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danceworshipper · 3 years

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The Family Business AU: Part 1

Part 2

I'm finally getting around to writing something! This story is an AU where my main mcs, Gracie and Tessa Chiva, were raised in R their whole lives and are only just now, at the age of sixteen, starting to have doubts. I'm not sure how long the story will be, but I've been toying with the idea for a while now and I couldn't stop myself from writing it any longer. The basic background info is that the twins' maternal grandmother, Lorraine Black, founded R while her four children were still relatively young. In canon, her children weren't really on board, but in this AU all but one stayed with her. Clarissa, the twins' mother, never truly approved, but saw what happened to her brother and decided abandoning her family wasn't worth it. If you know my mcs, you'll know that while Gracie and Tessa are technically identical twins, Gracie has alternate coloring to her from a curse that happened in their first year (Tessa has dark brown hair and dull green eyes whilst Gracie has bright white hair and unnaturally bright green eyes, and is much paler). In this AU, that still occurred, however the curse was staged to give them a reason to go into the vaults as their brother never did, and she has no negative side effects from it. The 'Jacob' character has been renamed to Vance, just because I honestly don't like the name Jacob, Gracie and Merula are together, Tessa is single and newly the captain of the Slytherin quidditch team, Rowan is the prefect because she deserves it, and the two additional mcs in the story belong to @gcldensnitch and @weirdcursedvaultkid!

The Great Hall always felt so loud and bright on the first day of school. Even on the days the whole family was gathered together, their grandmother's dining hall was never as noisy as when the whole of Hogwarts was sitting eating dinner together. It made Gracie's head pound, and Tessa wasn't faring much better. If only their mother had listened to their pleas to drop out of school - but alas, Clarissa was firm in her belief that they needed to complete their education despite being next in line. It's what they deserved for asking the parent who had been a Ravenclaw during her own time at Hogwarts.

Of course, education aside, the twins really did need to stay in school. Them dropping out now would raise too many questions, especially with the two of them so invested in the Cursed Vaults. Besides, they would miss their friends. The friends that they'd been lying to since they met them. The friends that were now in terrible danger.

The twins had different thoughts about their lies. Tessa felt much more guilty about it, always having been the more empathetic twin. She especially felt guilty about lying to her best friend, Colette Belrose, whose older brother Jacob was someone Tessa saw rather frequently while Colette herself had no idea what he was up to. It reminded Tessa of how she had no idea where her own brother was, and if he was okay or not. He had run away from home directly after graduating and hadn't contacted his sisters at all. R had placed him high on the 'wanted' list. Seeing his name still there, not crossed out, was the only way Tessa and Gracie could have hope he was still alive.

Gracie was better able to justify her lies to herself. How could she continue to be trusted by her friends if they knew she was a member of the very group they were trying to take down? How would they react if they knew that she hadn't been cursed in her first year, but marked as the next leader? In order to protect the people Gracie cared about like Rowan and Merula, she needed them to trust her, and they never would if they found out about her lies now. It wasn't like she could tell them even if she wanted to; the secrecy oath she swore when she was eleven made that impossible. She suspected that was the only reason Vance hadn't told everyone before he ran away. You didn't break the oath by leaving. You broke the oath by dying.

This very oath, while necessary for R's security, was something that the twins were growing to despise. Lorraine, their grandmother, the founder and current leader of R, had laughed at them when they screamed and cried about Rakepick torturing Merula while the group was in the Portrait Vault the year before. Rakepick was just playing her part, Lorraine said. It didn't matter how close Gracie and Merula were, because in the end, Merula was an enemy to R and their mission, and would be treated as such. If Gracie wanted Merula safe from R's members, she'd have to convince Merula to become one.

This was the twins' goal this year. Between working on the final Cursed Vault (that the Hogwarts students knew of; the twins knew it was, in fact, the second-to-last), they were determined to convince their closest friends to join up with R for their own protection. How they would do that without being able to tell their friends about their family, they didn't know. But they had to try.

"Tessa!"

Tessa's head shot up as Colette sat down on the bench next to her and threw her arms around her. Colette had a smile on her face as she pulled back.

"Your hair is so long now!" Colette exclaimed. "I love it!"

Tessa smiled back weakly. "Thanks."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm just not used to the noise yet," Tessa responded truthfully. "It's not very loud back home."

Colette squeezed Tessa's shoulder in comfort. "You'll be used to it in no time."

Gracie watched the exchange and sighed. Rowan was a prefect, so she was off making sure the dorms were ready for the new students who would be coming in, and Merula was nowhere to be found. Merula had been off all summer. Having the Cruciatus curse cast on her had caused her to become even more determined than ever to prove herself as powerful, and it left their relationship wanting.

Gracie plugged her ears as the chatter around the hall grew even louder, feeling Tessa lean closer to her. The first years had just entered the Great Hall to be sorted. Hopefully Rowan would be here soon.

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Dinner had been miserable, just as it always was during the first week or so. The twins never truly appreciated the quiet at home while they had it. Rowan had finally arrived just as the last first year was sorted, still catching her breath but beaming from a job well done.

"The Common Room is sparkling," she had told Gracie. "And I scented the candles with a faint hint of orange, just for you."

Rowan was so good. She cared about Gracie more than almost anyone else, and though she was nerdy, weird, and awkward, she was one of the most incredible people Gracie had ever met. Rowan was the one Gracie was most desperate to get on R's side. As much as she loved Merula, Rowan had been Gracie's friend from day one. Losing her would hurt the most, she was sure of it. Rowan had to be turned.

Tonight, though, Gracie had to find Merula, or else she'd likely stay out all night. Rowan said she had seen her out of the Training Grounds blasting the dummies to pieces, so that's where Gracie went after dinner was over.

The night sky was clear, and the air was nice and warm, a welcome change of scenery as Gracie let her stress wash away for just a moment. Staring at the stars always made Gracie feel less anxious. The stars didn't care what happened to her. She was nothing but a speck of dust in the universe, and nothing she ever did would matter. It was a comforting thought.

"Are you just going to stand there, Chiva?"

Merula was now standing next to her, looking at her with a cold expression.

"Hi," Gracie said softly. Every time she saw Merula she was caught off guard by how pretty she was, even when she was angry.

"What do you want?"

"You missed dinner."

"I wasn't hungry."

It was a bad lie. Gracie held out the plate of raspberry tart she had been able to sneak out, and Merula took it without a word.

"What were you doing?" Gracie asked.

"What do you think?" Merula jerked her head toward a group of dummies, two of which were still lying on the ground in pieces.

Gracie sighed and pushed her hair behind her ear. "This isn't healthy, love. I want to get back at Rakepick too, but you're running yourself ragged like this. We've barely spent time together recently."

At those words, Merula seemed to deflate just a little. She had another bite of tart before answering.

"I know."

They stood without talking while Merula finished her tart. She didn't say thank you, nor did Gracie expect her to. Merula just vanished the plate and crossed her arms.

An owl hooted in the distance. Gracie wondered if it was a school one or a wild one.

"Train with me," Merula said suddenly.

Gracie shook her head. "It's late. Come inside with me."

"Duel me once and we can go in."

"You're the Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts," Gracie teased, enjoying the way Merula rolled her eyes even as they lit up. "You have nothing to prove to me."

"Just one?" Merula asked again.

And Gracie was never able to resist. "One."

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

"I've already been asked by three different people when I'm going to be holding tryouts," Tessa whined. "It's the first day back; can they not wait a single second?"

"Apparently not," Liz said, leaning back against her headrest. The two were sitting on the bed, catching up. Liz hadn't been able to visit for the second half of the summer as she had been on vacation in Canada, so they had a lot to talk about.

"I snuck out of the hall to visit everyone in the Reserve," Liz continued. "You need to come with me tomorrow so you can see how much bigger the thestrals are. Victoria says hi, I think. I still can't see her."

Tessa raised an eyebrow. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"I want to see how beautiful she is! You keep saying she's the prettiest thestral you've ever seen but I don't have a point of reference."

"Take my word for it, Liz, she's gorgeous."

Liz frowned. "I wish seeing the death of a pet counted. It's like even magic itself thinks creatures are less than humans."

"But if seeing the death of a pet counted, Thestrals would never be able to live in peace because then nearly everyone would be able to see them," Tessa reasoned.

"I cannot believe Hogwarts uses them as carriage horses. Thestrals as carriage horses! What disrespectful prick came up with that?!"

Tessa glanced around the dorm as Liz carried on with her rant. Gracie wasn't back with Merula yet. Colette was talking with Rowan and Alex Vega, happy as could be, completely unaware that twenty feet away from her Tessa was trying to figure out how to recruit her to the very wizard cult her brother had abandoned his family to work for. And what about Alex? Would Tessa and Gracie try and get Alex too? Alex was in danger; she had gotten involved with the Vaults a few years ago and now spent a lot of time with Ben, someone who, at the end of last year, made quite an enemy of himself in the Portrait Vault. If only he had stayed a spineless coward, he might have been safe. It might be the only circumstance Tessa was displeased with someone's personal growth.

Ismelda was sitting by herself, skimming through this year's History of Magic textbook. Ismelda was probably the safest one in the room, having never really helped the Vault hunt or done anything that would anger R. She mostly just kept to herself. Ironically, Ismelda was probably the most likely person to be willing to join R.

Liz snapped her fingers in Tessa's face, making her jump.

"You look scared," Liz stated, blunt as ever. "It's okay, you know. Dumbledore knows now that Rakepick is evil. She'll have a hard time finding us to try and hurt us."

She was kind of close, Tessa thought, but that wasn't quite it. It wasn't like Liz could know Rakepick would never, under threat of death, ever hurt even a single hair on Tessa's head other than under strict orders for cover.

"Yeah, I know. But it doesn't feel right."

Liz elbowed her in a way that was probably meant to be encouraging. "We're a team. No one is going to hurt you on my watch."

That only made Tessa feel worse. Liz would never say those things if she knew who Tessa really was. Salazar, how was Tessa ever supposed to convince Liz to join R? Rakepick was in R; no one at Hogwarts would ever consider being on her side. Besides maybe Ismelda.

The door finally opened to reveal Gracie and Merula. Tessa watched her sister accept Alex's hug, looking just fine. How did Gracie do it? Did she really believe she could change her friends' minds, or was she just better at hiding her emotions than Tessa?

You're too sensitive. Leaders have to be able to step back from their emotions and look at a situation rationally. If you can't do that, Tessa, you can never be a leader.

She didn't want to be a leader; Gracie could do that. Tessa just wanted to be good enough to be worthy of being the leader. She wanted to stop being second best. She didn't want to be Tessa, Gracie's twin sister anymore. She wanted to be Tessa, her own person. It wasn't like her Quidditch skills would matter in a couple of years when she had to work for R full time. Maybe she could talk to Diego tomorrow; she needed to get back into her dueling training.

Merula stomped off to talk to Ismelda after having been convinced to hug Alex as well. Gracie spoke with Rowan for a moment before they both came to join Tessa and Liz, leaving Colette and Alex fawning over Colette's cat together.

"I beat her," Gracie told Rowan, then turned to address the whole group. "Merula made me duel her again."

"Isn't she ever going to get tired of getting her ass kicked by you?" Rowan joked.

"She won't stop bothering you until you let her win, you know," Liz told Gracie.

"She'll know I let her win and then she'll be even more mad."

Gracie looked over at Tessa, who had drawn into herself. Tessa felt the Legilimency link they shared open up.

You okay? Gracie asked.

I'm scared.

I know.

Gracie paused to laugh at something Liz said. Tessa attempted a chuckle. She didn't know what Liz had said.

We can do this, and if we can't, we can protect them. No one is going to get hurt. I promise.

You can't guarantee that.

"I'm tired," Tessa announced, closing the link and standing up.

Gracie stood and pulled Tessa into a tight hug.

"I love you," Gracie said.

"I love you too."

Tessa, having already changed into her nightgown some time ago, climbed into her bed and shut the curtains, ignoring the concerned looks from her dormmates. She'd feel better tomorrow, she told herself. She was just tired and it was making her worse. That was all. It wasn't like she had to turn everyone by the weekend; the first proper "attack" Lorraine had planned was over a month away, and it was less of an attack than a "scare the kids" bit. They'd be fine. She had plenty of time.

"Did something happen at home?" Liz asked quietly.

What hadn't? It was a better question, but no one knew that.

"Our grandfather is sick," Gracie lied, hoping she'd remember to tell Tessa before someone said something tomorrow. "He'll probably be fine, but he's old, you know? He was still in pretty bad shape when we left."

Rowan made an odd face, but it was gone before Gracie could even process that it happened.

"I'm sure he'll be okay," she said.

"Yeah, he's made it through dragon pox, he can handle this," Liz nodded, yawning. "I might go to bed too."

"Yeah, it's late," Gracie agreed. "I still have to get changed though."

Rowan perked up. "You'll like what I did in the bathroom. Pretty tough bit of magic, but I think it was worth it."

"Really now?"

"Mhm. Here," Rowan said, holding out Gracie's toiletry bag before she could even open her trunk. "I got it out for you, and your nightgown is hanging above the heating stone so it'll be warm."

Gracie felt another surge of guilt wash through her. "You're the best."

Rowan grinned. "Come on, I want to see your reaction!"

What Rowan had done in the bathroom was charm the mirrors to look like the surface of a calm lake. When Gracie put her hand out to touch it, it rippled.

"This is so cool!" Gracie exclaimed, momentarily forgetting her troubles.

"I know! And when you want it to be solid so you can see perfectly, you just tap it with your wand and say sile, like so."

Rowan tapped her wand against the mirror to demonstrate. The water-like surface stilled and became clear as a regular mirror, as if it had never moved.

"Libera."

Another tap, and the mirror once more began to flow gently.

Gracie ruffled Rowan's hair, earning a smack to her wrist. "How long did that take you?"

"The first one took a good ten minutes," Rowan admitted, smoothing her hair back down. "After I got it it was easy to do the others."

"You did this in all the rooms?"

"Of course I did!"

"You really are incredible."

Rowan beamed. "Thanks, Gracie. You want me to wait up for you?"

Gracie shook her head. "It's okay, I have to wait for Merula anyway."

"Ooooh, you're gonna cuddle?" Rowan taunted.

"Oh, shut up!" Gracie laughed.

"You never cuddle with me."

"Did you want to cuddle?"

"Not really," Rowan conceded. "But maybe if you held my hand once in a while I'd feel better."

"Get out."

"Night!"

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

Both twins had a nightmare that night, a dream full of blood and tears that made them wake up with a scream.

#hogwarts mystery #my writing #the family business au #gracie chiva #tessa chiva #man I hope this gets a few reads at least skskg

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voidselfshipp · 3 years

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Welcome Back

Cw:none ask to tag

Ok to rb.

Summmary: after being separated from her crew (aka after the third movie) for a long time, lazaro returns and re-establishes her old relationshipps with much chaos in between.

(This GIF is gold pure gold!)

It was nice to be with her family back, she Rode down the dusty road into their New home.

One for the humans and one for them, the transformers.

And they are all waiting for her there.

Optimus de-transforms, smiling as she does the same.

--the mamacita is here!-- teased crosshairs-- be carefull muchachos she'll burn you!--he laughed--well fuck me! Lazaro no time no see! Beautiful as ever-- said crosshairs taking lazaros hand.

--you know I hate when you call me that, but i see you havent lost your touch, crosshairs, handsome as ever,still

--you know I like to tease you-- answers the green mech.

The green bot smiles before being yanked away by both drift and hound, who hugged her tightly.

--lazaro!-- shouted bumblebee running to her .

--bee! You talk again! Oh how wonderfull to see you!

--same here,old friend

--welcome home, lazaro-- said optimus patting her back.

They all got into the huge warehouse, they all transformed into a smaller versions of themselves and Walked.

-- we saved you a spot by the Window!-- said bee pointing at a huge room-- thats for you

--you guys are too kind!-- lazaro said, hugging bee.

-- go rest, after todays drive you must be tired-- optimus added patting her back.

She nodded-- on it, boss!

As she walks away she doest hear primes fans kick in.

-- youre...blushing? -- asked bee teasingly.

--Not another word-- said optimus walking away.

Bee starts to laugh with crosshairs, drift starts to Snicker, and hound tries to contain his loud laughter .

The following days she'd help around the yeager family, she didnt had the chance to interact with humans like this, in her normal form.

Now shes sitting on her bed, looking at some old Polaroid pictures she took with bee during the 80s, when they first met.

[...]

It was a warm summer night, bee was Driving with his human companion at the time , charlie.

--have you ever wondered if there were more like you here?,in earth...?

The car rumbles as if it was saying yes.

--Ive found a New car recently, its weird, want to check it out?

Bee de-transforms catching his friend.

--Look, It has the same emblem as you!

Bee gasped, well if he could he would, he Gently taps the trunk of the car.

-- 《we wont hurt you》 -- said the bot through the radio--《 im an autobot 》

The car drives into the yard, and de-transforms.

-- 《im bumblebee》-- said bee.

--Well, I dont have a name per se-- said the other autobot-- but you can call me Lazaro...

Bee shook her hand and smiled-- 《hi, lazaro!》

[...]

--remembering the past?-- asked none other than bee himself leaning on the wall.

--Can you blame me? You look so much cuter Back then..

The mech giggles helping her stand up--we were kids back then

Lazaro sighs smiling-- but you havent changed a bit-- said she cupping his cheeks-- youre still cute as ever...

Bees fans kick in, as she presses a gentle kiss to his metal lips.

-- ill see you around,I told tessa id help her with her college Papers

As she leaves bee just falls on his ass mumbling nonsense until crosshairs finds him

--lazaro again?-- asked the green mech.

--yep....-- answered bee.

As lazaro helps tessa, the human smiles,they are sitting in the yard, optimus talks with cade.

--ive seen the way you look at optimus yknow-- said she softly pushing her bot friend.

--oh shuuush-- answered she-- he'd never like me

--oh you CLEARLY havent seen how he gets when youre around

--how so?-- lazaro tilted her head.

--dad made a comment about him acting like a schoolgirl around you,and his fans kicked in...

Remember that day you complimented his sword? Ratchet said he could see primes spark glowing like a torch! Come on you cant be that oblivious can you?

Lazaro stares at the human dumbfoldedly-- I think I can

Later that day she trained with hound,optimus watched from a distance.

--its gettin' weird--said crosshairs-- you look like a creep

Prime Turns to him, slightly scared that lazaro might see him staring.

--Just messin' with ya boss

The autobot leader scowls-- thats not funny crosshairs

--yknow, I see the way you look at her, just go and talk, its not that hard

Prime shakes his head-- oh come on--

--Hey prime!-- shouted hound-- can you come here? I need to talk with ya!

--hes got good timing -- said the green mech.

Optimus approached hound,talking about how they needed some supplies, when hound left, lazaro and prime are left alone.

--yknow boss is good to be back--said she standing infront of him-- ive missed you so much

-- the feeling is mutal-- said prime trying his best to not trip on his own Words.

--ive seen youve been weird, is everything okay?,I know things got rocky after that bitch quintessa

He sighs,looking away-- im still surprised the autobots still consider me their leader

She cups his cheek, caressing it with her thumb-- youre a great leader, and a great mech, quintessa was a rock in your step but thats it, I know deep down-- she said pressing a hand near his spark-- is a good Man, dont doubt it prime...

Optimus looks at her and smiles, he kisses her and she kisses back.

--youre a good kisser as well-- added lazaro.

Prime laughs--its good to have you back...

Its late at night now, shes laying down in her bed, playing with a hologram.

She hears the heavy steps approach her room and the gentlest of knocks on her door.

--lazaro! Oí! You up?

--yeah I am-- she said opening the door, whats up?

-- cant sleep either?

--hmm

The green mech sighs crossing his arms looking away-- wanna...wanna go for a drive like the old days?

She smiled -- of course, lets go

Both go outside transforming into their vehicle modes and Driving off around the New farm.

They get near a slightly elevated hill.

The green mech de transformed and leaned on said hill, crossing his arms once again-- I love the calmness of this, nobody to bother me

--pft youre still holding that act up?

--what act?-- lied crosshairs.

Lazaro giggles-- saying you dont need anybody, youre a soft teddybear deep down cross, dont lie to me

Crosshairs rolls his eyes, but still looks at her-- I hate it when you see right through me luv

He stands closer to her taking her hand.

Theres a brief silence, she leans on him, and sighs.

-- yknow our drives always ended with us making out, remember that?-- said he.

-- I dont see why that has to change ~

He chuckles , standing infront of her and hugging her waist--yeah I dont see why

He kisses her, her arms around his neck.

He presses his cheek against her chest-- ive missed you

Lazaro smiled-- me too,ive missed you so much

Some hours later they return, exhausted they collapse on their beds.

And day Is soon to come.

Now, early morning, drift is pondering on life itself, concentrated balancing on his swords.

Hes then tackled on the ground, and he yelps

-- what the fuck-- lAZARO!

--did I distract you?-- lazaro lifts her head up on her hands as her legs are between his.

--yes you did-- scowls the mech-- what do you want

She presses soft kiss to his lips-- brighten up, optimus wants to talk with ya

As she stands up, drift grabs her hand throwing her down with him and giving her a proper kiss.

--come on you big flirt

She get up again and transforms into her vehicle form to go train with bee.

--is there anyone you havent kissed yet?--asked hound leaning on a wall.

--you-- answered lazaro-- but dont put a challenge on me

Hounds fans kick in and looks away-- haha fuck you

--well then-- she said-- im off-- she transforms and goes to the farms entrance since she was going to take tessa and cade to the supermaket to buy groceries.

As she drives away hound shouts -- Wait wheres my kiss?!

#ask to tag #💚cocky sniper robot💚#drift tag pending #optimus tag pending #hound tag pending #🐝youre my bumble bee🐝

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goldtinged · 4 years

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EMMA CARSTAIRS // A CRASH COURSE

❝ kit thought about emma with her sword, emma saving his life. emma hugging cristina and looking at julian like he hung the moon ❞

CONTEXT

emma cordelia carstairs is a character appearing within cassandra clare’s shadowhunter universe. she is a shadowhunter (half angel, half human warriors mandated to protect the world from demons)

she appears as the central character in THE DARK ARTIFICES, a trilogy published in 2016.

She also appears in THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, specifically as a side character in city of heavenly fire (book 6). she is 12 years old during the events of the original trilogy

If you’ve seen shadowhunters TV - she does not appear in the show but some people related to her do. JEM CARSTAIRS (aka brother zachariah) is her uncle and HELEN BLACKTHORN is the sister of her parabatai, Julian.

CONTEXT PT 2: IMPORTANT EVENTS / TERMS

the dark war: civil war between shadowhunter factions which led to the destruction of large swarths of shadowhunter society and the death of family families. Emma’s parents (supposedly) died in the dark war. evil side is led by Jonathan Morgenstern. This shit is basically based off of Harry Potter so just think deathly hallows adkakd

the endarkened: shadowhunter’s who were turned from angelic to demonic, and became part of Jonathan’s army. Some did so by choice, others by force.

the clave: shadowhunter government, whose seat is in Idris. Idris is the shadowhunter capital, a small city hidden somewhere between france and germany that cannot be accessed by non-shadowhunters. all the good characters hate the clave (and rightly so)

downworlders: name givern to non shadowhunters. eg, werewolves, vampires, warlocks fae ect.

the cold peace: a policy enacted by the clave at the end of the dark war, that punished faerie’s for supporting Jonathan Morgenstern. Leads to the exile of shadowhunters with fae heritage, regardless of their allegiance during the war. it makes interacting with faerie’s illegal. basically any character who is decent fucking hates this policy

parabatai: soldiers who take a vow to become twinned and fight side by side until death. After the vow they are bound together magically for life. It is physically painful to be apart from one another, and the pain of losing a parabatai is considered to be unendurable. They are closer than siblings, and fairly rare within the shadowhunter world. it is illegal for them to fall in love and doing so is punishable under the strongest laws. eg, stripping of runes and exile

BASICS:

Emma was born in 1995. Her parents are John and Cordelia Carstairs. She emigrated to Los Angeles at the beginning of the Dark War as her parents wanted to help assist the Shadowhunter’s they knew there.

She was raised alongside The Blackthorn family, training at the institute they run. Her childhood best friend is Julian Blackthorn.

Emma is a skilled shadowhunter, regarded by some to be the best of her generation, and the successor to Jace Herondale of the title.

She is the current owner of Cortana, a shortsword held within the Carstairs family, forged by Wayland the Smith, it is said to be one of the great swords and therefore is her most valued possession

SKILLS + ATTRIBUTES + RANDOM CHARACTERISATIONS:

extremely dedicated and driven. is considered the best not because of her raw talent but because of how hard she trains. considers the same for herself, she cares most about being good so that when the time comes to enact revenge for her parents she will be successful

distant within the blackthorn family: although she grew up with them, and they consider her their extra sister, emma does not feel comfortable within the family. partially because she misses her own, partially because she believes they don’t consider her family. always refers to them as “julian’s family” “julian’s siblings”. realises by the end of the series she is integral to the blackthorns and how much she loves them / allows herself to be loved by them

funny and blunt: she is sarcastic, both as a means of deflecting attention but also because it’s her sense of humour. she is extremely blunt, bad at lying, and will pretty much always just say what she thinks. not one to maintain relationships she doesn’t value

she is confident and outspoken, especially in terms of her sexuality

skill with music is a family trait but emma can’t play the violin for shit which makes her feel bad.

FAMILY:

Her biological family: John and Cordelia Carstairs (parents, deceased), James Carstairs (uncle), Mina Carstairs (cousin)

Her adopted family: The Blackthorns

consisting of;

Mark and Helen Blackthorn: the eldest Blackthorn siblings, half siblings to the rest. They are both half faerie, half shadowhunter. Both are exiled at the end of the Dark War as part of The Cold Peace (a policy to punish all fae for the involvement of faerie in working against Shadowhunters)

Julian Blackthorn: the eldest sibling living in the family home during the war. He is Emma’s parabatai

Ty and Livvy Blackthorn: twins, two years younger than Julian.

Dru Blackthorn: the youngest girl, four years younger than Emma and Julian

Tavvy Blackthorn: the baby of the family

OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS:

Cristina Rosales: Emma’s best friend, who is on a trip to LA from Mexico during the event of the series (international postings are part of shadowhunter training)

Jem Carstairs: her uncle and the only living Carstairs left beside herself (until his daughter Mina is born).

Tessa Gray: a powerful warlock, Jem’s wife

Clary Fairchild: also her best friend and a mentor. Clary helped her and Julian after the war

Jace Herondale: her mentor and someone she admires

Kit Herondale: Comes to live with the family during the events of the book. He and Emma relate to feeling both family to and separated from The Blackthorns. Sidenote, kit is a legend and I love him

Cameron Ashdown: Emma’s on and off again boyfriend

Diana Wrayburn: tutor at the institute, only person in the series with braincells.

CRASH COURSE OF THE EVENTS OF THE SERIES

CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE + THE NOVELLAS //

emma and julian become parabatai, so that emma isn’t sent to the shadowhunter academy (school for war orphans lol)

We could—” he started, then stopped, swallowed, and started again. “We could become parabatai.” He said it shyly, half-turning his face away from her, so that the shadows partially hid his expression. “Then they couldn’t separate us,” he added. “Not ever.” Emma felt her heart turn over. “Jules, being parabatai is a big deal,” she said. “It’s—it’s forever.” He looked at her, his face open and guileless. There was no trickery in Jules, no darkness. “Aren’t we forever?” he asked

julian kills his father in the dark war after he is endarkened, to protect his siblings. the clave puts him through a gruelling trial that turns both emma and julian against the clave, embedding a deep seed of resentment and mistrust that fuels a lot of their actions through the rest of the series

julian’s uncle takes over the institute but unknown to everyone, he’s mentally unable to manage it. julian starts running the institute age 12, in secret, so that his family can stay together. emma does not know about this

LADY MIDNIGHT //

emma discovers the body of faerie children, murdered in the same way as her parents were. She always suspected her parents weren’t killed in the war, but killed under the cover of the war. she begins to investigate the murders, and hopes she can enact the revenge she has dreamed of fulfilling

meanwhile, a faerie contingent who have also heard about the murders ask for emma’s help solving them. Because this is illegal, they offer to return Mark Blackthorn to the family in exchange for the shadowhunters help

meanwhile meanwhile, emma and julian realise they are in love and they fuck, even though that is ALSO illegal because parabatai cannot fall in love with each other (though no one knows why). their powers start to change as their feelings for eachother grow

emma solves her parents murder. she kills the person who killed them but realises she gets no satisfaction from it. too late realises she’s based her whole life around getting revenge and now she has nothing

emma talks to jem about the parabatai law and finds out it’s illegal because there is a curse that becomes active when parabatai fall in love. emma thinks the reason her and julian’s powers are changing is because the curse is starting

she receives some frankly terrible advice from tessa and decides to make julian fall out of love with her by breaking his heart

does so by telling him she’s dating his brother, mark

asks mark to fake the relationship, mark in turn offers they just date for real, which she goes for. END BOOK

LORD OF SHADOWS //

emma and mark are dating but it’s fallen back into fake dating because they realise they’re better friends and, mark is in a love triangle between his ex fairy boyfriend and cristina

eventually when emma is sure julian sufficiently resents her they stage a massive break-up

this is a whole ass book of emma and julian angst,,,,, and it’s delicious

julian finds out about the curse and why emma lied and he’s mad, but also, he can’t fully be mad because the curse is deFINITELY WORKING NOW

back to the actual plot: a group of pro cold war supported with extreme anti-downworld takes (they are legit just fantasy fascists) start to rise to power within the clave. honestly there is way more actual plot but it’s not relevant to this blog or emma’s characterisation so moving on

back to emma and julian: they come up with a plan to deal with the curse. emma will beg the inquisitor to exile her but not strip her runes in exchange for them not telling everyone paratabai are cursed which he agrees to

UNTIL ..... the cohort initiate violence during a clave trial and the inquisitor is killed. so is julian’s little sister, livvy. END BOOK

QUEEN OF AIR AND DARKNESS //

i hate this book so there’s that

the leader of the cohort is made inquisitor and starts enacting shitty policies

julian is worried about the curse and how it’s starting to affect him so he just goes and gets all his emotions removed and so he feels nothing for anyone

ty spends the book bullying kit into helping him bring livvy back from the dead (AND IT WORKS LOL)

800 pages of bullshit I don’t have time to get into

the curse comes to fruition, turning emma and julian into giant nephilim with great powers but no feelings (think like, aang in the avatar state) they basically nearly kill everyone but then their family saves them

conveniently, the heavenly fire burns off their parabatai runes thus solving their problem

the cohort take control of the capital in protest of alec lightwood getting made inquisitor. all the shadowhunters who aren’t weirdos abandon the city

helen blackthorn is allowed to return and she decides to take over running the institute, freeing julian from his obligation

emma and julian decide to go travelling the world and the series ends

EMMA + JULIAN:

they are a MESS but I love them.

essentially, they know each other better than anyone. emma understands the pressure julian is under, the weight on his shoulders, his insecurities but also his strengths. julian see’s how emma puts on a facade of strength, gives her a safe space to be vulnerable, and provides a haven of unconditional love

used to sleep in the same bed as kids to help with nightmares, developed a system of communication only they understand, tell eachother everything (until lady midnight anyway)

emma understands how much of his life revolves around his family because hers does too

“you don’t have to do this for me” emma was saying, softly but earnestly, in a voice cristina had never heard her use before“I think I do” julian said “I think I remember making a vow to that effect”“whither thou goest, I will go, whatever stupid thing you do, I will also do? was that the vow”

I LOVE THEM!!

best friends to lovers EXCELLENCE

THIS is the biggest crash course ever and I hope it makes sense. It’s hard to condense so much information not only from the books (and each is like 800 pages) but also from the entire world and lore. But I hope this helps somewhat and I’m always willing to answer questions for anyone who has any.

#bio #EC / CRASH COURSE #aofiduakfakfk here u go non TDA moots #hope this makes sense !!!

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cilliansaccent · 5 years

Text

Class of Temptation - CHAPTER THREE

Leave a like, reblog or comment below to show your support and love! Enjoy…

PLEASE READ:

No mention of Cillian’s true family or relatives. All names are made up.

This is a TEACHER x STUDENT fanfiction, it’s going to be kinky and very taboo!

I will write whenever the mood grabs me, so I apologise if there are long breaks between chapters :)

——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-

Background: Tessa is a twenty-three-year-old model from a broken-up family, living in London with her best friend and starting a course on Drama and Theatre. Though, when she gets closer to the super hot Mr Murphy who is her much older teacher, there is a battle of lust and love between them. They’ll have to figure out what to do with their tight relationship as other issues begin to rise and nip at their heels…

Word Count: 2,141

!!Warnings!!: None.

Chapter Name: First Day

Brief Chapter Outline: It’s Tessa’s first day of class and she goes through it without any hassle. But a letter comes in and her mood changes drastically...

——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-

Tessa was early for her first class, walking towards it. She wore wet look pants and a tucked-in black shirt with TOMMY JEANS across it in bold red writing. She had a pair of white sneakers with the trademark Tommy Hilfiger branding on the side of red, blue and white stripes. She liked the brand, most of her clothing was bought from the store. Well, she is one of their models for their brand.

She hoped no one was there already but also unsure if she was able to even enter the class. As she came to the door which was slightly ajar she peeked her head in.

Mr Mur- Cillian was already inside setting up the chairs in a large circle. She counted about forty chairs.

Cillian turned and spotted someone peaking in, "Come in." He called out, standing in the middle of the giant circle he had made.

Tessa pushed the door wider and stepped in, "Good morning." She said as her nerves began to start.

"Morning, Tessa. Welcome back." Cillian gave her that heart-stopping smile. He wore a button-down blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves to his elbow and black jeans and a pair of brown loafers. He looked good.

"Yeah. Nice to uh, see you again." She smiled as she stepped to the chairs. "What are you doing?" She asked seeing all the tables pushed against the walls.

"Preparing the morning class. Instead of the old, sit at your desks thing I thought it would be good to get everyone involved." He said as he gestured for her to take a seat.

"And what would that be?" Tessa stepped through and took a seat, setting her bag in front of her legs.

"Can't say. You'll see." He said as he finished up, "By the way, you are very early. Class doesn't start for another hour."

"Oh, yeah. I know. I wanted to make sure I was in the right class." She blushed lightly.

"You found the right place fast too. I had students who would come in with the campus' student guides cause they couldn't find the place." He chuckled as he came over and took a spot next to her, a chair in between them and crossed his ankle over his knee.

"Oh, well. You won't expect that from me, I'm pretty good at remembering where I have to go." She explained.

"I hope so. I'll make sure everyone comes early. Makes it better to start the class right away." He said, "So, tell me about yourself a little? I remember you said you're a model?"

"Yeah. I um, I work for an agency in Central London but I do shoots for various brands. Currently working with Tommy Hilfiger." Tessa said trying her best to meet his gaze. She wasn't used to this type of attention, most of it was through a camera lens which she never got to met the gaze of the person behind it.

"Huh, I can see the clothing you wear. What is it like?" He continued, genuinely interested.

"Fast-paced, constantly changing clothing, makeup and hairstyles to fit in with the shoot. Can be some hours to a whole day or a couple of days." She explained clearly. She was okay about discussing her work but never about herself to strangers.

"Seems intense. Do you think that will affect your studies? This class does have a lot of practical sides to it." He frowned a little.

"If it does, I will make sure to give you a heads up. I can miss some shoots but not all, it won't be seen as a professional." She stated.

"Hm, okay. We'll see how it goes." He nodded. "So you get to go overseas as well?" He moved on.

"Yep. I can when we have big events happening. I tend to go to as many as I can, I love it." She laughed lightly. "Most of the events are in Europe so its shorter trips."

"So I'm assuming you're quite a big deal?" He asked his smile never left his face.

"Uhhh... I mean, I don't know. Maybe not as big as you are but I do have a large following on social media." She shrugged. Tessa never saw her number of followers as important, just the support and care she received from her fans what made it important. She wanted to make sure she created a caring and supportive environment for all types of people.

"How big, may I ask?" Cillian was always curious about others especially if it came to learning that they worked in a completely different industry than himself.

"Well, almost six hundred and thousand followers on Instagram and about two hundred and fifty thousand on Twitter. I rarely ever use Facebook, only for updates for the ones who don't use the other two media." Tess shrugged.

"Wow. That is big." He chuckled.

"Yeah. But I honestly don't care about the number, as much as it sounds bad. I'm just after a good happy environment for all." She shook her head.

"I'm curious, how do you deal with it all though? Can it get daunting?" He asked her.

"Yeah, a hundred per cent. There are days where I take breaks from it all to recollect myself. I guess any person with a big following will always attract the good and bad kind, but I don't let it get to me. It's only words on the internet." Tessa stopped there. She felt like she was just blabbering on nonsense to him. Who wants to listen to that anyway? But Cillian did not seem annoyed or bored, he was really into it.

It made her nervous and intimidated. It showed.

Cillian spotted the odd look across her face as if she had said too much and began to step back. So he stepped back faster, "Nice, that's good. Well, I'll let you sit here and relax while I do some paperwork before the rest of the class comes in." He said and gave her a gentle smile as he stood and sat behind his desk. "Do you mind if I play music?" He asked.

"Oh go ahead. I don't mind." She gulped as she pulled out her laptop to set up her documents and look at her uni email for any updates.

Cillian played some cool jazz, rock, alternative, some genre she never really heard before. It was odd but she kinda liked it.

When the hour was up, people began to file in. A mixture of guys and girls all dressed in various clothing types. They took their seats around the circle until it was somewhat full, about five seats unoccupied.

Cillian started the class and began to introduce himself. Tessa could see some of the girls, the flashier ones watched him with such unashamed desire for him.

It made her internally cringe. What the hell?

The first thing they did was go around the class and introduce themselves. Their name, what they like, and why they picked this course.

Everyone seemed here for the same reason, to get into acting for a play or movie. Or whatever fancied them. A lot of book readers, she thought once it came to the five flashy girls.

The leader, or so Tessa thought made herself to be super good at... everything with acting. The other four nodded in agreement, but Cillian didn't seem one to phased by the sexual attraction the girls seemed to give the vibe of.

Tess wondered why they were taking this class in the first place if they claimed to be so good. They were the only ones who had said that.

Then it came to Tessa and she slowly stood. All eyes on her, "Hi. I'm Tessa Miller. Uhm... I love music and reading and uhm... Relaxing. I... Took this course because I want to expand my path into something new." She gave the class a tight smile and hastily sat back down. She had gripped her hands tightly in her lap and kept her eyes downcast.

The last ten people went before Cillian praised them all for telling him about themselves before they spent the next two hours playing games.

It consisted of a lot of small groups doing things, and she worked with a few different people in each game. Cillian tried to get every person involved and to constantly swap seats.

Then it got serious and he took them through the module for the first term. There was a small project that was to be started by the following week, a short play with two people that was basically a monologue and acting it out for ten minutes.

Tessa was paired up with a guy named Julian. He had blond hair that was combed back and faded edges. His eyes dark brown and his facial features were strong.

The class went on as they went through some basics and more introductions to the whole acting thing. By the end of the class, they were to state an interesting fact about their new partner and then class was dismissed after the tables and chairs were put back in order.

"So you're that model chick on insta?" A voice came from behind Tessa and she turned around to face of the five girls that had eyed off Cillian the whole time. "Didn't think you would actually do the course." Sofia laughed, flicking back her dark brown hair over her slender shoulder.

Tessa kept her face neutral. To be honest, she wasn't even sure what to make of this situation. "Okay? Your point?" Tessa wanted to head into the library ASAP to get the reading material for tonight's homework.

"I'm quite proud of you. That's so cool." Sofia said with that hidden malice that Tessa could easily pick up on.

She knew how people can act fake.

"Ah, thanks." Tessa gave her a smile, "I really must go. I have things to do." Tessa bobbed her head once.

"Okay. See ya next time, Tess." Sofia and her squad walked past her. Tessa watched them go, laughing and muttering to each other.

She would work hard and not let anyone else try and deter her from that. She was not the kind to let others trample on her.

She headed to the library and get to work on her task given to her. Once she had finished her given tasks, she had headed home to rest. On the train, she thought back to the class.

Most of the guys in the class had watched her like she was some meal as she did the warm-up games Cillian had prepared. She was used to the stares and tend to not pay much attention to it. If they verbally spoke to her in a way that would make her uncomfortable, then she would say something.

But she would stay alert no matter what. Especially towards those group of girls. They seemed off and trouble circled them.

She was glad to be back in her apartment and flopped on the bed as she discarded the letters on the coffee table. But one had fallen to the floor and she reached to grab it.

It had been addressed to her in that familiar writing she knew. She quickly sat up and frowned, this time it wasn't thick.

"Fuck." She muttered as she battled with her thoughts before she ripped it open. Time to see what else the bastard wanted.

Reading the letter felt like the world had stopped. Her father and his bitch of a wife was going to come down in December to have a Christmas altogether. He wanted the family back together and he was willing to make amends. Also, he had added he wanted to see how Tessa was going with her studies.

Was he really? Why now of all the times? She prayed silently to whatever God heard her in hopes that this wasn't some other shitty way of pinning the blame on her or her two eldest sisters. It would be totally messed up and would make her even angrier than ever.

Tessa chucked the letter aside and rubbed her eyes. Great, she did not want to deal with Grace or her stupid sons who always bullied her. This was not how she pictured it.

She tried to distract herself by playing her cello in her room, a cover of With or Without You and various other slow songs for the most of the afternoon until Esther came back from a shoot.

The pair made dinner but Tessa would not tell Esther yet about the news she received today. She wasn't in the mood for it and Esther seemed to sense Tessa's change in mood so she had left her to her own thoughts for the rest of the night.

Silence yet inside Tessa's head was a roaring tidal wave.

#cillian murphy #teacher x student #peaky blinders #thomas shelby #fanfiction

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timetravelingheart · 5 years

Text

Consequences Chapter Six: A.M. Imagine

“Tessa, you need to go home.”

Tessa sighed loudly, running her fingers through her hair before finally pulling it up into a messy bun. She and her team had been at it all day. They were in the middle of designing and implementing Tessa’s first major program event as the Program Coordinator and while it allowed her to use and hone her skillset, it was a lot. She was stressed with a capital S.

She looked at her director, Kate, and then at her watch and laughed out of sheer exhaustion.

It was well passed her leaving time and she had already sent her team home hours ago. Kate had a conference call that evening and that was the only reason she was still at the office. But Kate knew Tessa well enough to know that when she was walking down the hall and saw a light on, there was only one possible reason for that: Tessa.

Tessa was a hardworker and a compassionate but effective leader. Kate knew the instant she interviewed her that she was not only the perfect person for the job, but was also someone who would quickly become almost too qualified for the role. She picked things up quickly and was as innovative as they came, and Kate had no doubt that Tessa would use this role as a catapult to her next one.

But Tessa was a perfectionist and didn’t always know the right moment to turn it in for herself. She could recognize it in her team, but allow herself that same freedom or leniency. Which is where Kate came in and could pull the Boss card.

“I didn’t realize how late it was,” Tessa stretched her sore limbs and then plopped herself down in her desk chair. “I think we’re making good progress though.”

“You are, I can see it,” Kate agreed, leaning on the door frame to Tessa’s office entry. “Tessa, you did a great job with hiring your team and recruiting volunteers. They are a passionate group and they really respect your leadership style. And I am so proud of your tenacity. I think this event is going to be a huge success. But you need to remember that your health is always the priority. Staying here for another hour might feel like the right idea, but there’s nothing you can do today that you can’t do tomorrow. Go home. Drink some wine. Get some rest. And I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Tessa relented, knowing Kate was right. “Thanks Kate.”

“Any time. Have a good night,” Kate smiled at her before turning to leave Tessa alone in her office.

Once the door was closed, Tessa reached into her desk and pulled out the phone that she had nearly forgotten about ages ago. She looked at the time and her notifications and immediately groaned.

She had completely forgotten that she had plans with Auston that night. It was Tuesday: ice cream day. She only had a half hour to get home, get changed, and go. There was no way she would make it on time.

She opened their message thread and clicked on his contact information. It rang four times before she heard his happy voice on the other end.

“Hey, I was just getting ready to leave. Are you all set?”

“Uhm, well actually...”

“Nope. No way. Tessa Hart, you are not backing out on me,” he was adamant, but she could sense the playful tone was still there and felt a wave of relief wash over her.

“No, I’m not, I promise,” she rushed out. “I was promised ice cream and I fully intend on holding you to that.”

“Good. So what’s the problem?”

“It’s just that I’m still at the office. I didn’t notice the time. There’s no way I’ll be home in time.”

“Oh, is that all?” Auston replied, relieved that she wasn’t cancelling and unbothered by the time change. “Why don’t I just pick you up from the office?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Tessa protested.

“Well it makes more sense than you going all the way home just to head back out again. And at least this way when you finally do get home, you can just settle in for the night like you said you preferred.”

Tessa wanted to cry, likely out of exhaustion, but also, how was he so thoughtful? He remembered some random tidbit of information that she gave him on the phone a few weeks back about how when she’s had a long day, she liked to get home and just relax and shut out the world until the following day. He remembered.

“Tess? How’s that sound?”

“That sounds perfect.”

“Great. I’ll be there in 20. See you then.”

“See you then,” Tessa smiled into the phone before turning it off and resting her head on her desk contentedly.

___

Once he picked her up and they got their ice cream, they decided to go for a walk around the nearby neighbourhood. They had been engaging in light small talk since he got there, discussing what her project at work was, when the event would be and if he would be in town for it, his next game, etc. Nothing big, but it felt comfortable. It felt easy.

“So tell me about your family,” Auston turned to her, laughing at how happy she seemed to be with her cup of ice cream.

So much for easy, Tessa thought.

“It’s just me and my dad, actually, so there’s not a lot to tell,” Tessa shrugged. “What about you?”

Auston picked up on the quick redirection from her to him, but he didn’t want to push just yet.

“There’s my mom and dad, and then I have an older sister and a younger sister. We’re all pretty close, so I love getting the chance to go home in the off season and just spend time with them.”

“Your parents stay here quite a bit though, don’t they?”

“Yeah, they like to go to as many games as they can and I love having them here too.”

“I always like seeing your parents and Mitch’s in the crowd. It’s just as much of a dream for your parents as it is for you guys, and they’ve probably worked so hard to make sure you had everything you could need to succeed.”

“So you do watch the games!”

“What?”

“You’ve seen my parents in the crowds. You watch the games.”

“I never said I didn’t.”

“No, but you’ve also never really expressed an interest in the actual sport or the Leafs beyond Launchpad.”

“So then your mind will be blown to learn that my dad and I are actually huge Leafs fans then, eh?”

“You’re messing with me.”

“I assure you I’m not.”

Auston eyed her carefully to see if he could see any signs of playful deceit on her face. Nothing.

“Then why the hell have you not asked for tickets yet? I could get you and your dad great seats!”

“Because even though we’re friends, I’m not about to hit you up for connections. I also have connections, keep in mind.”

“Do you get free tickets through Launchpad?”

“Discounted ones, usually. Once in a while someone will ‘donate’ tickets to the office for the employees and volunteers specifically.”

“So you’ve seen me play in person?”

“A few times.”

“And what did you think?” he teased.

“Eh, you were okay. I usually just watch for Mitch though,” Tessa winked, laughing at his offended face.

“Wowww. I’ll remember that. What about your dad? Has he seen me play?”

“Not yet. He’s always working and I’m always trying to convince him to take some time off so I can take him, but it hasn’t happened since I’ve been with Launchpad. We went to a few games when I was a kid though and it was always one of our favourite past times. That and Blue Jays games. He’s a big baseball fan as well.”

“That’s awesome! When he can take some time off, let me know and I’ll get you both tickets.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I want to. Besides, I already owe Lydia a couple so I might as well add your dad to that list.”

“You know she was joking, right?”

“Was she though?” Auston tilted his head at her.

“Okay, maybe not. She was pretty proud of herself that day.”

“I have no problem showing my appreciation to her for getting you to come to that party, trust me. You said your dad was busy with work. What does he do?”

“He’s a sod farmer. We’re from a little town just outside of London, and the farm has been in our family for decades.”

“So who will it go to when he retires? Do you want to take it over?”

“I don’t. Farm life is hard. I loved it growing up, and being surrounded by animals, and it definitely does teach discipline, but it is so hard. It’s also not my dream. If no one else could take it over, I definitely would, because I would be heartbroken to see all of his family’s and his hard work go to someone else. But right now, it will likely go to one of my cousins. My dad runs the farm with his brother, my uncle, and my uncle has two boys and one girl, and Nate, my oldest cousin, loves the farm life. I think it will be in good hands with him.”

“Do you have a pretty small family then?”

“I do. It’s just my dad and his brother on their side. My mom had two sisters, and they each have two children, but they live out west, so I don’t see them often.”

“How long has it just been you and your dad?” Auston braced himself for her to tell him to mind his own business.

“Since I was 10. My mom and my little sister were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. They were just supposed to be out getting groceries for dinner while my dad and I worked on the farm, but they never came back.”

“Tess, I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry sounds so cliche, but I am so sorry for your loss,” Auston stopped walking and turned towards her, reaching for her hand.

“Thank you. It’s been a long time without them, and you never really get over it, but it made my dad and I become even closer because it felt like we only had each other. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“I feel that way about my parents, too. Not to compare-”

“No, no. I get it, I do.”

“Okay. But yeah, I love my life but I hate how often it takes me away from my family. I was so happy when my mom moved to Switzerland with me and I’m so grateful that I now have the means to make their lives a little easier in terms of work and I can fly them out here all the time.”

Auston took the empty cup out of her hands and disposed them in the nearby recycling. When he turned back, he laced his fingers through hers once again, happy when she squeezed back.

“Thanks for telling me about your mom and sister.”

“Thanks for making me feel safe enough to tell you.”

Auston squeezed her hand again before turning back to start walking again. They walked in comfortable silence for a bit before their conversation picked up again. It still felt easy, even after telling Auston the hardest story of her life. She was so grateful that he didn’t look at her with pity, just with a desire to understand and be there for her. He tried to relate as best he could, to keep the focus on what she had left with her dad, and she really appreciated it. Maybe one day she would tell him more about her mom and her brief memories of her, but for now, she was grateful that he just accepted what she felt like she could give.

As the night wore on and got a little chillier, Auston walked them back to his parked car and drove her home. She had said that Lydia could drive her to the office in the morning, so she just left her car there. They hummed along with songs on the radio, happy to just be in each other’s presence.

As they reached her apartment complex, Auston got out of the car to walk her to the front door, holding her hand along the way.

“Thank you for picking me up,” she turned to face him.

“You’re welcome. Thanks for not standing me up,” Auston teased, tugging on her sleeve.

“I wasn’t going to stand you up!” Tessa laughed, shocked at such an accusation.

“Mm, I wasn’t so confident,” Auston replied.

Auston looked down at their clasped hands and then back to her sweet face. He wanted so badly to kiss her, but wasn’t sure if it was too much too soon.

“Are we still on for Friday?” she asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Good.”

“Auston?”

“Tess?”

“Are you thinking about kissing me right now?”

Auston let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as heat rose up his neck.

“What would you say if I was?”

Tessa inhaled deeply.

“I would say that a gentleman would ask permission first.”

Auston’s eyes searched hers, seeing the playfulness that was there, but there was also something else. Something he felt deep into his bones. Desire.

“Can I kiss you, Tess?”

She let out a breath as she nodded.

“You have to say it, Tess.”

“Yes.”

As quickly as the word left her mouth, Auston moved to place his large hands on each side of her face and kiss her softly. When she pulled back and smiled at him, he took that as a good sign and leaned in to kiss her again deeper, pulling her body as tightly to his as possible. His body was on fire when she moaned lightly into his mouth and ran her fingers gently up and down his back.

Wow.

#auston matthews #auston matthews imagine #auston matthews fan fiction #nhl fan fiction #nhl imagines #hockey fan fiction #hockey imagines

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hxtties · 5 years

Text

AU: The Masquerade

An AU that takes place in the Vampire The Masquerade setting. Each of the muses listed below has been sorted as a member of a clan associated with the Camarlilla: the holders of the status quo, with the intention of maintaining the masquerade and masking the existence of Kindred (vampires) and hiding it from the world. Each clan is a family of sorts with their own quirks, weaknesses and distinctions. Threads in this verse probably won’t have much of a smut focus (despite the general nature of this blog I know I do other things too y’know ;) ) but it wouldn’t be out of the discussion.

Ventrue (7): The politicians and executives. The leaders and influencers. The Warlords. The top dogs. They are considered the mind of the Camarilla. They are the authority. The blue bloods, so to speak. They take charge when needed, tend to see themselves as a necessity to maintaining both order and the masquerade, regardless of whether or not that’s true.. They tend to be adapt at management and leadership and as such, their lives tend to revolve around such things. A kindred won’t even be welcomed into Ventrue society until they prove themselves in said area of expertise, establishing their own domain of influence without aid. Their biggest weakness is their palate. Each Ventrue is only able to feed off specific targets and can only ingest blood from said targets alone (can only feed off of young men, can only feed off of rich women, etc.). They can’t have any other kind of blood, even when starving and in desperate need to feed.

Sophia Andrews (an agent, focusing on management. can only feed off of women)

Evelyn Vasco (Businesswoman, owns a club. Can only feed off of virile men)

Rhys Chapman (Businessman, owns a luxury hotel. can only feed off of women)

Dwayne Phillips (businessman, deals with electronics and energy, can only feed off of women)

Persephone Sweet (an agent, focusing on public relations, can only feed off of executives)

Electra Syren (businesswoman, owns a tech company, can only feed off of young adults (see Amber A) )

Isabel Delgado (a universal agent, focused on business, can only feed off of men)

Toreador (7): The artists. The social elite. The beautiful people. If the Ventrue are the mind of the Camarilla, the Toreador is said to be the soul. One of the most influential clans in the Camarilla as they have the greatest ties to the mortal world through social and cultural interaction. They can host anything from a high society dinner to children’s theater. As implied by the description thus far, they can most embody the idea of the vamp, one who can get by on sheer sex appeal. They tend to be up on the latest trends, when they aren’t the ones setting them themselves. By nature, art is the cornerstone of this clan. Of course, as per usual, the definition of what could be considered art varies from kindred to kindred. It could be a martial art, if could be painting, writing, graphic design. They could consider their body to be art in of itself. They can also be expert marksmen, incredible musicians, etc.. However, they can also be cult leaders, preachers, evangelists and the like. Their weakness is their fixation with beauty. They can find themselves distracted by something they find exceptional beauty to the point where it could be hazardous to their unlife. Their vision and sensitivity can hurt them as much as it can help them. As such, they can also find themselves prone to falling for mortals and other vampires. It can also keep them from reaching perfection in their art, which could cause them to lose interest in it. Despite this, they aren’t as brainless as one might assume and they aren’t to be underestimated.

Regan Kensington (her art is her body and beauty)

Rachel Hallsy (her art is her beauty but she also takes part in a number of things from painting to dancing)

Caitlyn Bridges (her art is botany)

Soraya Mousavi (Toreador are known to be talented investigators, which she was even prior to being embraced)

Karen Sofer (her art is her body, by way of dancing, camshows and “mingling” with others)

Raul Gallo (his art is cooking)

Calvin Moss (he doesn’t really dedicate himself to art, appreciation for it aside. instead, he’s put his newfound “gifts” toward a goal he had before his embrace: becoming a cult leader. he’s organized his own flock of followers, all too eager to allow him to use them as a blood source)

Claire Simcova (her art is her body. a former model turned personal trainer. so you could argue that her art is fitness)

Malkavian (3): The madmen. The pranksters and lunatics. The seers and the oracles. They are bound by strange compulsions and perceive and articulate things in a manner different than most. Their jokes can range from silly to sadistic. Somehow, they’ve managed to remain as one of the oldest surviving clans, even being among the founders of the Camarilla. Barely a clan on the surface, a large number of them probably aren’t even aware they belong to one. Hell some aren’t even aware they’ve sired anyone! They tend to be tolerated at best, and even so, probably when they have enough self-control to refrain from violating the masquerade. While being embraced by a Malkavian guarantees insanity, they tend to embrace those who were halfway there to begin with. IF you see them muttering to themselves, they might be talking to theirself, or they can be in a conversation with another Malkavian, as they are all connected by a psychic link. Their madness of course, tends to be their biggest weakness. They are always guaranteed to suffer at least one derangement. That said, they can inflict horrible, debilitating insanity just as well. Be wary of the Malkavians. Dementation can destroy your very soul.

Molly Frye (disorder: dependent, derangement: overcompensation/dependent personality disorder)

Aline Seidel (disorder: paranoid, derangement: memory lapses, paranoia)

Jacqueline Logan (disorder: borderline, derangement: antisocial personality disorder, berserk)

Brujah (6): The rebels, the anarchists, the poets and freedom fighters. A founding clan of the Camarilla, you can be forgiven for writing them off as just a bunch of thugs and street punks. You’d be wrong...for the most part. They’ve a lot more going on then given credit for, and they’re always willing to rally under and fight for what they consider to be a worthy cause. Some prefer to follow charismatic leaders, others prefer individualism. They’ll be glad for a chance to speak their mind, just as they will be a chance to wreck something otherwise. Their weakness is a hair trigger temper and propensity for being wrathful, which means it’s easier for them to fall into a frenzy. There tends to be little organization among them, and they tend to sire whoever they want, for whatever reason they want.

Kyle Bridges

Deacon Wells

Juliana Rouco

Christina Fonseca

Mikaela Banes

Shannon Lawton

Katherine Logan

Chelsea Moore

Tessa Slater

Diora Frye

Gangrel (3): The beasts. The nomads. They prefer to be closer to nature. They prefer the thrill of the hunt. They were a founding clan among the Camarilla, but eventually, they got fed up with them and struck out on their own and now serve as an independent clan. Upon being embraced, they are subsequently left to fend for themselves in the while for a short period of time. The reasoning being that if they can’t survive on their own, they can’t hack it. Those who can survive are welcomed into the clan formally. They are the least social, and most predatory of the kindrid, prone to being territorial. They are shifters, among other things. Their biggest weakness, is the effects of their frenzies. Any time they hit frenzy, they can grow more monstrous and beastall in appearance.

Ken Logan

Lucio Vasco

Clair Morgan

Rosemary Morgan

Kimber Horne

Gisela Krieger

Miri Irvine

Nosferatu (3): The outcasts. The ugly. The spymasters and information brokers. They know your secrets. Perhaps among the most underappreciated, underestimated clan of the group. Perhaps best known for their appearances, which tend to be horrifying, grotesque or plain ugly. Often to the point where they have to reside in and travel through the sewers just to maintain the masquerade. Just approaching a moral can be considered a violation in of itself. But they are also adept at crafting and stealth. They can tame the animals that reside in the sewers. They managed to form their own society among themselves. That said, their mastery of obfuscate can still allow them a number of advantages, as well as a means of attempting to remain among society. They tend to embrace one of two groups. The first, is those looked down upon by society. Those who are down enough on their luck where being embraced by a Nosferatu would be considered a step up: the mentally ill, the homeless, vagrants, etc., out of a sense of kinship. They also will embrace as a means of punishment. Don’t be surprised if you run into a Cleopatra: a Nosferatu who was embraced as a means to punish them for their ego and vanity. They value clan loyalty immensely, often dependent on being supportive of each other. The embrace is very painful, harmful to their body, as their deformities would attest to. It’s lucky if they even manage to survive the process. The weakness should go without saying at this point.

Vita Sommer (an information broker before her embrace and a more effective, illusive one after it)

Celine Beauchamp (was embraced when she was homeless during a harsh winter. physical pain from the shift to unlife aside, she’s managed to adjust well enough. she’d devoted a fair amount of time to tending to “plants” and animal life in their territories. in this case meaning mushrooms and other fungi, rats, dogs, cats and the occasional sewer gator. very helpful with security for one’s haven)

Rhosyn Ravenwood (was embraced in part her sire wanted to prevent the Tremere from getting to her first.)

Lilith Cameron (was embraced as her sire had taken a liking to her. she’s since continued working as a blogger (though a different, more low key kind, and has taken steps towards being an information broker in her own right)

Elizabeth Sage (resentful of her current predicament, has developed a bit of a disproportionate dislike for the Toreador, wishing she had been embraced by them instead)

#hxt verses #wanted plots #AU: The Masquerade #hxt muse notes

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ijustreallylovezebras · 6 years

Text

What Would They Say Pt 5

Pairing: mob!Tom x Reader

Summary: The reader is a bartender at a bar owned by Tom Holland - the leader of the most feared mob in London. Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

Requested: No

“You look nervous,”

“I am nervous,” I admit. My finger is tapping against the side of the coffee mug in my hand, my eyes rake over Tom’s appearance. He’s sat back, coffee held in one hand, relaxed as he looks at me.

“Why are you nervous?” Tom questions, his characteristic smirk still in place as his eyes follow my every movement.

“Because you’re you,” I say, looking down as I feel my cheeks flush red in embarrassment.

“I’m glad you’re aware that I’m me,” Tom comments, taking a slow drink from his mug of coffee as he watches me. “You look nice today, I don’t think I ever said,” Tom says and, for the first time today, I can hear a hint of uncertainty in his voice. I grin at him.

“I’m just wearing my work clothes, Tom,”

“You always look nice, Princess,” I bite my lip to stop myself from smiling too wide at the new pet name. “Where are you from originally, Princess?” He asks, clearly catching on to my liking of the name, a softer smile than before playing at the corners of his lips. I feel myself relax a little under his warm gaze.

“The countryside, just outside of Oxford, the middle of nowhere to be honest,” I tell him, smiling a little at the fond memories of my childhood. “What about you?”

“London, born and bred. I mean, being a leader of a mob does tend to be a family business,” Tom says, an easy smile on his face, but one that still makes me understand that the topic of his childhood is closed. “Where did you go to school?”

“A private one in Oxford. I got in on scholarship in year 7 and stayed all the way through to the end of sixth form,”

“So that’s where you met your friends?” He asks, cocking his head in interest. I nod a little shyly.

“Yeah, I met the four of them at school, I have other friends from uni but I’m closer to my home friends,”

“I’ve known Harrison my whole life,” Tom says after a moment of silence. He’s looking away from me, a small frown on his face. “He knows everything about me,” he says and I don’t reply, sensing that he’s forgotten my presence with him at the table. “He was with me when I found out what my dad did. We were told not to tell my brothers,” he seems to snap back to reality then, looking at me, his eyes blinking quickly. He recovers soon after, the smirk returning to his face.

“Do you have any siblings?”

“Yeah, an older sister and a younger brother,”

“Middle child,” he comments and I smile, nodding. “I’m the oldest of four, all boys,”

“Your poor mum,” I laugh and he grins back.

“She always tells us she can’t wait for one of us to get a girlfriend so she has a girl to talk to,” I laugh at that.

“Before my brother was born, Mum used to complain about having no boys and Dad used to tell her that I was a pretty good replacement, seeing as though all of my friends growing up were males,” those were the days before Dad got sick. I add the detail in in my brain, not feeling the need to talk to Tom about it. If he could have secrets and topics to side-step away from, so could I.

“I can’t imagine you being very girly growing up,” Tom admits and I sigh, shaking my head.

“I played football a lot. I stopped in my GCSE year of school, though,”

“How come?” Tom questions before draining his cup of coffee. I do the same and he holds his hand out to me, pulling me up from the seat.

“Just... ran out of time,” I settle on. Tom frowns, clearly realising that it wasn’t the whole reason and obviously wanting to push until I tell him the truth.

“What time are you working tonight?” Tom asks, frown still set in place.

“Six until one,”

“I’ll drop you at the bar, but I’ve got some work to do so I can’t hang around,” just like that, Tom is back to business, just as he was the first night I met him. The only difference this time, is the feeling of his hand locked with mine.

I’m taken aback by just how fancy the car is. The driver has gotten out and opened the door for me, but I can only stand there in shock.

“I’m so sorry, is this for me?” I question, certain that I can’t be the one who this car is waiting on.

“Miss Y/L/N?” The driver asks and I give a slow nod of confirmation, taking a step forwards. I climb into the car as gracefully as I can manage and the driver shuts the door behind me. “It’s a rather long trip, ma’am, what with the London traffic,” I’m told as the driver gets into the drivers seat and starts the car running again.

If I thought the car was fancy, there were no words to describe Tom’s house as we pull into the driveway. The gravel crunches under the wheels and I stare out of the windows, my mouth hanging a little open as I stare up at the house.

It’s the kind of house kids from my old school were jealous of, the kind that millionaires and celebrities lived in.

I guess that’s what Tom was, a millionaire. Though in the least legal way possible.

“You left your phone?” The driver asks and I give a nod, taking his hand and allowing him to assist me as I clambered out of the car.

“Yes, it’s at my flat,” I confirm and the driver nods. The front door opens and Harrison is revealed, grinning at me and bounding down the stairs to greet me with a hug.

In the two months in which Tom and I had been dating, Harrison and I had become good friends, much to the delight of my mobster boyfriend.

“Dude, this place is so fucking fancy,” I mutter to him and Harrison howls with laughter, his arm still over my shoulder as he gently guides me up the front steps.

“Well you’re certainly looking the part, Y/N,” Harrison assures me.

When Tom had invited me around to his home for dinner with his family, he had warned me that I should dress a little fancier than I normally did. Instead of my normal jeans and hoodie get up, I was wearing a black skirt and a blouse that I used to wear for job interviews. My hair was up in a bun, with a couple of strands hanging loosely around my face.

“I’m so scared,” I admit to Harrison who uses his free hand to poke me in the stomach.

“You’ll be fine. Tom’s family are lovely,”

“You grew up with him, Haz! You have to say that!” I hiss and Harrison just laughs again.

“I’ll be there with you, Y/N, you’ll be fine,”

“Dude, I can barely order food in a restaurant, how am I meant to hold an actual, real-life conversation?” I question and Harrison’s chuckles only increase at my words, his head thrown back in amusement. “You’re a dick for laughing at my inner turmoil,” I comment, but there’s a smile playing at the corners of my lips. “You’re going to hell for laughing at my pain, you know?” I add, feeling the corners of my eyes creasing as I try to hide my laughter.

“You’re brilliant, you know that?” Harrison asks, holding the front door open for me.

“I’m fabulous, man,” I agree, walking through.

“Tom’s just looking after some business and I think everyone else is still getting ready.” Harrison informs me, getting over his laughter.

There’s a bark that echoes down the hallway and I gasp at the adorable little dog that bounds it’s way down towards Harrison and I. I drop down to my knees, holding my hand out to the puppy and allowing them to sniff it before stroking their soft head.

“That’s Tessa, Tom’s dog,” Harrison says. Tessa wags her tail in response to her name, nuzzling into my hand. I giggle and stroke down her back, a huge grin on my face.

“She doesn’t normally take to people so quickly,” I look up and grin at Tom. He smiles back widely. “Hello, Princess,” I stand up and walk over to him, wrapping my arms around him in a hug. He gently hugs me back, placing a kiss to the top of my head. Tessa barks again, nudging my leg with her head and I giggle, parting from Tom to crouch on the floor next to the dog again. Tom joins me a few seconds later.

“You never told me you had a dog,” I say, pouting at Tom who smiles even wider.

“You look adorable like that,” he says, leaning over Tessa to plant a kiss on my lips. I blush and look down at the dog again. Tessa is clearly loving the attention, panting heavily, her tail wagging like crazy. It’s not until Tom reaches his hand out to stroke her that I notice anything different.

“What happened to your hand!” I ask, grabbing it, inspecting the bloodied knuckles.

“I had some business, Princess,” he says, bringing my hand up to his lips and pressing a quick kiss to my knuckles but I’m still frowning at his bruised ones.

“You should get them wrapped,” I say, looking at him. Tom smiles and shakes his head.

“I’ll go clean them, Princess, no need for worry, it’s nothing out of the ordinary,” he says but I shake my head, holding his hand a little more firmly and dragging him up. I try to lead him towards the kitchen and he laughs, realising that I have no idea where I’m going.

“Where’s the kitchen?” I whine, finding myself in a lounge. Tom smiles at me adoringly, gently pulling me through to a tiled white room.

Tom leans against the counter as I run a wad of kitchen roll under cold water. I walk back to him, gently washing the cuts on his knuckles. I can feel Tom’s gaze on my face the whole time I’m wiping the blood away and when I finish, he pulls me closer, kissing me softly, for once there isn’t a smirk set on his face as he looks at me with adoration completely clouding his features.

I kiss him back slowly, placing the bloody kitchen roll on the counter and moving my hands up to his hair, carding my hands through the fluffy curls. I’m stood between his legs, his arms wrapped tight around me, one on my waist and one on the small of my back, gently pulling me closer as he continues to kiss me.

“Sorry to interrupt,” another voice says. I break away from Tom quickly, embarrassed at being caught but Tom just rolls his eyes at whoever’s stood in the doorway, not letting me move away, keeping me trapped against his chest with his arms.

“Piss off, Harry,” Tom says, placing a kiss on my temple and I’m glad that his brother can’t see my face yet, as I’m aware I’m so red that I probably look as though I’m going to explode at any moment.

“Dinner’s set out, Tom,” Harry chuckles and I hear his retreating footsteps. I remove my face from Tom’s chest and my boyfriend grins at me.

“Come on, Princess, lets not keep my family waiting,” he says, pecking my lips once more before walking me to the dining room.

Part Six

TAG LIST

@its-tchalla @fijiangecko @hawaiiantozier @hollandsmuse@stunbar @chennyetomlinson @fangirlminds @embracingtom@randomnesss-of-fandomness @failingclassesinmygucciglasses @slowly-gently @i-love-superhero @littletinydevil @randomlytd @emyhonny @casualprincess77 @pignolithecookie @clatite

#marvel #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #tom holland #tom holland fanfic #tom holland imagine #tom holland imagines #tom holland x reader #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fan #mob!au #Mob!Tom #mob!tom holland x reader #mob!tom holland #mob!tom x reader #mob!tom imagine #mob!tom fanfic #Not a request #please request

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zacklover24 · 6 years

Text

The shit tessa puts up with chapter II

Tagging: @nykamito, @mandakatt, @itshaejinju, @rikusqueenofhearts, @moonraccoon-exe, @luntian-berdengguhit

The prestigious Woodside Institute founded in 1912 by our founder the prestigious Michael Woodside. Mr. Woodside had a dream, where young men could be shaped into future leaders, politicians engineers and scientists. It wasn't till 1960 that women could join but our goal stayed the same to shape future leaders, politicians, engineers, pro players, chiefs, scientists and so on. Here we hold both college and high school classes to help fast track them into the real world. Students are given many freedoms, such as having private studios, for art, software design, engineering, and so. Classes are held all day and in lecture halls, the classes are large but students find that laid back nature of how the teachers are and not feeling pressure or stress they excal. Students can pick and choose to go to classes and all assignments and tests are emailed, mental health days are allowed.

Connor found the informant to be interesting and yet not so at the same time. He could see the appeal as to why hank gave this place a glowing remarks and why tessa liked going here, but to him it was nothing special. Connor examining the building it was definitely an old building but had been updated to fit the more morden times. Hank had asked Connor to take the car and pick up tessa something about a family dinner, Hank was back at the station finishing the days paperwork and logging the evidence from there latest homicide case.

Connor headed into the front lobby and was meet with a AP400 model named stacey at the front desk, it seemed she was the school secretary.

“Hello and welcome to the Woodside Institute how may I help you?” She greets in and warm and welcoming tone.

“Yes, good afternoon stacey. My name is Connor and I'm here to pick up Tessa Anderson.” Connor tells her. Lacey gave him a warm smile.

“Aww yes. Lieutenant Anderson called to let us know that you were coming. Miss. Anderson is in her studio. Studio 578 you leave this building and go to the larger brick building out back, it has a sign saying studio out front.” As she printed Connor a tag that said ‘visitor' on it.

“Thank you stacey.” Connor says leaving putting the tag on.

“Have a nice day connor.”

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

Connor found the building easy enough, and quickly located tessa studio. The building seemed to share a very simple layout. The hall had marble floors with a high ceiling and on either side were sliding doors, each door was numbered, with a keypad and a name on the side.

As he went down the hall on the fifth floor he stopped. Hovering in the air was a sleek looking drone, the drone was using its laser to write something into the empty space on the wall.

‘ Fuck you Jason!’ it wrote, Connor wasn't sure who Jason was or why the drone was writing this but he soon got his answer.

“ADAM YOU DICK!” Someone yells, that someone was around eighteen the same age as tessa. The person had slicked back black hair with dark green eyes, the opposite of tessa light green eyes. He was wearing a white lab coat and looked ready to kill. The door to Connor left opened and out stepped who connor assumed was Adam.

Adam had dirty blonde hair done in a sloppy man bun with hazel eyes with a hint of mischief in them. His shirt had spots of clay on it, in his hand was tablet.

“Fuck off Jason you can't prove shit.” Adam lazy states as he leaned against the door frame.

Jason let out a snort and his eye twitched, “Stop hacking my drones!” Adam puckered his lips and then spoke.

“No.” Jason eye twitched again, now if either of the three men took note they would have seen the door to tessa studio door open wearing one of hanks old nirvana shirts with spots of paint.

Connor watched as she threw something at Jason. It was a water balloon, the balloon landed on Jason head with a wet splat and exploded on impact covering Jason head in dark blue paint. Adam started to laugh so hard he was crying. Tessa let out a hum and strolled over to adam,

“Oh adam.” She coos.

“Yea what's up tess?” He asks wiping away tears, as Tessa gave him a mischievous smile as she slapped both sides of his face with a wet spalt, there was look of horror and disgust on adam face, as she covered his whole face and neck in dark blue paint.

“There much better.” As she drew a smiley face on his check. “Now stop stealing Jason fucking drone and let me work in peace.” She hisses digging her nails into his face.

“You got it, hey there's a plastic here to see you.” Adam tells her pointing behind tessa, as she let go of his. Tessa face light up.

“Hey connor.” Tessa smiles pulling a stained cloth from the back pocket of her jeans, and she began cleaning her hands.

“Good afternoon tessa, what was that about?” Connor asks watching adam and jason leave. Jason now with his drone and Adam not looking happy.

“Oh? That yea don’t worry about that, come on in.” Tessa smiles heading in her studio, Connor followed tessa into the studio was hit with the overwhelming smell of paint, charcoal, and lead. The room was large and square shaped, the floor had large trap covering it, while the walls were painted in murals from the previous students. The ceiling was high with both a fan and a vent, and in the back was an open window.

To Connor, right was long tan colored couch by the couch was a coat rack on it was tessa shoulder bag, jacket and hat, at the far end was a sleek black mini refrigerator. The rest of the room had shelves upon shelves of art supplies from paint cans, to paint bottles, brushes and ect there was even an industrial sink. There was one sole counter top that had a once white sheet that hosted a cornucopia models on it. Blank canvas dotted the room some by the couch, some under the window and ect.

“You like my vent piece?” Tessa asks washing her hands. That got to connor to look closer at the canvas that was dead center in the room, there had to be over dozen shapes on it. From circles, to squares, to hourglasses, triangles, polygons, hexagons, pentagons, trapezoids, octagons and a few hearts.

“I thought you hated math?” He asks, tessa let out a groan, as she went over to the min refrigerator and pulled a smoothie and flopping down on the couch.

“I do but, sometimes I need to vent so I finger pain shapes.” Tessa explains with a shrug, “You want to draw?” As she took a sip from the smoothie. The question took Connor off guard.

“You wouldn’t mind?” Connor asks staring at the cans, and then at the canvas, he had been feeling off. In the months following marcus peaceful revolution,Connor felt out of place, he was happy with Hank, tessa his job but yet there was this small nagging feeling in the back of his head, maybe he had virus. He would be lying if he didn’t think that the offer wasn’t very tempting.

“I know working with the DPD and Gavin can be very stressful, going after all these people who have done such awful things, the revolution, going against cyber ife, it's stressful. Go ahead and vent if you need, we understand. This is just how I unwind. We all need ways to vent and express ourselves.” Tessa explains. Connor wanted to take tessa up on her offer but in the end didn't.

“Maybe next time tessa we should go your uncle is waiting for us.”

“Alright let's head out.” Tessa smirks grabbing her bag and started to leave

End of line

#The shit tessa puts up with #DBH #dbh connor #DBH OC #dbh fanfic #detroit become human #Detroit become human fan fiction #swearing #connor is a good boy #world building

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cali-holland · 7 years

Text

All-American Girl- Tom Holland One Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Prompt: You and Tom are both keeping secrets- you don’t know he’s a famous actor and he doesn’t know you’re the president’s daughter.

Word Count: 1700

A/N: This should go without saying that it’s whichever president you want it be...

Masterlist Tom Holland Masterlist

*Gif is not mine*

~~~

“Beautiful day, isn’t it, Tess?” Tom asked his dog as they began their afternoon walk. Tessa was bouncing with excitement. A smile was present of her face as she trotted on the sidewalk. Tom was smiling too. He was finally home and he could finally relax, which, at this moment, is hanging out with his dog.

He lead Tessa down the familiar path to the local park. Tom’s happiness was cut short by the familiar ringtone of his manager going off. He sighed and took a seat at a nearby bench before taking the call.

“I’ve only just gotten home.” He told his manager. His brain raced to keep up with the dates flying at him. He cut his manager off from running on about future plans, “Look, we don’t know what we’ll be reshooting, so there’s no way we can already be planning reshoots.” Tom stopped and looked over at Tessa, who began to growl as she spotted a group of birds not too far away. Before he could distract her, Tessa took off, dragging the leash behind her. “I’ve got to go,” Tom said, hanging up his phone and chasing his dog.

“Tessa!” Tom shouted as he ran behind her. As the birds flew away, something else caught Tessa’s attention. She turned and maneuvered her way over to where you were sitting. You let out a surprised yelp as the dog suddenly jumped onto your lap and took a bite of your sandwich.

“Tessa!” Tom scolded as he finally caught her. He picked her up with one hand, using the other to grab the sandwich dangling from her mouth. You sat speechless, staring at the dog in disbelief. Behind Tom, you could see your bodyguard begin to step closer to you. You waved him off and turned your attention to Tom.

“I am so sorry, miss. She’s never done that before.” Tom stated, awkwardly looking down at the half eaten sandwich in his hand. His eyes shifted to yours and he felt his heart skip a beat. His head was pounding so much from his impromptu cardio that it took his mind a moment to register that he was staring. He blinked several times as you smiled softly at him.

“It’s okay. I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it anyway- they put too much mayo on it.” You replied with a laugh. Tom felt himself getting sucked back into his thoughts. You were American, now he felt even worse- what if it was your first day in London?

“Let me get you another one.”

“Oh no, it’s really fine-”

“Please, I insist. It’s the least I can do.” He said. He placed Tessa on the ground and held her leash firmly in the same hand that held the sandwich. He held out his free hand to you, “I’m Tom.”

“Y/N.” You replied. He lead you to the same sandwich shop that you had stopped in earlier that day to grab your lunch, which now was Tessa’s snack. Lucky for Tom, the small shop didn’t have a problem with pets who were not service animals- that or they recognized him and let Tessa’s presence slide. You and Tom (and Tessa) sat outside as you both ate your lunches.

“So, where in America are you from?” Tom asked you, before he took a bite of his sandwich.

“Currently, my family lives in Washington D.C. We just moved there in the past year.” You said, choosing your words wisely. It was refreshing for you to meet someone who had no clue about your current status as a member of the First Family; it was even more refreshing that it was an intriguing, cute British guy around your age.

“Oh, I’ve been there. It’s great. The White House is massive and the Washington Monument is bigger than I expected.” He laughed lightly.

“Yeah, it’s all really neat. Lots of history there.” You replied, “How many times have you been to America?”

“Quite a few. I do a lot of work in Atlanta, but it takes me all over America, so I’ve been to other big cities like Los Angeles and New York City too.”

“Really? What do you do?”

“Oh, um,” Tom’s mind went blank as he struggled for a quick, believable answer. He didn’t honestly want to give away the only thing keeping him a normal person to you, “I’m an assistant on movie sets.” He mentally sighed in relief.

“That’s incredible- do you get to travel all around the world? Or just to America?” You asked.

“All over the place, but mostly in America, though I did just come back from a job in Canada.”

“Canada’s so beautiful, isn’t it? I’ve always thought it was one of the prettiest countries. Well, apart from America, of course. With my dad’s job, I sort of have to keep America first.”

“Does your dad work for the government?” Tom asked innocently.

“Yeah,” You nodded, mentally adding ‘something like that’ to the end of your response.

“What brings you here then? If you love America so much, why are you across the pond?”

“I’m studying abroad at Royal Holloway University, London. It has a very good international studies program that reflects Georgetown University back home.”

“Wow, it sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate.” Tom smiled at you in admiration.

“Well, my father really wants me to pursue a career in international studies, but I’d much rather do philosophy.”

“I think either way you go, you’ll do fantastic.” He stated.

“Thank you,” You blushed. The conversation was cut short when Tom’s phone rang again.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’ve got to take this, but I’d really like to see you again. Could I get your number?” He asked, as the two of you stood from the table.

“Sure,” You replied, quickly writing your cell number down onto a napkin with the pen you carry in your purse. As you gave it to Tom, you saw your bodyguard once again, but this time he was giving you a warning look.

“I’ll call you later. It was nice meeting you, Y/N.” Tom said as he grabbed Tessa’s leash.

“It was nice meeting you too. Thank you for lunch, Tom.” You stated.

“Anytime.” With that, he left and answered his phone. You left as well, wondering just how long “later” would be. To your surprise, it would mean just three hours later.

~~~

(Three months later)

You sighed as you placed your last sweater in your suitcase. You zipped it up and placed it next to its twin suitcase. There was a knock on your door and you opened it to see your boyfriend, better known as Tom. He smiled and planted a kiss on your lips.

“I had to see you before you leave.” He said, making his way into your apartment.

“I’d be upset if you didn’t.” You laughed as you closed your front door. When you turned back to him, you registered that he had a duffel bag in his hand. You looked at it skeptically, “What is that for?”

“Surprise! I’m coming with you.” Tom smiled and your heart raced.

“No.”

“No?” He questioned.

“No, you can’t come with me.”

“But why not?” He dropped the bag and placed his hands on the sides of your cheeks.

“You can’t. Just no.” You shook your head. “Why would you even want to go to America with me?”

“First of all, it’s Thanksgiving, which is a big deal in American, so I want to celebrate it with you. Second of all, I want to meet your family since you hardly ever speak of them. And finally, why would I want to spend four days by myself in London when I can tour Washington D.C. with you?”

“Tom,” His hopefulness stung you. You had gone months without telling him your true identity and it was starting to eat you up. “I’m sorry, but you can’t come. You don’t want to meet my family, especially my dad.”

“You say that like your dad is the president or something.” Tom joked. When you grimaced at his comment, his smile vanished. His joy turned to confusion, “What? You can’t be serious-” He paused, reading your facial expression of remorse. He pulled away immediately as he connected the dots. He exclaimed, “Your dad is the President of the-”

“Sh!” You cut him off by placing your hand over his mouth. He was terrified, but what other reaction were you expecting? You knew it would be far from a simple surprise. You slowly removed your hand and spoke, “Yes, my father is the President. I didn’t tell you because I appreciated how you treated me like a normal person. Back home, I’m this dainty, perfect young woman, but, here with you, I’m myself. I’m a college student who enjoys eating chocolate while wearing sweatpants and watching Friends.”

“Wow.” was all that he could make out. He took a deep breath as his eyes ran over you, trying to reassure himself that you were still you.

“Please, Tom, don’t be mad at me. I was afraid.” You pleaded and he shook his head, making worry overcome you.

“I’m not mad, just surprised.” Tom said, making that worrisome feeling in you lessen. “I can’t say I’ve been particularly honest with you about my life either.”

“What do you mean? Are you going to tell me you’re the Queen’s grandson?” You asked.

“No,” He laughed, “I’m not a personal assistant. I’m Spider-Man.”

“Tom!” You let out an annoyed groan, “I was being serious.”

“I’m being equally serious.” Tom said, “I’m the actor who plays Spider-Man in the recent reboots. I’m sort of a rising star.”

“Okay, that makes me feel less bad about not telling you.” You mumbled sheepishly.

“We’re ridiculous. Both of us lied to each other about being famous because we don’t want to be seen as just famous.” He smiled down at you as you blushed in embarrassment, “I am going with you to America, though I think you’ll need to properly prepare me for meeting the president.”

You smiled at him, before discussing the proper etiquette when meeting the one of the most powerful world leaders.

#tom holland #tom holland one shot #tom holland imagine #tom holland x you #tom holland x reader #tom holland fluff #marvel

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prism-gardener-blog · 7 years

Text

Absense Makes The Heart Grow Fonder- A Shadowhunter Chronicles/TDA Fanfiction- Part 4

I’m once again terribly sorry about being late again. I’ve had a lot going on, and I promise I’m trying to stay on track.

As of late, I have set up an ao3 account, and you can read this there as well. Check out part 3 or part 5.

Check out Part 1 on Tumblr!

It all started with a walk on the beach. They always walked on the beach. Its repetitive, calming sounds made Ty feel at home. It made Kit feel like he had someone to care for him. But when they are driven away from one another, what can Ty do to get them back to each other?

Kit screamed and cried out, the burns from pulling at his restraints were white noise compared to his insides. A blizzard met a wildfire in his bloodstream, each agony fighting for its horrific control.

And his body was the battlefield.

He could hear his blood burning on his ears as the demon blood mixed with his, tearing away at angel in him.

It came in waves. One moment, it was almost over, the agony subsiding to an ache blanketing his body. The next, a pain worse than it had ever been.

And it kept building. And building. And building and building and building. Just like it was now.

He felt it rise up inside his, changing his numb, limp form to a shaking, screaming, figure that he knew if he saw it he would think it was a monster or someone from a psych ward in a black and white horror movie.

It was like someone tore open his skin with their nails, ripped though his muscles, tearing ligament from bones. Like they wrapped their hand on his spinal cord, and slowly pulled every vertebrae and nerve from his body, letting him feel as he lost all control over anything he had.

He just wanted it to be over. He wanted to see Ty again, and if that was in whatever after life was out there that he was going to end up in, then so be it.

Then, he heard the clicking of heels as the faerie leader came closer to him, her tall, beefy counterpart not far behind.

He felt her smooth hands rest gently on his arm. He slid open is eyes to see her face, a wide grin plastered onto it.

“Now that is what I wanted to see,” the sultry voice said, “sad that I can’t make it last forever.”

Kit opened his eyes wider, getting a better look at her bight face.

Her long, manicured nails tugged strips down his cheeks. She ran them along his jawline, kit trying to pull his head up and away from the touch.

“Not so fast little shadow killer,” she said, wagging her finger in his face.

“You do know I’m going to kill you,” kit said, a ghost of a smirk on his face. In a flash, she whipped her hand across his face, leaving him astonished. “That was uncalled for,” he said under his breath.

She snapped, and Agoston walked forward, a knife in his hand. The dark faerie took the knife, putting its tip into the pad of her finger.

“You know what is uncalled for, shadowhunter?” She began to wander slowly around the table, “Your people killing off all of my family, every man, woman, and child.” She stared to twirl the knife on her finger. “Do you know what’s it like to watch someone you love die? To watch them murdered. Right in front of your eyes.” She stopped pacing, standing to the side of Kit’s head, he sultry voice retreating to a whisper, “I guess you wouldn’t, you and your sheltered people.” she lifted the knife right above his throat, the blade sharpness mere millimeters away.

“Bella, that’s enough,” Agoston said.

She turned to look at him before she spoke, “my, my, my, darling I’m just getting started,” She said before slamming the blade through Kit’s shoulder, his entire right half exploding for the inside out with the cold, dirty flames of demon blood, his body seizing and shaking with substance. His eyes became cloudy as they rolled back into his head, his cries turned to whimpers, disappearing in the blur of distant white noise.

Ty waited in his room, sat on his neatly made bed, editions of Sherlock Holmes on his bedside table.

He stared off at his room, rubbing his fingers through each other, rocking back and forth slightly.

He heard the steps in the hallway, the sounds of his family conversing with someone he couldn’t recognize over the whines of a baby.

He did however hear the voice of Tessa Gray.

The voices stopped before he heard a knock at his door before Julian opened the door.

“Hey, can we come in?”

Ty nodded, and Julian opened the door wider, letting in Tessa, Magnus Bane following close behind her. He saw Alec Lightwood in the hallway, a blue warlock toddler in his arm, another child holding his free hand. Magnus said something to him Ty couldn’t catch, and Alec walked off with the two children.

Ty had always liked Tessa. She was simple and honest, and she was easy to look at, with her uncomplicated fashion choices, always looking easy and sophisticated.

Then there was Magnus Bane.

He didn't scare Ty, nor did he dislike him. His lavish attire and lifestyle just tended to set off his nerves.

Tessa, her face grim, sat down next to Ty, leaving the two men to continue to stand.

“Ty, do you think you could tell me what happened that night Christopher went missing?” she said.

Julian for some reason looked nervous while Tessa sat next to his brother, his lips set in a slim line,

“I’ve already told Julian. Why can’t Julian just tell you.” Ty stared down at the wooden boards of his bedroom.

The three adults looked at each other like a more solemn, more scary version of their children talking about Santa Claus.

“We just need to know what you saw.” Tessa gave him a small, sad smile of reassurance, letting him take a few moments before speaking.

“We were on the beach, out by some rocks. We were talking one moment, then attacked by some Faeries the next. The just took him,” Ty sat up straighter looking from Tessa to Magnus, “I’ve already said this? Why do you want to me say it again?”

“You didn’t see where they took him, did you?” Magnus asked him.

“Emma already asked me that.”

“Do you have any idea of how they got there?”

“I saw a portal, but it wasn’t like a regular portal. It looked like it went into a swamp or something, but the people didn't look like they were from a swamp. They looked like people.”

Tessa, after a moment of thinking, stood up, and grabbed Magnus’s wrist, “We need to talk, I have an idea,” she said before pulling him out of the room.

#absence makes the heart grow fonder #heronthorn #kit herondale #Ty Blackthorn #tda fanfiction #kitty tda #Ty x kit #the dark artifaces #shadowhunters fanfiction #angst fanfic #tda angst

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danceworshipper · 4 years

Text

Nearly Over

Dead mc challenge? Oh boy have I been ready for this! The following story is nearly canon for Gracie and Tessa, and takes place somewhere in year seven. I say nearly canon because this scene will happen, but Tessa won't actually die in reality, instead falling into coma. The challenge was created by @dat-silvers-girl

It's so cold. Why did she come here? Tessa wondered, forcing herself forward through the sludge. Gracie had been missing for over forty eight hours now, and Tessa had only just today discovered the note saying where she went. International Apparation was nearly impossible for new learners, but there was no evidence of splinching where Tessa had landed. Hopefully that meant Gracie was okay.

A sharp burst of wind nearly took Tessa's coat off. She pulled it tighter and frantically made sure her wand was still inside the pocket. It would probably be safer to just carry it at this point. Since it was dark, she lit the tip up with a silent Lumos.

What do you even plan to do when you get there? Liz's words flowed through her head again. She has a huge head start, and the note didn't say much.

Truthfully, Tessa had next to nothing, plan wise. The naive part of her had hoped Gracie would still be close to the Apparation point, which had not been the case. There were no tracks in the sludge either, so Tessa could be going the complete wrong way. Her weak Legilimency was the only hope she had. The steady pulse in the back of her mind growing stronger was the only indication that she might be getting closer to her sister.

Calling Jacob had seemed like a good idea at first, but Jacob had proved time and time again that he wasn't going to listen to any calls from his sisters. Rowan had almost died because he was so determined to "keep them safe" by completely ignoring them. Douchebag.

A sudden headache nearly made Tessa drop her wand. The pain was toward the back of her head, exactly where her and Gracie's connection was, so that was probably a very bad sign. Tessa called out with her thoughts, but there was no answer. Just like the past two days.

Snow began to fall. Tessa tried to ignore the thought that her tracks would be gone by morning if she failed to get Gracie and go back to the Apparation point tonight. The falling of the flakes was comforting even as they were whipped in the wind, especially as they reflected the light of the full moon. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any werewolves around.

In her note, Gracie had said that there was a lake nearby that had something she needed to defeat R, but she hadn't said what that something was. It was times like this that Tessa wished she hadn't stopped helping her sister with the Vaults. She was completely clueless now. Barnaby knew more than her, but he wouldn't tell her anything either. Shouldn't he have to tell her what he knew, as her husband? Part of their vows was not keeping secrets. It seemed that certain secrets were exempt from that promise.

Up ahead was a large pile of rocks. From where she was, it looked like it was at least twice as tall as Tessa. At the top of it, she could make out the silhouettes of two people - one shorter, and one taller, but not by much. The shorter one had long hair that was flying in the wind. Gracie? Possibly. The tall one seemed more likely a man, though technically it could have been a woman with short hair. Tessa extinguished her wand and hurried to the base of the pile, hoping neither of them had noticed her.

She stuck her wand in her pocket and tested her grip on the rocks. They were rough and jagged, instead of smooth - better for climbing. Rock climbing... she hadn't done this since she was a kid, and she had been on a rope back then. There was no time to be scared, though. Depending on who it was with Gracie, lives could be at stake.

By the time Tessa got close enough to make out what the people were saying, her arms and legs burned from the strain. Was she really that out of shape?

"You're a stupid child," a woman said. Tessa paused. That wasn't a voice she recognized. "You think you can do anything because you got this far, don't you?

"No." That was Gracie's voice. So who was with her?

"No? You don't think you can do anything?"

"No," Gracie repeated. "I'm more surprised than you are that I got this far."

The woman laughed. "At least you're humble, then. It's not going to save you. You'll have to fight me for the crystal, and I can promise you I won't be easy to beat."

"Olivia, why did you choose this?" Gracie asked. Olivia... who did Tessa know named Olivia? The name was ringing a bell.

"Choose what? The chance to live? I would have died like Duncan if I refused. Besides - who wouldn't want to be a god?"

"I can think of quite a few people."

A crack sounded through the air, most likely some sort of spell. "Don't get smart with me. I'm not allowed to kill you just yet, but that doesn't mean that I won't as soon as I can."

"Why can't you kill me yet?"

Tessa remembered that she needed to keep climbing.

"The leaders have decided to offer you one more chance," the Olivia woman said. "They say you show potential."

"Rakepick has tried to kill me every time she's seen me since the Portrait Vault," Gracie said. "Why are they offering now?"

"Because you lived," Olivia said simply. "Rakepick is one of our best agents, and she hasn't managed to kill you yet."

"What makes them think I'll join them after all of that?"

There was a short pause. Tessa struggled to climb faster. Gracie was obviously stalling. If Tessa could get up there and surprise Olivia, maybe they could get away.

"You wouldn't have to worry about dying anymore," Olivia said. "You'd be able to make sure your stupid friends were safe, and far away from the Vaults. You could get a share of the treasure in the final vault."

"By selling my soul to the very people that have been trying to kill me my whole life."

"Don't think of it like that. They've been testing you. They thought Jacob would have been the strongest of the family, but he clearly wasn't. Your sister is weaker than a Squib, but you? You're stronger than some of our trained professionals. You could be incredible if you would let yourself."

Tessa chose to ignore the comment about her weakness.

Gracie was silent. Tessa heaved herself up just a bit more, and then she could see. She was behind the Olivia woman, but Gracie hadn't noticed her either. Gracie was staring into the woman's eyes, gripping her wand tightly. Her right leg was clearly bleeding, potentially from whatever spell Olivia had cast earlier. Tessa found a secure dent to put her foot in and grabbed her wand, preparing to attack Olivia from behind. A surprise stunner ought to do it.

"Come on, Gracie," Olivia said. "Let yourself be great."

Olivia put out her hand. Just as Tessa got ready to fire, Gracie did the unthinkable.

"Okay," she said, and took Olivia's hand.

"Gracie, no!" Tessa yelled.

Olivia twisted around and shot a spell. It seemed she had been expecting Tessa to actually be standing on the rock, though, because it missed by a good margin.

"Stupefy!" Tessa cast, but without her advantage, Olivia was able to block easily.

"Tessa, go away," Gracie said angrily. "I've got this."

"You can't join them!" Tessa cried. "What are you doing?"

Gracie stared coldly down at her sister. "What I have to. Go away."

"No," Tessa said firmly. "I'm not going back to Hogwarts without you."

Gracie's wand arm seized up as her eyes widened. Tessa fought the urge to run away. The crazes had never targeted family. Gracie would attack Olivia, and everything would be fine.

"Go. Away."

"No."

Before Tessa could react, Gracie had shot a spell at her. Her wand fell down to the ground and she screeched in pain. Gracie had broken her fingers, every single one of them. Olivia met Tessa's eyes and smirked.

"Go away!" Gracie yelled. Her voice was raspy and low, angry.

"Gracie, stop!" Tessa begged. "You can't do this!"

The same spell flew toward her again, hitting her other hand, and then Tessa was falling, and falling - the connection in her mind opened up long enough for her to hear the word "sorry" -

Then there was black.

And then there was light?

"Tessa? What are you doing here?"

Tessa looked down around her. She was standing in a beautiful garden, lit by the moon. A fountain burbled gently next to her. A couple of chipmunks watched her curiously from a bench. The air was pleasantly warm.

"Tessa?"

It was a voice Tessa still recognized, even a decade later.

"Grammy?"

#hogwarts mystery #hphm mc #gracie chiva #tessa chiva #angst #my writing #olivia green

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aileen-hollingsworth · 7 years

Text

Polaris In The Family ~#15

previous | next

A/N: GUESS WHO WROTE ANOTHER THING. what do you mean you already knew it was me? smh. This takes place after Haiden’s pick of the last three. Random day, then a few days later, same day this fic written by the marvelous @aliyatyson hello, cass takes place. So like...there’s a section where that rp was supposed to go if I’d had time to make it from Aileen’s pov, still referenced it later on so it makes sense without her pov tho, so do not fret, I think. Anyhow...starts with Colleen, has other kinda important things. There’s third person pov at the end in italics. Ft. Cole, Sam, Ray (thanks for the rp cass), Uncle James, Lyra, David and Robbie. Also Biscuit.... I hope this isn’t to bad and makes sense?

“That’s not fair!” Robbie yelled as he stared at the game board in disbelief.

“Let’s not raise our voices.” Uncle James scolded from the living room.

Cole smirked in victory and I rolled my eyes with a grin of my own. “I think he played it right, Rob.”

“But—but—I was winning!”

Cole leaned on the chair’s backrest triumphantly. “It’s all in the strategy, kid.”

Robbie examined the game board once more with a frown but gave no other protest. I leaned closer to Cole and whispered, “How did you do that? Robbie never loses on this.”

He suppressed a smile. “Wendy was obsessed with this game when we were younger. I had to come up with good plays to stop her from winning all the time.”

I snorted in an attempt to contain my laughter and his grin widened, “Such a Lady, Firework.”

I shoved him and he laughed right before Lyra declared an “AHA!” from the couch in the living room.

Sam glared at her, reorganizing the papers he’d dropped when he’d been startled by her yelling. David, on the other hand, wasn’t bothered; bobbing his head to whatever song blasted through his headphones—making annotations every few seconds on a notebook—most likely working on some lyrics while Biscuit slept on one of his legs. Uncle James was just too used to it all and kept reading the newspaper without even acknowledging Lyra’s sudden outburst.

“Aileen, look at what I found!” She made her way to us with a mischievous smile and sat down next to Robbie, turning the magazine she’d been reading around to slide it across the table. I read the title out loud. “Love Quiz: Do you really know your partner?”

Cole continued reading after I raised an eyebrow at the title. “Worldwide leaders in research and couples therapy found out that one of the most important characteristics of successful relationships is the quality of the friendship between partners. Do you really know your partner? Take our quiz on the next page to find out!”

“You should take it.” Lyra cooed and I laughed.

“What do you say, Cole? Do you really know me?”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s a magazine.”

“It’ll be fun, come on.” I pushed the magazine back to Lyra. “We’ll do it.”

“Perfect.” She flipped the page. “Can you name your partner’s best friend?”

Cole groaned. “That’s not fair. You have like 5.”

“Not true. Just three and you gotta pick one.”

“Fine. I’ll go with Haiden.”

I looked down at my hands, the word "maybe" echoing in my head. “I guess if we ever get over this fight.”

“You mean when you get over this fight.” He corrected and nudged me with his elbow. “Your turn.”

I glared at him. “You don’t have a best friend. You don’t like talking to people.”

“Great response,” he smirked and looked back at Lyra. “Next question.”

Lyra tilted her head. “You seem like a talkative person here.”

“I am when I want to be.”

“He’s just never done much of an effort at the palace.” I snickered and he gave me a sideways glare.

“Next question.”

Lyra smiled and put her gaze on the magazine again. “Do you know what stresses your partner is currently facing?”

Cole and I looked at each other for a moment, having a silent conversation.

I knew he was stressed about the whole rebel fiasco. He’d been sitting with different papers for hours trying to think of something he could suggest to his uncle—King Ashton—but he still hadn’t figured out what the rebels hoped to gain by killing a royal and then stealing documents. It seemed like two completely different courses of action. To me, it made even less sense.

As for my stress, it mostly came from worrying about Haiden or not knowing how to handle being around Sam sometimes. Either it felt like the good old days or it felt like we’d missed out on everything because he left. It was harder when it was just the two of us at home. He was still working on getting his job transferred to Angeles.

We both mumbled a “yes” at the same time. Lyra continued without asking for specifications. “Can you tell me your partner’s life dreams?”

Cole answered music production for me, and I said fencing and political science for him. We were both correct.

“Who’s the family relative your partner likes the least?”

Cole looked at me. “What was your great aunt’s name again?”

Lyra replied before I could answer. “Ugh, Miss pretentious pants? None of us like her.”

Uncle James, who had gone to the kitchen for a glass of water, stopped to stand near us with a frown after Lyra’s last words. “Who are you talking about?”

I gave him an amused grin. “Great aunt Marge.”

He made a face raising the glass to his mouth. “Oh, that woman is crazy.” Biscuit barked from the living room as if he agreed with the statement.

Cole laughed. “Why do you all seem to hate her?”

“We don’t hate her. She hates us.” Robbie finally chimed in, leaving the game board alone.

I nodded, staring at Cole. “I told you she never liked that my parents got married.”

Uncle James shook his head before adjusting the military dog tags around his neck—from what he’d told us he’d only served for a year—but he always had them on for some reason. “She still thinks they shouldn’t have gotten married. No matter how good things go for Miles. She’ll never accept Tessa married a Three.”

We all nodded and Cole laughed again. “Why does she hate all of you though?”

“Cause she knows we think she’s crazy.” Robbie pointed out.

His father gave him a glance, but Robbie only shrugged. Then looking back at Cole, Uncle James added, “She knows we don’t think lower castes should be frowned upon.”

“And therefore she knows we frown upon her.” Lyra finished.

“Well, she is wrong,” Cole muttered and I patted his shoulder.

“And that’s why she gets the title of the least favorite relative.”

Lyra stared at the next question with wide eyes, trying not to laugh. “Do you think there is fire and passion in this relationship?”

I burst out laughing and Cole struggled not to do so too. David, who had finally joined us, took the magazine from Lyra’s hand to read the question himself. “What kind of magazines are you reading?”

I looked over at Cole, dramatically standing up and placing a hand over my heart. “Tell me my love; is there fire and passion in this relationship?”

He snorted. “There sure have been a lot of fire references.”

I eyed him. “Fire and passion, Cole.”

“Right.” He cleared his throat before standing up and placing a hand on my lower back, in an equally dramatic voice saying, “Yes, my love. There has never been more fire and passion in a relationship before.”

“Does it burn like the fire of a thousand suns?” I declared, staring into the distance like they did in movies.

A small chuckle escaped his lips before he composed himself, taking one of my hands and bringing it to his heart. “Yes. You can doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move his aides, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love.”

“Hamlet.” Lyra acknowledged with amusement and soon enough we both laughed.

David shook his head with a smirk. “Why do you make him embarrass himself in front of everyone?”

“Oh, he doesn’t mind. Do you, Cabbages?”

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t let you reenact dramatic scenes for the sake of it?”

Robbie made a gagging sound, “Boyfriend?” Sam perked up at the word as well, even though he was still in the living room, and I laughed at both reactions.

There was no denying we were a couple, and we were dating, but we’d never called each other boyfriend or girlfriend out loud. “So it’s official then?” I asked and he smiled.

“If you want it to be.”

Saying I had butterflies in my stomach was an understatement. I had butterflies everywhere.

Taking my trusty hairpin out of my braid I placed it on his free hand. He raised an eyebrow at it, however, grinned at me knowingly. I had told him the story behind that pin. “It would be my honor.”

He leaned down for a short kiss, but Biscuit tackled us before he had a chance, deciding we’d been standing close to each other for long enough and it was his turn.

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The house was pretty much empty except for me, Sam and Biscuit. Lyra had a sleepover and Robbie had a camping thing of sorts. David was working on some new song at the studio and Uncle James was off with him too.

It was odd, but not entirely bad after an hour. We’d just kind of minded our own business at the beginning; which wouldn’t have been bad if it hadn’t felt like we were trying to avoid each other. After that, Sam had suggested we eat dinner, and since he was still not any good at cooking, we had to settle with Ramen.

At some point, the conversation had spiked into something comfortable and we’d ended up playing Robbie’s favorite game with me winning.

“Wait…how did you do that?”

“It’s all in the strategy, kid.” I grinned, quoting Cole from a few days ago, even if Sam was older than me for years.

“Loverboy teaching you his plays?” He mumbled with an eye roll and I laughed.

“I convinced him to teach me some, yes. They’re pretty interesting.”

He grumbled a “mhmm”, staring down at the board and I snorted. Sam hadn’t been around when I’d dated Josh, so I’d never seen how he would act around me having a boyfriend. The part of me that still mourned the years lost tried to creep its way out at that thought, but I pushed it aside and focused on massaging Biscuit’s ear. Don’t ruin the mood, Aileen.

“You really like him, don’t you?” his question took me off guard.

“Uh…yes. I do.” Clearing my throat to calm myself down I added, “He’s a good guy. Funny when he’s frustrated, patient when it’s needed, and he cares about others more than he lets on.”

“It’s pretty obvious when he’s around you.”

I blushed. “Yeah…a couple of people noticed he liked me before I did.”

Sam laughed. “Not surprised.”

I gasped. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re actually not that bad at reading people, Aileen, but whenever it involves you—in any way—it’s like you suddenly become blind.” I could hear the amusement in his voice and huffed in response, crossing my arms over my chest.

That’s when Biscuit started barking. I did my best to shush him. He just ignored me and rushed to the backyard’s door, scratching on it repeatedly. I groaned, blaming David for not teaching him any manners while I was in Dominica. “Ok, I’m coming, calm down will you?”

He wagged his tail with his tongue sticking out, patiently waiting for me to open the door. Once I did he ran out and started sniffing the border of the house, occasionally whining. I frowned, and moments later Sam was standing next to me, giving Biscuit the same confused gaze.

That’s when we heard the footsteps and whispers.

“I thought Uncle James said Mr. Westfield would be out of town for the week with his family…”

“He did,” Sam clenched his jaw and we both listened again. There. I walked back inside, ready to go inspect when he grabbed my wrist. “Wait, what are you doing?”

“Don’t you wanna know what that was?”

“Yes, but I don’t think going there is the smartest choice.”

“Someone lost his sense of adventure.”

“I’m just saying—”

Not letting him finish I wiggled my hand out of his grip. “I don’t care. Are you coming or not?”

He gave me stern look. In a way, I knew I was daring him. I was daring him to say something. Anything. I was daring him to impose himself as the older, wiser brother. I wanted him to be the guy that scolded me for playing in the rain and getting a cold afterward. The guy that warned me not to look for fights with his friends because they were bigger jerks than he was. The guy that shook his head at me when I came home with a raccoon saying I wanted to adopt him—don’t ask how I caught it, okay?

But Sam only sighed and averted his gaze before saying, “Fine, let’s go.”

THINGS ENSUE. READ @aliyatyson FIC HERE TO SEE WHAT IT WAS. Next section continues after that...but I think you can still understand what is happening without entire context tho

Sophia had gone to the bathroom a few minutes after the doctors took Aliya away. I’d let her go alone considering she probably wanted some space to think. I’d heard she was in charge of the mission and could only imagine how she felt. Brownie eating chic, that apparently was named Ginny, had left to check up on her after a while.

Sam and I stared at each other as Ray paced the hallway frantically on the verge of tears. Feet away a couple of doctors whispered to one another, eyeing him, the conversation ending when one of them walked off to a security guard and made a ‘watch that guy’ gesture. That can’t be good. When we’d arrived the doctors had been reluctant to help Aliya out because of her possible caste and Ray hadn’t been precisely polite. I didn’t blame him for it, but it could be problematic.

“I’ll go talk with them,” Sam whispered to me, patting my knee reassuringly before standing up. He cocked his head at Ray before walking away. “Maybe calm him down?”

I nodded and watched him approach the doctors. Once they seemed to be in a civil conversation I stood up from my chair and walked over to Ray. He kept muttering to himself, “I hope she'll be okay. Oh god, let her be okay.”

“Hey,” I tried to place a hand over his shoulder as comfort. “She'll be fine.”

“She has to... Thank goodness for Twos having a hospital close by.” He mumbled it with relief but considering the conversation we’d had back in Mr. Westfield’s house I could tell he wasn’t a fan of higher castes.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, “Right.” Then discreetly looking around I noticed one of the nurses nearby giving us both a disapproving glare. I knew she’d heard Ray’s outrage at the doctors when we’d come in. “Um...maybe just try to be nicer to the doctors next time?”

He snapped at me, practically giving me a disgusted glare, “Why? He didn't want to help her because she didn't look like a Two!”

The nurse gave us another look. Ugh, this kid doesn’t get it. I pulled him to a different hallway and whispered between gritted teeth. “Stop yelling, will you? You think your attitude is going to help?”

He didn’t calm down. “Does anything else?”

“Yes, literally anything is better than your yelling!” I sighed. “Right now you have us, okay? Sam is already talking with the other doctors; he’ll tell them they don't need to worry about the stupid money. If Aliya's family can't pay our uncle will.”

“She can take care of herself, they-they can pay. You just never had to deal with something like this.”

I was done with his attitude. Aliya and I were in the same freaking caste for God’s sake. “Can you stop doing that? You treat us like we have perfect lives and therefore simply ignore everything else around us. Yes, I know I haven't gone through the same struggles as you, I know I have it better than others. I know. But you're being as bad as any condescending Two if you keep treating us like we just automatically don't care because we have it good.” I was born a Three as much as any Seven was born a Seven. At least I didn’t treat anyone like they were beneath me just because of a stupid number plastered on my birth certificate.

Ray looked at me like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth. Good, I’m not done. “I know you're used to higher castes being like that, but if you apply that line of thinking to every Three and Two you meet then its prejudice. And fine, it's usually earned, but what have I shown you so far that makes you think I'm like that?” He had to realize he was just treating me differently because of a number as well.

“I- But-” he looked down at me with a frown. I could see him trying to come up with something to refute my claims, but he came out empty. “You're...you're right, I guess. It's just that almost every time I meet a higher caste, they look down on me, so the bad people outweigh the good...”

“Well...” I sighed “they do, so I don't blame you for usually thinking that way. But trust me, not everyone that donates to charity does it to look good. Some of us do it for real because we can. I've seen people I care about—from different castes—affected by this system.” I looked at where Sam was standing; now trying to convince a nurse to allow him a call on the hospital’s phone. “I've seen some of them do stupid things because of it...” Very stupid things. “And I know you think it's not fair for them to care about Aliya's caste here at the hospital of all places. Newsflash: they shouldn't care, but either you learn to work with what you have until change comes or you get kicked out.”

He averted his gaze from mine after my last sentence and mumbled, “My dad got kicked out too” but before I could ask about it, he pursed his lips and looked at me again. “But fine, I'll try, okay? Maybe there are more Two's and Three's like Ali, and” he cleared his throat “like you and your brother. T-Thank you for helping me get her here.”

I smiled and punched his arm lightly. “See, it didn't hurt that much to be nice. As for Aliya, it was no problem. We weren't the closest friends back in the Selection, but I care about her. I want her to be okay.”

“She cares for a lot of those Selected it seems, even loud and crazy Tracie, so I have no doubt she cares for you too.”

I laughed. “Ah yes, Tracie. I'm pretty sure they're best friends so you better watch out. She likes baseball bats and if you hurt Ali she won't be afraid to use one.”

“So I won't be safe now then...” he muttered, and it took me a second to understand what he meant.

The panic in his eyes as Aliya’s blood covered his hands flashed in my mind again and I wondered if that had been the look on my face when Cole had been gasping for air on the floor.

“Don't talk like that. She'll be fine. This wasn't your fault.”

“Sure...sure... Just don't let the person you love get shot, I can't recommend it.”

I clenched my jaw. “Um, I've been there actually.”

“Oh God...I'm sorry- is he or she, uh, okay?”

“Yeah...he's fine now, thankfully.” Thinking about the whole attack still send shivers down my spine, however. “He recovered quickly since nothing vital got hit, but I had to wait for a day to see him.” I stared at the floor. “I didn't know there were two types of rebels... I would have never forgiven Ali if she'd joined the northern ones.”

“You mean the Sothern’s” he corrected with a small smile.

I frowned at the ceiling. It was getting so confusing. “Uh, I don't know. Which one is which again?”

“We're Northern,” he said, pointing at himself. “Those people who killed the Queen were Southern. Sorry about that too while I'm at it, I don't know if you knew her or something.”

“No. I never had the pleasure of talking to her in person, but her loss hurts people I care about, and the Southern rebels were the ones that shot him, so...I don't think I'm a big fan.”

“Then we have something in common. They're idiots.”

“Agreed... How exactly did you Northern rebels come to be though?”

“Years organizing in secret. Finding people isn't that hard, a lot of lower castes are unhappy, so it grew fast. We have our symbol, so we recognize each other, stronger together as they say.”

I tilted my head, “Symbol?”

He lifted his index finger revealing a star tattoo. “Yep. So, I suppose I can trust you with this?”

“Of course, I wouldn't want to put any of you in danger,” I assured him, examining the star with a frown. It was the North Star, “Hmm.”

“What? Is it too covered in blood?” He asked, staring at his own finger and desperately trying to clean it.

“What? Uh, no,” I reached for his hand and lowered it. “It just...” reminds me of Uncle James’ squadron? No, it can’t be, I thought to myself, shaking my head. “I'm probably imagining things. For a second I thought it looked familiar.”

Ray thought about it for a moment. “It could, we're bigger than we look. You could have seen it anywhere.”

“I-I guess…” I was pretty sure it wasn’t random though. “Are you all composed by lower castes?”

He gave me a confused look. “I think so, but it’s not like I’m in charge of everything. Why?”

“Nothing…I just—”

Sam was in front of us before I could finish my sentence. “Aileen, we need to go.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “What? But Ali—”

“I know, but I just talked with David and Uncle James wants us home soon.”

“Did you tell him I have a friend in the hospital?” I scoffed and he sighed.

“Yes, but it’s getting late.”

“I think I’m old enough to handle a couple of hours after curfew in an emergency.”

“Remember the doctor said you should sleep enough.”

“Uh, Doctor?” Ray asked, clearly puzzled.

I pinched the bridge of my nose with a grunt. “Southern rebels. I got a concussion. Sleep is important.”

“Oh…you should probably go home then.”

“No, I want to stay.”

If the situation had presented itself years ago Sam would have dragged me out of that hospital without giving it much thought, I was sure of it, yet despite knowing that, I would have never guessed he’d have the bravery to do it now.

“Come on, we’ll be back first thing in the morning.” He reached for my wrist and started walking off.

“But—!”

“No buts, Aileen. We’re going home.” Staring over his shoulder at Ray he added, “I’m sorry.”

Ray nodded. “I-I get it.”

I gave him a glance before we turned a corner. “She’ll be okay. We’ll come back tomorrow. Be nice and don’t do anything stupid!”

He nodded again, that time with the hint of a smile.

We walked in silence.

I was still surprised Sam had actually dragged me out of that hospital, not because it was something he wouldn't do, but because it was something he hadn’t done since he’d been back. It was one of those things he avoided, those things he didn’t feel like he had the right to do anymore as a brother, those things I'd been desperately waiting for him to do again.

“Wild night, huh?” He ventured, and I looked at him, managing a weak smile. Suddenly sleeping seemed like a good idea. “Definitely.”

“That Aliya girl…she’s an ex-Selected?”

I bobbed my head up and down. “Sophia is so too.”

“I see.”

Silence again.

“Aileen...I want to thank you.”

“For what?” I frowned.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “For forgiving me.”

I examined the pavement at my feet again as we walked. “We already talked about this. I forgave you a long time ago, Sam.” I’d forgiven him during the second year of absence, the moment I realized there was no point in holding a grudge. That didn’t mean it hadn’t hurt the other four years though.

“I know you did... but tonight, when Aliya asked you... you said I was your brother.”

“You’re her brother?” Ali had asked, and I’d seen the way Sam’s anger for Ray had diminished into uncertainty in a second—the way his eyes had glanced at me reluctantly—shame and sadness taking a hold of him.

I’d managed to mumble a yes, but Aliya kept on pressing, “I didn’t know you had one?”

I’d spent years telling myself I didn’t, and Sam visibly shifted further away from Ray after the statement like he’d been hit by it. He didn’t seem surprised though, just vulnerable and I hadn’t liked it. “Well…I do,” it had taken me a moment to admit it, but I knew I had to, “Sam is my brother.”

I pushed away the memory from barely an hour ago. “What about it?”

“She seemed surprised to even hear you mention the existence of a sibling; I know you stopped telling people about me. You haven’t called me brother since I came back, just Sam. Hearing you say it…it was good.”

I wasn’t sure if it was because I was tired or stressed, but after his words tears blurred my vision and I stopped walking.

“Well, you are my brother are you not?” It was a simple question, yet I could feel the tone I’d given it. The defiance. The reproach. “You are my brother are you not?” My voice broke at the question I’d screamed for years in my head.

How could you leave me?

You are my brother are you not?

How could you disappear like that without telling anyone?

“Are you not?” Tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked up at him. There was pain in his eyes as well. “Tell me, Sam! You are my brother, aren’t you? Aren’t you!” My eyes stung and my head throbbed. I just wanted to sit down and hug my knees closer to my chest. “Come on Sam, tell me!”

He pulled me into a hug before I started sobbing. “Yes. Yes, I’m your brother, Aileen. I’ve always been your brother... I-I’m sorry for not acting like one but I’m not leaving you again. I promise.”

I clenched my fists around his shirt and let myself cry. He still smelled like that stupid cologne Mom used to buy for him all the time and I buried my head deeper into his shirt as he hugged me closer to him. “I’m sorry, Aileen. I’m really sorry.” His voice was barely a whisper. “I was a jerk, you didn’t deserve this.”

It felt like I was eleven again, coming into the kitchen with excitement just to receive worried looks from everyone else, Uncle James sitting me down to try and explain the few things he even knew. “You shouldn’t have left.”

“I know.”

I didn’t say anything else and he just let me cry in his arms, his hand gently stroking my head. “I think I ruined your shirt,” I mumbled, wiping away my tears, crying finally replaced by sniffling.

He gave me a tired grin. “That’s okay. Let’s go home.”

He carried me on his back the rest of the way, and it truly felt like when we were young again. No external thoughts to ruined the moment, just the sense of familiarity. I was half asleep by the time we reached our block. “Am I not too heavy now?”

“I can still handle you, Alien.”

I smiled at the nickname. Apparently, when I’d been born, six-year-old Sam hadn’t known how to read my name and thought it said Alien. Even after Mom and Dad told him what it really said the word stuck with him, and when I grew up he always brought it up as a joke.

“I missed you, Sam.” I slurred, almost asleep.

“I missed you too, Aileen.”

I woke up with Sam nudging me, “Rise and shine.”

“Five more minutes,” I mumbled back.

He took my blanket away. “Come on, you said you wanted to be there as soon as possible. Ray called and said Aliya was out of surgery, don't you want to be there when she wakes up?”

I snapped my eyes open at the word surgery and the previous night flashed in my head. Mr. Westfield’s house, the rebels, all that blood. Aliya’s blood. And then it wasn't her, it was Cole’s. It was his pained eyes. His blood on my hand... I pushed the thoughts away. No, he’s okay now, worry about Ali.

Sam placed a hand on my shoulder with concern at my daze. “Aileen?”

I rubbed my eyes and stood up, my head pulsing. “I’m okay, it’s just the headache.”

He nodded. Morning headaches had become a thing most days after the concussion. The last week they’d been residing, but after everything that had happened the night before it felt like they were compensating for lost time. “How bad?” he asked like David normally did during breakfast.

“Maybe a seven?” I wasn’t really sure; it was just killing my temples.

He stopped rummaging for clothes in my closet to glance at me. Normally my answer was a solid four. “Take the pills and don’t even consider skipping breakfast.” It was not a suggestion.

“Ah yes. The concerned, protective brother has returned,” I mumbled with a smile.

Sam gave me a crooked grin in return. “Oh, he never left; I was just keeping him at bay. No need for that anymore though. Now I can ask Cole how serious he is about this ‘boyfriend’ thing.”

I groaned, sitting back on the bed, but I was glad to hear him say that. It meant Sam was back. Truly back. My brother was home.

“Why the sudden interest exactly?” James asked his niece as she examined his military dog tags during breakfast.

She pointed at the North Star engraved on the back of each tag before asking, “You said all your squadron had these, right?”

He tilted his head but continued to stir the sugar in his coffee without alarm. “Yeah, it was my training squadron. We named ourselves the North Star.”

Sam, who was eating on the counter with Aileen, looked at the symbol too. “Didn’t Dad have a pin with a star like that?”

Aileen nodded, eyeing her uncle warily. He watched her carefully as well. “Yes, he still does. And Mom has it on a pendant, the one made of a wax seal?”

His nephew continued chewing on his food, clearly not following the same line of conversation her niece was trying to hold. “Oh, yeah, I remember that one.”

“Well,” James took a sip from his cup calmly, trying to figure out if he was imagining his niece’s implications or not, “The North Star is a common symbol, Polaris marks the way due north and the rest of the stars wheel around it. People used it for navigation centuries ago.”

Sam listened to it all with mild interest. David was too busy not overcooking his eggs. Aileen, however, was remembering Ray’s words from the night before.

We have our symbol, so we recognize each other, stronger together as they say.

She tried a different tactic to get the information she wanted from her uncle. “You know, my friend is in the hospital because she got shot.”

Sam looked at her with wide eyes as if asking ‘what do you think you’re doing?’ but she ignored his warning glare and kept her eyes on her uncle, hoping he would understand. She needed to know. It couldn’t all be a coincidence.

Her uncle had paused, his cup halfway to his mouth. Not just anyone got shot.

David finally stopped staring at the frying pan to frown at his cousins. “Is she okay?”

Aileen dismissed his concerns; the conversation was not aimed at him after all. “Yes, she’s fine. We were in Mr. Westfield’s house.”

“What? Why were you in Mr. Westfield’s house?” David was very confused, but James’ expression had changed from interest to mild suspicion.

He’d told Angelo that house was perfect to send supplies, and like always, he’d stashed its' basement with things, expecting the young team to think it was originally from the house they were in. That was the protocol with Angelo. If her niece’s friends had been in the house that same night it could only mean one thing…

We have a symbol, Aileen kept thinking. “Oh, it’s a long story, David. Not really important. But she was with a couple of friends.” She handed her uncle his tags with a grin. “I think one of them was part of your training squadron.”

He weighed the chain in his hand, his sight never leaving her as the shadow of a smile tugged at his lips, “Really, someone from the North Star?”

“I’m pretty sure. I think I would only need confirmation from you.”

He didn’t bother hiding the knowing smirk that took over his face. “Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were. I’ve always supported the North Star. It wouldn’t be that strange for them to be nearby.”

Sam and David were both giving them weird looks now, not understanding the real conversation at hand.

“Have Mom and Dad ever met your squadron?” Aileen wondered, now sure of what her uncle was. James let out a small laugh and started releasing one of the tags from his chain.

“They have,” he admitted, offering his niece a tag with pride “and I guess now you have too.”

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#welllllll fromating this was interessant #but I am donw #finito #asdjhfl #i am really sorry if the grammar in this is confusing? I feel it's not my best but idk #I hope you enjoyed it or found it slightly interesting #cole #david #aliya #ray #aileen's fam #colleen blooming #fic #not a challenge

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fathersonholygore · 8 years

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Hulu’s The Path Season 2, Episode 9: “Oz” Directed by Patrick Norris Written by Coleman Herbert

* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “Return” – click here * For a recap & review of the next episode – click here The unburdening tapes are being used now with more force by Sarah Lane (Michelle Monaghan). She goes to one person, then the next, the next. Using the dirty little secrets of everybody against them. Such a creepy sequence. Reminds me of something you’d see from Scientologists, blackmailing people to stay, or else their “fragile house of lies” come toppling down. Clearly Sarah knows she’s doing awful things, yet she is so tied to Meyerism she has no identity otherwise. So, she’ll fight dirty to save what she loves. Eddie (Aaron Paul) sits alone in a church thinking. A priest comes and sits with him. They talk about their life’s path, how they came to faith, their calling. He’s searching for his own answers about his calling with the Meyerist movement. In other news, Abe Gaines (Rockmond Dunbar) is in shit with the higher ups. Because the movement’s paid off their back taxes. No more leverage for the feds. This puts Abe in a tough spot. Now he’s going to try harder to catch Cal (Hugh Dancy) and the movement red-handed. And that could lead to some trouble. Eddie meets with Richard (Clark Middleton) and Felicia (Adriane Lenox) in a hotel. To talk about what’s next for Meyerism. She doesn’t totally believe what’s happening, in regards to Eddie as Steve’s choice to lead them forward. The only way she’ll accept it? He must “continue the climb” to 8R. Mary Cox (Emma Greenwell) is introduced to the cult deprogrammer Sean’s (Paul James) mother has brought in, though she isn’t interested. She can tell what’s going on, and there’ll be resistance. Finally, Sarah reveals to Cal she’s paid off the back taxes to keep them afloat. This stresses him out. He’s not the saviour, he isn’t the leader. She is taking charge like never before. You can see how it bothers him. He’s not exactly great at hiding his inner feelings, despite what he may think of himself. Note: more instances in this scene of how Cal is cast in shadow often, behind the veil of darkness, and there are other times he’s half in the light, half in shadow to convey a split sense of who he is as a person. Abe a.k.a Sam goes sniffing around the donors who helped with the tax bill. He figures out about the blackmail, something he already suspect, anyways. I only keep worrying about what’ll happen to Abe if he pokes in the wrong places.

Hawk (Kyle Allen), Hank (Peter Friedman), Russel (Patch Darragh), they all worship Sarah’s supposed good deed of saving their cult. The only one unsure, as usual, is Nicole (Ali Ahn). And more every episode I start feeling as if she’s going to play a part in Abe’s eventual plan to catch Cal and the movement in their ugliness. On top of everything, the guilt is flowing through Sarah as eager as the blood in her veins. Like you didn’t see it coming, Cal still keeps in close contact with Mary. He goes to see her before the upcoming trip to Baltimore. She talks to him about The Wizard of Oz, which she was given by the deprogrammer. He’s there because a family is what he needs, only he’s far too dysfunctional and damaged in his own right to be with anyone properly. As for Mary I’m starting to think she’s seeing the truth about Meyerism. Or at least, I want her to see. Cal: “I‘m a husk, Mary. I wanna be vapour. I wanna metamorphose. We can do it together. Swim in the sea. What do you say?” On his way up the Ladder, Eddie’s guided by Felicia into his own mind. He’s at a bus stop, and when a bus arrives it’s filled with people who have no faces. Just a head covered in skin. What does it all mean? He believes it has to do with the cult’s Denier Policy. He wants it changed, as per his vision. The faceless were those outside the movement and this isn’t any way to treat the outside world, nor is it any way to treat those who’ve been shunned as deniers.

Physically, Abe and Nicole get closer. He also gets a bit of information: the unburdening tapes are in the movement’s archive room. In the meantime, they bang on the floor in a storage room. A little secret to keep between each other. Out in the real world, Eddie goes to see Tessa Bishop (Alexia Landeau) – Sarah’s sister, who long ago broke away from the Meyerists and all their nonsense. Cal and Sarah keep on having issues. He says he can’t get up and speak with her at the conference. He says he’s having problems with his conviction. Then she admits to her blackmail for the donations. Essentially, after the murder and the blackmail they’ve both got to keep going, for one another. If only for the sacrifices they’ve made to get to that point. This is an effective point in the series overall, is that anyone who gets lost in a religion, a cult, anything of that, eventually becomes so lost they don’t even know why they’re still walking further. But Meyerists, they have a weird little ritual they do similar to the Catholics’ confession, to wash away their sins/convince themselves that their sins are washed away. Sarah and Cal find themselves on the same page again. For better or worse. Sarah (to Cal): “Make me believe” What Eddie wants to do, underneath his new leader exterior, is change the movement. To show them the truth. When Tessa walks out on him because she can’t deal with any of that, he winds up running into Ashley (Amy Forsyth), Hawk’s old girlfriend. Hmm. I wonder if she’ll play a further role, maybe to help get Hawk away from all the madness. She actually turns up at the centre to see him later. One big surprise.

Back at the hotel after their conference, Cal and Sarah become one. Not only in their emotional headspace, their wants and needs. They fall in bed together. And this just feeds into their shared delusions of Meyerism, it won’t help anything. Not to mention it’ll take Sarah farther from Eddie than she already is. Above all, she’s fallen into a black hole, one crime after another with Cal. Abe is snooping in the archives. He finds the tape of an unburdening with Don Hendren written on it. Eddie receives a visit from Hank, about his meeting with Tessa. “Our families need to be mended,” he tells his estranged father-in-law. He says Steve chose him to lead, and that soon he will replace Cal; that they can make something better out of their movement. We end on a strange moment, when Hank and Eddie embrace. Suddenly Eddie is bleeding from his side/back, almost like one of the wounds of Christ.

This second season is fantastic! I can’t believe that some critics have said there’s nothing overly enjoyable or worth fleshing out in these episodes. Are they watching the same series? I don’t think so. The Path – Season 2, Episode 9: “Oz” Hulu's The Path Season 2, Episode 9: "Oz" Directed by Patrick Norris Written by Coleman Herbert…

#Aaron Paul #Cult #Hugh Dancy #Hulu #Meyerism #Michellen Monaghan #Season 2 #The Path

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