#bash and bella want chew

[grandrtist]

Look at my children!!!!

[labyrinthof-fan-fiction]

Fever {1}

Series Masterlist

A/N: I rewatched the movies and had an overwhelming need to write the story in ways that I would have liked to see it play out. I am a firm Team Jacob and will be for this fic, there will be Edward bashing. If you don’t like it, don’t read it.

In regards to the wolves, I will be leaning more into the werewolf/shapeshifter mythology, rather than the Quileute storyline that Meyer wrote, I don’t feel that I would do their stories justice, and also just don't like the way Meyer handled any part of their story so I will just be playing with Meyer’s characters. If you’re interested in the Quileute histories or able to donate to their school relocation to help them move their school to higher ground, I’ve included some websites.

Quileute Nation Website: https://quileutenation.org/

Truth vs. Twilight: https://www.burkemuseum.org/static/truth_vs_twilight/facts-01.html

Move to Higher Ground Tribal School Relocation: mthg.org

Warnings: Depression, Anxiety, Abandonment

Summary: Starting in New Moon, what would have happened if Jacob imprinted on Bella? What if she would have chosen him after Edward left? What if she went to therapy?

Rating: M

Word Count: 2,049

I was cold, so fucking cold. And empty, I was empty. The trees overhead were swallowing me as the sun sank. He was gone, I was alone, he just left. He never loved me, I was just a momentary amusement. Cold was seeping into my bones as I lay on the forest floor, waiting for the sky to turn black and for the night to consume me. Rain started, it was cold.The rain started mingling with the warm tears that had rolled down my cheeks.

My world is not for you. I don’t want you to come with me. This will be the last time you see me. Goodbye, Bella. An endless loop of his voice repeated these statements in my mind. It wouldn’t stop, I just wanted it to stop. Then a voice interrupted me, “Isabella Swan? Have you been hurt? Did he hurt you?” Then warmth surrounded me.

“He’s gone, he left. I’m alone.” I groaned, burrowing into the warmth, but it wasn’t enough warmth. I needed more. He kept walking until we broke the tree line and he called out to a swarm of people. “I’ve got her!”

Charlie was yelling my name. “Bella?!” I felt his hands on my face. “I can take her.”

“Charlie?” I whimpered.

“I’m right here, baby, I’m here.” Charlie’s voice soothed.

“Charlie, I can bring her inside.” The voice murmured.

“Please, Sam, let me take her.”Sam, so that was the disembodied voice’s name. I whined as I was passed away from the warmth and into Charlie’s arms.

“I’ve got you baby, I’ve got you.” Charlie murmured, I could hear him puff his breath as we entered the house, he set me down gingerly on the couch. “Sam, blankets are at the top of the stairs, in the cupboard. Doc’s gonna check you out okay?” He asked, brushing hair out of my face, my fingers still shaking. I felt a blanket set on my shoulders, I pulled it close as Dr. Gerandy walked into my line of sight.

“Hello, Miss Swan. I’m here to do a quick check up. Just make sure you’re okay. Do you know where you are?”

“Home.” I mumbled.

“Do you know who is here?” He asked, flashing a light in my eyes.

“Charlie, Sam, and you, Dr. Gerandy.” I answered.

He smiled. “And what happened in the woods? Are you hurt?” He placed his hand on my forehead.

“I…I tried to follow after him. He just left, he doesn’t want me anymore. I’m nothing.” I mumbled.

“Bella, baby, did Edward Cullen do this?” Charlie asked, kneeling down next to me.

“He left, he’s gone. I’m alone.” Then the tears started and I couldn’t hold them back. Charlie’s arms wrapped awkwardly around my shoulders as I leaned into him.

“I’ll be back to check on her tomorrow, Charlie. I don’t see any physical injuries.” I heard Dr. Gerandy murmur before seeing himself out of the room.

“Bells, I have to let everyone know you’re okay and send them home. I’ll be right back.” Charlie murmured into my hair. I clenched my hands into his shirt for a moment, before releasing him.

I heard him call out of the house, saying his thanks and dismissing the group. As his footsteps fell on the floor the phone started to ring. He grumbled and padded into the kitchen, having the same hushed conversation with the callers. There was a pause in ringing for a minute before it began again. Charlie let out a large sigh before answering.

“Hello.” He greeted curtly. “Where? Outside the reservation? I’ll check on it, thanks.”

The phone hung up and he was dialing again. “Hey, Billy. No, she’s fine. Sleeping on the couch. Thanks for sending the boys. Look, I’ve got reports of fires on the cliffs.......Yeah, okay, and why are they doing that?” His voice was weary. “Really? Just make sure it doesn’t spread, I can’t leave her alone.....Yeah, I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up the phone then sighed. He padded around the kitchen, I heard dishes being placed in the sink before his footsteps grew closer and I heard him drop into his recliner.

“What’s going on?” I asked, his head jolted towards me. He started to stand. “Charlie, I’m okay. What’s happening, I heard you talking about fires.”

He sighed, “Just some bonfires on the cliffs. Some of the kids in La Push being rowdy.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

His eyes met mine, “They’re celebrating.”

My brow furrowed for a moment, “They’re celebrating the Cullens leaving.” I murmured.

Charlie nodded, and sat back in his chair. He was staring at the wall, his mind somewhere else. “Bella?” He asked, in a gentle tone I don’t know if I had heard since I was small. I glanced over at him. “He left you alone, in the woods?”

I remained silent, not sure what to say. He left me, alone. And in the woods, that much was the truth. “How did you find me?”

“Your note, you left it on the table. Said you went for a walk with Edward.” Charlie murmured, worrying a piece of paper in his hand. “Then you didn’t come back. I called their house, no one answered. I called Alice, nothing. So, I called the hospital. Doc told me that Carlisle resigned.”

I closed my eyes, as tears were starting to form again. How did I still have tears left to cry? “Where did they go?”

Charlie balked, I hadn’t meant to say that. “Doc said that Carlisle took a job in Los Angeles, some big hospital, very lucrative opportunity. Didn’t Edward tell you.”

I let out a wry laugh, Los Angeles, the last place a coven of vampires would relocate to.

“Bella, I need to know, did Edward leave you alone in the woods?”

I took a breath and stared up at the ceiling. “I tried to follow him, I was on the path. Then it was dark and I wasn’t on the path anymore. I tripped. Then I heard Sam.” A sob tore through my body.

“Oh, baby, it’s alright.” I heard Charlie rise from his chair and kneel by the couch. I rolled to my side and haphazardly wrapped my arms around him. “You’ll get through this. It won’t be easy, but you will be okay.”

“Dad...” I started, my voice was so weak and I felt his arms tighten around me.

“It’s okay, Bells. I’m here.” He was rubbing small circles on my back as tears continued flowing, at some point they had to stop. They had to. I don’t know how long we stayed like that before he pulled back. “Let’s get you to bed, you can stay home tomorrow. Alright?”

I nodded, he held out his hand to help me off the couch. I walked up the stairs to my room, giving him a small good night before entering my room. I glanced at the window, expecting his shadow to darken it. I did a small turn as I looked around my room, he had left the note. That much, I knew. Which meant, he had been in the house. I opened the CD player on my dresser. It was empty. It will be as if I never existed. “No, no.” I picked up the scrapbook from Renèe, the pages that I had filled were dotted with empty frames. I felt my breathing start to shallow and I sat on my bed. The window still closed, he was gone. He didn’t want me. I sunk into the covers as the dam broke and I was swallowed whole by the tides.

I never really understood what people meant when they talked about going through the motions, at least, not until now. Six months had passed since he left. I didn’t even feel like those months existed, my only proof was the constant changing of the calendar. It was January now, that much I knew, if you asked me for the actual day, I wouldn’t have that answer. I sighed and pulled on an outfit, that Alice would be disappointed in. Maybe my poor fashion choices would summon her here. I let out a laugh and walked down the stairs for breakfast.

I sat down at the table with my usual cereal, Dad nursing his morning coffee. The circles under his eyes dark and deep. I knew those were my fault. Months of sleepless nights had worn on him, I wish I could let him sleep. I wish both of us could sleep. Silence fell in the little kitchen, silence had become common in the house.

But this morning was different, Dad’s fist hit the table. “Bella, I don’t know what to do. Something has to change, or I’m sending you to Florida with your mom.” Dad stated, a shake in his voice.

“I am home.” I snapped back, glancing up into his eyes.

“I’m sending you back, to Renèe, in Jacksonville. I...Bella...I can’t let you live like this. You don’t do anything, you just walk through the motions. I can’t let you go on like this. You can’t... Bella.”

“Dad, please, don’t.” I started, the thought of being sent back to Renèe had my heart pounding, for the first time in months I felt like I had an indicator that I was alive. “Please, I can do better.”

He sighed, “I know, Bella, but I have to do something. Bells, you’re wasting away, you’re falling behind in school, you don’t leave your room. I can’t even say you’re moping because you don’t emote enough for it to be considered moping. Dr. Gerandy recommended a therapist from Port Angeles, thought you might like her.”

I chewed on my thumbnail, being presented with the possibility of being shipped back to Renèe jostled me out of my stupor for a moment. I couldn’t go back to her, I couldn’t take care of myself, how was I supposed to take care of her again? And Phil was hurt again, so he’d be another added to my list. “A therapist might not be a bad idea.” I mumbled.

Dad’s eyes widened. “I can call, see when she has an opening. Get an appointment booked.”

I nodded, still chewing on my thumbnail.

“Bells?” He asked tentatively.

I glanced up from the table. “Dad?”

“You’re not the first to go through this kind of thing. I….” He trailed off. “I had a hard time when your mom left. I was in a bad place. It took me time, but I got through it.” He paused again, he glanced down at his coffee and took a long sip before speaking again. “You can’t waste your life waiting for him to come back. I think if I had seen someone, maybe I would have been able to get better sooner.” There was something else he was thinking, but he kept it to himself.

“I’m sorry, Dad.” I mumbled.

His eyes shot over to me, and he sat up to reach across the table to place his hand over mine. “Bella, you have nothing to be sorry about. I am sorry, that I didn’t get you help sooner. And I’m sorry that I threatened to send you back to Renèe, I’m worried about you, kid.”

“I know, let me know when you get an appointment.” I said, giving him a weak smile before standing from the table. “I’ve got to get to school, see you when I get home.”

He nodded, and took another sip of his coffee as I left the kitchen. “Love you.” I heard him whisper as I left the door. Another small smile spread across my lips and I climbed into my truck. I pulled into my parking space and took a deep breath. The past few months I had been a ghost, I wonder if they’re real too….. I shook my head and stared at Forks High. There were no shiny Volvos parked at the side with a family of too perfect teenagers grouped at the entrance. No van barreling at me. Just a bunch of normal, human teenagers walking to their first class. I joined them, but I knew I was far from a normal human teenager, but just maybe, I would get closer than I was now.

[wickedgamesoyaoya]

The latest message to brighten your screen brought a melodic laugh to bubble from your chest. It had never occurred to you upon accepting this assignment that you would meet someone like him. Someone so different from Kiyoomi.

Chewing on the inside of your cheek in thought, you began typing out a witty response until the sound of a light knock on the door startled you. Half expecting to find the one responsible for your laughter behind the door, you tugged it open, with an artificial expression of disappointment. Except it wasn’t Oikawa, and the feigned emotion was promptly substituted with joy.

“Kiyo! Oh wow, you look really handsome!” Mistakenly allowing your natural instincts to kick in, your eyes roamed over the formally dressed male shamelessly. The sight had your heart refusing to cooperate with its regular functioning, but the sensation was not painful. “I guess I forgot how good you look in a suit.” Gently, you brushed the tips of your fingers against your neck, swaying the accessory sticking to your skin in the process.

“Yeah, it’s been awhile.” Instead of appearing bashful under your wandering gaze, he adjusted his cufflinks casually. Though, if you paid close enough attention, you would have noticed the hint of a smile on his mouth.

“It has been.” As you accustomed yourself against the door so that it remained open without much effort, a soft sigh was exhaled. “So, what’s up? Did you not see that the opening has been pushed back?”

“No, I saw.” Casting his intense stare to the open scenery behind, a single cough was administered to clear his throat. “Homura mentioned something about not wasting a good outfit? So, I wanted to see if you wanted to go for a walk.”

At first you blinked at him with an eyebrow raised, were you hearing him, right? Could it be that he actually wanted to spend time with you?

“That’s so sweet of you. My outfit really appreciates it.” Capturing the fabric of your skirt on either side, you completed a short curtsy – a movement that brought him to scoff to cover his embarrassment. “I’ll grab my bag and we can go.”

Stepping back once you disappeared into the room, Sakusa leaned his back against the railing. The moment of silence was spent admiring the stars decorating the night sky.

It had been awhile since he shared a real moment alone with you, and truthfully, he was happy.

“Okay, I’m ready let’s go!” Placing the chain attached to your purse over your shoulder, a bright smile was presented towards him.

Maybe things would change now, and even if they didn’t, you would be okay. At least that is what you told yourself.

Unfortunately, your opportunity to discover Sakusa’s true intentions was quickly foiled.

“Hey, I told you guys that they would be here!”

Upon hearing the familiar voice, the male ahead of you stiffened his jaw while you shifted your attention to the source of the sound.

“Y/n!” Kumi squealed out your name, before abandoning her post beside Kuroo and capturing your arm. “Since our plans got cancelled, we decided to have a game night!” The additional emphasis placed on her words indicated that your friend had a little to drink. Sakusa seemed to notice the detail as well, prompting annoyance to mold his features.

Refusing Kumi was now out of the question, a fact that you both had accepted begrudgingly.

“Miss Flash, can I just say… you look gorgeous.” Oikawa proceeded a step closer, then took a moment to appreciate your outfit. A dramatic sigh was also issued to demonstrate his approval. “To think you would have dressed up this much for me!”

Rolling your eyes at his comment, you placed a hand over his face to silence him. “Be quiet.” You then returned your attention towards the one who originally invited you out. “Kiyo?”

“It’s fine.” That may have been his response, but it was quite clear he was disappointed.

“Okay…We’re in.” A weak laugh accompanied your acceptance of the situation, causing your hesitancy to go unnoticed.

A part of you wondered if this was simply meant to be – maybe this was a blessing in disguise. And maybe… it was time to let go of your feelings.

Fun Facts:

⇻ Sakusa caught Oikawa giving him a certain look when Kumi dragged y/n ahead of the group. It made him feel super annoyed, for some reason. 

⇻ Kumi is known as a light weight so if she drinks, y/n’s protective mode goes on high alert ~ 

⇻  Bokuto and Akaashi won most of the games played and y/n and Oikawa lost the most. 

Can you keep a secret - katy perry 

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A/N: I am sorry this took me forever lmao :( 

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Bolded UN’s I cannot tag, sorry!!

[lilisouless]

My real thoughts about Malina

I´ll just say , just because i like Malina doesn't mean i don't think it has problems. The reason i like it is in part, because i wasn't expecting to.

Warning: as usual ,you know i always say negative things when i talk about Alina, so if you love her maybe you should skip this.I don't talk about Mal is the best terms either but i´m kinder to him and this is nowhere close to bashing.

The first half of S&B was unbereable to me ,everytime i read Alina thinking about Mal was really annoying,therefore i was sure i was gonna hate their relationship proper. Then it came to the scene in the forest and their natural chemistry surprised me.I said it before: since Mal is right there ,Alina is not thinking how much she misses him, how much she hates thinking about him with another girls,so overall i like her better then he is around since she is focussing on actual important stuff.

But back to the negative stuff: i don't really like their build up,they are cute together but i don't think they work as the MAIN couple.

Unlike Kanej or Zoyalai i think since their strong points are when they are at peace, i´d say i would rather see this characters as the secondary couple: such as Genyavid,Tammadia ,Andreoni,you know; the cute and stable couple.

What i am trying to say is i don't blame people who doesn't like their dynamic ,because i don't really do either as a concept,it worked because Leigh has a great ability to write human interactions.

There is also the fact that i consider Mal the only character that Alina can have interesting interactions with

I warned before that i don't speak kindly about Alina here if you made this until here and you if get offended then that´s on you

Look,Alina has no personality.She is not Bella Swan but i would be lying if i say there is something special about her beyond being born special in a very similar way to Elsa (great ,now i´ll have two fandoms mad at me)

So, as a character ,compared to the others written by Leigh she is really beyond the mark. (At least in book 1, maybe i am completely stupid and she gets some unique traits later and i´ll shut the f up)

As for Mal, he was the only character i didn't disliked in book 1 BUT , as a concept i´ll say he lives in a world too big for him and comes as unimpresive compared to another characters.

I´ll say it again in another words:

-Alina has a good concept and backstory ,but has not interesting traits (or traits at all)

-Mal has a realistic personality and i wouldn't call him one dimensional (maybe two dimensional,he is not the big deal either) but as a concept he doesn't stand out

The result is that if characters quality could be measured, they´ll be more or less on the same level which backs up my previous opinion: when they interact with other characters they take a sit down and are mostly just there. The other more defined characters are showing off their personality, chewing the scene while Alina/Mal are just responsive,any seemly interesting interaction they have with someone else is because of the other person in question ,any enjoyment is pretty one-sided.

Therefore, as they are in a certain ways: equals.When they are with each other it feels balanced and none is overshadowing the other

i know this whole statement seems weird with me talking good and bad about them at the same time but i wanted to pour all my ideas about this. Specially because i´ll be glad to see if other people agree with me or at least that this makes some sense.

I had more detailed things to say but my hand is starting to ache so ,if there is anything not clear i´ll gladly explain

[atths--twice]

Faith’s Second Birthday

It's Halloween again! 🎃 Time to celebrate the birthday of a certain little girl. Two years... where has the time gone? ❤️

This story... I have had some of it planned for months and some presented themselves to me, demanding to be added. I thought it was finished, but no, it needed more. I hope you all enjoy it. I do so love writing these happy family stories. God... they so deserve to be happy.

October 30, 2020

Scully looked out the kitchen window as she rinsed the blueberries for Faith’s dinner and smiled as she watched Mulder and Faith at the edge of the lake. Faith was wearing her fuzzy green Halloween costume, the alien-faced hood of it lying down her back, as she had asked to wear a black headband with a sparkly black bat attached to it, which Mulder was only happy to oblige.

Faith laughed as Mulder knelt in front of her, blowing bubbles as she tried to catch them, a few of them landing in her hair. She laughed harder when one popped on her nose and she covered it with her hand. Mulder kissed her cheek with a smile, before he blew more bubbles.

Drying her hands, Scully left the blueberries draining in a colander in the sink. She glanced at the timer on her phone and smiled as she slipped it into her pocket. Twenty five minutes until dinner would be ready. Perfect.

She grabbed the baggie of the ends of bread off the counter and stepped onto the porch. Double checking that Bella was sleeping inside, she closed the door and slipped on her shoes, walking down the stairs to join Faith and Mulder.

“Mama!” Faith called, looking at her and smiling. “Dada. Buhbos. Pitee.” Scully picked her up and kissed her, breathing in her nearly intoxicating scent.

“Yes, love, they are pretty. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. Should we maybe take a little walk? See if we can find the ducks?” Faith’s eyes lit up and she nodded.

“Ducks. Yes, Mama. Down.” Scully laughed, setting her down as Mulder stood up with a grin.

“Well, let’s go then, my girl. Let’s go find those ducks.” He put the cap on the small bottle of bubbles and placed it into the pocket of his black fleece vest. Smiling, he took the baggie of bread from Scully and put it into his other pocket.

They each took a hold of one of Faith’s hands and began to walk toward the small log near the house where they had found a small family of ducks. Mulder glanced at Scully and winked as they walked over the stones and the sand, and she smiled as she took a deep breath of fresh air.

It had been a great idea to come to the lake. After Mulder’s birthday, which had gone wrong from nearly the moment they woke up, a change had been exactly what they had needed…

_________

A little over two weeks ago

Faith woke up in a grumpy mood on the morning of Mulder’s birthday. She was very clingy, wanting only Scully to hold her, with no desire to see Mulder. He did not take offense to it, knowing she would feel better once she had woken up a bit more and had eaten her breakfast.

Scully was making breakfast while Mulder was outside with Bella. As the pancakes and bacon were cooking, Faith had picked up Grey’s water bowl and spilled it all over the floor, unbeknownst to Scully, who nearly slipped, catching herself against the counter and banging her knee into the cupboard. Tears sprang into her eyes as she heard the cat food hitting the linoleum floor and falling all around her.

“Uh oh,” Faith said, squatting down and beginning to spread the food across the floor.

“Don’t touch it!” Scully yelled, louder than she had intended, her knee throbbing. Faith looked up at her, her eyes widening and then filling with tears as her bottom lip stuck out. She began to cry, her head dropping down and Scully limped over to her, ignoring the excrutiating pain in her knee.

“I’m sorry, my love. I’m so sorry. Come here.” She bent at the waist, stifling a moan as she picked her up and snuggled her close. Faith buried her face in her neck, crying hard as Scully held her tightly, trying not to cry herself as she took a deep breath.

“Hey,” Mulder called, coming in through the door with Bella right behind him. He stopped in his tracks as he locked eyes with Scully, his eyebrows raising. At that same moment, they both realized the food on the stove was burning. He walked toward it, but Scully stopped him.

“There’s water all over the floor. Faith spilled Grey’s water and I slipped in it. She also dumped out her food and I yelled at her not to play in it. I didn’t mean to make her cry, but…” She shook her head and closed her eyes, hating that she had caused her to cry. Her knee aching, she kissed Faith’s head, shushing her softly.

“Well… Bella is making quick work of the cat food on the floor. I’ll be careful as I walk to the stove.” He walked past them as Scully opened her eyes and limped a few steps to the table and sat down in a chair. Rubbing Faith’s back, she closed her eyes again, the smell of burning food beginning to fill the room.

“There, at least one thing is taken care of, well by me anyway. Bella’s gotten all the food.” Scully opened her eyes and looked at him as he moved the pans of food to a different burner. The air around him was smoky as he turned on the vent above the stove, hoping to clear it away.

He looked over at her and smiled softly, walking over and squatting down in front of them, putting his hand on Faith’s back, rubbing gently along with Scully.

“Did you fall or just slip?”

“Slipped into the cabinet and hit my knee pretty hard.” She straightened her leg with a wince and he nodded as Faith sniffled and clung to her shirt.

As he pulled up the leg of her pajama bottoms, she winced again as she looked over Faith‘s back and saw the damage that had been done, already imagining the bruise she would have in a few days. Mulder let out a low whistle and looked up at her.

“Let me wipe up the floor and then I’ll get the first aid kit. You bashed it pretty good. It’s bleeding, but not too terribly. It’s gonna be a good bruise, though.” He left her pant leg as it was and stood up, grabbing the paper towels.

The floor clean and her knee bandaged, they sat on the front porch, the house airing out as they ate dry cereal; the last of the milk having been used for the now burnt pancakes. Faith was still rather clingy, laying back against Scully as she sat with her leg up, a bag of frozen peas on her knee to bring down the swelling.

She watched the hanging ghosts and witches blowing in the breeze, as she rubbed Faith’s arm. They had scaled down the decorations, neither of them really in the mood after the year they had. There were still the kid friendly ones: yard flamingos, scarecrows, cats, witches and bats. But the hay bales, pumpkins, and spiderwebs, were not added to the fray this time. The animated witch Mulder had purchased and then hated, getting scared every time she had laughed, had been placed back in the plastic tote, Faith absolutely terrified of it. Mulder had been ecstatic of course, shoving the witch away with a gleeful smile.

“So much for your birthday breakfast,” Scully said with a sigh, as Faith reached into her snack cup and took out some Cheerios, shoving them into her mouth.

“Hey, how is this not a fabulous birthday meal?” he asked, eating right out of a large box of Lucky Charms. “I’m eating only the marshmallow pieces, Scully. It’s perfect.” He shrugged with a smile, popping some into his mouth and chewing loudly. She smiled back with another sigh, shaking his head.

“Mama. Eat,” Faith said, sitting up and turning around, attempting to push some Cheerios into Scully’s mouth.

“Oh, thank you,” she said, moving them over her lips and into her mouth. Mulder chuckled as she glanced at him, chewing up the Cheerios and he held out an offering of a pink heart marshmallow. She leaned closer and he placed it into her mouth with a smile.

The phone rang inside the house and Mulder stood up to answer it, bringing the box of cereal with him. Faith leaned back, eating more Cheerios as Scully moved her knee, adjusting the bag of peas with a groan.

“Mama, owie,” Faith said, touching the bag of peas as she sat up again.

“Yes, my girl. I have an owie. But, it’s okay.” She hummed as Faith lay back against her again, closing her eyes with a small smiile.

“Okay, here she is,” Mulder said as he walked out and Scully opened her eyes, looking up at him as he handed her her cell phone. “Louise.” She took the phone and he picked Faith up from her lap, holding onto the cup of Cheerios and walking away a few steps.

"Louise? Hello,” Scully said. “How are you?”

“Dana, hello! I am doing well, how are you?” Scully laughed as she looked at the bag of peas lying on her knee.

“Well…” She laughed again and fell into conversation with Louise, hearing how her family was and telling her of their rather catastrophic morning.

“Sounds like you three could use some time away from that little house. You know the lake house is just sitting there… as always. No one has been out there in at least a month, and that was just me checking on a small tree that had fallen over. You all are welcome to borrow it again. A change of scenery might be just what you need.”

“The lake house?” Scully asked, looking up at Mulder and his eyes widened. He nodded and Scully smiled. “That sounds perfect, Louise.”

And so, they had packed up, taking Grey to stay with Denis and Violet, leaving them their house keys so they could stop by and feed the fish. Bella sat beside Faith in the backseat as they drove away, waving goodbye to Denis, Violet, and Jaf, the large wooden giraffe in their yard.

Sticking her head out of the half open window, Bella sniffed at the breeze, her tongue hanging out at intervals, as she whined happily and Faith laughed as she watched her. Scully closed her eyes as Mulder took her hand and she breathed out a contented sigh.

“This will be great,” he said and she nodded with a smile.

And it had been. Arriving on Wednesday afternoon, they had all gone to the house before Mulder went to the store for supplies and Scully opened the windows to air it out.

For two weeks, they had that change of scenery they desperately needed. Bella was in the water often, running down the dock and launching after the ball or stick Mulder had thrown for her. She would tire herself out and lay on the porch, napping as she dried off in a patch of sunlight.

The water was far too cold for them, and especially for Faith, though she did enjoy putting her feet in and splashing around, her eyes wide when the cold water hit her face.

They rented a boat and rode around the lake, Bella barking at birds flying by and Faith toddling around in a purple life jacket. They stopped and Scully showed her how to bait a hook and they ate lunch while they hoped for a nibble. Catching nothing, Scully reeled in the line and they headed back to the dock.

They went on walks, collected rocks, pinecones, leaves and anything else Faith found interesting. Mulder made another trip into town and bought some painting supplies. The next day they sat at the outdoor table on the porch and painted the rocks they had collected. Leaving them to dry, they walked down to the water and splashed along the shore, Bella chasing the ball that was thrown for her.

When the rocks were dry, Mulder placed them into his pockets and Scully picked up the backpack and the bag containing their picnic lunch. They walked to the spot, the one they had avoided since they had arrived. Mulder squeezed Scully‘s hand as the long log came into view and she drew in a deep breath as she squeezed back.

When they arrived, Mulder took the rocks from his pockets and placed them on the log, laying them in a line as he told Faith about her grandma. He laughed at some of the stories and was quieter at others. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and looked at Faith.

“Faithy, she would have loved you so much. She would have given you anything you ever wanted, made you your favorite dessert and driven all the way over just to give it to you and see the happiness on your face. Her house would have been filled with toys just waiting for your arrival.” He smiled at Faith and Scully sniffled, thinking of how much her mother would have loved having a granddaughter to spoil. Mulder looked up and she nodded, letting him know she was okay. He nodded and looked back at Faith.

“So, my love, we will leave these rocks here to remember her and let her know we are thinking of her- always.”

He handed Faith the rocks she had painted and placed his own at the base of the log, showing her what they were doing. She squatted down beside him and laid her rocks next to his own. Scully picked hers up and bent down beside Faith, rubbing her thumb over the dark blue painted rock with the white heart in the middle that she had made. Whispering “I love you,” she placed it beside Faith’s and sniffled once more. Mulder glanced at her, his eyes concerned, and she nodded again.

Stepping back, they walked to a less rocky spot and laid down a couple of blankets, the log within their view as they ate.

A couple of days later, Skinner and Rachel had driven out on Thursday afternoon to stay for a long weekend. It was a much welcome change and their weekend was filled with laughter and fun. Wine was drunk with dinner and then out on the porch once Faith had gone down for the night. Bella lay at their feet, as they laughed and shared stories, the crickets chirping in the crisp night air.

Rachel and Skinner both doted on Faith, doing whatever she liked, taking her wherever she wanted. Scully smiled at Mulder as Faith was taken from them, given cookies, or read a book she had heard five times in the past fifteen minutes.

Sunday afternoon, Scully and Skinner stood on the porch watching as Rachel, Mulder, and Faith played by the water. Faith picked up rocks and threw them in the water, laughing at the splash they created. Scully glanced at Skinner and slid her arm through his, where it was resting on the railing. He turned his head to look at her and she smiled.

“So,” she said, clearing her throat and he hummed, as though reading her mind.

“Yes?” he asked and she put her head on his shoulder with a sigh.

“She’s great, Walter. More than great.”

“I know she is,” he agreed gruffly and she laughed, raising her head and looking at him.

“So…” She raised her eyebrows and he let out a heavy sigh. “It’s been a year… and I mean… a year .”

“No shit,” he muttered and she laughed.

“Well, what I mean is, this year has been like five pressed together.” He nodded and she smiled. “If the two of you can survive the craziness of this new life, I’d say you can get through anything.” He hummed again, looking over at Rachel as she laughed. “So, I suppose my question is: what are you waiting for?” She squeezed his arm before moving her arm, and clasping her hands together.

“Hmm,” he hummed, shifting and letting out a sigh. “You sound like me asking Mulder if twenty five years was enough time to know someone.” She laughed and shook her head.

“To be fair though, we weren’t dating for twenty five years.” He snorted and looked at her, both of them laughing.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself,” he said and she chuckled softly, both of them quiet for a moment.

“It’s not that he didn’t ask me or that he didn’t want it, I just… I didn’t feel it was part of our journey until…”

“Until you did,” he said quietly and she nodded, her thumb rubbing the wedding band around her finger.

“Yeah…” she agreed and he hummed in response.

“You know, since the quarantine started in earnest, I haven’t been working as much, at least not in the office. I could have, but… I’ve lived rather simply most of my life. I didn’t travel much or spend a lot of money. I’ve made good decisions with investments and I’m comfortable. Many of the people working at the VA office needed their paycheck more than I did and so I gladly stepped aside.”

“I would expect nothing less of you,” she said, looking at him with a smile and he nodded.

“I had more time at home as a result, obviously, and I could hear Rachel speaking to her patients. We didn’t discuss her patients and we still don’t, but I couldn't help but hear her speaking to them. While I didn’t pay attention to the problems discussed, what I did hear was the kindness and also the firmness she carries. She doesn’t coddle anyone and yet she lets them feel and cry, sometimes crying with them, and more often than not, crying when the session is finished. She’s an amazing therapist, Dana.” He looked at Scully, his expression serious and she smiled.

“Yes, I know. I honestly don't know where we would have been without her help.” She looked at Mulder making funny faces at Faith and she shook her head. “We may not even have had her if it hadn’t been for Rachel’s help, helping him to face the past to secure our future.” She looked back at Skinner and he nodded with a smile.

“Most of her patients were fine with the teletherapy and Zoom calls at first, but as time went on, some of them weren't. They wanted the one-on-one meetings they were used to, but sitting in a room with someone, or many someones throughout the day, was not ideal. Or safe.”

He looked over at Rachel again, smiling as Bella ran out of the water and shook her body, spraying all of them with water, causing Rachel to gasp loudly. He laughed softly and Scully watched him, seeing the love in his eyes. Clearing his throat, he looked back at her and she grinned.

“So, anyway…” he said and she laughed as he shook his head. “She didn’t want to lose the patients, not for her , but for them, not wanting them to lose ground on their progress.” Scully smiled and sighed, glancing at Rachel as she smiled and took a rock Faith was offering her, and slipped it into her pocket. “Taking precautions, she made plans to meet with the few who wanted to meet in person. Twice a week now, she goes to her office and sits outside in the parking lot of the empty businesses surrounding hers, and talks to them face-to-face. They each bring a chair and wear masks, sitting far enough apart for it to not be a threat, but she’s there . She shows up for them in these worrisome times. “People need someone to talk to, Walter.” That’s what she told me that first day and every day since as she’s getting ready to leave, making sure she has everything she needs. She brings bottles of water, individual packs of tissues, and even prepackaged snacks for them.” He shook his head and sighed.

“Dana…” he said, turning toward her, touching her arm and taking a deep breath. “I knew that I cared for her, that I loved her, but that first day she packed up the basket of items to take… watching the care and thought she put into it… something changed. When she left, I picked up my laptop and began looking online for engagement rings.”

She clutched his arm, taking a deep breath and letting it out, as she scrunched her chin and smiled. He covered her hand with his own and grinned with a nod.

“I… that makes me so happy,” she said quietly, shaking her head. “I like her for you so much. I like her in general, but especially for you.” He patted her hand before she moved it, continuing to smile happily.

“So, I take it you found the perfect one, after telling me all that,” she said and he nodded with a grin. She hummed as they turned back to look at Rachel, Mulder and Faith. Shaking her head again, unable to stop smiling, she put her arm through his again and squeezed.

“Come on,” she said after a couple of minutes, wanting to join the others. Tugging at his arm and stepping back, she smiled as they walked down the stairs and past the pumpkins they had all carved the previous evening. They had all laughed as Faith pulled away, not wanting to touch the insides, declaring them “yucky,” though she had been intrigued by them when they were finished.

__________

“Ohhh, ducks!” Faith said, pulling Scully’s thoughts back to the present. Faith began to walk faster, but still stepping carefully over the rocks, and they smiled at each other as they watched her.

Mulder took the baggie of bread from his pocket and opened it, taking out a piece and breaking it into smaller pieces. He threw a few of them out to entice the ducks to come toward them. They started quacking softly as they got up, eating the bread as they came closer.

“Hi, ducks. Hi,” Faith said, squatting down and waiting for them. She put her hand out and Mulder placed a small piece of bread onto it. “Eat ducks. Heah.” She showed them the bread and soon they were in front of her, taking the bread from her gently. She laughed and reached out for more bread.

Scully smiled and shook her head as she watched her. Tomorrow was her second birthday… where had the time gone so fast?

“Okay, last few pieces here guys,” Mulder said. “Or girls, as most of you seem to be. Here, honey, there’s just a few more.” He handed Faith a couple more pieces and the ducks gathered around her.

Scully shook her head again, watching her, smiling at how cute she was in her costume. Now that she saw how much she loved it, she was happy they had given it to her early, despite not actually going trick-or-treating this year.

“It doesn’t matter, Scully,” Mulder had said when he excitedly showed her the costume online. “She’s our Halloween baby, she needs to get used to wearing costumes.” She had smiled and nodded as he had ordered it.

Little did he know that as he was distracted with his glee, she had bought something for them. Not a costume, but something fun for them to wear that she knew he would find humorous.

“Okay, that’s it. No more bread, ducks,” Mulder said, standing up and brushing off his hands. “Let’s say goodbye, honey. We’ll see them tomorrow or the next day. Say bye, Faithy.”

“Bye ducks. See waytah.”

“I know she’ll outgrow the way she says things, but I hope it isn’t anytime soon,” Mulder said with a grin. “I love hearing it. It’s so cute.”

He put the empty baggie into his pocket and scooped Faith up, as it was now getting dark. Scully put her arm around his waist and he put his around her shoulders, and they headed back to eat the dinner that was very nearly ready.

_______________

A few hours later, Scully sat on the floor, her arms resting on the coffee table as she looked at her phone with a sigh.

“Hey,” Mulder said softly, stepping into the room after letting Bella out one last time before they went to bed. “Whatcha doing?”

“Ohhh…” She sighed again and smiled up at him as he sat down on the couch. She leaned back and set her phone down. “I was just sending an email to everyone. The ones at Faith’s party last year I mean and I…” She shook her head with a sigh as he began to stroke her hair.

“An email about what?”

“They each sent an email earlier and I was sending out a group one; thanking them for their early birthday wishes. I told them that I wished we could all get together this year, but…” She shook her head and sighed again.

“Hmm,” he hummed and she pushed herself up to join him on the couch. He put his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Two years, Mulder. How did two years go by so fast? The first year seemed fast, even though there were months that seemed never ending when we were so exhausted. But…” She laughed softly and he nodded against her head.

“I know, honey,” he said quietly and she snuggled closer to him, putting an arm around his waist. “But… although we won’t be having a party this year, the reason to avoid too many people being a devastating one… these past few months have been… calling it a gift sounds wrong, but I can’t think of a better way to describe it. We’ve had to plan things differently and limit our contact with others, but… it’s been good. Hasn’t it?”

“It has, yes. But that’s not what I meant.”

“I know you didn’t.” He kissed her head and she hummed. “I’m just saying that although I know this time has been crazy and scary, we’ve been good and I’ve loved our time together. Even the moments when, though you might not say anything, your eyes were angry and annoyed.”

“As if you never looked at me with the same eyes?” she asked, squeezing his side.

“I would never,” he answered and she pulled away, turning her body to climb into his lap and straddle him, his hands landing on her thighs and her arms wrapping loosely around his neck.

“You’re such a liar,” she whispered with a smile and he shrugged with a smug grin and a raised eyebrow. She shook her head, her fingernails scratching at his neck, his breathing became faster.

“It led to some amazing sex,” he admitted breathily, his hands moving to her hips, his thumbs stroking under her shirt as her heart began to race.

“It did indeed,” she agreed, her voice low, and he groaned as she rocked into him, desire coursing through her.

“What do you say we uh… we move this somewhere a little more… uh… to the bedroom?” he asked, swallowing hard.

“By this, you mean…” she teased, rocking into him again, yelping as he stood up with a mighty push and held her tightly, walking toward the stairs.

“You know exactly what this is,” he said and she grinned, kissing him deeply as they reached the base of the stairs, halting their progress. “Woman, stop distracting me.” She laughed happily as they stumbled up the stairs and into the bedroom.

______________

Scully smiled happily, humming as she made breakfast the next morning, adding rainbow sprinkles to the birthday waffle batter. Mulder walked up behind her, grabbing her hips and pulling her close and kissing her neck. She laughed and smiled at him as he stepped to the side and she stirred in the sprinkles.

“What time will Skinner and Rachel be here?” he asked, popping a strawberry into his mouth.

“Noon. They’re bringing lunch to thank us for the weekend they spent here and… they’re picking up the cake. Rachel said Skinner picked it out.” She looked at him and he raised his eyebrows.

“Is that right? Hmm, it will be interesting to see what he’s chosen.”

“It will indeed.” She continued to stare at him and he bit his lip with a nod.

“Hmm… seems to me, those two should just get married already.” He held her gaze and she pursed her lips, trying not to smile and give anything away. “Mm-hmm.” He nodded with a smile, not inquiring any further, but obviously aware that something was up.

They ate breakfast, a rainbow polka dotted number two candle set in Faith’s waffle, glowing brightly as they sang happy birthday to her. Her eyes shone as she attempted to blow out the candle, both of them helping her in the end.

Whipped cream, strawberries, and syrup were added to her rainbow sprinkled waffle and she wiggled as she ate it, a huge smile on her face as she dipped her fingers into the whipped cream and put them in her mouth. Eggs and some sausages were added to her plate and she ate it all up, happy and smiling.

After breakfast, they gave her her birthday gifts: books, clothes, a stuffed yellow duck, and a plastic barn and farm set.

“Cow. Piggy. Sheep… baaa!” she said, taking them out and holding them tight as Scully smiled at her with a happy sigh.

Just before Skinner and Rachel were due to arrive, Scully took out the surprise she had bought for her and Mulder to wear that day. Faith was once again wearing her beloved alien costume over rainbow leggings and a black long sleeved shirt. A puffball headband with small black cat ears finished off her rather unusual costume.

She looked the part, ready for her Halloween birthday, now it was their turn.

“Mulllderrr,” she sang out and he walked in from the kitchen.

“Yeeees?” he answered and she smiled at him, her hands behind her back.

“Pick a hand,” she said and he raised his eyebrows, rubbing his hands together excitedly. He stood in front of her looking from one hand to the other, taking his time with his decision. She smiled, enjoying his excitement.

“Hmm…” he narrowed his eyes and pointed to her left hand.

“Are you sure?” she teased and he searched her face.

“Yeah. I’m sure.”

“Good choice,” she said, bringing her hand around and giving him the black T-shirt she had bought for him. He took it and unrolled it, laughing when he saw the picture on it.

It was the face of a grey alien with big black eyes, the yellow neck of a shirt showing within a blue arched frame. Underneath it, one word was written: believe.

“This is fantastic. I love it.” He took his shirt off quickly and put on the new one. Grinning, he looked at it and then at her. “Thank you.” She nodded, her right hand still behind her back.

“Close your eyes,” she said and he grinned again, doing as she asked.

Taking off her own shirt, she traded it for the one in her hand. Smoothing it down, she brushed her hair back and glanced at Faith, who was playing with her new barn. Grinning, she looked back at him.

“Okay, you can open them.” He opened his eyes and howled with laughter, causing Bella to bark excitedly as she ran over to them.

The shirt she had bought for herself was also black, but hers had a green alien in a small spaceship. Under the picture it said: “Not sure I believe.”

“Oh,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes and stepping closer to her. “This is too perfect.” He laughed again and she smiled.

“Yours is the only one that’s accurate, what with it being grey and all. Or, you know, maybe. I’m not entirely sure because…” She pointed down at her shirt and shrugged as he laughed and he shook his head.

“A perfect costume for the current state of the world we’re living in; low-key and easy.” She nodded with a happy smile as he bent to kiss her. “At least until next year when we will be wearing a matching family costume.” He kissed her quickly before she pulled back and gave him a look. He grinned with a nod and she shook her head.

Skinner and Rachel arrived a few minutes later, bringing in bags of food. They laughed at their shirts, Skinner shaking his head and rolling his eyes. As Rachel took out two pink bakery boxes from a bag, Scully saw a glint of light on her left hand. Her eyes swung to Skinner, who grinned with a nod.

Lunch was put on hold as the story of the proposal was told, Scully asking for all the details, smiling as she looked at the thin platinum band with a large diamond in the middle and smaller ones down the braided sides. It was beautiful and fit her perfectly, both in personality and in size.

Rachel’s eyes shone as she looked at Skinner and began to tell the story of how he had come to her office when she was done with her social distance therapy sessions. She had been surprised to see him, even more so when he set up a picnic meal in the back of his car, the same way he had one year ago.

They had eaten, talking about their day and as he got up to clear everything away, she stood up as well and when she turned around, he was on his knee and reaching for her hand.

Scully’s eyes filled with tears and she took a deep breath. Rachel smiled at her, the words of the proposal not said, but staying private as it should.

“Needless to say, I said yes,” she said with a laugh, holding up her hand and showing off the ring. Scully took her hand in hers, once more admiring it. Looking up at her, she smiled and shook her head.

“I’m so happy. Truly happy for you both.”

“Thank you,” Rachel said with a sniff. “It was hard to say no. I mean, he brought the fettuccine.”

“Oh, did he?” Scully said, with a laugh. “The magic fettuccine? The Maggie Scully fettuccine?”

They all laughed and a bottle of wine was opened to celebrate the happy news. Faith laughed and had the full attention of everyone as they ate and celebrated her birthday. They sang happy birthday many times during the meal as she asked to hear it, smiling happily and clapping her hands.

Lunch was cleared away and Skinner picked up one of the bakery boxes, moving it to the kitchen island. Scully looked on curiously as he used a knife to cut away the tape on the side. He glanced up at her as he lifted the lid and when she looked down at it, she gasped.

“Oh… that’s beautiful. The butterflies…” She looked up at him and he nodded as she squeezed his arm.

“I know she’s a Halloween girl, but…” He shrugged and Scully shook her head.

“No, it’s perfect.” She squeezed his arm again as she looked at the cake with a smile, remembering the weekend they had spent together.

As they had all been out for a walk one day, a small cluster of very colorful butterflies flew past and then around them. Skinner had been carrying Faith, her small legs becoming tired.

The butterflies flitted around them, coming close to Faith and then flying away, dancing on the breeze. Faith had been mesmerized by them, her eyes never leaving them.

“Buhafy’s! See? Buhafy’s. Pitee.”

They had watched them until they had flown away and they had continued on their walk.

Faith spoke about them, asking to see the pictures Rachel had taken and shown her, pointing at them and saying the colors she saw when the picture was zoomed in closer.

“It’s a perfect cake,” Scully said again, smiling at it.

It had sky blue fondant with bright rainbow colored butterflies and white clouds, also made with fondant, placed on the sides and the top. Skinner took the cake from the box and placed it on a stand that Scully found in a cupboard. Once it was set down, a rainbow, the same color as the butterflies, was added to the top with stabilizing skewers. Happy birthday, Faith! was written upon it, in white frosting with a happy font and the polka dotted number two candle from the morning was added as well.

“Before you take the cake over, you should see what Rachel picked out,” Skinner said quietly, nodding to the other box. Scully smiled as she reached for it and took off the lid.

“Oh, these are adorable,” she exclaimed as she looked at the Halloween macarons in the box.

There were orange pumpkins with and without faces, white ghosts with black eyes and pink cheeks, a couple of ghosts holding little pumpkins, and what looked like a ghost family gathered beside a pumpkin.

“I love these. They are nearly too cute to eat.”

“You’ll change your mind when you try one. We had a sample at the bakery and the filling tastes like pumpkin pie,” Skinner said and she licked her lips. He smiled and picked up the cake stand as she smiled back, following him to the table.

Catching Mulder’s eye, she glanced at the cake and he nodded slightly with a smile as the candle was lit and once again, they sang happy birthday as Faith yelled “Buhafy’s!” pointing and smiling widely.

No one blew the candle on the cake, instead Mulder took it out and held it closer to Faith, blowing on it gently as she tried to do it on her own. They all clapped and the candle was set aside.

“Dada, buhafy’s. So pitee. Puhpo buhafy’s. Geen buhafy’s.”

“Oh my girl, I love you so much. Yes, the butterflies are so pretty.” He kissed her forehead as Skinner placed a purple butterfly in front of her. She picked it up and kissed it, everyone groaning at the cuteness of it.

The cake was taken back to the island to be cut and served, Faith now showing Rachel the butterfly in her hand. Scully picked up a plate, putting some of the cookies onto it, deciding Faith should have a choice of what she wanted to eat. As she reached for a large knife to cut the cake, her cell phone rang. Seeing that it was Alan, she instead reached for the phone with a smile.

“Hello?”

“Double scotch! Hello!” he said and she chuckled.

“You’re terrible. How are you?” she asked, shaking her head and.

“Good, good. Hey, I was wondering if I could get you to do me a favor. Could you meet me outside?”

“Outside?”

“Mmhmm- you know that place that’s the opposite of inside?” he teased.

“Oh, Alan. I’m… I’m so sorry. We aren’t home right now. We’re-”

“Just… come outside, okay?” He hung up, the conversation ending abruptly and she stared at the phone in confusion, ready to call him back.

“Who was that?” Mulder asked, coming to stand beside her and grabbing a cookie from the plate.

“Alan. He said he wanted me to meet him outside and I told him we aren’t home, but I don’t think he understood. I think he may have a gift for Faith and wants to drop it off, but…” She shook her head and pressed the button to call him back when Mulder stopped her, setting her phone on the counter. She looked at him with a frown and he smiled.

“Maybe we should just do as he asked,” he said quietly, taking a bite of the cookie with a shrug, and she tilted her head.

“What are you talking about?” He stared at her and smiled again. “Mulder…

“Come on,” he said, shoving the last bit of cookie into his mouth, brushing off the crumbs, and reaching for her hand.

“What did you do?” she asked as she took it, still confused at what was happening.

“Me? Oh, I didn’t do anything,” he said, squeezing her hand as she noticed that Skinner had taken Faith from her high chair and was holding her, Rachel standing beside him.

“Did you two do something?” she asked and they both shrugged unconvincingly.

Mulder picked up another cookie, a pumpkin, and handed it to Faith. She grinned and showed it to Rachel.

“Puhkin, Raycho. See? Ohage puhkin.” Rachel grinned and nodded, looking at the pumpkin with her.

“Come on,” Mulder said again, tugging at Scully’s hand and they all walked out the back door and down the porch stairs.

Staying on the small path along the side of the house, they walked towards the front yard. Arriving there, they found no one. Not a car, or Alan standing in the street with a gift for Faith. The only cars in sight were Skinner's and their own in the driveway.

“See? He must’ve thought we were home and is now standing in front of our empty house.” She let go of Mulder’s hand and crossed her arms with a sigh as she looked around and shook her head. “I need to get my phone and call-” But then, she heard something to the right and she turned her head at the sound.

A black car was driving slowly from the direction of the cul-de-sac, brightly colored balloons tied down all over it, and music playing loudly from inside; all the windows rolled down in order for it to be heard. As they got closer, she realized it was “Happy Birthday” by Stevie Wonder.

Behind the car was a line of people, spaced far apart, and all of them wearing masks and Halloween costumes of some sort.

Alan and Ryan led the group, dancing along with the music. Alan was wearing jeans and a black shirt that said ELECT MORE WOMEN in rainbow letters as bright as the balloons on the car. He also wore a long rainbow colored wig to which he had added a bobble headband with photos of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Ryan also wore jeans and a dark blue shirt that said Vote Your Ossoff in white letters with a white outline of the state of Georgia beside it. He was also wearing a wig, a short metallic blue bob, which was quite comical when paired with the  scruffy beard that could be seen under his mask. He also wore a bobble headband, but the bobbles on his said Biden on one and Harris on the other.

Elise, Tyler, and Raina were next, all dressed as bunnies. Elise wore a short sleeved light yellow dress with a white pinafore apron over it. She also had a tail and white rabbit ears. Tyler wore a silly black vest covered in orange carrots over a denim shirt, wire glasses, and rabbit ears. Raina was in a full bunny costume, her mask made to look like a rabbit mouth and nose. She hopped along and danced happily to the music. The baby, who had been in utero last year, was now six months old and dressed as a carrot; Elise holding her in her arms.

Louise was next, dressed all in red as the Queen of England. White pearls were around her neck, a purse on her arm, white gloves on her hands, and a large fancy hat on her head. She waved at them regally as she walked closer.

Cassidy, Sean, and Jacob were last. Jacob, the same age as Faith, was dressed as a monkey; his zip up costume similar in style to Faith‘s. He held a felt banana in his hand, chewing on the end of it as they all walked and danced.

Sean was dressed as a chef, wearing an apron and a chefs hat over his clothes. Cassidy wore a hot pink and black tulle skirt over a pair of pink leggings. She was visibly pregnant, and wearing a black shirt with Bun in the Oven written in pink sparkly letters.

As the small parade arrived in front of the house, they stopped, keeping a safe distance from one another and the group watching them, as the music was turned down. Everyone clapped and cheered, waving at Faith as she stood by Mulder and Scully, hiding a little and holding onto Scully’s leg.  

“Happy birthday, Faith!” they all called and she leaned further into Scully’s leg, watching them with interest, but also a little bit hesitant.

“What are you all doing here?” Scully asked, smiling at the sight of them.

“As if we wouldn’t be here for a mini celebration. It’s her birthday! Also, we are in the middle of a pandemic. This might be the most exciting thing most of us will do for a few days,” Alan said, pushing a stray piece of his wig back, as they all laughed and nodded in agreement.

Scully shook her head as she looked at them with a happy smile. At Elise and their new sweet little baby, Louise as she adjusted her hat, and Cassidy as her eyes crinkled from a smile Scully could not see and she rubbed her pregnant belly lovingly.

“Thank you. All of you for this-”

“Oh… did you think this was it? Oh, come on now,” Alan said and nodded to the driver of the car, who she just noticed was dressed like a Blues Brother. He nodded and Alan looked back at Scully, giving her a wink.

Scully looked at Mulder and he shrugged with a smile. Turning to Skinner and Rachel, her eyes widened as she watched them toss their sweaters onto the bumper of their car and put on their own masks.

They joined the group, Skinner wearing a Superman shirt and Rachel a Wonder Woman. She winked at Scully as the music started and Raina clapped her hands excitedly, bouncing up and down as everyone faced them. In that moment, as the music started, she knew for certain that it was Rachel who had a large hand in planning this little party.

Don't think about it Just move your body Listen to the music Sing, oh, ey, oh

Just move those left feet Go ahead, get crazy Anyone can do it Sing, oh, ey, oh

Show the world you've got that fire (fire) Feel the rhythm getting louder Show the room what you can do Prove to them you got the moves I don't know about you,

But I feel better when I'm dancing, yeah, yeah Better when I'm dancing, yeah, yeah And we can do this together I bet you feel better when you're dancing, yeah, yeah

Scully laughed with tears in her eyes, as she watched them perform a little dance they had somehow rehearsed, their choreography absolutely perfect. Mulder picked Faith up and laughed as he too watched them, bouncing her happily.

When you finally let go And you slay that solo Cause you listen to the music Sing, oh, ey, oh

'Cause you're confident, babe And you make your hips sway We knew that you could do it Sing, oh, ey, oh

Show the world you've got that fire (fire, baby) Feel the rhythm getting louder Show the room what you can do Prove to them you got the moves I don't know about you,

But I feel better when I'm dancing, yeah, yeah Better when I'm dancing, yeah, yeah And we can do this together I bet you feel better when you're dancing, yeah, yeah

“What do you say, Faithy, you want to join the party?” Mulder asked and she pointed to the group of people with a smile, her pumpkin cookie long since eaten or dropped somewhere. He glanced at Scully and raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, hell yes. I just need a…” She stopped speaking as he took two masks from his pocket with a wink. “Oh, yeah. You definitely played some part in all of this.” She started to put on her mask, but he stopped her, bending close for a kiss.

“I’ll never tell,” he whispered and she grinned, kissing him once more before putting on her mask as he did the same. Winking at her again, they joined the group, though they kept a safe distance.

Oh, ey oh Oh, ey oh I feel better when I'm dancing I'm better when I'm dancing, aye, oh ey oh

Feel better when I'm dancing, yeah, yeah Better when I'm dancing, yeah, yeah, Don't you know We can do this together Bet you feel better when you're dancing, yeah, yeah

I feel better when I'm dancing I'm better when I'm dancing, hey Feel better when I'm, yeah, yeah

Cheering and clapping rang out as the song ended and a new one began, the music happy and fun. Scully looked around at all the people who had made the drive over to celebrate a birthday in the street. Not one of them looked perturbed to have done so, their happiness shining through as they laughed and danced.

She watched Skinner and Rachel dancing close together, her head thrown back in laughter as he then spun them around. She smiled at them and then she caught Louise’s eye.

Stepping closer to her, she put out her hands. Louise reached for them and Scully clasped her gloved ones tightly.

“Thank you,” she said, just loud enough for Louise to hear, knowing she knew she meant for more than just this moment of celebration, and Louise nodded.

“You’re welcome, my dear. A change of scenery is always good. It helps us to recenter and recharge.” Louise’s eyes crinkled and Scully nodded. “You know, amidst all of this the fun, I do hate to be a stickler.. but, it is customary to bow when one meets the Queen.” Scully stared at her before she laughed and curtsied slightly, apologizing for her insolence.

“Forgiven,” Louise said in a bored voice, though her eyes shone with happiness.

“Mama!” Faith called and Scully squeezed Louise’s hands once again before she walked over to Mulder and Faith.  

“Happy birthday, my sweet love!” she said, wrapping her arms around them both, her heart incredibly happy.

“Happy day,” Faith said with a smile and Scully sighed.

“Yes,” she said, looking at Mulder and she could see the smile in his eyes. “Yes, my love. It’s a very happy day.”

As the Happy Birthday song began to play again, the three of them seemed to move as one, their foreheads coming to rest together as they swayed slowly in their own little bubble, as the sounds of the birthday celebrations continued on around them.

Yes, it was a very happy day indeed.

____________________________

Oh, I hope you enjoyed this story. The tooth rotting fluff is my absolute favorite. I love them being happy, getting out of that little house, being at a lake, blowing bubbles, going for walks, finding ducks, and celebrating and remembering Maggie. I love the little parade party and the group of friends these previous hermits have made in the past couple of years.

And as always, I love Rachel. I love her so much and I especially love her for Skinner. She is the light HE needed, just as much as Mulder needs it from Scully. They balance each other out and thinking of him no longer alone in that sterile apartment makes me very happy. I hope you like her too, because she is 100% in their lives now. 💙

Oh... the song I used is Better When I'm Dancin' by Meghan Trainor. It's such a fun song and I can see Faith loving to dance to it.

[leahclearwaterprotectionsquad]

Not A Leech Lover, I Swear (L.C)

FANDOM: Twilight PAIRING: Leah Clearwater x Female Swan Reader  WARNING: Lil’ bit of Cullen and Bella bashing, sorry. I personally don’t mind them, but we all know our girl Leah is Not keen on them at all.  CATEGORY: F/F  WORDCOUNT: 3,833 SYNOPSIS: Y/N comes with her sister, Bella, to see Jacob and the others, only to meet the beautiful but fiery Leah who imprints on her.  A/N: This is the first fic I’ve written in ages, just wanted to do something simple to get back into writing. Hopefully, this isn’t too awful. Thank you for reading :)

You rolled your eyes as Bella and Jacob walked a few steps ahead, her body angled away from his while his intense dark eyes never left her, following your sisters every move. Bella was beautiful, there was no doubt, with dark hair cascading down her back and simple features that complimented her round face. You didn’t like to compare the two of you, but you were sure she was prettier, how else did she have not only Edward and Jacob but Mike Norton falling at her feet wherever she went?

You weren’t bitter though. Nope, not at all. You were just...observant.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? I am the vampire girl, remember?”

She asked with what sounded like a timid tone but you could see the underline of the smirk playing out on her face, the need for reassurance, for validation from Jacob. You wished she would just choose one already and stop dragging him along. Edward was nice, but so was Jacob and it physically pained you to see the kicked puppy expression he often wore every time Bella turned him down - often in the cruellest ways she could. 

Jacob didn’t get a chance to respond before four men just as large and muscular as Jacob, all shirtless in denim cut-offs, came jogging out of the house wearing matching grins. You recognised Quil and Embry from Jacob’s garage as they started into teasing conversation with Bella, and Jared and Paul from when Bella slapped Paul in the face. The memory still made you wince in embarrassment. You had tried to tug Bella away that day, away from the smirking men, away from Jacob who she continued to hurt, away from the reservation where she seemed to do nothing but cause trouble. 

But no, Bella had never listened to you before, you couldn’t imagine why you would have thought she would that time either. Bella always knew best, it was just the way your life worked. 

The men continued to poke fun at Jacob, Paul even leaning forward to smack him slightly with a laugh. You could see the pink forming on your sisters' cheeks and the way Jacob’s strong jaw seemed to lock in annoyance, the shifter refusing to meet eyes with anyone but especially Bella. 

“Alright, you can all shut up now,”

He grumbled with a shake of his head. You tried to block out their conversation and instead shoved your hands into the pocket of your jacket, looking down at your boots in the mud as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. You weren’t even sure why you were there. Bella had originally wanted to leave school just on the back of Jacob’s bike so it was only the two of them, but Jacob had seen your face fall at the idea of being stuck at school with a moping Edward and he had instead decided to take your car down to the reservation so you could come too. You were grateful for not being at school with your sisters' mind-reading boyfriend, but you would have rathered they dropped you home before coming. 

You didn’t feel like being the third-wheel to whatever type of not-a-relationship relationship they had going, not to mention if you let anything slip in your mind while around Edward Bella would kill you. You weren’t sure why it was only you being held to that standard because you were damn sure Jacob made no effort of controlling any of his thoughts around Edward and you were sure they were a bit more graphic than your own. 

You hadn’t even noticed the figure out the corner of your eye come stomping forward until she was only a few feet away. You couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful woman who stood tall with radiant copper skin that even the miserable weather couldn’t wash out, and black hair that seemed to shine despite the overcast of the sky. Even in a simple pair of denim shorts and a beige tank top she still looked stunning, miles of tanned legs and biceps toned with muscle on display.  The Quileute beauty hadn’t seen you yet - but she had seen Bella and you had a feeling your sister was about to wish she hadn’t.

“Y/N, Bella, this is Leah Clearwater...Harry’s daughter,”

Jacob seemed to add as an afterthought with an awkward cough, not meeting anyone’s eyes. You prayed Bella wouldn’t say something stupid or offensive to the woman. 

“Hey, I’m really sorry about your father.”

Leah stared at Bella with such a ferocity that you weren’t even sure the woman was aware of your existence, something that filled you with equal parts relief and anxiety, like if this woman didn’t look at you then your entire life would be over in an instant. ‘What the hell, Y/N?’ You thought incredulously to yourself. 

“If you’re here to torture Jacob some more, feel free to leave,”

She spat, her intense eyes filled with something you could only describe as utter loathing. You could see Bella visibly wince, and while you felt bad for your sister, you also couldn’t help the small feeling of smugness that crept to the surface. It was about time someone had called Bella out on her treatment of Jacob.

All was quiet for a moment save for the uncomfortable loudness of Jarod chewing on a chicken leg while everyone else shifted uncomfortably, not really saying anything. Eventually, the brunette beauty’s eyes trailed off from Bella and onto you. 

When her dark eyes met yours it was like everything fell into place, as if your life had been some kind of unsolved maths problem before that moment that could never quite be solved. A warm flush descended upon your cheeks and down into your belly, a pleasant feeling comparable to drinking hot chocolate on a cold day or curling up in bed with a heated blanket. A feeling of home, comfort, safety. 

Her eyes widened, lips parted ever so slightly and it made you want to leap forward and kiss them- You nearly shrieked at the thought. What had gotten into you? You didn’t know this woman and here you were thinking about kissing her?

It didn’t change the fact that she looked at you like no one ever had before, like you were important and needed. She looked at you as you imagined the characters of your beloved romance novels looked at each other, with both passion and protectiveness. You were lost in her dark eyes and you weren’t sure you ever wanted to be found. You couldn’t bear the thought of the moment ending, of her looking at anyone but you that way. The thought replaced the warmth in your stomach with a painful cold comparable to the time you accidentally touched Edward’s skin when walking past. Cold, hard, uncomfortable. You never wanted her to break the stare being traded between you, never wanted anyone to interrupt the moment-  

“Holy fucking shit,”

You heard a voice whisper in amused awe behind you, either Embry or Paul. You ignored it and kept staring at the beautiful woman, but instead, her copper cheeks flushed an angry red and she turned and stormed off, not looking back once. 

You glanced around the group in confusion and mild irritation, taking in the confusion of your sisters face, then the dumbfounded look on Jacob’s face while Embry, Paul and Quil wore amused smirks. Jarod just kept chewing on his chicken. 

You couldn’t explain it, but every part of your body was screaming to follow her, to make sure she was okay. You wanted to chase her and assure her that she was alright and that you hoped she was healing after the death of her father and that she deserved happiness. You weren’t sure where these thoughts were coming from, why you had such an intense need to make sure this stranger was happy. It was then the words of Jacob came to mind when he had been explaining the relationship between Sam and Emily earlier in the car. “Suddenly it's not the earth holding you here anymore, she does. You would do anything, be anything.” Imprinting.

The breath seemed to have been sucked from your body at that moment, the world around you spinning. You, the sister of the resident ‘vampire girl’ had been imprinted on by a wolf? The thought made your skin tingle with both excitement and dread.

Something drove you forward, an invisible force that screamed at you to chase after her. Suddenly it wasn’t you in control of your legs but this invisible force urging you forward. Unconsciously, you began to follow after her. 

“Y/N,” Bella snapped, her hand shooting out to close around your arm as you took a step forward. You shrugged her off with ease and hurried off down the path where you had seen Leah go, trying to block out the sound of their voices behind you. 

“Fun, isn’t she?” You heard Jacob say snidely regarding Leah and you fought the urge to turn around and give him a piece of your mind, but finding Leah was more important than Jacob’s snide comments.

The path Leah had taken was one into the forest, sounding you with serene sounds of birds and the gravel crunching beneath your feet. The trees blocked out what little sun the day had to offer and instead you found yourself descending into the dark, wondering if there was a big bad wolf waiting to eat you up. The thought made your cheeks hot. 

“Leah!” You called, the basic shoes you had slipped on for school not cooperating with the rough terrain under your feet as you hurried towards the figure stalking away. She slowed slightly but didn’t turn, her long legs (not to mention superhuman abilities) giving her an unfair advantage over you. Huffing in annoyance, you attempted to push yourself further. 

“Leah, please, wait,”

You begged, pushing yourself to hurry to catch up to the she-wolf. In your clumsy attempt to catch her your foot caught on a root and you let out an alarmed cry as you went crashing knee-first into the rough ground beneath you, feeling the rocks tear at your thin skin as pain shot through your lower legs. 

You barely even have time to register the pain before pleasantly warm hands were wrapped around your forearms softly, big brown eyes staring down at you with thinly-veiled fear as they took in the extent of your wounds - a scraped knee. You were fairly sure you’d live unless the intensity of Leah’s stare melted you into a puddle first - something you were all too sure was possible at the way your stomach flipped at her proximity. Once again you were all too focused on her plump lips, how they parted slightly as she stared down at you with an unreadable expression. 

You cursed yourself for not being able to stay focused around the beautiful woman. Sure, you had crushes before, but this - this was nothing compared to those school girl crushes of the past. If the woman in front of you asked you to jump off one of the highest La Push cliffs as your sister had, you weren’t sure you had the ability to say no. 

“I’m Y/N, Y/N Swan,”

You blurted out, wincing at your desperate tone. Leah’s plump lips tugged in amusement, not quite a smile, but close. 

“Leech Lover Jr,”

She said with a strange combination of amusement and terseness, her warm hands never letting go of your forearms, although you certainly weren’t complaining. You were so distracted by the pleasant warmth pulsating through your arms that you didn’t even register her words for a moment, your features morphing in disgust as you eventually did. 

“No thanks,”

You said with a crinkled nose, disgusted at the thought. 

“I like my girlfriends alive.”

You fought a snort of amusement at the way her eyebrows comically raised at your comment. Using her momentarily stunned expression to your advantage, you stood from where you had landed on your knees in the dirt, Leah whose hands were still tightly closed around your forearms having no choice but to stand with you. The blinking she-wolf seemed to then realise she still had a hold of you and with a quick pause, she dropped her hands awkwardly back to her side, an unreadable expression on her serious but beautiful features. You fought to hide your disappointment at the lost contact. 

You both stood in silence for a few moments, you looking everywhere but at Leah and Leah seemingly unable to take her curious eyes away from your face. Your cheeks heated under her intense gaze. You opened your mouth to say something at the same time she did and then you both paused again in frustration, Leah gesturing with your hand for you to go first. You took a deep breath, preparing for her reaction. 

“You just imprinted on me.”

It wasn’t a question because you didn’t need an answer. There was no other way to explain her shocked look or the packs' comments or the way your body just seemed to need to follow her and make sure she was okay. You had cared about a lot of people before - Charlie, Bella, your mother on a good day, Jacob, but never had you felt this kind of...intensity? A primal urge like hunger or thirst, she had suddenly become another nourishment your body needed to be filled and would starve without. 

Leah blinked a couple of times in what you supposed was shock, her expression one of a woman who had just been slapped with something she certainly wasn’t expecting. 

“How do you know about imprinting?” She demanded and if it was aimed at anyone else you would almost see it as aggressive, but you could see the genuine curiosity playing out on her face and you knew then she didn’t mean any harm. 

“Jacob told us a bit about it,”

You explained with the shrug of your right shoulder as if Jacob sharing tribal secrets was no big deal. You knew it was, but you figured if you could play it off then maybe she wouldn’t tear him a new one. From the irritated noise that bubbled in her throat, you got the feeling he wasn’t going to escape it no matter what you said. Oh well, you tried, now you just had to hope they’d let you watch. 

“So...it’s true?” You prodded gently. 

“You imprinted on me?” Leah didn’t say anything for a few moments, causing anxiety to bubble in your stomach uncomfortably and for your skin to tingle with goosebumps, the hairs of your arms standing on end. You writhed your fingers together, trying to concentrate on the throbbing pain of your scraped knees and not nausea bubbling beneath the surface. Why wasn’t she saying anything? Had you got it all wrong? Perhaps she hadn’t imprinted, perhaps you just had a sudden crush and she stormed off because your staring had made her uncomfortable. Yes, that was it. Why would this strong, beautiful woman have imprinted on you? She was a warrior of her tribe, a protector of humans, fierce and deadly. Why would she imprint on you? The sister of the resident ‘leech lover.’ God, you must have come across as ridiculous, chasing after her talking about imprints. You were nothing but a silly little girl. 

You fought the hot tears trying to form behind your eyes and instead quickly rubbed them away with a sniffle, taking a step away from the she-wolf. 

“I’m sorry,”

You blurted out, taking another step back, ready to run back to Emily’s house and beg Bella to take you home. After this, you would lock yourself in your room for a week straight with ice-cream and never go near the reservation again, not after the humiliation. If Jacob wanted to see you he could come slum it in Forks.

“I got it wrong, I’ll just go-”

Before you had a chance to walk off, a warm hand shot out to grasp your arm, not harshly. You turned and your eyes connected with her dark ones, your breath nearly stolen from the intensity of them. You never thought yourself one of those people who could ‘read’ peoples eyes and tell their emotions, you left that to Jasper Cullen, but staring into her eyes you could see swirls of emotions mixing together and you weren’t sure just how that made you feel. All you knew was the feeling on her hand around your arm seemed to make everything bad in the world disappear. 

“I did,”

Leah confirmed with an unreadable expression and you nearly passed out on the spot. Imprint, she had imprinted on you. A part of you already knew that deep down but it didn’t stop a hundred new emotions, many you weren’t familiar with, taking over your body. 

“And uh...how do you feel about that?” You asked awkwardly, and unaware of your own movements, you stepped closer to Leah, inhaling deeply at her presence. She smelt of the Earth and forest around you, of warmth and security. A faint smell of sweat and natural odour could be detected to - but it wasn’t unpleasant like sharing classes with boys after gym class. It smelt of her - and she smelt like home. 

Leah, for the first time in the minutes you had known her, nearly smiled. It was close, a twinge of the lips, a dance in her eyes. You’d get her there, you were sure of it. 

“I’m not sure,”

She confessed. 

“I - Well, we didn’t think I could imprint,”

She said with a slight shrug and you didn’t miss the bitterness in her tone at that revelation. 

“I was always the freak of the pack, the one who wasn’t meant to be there. They never stopped reminding me of it.”

It filled you with a wave of intense anger that the boys of the pack had made her feel so unwelcome, so unwanted. Jacob was no stranger to being shoved to the side, to be both needed but unwanted - he had dealt with that the entire time Edward had been gone, being used for what he could give but when it came to his wellbeing than being pushed away again. You couldn’t believe the boy you had grown up with as a brother could treat someone so poorly. You were definitely going to be having a conversation with Jacob later. 

A flush of red-hot embarrassment played out on Leah’s face and she quickly took a step away, your stomach sinking at the loss of contact. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have unloaded all of that onto you-” She didn’t get to finish her stammered apology before you were in front of her, your arms wrapping around her slim waist before she had time to protest. You could feel her body stiff at the sudden contact, but you never let go, keeping her warm, soft body close to you. It wasn’t intentional that your face would be level with her breasts, but you weren’t complaining either. After a few moments of stillness, the forest quiet save for the steady drum of her heart and quick breaths, she brought her warm, strong arms up and wrapped them around you. You nearly melted there and then. 

You stood together for several quiet moments, just enjoying the feeling of her warm embrace engulfing you and the sound of her heart against you. You didn’t want this moment to ever end - to ever be separated from her. The thought was painful in a way you couldn’t imagine. Is that how Bella felt when Edward left? Like something was missing? If it was, you suddenly felt bad for how terse you had been with her during the ordeal. In your defence, there’s only so many nights a girl can be woken up by shrill screams before it gets a bit ridiculous. 

“So,” Leah started as the two of you separated from the hug, you with a slight frown at being parted from her body. 

“No leech boyfriend or...girlfriend I need to worry about?” She joked, but you could see the genuine concern clear on her face. With who your sister was, you knew it was a valid worry, but it still didn’t stop the wave of nausea you felt at the idea of being with one of them. A literal example of the walking dead. Your disgust must have played out on your face because Leah let out a snort of amusement. 

“No, definitely not,”

You said with a shrivelled nose turned upwards. You could see Leah mostly believe you, although you were sure you still saw a slither of doubt. 

“I’m not a leech lover, I swear,”

You promised with a smile. That seemed to be good enough for her and for the first time, although it was only small, you saw Leah smile and it filled you with a warmth you didn’t know was humanly possible. 

“Look, Leah,”

You began, taking one of her warm hands in your own. You tried not to let yourself get distracted by the heat that flooded you or the gentle pink of her nose. 

“I don’t really know how this whole imprinting thing is supposed to work - I don’t think you do either, but can we just...try? Take it day by day, see what happens?”

You finished your little speech with a breath, hoping she hadn’t been scared off by your words. What if she didn’t want anything to do with this - with you? Maybe she wasn’t interested in imprinting, maybe she wasn’t interested in girls, or maybe she was but just not you. The possibilities were endless and your mind was dedicated to exploring every single heartbreaking one until a squeeze of your hand brought you out of your depressing fantasies and you were left face to face with Leah who had a small smile on her face and if you didn’t know better you’d even say a slight blush. 

“I’d...I’d like that,”

Leah said with a soft tone, her hand never releasing yours, something you were eternally grateful for. 

As you and Leah turned to walk back to Emily’s house, hand in hand, you weren’t sure how the future was going to play out - you weren’t any Alice, after all, but you felt a deep feeling of content in your stomach. You were sure as long as Leah was there, you’d be okay, everything would be okay. Not perfect, not without faults or arguments, but okay. 

You had a lot of adventures in your life, from being chased by vampires to making sure one didn’t kill itself, but you were getting the feeling those were only the start of your adventures, and you were more than ready to make some new ones with Leah by your side. 

Now, you just had to tell Bella. 

Authors Note: Hey, thank you for reading! This is my first fanfic in forever so it’s probably trash, but I’m just trying to get back into writing regularly. Anyway, thank you :)

[lovedinsecret]

Bella Vita

So, @bambixxblue gave me a fluff prompt because all I've been able to write lately is angst. The prompt was: Spearmint, hand holding, and "I made your favorite." I hope I did okay.

Steve taps his fingers impatiently on the side of his laptop. Three hours ago Billy sequestered him up here like a god damned Disney princess. Told him he wasn't allowed to come down for any reason. And when Steve balked and started citing emergency reasons, Billy had actually swatted him on the back side, stuck a finger in his face and told him to quit being a brat, and then slammed the door in his face. He's fucking lucky that Steve loves him so much. That, and curiosity has got him like woah. This isn't like Billy, and so, for now at least, Steve's willing to wait and see what comes of it.

He leans back in his chair, unwraps a stick of Billy's spearmint gum, and starts to chew. Smacking freely and loudly since Billy isn't here to be annoyed by it. No "Jesus fuck Harrington, didn't your rich ass parents tell you it's rude to smack?" Perhaps he's feeling petulant. Perhaps he is a bit of a brat.

He should be doing homework, but he can't think, can't write an essay on the philosophical implications of the Holocaust or whatever while he's wondering what Billy is concoting downstairs. He's managed to while away his time by watching marble races on YouTube. But he's absolutely bored of that now and for fucks sake it's been THREE HOURS. What the hell could Billy possibly be up to?

He's pulled shit like this exactly once before, except that time Steve had been barred from his own room for all of 15 minutes. Long enough for Billy to strip down to nothing, stick a cold six pack on Steve's desk, light about ten candles, and write in FUCKING ROSE PETALS 'I want your dick' on Steve's bed. It was the most memorable Valentine's Day Steve had ever had. If that's what Billy could do with fifteen minutes, then whats going to come of three hours? What if it's nothing at all?

He's about to claw through his skin when his bedroom door abruptly opens with a bang as it swings fast into the stopper. He jerks at the sound, damn near dropping his laptop, and glaring at Billy who is now filling the door frame. Billy, who's in a completely different outfit from three hours ago. He'd been in gym shorts and a faded Metallica t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Now he's in tight blue jeans and his nice navy button down that he usually reserves for date night. He looks fucking fantastic while Steve is still in his sweat pants and Hawkins high basket ball shirt, feeling under dressed in his own home during a shelter in place pandemic. What the fuck.

"Do you trust me, Pretty Boy?" Billy purrs and its then that Steve notices the bandana balled up in his left hand.

Steve could say no, irritated by being ignored for hours on end stuck in his room, but then he wouldn't get to know the surprise then would he? Plus it wouldn't be the truth anyway. Billy sits at number one of the list of people Steve trusts. It's a short list, but longer than Billy's.

"Of course I do, babe."

"Good then come here." Billy motions for him and Steve comes willingly.

He's fine with the idea of being blindfolded, at least until he makes it to the landing of the stairs and balks.

"Billy..." He says, anxiety laced in the edges of his tone.

"Relax, I've got you."

And he does. Billy comes out in front of him, taking the stairs backwards as he glides Steve down them step by step while holding both of his hands to keep him steady.

Steve had noticed immediately upon leaving his room that the house smelled amazing. It was clear that Billy had utilized his time cooking, or well mostly anyway. He's wracking his brain to pinpoint what the smell is, because it's familiar.

"Billy what did you do?" He asks as Billy leads him around to wherever he wants him to end up and suddenly Billy stops him, heat licking up his body as Billy leans in close.

"I know you were upset that we had to cancel our anniversary plans because of the whole pandemic thing-"

"Not really, I mean safety is more important than a reservation I've had in place for a month." Steve defends.

"Babe, you're allowed to be upset." Billy presses a kiss to his cheek. "And I'm allowed to fix it."

Steve snorts, but he's still leaning into Billy all the same. "Fix it? Three hours to make the vaccine? That's impressive"

"Shut it, you. Come on, just a bit more." And he ushers Steve forward and to the right. And then he is pressing down on his shoulders to get him to sit down. The familiar chair is apparent once he's sitting in it. The formal dining room, not the small breakfast nook where they usually take their meals. "Now keep your eyes closed, I'm taking off the bandana now."

Steve blinks in the sight before him, candles litter the long mahogany table, along with two place settings using his mom's fine China. His hand automatically reaches out and grasps for Billy's even though he only just let go. There's a platter of bread, fresh baked by the look of it, and two plates of seafood linguine with vodka sauce. Exactly what they would have ordered at Bella Vita because that's all they ever get there.

"I made your favorite." Billy says, sitting down still holding his hand. He's chewing on the corner of his lip and looking down, bashful. "I, uh, may have Skyped Juan. I wanted to make sure it was right."

"You did all of this for me?" Steve asks.

"It's our third anniversary, babe. I wanted to make it special. Don't get too stuffed on the pasta. I made creme Brule too. Then of course there's the after dessert, dessert." He winks.

Turns out quarantine makes for a memorable anniversary after all.

[hqsloane]

hello !! it’s ally back at it again with another muse !! for those of you who don’t know, i also play violet ( the taylor hill fc ) !! but this is a very new muse that i’m v excited about, so if you want to plot just like this post & i’ll slide into your dms <3 

chicago’s very own sloane windsor has been spotted on madison avenue driving a rolls-royce dawn , welcome ! your resemblance to charlotte d'alessio is unreal . according to tmz , you just had your twentieth birthday bash  . your chance of surviving new york is uncertain because you’re insatiable , but being gregarious might help you . i think being a libra explains that .  3 things that would paint  a  better picture of you would be designer sunglasses disguising bloodshot eyes , vintage abba records , a room full of first place trophies. ( i just got out of rehab for a drug addiction ) & ( cisfemale + she/her  ) +  ( ally , 21 , she/her )

full name: sloane ( warrior ) madeleine ( of french origin woman meaning ‘ woman from magdala or high tower ’ ) windsor ( english last name ). nickname(s): s, princess. age: twenty. birthday: 3 october 1999. zodiac: libra. gender: cisfemale. pronouns: she / her / hers. sexual orientation: bisexual. languages spoken: english & french. hometown: buckhead, georgia. occupation: vlogger. parents: darcy sinclair ( rachel mcadams ) & spencer windsor ( jon hamm ). siblings:  two older brothers. pet(s): forrest ( golden retriever ) & jenny ( border collie ). religion: southern baptist. drink / drugs / sex: yes / yes / yes. height: 5′5. right/left handed: left handed. tattoos: a rose on her hip ( x ), this on the back of her right elbow, & a quote on her ribs ( x ).  positive traits: gregarious, discerning, tender, impartial, dignified, courageous, independent, empathetic, & audacious.  negative traits: covetous, controlling, aloof, rebellious, daunting, compulsive, tactless, vain, cunning, obstinate, & snarky. hobbies: photography, traveling, procrastination, meddling, partying, late night instagram live streams, dancing on tables well past last call, visiting art museums, & video editing. habits: tying her hair up in a loose ponytail when she’s stressed, fleeing the country on a whim, chewing the insides of her cheek in order to hold back what she truly wants to say, chewing the ends of brightly colored pens, binge drinking, & doodling. labels: the catalyst ( the independent one ), the doctrinaire ( the perfectionist ), & the aesthete ( the muse ). aesthetics: cat eye sunglasses shielding emerald hues, mascara tear stained cheeks, shattered trophies, polaroids, disposable film, late night notifications, hiding any ounce of emotion behind a camera, paint splattered jeans, parisian architecture, sunday brunch, missed phone calls, & the longing for her mother’s approval.  style inspo: nicola peltz, bella hadid, kendall jenner, rosie huntington whiteley, meghan markle, & alexa chung. here are just a few examples of her wardrobe !! ( x x x x x )  muse inspo: monica geller ( friends ), caroline forbes ( the vampire diaries ), serena van der woodsen ( gossip girl ), lydia martin ( teen wolf ), peyton sawyer ( one tree hill ), nancy wheeler ( stranger things ), & emily fitch ( skins ). net worth: 30 million.

background ;;

before spencer & darcy got married in 1989, they knew all they wanted was one child: a girl. yet, their life did not go according to plan. after they welcomed their first child into the world ( a boy ), they figured that the next one would be a girl. they of course loved their son more than anything in this world, but they knew they wanted a daughter to complete their growing family. however, when darcy discovered the sex of their second child was a boy, she knew she wouldn’t stop having children until they welcomed their perfect girl into this world.

soon after the birth of their second son, they discovered they were expecting again. this time, with the daughter they had always wanted !! sloane was born on october 3rd, 1999 in a wealthy suburb of atlanta, georgia. & from the day she was born, an enormous pressure was put on her.

what you need to know about the windsor family ( other than their strong southern roots ) is that they’re extremely rich. they are high key based off the carrington’s from dynasty bc i’m #trash. buttttt what you need to know is that they own a multibillion dollar international oil company called windsor industries ( formerly known as windsor petroleum group ). 

if you aren’t familiar with oil conglomerates, all you need to know is that windsor industries are responsible for literal power. they are one of the leading producers for oil & gas in the world which is why they have offices all over the country. & let me tell you, they don’t conduct business ethically !! they are notorious for fracking & their continuous use of fossil fuels. when people talk about climate change, they constantly bring up windsor industries & how much they have contributed to global warming. & to make matters worse, spencer & his eldest son put millions of dollars into the pockets of politicians to get them to support their cause & vote against climate change regulation. so if we all burn up one day, you can blame them !!

the windsor family has lived in georgia for generations ( big yikes ) & that’s where they started the family business in 1942. spencer’s grandfather came from a long line of prominent politicians in state politics which is why his family was ready to disown him when he decided to go into business over politics. but when his business took off & he was making more money than everyone else in his family by the age of twenty-two, they quickly shut up & started supporting him.

since then, windsor industries has been passed down from generation to generation. spencer was handed the business on his thirtieth birthday ( twenty years ago ) & has been dominating ever since. once his eldest son turned eighteen, he quickly got him involved & he is expected to take over the family business one day.

as successful as his business is, spencer is known as the bad guy in america. he is a billionaire who doesn’t know what it’s like to come from humble beginnings. he was literally handed a multibillion dollar business & the rest was history !! he definitely is a bad guy since he doesn’t care about the environment or anything else. all he cares about is making money no matter who gets hurt. he was even considered to work for trump at one point but quickly declined !! he just wrote him a big ass check instead bcsjkhdfs

but he does love his family. he would do literally anything for his family despite his tough love approach to his two sons. but when it comes to sloane, he is a complete softie. she can literally do no wrong in his eyes which is why they have such a great relationship !!

darcy, on the other hand, did not come from a lot of money. like her husband, she’s also from georgia but she’s not from a rich suburb. she is from a rural town where she literally grew up in a trailer. & from an early age, she always knew she wanted more. she was always ungrateful for her life & could have cared less about how hard her parents worked to support her & her three other siblings. 

things for darcy changed by the time she was eighteen !! she became miss. america which isn’t that big of a deal for most. but she took pride on receiving that title after years of competing in local pageants. despite not coming from a lot of money, she always knew how to fool the judges & everyone else for that matter. she really could have cared less about school, all she cared about was winning pageants.

so when she made it into miss. universe, she thought her life was going to be complete !! yet, it didn’t go according to plan. darcy lost the competition & her short lived media coverage quickly died. no one knew who darcy sinclair was until it was announced that she was marrying one of the heirs to windsor industries. 

the reason why darcy wanted a daughter so bad was so she could also be a pageant contender. she didn’t want her daughter to grow up to be a doctor, a lawyer, or anything else for that matter. all she wanted for sloane from the day she was born was to be a pageant queen.

by the time sloane turned five, her mother had already registered her for her first pageant. & unlike the ones darcy used to compete in, this was prestigious. her entire childhood consisted of tap dancing classes & pageants taking priority over school. & because her parents pride themselves on their southern values, they really could have cared less about their daughter attending school. so it came as no surprise when she started to slip up !!

& of course, they bribed her school to fix her grades. from the outside looking in, everyone wanted sloane’s life. she had it all: money, family, looks, everything. but in reality, her mother was working her like a dog. she would be practicing for pageants seven days a week with little to no breaks. but once she was crowned little miss georgia, they knew she was destined for greatness. 

the older she got, the more pressure her mother would put on her. & sloane took that pressure extremely seriously. all she ever wanted was to please her mother, so she would strive to be nothing less than perfect. & in order to keep up with the strict demands of her mother & her life, she started turning to drugs. at first, she would start taking adderall to have more energy that way she can cater to her hectic schedule. 

even sloane will admit that her high school years were a blur due to her growing drug abuse. the only thing holding her together was her growing addiction to pills. her mother knew. she saw the empty pill bottles lying around her bathroom & there was even a late night where she had to call 911 after finding her only daughter unresponsive. but she never told anyone. she never even asked sloane if she was okay or if she needed help. she only cared about her daughter becoming miss. universe since that was a title that she was robbed of.

all her life, sloane has tried to please her mother. everything she has ever done has never been good enough for her. so by the time she was a senior in high school, she decided the only way to escape her life was by going to college. she knew she didn’t have the grades to get in anywhere far enough from atlanta, even if her parents ensured her transcripts were nothing short of flawless. but when she sat her parents down & told them that she wanted to attend college, she was surprised by their reactions. her father, who has always supported sloane, was willing to do anything she wanted even if that meant delaying his wife’s plans for her. & even her mother came around on the idea after she promised her that she would go back to training for miss. universe once she finished college.

& following her graduation from high school, she packed her bags & went to the university of chicago. she figured that this was a school far enough away from her mother which is why she told her father this was the school of her dreams. sloane never questioned anything during her applications process. all she knew was that she needed to leave her mother’s grasp & learn to live life for herself.

at college, she had decided to study photography soon realizing that is one of her passions in life. & she’s damn good at it too. & even though sloane started living life in college, her drug addiction only worsened. there, she was introduced to even more drugs & the craze of combining uppers & downers.

things started to get crazy last year during the college admissions scandal when it was revealed that spencer & darcy had paid to get sloane accepted into the university of chicago. the school agreed to allow her to finish the semester before they would ultimately expel her due to the negative press coverage. & of course on her last night at school, sloane ended up in the hospital.

after combining far too many uppers & downers at a frat party, she overdosed. this was not the first time she landed up in the hospital after a night out, but it was the first time her father found out. & once he found out, he ensured that she would seek the help she needed.

so that’s where sloane spent the entire summer !! in a private rehab center seeking treatment for drug addiction. however, her family could not afford anymore scandals. so they quickly buried any stories about their youngest child’s overdose & told the media that she was traveling the world with friends this summer. sloane’s scandal is something that they are without a doubt ashamed of despite how many times her father has insisted the opposite. they are willing to do anything to bury this secret, no matter the cost. 

now, she’s twenty years old & living in new york. following her discharge from rehab, she wanted to move as far away from chicago as she could. she knows she can’t enroll in college anytime soon given her family’s involvement in the college admissions scandal, but she is wiling to do just about anything to avoid moving back home.

nowadays, you can find sloane vlogging !! she has a v successful youtube channel that is similar to matt king’s ( if ya’ll know who that is ily ). but all you need to know is that she is a daily vlogger with an artsy style & she definitely does q & a videos & all that fun stuff. she is still very dependent on her father’s money but she is making a lot of money off youtube.

personality & misc ;;

personality wise, i’d say she’s pretty easy going. her taste isn’t the usual which i’ll probs go into a little bit, but that doesn’t mean she’s not approachable unlike vi.

truth be told, she’s all over the place & has a lot of depth. she has the ability to light up any room she walks into but that doesn’t mean she lets people walk all over her. after dealing with darcy sinclair for eighteen years, sloane knows when to fight back & channel her rich bitch side.

she’s also really fucking smart despite her fuck ups & she would know her true potential if she just stopped getting fucked up all the time. even though she went to rehab, she isn’t clean but that doesn’t stop her from telling her dad she is.

has never had a serious relationship tbh

instead, she’s had flings that are like relationships without the title.

she may act like an independent bitch but she is also a 100% a daddy’s girl & calls him up for money every other week

very artistic 

aside from photography, she is great at painting & drawing & you can find dozens of sketches lying on the floor of her room ( you can also find baggies on her desk tbh )

extremely possessive of her family despite her relationship with her mom. she won’t let anyone else insult her other than her.

hella impulsive

speaks fluent french

also has an apartment in paris that she visits all of the time

tbh, she’s just in love with art. you will always find her at a museum just gazing at art for hours

she’s also constantly leaving the country for vlog material

doesn’t want to think that she has an accent but low key does

even though she’s a huge perfectionist, her room is literally always a mess but she doesn’t let just anyone see that

overall, she is a perfectionist art h*e tbh

if you made it this far ily. here’s her pinterest board if you want to take a look !! it’s v late for me rn & i have to get up early tomorrow so i don’t have any wc listed out but i promise i will bombard you all with plot ideas okay ily

[mylittlefandomfanfictions]

Walking Into Love (2/5)

Series Summary: After moving to Quantico to live with your uncle David and start a new job, you meet his team and grow close to one man in particular. Both of you find joy in walking your dogs together and spending time together. This is a story of how you fall in love and of your life together.

Part Summary: After an interesting conversation with David, you meet up with Luke to take your dogs for a walk and confessions come out.

Pairing: Luke Alvez x Fem!Reader, David Rossi x Niece!Reader

Part 1

A few months had passed since you’d moved here and you had grown quite close to your uncle's teammates. They’d become like your family. 

You had grown very close to one teammate in particular; Luke Alvez. Whenever the two of you had the same days off, you’d meet up and go for a coffee or take Bella and Roxy on walks to the park. He was so easy to talk to and he made you laugh. 

Lately, you had found your feelings for Luke changing. You had found yourself yearning for more than friendship with him, but you weren’t sure if he returned your feelings. 

But then there was your Uncle Dave, he was like a father to you and you weren’t sure if he would be cool with you falling for one of his teammates and friends.

You were currently sitting on the couch with Bella laying by your side, her head resting on your lap as you stroked her head while you scrolled through a website on your laptop. As much as you loved living with your Uncle David, you knew you couldn’t stay here forever so you thought it was about time that you started looking for a place of your own. The front door opened and Bella jumped off the couch while barking.

David slipped off his shoes before stroking Bella. He went into the living room, followed by Bella who was wagging her tail. “Hey, how’s apartment hunting going?” he asked as he sat on the couch next to you. Bella curled up by his feet.

“I’ve found a couple that I like, but none that I love yet.”

“Apartment hunting is hard, but you’ll find one eventually.”

“I hope so.”

“Until then, you know you are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like.”

“I know, thanks, Dave,” you smiled. You closed your laptop and placed it on the coffee table. “So, how was work?”

“It was alright, caught the bad guy,” David responded. “There was one thing, though. I noticed Luke was on his phone a lot and smiling at whatever was on the screen which is weird because he hardly ever uses his phone for anything other than work when we’re on the job.”

“Huh, really?”

“Yeah. You know, I think there’s a girl he likes.”

“Oh?”

“And then when I asked him who this mystery person was that he was talking to, he just clammed up and refused to tell me who it was.”

As if on cue, your phone beeped and the screen lit up with a text from Luke. You quickly grabbed your phone from beside you on the couch before David could see, but the smirk on his face told you that he’d already seen. 

“What does he want?”

“Uh, he wants to know if Bella and I want to join him and Roxy on a walk in the park.” Bella perked up at that, her ears sticking up as she lifted her head up off the floor.

“Sounds nice. You should go, from the way he was smiling at his phone, it’s clear he’s been dying to see you,” he teased. 

“I. Uh.” You cleared your throat and chewed on your lower lip as an embarrassed and bashful smile tugged at your lips and your face heated up. 

“You know, maybe you should just tell him how you feel,” David suggested with a shrug. 

“No, not gonna happen. I don’t like him that way,” you lied.

“Really? I’m a profiler, remember? I can see you both like each other so why not just go for it?”

“It wouldn’t be weird for you? Me dating one of your co-workers and one of your friends?”

“No, you date who you want, mio caro,” David smiled, hugging you from the side. 

“Maybe I will tell him. I guess we’ll see,” you said. “I’m gonna go get changed.”

-

The sun was setting, but it was still warm as Luke walked through the park to meet you. He had hold of Roxy’s leash and she was happily walking by his side. The park was pretty much empty beside from a couple of joggers so he easily spotted you standing on the grass and playing fetch with Bella. He quietly approached you and when he got to you, he pressed his hands to your hips as he said, “Boo.”

You jumped at the surprise touch and were about to swing your fist at whoever it was before you saw that it was Luke. You placed your hand over your heart and started laughing. “God, I hate it when you do that,” you said, playfully slapping his arm with the back of your hand. 

“Sorry, but I couldn’t resist,” he chuckled. Bella came running back over with a ball in her mouth and he gave her a quick scratch. 

You laughed and shook your head before turning your attention to Roxy who seemed very happy to see you. You cupped her face and scratched behind her ears. “He can be really mean sometimes, can’t he?” you cooed in a joking tone. 

“I know, I’m horrible,” Luke chuckled. “Should we go for a walk?” he asked as he let Roxy off her lead. 

You picked up Bella’s ball since she was now distracted playing with Roxy. “Sure,” you smiled. 

Bella and Roxy ran off in front of you as you and Luke started walking through the park, the cool breeze washing over you. 

“So, how was your day?” Luke asked. 

“It was alright. I spent the majority of it working from home on a plan for clients new place and then I continued my search for an apartment.”

“How’s that going?”

“It’s alright. Haven’t found the right one yet though.”

“Well, I just found out there’s an apartment going right across from me in my building if you’re interested? I could put in a word with the current tenant and the landlord?” Luke offered. 

“So I’d be your neighbor? God, it’s my worst nightmare come true,” you groaned jokingly. 

“Rude,” Luke laughed. 

“Okay, in all seriousness, that would be nice, thank you.”

“No problem.”

A peaceful silence passed over to the two of you as you continued walking. You broke it after a couple of minutes. “So, uh, Dave told me that you were smiling down at your phone most of the day today.”

“H-he did?”

You smirked at him. “Mhm. He also knows it was me that you were texting.”

“He does? What did he say to that?”

“Nothing. He’s fine with it. He actually told me to go for it and tell you how I really feel.”

Luke stopped in his tracks, his hand finding yours and gently closing around it. You stopped walking and turned to face him. “How you really feel? How do you really feel?”

“The same way you feel about me. You’re a profiler, Luke, don’t make me spell it out.”

“I. Yeah, I do have feelings for you.” Luke smiled and scratched the back of his neck as he looked down at the ground. A few seconds later, his eyes moved back up to yours. “Okay, well, now that all of that is out in the open and we both know how the other feels. Would you, uh, would you like to go on a date with me sometime?”

“I’d like that,” you beamed. “Now, come on before we lose our dogs.”

Thoughts?

Tags: @mo320 @pollaluci @vashanatasha @iamwarrenspeace @rda1989 @a--1--1--3 @astressedwriter

[captain-yeet]

Oh No, He’s Hot - Part 3

Pairing: Felix x Reader

Summary:  Y/N is shaken by the events in the clearing and needs some time to process it all. What better way to do that then go to a bar and drink your emotions under the table?

Warnings: Drinking, angst. Queen of angst here, how do you do?

Masterlist is here

Staring blankly off into space while the others talked, Y/N clutched the blanket around her tighter. Today had gone in a direction that she had not anticipated, and now she didn't know how to process it.

Just those two little sentences were on repeat in your head. "It's true. I feel the mating pull towards her."

The vampire's face was ingrained into your mind. Part of you was fully aware that he was a dangerous individual, perfectly capable of doing some serious damage to you if he chose to. On the other hand, you were... curious. Very curious. He fascinated you.

Felix of the Volturi fascinated you, and it gave you the mother of all headaches.

"Y/N?"

You looked up and met the concerned face of Rosalie, gazing down with worry.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" she offered.

You nodded lamely. Your eyes were red and sore from crying earlier. After the Volturi left, you completely broke down. The adrenaline had reached it's limit, and you crumbled in on yourself. Jasper had to use his powers on you to help you calm down, as your breathing became uncontrollably erratic and heavy due to a panic attack.

"So, you're the mate of the Volturi's top executioner," Rosalie began, shuffling over to you on the couch.

Letting out a heavy sigh, you nodded again. "Apparently," you murmured.

Rosalie studied your face carefully. It pained her to see you so down. "And how does that make you feel?"

Slowly, you turned your head to meet her gaze. Any energy you had was gone. "I...," you began, unsure of how to begin. What do I think? "...Part of me is upset, and yet..."

"You're also a little curious, aren't you?" she finished, a very faint smile gracing her lovely face, not quite meeting her eyes.

Looking down again, you merely nodded. "It's fucked up. This is all messed up, and quite honestly I don't know how to process it."

The two of you sat in silence for a moment. One thing you appreciated when it came to hanging out with Rosalie is that she never prodded or poked you for more info; she let you talk when you were ready.

You got along with the Cullens pretty well, but to everyone's surprise, you developed a sisterly bond with Rosalie very quickly. At first, you'd been warned by Bella that she may not be the most welcoming to you, since that was the case with her. However, it took you both by surprise when the beautiful blonde vampire treated you with kindness and nothing but. Second to Rosalie was Emmett, naturally. He found your powers interesting and "badass", and the two of you would often tease each other lightly.

With a sigh, you removed the blanket from your shoulders. "I think... I want to go out for a while," you told her. "I need to think."

Rosalie put a hand on your back as you shakily rose from the couch. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked.

Again, you just nodded, mustering the energy to give her a small smile. "Yeah, I need some space to mull things over," you replied. "I'm going to change out of these clothes and then head out."

With that, you left the living room and headed upstairs to your own room the Cullens had arranged for you. Since you were staying with them, Esme had turned one of the spare offices into a makeshift bedroom for you. Once you closed the door behind you, you weakly shed your current clothes that were now torn in several places, save for the jeans you had on. Changing into a simple white t shirt and making an effort to tie your H/C hair up into a non-sloppy ponytail, you gave yourself a once-over in the mirror.

Okay, still looking like a piece of shit, but a little more human, you thought to yourself.

Now the question was, where were you going to go?

A bar. Of all the places you picked, you picked a small, cosy bar in town to wallow in your feelings. It's not like you really wanted to walk through a park at 8 pm. To be honest with yourself, you needed a break from nature and trees all together right now.

With a sigh, you sat down at the bar, waving down the bartender.

"Evening, what can I get you?" he asked, wiping an empty glass and quickly looking you over.

"Coke and vodka would be great," you told him, pushing yourself to speak louder than a mumble.

After paying for the drink, you sat and only vaguely registered the bartender making up the drink for you. Your thoughts shifted back to Felix once more, and the spiral of thoughts you had earlier began again.

Again, he did fascinate you, and it wasn't like he wasn't attractive - quite the opposite, in fact.

However, there was more to your concerns than just him being apart of the Volturi. His reactions to you in the clearing left you confused and possibly even a little bit hurt. If he showed any sign of romantic interest in you, he didn't show it. Could be be disappointed that you were his mate? Even more pressing, would you be upset if that were the case?

"Here you go Miss," the bartender's voice breaking you out of your thoughts. "One coke and vodka for the pretty lady."

You felt your lips pull up in what was an attempt at a polite smile. You took a long swig of the rather large glass of alcohol, your face scrunching up when the aftertaste hit.

The bartender's attention was no longer on you now. You were faintly aware of another body coming to sit down at the stool next to you. "Hi, what can I get you tonight, man?"

"Whatever she's having," a deep, smooth voice replied.

You turned your head towards the stranger next to you, and when your eyes met you felt your heart try to escape your rib cage.

There was Felix, sitting next to you, one arm resting on the counter of the bar. He had sunglasses on indoors, and the seven layers of clothes he was wearing back in the clearing were now reduced to just a shirt and long jacket.

A tiny, hysterical laugh bubbled in your chest, just escaping your lips, making the large vampire raise his eyebrows. "You know sunglasses inside went out in the early 2000's right?"

The hint of a smile graced the man's face. "Then by all means, feel free to call me tacky," he replied coolly.

Clutching your drink in your hand like it was your lifeline, you chewed on your lip thinking of what to do. "So..."

"So," Felix repeated, his drink now in front of him. The bartender was now busy with other patrons.

"Let's talk somewhere more private," you blurted out, abruptly standing to your feet.

Without waiting for a response, you strode over to a booth nestled in the corner of the bar, downing more of your drink as if it would give you a boost of liquid courage. Sitting down, you watched warily as the vampire sat across from you. Once he settled in, he removed the glasses he was wearing, giving you a better look at his face.

Jesus Christ he's pretty. Shaking your head slightly to rid yourself of the blatant thirst for the attractive vampire in front of you, you decided to be the first to speak. "Can vampires even drink?" you asked dumbly, genuinely curious.

He replied by taking a drink from his glass. Setting it down on the table, a smirk appeared. "We can, it just doesn't affect us the way it does to you humans."

Your mouth widening into an "O" shape, you nodded lamely.

Felix was watching you with an intensity that made you feel as if someone had shoved you onto a stage and asked you to perform in front of a large crowd with zero skill. He took note of your disheveled appearance; the red puffy eyes, the overall tired demeanor. A pang of sadness showed in his face. "I know this has all been rather... overwhelming," he began, clasping his hands together in front of him. "But if you're willing, I'd like to discuss everything?"

Breathing deeply, you pushed your drink to the side and rested your chin on your fists. "I think I'd like that," you replied, a little uncertain. You did want to talk, that was true. You just felt... unsure overall.

Felix smiled, happy that you were open to talking with him and not pushing him away. "Great, then let's begin."

You didn't waste any time asking the heavy questions. "Am I really your mate?" you deadpanned.

Sitting up a little, Felix nodded. "Yes," he confirmed, his gaze never wavering.

"Okay," you breathed, nodding to yourself. "You mentioned something about a 'pull'. What exactly did you mean?"

He toyed with the glass in his hand as he gave you an answer, "When my kind finds their mate, they feel this 'pull' towards them. If one of them is human, they - meaning the human - doesn't necessarily feel it the same way we do. It's stronger when it's two vampires. But the pull itself is strong, and impossible to ignore."

"And...," you hesitated before asking your next question, feeling your face burn a little, "you feel this pull toward me?"

He nodded, his smile turning a little bit bashful. "Think of it as if you're experiencing tunnel-vision," he explained further. "Imagine seeing someone and then they're all you can focus on, everything around you is void and not important, and all you want to do is go to them."

"Like... a kind of magnetism?" you asked, sitting up a little straighter.

His red eyes had a hint of amusement in them at your comparison. "I suppose you could call it that."

The two of you fell into silence while you thought everything he told you over, the music in the bar playing at a reasonable volume in the background. You reached for your drink again and took a small sip at first before chugging the entire thing down; Felix watched this with a disturbed expression on his face, quite horrified at the display.

You set the now empty glass down with a smirk. "What, you haven't seen someone down the rest of their drink in one go before?" you teased, fighting a cheeky grin from growing on your face.

The vampire shook his head. "I mean - I haven't seen such a beautiful young lady do that before," he replied, the compliment amusing you.

"Oh come on," you scoffed playfully. "It's not the 1400's anymore, and what I did is considered 'tame' compared to what most young ladies and guys alike do nowadays." You finished the sentence with a slight grimace. You weren't exactly a fan of the drinking culture of getting shit-faced drunk and doing keg stands. None the less, you considered yourself a responsible drinker that could handle the stuff.

Felix mirrored your expression, the two of you gazing at each other for a moment before you began laughing a little, him joining you to your surprise. He's not that scary, you noted. In fact he's... actually really easy to talk to. You were enjoying yourself, to your surprise. You were quite content in being in his company.

There was something about just being in each other's presence that made the two of you feel electrified and alive, like there was something in the air around the booth you sat in. Neither of you were aware that this feeling was a mutual one, but for you at least, you wondered if he felt it too.

A thought popped into your head that made your smile disappear. "Wait, what about the rest of your group you came with?" you asked, frowning. "I doubt they'd be happy with you coming here to see me, let alone even attempt to talk to me." Your thoughts travelled back to the menacing look in the small blonde vampire's eyes. Even for someone that looks so young, she was terrifying.

Felix shrugged. "What they don't know won't hurt them," he replied easily.

Your confusion grew even more. "What do they think you're doing, then?"

"I told them that I needed to hunt," Felix explained smoothly, his former smirk returning. "Besides, I just had to meet you; that display in the clearing with your powers was most impressive."

He cheekily winked at you, his smirk only growing when your heart did a double take at his playful flirting.

Stupid vampire hearing.

You looked down shyly, peeking up at him through your lashes. "Well, in that case, I'm glad you managed to sneak around them. I'm honestly really enjoying talking to you," you spoke earnestly.

Your words unknowing to you, made the tall, mountainous cocky vampire melt. His smirk dissolved into a soft, adoring smile. You didn't know what was going through Felix's head, but you liked to think that your feelings in this particular situation were mutual. Heart hammering away in you chest, you asked him one more question. "Will I die eventually?" you gently asked. "The girl you were with made it very clear that I wouldn't be alive for much longer..."

To your surprise, Felix took your hands in his, his eyes fixed on your E/C ones. "Listen to me very closely, Y/N," he began in a serious tone. "While I have no doubt that you're fully capable of taking care of yourself considering you lived through the Newborn attack, and while I don't have any knowledge of my master's plans, no harm will come to you while I'm still standing."

Weakly gripping his hands back, your own feeling very small in his large ones, you shook your head sadly. The familiar sting of tears and the gripping emotions you came here to drink away returning to you. "You're telling me that you'd defy your own coven for me?"

"If it came down to it, yes."

"But I don't underst-"

Shaking his head rapidly, Felix cut you off before you could continue further. "I've waited, many years - hundreds, thousands even - to find my mate." He paused to compose himself, taking an unneeded intake of breath, closing his eyes. "If any harm were to fall on you, it would destroy me. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone hurt you."

The tears were silently falling now. You squeezed your eyes shut, feeling embarrassed for crying in front of Felix and also afraid at what the future held.

"Y/N, please look at me," you heard him plead softly.

When you didn't answer or respond, your body going rigid trying to keep everything bottled in, you felt Felix's hands leave yours. Before you could beat yourself up for getting too emotional and making him withdraw, you felt the seat dip to your side and a cold hand cupping your face. You willed your eyes open and saw Felix sitting next to you.

He wiped away the stream of tears that were making their way down your cheek. "I swear, nothing is going to happen to you."

With that, neither of you spoke further. Felix pulled you into his side, wrapping an arm protectively around your shoulders and pressing a feather light kiss to the top of your head. You practically curled up into his side, welcoming the feeling of security his actions brought you. The two of you stayed like that for a while, neither of you willing to move.

When your breathing calmed down, you slowly sat up and met his concerned, gentle gaze. "Thank you," you whispered.

Felix smiled down at you with what you would almost describe as a loving gaze. "Any time, mia cara."

"So, when do you think we'll see each other next?" you asked as Felix walked with you to the parking lot, hand in hand.

"I'm uncertain," he answered honestly, giving your hand a gentle squeeze.

"Just saying, I think you may just have me completely enarmoured with you," you said dramatically, spinning around giggling while Felix twirled you around, your hair fanning out as you moved. It was safe to say that your mood had improved after the cry session in the bar, all thanks to the giant of a vampire you were walking with.

"Oh, is that so?" he purred, grinning widely at your antics. Your change in mood slightly blind-sided him, but he wasn’t going to complain anytime soon.

You merely shrug. "What can I say Lex, you know how to charm a girl," you stated, your own grin matching his.

"Lex?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow sceptically at the nickname.

"It's either that or Fee-Fee, take your pick," you challenged him, not even remotely ashamed at the nickname you've bestowed on him.

He pursed his lips, rolling his eyes before smiling again. "Lex it is," he conceded grudgingly.

The two of you reached your car. You did come to Forks with your own vehicle of course, so it saved you the trouble of relying on the Cullens for transportation. "So, I guess I'll be heading back," you murmured, shifting your weight slightly. You still held onto Felix's hand, and he kept a grip on you as well.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" he asked, "I could drive you at least to the start of the Cullen's driveway."

You gave him a teeny smile. "Thank you, but I'm not sure how that would go down with the Cullens," you confessed. "No doubt by now Alice has seen me hanging out with you."

Felix sighed, disappointed. "You make a good point."

Unwillingly, the two of you let go of each other's hands. You studied his features, memorizing them as much as you could. You didn't know when you'd see each other again, and the uncertainty made your heart sink. Your hand rested on the handle of the drivers side of your car. "We should keep in contact," you suggested, hopefully looking up at him.

Felix nodded in agreement, his hands now in the pockets of his jacket. "Would you like it if I wrote you? I know it's old-fashioned, but..."

You nodded as well, smiling up at him. "That would be great, please do that?"

The two of you just stared at each other a moment longer. Before you got in the car, you reached forward and wrapped your arms around Felix's torso, hugging him tightly. You felt his chest rumble with a deep chuckle as his arms wrapped around you in return, one hand stroking your hair.

"I think I'm going to miss you," you admitted softly, your voice half muffled.

"I'll be missing you too, little one."

You held onto Felix a little longer before pulling away. You gave him one last smile before backing away, crossing your arms, missing his wrapped round you already. You watched as he also backed away, smiling at you one last time before turning around and leaving. The next time you blinked, he was gone.

A heavy feeling weighed down your heart, your smile becoming sad. Shaking your head and sighing, you got into your car, and began the drive back to the Cullen's home.

You left earlier feeling uncertain and overwhelmed by the events of today. Now, you return with a new feeling of uncertainty and some sadness at Felix leaving, but it didn't overshadow the overall feeling of happiness and excitement you felt. You had immense powers, which you were still learning about. And now, you had someone new in your life, and you had a feeling things wouldn't ever be the same again now that you knew for certain that you were the mate of Felix.

And in your heart, you were content with being his.

[flamourific-blog]

In Defense Of Bella Swan

Bella Swan gets a lot of flack for...well, everything. She’s been called insipid, pathetic, a victim, a feminist’s nightmare. In many circles, she has become a by word for “weak, useless person.” It’s true that Bella is often pushed around by the men in her life. But why do we blame Bella for being pushed around and blithely ignore the men who are doing the pushing? There is a lot to admire in Bella. She’s loving and kind hearted. She’s self-sacrificing. She’s tenacious. She’s brave. But people often overlook these traits and instead choose to focus on Bella’s supposed victimhood and slavish devotion to Edward.

Yes, Bella loves Edward and would do anything for him. But, lest we forget, he’s not the only one for whom Bella is willing to put her life on the line. One of Bella’s most defining character traits is her love for her family, and she shows that love time and time again throughout the books. Edward’s first major rescue occurs not because the villain has swept away an unresisting damsel in distress but because the damsel sought out and surrendered herself to the villain in order to save her mother’s life.

This isn’t the only time Bella steps up for the sake of her family. She chews out a bunch of werewolves on behalf of her best friend Jacob, whom she sees as a brother. She faces down the Vulturi to save her daughter, and she does everything in her power to keep her father safe from the dangerous world she inhabits. Edward is not the single, all-consuming interest in Bella’s life: he’s part of her family, and she acts accordingly.

When Edward leaves her, it shatters her world. Many see this as a sure sign that Bella lacks the fortitude we expect from Strong Female Characters. They call her weak, stupid, pathetic...but here’s the thing: we would--or, rather, should--never, ever talk that way about a real woman who suffers from depression, regardless of the cause. Furthermore, what happens to Bella in the book happens to both women and men in real life all the time. It’s nothing like unheard of for people to fall into a severe depression after losing a loved one, be it to death or divorce or a simple breakup.

I myself have suffered from heartbreak twice in my life, and both instances took their toll. The first time, I was just a little older than Bella. I dropped twenty pounds in less than two weeks, and I wasn’t heavy to begin with. The second time, I had ten years on Bella in terms of experience and emotional development, and it still took me over a year to really feel like myself again.

Does that make me useless or pathetic or a poor role model for young women? It does not, and Bella’s suffering doesn’t make her any of those things, either. Mocking fictional characters and judging them for their depression only reinforces the stigma that we’re trying so hard to fight against in the real world.

If Twilight is a bad love story, it’s not because Bella is an anti-feminist pod-person worming her way into the minds of impressionable teens. The really disturbing stuff lies squarely in the court of our sparkly hero himself, Edward, who is constantly undermining Bella’s agency as a character. He’s overbearing, he’s controlling, and he’s constantly telling Bella that she’s fragile and vulnerable and his to protect, even if it means making decisions for her.

Let’s take his abandonment of Bella, which is arguably his most egregious offense. He readily admits that he knew he would have to lie to her in order to make her accept that he was leaving. He knew exactly how strong her feelings were, and he dismissed them. Rather than treat her like an equal, rather than accept her love and respect her ability to make decisions for herself, he treats her like a child. He takes away her right to choose. And, later, he has the gall to chide Bella for so readily believing that he didn’t love her when he himself is constantly telling her, not only through his actions but to her face, that she’s not strong or capable. Is it any wonder, then, that she doesn’t feel worthy of his love?  

It doesn’t stop there. Once he--grudgingly--accepts that Bella deserves to have him in her life if that’s what she wants, Edward loses no time in exerting his control over her, most notably in regard to her friendship with Jacob. Once again, Edward treats Bella like a child who needs to be protected rather than an equal partner in a romantic relationship. Which brings us to book four, in which Edward finds out Bella is pregnant and immediately begins making plans to abort the baby without consulting her. Once again, he completely ignores Bella’s right to make decisions about her body. What’s worse, he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. It never occurs to him that Bella might have an opinion that doesn’t align with his.

It’s all pretty damning. But what people often forget, or ignore, is that Bella comes out on top every time. Let’s take stock, shall we? One: Edward abandons Bella because he has never taken her feelings seriously; he winds up back at her side after she flies halfway around the world to save him from the Vulturi, even while fully expecting him to leave her again. Two: Edward doesn’t like her friendship with Jacob and goes so far as to sabotage her vehicle in order to prevent them from seeing each other; Bella goes to see Jacob anyway. Three: Edward goes over Bella’s head to arrange an abortion; Bella takes the matter back into her own hands and has the baby. Bonus: In the process, Bella becomes an immortal, something which she has repeatedly told Edward that she wants and which Edward has just as repeatedly done his best to prevent.

The biggest problem with Twilight, in my mind, is that neither Edward nor Bella ever really acknowledges Edward’s lack of respect. As a result, it’s easy for readers to see Edward’s protectiveness as a romantic quirk instead of the huge, honking character flaw that it is. Though Bella fights back and doesn’t let Edward dominate her, she never holds him accountable for his attitude. This too is a flaw, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing--perfect characters are boring, unrealistic characters, after all. But we need to recognize flaws for what they are, and with flaws such as Edward’s and Bella’s, it’s important that the characters recognize them, too.

I’m sure much of this has been said before, but if it has, it bears repeating: Bella is not the problem, and Bella-bashing is just another instance of people--men and women both--blaming women for the things that are done to them by men. It happens all the time in the real world to real women, and it’s not okay. So let’s be a little bit more discerning and a lot more fair in how we discuss fictional characters. They’re not just words on the page; they’re reflections of ourselves.

[luckyfaeth]

Junksen parent/teacher an Michael's birthday. Thoughts?

oh gosh ive been grinning about this prompt since you sent it ok ok ok 

emily is probably Extra and will bake her students whatever their favorite sweet is and make it all special for them 

when it’s the week of michael’s birthday, she asks him what he wants and he thinks for a minute before saying his favorite is “those yummy cookies you brought us on halloween” 

“the pumpkin snickerdoodles?” 

“those! i like those” 

so the night before michael’s birthday, emily bakes a batch of the cookies. she keeps a few for herself and gives a few to chloe as well (because you can’t give the kid the WHOLE batch of cookies..no playing favorite allowed in emily’s classroom) 

but since she cant decorate the cookie like she usually does for the cupcakes her kids usually request, she makes michael a cute little package with yellow ribbon because he always says how thats his favorite color 

in the mean time michael is trying to get aubrey to come to school tomorrow to celebrate

“mama, ms. emily always throws us a party and the parents come and bring cupcakes for the class! and we sing happy birthday and ms. emily has a pretty voice and she bakes us one special thing” 

aubrey sighs “honey, i’m sorry. you know i have work, I just don’t think i’ll be able to make it” 

michael kind of sulks away because he knows that work is important 

aubrey’s kicking herself because damnit, she told herself she’d try harder for michael

she kind of blames herself for michael being so reserved. at first she thought it might be something he’d grow out of but he still isn’t very open. she tries her best to give him the attention he needs and for the most part she can balance work and motherhood. 

but sometimes little things like storytime at night or going with him and stacie and bella to the park or attending his birthday party at school have to be pushed aside for work

aubrey chews on her lip and pulls out her phone to make a few calls

the next day, michael arrives at school and is immediately squished in a big hug from emily 

“happy birthday michael! are you so excited?” 

“yeah” 

but emily can see he’s a little sad and its killing her because she will not let this precious baby be sad. especially on his birthday 

even though she told herself she wouldn’t give michael special treatment just because he’s lowkey her favorite and he’s so sweet and loving and she knows aubrey worries about him but shes doing her best 

she just has to make this birthday a little more special 

so once the party starts, she gives michael his cookies - which he is ECSTATIC about - and she starts to pull out her guitar (she always keeps it handy. you never know when a good singalong time could start!) 

emily’s heart bursts when michael gives her the biggest grin (one tooth missing) and she does her own rendition of happy birthday with the guitar, the kids catch on fast and theyre all singing and michael is looking a little bashful at everyone singing to him

suddenly another voice joins - an extremely beautiful one at that - and michael jumps out of his seat and yells “mama!” 

emily stops playing and looks up to see aubrey standing in the door, looking a little less composed than usual, carrying a tray of cookies

emily swiftly takes the cookies from aubrey so she can hug her son, but michael grabs emily’s leg as well and is holding onto both of them tight

“thank you thank you thank you this is the best birthday ever!” 

[shockcity]

Bagginshield #14 - in a fairytale

Rating: M

Summary: for the 30 Day OTP Challenge. Detective Inspector Durin has been trying to put Smaug behind bars for years, but something almost...supernatural keeps getting in the way. Bilbo Baggins has been running since he was a kid, but no matter where he goes he can't escape his curse. Maybe they can help each other. Alternate Universe - Modern Setting/Magical Realism

Part II

Also on ao3

second note: ummm I think this was difficult for people to read cuz it's like 18k words and the app dies when you try to bring it up (/ω＼) so im reposting this in two parts sorry for the technical problems~ this is part II!

It was tempting to simply besiege the warehouse right that very moment – to run out and recklessly challenge Smaug with their oh so intimidating team made up of one magical hipster, a sort-of-but-you-had-better-not-ask wizard, and a disgraced detective inspector. But food and rest could not wait, and took priority over even the destruction of a great evil.

Bilbo was more than happy to just sit back and eat, and Thorin couldn't help but goggle as he gorged himself on an entire loaf of bread, three thick chunks of cheese, and a whole sleeve of chocolate digestives.

"Don't stare," Bilbo said, swallowing his mouthful and giving Thorin a bashful look. "Doing magic makes me hungry!"

"Do you do a lot of magic then?" Thorin couldn't help but tease.

Bilbo's jaw dropped. "Are you calling me fat?!"

Thorin bit back a smile. "Plump," he said. "That's what I thought when I first saw you...that you were pleasantly plump."

"Yeah, sure," Bilbo said skeptically. He finished off his cup of tea and leaned back in his chair a bit despondently.

And now Thorin felt bad.

"It's true!" he said, before pausing to find the right words. "I...well, to be honest, I thought you were lovely. And I...was very disappointed that you were a suspect in a murder."

He made a face at his own awkwardness but Bilbo was extremely amused. "And now that I'm not a suspect?"

Thorin raised his eyebrows. "And now that I know that you're just a magic man with a guitar, you mean?"

Bilbo smiled. "Yeah," he said, motioning for Thorin to answer.

"I...." He blew out a breath, realizing that Bilbo was just teasing. "You're a menace."

Bilbo cracked up. "A pleasantly plump one, though!" he cackled. "Hey, I'm flattered. Sincerely flattered. Still, I don't think it's a good idea to start dating each other while people are trying to kill us."

Thorin nodded sardonically.

"But once this is over I think we should probably have lots of sex."

Thorin's eyes widened, which only set Bilbo off again. Thankfully Gandalf decided that they were all in need of quiet time and herded Bilbo into Radagast's room to sleep. The wizard came back a little later and joined Thorin at the table, pouring himself a cup of tea with a sigh.

"You should sleep too, you know," Gandalf told him, watching him intently over the rim of his teacup.

Thorin considered him for a moment. "You knew my father well," he said, after a short silence. "You know about our...ancestry. About this whole world I'm supposed to be apart of."

Gandalf hummed in agreement.

"Why did my father never tell me?"

The wizard shook his head. "That I cannot answer, Thorin. I don't know why he kept it a secret from you. Perhaps he sought to keep you away from the danger that comes with knowing. Perhaps he thought you wouldn't want to know. I can only guess."

Thorin stared at his hands. "Then can you tell me this," he said, looking up and into Gandalf's eyes. "Who really killed my father?"

"Ah." Gandalf rubbed a hand down his face tiredly. "I suspect you met him tonight."

"After you get me what I want, I will kill you slowly."

Thorin raised his gun.

"Like I did your father."

"His name is Azog. He is the leader of a Warg pack, one of the many that work for Smaug on occasion. Now be aware, I am not entirely sure what happened, but Azog's kin fought your grandfather at one point, and many of them were wiped out. Azog swore an oath that he would destroy the line of Durin, and avenge his fallen pack. That is why he hunts you now, and it is likely what killed your father, in the end."

"Azog," Thorin said, repeating his name like a curse.

"Don't let vengeance cloud your judgement," Gandalf warned him. "You will meet your father's killer in battle soon enough."

He took the advice to heart and nodded. Gandalf pulled out a pipe from his robes (the man looked absolutely ridiculous in them, and Thorin wondered what normal people would have to say about it if they could see him) and packed it with tobacco. He puffed until the leaves smoldered, looking tired but peaceful.

A bit like Bilbo, in that he was excellent at pretending to be unfazed. Which reminded him....

"Can I ask you something?" he said, breaking the silence.

Gandalf eyed him amusedly, chewing on the end of his pipe. "You want to know about Bilbo," he surmised.

Thorin dipped his head somewhat sheepishly.

"You would not be the first, nor will you be the last, to be fascinated by Bilbo Baggins." Thorin started, having not known Bilbo's last name. "He is truly a one of a kind creature that never fails to surprise me."

Thorin's mouth quirked. "I don't know him that well," he admitted. "But somehow I understand what you mean."

"Yes, I dare say you do." The old wizard winked at him.

Trying not to blush, Thorin shook his head and turned serious again. "What I want to know is what his connection to Smaug is...why does he want Bilbo?"

Gandalf, whose face had grown more and more resigned as Thorin spoke, let out heavy sigh. "It's rather a long story."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," he said, accidentally sounding a lot like his bobby alter-ego. "I want to know."

"Alright. I suppose...I suppose it starts with his power."

Thorin leaned forward.

"Bilbo's power is quite singular," said Gandalf. "Words have weight, and with the right words, well – you've seen what he can do; call up storms, ward off enemies, cause terrible destruction – I have also seen his influence on the mind. He can...persuade people to do things. Sometimes without him even realizing it. The point is, Bilbo has an extremely useful gift. Useful...but dangerous if uncontrolled, and Bilbo struggles with restraint."

"What about that other minstrel in England?" Thorin asked. "Bilbo said there was two. How do they control their powers?"

The old wizard sighed again. His favorite thing to do tonight, it seemed. "There is no second minstrel," he revealed. "There's not another minstrel in all the world. I made it up, to convince our kind that Bilbo is not as special as he truly is. I thought the existence of another would lure Smaug into seeking this fictitious person out, but alas, I underestimated Smaug's obsession with the boy."

"What is that obsession? Why does he want Bilbo so much?"

"Partially for his power." Gandalf shrugged. "But also because of his mother."

He frowned. "His mother?"

"Yes," Gandalf paused and relit his pipe, his expression reluctant. "What happened was this: one day, Bilbo's father got very sick, and Belladonna, Bilbo's mother, could not cure him. They had only been married six months...and here was Bungo at death's door. She was heartbroken. Bella worked night and day to find a cure for him, but nothing helped. It wasn't until another apothecary told her of the healing power of dragon scales, that Bella considered approaching Smaug. Unwilling to lose Bungo, she took the risk and begged the dragon for his help. Most likely finding her amusing, Smaug gave her one of his scales and simply told her that all he asked for in repayment was the fulfillment of a request at a later date."

Thorin winced.

"Yes. Terrible mistake. Bella returned home, and of course the scale worked, and Bungo was back on his feet in no time at all. Three months later, Bella realized she was pregnant with Bilbo, and he was born a healthy baby in late September. As the years passed little Bilbo was a delight to his parents and his extended relations; a bright star in an otherwise murky sky, one might say. And then one day, when Bilbo was six years old, Smaug finally called upon Bella for his favor.

"I think that he probably meant to ask her to do something cruel and humiliating for him. Yes, he no doubt had some form of torment in mind. But then, of course, he met Bilbo, and immediately knew that the boy had immense power. So he asked Belladonna for repayment...in the form of her firstborn son.

"As you can imagine, this didn't go over well. So Smaug made her a deal (he likes his games, if you recall). He would give them three chances to find a better form of repayment than the little boy. Once a year, he would visit and ask what they had for him instead. Three chances. Three years.

"The first year they presented him with their wealth. They'd worked endless hours, and saved and scrounged for months, feeding only Bilbo, until they'd collected a good sized fortune. This they offered to Smaug, but the dragon only laughed, and kissed and hugged Bilbo, who did not know any better and showed Smaug open affection (and I must say, I have always wondered if that had ever affected him; there were many times the dragon could have simply killed the boy, and yet...) in any case, he did not accept their offering, and went away until the next year.

"When he returned the second time, Bella and Bungo offered him something far more precious: their blood. Magical blood is extremely potent, and with it other magicals can, for a time, harness the other's gift. It cannot be donated by the very powerful, I'm afraid (and Belladonna was indeed, quite strong) so it was Bungo who stepped forward in exchange for his son's freedom. Smaug claimed that he would first try a taste of the man's blood to see whether or not it suited him. But a taste was not what he had in mind. He killed Bungo; tore him limb from limb as his wife watched, and after it was over, he announced that the blood was not good enough, and warned Belladonna that she had but one more year before she lost her son forever."

"He killed Bilbo's father."

"Yes. Now it was in the third year that everything changed. I never learned what Bella had planned to offer Smaug, for in the end it didn't matter. Smaug had something he wanted this time. A request that would void out his earlier claim on Bilbo. He had heard from some other calamity – some evil whisper somewhere – of words that could bring him unimaginable power. Of words that would give him dominion over the entire world. All Smaug needed was a wordsmith, a minstrel – a creature whom, at the time, was considered only a myth. But Smaug had suspected for a while that Bilbo was of the Words, and so he came to the Bagginses with a plan...and a curse.

"What he had with him was unspeakable. They were Words that should never be said aloud; should never be read, or even written down. Words that only Bilbo could invoke. But what Smaug did not realize was that though the power was within the Words, it also came from the wordsmith. That is to say, unless Smaug himself possessed Bilbo's gift, it could not be transferred. And it could not be stolen."

"So Bilbo has this...unimaginable power?"

"Perhaps," Gandalf muttered noncommittally. "Perhaps not. All that is known is that after it was Said, Smaug went off believing that it had worked. By the time he realized that he had been given nothing, Bella and Bilbo had already fled. From then on they moved about the world, helped by me and other enemies of Smaug. Kept secret. Safe. Smaug took her defiance very personally, and part of the reason he has searched so obsessively for them was because he believed that he had been tricked. They were truly lucky to have lived undetected for so long. Then, when Belladonna fell ill and died, Bilbo wanted more than anything to return to his home. And well, you see how that turned out."

Thorin closed his eyes for a moment. "Then he is in great danger.”

"We all are," Gandalf agreed, and then gave him a pointed look. "But that's where you come in."

In the next room, in a dream that he would not remember come morning, Bilbo stood in front of a roaring bonfire on a white cliff that overlooked an endless black sea.

"Alright, little one, you know what to do."

Bilbo smiled up at the nice man and turned to face the fire. He inhaled, slow and deep, and with considerable power collected on his tongue, he said,

"One ring to rule them all...."

"Do we even have a plan?"

"Of course we do, weren't you paying attention?"

"Yes, but I thought you were joking."

"Quiet."

They fell silent as Gandalf glanced around the warehouse from their hiding place behind a shipping container, his eyes roving over the men that prowled around the yard. Bilbo fidgeted beside Thorin, his guitar on his back, and Thorin almost laughed aloud when he realized that, in this case, his gun was completely outclassed next to a acoustic guitar. Bilbo caught him staring and gave him a 'what?' look.

"There," Gandalf suddenly spoke. He pointed his staff at a large tower crane just as its engines fired up. Lorries beeped as they backed up out of its way, and a man in a hard hat suddenly shouted and made the universal sign for OK. The crane rose, and on the end of it was...a rock?

"What the hell is that?"

But it wasn't Gandalf that answered. Instead, Bilbo got a queer look in his eye, and whispered, "there hammer on the anvil smote, there chisel clove, and graver wrote. There forged was blade, and bound was hilt; the delver mined, the mason built."

"Durin's axe," said Gandalf.

Thorin frowned at the rock attached to the end of the crane, until suddenly, he caught sight of something glinting in the sunlight. He then realized what he was looking at: it was a hilt. The hilt of an axe – which was firmly lodged in stone.

"That belongs to you," Bilbo told him, turning to him with a smile.

Thorin smiled back fondly.

"Now is our only chance," Gandalf interrupted, getting to his feet rather nimbly for an old man. "Thorin, you must get to the axe. No matter what happens, this is your task. You cannot fail."

"What am I supposed to do after that?" Thorin demanded, rattled by Gandalf's intensity.

The wizard stared into his eyes gravely. "You will know," was all he said. "Bilbo, with me."

"What? Wait!"

Bilbo put a reassuring hand on Thorin's shoulder. "It'll be alright," he told him. "We're just going to cause a distraction. It'll be fun."

Thorin wasn't fooled for a moment.

"Be careful," he said worriedly. "I mean it, Bilbo."

"I will," Bilbo promised, and then flashed him a wicked grin. "After all, I'm looking forward to all that sex."

Thorin blushed, and Bilbo laughed into the back of his hand as he moved away and ran off after Gandalf.

He turned his attention back to the axe. The workers were slowly lowering it onto the back of a flatbed lorry, and it didn't look as though they were in any sort of a hurry. As he waited, he checked his magazine before clicking the safety off his gun.

He nearly jumped out of his skin as a cacophonous screeching sound suddenly split the air. Forgetting what he was doing for a moment, he looked about wildly until he spotted the source of the commotion. A stack of shipping containers had toppled over, hitting another stack and causing three more to fall like dominoes. And there...there was Gandalf standing on top of a high platform, his staff glowing white.

Thorin heard a deep and guttural growl, and saw that the workers had abandoned their human skins for fur. Wargs. At least thirty of them. They snarled at Gandalf, half-crouched like sprinters at the starting line, ready to tear the wizard apart.

But then something sweet whistled through the air – something soft like a slow breeze at dusk, whispering:

come and see come and see what's hidden underneath come and see come and see my great big teeth.

Bilbo. Thorin spotted him on another container, perched like Gandalf and glowing – a smile on his face.

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

The ground exploded. It cracked and rose like a rocky wave, striking out at the Wargs and knocking them off their feet. Thorin himself was unaffected, and he knew that it was now or never. He tore off toward the stone as fast as his feet could carry him.

Rock and dust flew up around him as the Wargs yelped. Another pulse of Bilbo's guitar ripped through the air, propelling a Warg away from Thorin. He managed to get a few shots off, taking out two men coming for him head on, and then he made it to the lorry and slid behind it for cover.

His breath caught as he looked up and saw the axe in the stone. His birthright.

He knew what to do.

With a grunt, Thorin climbed up the side of the lorry and onto the bed. Around him the fight carried on, but he paid it no mind. He could not tear his eyes away from the axe.

Thorin reached forward. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt. He lifted.

The axe slid out, and the world trembled.

For a time Thorin wasn't aware of where he was, of what he was doing, or even who he was. There was only light; the light of the axe in his hand which shown bright enough to blind him. But it wasn't only coming from the axe, for it also grew out of Thorin's own body – enveloping him in warmth, and in courage, and in strength. It was a feeling reminiscent of being reunited with a long lost love. Of becoming whole.

This light had been in him all along, and all that was needed to summon it was his ancestor's call. A call he could hear now. And this time, he didn't need Bilbo to craft the words for him.

Unwearied then were Durin's folk; Beneath the mountains music woke: The harpers harped, the minstrels sang, And at the gates the trumpets rang. 5

Thorin could see something above him, hovering in and out of his mind's eye, and real, if one chose to look. It was bright and big, and strangely familiar to his heart.

It was a crown of stars.

The image shattered, and in its place was a shining helm, slowly descending toward Thorin. When it came close enough, he instinctively straightened his neck, letting it fall onto his head with gentle finality. It was then that Thorin came back to himself. He looked at the axe in his hand and touched the helm on his head, and felt content for the first time in a long time.

There was a growl - too close - and a Warg pounced on him, throwing them both over the side of the lorry. Viciously it snapped in Thorin's face with its sharp teeth and putrid breath. He struggled to get the thing off of him, using both hands to push the hilt of the axe into the Warg's neck to keep it from biting him. Thorin managed to get a leg underneath him and he shoved as hard as he could.

The Warg fell, but another one came for him from the opposite direction. Thorin breathed hard, glancing down at his weapon. He brought it down to his side, took a deep breath, and sliced upward.

The ground rose with it, summoning hot rock and spitting magma. Black stone bloomed at his feet, cracked with crawling lava. He suddenly registered the screams – the Warg, blinded by Thorin's strike, was now writhing in the dirt. He turned to see the other gain its feet and charge him, and this time Thorin made contact. The axe cracked into the Warg's chest and sent it flying.

Before he could marvel at its strength, he was being attacked again, and this time he noticed that Bilbo and Gandalf were facing the Wargs too, and that their numbers had grown.

It was a veritable army that marched toward them now, all of them glaring with bright eyes full of malice. Thorin fought off the Wargs closest to him and stopped to think for a moment, breathing hard.

His wandering gaze found the tower crane.

It was risky, but there were too many for Thorin to take on by himself, and Bilbo and Gandalf had to be tiring.... He made his decision and sprinted over to its base, quickly judging where he should strike.

Please let this work, he thought, before using both hands to draw back the axe and chop at the base of the crane, almost as if it were a tree.

He'd figured it would take a couple of hits, but this was also one hell of an axe.

The base exploded as if Thorin had launched a rocket at it. There was an ungodly, groaning screech – one of the strangest and most frightening sounds he had ever heard – and then the crane was coming down. The Wargs in its path didn't stand a chance, for there was nowhere to really run. The steel rained from the sky and landed with a tremendous crash.

Thorin watched, wide-eyed, as the dust cleared. He caught a glimpse of Bilbo hopping up and down on his container, cheering, and couldn't help but smile.

They had won.

And then there was pain.

"Thorin!"

From far away he heard Bilbo call to him, but there was something wrong...his arm –

He opened his eyes just in time to dodge Azog's mace. Rolling to his feet with a pained moan, Thorin held his axe and his aching arm close to his chest. The pain was horrible, and he could feel warm blood trailing down his fingers.

Azog did not wait for Thorin to gain his bearings. He charged, swinging his mace toward Thorin's head. He let go of his arm and brought the axe up to parry, dragging the mace to the side. Thorin backed away swiftly as Azog moved to swipe at him again. He heard a frightened yelp coming from where Bilbo was, and he turned to see...he wasn't sure what he was seeing.

Giant...trolls?

The earth trembled as they moved toward Bilbo and Gandalf, the wizard raising his staff high into the air. But then Thorin had no time to watch his companions, because Azog was lumbering toward him with a cruel smile on his face.

"Durin," he growled, and there was amusement in his voice. "Durin the Deathless. King Under the Mountain."

Thorin frowned, keeping his axe up as Azog circled him.

"That right is mine," said Azog, pointing his mace at Thorin's helm. "That is my crown."

"This is the right of Durin's folk," he snapped, angry that Azog was even looking at the weapon of his ancestors. "Not filth like you!"

"Durin's folk," Azog laughed, his scarred face deforming grotesquely. "Dead folk. Unworthy. Not even Thrain's pride could inspire your ancestors to crown a new king."

Thorin went very still. "You killed him – " he said, shaking with fury. "It was you, wasn't it? You bastard – "

"I thought the old fool would pull the axe from the stone, and then I would harness its power." Azog eyed the weapon and helm with envy. "But it seems your father was not good enough for the crown. It seems he wasn't a true king."

Thorin attacked, bringing up his axe and striking at Azog over and over. The Warg managed to block, but something else was happening – heat rose from the ground, blackening everywhere Thorin stepped, and embers rose from the hot blade of his axe, creating a burning gust as powerful as the strongest bellows in the largest forge.

Rage raised the fire higher, and rock and ash burst from the ground and pummeled Azog from every side. Still Thorin pressed him, roaring as the earth shook and flames leapt from the edge of his blade. Azog cried out and smashed to the dirt after a particularly hard strike, and Thorin stood over him panting.

Azog cackled, blood on his teeth.

Father, thought Thorin. He raised the axe....

There lies his crown in water deep, i> till Durin wakes again from sleep. 

....and brought it down.

"Whoa, there," he said, catching Gandalf as he swayed from side to side. "Alright, old man?"

"Old!" Gandalf coughed, giving Thorin a one-eyed glare. "Old enough to take care of those!"

He waved his staff in the direction of the giant, ugly....

"What are these exactly?"

"Trolls!" said Gandalf, stretching his back with a pained groan. "Dimwitted creatures with terrible hygiene."

Thorin's mouth twitched. "Well done, then," he said. "Where's Bilbo gone?"

"He's around here somewhere." Gandalf waved a hand vaguely.

"I'll get him." Thorin moved off once he was sure the wizard wouldn't fall over, and walked toward Bilbo's container. He looked up as he came to it, but didn't see him.

"Bilbo?" Thorin called, but there was no answer.

Frowning, Thorin walked around to where he'd last seen the man, standing tall and invincible and laughing in the face of an army. But Bilbo wasn't there.

Thorin squinted, catching sight of a trail of blood. His eyes followed it from the top of the container to the bottom, where it pooled sickeningly. He quickly followed it  around to the other side, and then gasped.

On the ground beside where Bilbo once stood – was his guitar.

Thorin plucked at a few strings listlessly, staring off into the distance. He heard Gandalf arguing with someone in the next room, but couldn't be bothered to listen. He kept seeing Bilbo's quirky little smile, and he swore he could hear his sweet, understated voice singing words filled with affection and good humor. It was strange how much Bilbo being gone affected him – Thorin not only felt paralyzed with guilt and worry, but his heart was hurting too.

" – matter of great importance! I would not ask otherwise!"

There was a low murmur as whoever it was they were talking to responded to Gandalf. Then there was silence. Thorin looked toward the door as Gandalf came thundering out of the room. He caught a glimpse of a glowing orb and a timid looking Radagast, before Gandalf's terrible temper demanded his attention.

"They refuse to help! Insufferable creatures!"

"Who?"

"Your subjects, that's who! Our fellows who are too scared of calamities to fight them, and much too stupid to understand that they haven't a choice! Evil such as this can never be left to its own devices!"

Thorin scoffed. "And they won't answer to me? To the king of...whatever?"

"They need proof first," explained Gandalf, his face stormy. "And they will get it, but not now. Now we must rescue Bilbo from Smaug. Do you remember what I told you, Thorin, of Bilbo's story?"

He met Gandalf's eyes, recalling the details now...realizing that things were a lot more dire than he thought. "Bilbo's power...."

"Yes," Gandalf confirmed gravely. "Which is why I must go with or without the help of my peers. Without you, even. I cannot leave Bilbo to this horrid fate, nor allow this world to suffer the spread of so great a darkness. Smaug must be stopped."

Thorin swung the guitar around his back and stood up. He faced the wizard determinedly, jamming the helm onto his head and holding onto his axe with both hands.

"Let's go," he said.

But Gandalf did not move, and instead looked down at Thorin gravely. "It is very dangerous," he warned. "We may very well die."

Thorin shook his head. "I don't care."

The wizard nodded. "Good, nor do I," he agreed, and they set off into the night.

Thorin had never technically been to Smaug's penthouse. He'd certainly staked out the outside of it, but he didn't think that counted. Getting a search warrant from the magistrates had always been like pulling teeth, but in Smaug's case it was nearly impossible. He was a man of means and shamelessly unethical, and approaching the courts with a blank cheque was not above him, nor would it be a surprise. All this meant was that storming the flat, as it were, was made doubly difficult by Thorin's not knowing the place he was walking into.

"What should we do? Is there a way in? Should we climb up the lift shaft?"

Gandalf stared at him dubiously. "Don't be ridiculous, we need only convince the security guards to let us pass. I don't imagine it will be very difficult. Though your appearance leaves much to be desired."

"My appearance?" Thorin said. "You're wearing a dress and a pointy hat."

Gandalf narrowed his eyes at him, but Thorin pressed on. "Can't you do a spell? Make us invisible? Bilbo mentioned that he could do something like that."

"Yes, but that is Bilbo," the wizard told him. "My magic is quite different from his, I'm afraid. Spells like invisibility are too subtle for me to do with any sort of precision, I would only blow you up if I were to attempt it."

Thorin did not want to be blown up.

"Right." He nodded. "I'll hide my axe and take the helm off if you'll at least give up the cap. I'm assuming the staff is staying?"

Gandalf scowled at him – so yes.

Without further delay, Thorin and the wizard made their way to Smaug's building. His flat was at the very top, and Thorin eyed the lifts behind the front desk determinedly. A security guard stood by, watching them.

"Can I help you?" said the concierge.

"Yes, I'm afraid I've locked myself out of my flat," Gandalf lied, and not very well. "I'll just be going – "

"I'm sorry, sir." The concierge frowned. "May I ask your name?"

Gandalf looked from side to side, as if thinking over his options. Thorin covered his eyes with his hand.

"Smaug...?" said Gandalf.

The concierge raised both eyebrows and looked the old man up and down. "Sorry?"

The security guard was stepping forward.

"No, no," the wizard said hastily. "I mean that Smaug is my nephew. Yes. My favorite nephew. Although perhaps not."

"I'll go ahead and phone Mr. Smaug, sir, and see if we can't clear this up," offered the concierge, his expression bemused.

"No!" Gandalf said. "There's no need for that, surely? Can I call you Shirley?"

Thorin groaned aloud this time.

"It's a surprise visit! Yes. For his...birthday."

The concierge hung up the phone. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Oh, but...." The security guard was coming over now, and there went their chances of remaining inconspicuous. The doors to the lobby suddenly crashed open, and Thorin and Gandalf turned to look.

Blocking their exit was a group of truly bizarre looking creatures. They were humpbacked and bald, their pallor a sickly grey and their eyes too big for their face. They snarled, showing off rotted, blackened teeth, and began to prowl closer.

"What are these things?" asked Thorin, slamming his helm on his head and taking the axe out from under his coat.

"Goblins," said Gandalf. "Very fast. Man-eaters. Quite unpleasant."

Thorin raised an eyebrow, and then prepared to defend himself as the daywalkers shot toward them. Thorin swung his axe and two of the creatures went flying. He saw the wizard point his staff, sending three into fits of pain. They screeched and drooled on the floor, but their fellows did not stop to help them. There were so many, coming from out of nowhere – Thorin struck out over and over but saw no end to them.

"Enough!" said Gandalf, clearing a space around himself. "Keep that helm on your head, Thorin Durin, or perish with them."

"What?" Thorin shouted, but Gandalf was already raising his staff.

He brought it down and a blinding light filled the room. Thorin slammed his eyes closed, listening as the snarls abruptly stopped and a car horn went off before there was a loud crash. Then everything went silent.

Oddly, it was difficult to reopen his eyes, but he managed with a great deal of willpower. He immediately saw that Gandalf was surrounded by collapsed goblins. Then he looked at the security guard and concierge, who were similarly knocked out.

"Have you killed them?" Thorin yelped.

"Of course not!" Gandalf denied defensively. "They are merely asleep."

Thorin saw now that people on the street had passed out as well, a few at the wheel but miraculously crashing without hurting themselves or others. Thorin gaped at Gandalf accusingly.

"How many people did you do this to?" he demanded. "And why wasn't I affected?"

Gandalf turned toward the lifts impatiently. "Your helm, of course. There is little that can penetrate it. I am unsure just how many people were put to sleep, but I wouldn't worry so. It's a relatively harmless spell, I assure you."

That didn't reassure Thorin at all, but there wasn't time for getting angry at Gandalf. "I doubt the spell managed to reach the upstairs," the wizard said. "We'd best hurry."

They quickly sprinted for the lifts and crammed in, awkwardly adjusting axe and staff so as to not hit each other. Then they pressed the button for the top floor. They had just made it past the sixth when they stopped and the doors popped open. Thorin quickly pressed for them to close again but nothing happened.

"Bugger," he said when a horde of Wargs appeared in the hallway.

"I suppose we'll take the stairs," said Gandalf, a bit sadly. He quickly left the lift, his staff held high, and bowled over the Wargs at the front of the pack. Thorin followed with his axe, striking down the second wave.

The last two were bigger than the others, and Thorin faced them warily as they stepped up and over the downed members of their pack. Then they transformed, and Thorin saw a true Warg for the first time.

They were massive, rather more the size of a bear than a wolf, and their jaws looked so powerful that Thorin was sure they could cut him in half with one bite. Their fur was a thick brown and a bit mangy, and their eyes were yellow-red.

As they prowled closer, Thorin raised his axe and wished he knew more about using it in combat, and just more about combat in general. So far he'd been holding his own, but these were also really big wolves.

He had no time for fear, however, because the Warg was coming for him, and he was suddenly using his axe to keep those teeth away from his throat.

The Warg snapped and spat, and then clawed down Thorin's side. He yelled out in pain, cursing as he used his upper body strength to shove the thing off of him. He felt something strain in his already injured arm when he did it, and seeing as the Warg had to be over three hundred pounds, it was no wonder his arm felt useless when he managed to get back on his feet. The Warg came for him again and he cried out in agony as he raised his axe and brought it down on its head.

There was no strength behind it, Thorin's arm was shot and his speed was dismal, but the moment it touched the Warg's head the axe seemed to sense its master's desperation and gathered its own power. It slammed into the Warg and drove its head straight into the ground, breaking apart the carpeted floor and leaving a Warg shaped hole. Its bum and legs stuck up a bit, and Thorin couldn't help but laugh a little.

He turned and helped Gandalf finish off the last one (nearly getting singed by one of the wizard's spells for his efforts) and by the time the pack had been defeated they were in pretty rough shape. Thorin panted, checking his bleeding side and moaning every time he moved his arm.

"Come, I can help with the pain," said Gandalf, motioning to him.

Thorin gazed at him skeptically, but handed over his arm for inspection anyway. It hurt too much not to. "You said you couldn't do subtle magics."

Gandalf sent him a disgruntled look. "You may be a bit giddy afterward, possibly even for a day or so, but you shan't be in so much pain. Now which is it? Yes or no?"

"Yes."

The wizard's spell did indeed make Thorin feel giddy, and also extremely refreshed. With a new energy he took his arm from Gandalf and hefted up his axe.

"Your arm is still injured, Thorin, so mind how you use it," Gandalf warned him, watching as Thorin tried the lift again. They made for the stairs when it refused to work.

They climbed as quickly as they could, the axe heavy and the miraculously unharmed guitar bumping against his back. He counted the seventh, eighth, and ninth floors before losing track. The penthouse was on the fifteenth, and to Thorin that seemed thousands of miles away.

It was on the thirteenth floor that something strange started to happen; there was an odd scraping and tapping noise, as if thousands of needles were falling onto metal. The unseen thing hissed like something slithering, and Thorin slowed in order to listen closer.

Then something came down the staircase. It was black and spindly, and made of what looked like tendrils of writhing vines that slowly inched toward Thorin and the wizard.

"Don't let them touch you!" cried Gandalf. "They are probably poisoned."

Thorin swallowed around a groan of frustration and began to hack away at the vines, but like a hydra, the more he cut the more they seemed to multiply.

"How exactly am I supposed to kill this thing?!" Thorin asked as the thorns continued to advance.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Gandalf said unhelpfully.

Thorin continued to hack and slash, getting nowhere. "Can't you use light or something? Like from the movie?"

Gandalf's head shot up. "What movie?"

"Harry Potter!" Thorin yelled.

His expression grew thunderous. "That isn't real magic!" he snapped. "And I am not that Dumbledorf person!"

"Oh for god’s sake!" Thorin shouted in frustration.

He purposely recalled the sensation he had felt the first time he had used the axe – the moment when he'd called up the hot rock and flame – but this time he wished for searing light to accompany it.

The axe came down and flame spread out in a fan, electricity running ahead of it like foam on a wave. It crashed into the thorns and incinerated them, sending a strange sulfuric stink into the air.

Thorin coughed and looked around at Gandalf. "See?" he couldn't help but needle. "Are you a wizard or not?"

Gandalf scowled. "Yes, well, fire tends to work most of the time," the old man grumbled.

They ascended once more, climbing up to the fifteenth floor at long last, but wary of what they would meet there. The door to the stairwell swung open easy enough, and Thorin saw a long hallway before him. At the very end was a door made of textured glass.

Thorin and Gandalf walked toward it cautiously, the eerie silence of the hall a large difference to the chaotic noise of before. Thorin's ears were even ringing.

When he reached the end, he hesitated.

Despite his fear for Bilbo and the adrenaline coursing through him, he had to stop and take a deep breath before touching the handle. When he finally did it clicked open easily.

"This is absolutely a trap," Thorin hissed, looking around.

The room was painted a deep gold, with red neon lights lining the high ceiling. A large tube-like structure made of the same textured glass as the door sat in the middle of the otherwise empty room.

Thorin moved forward cautiously, peering around it. That's when he saw the opening, and that's when he saw Bilbo.

Thorin immediately ran to his side, calling his name. Bilbo was laid out on a gold colored bed, looking just the same as when Thorin had last seen him. His ugly yellow cardigan and maroon knit cap were slightly askew, but otherwise...he was completely unhurt.

And yet Bilbo would not wake.

"Bilbo? Bilbo?" Thorin shook him a little. "Bilbo, wake up."

"An enchanted sleep will not hold his power for long," Gandalf suddenly said. Thorin turned around quickly, spying the wizard looking at someone standing in the doorway.

"No, but it will keep him quiet," responded Smaug, and of course it was him.

Thorin stepped away from Bilbo, removing the guitar from his back and gently placing it on the floor beside the bed. He left the glass circle, creeping out until he caught sight of Smaug.

The dragon faced them calmly, his sharp gaze finding Thorin before flicking back to the wizard. He wore a fitted black suit, and his long, chiseled face, was as hard as stone. As usual, his full lips were turned up in a cruel smirk.

"You cannot take the power of the ring for yourself. It is lost to you now," Gandalf said, leaning on his staff.

"Then I'm sure I can...persuade him to work for me," Smaug replied, shrugging. "He's always been such a gullible little thing. So eager to please...."

Thorin's face grew hot with fury. "You'll have to kill us first," Thorin snarled. "He's a wizard, and I'm a king. How good do you think your chances are?"

Smaug raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"A king, are you?" he said silkily. "So quick to take up that honorable mantle, Detective Inspector! Could it be you enjoy the power that axe gives you? It feels good doesn't it? To destroy. To command. To be more than just human. What makes you so different from me?"

Thorin glared. "The biggest difference is that I don't do monologues," he replied, and raised the axe. To his satisfaction, he saw Smaug's eyes widen as the weapon came down, striking the floor with a boom.

The dragon was thrown off of his feet and into the door, which shattered on contact. Gandalf shot a bright, pulsing light from the end of his staff, and it slammed into Smaug, who screamed in pain. As Thorin advanced, he felt the hilt of the axe heat and looked down as sparks came off of its straight edge. It must have been hot enough to burn, but Thorin's hands remained unharmed.

Gandalf's spell ceased, the old man seeming to tire a bit, and Thorin stepped forward and slashed his axe across his body with one hand. The ground rumbled and turned to hot black stone, from which bright orange magma bubbled and hissed to the surface. He marveled for a moment at the magic it took to summon a veritable volcano in a penthouse flat, before he was distracted by the liquified floor. It had turned to lava, and Smaug was sinking into it with an ungodly screech.

And then those pained eyes focused on Thorin, and his porcelain skin began to change. Black vines, reminiscent of the thorny creature that had attacked them on the stairwell, crawled out of Smaug's eyes, which had turned the color of fire.

Then Gandalf stepped back. "Oh, dear," he said.

Thorin looked at him quizzically, not liking the sound of that, but he understood why the wizard was wary when the strange vines around Smaug's body began to pulse.

"You will burn," the dragon hissed, and then exploded into darkness.

Writhing clouds of pure black smoke flew up into the air, congealing to form a hulking, massive shape. The roof groaned and broke open, and Thorin tripped over his feet to get away from the falling debris.

Smaug the dragon, the actual dragon, came out of the smoke head first; his snake-like neck curving back as if he were stretching after a long time trapped somewhere small.

"Our little game ends here," Smaug rumbled, his voice was like thunder. "Now you die."

Thorin dove out of the way just in time as Smaug let loose a ball of fire. He moved quickly out of the dragon's reach, stumbling into the far wall, and too late realized that he was close to the sleeping Bilbo and probably putting him in terrible danger.

And yet Smaug did not attack. He eyed Bilbo as well, his head swaying from side to side in agitation, and Thorin understood that the dragon would not risk hurting the minstrel with his fire.

That did not stop his teeth, however, and then Thorin was moving again – this time away from the dragon's snapping jaws.

As he dodged and ducked, he heard Gandalf call out from above, and Thorin looked up and saw that the wizard had escaped up to the roof. He seemed to be chanting and slowly gathering light at the tip of his staff. Smaug narrowed his eyes at the wizard and slithered through the hole in the ceiling, completely distracted by the foreboding shine of the spell.

Thorin followed, nearly tripping over bits of plaster, and managed to pull himself up to the next floor with the help of some stacked debris. On the next level he immediately saw a stairwell to the roof, and he sprinted toward it and up to the outside. And just in time too – for Gandalf's spell had only made the dragon angrier.

The night was brisk and windy, and Thorin could see twinkling stars behind Smaug's red-scaled bulk. Gandalf glowed a bright white, and in solidarity the axe in Thorin's hand pulsed with heat. He watched as Smaug reared back, the scales on his chest beginning to ignite, and did something he had never done before. He held the axe securely by its hilt, reached back, and let it fly.

It was aimed straight for Smaug's chest, but the dragon had seen him prepare to throw it, and brought up his wing just in time. Miraculously, the axe did not bounce off of the armor-like scales, and instead sunk deep into his hide.

Smaug roared in pain and fury, clawing at the axe until it fell to the ground. Thorin watched it with despairing eyes, swallowing as the dragon angrily crouched and made ready to pounce.

Thorin had no choice but to run, but where to run to? He took off for the other side of the roof, listening as Gandalf shouted in some other language and the wind suddenly grew stronger. He had to find his weapon –

The floor cracked beneath his feet and collapsed, and Thorin's stomach dropped as he fell, his hands reaching out desperately for something to grab. He landed bum first on the next floor, which crumbled apart but thankfully slowed his fall, and before he knew it he was crashing back into Smaug's penthouse.

He groaned, feeling blood roll down his leg and side, and reached up to wipe the dust out of his nose. The ground shook as he crawled blindly toward the wall, frightened of falling again.

He heard the dragon roar and knew he should get up – he knew that the wizard needed his help – but his axe was gone and though his helm protected his head it didn't do much else. He took a second to catch his breath, riding out the pain from his injuries. He turned his head tiredly, looking around at the destruction, when his eyes caught sight of the large glass circle.

"Bilbo," he murmured, starting to panic. How had he forgotten about Bilbo? The room was trashed, the roof was falling down, and the dragon was crashing around and setting fire to everything and poor Bilbo was, was –

Completely fine.

"You lucky sod," he laughed, quickly moving to Bilbo's side. It must have been some magic spell that kept him from harm, for everything within the glass circle was relatively unscathed, though a bit dusty. Thorin put his hand over Bilbo's, feeling tired and sore. He needed to finish this, for Bilbo's sake.

And apparently Smaug agreed; the dragon crashed through what was left of the ceiling and braced his forelegs on the floor, the rest of his large body coiled on the roof.

"Thief!" rumbled Smaug. "You will take nothing from me! I laid low the warriors of old, and now you shall meet the same fate, o' Son of Durin!"

The dragon opened his jaws, showing off his terrible teeth, and Thorin looked around desperately for something, anything to use as a weapon.

His eyes found Bilbo's guitar.

He dove out of the way of Smaug's reach, wincing when he heard his huge jaw snap closed, and crawled quickly toward the instrument. Thorin picked the surprisingly heavy guitar up just in time, swinging it around to hold in front of him as Smaug thankfully bit into it instead of Thorin.

The guitar splintered and then broke apart, the wooden top separating from the whole, and Thorin felt bad for a second until he realized that there was nothing else to use to defend himself but the remains of the guitar. It wouldn't do much, but he grabbed the wooden top anyway and held onto it by the hole, using it to cover most of his arm and face as Smaug attacked, and this time with his skull.

And surprisingly, the top didn't break. Instead, the force of Smaug's head butt pushed Thorin back, his feet sliding along the ground until his heel caught on a chunk of concrete. He went down hard but forced himself to keep moving, to keep rolling away and to run, run, run to who knew where....

The axe.

He spotted it underneath a large piece of the fallen ceiling, and he ran full tilt for it. Smaug slithered after him, but Thorin was faster now, for there was at last an end in sight. He crashed into the wreckage and reached beneath it, feeling the hilt and wrapping his hand around it. Smaug took a breath.

The world was fire, but Thorin wasn't burning. He had thrust the guitar top and axe in front of him without thinking, and the flames crashed into the shield and axe and fanned out around him. Thorin knew then that this was his only chance; that his body simply could not take much more of this. So he closed his eyes and listened to the call.

The King beneath the mountains. 6

....began a voice not unlike Bilbo's. The dragon's deadly fire ran out, and Thorin brought his axe close to his lips. He said the next verse, this time.

The King of carven stone.

Smaug was preparing another strike, but Thorin knew what to do. Thorin was ready. He reached back with his axe in hand, feet staggered and spread apart.

The lord of silver fountains.

His whole body twisted forward, and with stunning accuracy, he threw the axe straight for Smaug's heart.

It met its mark.

...shall come into his own!

Smaug roared and writhed in pain, the axe lodged deep within his breast. From where the blade had punctured him, cracks soon appeared – Smaug's chest glowing as the axe worked its destructive magic. Then the great lizard bellowed one last time, and his body cracked like broken glass – and finally shattered.

Golden sparks burst from where the dragon once stood, and Thorin covered his eyes as they went every which way. When all was done and the room had fallen silent, he looked up cautiously...and saw that the dragon was gone. That Smaug had at last been defeated.

Out of breath and hurting worse than he ever had in his life, Thorin stood there in disbelief. A smile slowly spread across his face, and he couldn't help but laugh when he realized that the danger had passed, and that against all odds...he had survived.

Then he remembered Bilbo.

His breath caught and he spun around, seeing Bilbo there still fast asleep. Thorin stumbled over and leaned heavily against the bed, wondering if Bilbo should have woken by now. He heard grumbling and the sound of falling concrete as Gandalf jumped down from the floor above and back into the room.

"Why isn't he awake?" Thorin said, turning to glare at Gandalf.

Gandalf brushed off his robes and glared back. "How would I know? The enchantment should have ended. Perhaps if you give it a moment? So impatient!"

But Thorin was remembering something. It was a wild theory and unlikely to do much of anything, but all he could think of was leaning down and kissing Bilbo lightly on the lips. And so he did it.

It lasted only a few seconds, but it was the sweetest few seconds Thorin had ever known.

And then Bilbo's eyes fluttered open.

"Hmm?" he inquired, blinking the tiredness out of his eyes.

Thorin flinched backward, putting up empty hands in surrender should Bilbo be cross. But the man only yawned and peered at Thorin happily, looking for all the world like he had just woken from a rather pleasant siesta.

Then his smile vanished, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Hold on," he said, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Was that a kiss? Were you just kissing me right now?"

"No!" Thorin answered automatically, and then he winced again. "Yes. Sorry."

Bilbo stared at him for a moment before grinning slowly. "That's alright," he said cheerfully. "I'm just sorry I missed it. But where on earth am I? Was I asleep? Holy shit, what a mess! Ooh, wait – "

Bilbo leaned into Thorin's space excitedly. "Was that true love's first kiss?"

Gandalf, who had been shuffling around in the wreckage, threw them both an irritated look. "Of course not," he said crossly, kicking a piece of broken plasterboard away. "This isn't a fairytale!"

Bilbo made a face. "Spoilsport."

"Another gas leak! The world is just falling apart," said Bilbo, slapping down the front page of the newspaper. A picture of the ruins of Smaug's penthouse was on the cover, and Thorin couldn't help but shake his head. Had he truly been that oblivious once? How many gas leaks had really been gas leaks, anyway?

The morning after the battle with Smaug was horrid for both Gandalf and Thorin. Gandalf was still asleep, snoring away in Radagast's room, while Thorin had been up at the crack of dawn as always, unable to ignore his internal clock. His whole body protested any and all movement, but he'd made it to the loo and the kitchen well enough, and then couldn't find the energy to slouch back to bed after that.

Bilbo had taken the initiative and had made him some porridge and tea, and then happily hovered around him like a mother hen.

"At least no one was killed," Bilbo said thoughtfully, popping a piece of toast in his mouth. "You two got the worst of it. How's your arm by the way? Should I change your bandages?"

"In a bit," Thorin told him, smiling softly. "I'm glad you're alright, you know."

Bilbo nudged him with his shoulder playfully. "Me too! And thank you for saving me," he said. "I can't believe you defeated a dragon all by yourself! It's very cinematic!"

"Stupid more like," Thorin scoffed, taking a sip of his tea. "We nearly died multiple times. But it was worth it, in the end, to see you safe."

Bilbo looked at him for a moment, his expression terribly fond. Then he leaned over and kissed Thorin on the cheek.

"Finish your breakfast," he said, and got up to refill the kettle.

Thorin took a few more slow bites, his gritty eyes fixing on the axe and helm leaning casually against the wall. And next to it was the remains of Bilbo's guitar....

"Bilbo," he began, feeling positively wretched. "I'm so sorry about your guitar."

But Bilbo only smiled. "Oh that's alright!" He waved it off. "I can make another. I didn't much like using oak for it anyway. Too heavy...."

He cast a curious glance at the splintered pieces. "Made a great shield though," he added cheekily.

Thorin snorted. "That it did."

After he finished eating he let Bilbo pile gauze and sterile pads on the table, watching as the man bustled around the kitchen. He carried over a round bowl full of hot kettle water, and Thorin obligingly removed his shirt. Bilbo hissed in sympathy when he slowly removed the soiled bandages.

"Tell me if I hurt you," he said, and began to clean the wound.

Thorin's arm would need to be re-wrapped, as well as his leg, and he felt a bit guilty about enjoying Bilbo's ministrations, despite the pain it brought. He liked having Bilbo close, and he especially liked the coddling. Who knew Thorin was so fond of being fussed over? He couldn't help but gaze at the man affectionately as he worked.

"So, I don't mean to be that person," Bilbo began, his attention on Thorin's wound. "But someone has to say it: what now?"

Thorin frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Smaug is gone, and half the hunstman in England are dead. All that's left are people like us. And we still don't have a leader."

Thorin looked away.

"Once word gets around that Smaug isn't in charge anymore, someone or something is going to rush to fill that void. I'm not saying it should be you – "

"But shouldn't it be me?" he interrupted, meeting Bilbo's eyes. "Aren't I...king now?"  

"Well, I didn't vote for you."

Thorin raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he said in amused disbelief.

Bilbo shrugged, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Couldn't help myself. But yeah. I guess you are king. King of...I don't know, a load of people with bizarre talents, probably. But hey, you know what? I think you'll make a splendid king for us. Best we've ever had."

"You haven't had any."

"Exactly!"

He shook his head at Bilbo, but he was smiling. "What about my life, Bilbo? I don't...want to leave it behind. I like my job. I worked hard to get where I am. But most of all I just still want to help people."

Bilbo bit his cheek and looked away thoughtfully. "Well, there's no reason you can't be a king and a cop."

"You're not serious," Thorin laughed, though he didn't find it funny.

"Why not? At least for now you can keep that part of your old life."  Bilbo secured the gauze around his chest and sat back with a sigh. "We've got lots of work to do before you're even considered a real king anyway."

Thorin nodded at the table. "That's right, whose to say the magicals will ever acknowledge the crown? Might be a lost cause."

"Not at all!" Bilbo wrapped a gentle arm around his shoulders, hugging him. "People talk, you know, and they'll be talking about this battle for a long time. 'King Thorin' they'll say, 'wielder of axe and broken guitar! A most excellent detective and surprise kisser!'"

Thorin groaned. "I'm never going to live that down."

"Aww, but it was true love!" said Bilbo, giggling. "You woke me from an enchanted sleep and now we're obligated to give it a go! In fact, we can just skip the courting and get right to the se – "

He cut Bilbo off with a kiss. Thorin had to live up to the legend, after all.

"Got one for you, detective," said the desk sergeant, poking his head into Thorin's office.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Thorin pushed aside his paperwork and slipped on his blazer, walking idly toward the interrogation room. "What's this?" he asked Bofur.

"Lady come in asking for you," Bofur shrugged. "Said she wanted to speak to you alone."

Thorin sighed and nodded, taking the case file Bofur handed to him. He opened the door and slipped inside.

"Heard you wanted to talk to me," said Thorin, cutting to the chase. "What seems to be the problem?"

The red headed woman sitting at the table had an earnest look about her, and her green eyes were bright as she solemnly said, "I'd like to report a crime."

Thorin frowned. "Alright...?"

"It's to do with...one of ours."

His stomach swooped nervously, and he titled his head at her in confusion. "One...one of ours?" he repeated.

"Yes," said the woman. Then she eyed him speculatively. "You...you are King Thorin Oakenshield, aren't you?"

Thorin inhaled, mouth moving but nothing coming out.

"The detective?" she pressed.

He let out a long breath. King Thorin Oakenshield, he thought with an laugh. That was Bilbo all over. And...she had called him a king and a detective. She knew of him. Bilbo was right...word was spreading. 

And now it sounded like she needed his help.

He turned his attention back on the woman, who had been waiting very patiently.

"Yes..." Thorin said, smiling a little. "I suppose I am."

Notes:

(1) The Old Walking Song (original)


(2) derivative of “or so sworn, good or evil, an oath may not be broken, and it shall pursue oathkeeper and oathbreaker to the world’s end.”


(3) “Down the swift dark stream…” from The Hobbit


(4) literally what the legend says


(5) “Song of Durin” from The Fellowship of the Ring


(6) “The King Beneath the Mountain” from The Hobbit