onto the floor under his foot before he bent down and retrieved it, slipping it into his pocket to dispose of later.

“So, Fliss told you that we got family coming out this New Year?” Steve asked.

“She mentioned one of her cousins…” Frank paused “Tabs was it?”

“Babs.” Steve corrected “We got 4, there’s Eva who’s married to a Police Officer called Ari, Jen who’s married to a lawyer called Andy and Amber who is married to Curtis…” “He the train mechanic?” Frank racked his memory and Steve nodded.

“Yeah, they all still live in Liverpool but Babs, the one that’s coming…she’s something else.” Steve snorted. “She lives in Australia with a photographer called Hugh. Well, I say photographer, he’s kind of a trust fund rich boy that plays at it, you know? Nice enough guy though, always happy to shout you on a night out.”

“So they making a special trip over or…” “They’re taking some kind of sabbatical, if you can take a sabbatical from doing fuck all.” Steve shrugged “6 month tour of the US starting here. She’s fucking great fun though. Her and Fliss are the same age and were thick as thieves growing up, used to get into all sorts of mischief.” He shook his head. “They once set fire to a bin on a park. By accident mind. They were pretending to smoke these hollow twig things stuffed with dried grass and when one set on fire Babs panicked and tossed it into the bin.” Frank snorted as Steve continued.

“The whole thing went up.” Steve chuckled “So they legged it and got followed home by an off duty copper. Dad and Uncle Ted went ballistic…

“Wait…your dad’s brother is called Ted?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, Bill and Ted.” Steve grinned. Frank looked at him, before the pair of them burst out laughing, and couldn’t stop. It wasn’t that funny, it really wasn’t, but the more Steve laughed, the more Frank did, and the more Frank laughed, the more Steve died. By the time Frank managed to control himself he had tears of pure mirth in his eyes and he wiped them as his laughter subsided and he managed to take a breath, clutching at his side.

“What you two laughing at?” Fliss asked, stepping outside.

“Your face.” Steve shot back.

“Twat.” Fliss narrowed her eyes at him and she turned to Frank who was still chuckling “And I don’t know what you find so funny…”

“Nothing at all baby.” He smirked, dropping a kiss to her head, “Nothing at all.” ******

There were sore heads in the Adler household the next day. They’d stayed at Bill and Verity’s till well past midnight, and had left Mary there as she’d passed out asleep with the twins in the movie room. After they’d managed to herd all the kids to bed, the adults had continued drinking and eventually called it a night when Bill had fallen asleep in his arm chair, dropping his glass of brandy all over the floor.

Fliss had stable duties that morning, and took off early even though she felt she was still half drunk and when she returned a few hours later Frank and Evelyn were sat at the breakfast bar, each nursing cups of coffee and looking half dead. Eventually they all managed to muster enough about themselves to shower, dress and head over to pick Mary up. Frank was low-key pleased to see Steve looked worse than he felt and after a quick coffee they set off into the little town to have a walk round the Christmas Stalls that had been set up before they grabbed a bite to eat and Evelyn started telling Fliss a few stories about Frank and Diane when they had been children at Christmas.

“I think my personal favourite will be the carol service when you were 6.” Evelyn looked at Frank and he groaned taking a sip of his soda as he leaned back in his chair “He has a lovely voice you know and that year he was selected to do a solo.” “We don’t need to hear this…” Frank started to protest but Fliss cut him off.

“Yes we do, go on Evelyn.”

“So his particular hymn was Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. And the line ‘God and sinners reconciled’ was proving a little tricky for him as he rehearsed.”

“I was 6.” Frank deadpanned.

“I’m well aware, it still doesn’t stop it being funny.” Evelyn grinned “So up he gets, sings out the song note and word perfect until he gets to this line and belts out ‘God and sinners dressed in style’”

Fliss snorted and Mary let out a howl of laughter.

“You’re such a loser” she looked at him

“Quit it or you’ll be getting no presents tomorrow morning.”

“Whatever”

“Hey, do you remember that year grandpa sent us nothing?” Frank suddenly had a recollection and he looked at Evelyn who let out a loud laugh.

“God yes, you and Diane were disgusted!”

“Oh, the last year before he died-“ Frank started to explain as Fliss looked at him blankly “-well, he was clearly feeling his age and found that shopping for Christmas gifts had become too difficult. So he decided to send checks to everyone instead. In each card he wrote, ‘Buy your own present!’ and mailed them early. Only when we opened them, there was no check…he’d forgotten to enclose them with the cards.”

“So you all literally got a card with ‘buy your own present’ written inside?” Fliss laughed and Frank chuckled

“Yeah, which to be fair dad thought was hilarious but…poor Grandpa was devastated. He tried to blame Santa, of course, but it didn’t wash.”

“That’s because Santa isn’t real.” Mary looked at him.

“Yes he is.” Fliss sighed “I’m not having this debate with you again.”

“You said yourself the other day that Frank was incapable of organising anything because he was a man so how could one dude organise gifts for the entire world?” Mary looked at her and Frank turned his head slowly to Fliss.

“Oh, you did, did you?”

Fliss hesitated, before she sighed “Come on, your organisational skills at home are ridiculous.”

“Do our bills get paid on time?”

“Yes, but-“

“Has Alex died yet?”

“No…” Fliss laughed.

“Then we’re good!” Frank shrugged, his hand gently dropping to his son’s tummy as he lay asleep in the stroller parked next to him “I find your lack of faith disturbing. And if we’re being sexist, I know Santa is a man as a woman wouldn’t be able to hack driving a sleigh around for a night, not to mention the complete mess she’d make trying to park it…”

“Wow!” Fliss looked at him as he laughed, “Ok, buddy, I bed I can think of 5 reasons why I would jump at the chance to be Santa.”

“Go on.” He teased and Fliss held up her hand, counting on her fingers as she spoke.

“One, I could grow to the size of Hawaii knowing it’s simply all part of the job. Two, I’d simply be able to buy one big, black belt, and brass buckle, and be accessorized for life. Three there would be no reason to have my hair colour done. Four, everyone would be extremely nice to me, regardless of my behaviour and five, if people commented that my belly jiggled when I laughed I could hit them with my purse.”

“Six…” Evelyn picked up as Frank laughed “You would always work in sensible footwear”

Frank shook his head “She always is anyway, not like you wear high heels to ride horses in and muck out stalls…”

“Those boots hurt when they’re not worn in.” Mary jabbed back “I know.”

With a snort Frank leaned back and looked down at Alex “Buddy, you better hurry up and start talking, I need someone here to even out the numbers.”

After another hour or so, when it was dark, they headed home and Evelyn bid them all a good night, heading to her guest suite above the garage to read and relax, declining their offer to join them for a drink stating she’d had quite enough the night before.

Mary wasn’t far behind, the excitement of the last few days having wiped her out, plus as she reminded Frank and Fliss, the sooner she went to bed the sooner it would be present time. She headed off for a bath before she settled down with her book upstairs and an hour or so later Frank went up to took her in, finding her fast asleep with Fred curled around her head.

It wasn’t even 8:30 pm and Fliss and Frank were all set for the evening. Presents wrapped, kids settled, and Frank had just moved to grab them a beer each when his phone sounded in his pocket.  He glanced at the shitty Nokia he was being forced to use after smashing his Samsung against the wall and frowned.

“It’s Greg.” He said before he answered. “Hey man.”

“S’up, listen, you guys free if I pop in for 5? I got a Christmas card for you and I forgot to drop it off earlier.”

“Yeah, sure.” Frank chuckled. “Just come on round the back, gate and the door are open.”

“No worries pal, see you in 15.”

“He coming over?” Fliss asked as Frank tossed the phone down on the side.

“Yeah, just for 5 minutes. Says he has a card for us.” “A card?”

“Yeah, you know what Zara’s like. He’s probably had it for weeks and forgotten about it.” Franks shrugged, passing Fliss an open beer as they both crossed to the sofa. They settled down to watch the Christmas special of Brooklyn 99 and true to his word, Greg walked in 15 minutes or so later.

“Hey Greg, you want a beer?” Frank stood up, gesturing to the kitchen area.

“No I can’t stay, I just wanted to give you this before tomorrow.”

Frank paused and took the envelope off him. “This isn’t a card?” he frowned.

“No, it’s a little better than that.” Greg beamed as Fliss rose to her feet, crossing to where Frank was stood. With a frown, Frank turned the envelope over, opened it and as his eyes scanned the piece of paper he felt his mouth grow dry and his heart suddenly pounded so hard he felt it was going to thump right out of his chest.

“He signed the papers…” Frank whispered, swallowing as he looked at the document in his hands. “Lissy, Polland…he signed the adoption papers.”

“What?” Fliss breathed out as she took it from him, her eyes roving the wording before she looked at Frank, then Greg. “I- when?”

“I had a call earlier this afternoon saying they were dropping the objection.” Greg smiled. “Seems he suddenly had a change of heart when his Attorney told him he was on tape confessing to taking a bung and attempting to blackmail Fliss. I won’t tell you what he called him, it was a 4 letter word and ended in t…pretty sure you can fill in the gaps.” He nodded to the paper in Fliss hand “I asked him to hurry that through and it arrived about half an hour before I called. I wanted to give it to you in person.”

“So…we don’t need to go to court?” Frank breathed out, his eyes brimming with tears.

Greg shook his head “There’ll be a finalisation hearing in January but coupled with that and the CWD report it’s gonna simply be a formality. It’s as good as done.” “So, we’re…” Fliss took a deep breath “We’re gonna be her parents?”

Greg nodded. “Yup.”

Frank was struggling for words as he looked at his best friend before he pulled him into a huge bro hug. He stepped back, wiping his eyes as Fliss moved forward to hug Greg too, before they both walked him to his car.

“I owe you, big time.” Frank croaked and Greg waved him away as he opened the door to his Merc.

“I told you it would work out.” He shrugged, smiling broadly. “Merry Christmas guys.”

The two of them waved him off before Fliss turned to Frank, her tears falling down her cheeks “I can’t believe it…” “Me neither.” Frank spluttered and Fliss leaped into his arms, the pair of them laughing in sheer joy. Even thought they’d thrown themselves into the holiday spirit, neither of them had been able to shake that little feeling that a small, dark cloud was still following them. And now that was gone.

It was over. All over. And they’d won.

They headed back inside, both resisting the urge to wake Mary to tell her, deciding they’d leave it for the morning, but they absolutely did decide to crack a bottle of champagne open.

And then Frank had an even better idea, one that came to him on a whim as they walked back through their garden. Silently he disappeared into the little laundry room at the side of the kitchen and when he emerged, Fliss had her back to him so she didn’t see him deposit the 2 pool towels on the breakfast bar. He moved to where she reaching for two champagne flutes, and as she stood on her tiptoes, he wrapped his arms around her from behind causing her to jump a little.

“I can’t believe it.” Fliss whispered “I mean I hoped he’d back down but…”

“I know” Frank kissed her neck tenderly “Another huge Christmas Eve huh? Second one in a row?”

Yeah.” She sighed happily, her hands falling on top of his arms, rubbing gently. “You know last year I was so nervous when I found out I was pregnant.”

“So was I, and that was before you told me that bit of news.” He smiled, his chin resting on her shoulder. “I’d been trying to propose for ages. I was shitting my pants it was gonna go wrong or you’d turn me down.”

“Not a chance Sailor.” She turned her head to look at him. “You’re stuck with me.” He pressed a kiss to her lips and the pair of them stood in silence in their kitchen, lost in their own thoughts, simply looking out of the window over their garden which was illuminated softly by the lighting round the pool area. Eventually Frank remembered his original plan and he smiled to himself.

“So all the presents are wrapped, everyone’s in bed waiting for the big guy with the sack to arrive…” Frank muttered, his lips grazing her neck “The pool heaters have been on all day…what about a Christmas Eve dip?”

Fliss turned in his arms, arching an eyebrow “Would you merely be trying to get me naked Francis?”

“Yes.” He nodded and she giggled.

“Skinny dipping? On Christmas Eve?”

“You lost your sense of adventure Cowgirl?” he teased.

Fliss peered round him to where Alex was sleeping in the basinet and with a grin pulled back and whipped off her T-shirt. “Does that answer your question?”

Frank laughed and caught the top as she threw it at him, tossing it to the side as he grabbed the towels. By the time he caught up with her outside Fliss was on the edge of the pool in nothing but her baby-blue cotton panties and his eyes scanned up her legs and the rest of her body until they locked onto hers. She bit her lip as she stepped out of her underwear and Frank felt his cock twitch as she turned and coyly shot him a look over her shoulder before she descended down the mosaic tiled steps at the shallow end of the pool.  

Not wanting to waste a second more he threw the towels down on one of the sun loungers and reached over his head, grabbing a fistful of his grey t-shirt. He pulled it off before be quickly undid his belt and in one swoop yanked down his loose jeans and boxers.

Fliss dropped off the bottom step, her shoulders dipping under the warm water as she turned to watch Frank following her in, her eyes trailing up from his knees over his thighs, semi-erect cock which stood beneath that happy trail that led down his slim, flat yet ever so slightly soft stomach and up to his broad shoulders and strong arms. Her eyes moved to his handsome face, the stubble on his jaw line always gave him a more rugged look and his short hair was spiked up messily as it usually was at the end of the day.

Fuck, he was beautiful. 

And not just on the outside. Even before the events of the last few weeks Fliss knew her man was the most caring, wonderful and doting father and lover on the planet but since the issue with Polland had raised its head she'd seen a side to him that she had only ever caught glimpses of before. A softer, vulnerable side and it filled her heart with even more love for him for reasons she couldn't explain other than it just did. He wasn't afraid to show weakness to her, he wasn't ashamed to tell her his fears. Because they were a true partnership. And as she watched him crouch down so his body was submerged in the water, his eyes sparkling in the lights, she felt an unnerving spike of desire that was so strong it surged right from her toes up her body, leaving her slightly fuzzy headed, like she was drunk on love. 

Frank cocked his head playfully to the side as Fliss gracefully pushed off the ball of her foot and swam towards him before she twisted in the water slightly and brought her legs out in front of her. She wrapped them round his waist, settling herself on his lap as his large hands gently splayed on her back. Fliss nuzzled her nose against his chin, nudging his head back so she could chain soft kisses across his jaw line, her lips skating the bristles on his face as she gently nipped at his skin. Frank let out a soft sigh, his hands pulling her closer as she moved her affections down his neck, over his Adam’s apple before she gently sucked at the junction of his shoulder and neck, grinding down on him, her bare core slicking over his cock.

"Fuck, Liss..." he stuttered, pulling back to look at her, the water sloshing around them "What's got into you, huh?"

"Nothing yet." She purred back.

Frank looked at her, but before he could make a smart reply she’d dropped her hand from his shoulder into the pool and wrapped her palm around him making him choke on his words slightly as she stroked him with a few quick flicks of her wrist.

“Jesus, baby…” he managed to croak as her eyes locked onto his and a smirk curled on her lips. She leaned forwards, her teeth nipping at his ear and he gave a soft groan, his head falling back slightly as she continued to work him, her hand pumping up and down his now rock hard dick. And then she stopped, and he felt her mouth curve open and her breath was hot on his skin as she whispered 3 words that sent red hot fire coursing through his entire body.

“Fuck me, Sailor.”

He didn’t need asking twice. 

Fliss moved herself, guiding him to where she wanted and she sank down onto his length, his hands grabbing her hips as she took him in completely, a low, drawn out gasp escaping her lips as Frank hissed slightly as her walls clamped around him. He gave himself a moment, enjoying the feel of her before he thrust upwards, his fingers curling around her soft flesh as he drew back slowly, before pushing back into her deeply, rotating his hips. Fliss’ hands curled around his shoulders, her head tipping back, eyes closed in pleasure, the action causing her breasts to rise out of the water. Keeping his rhythm slow and deep he dipped his head, his tongue tracing a stripe down her cleavage, the salty tang of the pool water hitting his taste buds as he directed his attention to her nipple, flicking and sucking softly, all the time listening and feeling her reactions as she pushed down further against him, desperate for more. For whatever reason, Fliss was in a downright filthy mood and Frank had a feeling that slow and steady wasn’t going to be enough. He moved his mouth, nipping up her neck before his lips pressed onto hers, the kiss filthy as his tongue fucked her mouth and he pulled back as he began to back himself up to the side of the pool.

With a quick movement he turned so Fliss’s back was against the tiled edge, and he looked at her as she stared at him, her deep brown eyes wide with lust as he dipped his head to kiss her again.

“Turn around.” He instructed, his voice low and Fliss complied, moving off him and spinning in the water. One large hand slid up her spine to her neck and his fingers gently curled around her nape as he pushed her forwards slightly, before he slid both his hands up her arms and directed her hands to grip at the lip of the pool.

Fliss’ body was tingling with anticipation. Her palms gripped round the rough surface of the pool edge as she surrendered to Frank’s control, his chest pressing against her back, lips sucking at her neck.

“If this is too much, tell me…” he whispered against her skin. Fliss tilted her face round to look at him, seeing those ocean blues she loved shining with love and what looked like a slight glimmer of concern. And she knew why. Whilst their sex was hot, passionate, loving, it was very rarely rough because he didn’t want to push her too far knowing her past. But she wanted this, she needed it. She smiled at him, pressing her lips to his.

“I trust you.” She promised him gently and Frank kissed her again before he pulled away. His hands gripped her hips, lifting her ass up so her feet planted on the floor of the pool as he rose to his, the water lapping around his thighs as he buried himself into her with one swift movement. He pulled out slowly before he thrust back, bottoming out as she gasped, her head tilting backwards as he continued rocking his hips back and forth, slowly at first, his movements gathering pace until he built up into a fast, relentless rhythm, every drive into her jolting her forwards slightly as she braced herself against the edge with her arms, elbows locked to absorb the shock. Pants, whimpers, soft cries and the debauched sound of sloshing and skin slapping skin filled the otherwise silent night air of the garden and Frank dropped his eyes to the point where he was pounding in and out of his girl, the sight of where they were joined was hot as fuck and he let out a groan as he watched for a second, before his eyes flicked back up to Fliss. Her head was dropped between her arms, slightly twisted to the right and he could see her eyes were closed, jaw slack, full lips open in a silent cry.

As he continued his powerful, fast thrusts, his cock brushed occasionally against that spot inside and Fliss felt the coil in her belly beginning to tighten slowly, each time he hit it. Frank adjusted his stance and bent over, his right hand falling over hers as he too braced himself against the edge of the pool, giving a dirty grind and Fliss cried out loudly at the sensation.

“Fuck, right there…” she encouraged and Frank repeated the movement again, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as he was fighting the urge he was feeling to cum.

“Liss, shit...” He gasped, his left hand dropping between her legs, coaxing her clit and after a few strong strokes Fliss arched her back, her head following as she let out a cry of his name as the world tilted on its axis, her orgasm rocking her to her very core. The feeling was too much for Frank and with a loud moan that rumbled from his chest he followed her right over the edge, his thrusts growing sloppy as he pumped through his own release before he stilled, his head bowing as he waited for the surge of ecstasy to dissipate.

Eventually the fog lifted enough so that he was able to bend his knees slightly, and with the arm that was curled around Fliss’ waist he turned them in the water. Fliss was near dead weight and went with him obligingly, his cock still buried in her as he pivoted and dropped down so that his back was against the wall of the pool and she sat on his lap, the water gently splashing around their shoulders.

Frank cradled her close, pressing a kiss to her neck as he gave a low hum of satisfaction, her head falling back against his shoulder, a smile flickering across her lips.

“You know…” Frank mumbled after a little moment of silence “Cowgirls will always be my favourite, even in reverse.”

Fliss gave a soft chuckle as she opened her eyes and titled her head to look at him. “I prefer sailors…” she smirked and he laughed, pressing his lips to hers.

“You ok?” he asked, as her hands fell over his arms, fingers softly skating up his wet skin and she gave a nod.

“Never better.” She affirmed.

“Good.” He kissed her temple. “You wanna get out or…”

“No, I’m good here for a while.” She purred and he smiled, his mouth dropping to her shoulder where he pressed another kiss to her skin.

Eventually Fliss reluctantly conceded that they probably should get out as Alex would want feeding again any time soon. But, not wanting the moment to end, Frank suggested that whilst she showered he could do the feed and light the fire-pit. Fliss agreed and after wrapping herself in a towel she kissed him again and headed upstairs. Frank dried himself off, located his T-shirt and shrugged it on, leaving the towel round his waist as he warmed a bottle for his now grumbling son. By the time Fliss came back down stairs in her plaid sleep pants and tank, Alex was just finishing up. Frank passed him over, and they both headed back outside. Once the fire was lit Frank scooted off for a quick shower and returned 10 minutes later to find Alex settled once more in the basinet, tucked snuggly under his Christmas blanket that was decorated with little Santa’s and trees, his eyes roaming the starry sky.  Fliss sat with her legs under a tartan fleece on the outside sofa, the bottle of champagne stood in the middle of the table in an ice bucket and either side of it rested two full flutes. With a satisfied sigh Frank sat next to her, reaching for his drink and resting his feet on the table as Fliss snuggled under his arm. The pair of them clinked their glasses together, shared another soft kiss and settled into a soft chatter.

It was cosy, domestic, loving, and everything Fliss had ever dreamed of having, but never in a million years thinking she’d experience, and as they sat talking and laughing, speculating about Mary’s reaction to the news of her adoption being tomorrow, she felt herself suddenly choked with emotion and she sat up, looking at her man.

“I think she’s gonna...” Frank trailed off, frowning at the look on Fliss’ face “Hey, honey what’s wrong?”

“Absolutely nothing.” She muttered, clambering onto his lap so she was straddling him, jolting the glass he was holding a little and sending some of the Moet spilling onto the patio.

“You sure?” he titled his head to look at her and she nodded, sniffing back her tears as she kissed him, her hands running through his messy hair.

“I’m just so happy Frank, I can’t stop thinking about how much I lucked out.” She whispered as she pulled away and Frank smiled against her mouth.

“I think I’m the one that lucked out.” He whispered, his spare hand reaching up to smooth her hair back slightly.

“Maybe we can agree we’re both lucky bastards” she grinned and he chuckled, his eyes locking onto hers.

“I can live with that.” He agreed.

******

For the second day in a row Frank and Fliss woke with hangovers, as post the champagne they hit the bourbon and didn’t go to bed until 2 am. Now it was half 6 and Frank wasn’t impressed that he was going to have to deal with a hyper 9 year old who was currently bouncing on his bed, a 16 week old and his mother with a headache and only 4 and a half hours sleep.

After they sat and opened the gifts in their stocking, Frank telling Fliss to leave the thin, flat box until she was alone, they headed downstairs. Frank grinned at Fliss as Mary bust into the family room and glanced at the presents which were arranged in a pile by the sofa. The three of them exchanged their gifts, Fliss being especially delighted with her Spa Day voucher from Mary and Alex, which Frank informed her Simon had also gotten one for Bonnie so they could go together. Frank had also bought her a few new pairs of riding breeches, signed her up for a year’s subscription to Kindle Unlimited, a few more items of clothing, a 3 Pandora charms in the shape of the letters, F, M and A meaning she had one for them all and a stunning silver and diamond necklace and earring set from Tiffany’s which Fliss gasped at when she opened. In contrast Fliss had bought Frank a new phone from Alex and Mary to replace the one he’d smashed against the wall, a few T-shirts and then cryptically told him the biggest gift from her was yet to come.

“You’re not pregnant again are you?” he leaned over and asked her semi-seriously.

“Fuck, no!” she spluttered and he let out the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. “It’s just a little big…you’ll see.”

Before he could press her any further, Mary gave a loud shriek as she unwrapped the hooded top that was decorated the same as her Gillet and grinned, jamming it on over her pyjama top. Frank laughed as she did a parade in front of them before she paused, looking at the door to the little room off the kitchen. Frank had covered over the door frame in wrapping paper as it held her big present and Mary looked at it, before she turned to Frank and Fliss, frowning.

“What’s that?”

“Dunno.” Frank teased “Why don’t you go through and see?”

Mary looked at the pair of them again before she ran over, her reindeer slippers padding over the floor and she tore through the paper, pushing the door open.

Frank curled his arm round Fliss, kissed the side of her head as they followed her into the room where Mary was stood, gaping around.

As a surprise they’d turned it into a little sitting room of sorts for her. Over the last 4 weeks they had meticulously emptied it of the crap that had been in there since they’d moved in and they’d completely re-decorated it. Frank had painted a pale yellow on 3 of the walls, the 4th at the back was papered with a huge picture of Monty in the pasture. Her show rosettes were hung on a trellis which Frank had screwed to the wall with plenty of space for more and on the shelving unit which housed a large, flat screen Tv, Blu-ray player and Android box were positioned a few photos of various family shots. To finish the room off, 2 huge bean bags were placed in the middle of the room which were big enough for Fliss and Frank to lie in (they'd had a lot of fun trying them out) and there was a small desk in the corner along with an office chair. But it was the electronic keyboard nestled in the corner of the wall that held the TV that caught Mary’s eye.

As Fred sauntered in and hopped up on a bean bag as if he owned the place, Mary walked over to the keyboard running her hands along it before she turned to look at the two adults, her mouth hanging open.

“We thought you might like a place to hang out or chillax or whatever it is you kids do now...” Frank smiled “You know, instead of always needing to go to your room when Rosie or whoever comes over. You can study in here too as well.”

“And trust me you'll want your own space once this monster starts crawling.” Fliss smiled, readjusting Alex in her arms slightly.

“I love it…” Mary gasped, looking around her eyes brimming “My own special living room…and a sort of piano.”

“Well, you keep up your lessons with Nanny V and we might, and I mean might, get you a real one” Frank smiled and Mary beamed at him before she shot over to the pair of them. Frank picked her up with a groan and kissed her cheek.

“Rosie is gonna be well jel.” She giggled and Frank laughed as Mary leaned over to kiss Fliss’ cheek.

“There’s something in the desk for you too.” Frank took a deep breath, setting Mary down on the floor. As she walked over the room, Frank moved, his arm hooking round Fliss’ waist as they watched her open the lid of the desk and take out the envelope. With a frown she pulled it open and her eyes widened as she looked at the detail.

“Is this…” she started breathing deeply, her gaze shooting up to Frank’s, her eyes filling with tears “He…”

Frank nodded, his own eyes pricking with tears “Yeah, he signed the papers Stack.”

“So, I’m…I’m adopted?” she stuttered.

“Not quite but…” Frank sniffed, “It’s about as good as done, yeah. Greg got those yesterday.”

As Mary looked back down at the paper in her hand, Frank spotted a tear fall from her face and then he frowned as he saw her legs starting to shake. In a flash he was by her side, catching her as she dropped to her knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck, the paper scrunching slightly in her hand as she buried her face into the crook of his neck and began to cry.

Frank pressed his face into her hair, trying desperately to keep his own tears from falling but failing miserably. Fliss was already gone, and she moved to walk towards them, dropping gently to her knees, Alex held safely in her arms.

“We’re gonna be a proper family.” Mary sobbed and Frank stuttered a laugh as he pulled back to look down at her.

“Mary, sweetheart, we already were.” His voice cracked and she nodded against his neck, before she started to cry again. At that point Thor walked into the room and pushed his nose straight in between Mary and Frank, licking her face and letting out soft little whines.

Mary giggled and grabbed his fur gently “Thor, get off you doofus…”

“Is everything ok?” a voice made all of them look up to see Evelyn in the doorway, wrapped in a dressing gown and slippers. Frank, who had momentarily forgotten he’d text her to come join them, looked up through his tears and nodded. Fliss took the paper out of Mary’s hand and held it out to Evelyn. She gently gripped it, her eyebrows raised slightly, and then her hand flew to her mouth when she read the writing.

“Oh, that’s….that’s fantastic!” she sniffed, “Really…”

Mary, whose sobs had now subsided suddenly pulled back from Frank and looked at Fliss, “We need to give Frank his present!”

“Yup, we do!”

“Yeah, what…” Frank frowned “I’m kinda scared about this you know.” “Oh trust me, you’re gonna LOVE it!” Mary grinned, before she stood up straight.

“Why don’t you let me watch Alex whilst you head out?” Evelyn smiled and Fliss handed him over to his grandmother before the three of them headed to the hallway. Fliss fished the garage keys off the hooks by the door and tossed them to Frank who caught them in his right hand.

“You’re gonna need those” she smiled. Frank arched an eyebrow as he shoved on his sneakers but didn’t say anything as they headed out into the December sun, making their way over the drive.

“Is something gonna jump out at me?” he paused, the keys in the door.

“No.” Mary grinned. With one final, suspicious look at them he flung the up-and-over door open and stopped dead as he looked into the now full space of the double garage, his mouth hanging open.

In front of him was a fairly large boat. It had a covered lower deck area which housed the main engine and cockpit and a large, open flat stern area with benches. It was old, and in need of a fuck tonne of work but Frank was absolutely over the moon.

“Holy…you…you bought me a boat?” he turned to Fliss who grinned and nodded.

“I suppose technically I bought us a boat, but…” she shrugged as Frank moved over to examine it. He ran his hands over the hull, which was sound enough considering the state the rest of it was in and he turned to Fliss, his handsome face splitting into a huge smile.  

“It’s a wreck, I love it!” he beamed and Fliss grinned as he took her face in both hands and kissed her “Thank you baby.” “Well I thought about getting a newer one but I know you’ve always wanted to do your own up” she smiled as he pulled away “Plus, from a purely selfish point of view, I’m kinda looking forward to seeing you full of grease again.”

He grinned and arched an eyebrow before he kissed her again and Mary made a gagging noise. He turned to her, playfully swatting at her head and the 3 of them made their way back to the house, Frank casting a loving glance at his newest prized possession before he pulled the door down and locked it.

They exchanged gifts with Evelyn over breakfast, both Mary and Alex’s piles in the living room were significantly larger when they finished opening the bags full each and then following a breakfast of pancakes and bacon which was made whilst dancing around the kitchen to various Christmas songs, Fliss and Mary headed over to the yard to see to the horses and sneak a quick ride in before they needed to head over to Bill and Verity’s.

Fliss opted to shower first so she could get Alex ready and once she was alone she took her time to open the present Frank had told her to leave until later. As she pulled off the wrapping paper she smiled to herself as she saw the Victoria Secrets box and lifted the lid off, gently pulling back the pink tissue wrapping. Biting her lip she pulled out the sheer gold negligee, which was beautiful and rather classy as well, before she placed it back in the box and headed into the bathroom.

Just as she’d finished dressing Frank walked into their room, Alex in his arms and he smiled, pressing his lips to hers.

“I opened it…” Fliss smiled against his mouth.

“Yeah?”

“Mmmhmmm” she affirmed “I happen to think I suit gold.”

Frank smiled “I’m sure you do.”

She grinned and took Alex off him before she headed out of the room, Frank watching her go before he stripped off his clothing and headed into the bathroom.

20 minutes or so later, dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a red and blue flannel button down, Frank wandered into the family room and stopped dead as he caught sight of Alex’s outfit.

“Lissy, what the fuck is my boy wearing?” Frank stared at the baby who was sat on Mary’s knee on the sofa, dressed in a green elf onesie. It had a black strip round the middle with a little yellow belt buckle detail, and the collar was red and ruffled. The legs were red and white hooped, just like tights, and on his head sat a red and green hat. As Frank stared at him in disbelief, Alex gazed up at his dad and let out a loud excited noise and waved his hands and legs.

“He looks cute, Frank.” Mary grinned, herself dressed in a white little blouse detailed with christmas patterns. Fliss walked over from the kitchen where she had been boxing up the sugar cookies she had made and grinned as Frank glared at her, pointing to Alex.

“He’s a fucking elf.” He deadpanned. “In tights.”

“Language.” Fliss slapped his arm lightly before she shrugged and gestured to her own Christmas sweater which depicted Santa stuck upside down in a chimney “It’s Christmas.” Frank shook his head. “He looks ridiculous.”

“Don’t be a scrooge.” Mary grinned and Frank shot her a glare, before he glanced at his son again, shaking his head. Alex seemed absolutely nonplussed at the fact his Mother had dressed him in the utterly stupid get up and Frank turned, shaking his head as Fliss smirked at him.

“Everyone is gonna laugh at him.” He pouted and Fliss snorted

“No they’re not!”

Frank knew he wasn’t going to win the argument, Fliss was as big a child as anyone when it came to Christmas, but he was damned if he was going to let his boy be the subject of ridicule without a fight. But whatever protest he had left died in his throat as at that point Evelyn walked back into the room, a few more gift bags in her hands for Fliss’ family and Roberta and let out a little chuckle.

“Oh my God, doesn’t he look adorable.” She clapped her hands and walked towards her grandson.

Fliss bit her lip, her shoulders shaking with laughter at the utter indignation on Frank’s face as he rolled his eyes, letting out an exasperated growl as she slid her arms up round his neck. 

“Fine, just…whatever.” He sighed as she pulled his head down to hers, catching his lips in a soft peck. “Poor kid’s gonna grow up with a complex” he mumbled against her mouth “First the dinosaur outfit at Halloween, now this…”

“Well, so he doesn’t feel too bad, I got you a matching jumper.”

“Yeah Frank, you can put it on and then we can all take an elfie with your new phone, geddit?” Mary grinned and Fliss snorted. Frank pulled back and glared at Mary “Over my dead body.” “Can be arranged.” She retorted, and at that Fliss and Evelyn burst into laughter.

“Well that’s just mean.” Frank pouted and Fliss grinned, standing on her tiptoes.

“I’ll make it up to you later Sailor.” She whispered, her lips brushing his ear “I’ll let you decide if gold really is my colour for yourself…”

“Yeah?” he asked, arching an eyebrow, his hands dropping to her hips.

“If you wear the sweater…” “That’s…that’s blackmail.” He narrowed his eyes.

“I know.” She pulled back, turning to Mary and Evelyn. “Ok, shall we load the cars up? Mary you wanna ride with me or Frank?”

“Who’s goin’ to get Roberta?”

“Frank.” Fliss said “I’m taking Alex and Thor…and Fred.” She added as an after-thought. “Then I’ll go with him.” She nodded “That ok?”

“Sure.” Fliss smiled, her hand dropping to Mary’s head.

There was a sudden, excited bustle around the room as everyone moved to get their things together…and Frank went upstairs to change into his new elf sweater.

***** Chapter 18

[caralynsmoved]

the most wonderful time of the year

fandom: 911onfox characters: quinn callahan ( original female character ), athena grant-nash, sean callahan ( original male character ), bobby nash, fire fam ft. karen wilson and maddie buckley.  pairing(s): athena grant-nash/bobby nash, maddie buckley/howie “ chimney “ han, hen wilson/karen wilson, allusions to evan “ buck “ buckley/eddie diaz rating: general audiences setting: sometime after the ice skating and a little before the christmas spirit episode, idk timelines are hard and i wrote this before the actual christmas ep aired.  notes: so quinn is my oc formed of my love of kennedy mcmann and my need to just want more ocs basically. also s/o to @henwilsons bc she is pretty much quinn’s creator and a second s/o to @liesoverthec because when i posted hey who wants to hear about this oc you know nothing about it sweet bon-bon went me ! i do ! and made me giggle at work so here goes ??  ps. you can refer to this original post about quinnie if you want ! 

∞

“ should i ask how you found me or should we just skip to the why ? “ quinn asked, not even looking up from the drink in front of her. 

“ maybe skip to why you haven’t been answering my calls, huh ? “ athena asked, taking a seat beside at the nearly empty bar. 

quinn was sure in a few hours the now nearly empty bar would pack up with hopeful christmas couples, people looking for someone to spend the holidays with, mostly people trying to avoid the holidays in one of the most effective ways around .. at least that’s what she was trying to do before athena showed up. 

“ i’ve been busy, you know holidays make people nostalgic for estranged family, lost holiday gifts, missed connections with that certain somewhere who winked at you while you were singing to last christmas on the subway. “ quinn said, taking a drink before she looked over to the woman at her side.

“ think you could still make some time for holidays, quinn, get your stocking all hung up. “ the stocking had been an addition during her first christmas with the grants. she had slept in the guest room and woken to a stocking on the fireplace bearing her name right next to everyone else’s. it had been one of the first times she had let herself celebrate the holidays since her dad … the stocking now got put up every year. 

“ athena … “ quinn pressed a hand against her forehead, eyes closed tightly for a moment as she thought of the bright lights of christmas, watching rudolph curled into her dad’s side, hot cocoa in the middle of the night like a secret and the shadow that hung over them after he was gone, “ i don’t know, “ 

“ i know it’s been hard for you, lately. “ athena said, pushing the glass away just enough in hopes quinn wouldn’t notice, “ especially now, but baby you can’t keep hiding yourself away, there are people in your life now who love you, who want to be there for you .. if you’ll let them. “ 

quinn knew they would be, they had proven it in a hundred different ways; bobby being by her side after the tsunami when he wasn’t at buck’s, eddie going sparring with her at the gym when it all became much for either of them, buck and maddie stubbornly tailing with her on long stakeouts, hen and chim pulling her into team dinners at the station, it was even christopher or denny’s little hand reaching up for hers like they could trust her implicitly. the problem wasn’t that she didn’t know they were there the problem was they could easily be gone in an instant; one wrong call, one second too late, between one breath and the next … gone just like that. she’s already carrying one ghost she doesn’t know if her chest has room for any more. 

“ one more ? “ the bartender, either not catching athena’s warning gaze or not caring ( it was more likely the second ) asked, jolting her out of her thoughts and she fumbled. 

“ i .. i … ummm, “ words suddenly stuck in her throat as she felt the weight of it all fall on her shoulders with a rush, “ i need some air, “ 

the young woman pushed away from the bar and athena’s well meaning hands as she stumbled her way to the alley, falling down against it and letting the cold brick pressed against her back and shoulders chill her heated skin. out of control wasn’t a feeling she liked at all, out of control was something she didn’t get a luxury to feel because there wasn’t anyone around to catch her when it happened, no one to shield her when she fell or got too loud or did the wrong thing. out of control is how all of this made her feel and she pressed her forehead to her knees with a frustrated whine. 

“ merry christmas, baby girl. “ 

the hands fell away from the little girl’s eyes and she saw white decorating the ground and it felt like magic, 

“ snow ! “ instead of whirling straight into the white fluff the girl beelined for her dad behind her, wrapping her arms around him, “ you did it , daddy ! “ 

strong arms picked her up and twirled her around as she squealed and laughed as bright as the sun even as her dad clutched her to his chest and fell backward into the soft whiteness of the snow that glittered across their yard. she wriggled from his grasp as he rolled them around in the snow and looked up at her dad who smiled at her like he always did, “ told you i’d make it snow for you, quinnie, anything for my girl. “ 

it had never snowed like that in la and now that she was older she knew her dad had pulled strings to get snow in their yard, a simple call to a company, but to a little girl who wanted the realness of snow it had been everything and her dad had known that. they had stayed out there all day until they were soaked and shivering, he had coaxed her inside with hot chocolate and rudolph and she had fallen asleep in the window seat watching the snow settled in the yard … it had been their last christmas. 

there was the click of heels on asphalt, a ruffle of fabric and a sigh before athena was settled next to her once more, wanting nothing more than to reach out and pull the girl into her arms. 

“ i’m sorry, “ the words were old hat to quinn who spent her life either spitting them dismissively or profusing them to a grieving client … or the woman next to her, “ i’m so sorry. “ 

“ there’s nothing for you to apologize for, quinn. “ the softness in athena’s voice, the mom voice she and may always have teasingly called it makes her ache, makes her want for things she’s too afraid to have, too afraid to lose. “ i know you’re scared and it’s hard for you especially this time of year and as much as i want to just make it all better for you i can’t. “ 

quinn felt her green eyes sting with the press of tears and a sniffle following athena’s words had a gentle hand brushing pale red curls away from her face, stroking through her hair, “ i don’t … i don’t think i can do this anymore. “ 

the hand that was slowly brushing through her curls moved to turn her chin and she was met with a sad but no less warm smile, “ you don’t have to, not anymore. not if you don’t want to.  “ 

it could be so easy … 

“ i’m terrified, “ it was quinn’s breathless admission that had been held back like a warning she displayed to anyone who came close; damaged goods, broken toy, don’t come close; dead inside. athena had seen it all, pushed past the warning signs like a challenge and held her close even when she fought her, maybe especially when she fought her. 

“ i know. “ two words seemed to signal some sort of click in quinn’s head as the tears built up spilled down her cheek and off her chin, “ being scared though it’s just a part of loving something or someone but it doesn’t mean you should just never let yourself feel it again. i’m scared whenever bobby walks out the door in the morning, i’m scared when i say goodbye to the kids, i’m scared whenever you don’t answer the phone and maybe it would be less terrifying to just pack it all in, but then i’d miss out on all the good that love brings me, all the people it brings into my life. “ 

a sob crackled through her chest and escaped her, it sounded aching and tired, it sounded like her. in a second she was swept into warm arms and cradled like she was something fragile. “ you’re going to be okay, i’ve got you now, i’ve got you, baby girl. “ 

she wasn’t naive enough to think one breakdown in a bar’s alleyway would magically fix everything, that she would dry her eyes and feel put together, but it was a start, it was a soothe to some of her jagged edges, it was a way to breathe again. 

∞

tears dried and smudged makeup wiped away by skilled fingers, quinn shuffled in behind athena into the warm chaos that was the grant-nash household. there were decorations strewn about throughout the home, soft christmas music playing over a speaker, the smell of dinner wafting throughout and the sound of voices carrying over everything. 

“ and i’m telling you that you’re wrong ! “ was buck’s shout that rang out through the house and greeted the two women as they came into the living area. the blond was sat on a couch with eddie and was halfway leaned off of it to meet chim who was sat with a fondly grinning maddie, hen with an arm wrapped around her wife rounded out the team. 

“ except i’m not and you are, respect your elders, remember, buck ? “ chim quipped back at him, hands waving around that maddie skillfully dodged before gently grabbing one to hold which of course earned a sappy smile from her boyfriend. the words themselves drew a snort from eddie whose shoulder was promptly whacked by buck. 

“ what are they arguing about now ? “ athena asked as she came into the kitchen where her husband was opening a bottle of wine with quinn once more trailing behind her, feeling oddly unsure even in the shelter that this home was to her, “ i thought when i left they were bonding over the music. “ 

“ which of course led to them arguing about christmas music .. i’m pretty sure they’re actually arguing about which is the classic christmas song. “ bobby said, an amused smile on his face as he came around to hand his wife a glass of wine and a kiss, “ glad you could make it, quinn. “ 

eyes drifting towards the mantle hung with stockings quinn almost started as she was pulled back to the present and offered the older man a half smile, “ me too, bobby. “ 

“ just because you’re older doesn’t make you right, chim ! “ buck said, leaning that much more forward only to be pulled back by eddie’s hand on his shirt keeping him from toppling straight off the couch. 

“ and just cause you’re the baby, doesn’t make you right either ! “ whatever response buck had ready and waiting fell away at chim’s words and he sputtered. 

“ baby ?! i am not the baby ! “ 

“ you’re literally the youngest person here, buckaroo. “ 

“ that doesn’t make me the baby ! “ 

“ throwing the temper tantrum might though, bambi. “ quinn quipped, making her way to the crowd and taking a seat next to karen who gave her a smile and a pat to her knee that had her sinking easily against the cushions. 

“ come on, “ buck said, voice dropping from a shout to an indignant whine as he looked around at all of them, “ did you guys have to tell her about that ? “ 

“ well you just looked so adorable flailing around out there, i couldn’t help it. “ hen said, cooing at him leaving buck leaning back against the couch with a huff. 

“ says you, i think i grew like ten gray hairs everytime he almost faceplanted. “ eddie chimed in, the same fondly exasperated look on his face he had on the ice that day. 

“ i was not that bad. “ buck said, dodging the hand that eddie used to ruffle at his hair as his cheeks flushed with a blush. 

“ not how i heard it. “ quinn said, pulling her socked feet up underneath her on the loveseat as her words caused buck to pout. “ aww, don’t pout, bambi. it’s almost christmas. “ maddie teased her brother earning a dramatic kiss on the cheek from her boyfriend. 

“ i swear if that sticks .. “ the blond said, looking at all of them with a half-pleading, half-glaring expression on his face. 

drinks were passed around as bobby and athena came to join them and for a moment it seemed like everything was there, everything she was so afraid to have and she thought once more of how quick and easy it would be to lose it all. then like that day in the hospital bobby asks her to help him in the kitchen and the confused glances are worth the easiness to draw in a breath, 

“ better ? “ she’s not stupid, she knows there was nothing bobby actually needed help with and something about the realization makes her fingers tingle and ache as she runs a hand through her hair and looks up to meet his sympathetic gaze. 

“ thanks, bobby. “ quinn doesn’t ask how he knew, how he always seems to know because the answers are there in all the things he does and says; the shadows that sometimes swim behind his gaze, the way he looks at buck, may and harry like he’s found something he never thought he’d find again .. sometimes she thinks they just see echoes of their pasts in each other. 

“ no problem, kid. “ bobby said with this understanding smile as he stands next to her, a hand rubbing her shoulder and she thinks last year she never would have been able to do this, never would have let bobby this close, she thinks maybe this is what all that cliched talk of healing is supposed to mean, little things like this. she thinks maybe this she can do. 

green eyes floating towards where the stockings hung once more and then towards the crowd of family scattered throughout the living room she took a breath, thought of her dad without a vice grip on her heart, the way the snow felt against her cheek when he rolled them around and how it felt when she saw her stocking on the mantel with all the others and how if anything else it made all the painful ache in her chest ebb just enough. it was funny how she felt like bambi herself in this moment, shaky legged and unsure as she made her way towards the mantle and picked up the red and white striped stocking with her name stitched in green lettering. 

“ you’re my brave girl, you know that ? “ her dad said, reaching out to tweak her nose causing her to scrunch her features with a giggle. 

“ daddys always say that. “ she protested, legs swinging where she was sat on the kitchen counter. 

“ that’s because daddys are always right, “ he said with a knowing smile as he smoothed the bandage over her knee and reached behind him and like the magic she always assumed her dad had produced a bright blue sucker, “ especially when it comes to their brave girls. “ 

a breath in and a breath out and she carefully placed the stocking on the hook already placed and waiting for her. 

“ looks good up there. “ athena’s voice called from where she was sat and quinn nodded, a smile she hadn’t felt in what felt like such a long time curving her lips as she looked at it before making her way back to her seat with the family and sat down, legs curling underneath her as she looked around at them. these people; these, crazy, wonderful, hilarious, strong and sweet people were hers and maybe she was even theirs. for now, that was enough, for now she could do this. 

“ yeah, yeah it does. “ 

“ merry christmas, baby girl. “ a ruffle of her hair, a kiss against her forehead and the smell of his cologne so clear and present, curling around her like a memory, like a blanket.

[mangagrl1991]

Wolf’s Rain: Gift

Click here if you have questions about this story’s timeline: https://mangagrl1991.tumblr.com/post/190908905421/wolfs-rain-fanfic-headcanon-and-lifetimes

~~~~~~~~

Series: Wolf’s Rain

Lifetime: Corrupted Paradise with references to anime events

Pairing: HigexSora (OC), TsumexTsuki (OC, implied)

OCs mentioned belong to myself, @mewinukags and @gentleroots

~~~~~~~~

“Man..” Groaned Hige, a boy with wild, light brown hair.  “How is it that every time we reach a new city, I’m the one who gets stuck going to find food?”

His companion, a girl with flipped out, dark grey hair snorted in amusement.  “Maybe because you’re the first one to whine about needing to eat?” Honey brown irises shined with mischief as she glanced back at him, a teasing grin playing on her lips.  “You know it’s true.  Nobody complains about being hungry as much as you do...though I guess that makes sense since you are the biggest of us all.”

Hige folded his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes in a mock pout.  “Gee, Sora.  If I didn’t know any better I’d think you’d just called me fat.”

In response, Sora shook her head, layered strands flying wildly with the motion.  “What, me?  Never.” A soft snicker left the girl as she held her hands out in protest, a smirk tugging at her lips.  “You should know by now, if I’m gonna pick on you, it won’t be about your weight.”

She stopped walking and turned around to tap the boy’s slightly rounded nose, chuckling when he pushed her hand away, frowning at her.  “Hey, cut it out!  My nose is super sensitive, you know!”

Sora let her hand drop to her side, grinning.  “I’m well aware, Mr. wussy wolf.”  With a careless shrug, she turned away and resumed walking. “Now quit complaining and let’s go, before I retract my offer to help you out.”

Hige had known the girl long enough to realize that she was only messing with him, and would in fact continue to banter for however long he kept it going; however, his stomach reminded him that they did need to get a move on, so he let the subject drop for now.

A comfortable silence settled between the two wolves in disguise as they walked, each of them focused on their surroundings with the same goal in mind: finding food.  What kind of food didn’t really matter, so long as they could hide it in their pockets until they reached the pack.

Secretly, Hige was grateful for Sora’s help.  She was pretty skilled when it came to finding food in a city, something she’d lacked in her previous life, but seemed to have acquired in this one; and that wasn’t the only difference in her this time around.  

A grin tugged at Hige’s lips as he walked behind the girl, appreciating the gentle curve of her hips.  This time around, she was a little more open with her thoughts, and had gradually admitted to having feelings for him, as he had for her.  They weren’t officially mates just yet, but he was hopeful they would reach that stage someday.  

The Mexican wolf’s thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly realized that Sora had stopped walking, and he nearly lost his balance trying not to bump into her.  “Sora?  Why’d you stop?  I almost ran right into you.” He frowned, noticing that the girl wasn’t even listening to him, her gaze trained on a window display they had just walked by.  “...Sora?”  

Following her line of sight, Hige’s eyes landed on what had stolen his companion’s attention away; a small, rounded pendant with an engraving that resembled a wolf’s paw print in the center hanging on a dainty, silver chain.

Noticing the enchanted look on the girl’s face, he gave a soft smile.  “I”ll bet it would look nice on you.”  His words caused her to jerk back to attention, and he fought back a small laugh.  “Do you want to see if they’ll let you try it on?”

Sora’s eyes grew wide, making her briefly resemble a deer in headlights before she did a double take and averted her gaze.  “Nah, it’s okay.  Our kind don’t really have any use for those kinds of things, anyway.”

“Really?” Hige’s brow quirked as he tilted his head sideways, looking unconvinced.  “You were wearing a bracelet the first time I met you.  How is that any different?”

The dark haired girl froze, and her eyes glazed over with memories of her previous life.  A tense silence settled between the two wolves.  Taking her silence as a refusal to answer, Hige was about to change the subject when she finally broke the silence.

“That’s different.  It was...a gift from someone important.”

Amber eyes widened slightly at the unexpected response, and for a moment all the boy could do was stare at her, jaw agape slightly as he processed her words.  

“What are you talking about? Was it a guy?!”

“What?” Sora did a double take, an array of emotions flitting across her features before her face darkened, eyes rolling up as she placed her hands on her hips.  “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Is that really what you think?”

Not at all comforted by what he perceived as a defensive reply, Hige’s face shifted into a pout.  “That’s not it, is it?  You would’ve told me if you’d been with another male before, wouldn’t you?  But then who would’ve given you such a gift that you’d still consider them important?  Could it be...you had a mate before we met?”

“You should know better than to assume things with me.  Just because I had someone important to me, that does not mean they were my mate!”  Not giving him a chance to answer, the dark haired girl turned away stiffly.  “Let’s just find some food and get back to the others.  Kiba’s gotta be wondering what’s keeping us by now, and he’s one wolf I don’t want to keep waiting.”

With that, Sora walked away in a huff, not caring whether she was going too fast for her companion to keep up or not. Had she looked back, she would’ve noticed that he hadn’t even bothered to follow her; he watched her retreating form as he shoved his hands into his pockets with a sigh.

Regret swam in his amber eyes as he repeated their discussion in his head. He had overreacted, he knew he’d had no reason to be so paranoid. It just...rubbed him wrong to learn that her bracelet had been a gift before, and by someone, possibly a male, he’d never known about.

It was only the hurt he’d seen in Sora’s eyes upon learning of his suspicions that made him think he’d been wrong, and by then it was too late. She was already leaving; in her absence, a heavy feeling of guilt settled in his gut, making his stomach churn.  

They’d come so much further in this life time together, and he couldn’t afford to lose her a second time, especially over something so stupid. He’d have to find a way to make it up to her.

It was then as he glanced back at the jewelry display in the window before him, that Hige realized he knew just the right way to do that.  A small smirk settled on his face as he headed inside the shop to look around, commenting on how nice everything was.

After a few minutes, the brown haired boy moved onto the window display, leaning in and casting a longing look. “It’s too bad I can’t afford this. I’ve got a girl who’d look great in it.”

This prompted the storekeeper, an elderly woman, to launch into a story that somehow related to his comment, and he nodded politely, waiting until she turned her back for a moment to reach out, quickly pocketing the necklace. Then, making up an excuse to leave, he waved goodbye and went on his merry way, inwardly bursting with excitement at the idea of presenting Sora with his latest haul from the city.

-

‘What a day.’ Sora leaned back, stretching her arms above her head with a contented groan.  By the time she had returned to the campsite, she’d learned that Kiba, having caught what he considered a foreboding scent had taken off running without another word.

Not willing to chase after the Arctic wolf as the day was nearly over, the rest of the pack had opted to stay put for the night and get an early start in the morning.  Knowing Kiba, he’d be able to survive on his own for at least that long. Other than that, nothing really eventful happened, aside from her argument with Hige in the city.

The thought of the Mexican wolf made her huff softly, and she scowled up at the moon to hide any remnants of her earlier sadness. After the thoughtless way he’d spoken to her before, Sora had avoided any further alone time with him, showing a keen interest in helping Tsuki gather medicinal herbs in the surrounding area, and then going to look for firewood with Toboe and Fern.  She’d even engaged Tsume in a conversation -who cared if it had ended in yet another argument?  That was normal, after all, in their particular friendship (even if both of them denied that they were, in fact, friends).   The rest of the day had been spent with Tsuki, who’d quickly discovered she was reluctant to discuss anything related to their hungriest packmate.  Despite her obvious concern over the situation, she had thankfully dropped the subject altogether.  Shortly after that, Toboe and Fern had wandered over to them, and the group had gotten into a debate over which prey animals tasted best.  

At one point, Hige had approached them, attempting to join in with his own opinion, but Sora had pointedly ignored him until he finally gave in and parked himself beneath a tree, just close enough to the blazing campfire to warm himself up.  To her relief, he hadn’t appoached her again after that, but he had made it a point to catch her eye every time she looked up, making her feel slightly uncomfortable over time.

Shaking her head to clear the awkward thoughts out, the grey wolf glanced towards a cluster of bushes where Tsuki and Fern were trying to convince a slightly feisty Toboe that it was time to sleep.  

“But Hige and Tsume are gonna stay up and keep watch, and I wanna help out too!” The male pup whined.

There was a small chuckle, and Sora barely heard Tsuki’s soft voice insisting to Toboe that the best way he could help would be to get enough rest so they could leave early in the morning.

Before Toboe could respond, Fern was by his side, cuffing him on the ear with a paw, a teasing glint in her green eyes as he asked what that had been for.

“C’mon, Tobi.  I know you wanna be all macho and stuff but we really should be sleeping.  Tsu said we’re getting up early, remember, and a new day is easiest to get through after a good night’s rest.”  There was a brief pause as she leaned in, a smirk on her face as she whispered in his ear that only Toboe could hear.

The red wolf’s eyes widened briefly before he did a slight double take, sighing before reluctantly nodding.  “Ok, you’re right.  I don’t wanna be tired and end up slowing the pack down tomorrow.”  A weak grin appeared on his face as he added, “I really don’t want Tsume getting mad at me.”

“That’s a good boy.” Came Fern’s teasing remark, earning her a nudge from her friend as he stuck his tongue out playfully, making her snicker.

Tsuki, who’d been watching the two in amusement, gave a soft smile as Toboe finally laid down, curling into her side for comfort.  His eyes slowly slid shut as he finally gave into the pull of sleep.

Sora watched the scene fondly, chuckling softly as she watched Fern scoot over, snuggling up to the male pup for warmth before her own eyes closed and she, too fell asleep.

“You have a pretty smile, Sora.  You should really show it more often.” Came a familiar voice.

Startled, the black and grey wolf whipped around and her eyes narrowed slightly as they landed on Hige.  

The boy smiled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as he saw her expression. “What?  It’s the truth. You really should smile more.”

Not even having realized she’d been smiling up until now, Sora’s mouth turned down, eyes rolling at his cheesy attempt at flattery.  “What do you want, Hige?” She muttered, suddenly feeling drained by the male’s presence. “I’m not in the mood to talk right now.”

She started to turn away but he hurried into her path, grinning nervously. “That’s okay, I’ll talk and you can just listen. Okay?”

The dark haired girl shrank back slightly, furrowing her brows as she eyed him warily.  “You’re not here to make more ridiculous accusations, are you?” She retorted, earning a wince from the boy.

“Look, about that…I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.” He broke off for a moment, sighing before fixing her with an apologetic look.  “I guess I got jealous.” His face turned sheepish as he gently took her hands in his, eyes burning into hers.

“It shouldn’t matter if you had someone else in your past life, I know that, but still. I made it super obvious when we met that I was attracted to you, but you never gave me a chance.  So to think that another male was better than me just bothered me I guess.”  

He stopped abruptly as he realized too much emotion was seeping into his words and looked away, taking a deep breath before allowing himself to continue.   “Anyway, I don’t care about that anymore.  After all, I have you this time around.  All I ask is that you don’t keep things from me. Even if they’re things from the past, don’t hide. We need to be honest with each other if we’re going to make this work between us…”

He trailed off, looking bewildered as Sora suddenly broke eye contact and lowered her head. “Sora?” Hige’s bewilderment gave way to concern when he noticed that her shoulders were shaking.  He didn’t think he’d said anything harsh but then again, he wasn’t known as the most tactful of the pack, either, preferring to call things as he saw them. “Are you ok?  Whatever I said, I’m sorry, okay?  Please don’t cry.”

Just then Sora’s head shot up, eyes raising to meet his, and he was surprised to find that she hadn’t been crying. She was laughing.

“Hige, stop. Please.” She said, giggling softly.  “I know what it seemed like, but I’m telling you right now. You are the first male I’ve been involved with in any life time.” There was a reassuring smile on her face as she added, “The person you were jealous over is a young girl I met shortly after losing my own pack when I was younger than Toboe.”

Smirking at the surprise on Hige’s face she reached out to push his jaw shut gently, exhaling softly. “If it weren’t for her I might not have lived to meet you and the rest of the pack.” Seeing the curiosity on the boy’s face the dark haired girl smiled softly, averting her gaze as she shook her head.  “That’s a story for another time.”

Hige stared at the dark haired woman, totally stunned by this revelation.  “...A little girl. That’s it?  Why would you be so sensitive about something like that?”

There was a brief pause as Sora inhaled softly, lifting her eyes to his once again, only this time the look on her face was grim.  “Remember that girl that Jagaura cut down right in front of us?”

Seeing the look of realization dawn upon the male wolf’s face, she nodded tersely. “Yeah, that was her.”

Hige watched as she lowered her head once more, doing her best not to show just how affected she still was, but even he could see that the memories had left a deep wound in her heart.

‘No wonder she acted so devastated at Jagaura’s keep.’  He thought, finding that a lot of her behavior in the last lifetime made more sense now that he had an important missing piece to the puzzle.  

Deciding that the least he could do was comfort her, Hige released her hands and pulled her into a warm hug, nuzzling the side of her neck. “I’m so sorry for making you remember that.” He paused, feeling the way the girl’s body relaxed into him and smiled as he felt her slender arms gripping his sides.  “I should’ve known better than to assume it was a guy. I’m sorry, Sora.  I really am such an idiot.”

Upon hearing this, the grey head of hair shifted, and he was met by teasing honey colored orbs. “You kinda can be...that and a wussy wolf.” Smirking, she reached up, flicking the boy’s nose playfully.

“Hey, not that again.” Hige groaned softly, releasing her so he could move out of reach.  He wore a mock pout on his face as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away, earning him a giggle from the girl.

“What I don’t understand is why you felt you needed to get jealous at all.” She said after a short pause, a soft smile on her face. “No matter what, the past is just that. Our past.  It’s now that matters, and right now you are one of the most important parts of my life, Hige.  I’d still be roaming city streets all alone if it weren’t for you.”

Hige listened as she poured her heart out to him, becoming overwhelmed with an array of emotions the longer she spoke.  “You’re right.  I’m sorry.  I know recalling the past was hard for you...it means a lot that you told me though.” Stepping closer to her, he smiled warmly at her, once again gripping her hands gently. “You know, I was scared today that you were going to leave me.  Not that I wouldn’t have deserved it, but…I can’t stand the idea of losing you again...you mean more to me than words can express.  What I mean is...”

He broke off and took a deep breath, gathering his courage before going on, a desperate edge in his voice as he hurried to finish what he’d begun before the blushing girl could interrupt.  “ I love you, Sora.”

Sora’s breath caught in her throat as he leaned in and his lips brushed against hers softly. Pulling away almost as soon as he’d made contact, Hige smiled warmly at her stunned silence.  “I’ve been needing to tell you that for awhile now...ever since you told me how you felt after Darcia…”

He trailed off, unable to finish, but he didn’t need to; just the way his facial expression twisted in pain was enough to tell her that he was remembering how unintentionally cruel she’d been to him in her final moments; confessing her love with her last breath, dying before he could muster up a response.

She was just about to say something to break the silence when he beat her to it, admitting regretfully that he had to go, since he and Tsume were going to take shifts keeping watch while the rest of the pack slept that night, and he was up first.  “We’ll talk more later, okay?” Without waiting for an answer, the wolf ran off.

“...See you later.” As Sora raised her hand to wave she realized that there was something in it. Glancing down, she was shocked to see the small, rounded pendant she’d been admiring in the city earlier.

“I'll bet it would look nice on you.”  

A blush spread across her cheeks as she recalled his words to her, and she glanced back in the direction he’d gone, surprised to see he had stopped a short distance away and was looking back at her.  It was too dark for her to see his expression, but Sora had a feeling he must be smirking at her, as if he somehow knew what was going through her mind right now.

As her already warm face grew hotter, she turned her attention back to the trinket in her hand, admiring it for a while before finally slipping it on.  She then went and checked her appearance in the small stream nearby, a soft smile spreading across her face as she gripped the pendant, gently turning it to look at the paw print engraving.  “Oh, Hige…”

***

For the third time that night, Sora opened her eyes with a groan, offering a sheepish smile to the sleepy eyed Tsuki she had awoken yet again when she unintentionally rolled into her.  “Sorry.”

To her relief, the black tri-colored wolf was too tired to ask what was keeping her up.  Mismatched eyes shifted toward Toboe and Fern worriedly. Only once she felt reassured that neither pup had been disturbed by Sora, did Tsuki allow her eyes to slowly slant shut once more in silent acceptance of her friend’s apology.

Deciding that it was pointless to try to sleep anymore, Sora got to her feet, careful not to make any noise, and padded away from the trio of wolves.  Returning to the stream from earlier, she sat down beside it, dipping a hand in and letting the chilling water rush through her fingers.  After a moment she pulled it out, repeating the motion with her other hand.  

“Why can’t I sleep?” She muttered softly, glancing down at the water as it rushed past.   A soft clink drew her attention downward, where her newest accessory had fallen out of her pocket beside her.  It was then as she picked up the necklace, a faint tint of pink rushing to her cheeks, that her restlessness began to make sense.

‘It’s because he told me something like that and ran off before I could say anything!’ She groaned softly, hanging her head.  It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted to meet his heartfelt confession with her own, because she did.  It was just that...Sora inhaled deeply, timidly touching her fingers to her lips.  His kiss.  Brief as it had been, she hadn’t expected it, still reeling from Hige’s confession, and had been rendered speechless.  

Well, now that she knew what was bothering her enough to interrupt her sleep, maybe she could do something about it.  Hige had mentioned taking turns keeping watch with Tsume.  Maybe she could catch him while it was still his turn.  Then, once she found him, she could tell him how she felt, and—

A multitude of potential scenarios flew to her mind and she blushed darkly, shaking her head to clear them away.  Maybe, just maybe if she didn’t lose her nerve after confessing, she’d stay with him for the night.

***

Upon finding Hige, Sora’s enthusiasm came crashing down as she noticed that he was already asleep, curled comfortably on his side in the grass.  Standing before him, she shifted awkwardly as she debated on what to do now.  Confessing and staying the night with him was definitely out of the question, she thought with a frown.  

‘But if I don’t do something, I’ll be up all night worrying about this!’  Honey eyes widened a fraction as an idea presented itself, and she glanced back down at the sleeping male.  ‘I guess I could still tell him how I feel, even if he is asleep.  Maybe saying it will at least be enough to help ease this restlessness.’

Sora dropped to her hands and knees beside the boy, doing her best not to let her nervousness overcome her.  A quick glance around confirmed for her that they were alone, and she sighed.  If she was gonna say anything, now was her chance.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, which was beating so hard she was afraid it would wake the sleeping wolf.  Finally, the grey haired girl leaned in close and whispered in his ear.  “I love you too.”

Emboldened, she placed a kiss on his temple before sitting back on her knees, relieved.  Even if Hige hadn’t heard her, the simple action of saying out loud what she knew to be true had put her heart at peace for now.  A soft yawn escaped her, as if confirming that she wouldn’t have any trouble getting to sleep, and she smiled softly at the boy.  If only he’d been awake, she could’ve stayed with him.

‘Though, I doubt he’d mind if I did.’  Sora frowned, casting a longing glance at the spot beside the boy.  If anything, he’d probably tease her and ask why the change of heart, but that would just give her an opportunity to confess to him for real.  Besides that, it was cold tonight, and she wasn’t sure Tsuki would want her too close after all the times she’d accidentally woken her up.  

She was just getting ready to lay down when the harsh crunch of footsteps nearby caught her attention and she groaned, remembering that Tsume would be on patrol right now.  Scrambling to her feet, she dashed back to Tsuki, hoping that she and the two pups would give her another chance to sleep next to them while also praying the gray wolf hadn’t been witness to what she’d just done.

If she would’ve taken a moment to look back, however, she would’ve seen that Tsume was the least of her concerns, as disappointed amber eyes blinked open to watch her retreat.

Hige had only been laying down for a few minutes when he’d felt Sora’s presence at his side.  Curious as to why she’d come to him at such a late hour, he’d made sure to keep his breathing deep and even.  Both her kiss and her confession were a big surprise, and he’d had a hard time keeping himself calm; after all he was supposed to be sleeping.  Then she’d hesitated, and it looked as if she was considering sleeping by him -a fact that had him over the moon with joy.  He was sure he would’ve done something to blow his cover if Tsume’s nearby presence hadn’t startled the grey wolf into running off.  

A bush rustled nearby and the Mexican wolf glanced back in slight annoyance.  Speak of the Devil.  

Tsume stepped into the area and glanced over at him, a smug look on his face.   “Well, that was a rather...interesting development.”

Hige’s eyes narrowed.  “You just couldn’t let us have this one moment, could you?”

“No.”  The smirk faded from Tsume’s face as he folded his arms over his chest.  “Do you have any ideas how many ‘’moments’’ she has ruined for Tsuki and I?”

“So you chose tonight to get payback?!” Hige growled, unable to contain his frustration as the reality of what could have been sunk in, making him claw the ground in an effort to control his anger.  “Do you even realize what a rare opportunity you just ruined for me?!”

Tsume scoffed, giving a nonchalant shrug.  “Don’t get your tail in a knot, Porky!  Now you know she’s interested.  You’ll get to make an honest mate of her.”  He broke off, raising an eyebrow as he pointed in the direction the female wolf had run.  “Just shut your mouth in the meantime, unless you want her to know you were listening the whole time.”

Uttering a low growl, Hige followed the grey wolf’s line of view and his face softened when he spotted the grey and black wolf curled up beside the rest of their packmates.  “I guess you’re right.  I’m turning in now, then.”  

Ignoring the grunt of a response he got from Tsume, Hige rolled onto his back, resting his head on his arms as he gazed up happily into the starry sky.  Sora had been tiptoeing around their relationship for so long, he had begun to wonder if she actually wanted to be with him.  

Tonight, his doubts had finally been put to rest.  Maybe now, they could talk about building a life together.  He’d have to find a way to broach the subject with her soon.  She would probably freak out when he told her that he’d been awake for her confession, but it would be worth enduring a scolding from her if it meant their relationship could finally have a chance to progress.  

They had been cheated out of that chance last time, but he refused to let the opportunity pass them by now.  ‘Not this time, Sora.  No matter what it takes, I won’t lose you again.’  Glancing back at said female once more and finding her fast asleep, he breathed in softly and closed his eyes, finally allowing sleep to claim him as well.

[plaidstiel-wormstache]

What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?

This is the last one for my Christmas Challenge, I hope you like it, cause I’m obsessed with this song. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve sung by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I’ve worked in two other songs (Blueberry Hill & Dream a Little Dream), though they’re not what drove this piece. Word Count: 1396 Characters: John Winchester, Reader and some OC’s. Warnings: Nothing I can think of, it is fluffy, but there’s also a touch of heartache. AN: I wrote this with Farm Life in mind, kind of like a prequel, but you don’t need to read it to understand this in any way. It was just a thought. Although this is an older JDM in the gif, I’m picturing a younger John! This is unbeta’d so all mistakes are mine own.

The warm beer fizzed slightly in John’s hand, his shoulders hunched, head hung low. His other hand scribbled lazily over a free page in the journal he kept, making notes of the latest case and the beastie he defeated.

A younger man was behind the bar, his elbows leaning against the counter as he read a well-loved book. An elderly couple were at a table, sipping at sherry’s they’d ordered an hour ago while watching the inhouse performer. And an older man, clearly homeless, was bundled into a booth, almost asleep.

A woman’s voice drifted through the almost empty bar, sweet and soft and low, setting a mood of intimacy among the six listeners. The upright piano had been rolled out into a cleared corner of the bar, an air of comfortability to her, this being her regular spot.

John only looked up from the journal when he sensed a presence in front of him. The guy behind the bar was replacing his warm beer with a new, fresh and cold one. John nodded his thanks and went back to writing.

“Miss YN,” The elderly man called out, his voice wavering from age. “Let me guess,” YN replied, smiling brightly at him. She began to play the beginning of Dream a Little Dream the usual request from the man. She briefly glanced down for a chord change before beginning to sing, looking back out into the dimly lit bar to watch the elderly man stand and offer his hand to his wife. They began to slowly sway back and forth, a gentle spin every now and then, but mostly holding each other, a show of true love lasting a lifetime. The barman had stopped in his collection of empty glasses, mesmerised by the couple, even the homeless man had peered over the top of the booth. John looked up too, finishing his beer while tracking the slow movement of the two. An old memory stirred, reminding him of when he used to pull Mary around their lounge room while listening to a similar song, holding her in his arms, swaying to the music. How he wished he could have that again.

“Thank you, Miss YN.” The elderly woman beamed at musician, waving goodbye while her husband held her coat ready for her to shrug into. “Merry Christmas Mrs Apperol. Be careful getting home, now.” YN said, inclining her head when Mr Apperol pushed a fiver into the tin sitting above the piano. The usual, very much appreciated, donation.

The barman held the door for the elderly couple as they left, YN getting straight back to her music. “If you three don’t mind, I may sing one more and then call it a night.” YN’s sultry voice sounded through the speakers, but two of the three men didn’t seem to pay any attention. She stood from the bench seat and grabbed the nearby guitar, coming back and strumming a chord to tune.

She began a chord progression, calm and steady. John’s pen hovered over the page as he tried to guess the song from her drawn out introduction.

“Maybe it’s much too early in the game,” YN’s voice was slow to build as she harmonized with the piano. “But I thought I’d ask you just the same, what are you doing New Year’s, New Year’s Eve?”

John scribbled the title of the song in the margin and closed the diary, placing his hand on it as he turned his body to face her.

“Who’s gonna be the one holds you tight, when it’s exactly twelve o’clock at night, welcoming in the New Year’s, New Year’s Eve?” YN’s YEC eyes scanned the room. When they met John’s she smiled to herself, reminding John of the boys and how they’d get that smile on their face if they knew something the other didn’t.

“Maybe I’m crazy to suppose, I’d ever be the one you chose, out of a thousand invitations you received.” YN’s YHC hair fell over her shoulder as she looked down to check her finger placement, hiding her from John. Maybe for the best, as he found himself imagining her singing this just for him.

“Ah, but in case I stand one little chance, here comes the jackpot question in advance. What are you doing New Year’s, New Year’s Eve?” YN flicked her hair back over her shoulder with a whip of her head, glancing towards John to check he was still there, still watching.

“Oh, but in case I stand one little chance, here comes the jackpot question in advance. What are you doing New Year’s, New Year’s Eve?” YN played the last note, letting the guitar hold it before fading out. She sighed heavily and smoothed her palm down the neck of the guitar before standing and replacing it.

YN collected the fiver from the tin and crossed the bar to the homeless man in the booth, smiling when he wished her a happy christmas and became teary eyed. John felt like a school kid, nervous and sweaty as he watched her round the bar, she was mere feet from him and his mouth had gone dry.

“Thanks for coming in, wouldn’t have been Christmas for the Apperol’s if you hadn’t!” The barman said as she collected her coat. “Merry Christmas, Steve.” She said, kissing his cheek, “Leave Bob in and lock up soon as the new one’s out.” She instructed, patting his shoulder when he nodded.

“Uhh, ‘scuse me?” John said as she passed, maybe a little too forcefully as he tried to get the words out around the lump in his throat. “Yes, sir?” She said, that same smile from before gracing her lips. “Umm…” John quickly realised he was in a bar, he couldn’t ask her out for a drink. And even if he did, this was the only place open on Christmas Day. “You--” “Walk--” They both started at the same time and YN blushed, looking down at her feet, laughing before looking back up at the older hunter as he gestured for her to speak. “Walk me to my car?” She asked. John was taken aback at how direct she was, how confident she sounded. He nodded, quickly fumbling in his pocket for his wallet to pay for his drinks. “Don’t worry about it, it’s on the house. Have a good one.” The barman, Steve, said, waving them both out the door.

They walked in silence for a moment, the knowing smile plastered to her face. But it wasn’t a shit eating grin, it was pleasant, it made John want to lean in and kiss her to see if he could budge it, or at least be let in on the secret.

“...a bar at christmas?” She’d been talking, and John hadn’t been listening, lucky the end was enough to go by. “Umm, work has me away from my boys.” He was shocked at how easily he opened up, he never normally mentioned his sons if anyone asked about family, wanted to keep them away from the business. You never knew who you were feeding information to. “You have sons?” YN asked, genuinely interested. “Two. They’re at their Uncle’s for Christmas.” “I bet he spoils them when you’re not around.” She nudged him gently with her shoulder.

John was relieved she hadn’t asked about Mary, he would’ve thought his ring… “She died a while back.” He muttered, more for his guilty conscious than for her. “I’m sorry to hear that.” There was a silence between them, the crunch of snow under their boots the only sound as they continued to walk. “But, I’m sure she’s proud of all you do for them.”

John looked over at YN. She was staring straight ahead, a kind of thoughtfulness behind her eyes. Then, all of a sudden, it was gone as she glanced over at him, stopping. “This is me.” She said, nodding across the road at the motel. “I thought you said something about a car?” “The red truck?” She pointed across the parking lot to an old, rusting Ford F100. John nodded, his lips lifting into a smile before he chuckled to himself. YN’s head slightly tilted in question as her lips pulled up in spite of not knowing why he was laughing. “This is me too.” He said, pointing to the black, Impala that was parked next to her red truck. She smiled wider than before and snorted a laugh. They began to walk together, towards their respective doors.

“So,” YN said, hand on her door, fingers fidgeting with the key in her coat pocket. “So.” He said, he could feel his tummy begin to flutter as the butterflies came alive. “You wanna--” “What are you--” They began to speak at the same time, both stopping. It was YN’s turn to laugh and gessture to him. “You go.” “I was gonna...” John knew it was corny, but he couldn’t resist. “What are you doing New Year’s Eve?”

I loved writing this piece. And I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please comment or reblog or do both if you liked it too.

Tagging the monsters: @atc74 @akshi8278 @dont-trust-humanity @yoursmilemakesmeloveyou @redlipstickandplaid @lipstickandwhiskey @jensen-jarpad @avasmommy224 @munlis @arryn-nyxx @autopistaaningunaparte @babypieandwhiskey @beckawinchester @blacktithe7 @bringmesomepie56 @chaos-and-the-calm67 @charliebradbury1104 @chvalkenberg95 @clairese1980 @dancingalone21 @ellen-reincarnated1967 @eyes-of-a-disney-princess @fandoms-are-the-best-escape @frenchybell @gabby913   @grace-for-sale @green-love-red-fantasyhearts @hasta-impalasta @i-like-your-assbutt @ilostmyshoe-79 @impala-dreamer @impalaimagining @iwriteaboutdean @jalove-wecallhimdean @kazchester-fanfiction @kristaparadowski @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid @lucifer-in-leather @lucis-unicorn @melonberri @manawhaat @mogaruke @mrswhozeewhatsis @nichelle-my-belle @notnaturalanahi @oriona75 @ruprecht0420 @sdavid09 @sherloki-moriartea @thegreatficmaster @waywardjoy @wheresthekillswitch @whywhydoyouwantmetosaymyname @wi-deangirl77 @wideawakeandwriting @you-know-whodoesthat-crazypeople  @captainemwinchester @kittenofdoomage @room-with-a-cat @atc74 @katymacsupernatural @emoryhemsworth @whispersandwhiskerburn

[cheezyharu]

Big, big design dump I did while I was gone

[cheezyharu]

Happy Chrimus!

It's chrismun!

Merry crisis!

Happy chrisler!

(/ref)

[cheezyharu]

Oh wow I haven’t rendered at all for a while now, haven’t I?

Tried to… actually look at references for once, and not work and forgot it exists midway, also basically raw dogged the colors like I’m working traditionally-