#carolin still sorta has a life

[ihatebrainstorm]

Ok I got a bunch of work I need to finish but also just need to spitball some long winded Half Life/Portal universe Transformer crossover thoughts:

(Will contain Half Life 1 & 2, Portal 1 & 2, Aperture Desk Job, and ofc TF IDW spoilers btw)

Perceptor fitting as more of a Gordon Freeman role in Half Life's Black Mesa Institute bc he matches the more gritty atmosphere and serious tone of the Half Life games + Both Gordon and Perceptor taking on similar "scientists by trade, but still a competent as hell fighter when the situation calls for it" roles... Their appearances even kinda give similar vibes? But that could just be me

Brainstorm's fascination with the Dead Universe in IDW working well with Black Mesa's dubious research into Xen and all the alien life there- I can see him being incredibly interested in headcrab parasites? But he also sorta matches more with the eccentric type of experiments ran by Aperture Science.. Turrets and portal gun technology seem right up his alley,, (Also not to mention the mantis society human DNA stuff has weird Brainstorm type experimentation written all over it)

Percy working at Black Mesa while BS is in Aperture bc they're rival companies etc. etc. u get the gist hopefully

I need to look at Portal's lore again bc it's been a long while and I don't remember what his story was, but whenever I look at that one photo of Doug Rattman, he reminds me of BS sdkfs

Shockwave and Glados. I know technically Glados and Caroline are separate, but the parallels behind Caroline/Glados and Shockwave's backstories are still there ksdkfsd- What if Glados and Shockwave swapped places actually, and Shockwave were to run Aperture..... hm

Domestication and their parallels to the procedure done by the Combine to create stalkers.....

Whirl having a pet headcrab? Like Lamaar? Maybe?? Similar to his scraplets I dunno

Brainstorm would have so much fun with potato Glados and all the personality cores I think

Rodimus meeting and yelling at the G-man because I think it'd be funny

Brainstorm jokingly speculating that the G-man's briefcase is a plagiarized version of his time-case bc of how he's always carrying it around, able to blip in and out of random portals, as well as control time-

[galvanizedfriend]

2023 WIP List

I saw a writer I really love doing this here and decided to respectfully borrow the idea.

I'm feeling really bummed about writing lately, can't seem to find the least bit of motivation and have jumped from story to story without adding anything of substance over the last month or so. Nothing seems to spark joy. And yet I have thousands of words in half-written stories I'm not sure what to do with. Ideally, I'd like to finish them, but at this point, who knows 🤷‍ So this is a way for me to take stock, do some soul-searching, try to find where my heart is writing-wise at the moment and see if I can manifest some inspo.✨

These are not even all my WIPs, just the ones I have opened at least once in the last year.

▪ Speed Dating 3/3 Klaroline, friends/roommates-to-lovers

Started in June 2022

The final part to my Speed Dating sequel, which is much longer than the original story because I have no self-respect. Klaus and Caroline are roommates and idiots. The OG one-shot had them going on a round of speed dating and failing to connect the dots and realizing that what they really should be doing is sucking face with each other. The sequel is kind of an expanded universe situation, where I wanted to show a little more of their roommie chemistry and push them into situations where they are finally confronted with the reality of their feelings. But that only happens once they start seeing other people because of course.

I have maybe 60% of the final part written but for some reason, after word-vomiting non-stop for a while, I got stuck on a kind of major point in the story. I've tried to start it soooo many times and it just won't go. 🙃 I think I'm looking at a good 6 to 8k words more before it's finished.

▪ Random Fic (not the real title) Klaroline (duh), sorta exes-to-enemies-to-lovers I guess

Started in May 2020

The start of my romantic comedy phase. This predates even my coffee shop AU. It's Caroline and Klaus having a fling that ends very, very badly, but then having to come together again a year later to marry their common friend (and Caroline's ex), Tyler. I wanted it to be quick, witty and light-hearted and then at some point it got some very emotional bits in the middle and turned into something else completely. I guess it's still mostly light-hearted, but it has some ~~substance, whatever that means. I think it's an okay fic, and it's 55k words, which is not too bad, but then does anyone still read 55k all at once these days? lol

The fic is finished. I think I wrapped it up in April last year, so a year ago. But I haven't been able to go back and read it again. I've tried, and I've started it so many times, but then I always stop and never pick it back up. But like. 55k words of finished fic here. 🤷‍

▪ Pendulum Klaroline, soulmates!AU but make it sad

Originally in January 2019, started rewriting in July 2020 (lol)

I have issues with this story. It's the saddest damn thing I've ever written, but it's also my favorite storyline I've ever come up with. It got some hate at the time, I don't know why, but also some of the most heartfelt comments/responses I've ever received on any story (and I still keep them all!), so I think this is one where you either love it or hate it. But because I feel so protective of it, I have problems (of the personal brand) leaving it out in the open, and I don't want to repost it until I'm absolutely sure it's ok. As you can see, it was one of my first ever fics, so the writing wasn't the best. But I still love it, I don't care. I keep wanting to make the writing match how much I love the idea, and I don't know if that's possible. 🙃

It's the rare AU I write entirely from Klaus' POV, which is something else. I'm not sure I'm that good with Klaus. It's also an AH, but it has a little magic twist. Every time Klaus dies, his life just restarts from the exact same point. He's born on the same year, at the same place, to the same parents. Except he remembers his previous lives, and so he accumulates the knowledge of hundreds and hundreds of previously lived years each time he's reborn. And then shit happens.

First time I posted this, it was 57k words long. I have successfully finished rewriting the first of three parts, which is around 14k words, but as you can see, I have been in this process since 2020 (!!!), so I need to go back and tinker with that as well. May God have mercy on my soul.

▪ Mystic Tours (not the real title) Klaroline, friends-to-lovers but also fake dating

Started in January 2023

This was inspired by Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison, except it's not a Christmas story, and it doesn't actually have any farms. It has Klaroline fake dating to try and win a contest that can potentially save Caroline's failing business, and also loads of side-characters Sound of Settling style (including a horde of Mikaelsons and Bonnie and Enzo as Caroline's co-workers). I really like writing stories where I can fit a bunch of side characters and make the whole thing sorta absurd. But I also wanted to try to make something quicker, more dialogue-oriented and with shorter scenes. AND YET. I just can't seem to make it work, the writing kinda sucks.

I have some 6k words of this, but can't tell you how much of that is actually usable. And it's maybe 10% of the story. 🙃

▪ Friends that Ruin Your Life (may or may not be the title, undecided) Klaroline, Klefan (!!), affairs, fucked up people, angst

Started in March 2023

The five minutes during which I decided I wanted to go back to my origins and write something angsty and filled with complicated situations, a bit like Gasoline. It features Klaus and Stefan as a couple, and Caroline getting sucked into their messy marriage. So yes, Klaus is having an affair. In his defense, so is Stefan. Caroline's moral compass gets all out of sorts and she realizes the world is a lot less black-and-white than she'd previously assumed and sometimes you do get judged by your one-offs, even if your heart is in the right place.

I got super excited about this one and churned out the entire plan for the whole story, with all the scenes and most of the dialogues and the document alone is like 60k words long. I wrote that in like three days. 🥲 I don't think I could make it a one-shot, and I think that left me bummed because I didn't want it to be a multi-chapter. And then I'm not sure the writing was coming along fine enough, it wasn't flowing, and I started to question whether it was actually good or if I was totally tripping when I had this idea and this was actually insanely shitty. lol Leaning more towards the second right now.

▪ King Arthur AU (not the actual title) Klaroline, magic, fantasy, King Arthur

Started in March 2021

This is very high fantasy, and very intricate. It would be a multi-chapter, but I have no idea how long. I think I was leaning towards 10 chapters. I have four written. And the writing is fairly decent, if I may say so myself. But as it usually happens with me, I get to a point where I start wondering why am I even writing this, and then I stop. 🥲🥲 I also think I was having some doubts about how to wrap it up. It had maybe more plots than I wanted to work with. King Arthur was actually Elijah, and Klaus was Mordred, and Caroline was Guinevere-ish, a witch undercover in "Orleans" (I'm so creative!!).

Only reason this is even on the list is because I recently read the four chapters I have and thought they were pretty decent, but I haven't written anything in almost two years, so maybe I've swiped up on this one already.

▪ The Wolf III and IV 🤡

Started in October 2020 (!! when I tell you guys I've had this written for years lol)

I have technically written The Wolf 3. It's in my "headcanons" format, which is honestly a joke, because clearly I don't know how to write headcanons. 🤡 But as you can see by the starting date, it's very, very old, and it requires full rewriting and lots of editing. Chapters are 15 to 20k words long (some are longer). TW4 is a different story. I never actually wrote it down, all I have is a full, detailed plan of all the scenes and shit. My idea was to not split the two stories into two different fics, but rather continue on with TW4 in the same AO3 "document" (???) as TW3 and make it 34 chapters long instead of 21. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but also I don't have it in me to start another separate story.

But here we are, stuck on S03E17. 🤡 Gonna be honest with you, my dudes, it's been rough to find the motivation to open that document. I think I have half of 17, maybe, but I haven't touched that in over a month. Laely, I have been often sent into thinky thoughts that you really shouldn't have when you're writing fic just for the hell of it, you know. Like, this is in no way meant to be a great piece of writing, I shouldn't be worried about that. It's the fan service of the fan service. But I start to think about the real quality of it and whether it even makes sense to be writing it, I realize I wrote one fic that was good, a second one which I personally think was even better, and then I made the classic mistake of having one too many sequels. This is Jurassic Park III. It's not as crappy as Jurassic World, you have Sam Neill, but should it exist? I just want Klaus and Caroline to be together for a change, and I love adding random final scenes in every chapter where it's just the two of them being married, but - should this be written? Or rather, should this have been posted in the first place? Do we really wanna see them being domestic? Doesn't that kind of kill the vibe? I don't know, man. I don't know. Chapter one was a blast, people seemed so into it and I wrote five chapters at once and got maybe a little over-excited, and then which each update I feel like there's less and less readers and it really gets me thinking. These thoughts are sabotaging my will to write. I need to get back on my fuck it horse.

It will come to me at some point, though. I'm sure it will.

Anyway, these are all my current WIPs! Comments, ideas and positive energies are all welcome! ✨ Let's return to this in december and weep at how little progress I've made 🥲

[mothmore]

do you think victor frankenstein is more mage of light or more bard of doom

oh god robo you threw a tough one at me ,,,,

my initial instinct tells me that victor’s aspect is light because of its main association with knowledge , of course. and him being a mage makes sense because he knows how smart he is and ends up able to get to where he wants by manipulating that knowledge. but. there’s also the association with luck in the light aspect. which. i cant in good conscience say that victor manipulates (or even has) good luck throughout the book ,,,,, even if a mage still takes on the negative effects of their aspects. there’s just. he’s not benefiting from knowledge or luck ultimately.

i think bard of doom is more fitting for him. 

while i wouldnt inherently call his destruction/fate passive… it was unintentional , which works pretty well with a bard. everything he does somehow fucks shit up worse. AND there is the added bonus w doom aspect being that he does sorta have a dream of doom with his dream about elizabeth and caroline right after brining The Creation to life ,,,,

frankenstein also is just. the story is a tragedy. things end poorly. victor , and everyone around him , is doomed because of his actions. so i would say with some confidence i would call victor a bard of doom

[cyhaino]

So I never saw anything besides the Originals from that universe and for the life of me I kept having pikachu face that Elijah and Hayley kept being a thing! Cause KLAUS AND HAYLEY ARE RIGHT THERE! And honestly klaus' self sabotage in general was too repetative after a bit.

And like idk why Elijah and Hayley just had no chemistry to me and I was astounded that Kayley wasn't a fan favorite (and instead it was Elijah Hayley) and then people kept talking about Caroline like I was supposed to know who that was and then she shows up and Klaus's actor (who has chemistry with his sister and brother and adopted son and a freaking lamp!) sorta has chemistry with her and i'm like

I still like klayley better. in a perfect world he and hayley finally get it right and raise hope together and i don't have to watch her and elijah be weird

I only watched the first season of vampire diaries because a friend of mine (in high school) lent me her copy so I watched it right. Everything else I watched through gifs because I had mutuals who watched everything all the spinoffs so maybe that’s why I never liked klaus with Caroline because they didn’t lol but from what I saw klaus and Hayley were better now I also did like Elijah and Hayley but I really hated klaus and Caroline and wished people would stop bringing her up like they were on separate shows

And I didn’t even WATCH the show

[adamwatchesmovies]

Identity (2003)

I saw Identity way back in 2003 and its ending stuck with me. It’s a polarizing one, but I like it. Though in hindsight the film contains familiar murder-mystery elements, they are given a new spin that makes the story feel wholly original.

Told non-sequentially – at least at first – ten strangers find themselves stranded in the middle of a storm at a remote hotel in Nevada. After one of them is viciously murdered, the film makes it clear the mysterious events at the remote location are tied to the upcoming execution of a convict named Malcolm Rivers. New evidence proves - according to his lawyer - that he should be found not guilty for reason of insanity.

Identity is tricky to discuss. Much of its fun comes from handling the disparate pieces placed in front of you and figuring out how they fit together. I don’t want to give too much away. How do the ex-cop now limousine driver, Ed (John Cusack) and the actress he’s driving, Caroline (Rebecca De Mornay) fit in with the family who's suffered an unexpected tragedy? It can’t simply be a coincidence that they wind up isolated from the rest of the world along with a couple of newlyweds (Ginny Virginia and William Lee Scott), a prostitute seeking a new life (Amanda Peet as Paris) and a police officer (Ray Liotta) transporting a convicted murderer (Jake Busey). You have an itchy feeling that somewhere in this hotel managed by Larry (John Hawkes) something will tie this story to Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and his psychiatrists’ pleas that justice has not been properly served... but what?

The picture moves quickly at 90 minutes. This prevents the more obvious twists from being discovered before they're intended to be - for the most part. The film manages to keep you wondering and part of this is due, admittedly, to the fact that it kinda-sorta cheats. In a way, it doesn’t, as what takes place here makes perfect sense once you figure out how to orient all of the puzzle pieces. In a way, it does, since there is no way to figure out what is actually happening until you’ve seen the ending and are given additional context for what happened previously. If everyone was taking this approach it would be infuriating but since we don't see this sort of storytelling often, it's a strategy that works. You feel like the characters in the motel: confused and scared. The picture is very much aware of what it’s doing and while its choices do make for diminishing returns upon a second viewing, it still managed to send chills down my back.

Identity benefits immensely from its talented cast. The actors have been perfectly selected for you to immediately grok what everyone is about. With that out of the way, you can focus on the murders and how things link up. The direction is steady and the picture is methodically shot to prevent anything from giving away too much until the moment is right. I can see why this unconventional mystery might lose people but I say Identity is worth the chance. (On DVD, March 27, 2018)

[mrdarcygenderenvy]

Bride & Prejudice RANKED on my own arcane system feat. special guest SHAZLEEN

On today’s installation of ‘ranking Pride & Prejudice adaptations by my own ridiculous system’, I’ll be joined by SPECIAL GUEST Shazleen Khan, famous author of internationally renowned gay webcomic Buuza and haver of wise opinions. And also the author of this great magical girl essay blog and the friend who I watched this movie with after not having seen it since I was a kid. Shazleen’s opinions are similar to mine only much more interesting and relevant so we’re keeping mine to a… 

LIGHTING ROUND HARI OPINIONS!!!

OVERALL: I was somewhat skeptical about whether this would live up to my child memories but do you know? Imo it banged.

TAKES: Naturally there was some absolute tunes, some extreme time capsule fashion and Aishwarya Rai (Lalita, ie. Elizabeth) had some fucking points about colonialism. I LOVE a P&P where the heroine gets full into the opinionated rant zone, 10/10. Adaptation versions of Caroline Bingley (Kiran) and Lydia (Lakhi) were both SO good and the ‘hot accidental rain dream’ vibes were on point.

Even from my limited perspective Darcy’s ‘maybe I’m learning to be less racist now’ arc came across fucking weak, in that it was not an arc. He’s just a real dick at the start then shows up playing a drum and we’re expected to fully like and forgive him for some reason. There was some nuance in other places, it just felt like a full half hour was missing from the end. Even just from a narrative and 2004 standpoint, DEMONSTRATE SOME PERSONAL GROWTH.

you did it, racism is over

What you’ve all been waiting for: The Shazleen Interview

Thank you for coming today, Shaz (please imagine I’m a talk show host but from a late night show from the past, so we’re reclining in plush chairs in a sultrily-lit room with drinks and big hair.) So first off, what were your opinions on this adaptation - and what’s your level of interest in period dramas

Shazleen: Ok so I have a lot of opinions sorry this is gonna be my longass paragraph

So I distinctly remember watching this movie a few times as a kid, and it may be one of the first few I’d willingly watched by my own volition (probably because one of my friends as a tween was also wildly into austen at the time, and also musicals) 

I think I had the opinion for a while after that it sucks that this movie has a white dude love interest- which I guess is still the mood after rewatching. However I truly did not expect some of the really big brain conversations that take place in this movie, about post colonialism and race.

Shazleen: I always remember the bit in this movie where Lalita talks about how at the time, India had only had independence for 50 years and was well on the way to becoming an economic power, as opposed to America which broke down into civil war around the same stage of its existence- but I really didn’t appreciate at the time how much they talk about things like diasporic politics with the guy who had emigrated to America and now looks down on his fellow indian community living bck home, and also the really nuanced portrayal of wickham.

I think when I was 12 or whatever I felt Wickham was the better choice, but now having literally aged and gaining life experience, Wickham in this movie is an even more insidious villain. Unlike Darcy, who’s just an ignorant dickweed, Wickham masquerades as someone worldly and open minded, when really he’s just as condescending and exploitative as any other gap year  wanker on their white saviour pilgrimage across the imagined, savage east. 

live shazleen comments from discord while we were watching it

Shazleen: Darcy’s redemption sucks here though, it’s sorta wild he plays a drum and then they smash cut to the double wedding. Also I still stand by it sorta sucks Lalita has a crappy white dude to deal with, though I suppose at the time this movie was made it was pretty good to show an interracial couple?? But I guess it’s 2021 and I’ve sworn off white dudes forever and I kinda wish she met some nice diasporic boy. Raj is literally perfect and right there though I guess, so I suppose the actual normal wholesome couple with no racism is already present?

Shazleen: Also irt austen, period dramas and adaptations, I truly feel there’s so much overlap between specifically south asian culture and that period of british history. Like the focus on class systems, family values and image, like c’mon this is the shit hindi dramas are built on. I’m surprised this isn't a more common crossover subgenre.

Hari: There are a couple of others that I personally haven’t seen so like… hmu if you wanna watch.

Shazleen: Fuck yeah dude let's go

Hari: I think for me, one reason period dramas spark joy/ gender envy is they often present a love interest with a sometimes-repressed but ultimately very caring, charming version of masculinity that an assumed female audience is supposed to be into. (Did gawky teenage me want to be a broody but ultimately misunderstood hero who’s very attractive to women, in a sick jacket and rumpled little poet shirt: of course.) Is there a particular character, film or genre that sparks feelings of ‘now that’s a gender I can get into’ for you?

Shazleen: I feel like my specific gender is just messy gender mysterious fuckboy with zero emotional capacity, so like I guess it’s just anime. Sometimes I look upon emotionally constipated anime lads like “ Man I wish i could just run around and obsessively do my specific thing I like to do and a girl would just like, be into that “

Yeah Hari I guess I do just want a nebulous gendered other to see the scummy ratboy I am inside and be like “I could make sure they eat 3 healthy meals a day.” 

Hari: I dream of coming over and kicking down your door to feed u healthy meals, if covid blows over and I’m miraculously cured of my disability you better watch your BACK

Shazleen: my rat ass is ready

Hari: Moving on from your rat ass to some final questions: other old white ‘classic’ literature you would like to see made into an elaborate and dramatic South Asian musical complete with bangers, sexual rain scene etc?

Shazleen: Where’s my count of monte cristo hindi drama guys. I want a 5 movie film franchise, each film 4 hours long, with 10 songs, about my guy edmont dantes on his wild vengeance quest. To be honest I looked it up and there are SEVERAL desi adaptions in various languages, but I want a fucking big budget one yeah, put mr sharukh khan on that shit. Hire Amitabh Bachchan as the Villefort equivalent

Hari: biggest crush of this movie?

Shazleen: it’s lalita, she’s so beautiful, I would literally die for her. I’m crying every day, mr darcy get away from her please

Hari: 00s fashion hot takes? 

Shazleen: I think it’s fun to see the kind of kameez’s we used to wear in the mid 2000s. Desi fashion trends don’t veer so wildly, but those y2k pastels are a definite throwback.

Shazleen: Also an impromptu Ranking of all the songs

The general vibe is that the singing is generally way better in hindi, but a few of the songs are ok in english.

6. Worst: Take me to Love - Sucks ass, it’s the classic walking through water we’re having metaphorical sex song, and it’s boring as fuck, they shoulda just let them sing in hindi.

5. My lips are waiting: A valiant effort by the singer, but it just feels like everyones singing out of key lol

4. A Marriage has come to town: The hindi segments in this song are pretty good, and while sometimes the english rhymes don’t hit, the general lyrics are perfect for the classic crowd scene banger. Bonus points for mentioning rasmalai.

3. Dola Dola: It’s a nice celebration song!! There’s nothing wrong with it and would be good BGM at a mehndi.

2. No Life Without Wife: This is a classic, a fucking tune, immaculate, the ultimate meme song.  this movie gave us one gift it’s this one.

Hari side note: ‘No life without wife’ is actually a song that’s been stuck in my head on and off for 15 years and did not remember was from this film until rewatching, truly a tune

Shazleen: 1. Balle Balle: Ok I have to be real though, as important as memes are, the true marker of a great hindi movie song is the couple group dance scenes and whether it makes it onto the wedding playlist. And this one, has definitely been the BGM as I’ve munched some biriyani on an auntie’s special day, ygm. 

FINAL RANKINGS

Wildness: 5/10, as Shazleen says, the premise is not that wild a combo at all, and mostly just sort of works doesn’t it

Mr Darcy gender envy rating: 0/10 he’s just like a hotel heir with noughties hair I fully hate

How much I have a crush on Elizabeth/ Lalita rating: 10/10, scold me with your thoughtful opinions

Shoutout to: ‘White backpacker Wickham who emerges from the sea to play wonderwall and naturally turns out to be the absolute Worst’ really is a great piece of adaptation and spiritually extremely Austen accurate.

OVERALL RATING: Yes

[carpsurprise]

bro 👁👁 if u wanna talk more abt jodi and her parenting i would LOVE to hear it :D honestly you worded it much better than i could asdmsbf ty!!

THANK U SO MUCH IVE BEEN DYING TO TALK ABOUT THIS FOR A HOT MINUTE ok im gonna bleed this in with some of MY headcanons personally and some of the canon dialogue!! i’ll bold my headcanons so its easier to differentiate what im talkin about bopbop also this is SO long im sorry

also this makes it seem like i don’t like jodi i do!! (thats my mom in law hehe) but like... just some of the stuff she says points to deeper insecurity issues. 

so in short: this is kind of a jodi analysis.

it’s def touched upon by multiple people that she doesn’t seem happy (her dialogue is full of ‘i wants’ and ‘i wishes) but i do think that’s not entirely the case, it’s just a classic mother thing to feel sort of (lack of a better word) trapped into motherhood and her responsibilities. and i def think kent being away probably worsened that.

with kent being away she was pretty much a single mother, and as seen in sam’s canon character, he has to do a lot to make up for kent’s absence... financially and emotionally, for both her and vince. vince needs a positive male figure to look up to to inspire him to be the best he can be, and jodi needs stability and help with her own responsibilities. sam tries to fulfill all of that and even some of his marriage dialogue (and his three heart event) it definitely puts stress on him.

so, sam tries his best! but in some dialogue and sam’s heart events you can see she still gets on him for things that makes him like :/ she still views him as a child occasionally despite being a full adult who is also sorta-parenting vincent, acting as some sort of doing-good role model for him, and i believeeee he says he tries to be his best specifically for vincent’s growth.

jodi still treats vincent like a child, but she still treats him better than she treats sam often. which kinda ties into the point i made about sam being the trial/error kid. i’ve headcanoned and i’ve seen others also say that kent and jodi got married straight out of high school. u kno typical military stuff. this also kind of explains her sort of ‘trapped feeling’ dialogue since it seems like she didn’t get much time to explore the world or maybe even explore herself as an individual. caroline likes gardening, marnie loves animals to death, and robin knows woodworking/a trade but jodi... just has regular ‘housewife’ things like cooking and cleaning.

^ like this doesn’t sound like someone who had a CHOICE in what her life has turned out to be. and i think sam got the BRUNT of that.

and here ^ she’s kind of immature in some of her dialogue, esp since (like u said in ur post!!) that sam caught on to it and has reacted negatively to it. i would venture to a point and say she most likely suffered with post-partum depression for sam especially if she felt trapped with kent as she does in game. i def think that with this and in canon, sam was probably used as her guinea pig for parenting. obviously no one is a natural born mother but if kent had just gone away in the military and she had sam, i can definitely see where some resentment for kent and sam would come in... along with resentment for herself for getting herself into that situation.

which that kind of train of thought could be an explanation for some of her self-deprecating/wants and wishes dialogue. once the issues of raising sam had kinda smoothed out, and he became old enough to realize exactly what was going on with his father/the war and his mother’s reactions to that stress, she probably already figured out how to parent vincent. esp since sam and vincent seem so similar (adhd imo) what didn’t work with sam jodi was able to figure out.

but going back to how she treats sam! i do think she would still kind of hold some resentment. obviously she loves sam but she still views him as a child, despite how mature he really is... like in his marriage dialogue and his three heart event. i honestly think his whole sunshine/golden retriever boy personality is ofc true but. partially true. i think he does it as a save face for how he really feels, which is anxious (about his fathers return and vincent growing up).

but one of the first tags i put! def more headcanon-y just from the stuff i mentioned above. jodi definitely gives me the ‘weaponizes basic needs’ in an argument type of mom. u kno the whole “i feed you, you have a roof over your head, i put clothes on your back” kind of manipulation. which.. yeah jodi you should! i think she’s very insecure about herself and very anxious over her situation and is at a constant state of trying to prove to herself her own worth. like.. the only thing she is/does is be a mother so when sam (or not so often vincent) fuck up, she takes it personally because raising those two is the only thing she really does. if she sees herself as a failure there... then what as she spent her life doing (instead of travelling/having hobbies/etc)

kids naturally fuck up she learned through sam!! one of the things my mother told me all the time while growing up was that it was “her first time ever being a mother” and i think jodi would honestly... have those same thoughts. she’s tired and overworked and on top of that has to raise two boys as a ‘single mother’. i think she’d snap easily on sam from too much pressure, whether he was younger (by accident) or as he got older (on purpose). it seems like there’s little room for accidents on anyone else’s part in her house.

like sam’s four heart event. ignoring the obvious why-the-hell-are-you-handing-me-an-egg issue, sam very obviously drops the egg on accident, and jodi storms in and creates an issue out of it. which... it’s an accident. it seems out of character for sam to drop the egg on purpose and cause an issue for his MOTHER. obviously he does stuff that makes lewis mad on purpose, but he doesn’t do stuff like that to jodi. but she still gets upset over... his hand slipping.

and his ten heart event. why don’t we talk about that more often? from her dialogue its hinted at that she thought he was ... y’know... but still had said if i recall correctly!! “i’m coming in”. there was no question and it gives sam no option to tell her no. so it seems she has that kind of ‘control’ in their house where she can just invade sam’s privacy (granted.. she knocked but still) even when she thought he was doing THAT. idk i don’t like the “i’m coming in”... it seems like she is not giving sam the further consent for her to enter his room (or private space)

ok this is long i need to wrap this up but bottom line she loves her kids. of course she does! but i think sam definitely gets treated ‘worse’ and kinda has as the firstborn/oldest. jodi, with her kids, finally has some control of her life back since she is their mother and they have to listen to her. she doesn’t know exactly what she’s doing still, and once one of the boys (sam) messes up she takes it as a personal attack since the One thing she does in her life is be a mother. this was very long but thank u !!!! i love doing a lil character analysis

[beanzykin]

Evan Morgan Reznick

A Breznick fanfiction

Summary: Breznick soulmate AU

"Have any of your soulmate initials switched?" Claire asked, filling the silence in the locker room with a question she's been wanting to ask forever. "Mm… no. They've been L.D ever since I was twelve," Shaun carefully placed his toy scalpel in his bag while Morgan opened her locker. "Nope," Alex turned around, "M.W, always. Why has yours recently changed?" 

"Yeah- well… not recently, more like when I was fourteen. But, one of the letters is still crossed out," She placed a hand on her right thigh where her soulmate's initials are. "I've never really told anyone, but I haven't seen anyone else's initials crossed out…" She trailed off, allowing the other three doctor's fill in the blanks that it was something she didn't talk much about. "That's weird," Alex gave Morgan a look only for her to ignore it by taking a sip from the day-old water in her bottle.

Claire scoffed, "They used to be C-E.R, but now the 'E' is crossed out and replaced with an 'M'-" Before Claire got a chance to continue, Morgan spit out her water and fell into a fit of non-stop coughing which caught everyone's attention.

Cristina-Morgan, Reznick. 

Caroline thought it'd be a good idea to give her child a longer name, that way her art signature would be more unique… Now looking back at it, it was a stupid desicion consitering Morgan hates art.

Despite choking on water -and the initial shock of the situation- Morgan managed to choke out some sorta sentence reassuring her sudden outburst.

"Those are my initials-" Alex froze on his way to help the blonde that was practically suffocating. 

A few more seconds of Morgan choking to death, Claire broke the thick tension that filled the previously dead silent room.

"What…?" Morgan took another sip after (and to help) her body calmed down. “Wait… you don’t have mine… right?” Claire felt her heart speed up when whipped her mouth and nodded her head.

"Alright, me and Shaun will see you two tomorrow…" Alex tapped Shaun's bag to catch his attention, leaving the two women to sort out their predicament. He didn't want to make the situation worse or more awkward, not that he was sure they were soulmates, or what the crossed out 'E' meant; but he didn't want to make either of them uncomfortable.

"Are you-… you're sure about this?" Claire asked as Shaun and Alex left the room. Morgan felt her eyes burn at the contact with Claire's "Well, I suspected it once I had your initials, but you're straight and never said anything…"

"Well I never said anything because your name starts with a 'C' and has an 'E' in the middle of it!" Claire's confusion brought her to her next question.

"Why is there an 'E'?" Morgan looked down at her shoe, avoiding the question and filing with her water bottle. "The 'E' is crossed out, what does it stand for?" She asked again, getting impatient with the situation. "It doesn't matter-" Claire interrupted her. "Well it kinda does, how do I know if you're actually my soulmate?!" 

Morgan looked back up, "I have C.B on my collar bone and you have my initials on your leg, right? Why does it matter?" 

"Cause I don't know if you're lying about being my soulmate or not!" Claire bitterly laughed at the end, clearly getting more pressed by the second. "So what if I'm not? What's so disappointing about that?! I'm lying, I'm not your soulmate. Just go find him!"  

The smaller doctor sighed, "We'll what if you are?! And you're actually lying to me! You obviously know why there was or still is an 'E', just tell me already!"

"Because I'm trans!" Morgan confessed, albeit a bit louder than she should. “See, that's all you had to do? Was that so Goddamn hard!?" Her tone was now mirroring Morgan's.

"YES! Yes, it was! And you don't fucking understand that!" She put her back to the locker and slid down shakily, her head making its way to her hands.

"Are you crying, is that how shitty of a soulmate I am?" For a split second, Morgan wanted to say yes -Even if she didn’t exactly mean it-, but her body felt like it was choking on that gross luke-warm water again and she couldn’t breathe.

It took Claire to realize that not everyone is as accepting of who their soulmate might be. She could only imagine that Morgan thought her soulmate would be immensely disappointed. Especially now -that Morgan has learnt she is her soulmate- since Morgan's only ever heard about Claire's past boyfriends, and on top of that, she's trans.

Her mind went back to what Morgan was previously hinting at:

'I'm not your soulmate, just go find him!'

'But you're straight…'

"Morgan, you are a wonderful woman," Claire slowly sat down next to her, "And you've only ever heard me talk about my soulmate being a man… right?" Morgan's hair and hands hid her face, but Claire could tell she nodded. "I've had girlfriends before, and I don't care if you're trans or not."

Claire hesitantly moved a little closer. "It's not that- well, kinda… I know you wouldn't care if I was transgender or not, but I didn't know you liked women. It's just that I have my deadname on your leg," Morgan sniffed and rubbed her eyes before looking at Claire and continuing, "My name's Morgan, and it should've been like that from the start… no? Like, does this mean I'll never actually pass with whatever universe-god-thing that created soulmates,"

It pained Claire's heart to hear her voice get shakier with each word. Locking eyes with Morgan's pink, tear-filled ones, she lightly put her hand on Morgan's cheek. 

This time, she felt a different feeling in her heart when Morgan closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, allowing the tears to finally fall.

Morgan softly smiled and grabbed Claire's wrist, bringing it down to her knees and crawling it with her other one. Without breaking eye contact, Claire moved her thumb to delicately caress Morgans.

"I want you to believe me when I say I'm not disappointed, Morgan," The smaller doctor felt Morgan play with her fingers and smiled. "I do… and I want you to too. There has been so many times where I actually hoped you were- will be," she corrected herself briefly, "-my soulmate. When I first met you I genuinely thought that that was it. That I had won the most beautiful woman in the world," 

Now it was Claire's turn to cry. She's never seen this side of Morgan before, has never been told something that sweet and genuine before either. And it was ultimately the best words she's ever heard in her entire life, it's just an added bonus that they're coming from Morgan Reznick.

Without a second thought, Claire pulled Morgan in and did something she never even thought of doing before.

It's just that her mind was screaming 'Kiss her. She's so soft and cute and she's actually one of the sweetest people you've ever met! Her lips look as soft as her hair, if not, even softer!' And that's all it took.

Morgan let out a small squeak of surprise and froze for a moment before kissing back. Claire felt her hand drop and then another smoothing out her jawline and sighed into the kiss.

She couldn't tell if it was Morgan or if it was just the first time kissing her soulmate, but it felt so perfect. 

Once they pulled apart and caught their breath, Morgan was the first one to talk. "You felt that too, right?" Claire couldn't help but smile wider, knowing exactly what she meant. "Yeah," She breathed out in awe. 

The two of them giggled before leaning in for another small peck. Morgan let her hand fall from the side of Claire's face, the way it trailed down her neck gave the small brunette goosebumps.

"Guess we'll have to know each other better bow, huh?" Claire bit her lip to keep her from smiling so much but to avail.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

[marksollinger]

(holds out my hands) 18, please ?

18. what is a line/scene you’re really proud of? give us the dvd commentary for that scene.

it's hard to choose one, especially since most the scenes i'm currently proud of have yet to be published 😅 i've also deleted a lot of my past fics (literally all of them from pre-2020) which i feel a little bad about. but i also didn't want to share them anymore due to Lots of insecurities about the quality of my writing and my tastes in general 😔 and some of them were permanently deleted 🥴 i constantly have to stop indulging the temptation to burn everything down and start over lol...

as promised, though, i will provide a scene... i will actually provide two, just because the stuff i currently have posted is quite old and needs updating because i take so fucking long to finish new chapters 🙃 i can also use this as an opportunity to leak some things, heehe...

(excerpts and commentary below the cut because it's long and i want to save as many of my followers’ dashboards as possible lmao)

questions for fic writers

Before she came to rationalize the things he’d done as violently untenable acts of misplaced protection, the best hope she once had to separate herself from her father’s blood-stained legacy was to outshine her schoolmates as much and as often as possible. Julia Montag would give her foster mother something else to talk about with the neighbors and the bridge-players and the parents of her peers; she’d get fantastic grades, run cross-country, read the most books, and do all of her chores without even needing to be asked. Yes, that Julia Montag. She’d go see the therapists and counselors and she’d show every adult in her life how marvelously well-adjusted she’d become. — For Future Reference (The Magnus Archives)

so, just as a little disclaimer, i changed julia and robert's family name from "montauk" to "montag" because it's german & plenty of british people share this name, it has strong ties to a pre-existing famous work of genre-fiction (fahrenheit 451), sounds virtually fucking identical to their original surname, and is not the literal name of an indigenous tribe. it may not be the name of an author, in line with the conventions jonny followed for melanie, tim, martin, sasha, etc... and it may be from speculative fiction rather than horror but. close enough.

i have been working on this oneshot for almost a year, now, only because i am extremely unmotivated and was honestly waiting for the end of tma to come for... whatever reason... i'm nervous about diverging from canon when i write for things with large fandoms, especially ones with fans as opinionated as tma's 💀 but i loved julia. i loved her so much. i wanted to give her something. anything. and i wanted to write a conversation that was kinda-sorta hinted at in-canon, in mag 111, inspired by lines that got tangled in my mind each time i relistened to it:

julia: it’s not a… trevor doesn’t like using the book. i don’t either. makes me feel off. dead should stay dead. archivist: s-so… i mean, why keep it around? trevor: ‘cause sometimes talking to the dead can stop you joining ‘em. come on, julia...

and i simply could not stop thinking about the history of them using the book? gerry's possible conversations with julia? there's a lot that was implied that i can't help but dive into. and so i decided i'd do that with this fic. i share a lot with julia and i'm still trying to find a proper balance between canon and self-projection that i can live with but i'm getting there. slowly, but. still getting there. that said, i promise i will actually be publishing this at some point soon...

alright. next one:

“Don’t think I’m not wise to your tricks,” one of them, a woman whose profile Caroline could narrowly see over the ridge of her broad shoulders, said with a playful tone in her voice that made the grin on her lips nearly impossible not to hear. “I won that wager. You’re paying the tab.” — The Seven States of Matter, Ch. 2, "Confluent Forces" (Archive 81)

so these are vic's first words in tssom 🥰 i have more or less created an oc and slapped the name 'vic' onto her, because that's how much i love the idea of her, and how i could make her a really fun character. i am... unfortunately Not going to be writing a whole ass character meta here because i seriously have 4 chapters that outline the backstory i have assigned to her? and i don't want to spoil anything too prematurely. but i love her so much and she is a joy to write so far.

in conclusion, i am noticing that i tend to enjoy & be the most proud of writing characterization moments? which makes sense, i think. these two in particular are canon characters i'd always wanted to know more about. because i love them. writing vic has given me the chance to project a bunch and manufacture an entire character from just a name and a handful of facts (both explicit and implied). i fucking love doing that kind of thing.

[rippaers]

🧛‍♂️

[squidproquoclarice]

All the questions for the relationship meme :^)

All the questions for Sadithur (as discussed!), done.  This one’s going largely under a cut because it’s long!  Numerous other people requested a single answer, but since I got this one, please go ahead and refer to this for it.

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

How did they first meet?

He came to rob her house for survival supplies, and instead ended up rescuing her from being held prisoner by the men who’d murdered her husband.  Not exactly a meet cute.

What was their first impression of each other?

Uhhhh, well.  Arthur’s first impression of Sadie was “poor shocked woman who’s had her house broken into, her husband murdered, and been attacked herself by O’Driscolls for the last three days”.  And Sadie’s first impression of Arthur is probably “large strange man who was in my house, shot the bastards who broke in, and is clearly a violent man himself, even if he saved me, and I’m not inclined to trust pretty much any man right now, let alone one with a gun.”  Not the most promising beginning.

Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

Hosea definitely hoped for them to become a couple at some point if they survived what was to come, even though he knew at that time neither of them was in a good place for it.  Hosea’s very much the cheerleader for his kids being happy, to judge from his trying to get Abigail and John to reconcile, and given I’m sure he knows about Eliza and Isaac, he knows how lonely and traumatized Arthur is, and also sees the remarkable rapport and ease of manner he develops with Sadie.  I also think Abigail, who loves both Arthur and Sadie deeply, kind of hoped for it also.  She knows how lonely they both are, and sees how they are around each other, and we know she’s definitely a bit of a romantic and a believer in the power of love.  I suspect Tilly might have leaned in that direction too, because Tilly’s perceptive AF, and Arthur’s Big Bro. Who felt romantic feelings first?

Arthur.  Understandably so, as his grief for Isaac and Eliza is further in the past than Sadie’s for Jake.  It was still only a matter of a couple of months difference, though. Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

Not so much resisted as restrained.  They readily accepted they felt that way, and that the person they felt romantic feelings towards was more than worthy of it.  They were just questioning whether it was right and fair to put those feelings on the other person.  Both of them had concerns--Arthur felt like he had nothing to offer Sadie and had no right to impose on her like that with his feelings, and Sadie had concerns that Arthur would just be bulldozed into a relationship from just being happy to be wanted, and she was unwilling to hurt him like that.

If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think? Almost immediately the two of them click in a profound way and they’re very close and comfortable with each other.  The trust and affection and deep friendship is already there, so I don’t think they’d be shocked to hear they’d be so important to each other.  But they would likely have both been very surprised at the idea of also being together romantically and sexually at some point.  Not as a reflection of the other person being unsuitable, but because after so much trauma and self-loathing and loss, neither of them could imagine having that in their lives.

GENERAL

Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

Neither of them really made a move.  It just sorta happened as a slow change over a couple of years from friends to a cohabiting queerplatonic couple to spouses.  

Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

In a sense, their first date was that shopping-and-gunfighting trip to Rhodes, which was pretty memorable, and shows off their immediate easy chemistry and battle couple potential.  But in terms of a genuine romantically intended “first date”, not really.  They were essentially a QPR by the time they admitted to now having romantic/sexual feelings as well, so things were intense and committed enough already that they didn’t need a date.  They just moved right towards getting married.

What was their first kiss like?

They both had resolved to admit their feelings to each other after the wedding of two of their friends.  Then they got a little tipsy at the wedding, ended up saying a bit too much, and Sadie took the initiative and kissed Arthur.  Given he kissed back very enthusiastically, she could be pretty sure he wasn’t just playing along with her.  But they realized they needed to talk, so they tabled it until the next day when they were sober again and could talk about it.

Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

For Sadie, no.  She’d been married very happily to Jake.  For Arthur, this was the first relationship with solid grounding and a solid future rather than youthful fantasy like Mary, and he’s surprised at how easy it is to be with Sadie, including being vulnerable, because of that trust.  It’s also the first time he’s had sex and actually really been comfortable and enjoyed it rather than just being left feeling awkward and even more alone, given he comes across very strongly as some type of asexual (I write him specifically as demisexual) and didn’t have opportunities for the emotional intimacy he needs to be interested in sex.  Both of them actually had their first kiss in a same-sex romance, though Sadie wasn’t able to acknowledge hers as romantic until much later.

What’s their height difference? Age difference?

Given Roger and Alex’s heights, and their corresponding relative heights in-game looking accurate to that height differential, I put Arthur at 6’ish and Sadie at 5’4”ish, so there’s an 8 inch height difference.  As for age, it’s canonical that Arthur was born in 1863.  I have him as a July birthdate, so he’s 35 for the early bits of the game, and 36 for most of it.  Sadie appears to be 30ish (she’s definitely no 24-year-old), and I write her as having been born in April of 1868.  So she’s 31 for all of RDR2.   That puts their age difference as a smidge under 5 years. 

What’s their relationship with each other’s families?

Both of them have lost their biological parents by 1899.  Arthur’s only bio sibling (David) died even before Arthur even knew him.  Sadie lost an older brother (Henry), and she’s become estranged from her younger sister Caroline, though they patch that up.  Arthur has yet to meet Caro, though, as she’s been living in Oregon.  So the only real family in question was the gang, and clearly Sadie was not only accepted by them, she actually stepped up and led them.

Who takes the lead in social situations?

Sadie tends to, and Arthur readily relies upon and defers to her experience there.  He’ll be the first to admit his life didn’t exactly teach him the boundaries and everyday pleasantries of Victorian social order, and sometimes that’s to the good.  Sadie’s not exactly a paragon of it herself as a hardscrabble farm girl who doesn’t defer to misogyny, but she’s aware of some of those rules, boundaries, and undercurrents in a way Arthur isn’t.  So he’s not too proud to let her take the lead in a social situation, or to ask her advice in dealing with something without giving offense.

Who gets jealous easier?

Arthur would have, early on.  He was far more insecure in himself (and as Sadie admits, he’ll always be a little more fragile than her in that realm), but he was probably more likely to morosely turn doubts on himself as a perceived inadequacy and personal failure rather than to get jealous of Sadie.  Being romantically or sexually jealous really kind of requires insecurity and lack of trust, and they’ve moved far beyond that.

LOVE

Who said “I love you” first?

I had to double check.  Arthur said it first when he proposed to her, but Sadie immediately followed it.

What are their primary love languages?

For both, I think Quality Time/Acts of Service.  Showing love for both of them is in spending time together doing things, doing little things for each other, and basking in that friendship that’s the solid foundation of everything between them.  There’s a bit of Physical Touch in there also due to both of them being somewhat touch-starved.  I do think Arthur has some Words of Affirmation in there as well, because sometimes he truly needs to hear praise and affection deliberately and unequivocally stated to be able to believe it’s real, and Sadie’s come to realize that and respond to it.

How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

They’re not really an overt PDA couple.  What they have they consider generally very intense but private.  They do like to cuddle in private, and small touches here and there are common enough. 

What are their favorite things to do together?

Just spend time together, to be honest.  It could be reading together (silently or one of them aloud), playing music together, doing chores, cooking, spending time with the kids, training horses, lying in bed talking, or anything.  They just genuinely enjoy each other’s company.  

Who’s better at comforting the other?

It’s a learned skill for both of them since neither was great at articulating feelings, but the months at Las Hermanas when they were both healing psychologically while Arthur was healing physically did a lot. They’re both fairly good at nonverbal comfort, and reaffirming each other. 

Who’s more protective?

Pick a day.  It can vary.  ;)  I think we see in-game they’re both fiercely protective of each other.  I do think Arthur has the knack of being protective of her in a non-patronizing, non-paternalistic way, which Sadie appreciates.  It’s still been hard for her to accept that needing and taking help isn’t admitting she’s weak.  Arthur kind of had to get over that notion during his TB convalescence because he constantly needed help for things.

Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

A mix of both.  Usually not big overt dramatic demonstrations, since that’s not their dynamic, but quick little affectionate touches (on the arm, the cheek, etc.), using fond nicknames and pet names, and things like that. 

What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

I’ll keep working on this and probably post some of my Sadithur playlist at some point.

What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

“Art” and “Daisy” are their private affectionate nicknames, given Sadie jokingly calling him “artsy Art” as he’s an artist, and Arthur admitting he couldn’t come up with a fitting nickname from “Sadie” and just rearranging the sounds a bit.  After Sadie used it in-game, “honey” is probably the most common pet name they use.

DOMESTIC LIFE

If they get married, who proposes?

Arthur did.  That’s not because Sadie is a traditionalist by any means.  But I do think there’s the part of her that likes to know she’s not steamrollering someone, and that they got to take their own initiative.  Then especially in Arthur’s case, I think he needed to ask.  She needed to be sure that Arthur wanted to be with her, rather than it being a case of her wanting him and him going along with it from being happy to be wanted by her.  I also think he needed it too to prove to himself he could be confident enough in what he had to offer Sadie to ask, and to stand equal to her. 

What’s the wedding like? Who attends?

They had a very small wedding at their home in Chuparosa, for several reasons. One is because they’re just not the type for huge demonstrative parties for their own sake, even if they enjoy them when they’re celebrations for someone else.  Neither of them really likes being a massive center of attention.  Two, they were fairly alone.  They’d made some friends in Mexico, but aside from Charles (who they knew went to Canada), everyone else from the gang was a mystery to them.  Three, they kept it small and quiet also since they’d sorta accidentally ended up playing fake married since Arthur’s admission to Las Hermanas in order to stick together.  So everyone already assumed they were a married couple, and they didn’t want it to become a big obvious thing.  Sister Calderon was the officiant (since it was a secular wedding of two avowed non-Catholics), and their friends Pedro and Juanita Estevez from Las Hermanas were the witnesses.  Dr. Felipe Garcia, Arthur’s doctor who’d also become a friend, also attended, as did Albert Mason, who they’d found in Escalera a few weeks before on yet another wildlife photography expedition. 

How many kids do they have, if any? What are they like?

Mild Sunrise spoiler ahoy, but as of 1908 they’ll have four: Beatrice (born 1902), Matthew (born 1903), Susanna (born 1905, adopted by them in 1907) and Andrew (born in 1908).  I also see them as likely taking in some older kids later once Susie and Andy are a bit older, because Arthur in particular would be passionate about the need to try to give a couple of orphaned and/or homeless teens and near-teens a home.  He knows the kind of people who take you in, or if it doesn’t happen at all, can make a huge difference.  As for personality, Bea’s very much a fierce no-nonsense sort but very protective of the younger kids, Mattie’s a sweet boy who’s going to become a gentle giant, and as for Susie and Andy, I’ll wait to see what they tell me.  Andy’s not born yet, and Susie’s both very young and dealing with the trauma of losing her family to Micah’s gang, so she’s understandably not showing much of her true personality just now. 

Do they have any pets?

Aside from a lot of horses?  They ended up with a black cat (Dido) at the very end of 1899, adopted during the first weeks of Arthur’s convalescence at Las Hermanas and helping keep him company during all that bed rest.  Then they picked up a stray dog (Dusty) in Armadillo in 1901 during fighting the cholera epidemic--this is the Armadillo “Mutt” in-game.  The most recent addition is a border collie puppy (Dorothy), who they’ve adopted from MacFarlane’s Ranch in 1907, given Charlie the border collie being there in RDR1.  

Who’s the stricter parent?

This ended up being something of a big fight, actually, and probably the first huge blow-out in their marriage.  Sadie felt like she was the only one providing discipline and accountability as Bea got old enough to start to need it.  Arthur understandably was feeling his way through parenting since mostly what he has is negative examples from Lyle (physical abuse) and Dutch (profound psychological abuse).  Even Hosea’s parenting was sort of indirect and elusive sometimes.  So he was being very hands-off on discipline out of a need to make certain the kids knew they were loved, and to not worry that he was hurting them.  But he couldn’t do that and leave Sadie all the heavy lifting while he gets to be identified as the “nice” parent and the joybringer, and the two of them came to realize that.  I’d say they’re about even now.   

Who kills the bugs in the house?

Both of them.  Neither is squeamish by any means.

How do they celebrate holidays?

Usually fairly quietly at home with family, but with remembrances of things dear to them.  Songs and music, decorations, favorite foods, little family rituals.  They like to keep that kind of thing alive where they can.

Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

Sadie.  She knows how hard farming is, so she’s up and at it when there’s work to be done.  But she never had Arthur’s long years of anxious need to stay busy no matter what so he was proving his usefulness.

Who’s the better cook?

They’re both pretty decent at it.  Sadie actually likes cooking, but she doesn’t like being expected to do it just because she’s a woman, so she’s rather protective of that notion.  Arthur came to it late, as kitchen duty was one of the first light jobs a TB patient at Las Hermanas could have after being allowed off total bed rest.  Given how bored he was by then, cooking became something really exciting, and he found out he actually enjoyed it, both the kind of soothing ritual of all those steps, and then producing something tangible by it. 

[mydarlingklaus]

The Apology

Part 3 of the angsty “The Merge” arc is now updated! Highly anticipated reunion between Klaus and Lizzie. So glad you all have been enjoying these drabbles! Thank you for leaving all your reviews on my ff account, I appreciate it! You can find part 1 here  and part 2 here! Enjoy :)

WARNING: Angst galore!

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

New Orleans, 2:45 AM

Klaus' elbows rested on the lengthy solid wood dining table as his interlocked fingers covered his trembling mouth and flared nostrils—eyes practically burning a hole through Lizzie's forehead who was sitting across the other side. Carefully watching as she ate the grilled cheese sandwich he prepared for her—raising children forced him to learn his way around the kitchen. After Klaus paid the cab driver and compelled him to forget arriving here and picking anyone up in the last two hours, he was too enraged to speak to Lizzie when she eventually brought her luggage inside. Figured making her a meal would ease his mind and rationalize his thoughts—it did not.

As she settled in Klaus called Alaric to inform him about Lizzie's whereabouts—of course Caroline was his first option but he was still feeling petty. The insufferable human speaking over him was irritating, especially when realizing they contacted each other just a few seconds apart. Josie and Hope were both heavily interrogated by Caroline and Alaric. Hope was clueless but eventually they were able to pull the truth out of Josie. The news broke Klaus' heart all over again, but he reassured Alaric that Lizzie was safe in New Orleans and would call back after talking with her first.

Her bites were small, awkwardly shifting her attention down at the plate and up at the man with dagger eyes. One cheek resembled a chipmunk's as she prolonged each chew in the hopes that Klaus would be the first to break the dead silence—no such luck. She knew Klaus was pissed, which was unusual towards her because he had never genuinely been upset with her in the past.

She gulped the food down her throat with a dramatic swallow before placing the remainder of the sandwich on the porcelain plate. Using the napkin on her lap to rid her mouth of crumbs, subtly clearing her throat.

"Um, thanks for the food by the way. I was starving." Lizzie extended her gratitude with a soft smile that fell when Klaus did not reciprocate.

The silent treatment was growing tiresome, along with Lizzie's patience.

"Did you call my mom?"

His stomach clenched at the reference, but he finally spoke. "I called your father, actually, at the exact same time he called me."

"Are you two wonder twins or something?" She half joked, but Klaus obviously was not amused causing her to clear her throat. "So this means they already knew I was here. Well Josie certainly knows how to keep a secret huh." She rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky she said something." Klaus blurted. "Everyone was worried about you, I was worried about you."

"And like I already told you, I'm fine. I made it here unharmed didn't I? You don't have to keep treating me like a child—"

"You are a child, Lizzie." Klaus' tone low and dark—dropping his hands onto the table but eyes of fury never leaving hers. "You're a beautiful and naive 17 year old girl who has lived in the bubble of a small town her whole life, and despite thinking you know everything about the dangers of the world, you don't."

"Klaus—"

"Anything could have happened to you, anything, do you understand?" His glare deepened.

She groaned while rolling her eyes. "Yes, yes I get that but—"

"There are no 'buts'!" He slammed his hand on table,frightening the teenage girl. "And obviously you don't get it otherwise you wouldn't have done something so...so selfish and irresponsible! How many times do I have to explain to you girls, just because you're a powerful witch in Mystic Falls does not make you invincible to the real world. Evil comes in all shapes and forms, you have no idea what to look for. People in this city know who you are and how important you are to me. Why do you think I'm so protective over you all whenever you visit? What if someone recognized you wandering this hectic city alone at this hour, with some vendetta thinking they have something to prove by..."

He wiped his hand over his face exasperatedly, inhaling and exhaling as he regrouped, hating when his mind wandered to the darkest of places. Since Caroline became a permanent part of his life Klaus not a day went by he wasn't terrified for her safety, even more with the twins. The nightmares he never told her about of his deepest fears. He's had to protect Hope her entire life from the dark forces insistent on taking her away from him, now his family was expanding and felt helpless to stop life from happening to them. They inherited a thousand years worth of enemies and he couldn't be there for all of them at once. Seeing Lizzie, alone, on his doorsteps was among the most haunting images he's ever seen.

The witch rubbed her lips together, blinking away the sheen covering her blue eyes for a better visual of his disgruntled expression. Klaus wasn't simply upset, he was scared—clear as day on his face. Klaus has always been overprotective since they were kids and barely knew each other. Sometimes he was extreme: like not allowing her and Sebastian to go on unsupervised dates, or her having to text him her every move if she went on a trip without him, or one of his hybrids watching over at her football games when Klaus was unable to attend. It was behavior she grew accustomed to, fighting that is who he is. She underestimated how triggered he would be about her traveling on her own—expected some fleeting harsh words but his silence hurt more. Never did she mean to harm or scare him in any way.

Placing her hands out in front of her on the table, Lizzie picked at the fabric on the sleeves of her sweater.

"I'm sorry, okay. I never meant to freak you out. I just thought...I thought you'd be happy to see me." She said defeated.

Klaus' eyebrows furrowed, offended she would think otherwise. "Of course I'm happy to see you. I'm always happy to see you, Lizzie you know that. But you can't do reckless things like this and expect me not to, 'freak out', as you say." The tension slightly dissipating with his soft smirk. "I always worry, every bloody day about you girls when you're together, never even entertaining you all being apart. You mean...everything to me, do you understand?"

Lizzie understandably nodded as Klaus left his seat to walk over to her. Pulling out the chair beside her he sat down, with an expression ranging from relieved and anxious on his face. His hand reached out to hold hers on the table—giving them both much needed comfort.

"However, running away from home without warning is not an excuse. There are more pressing matters we need to discuss now that you're safe and well like, how did you acquire a plane ticket so last minute in the first place. How did you know I was here?"

The young witch swallowed audibly, squeezing his hand.

"Um, I sorta, well definitely, called Uncle Kol and told him I was running away and needed to see you. He didn't want to say anything at first but after much precision he finally told me you were in New Orleans and bought a ticket for me."

"HE WHAT?!" Klaus' eyes bulged and fist balled as he let her hand go.

As if the situation could not be worse—of course Klaus' delinquent of a baby brother was involved!

Lizzie winced, leaning back against her chair. "This is the reason I was holding off telling you..."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "How dare he...and he knew I would never allow it. I am going to kill him, violently, and you be sure to tell him so during your next chat." He huffed. "Why were you running away anyways?"

"Same reason you did." She answered, making Klaus pause.

His glare and jaw softened as the realization settled in.

"You know..."

She nodded again, with shifty eyes and a blank face.

"And Josie?"

"Of course I told her. She's my sister. There's enough lies running around the boarding school and this effects both of us, remember?"

He knew, eventually, the twins would have to find out but didn't feel any better with them knowing before he had time to process it himself. How was he to console them about a matter he could barely grasp? The time away from Mystic Falls—from Caroline—did little to clear his mind because every second he thought about it the anger resurfaced.

Klaus let out a deep exhale scooting his chair closer to her and rubbing his hands together.

"Do you, um...do you want to talk about it?" He asked concerned.

She scoffed while crossing her arms. "About the fact that in a few years I'm either going to die or be forced to murder my sister, and my parents have been lying to me about it my whole life? Thanks but no thanks."

"We're going to have to talk about this eventually." He tried to reason with her but her refusal was as stubborn as a brick.

"Then I'll wait for eventually." She decided with a shrug.

"Lizzie—"

"I'm tired." She yawned covering her mouth. "It's been a long day and I can barely keep my eyes open so, can I just go to my room now please?"

- Say no, say no.

Klaus was such a weakling when it came to his daughters, specifically Lizzie. Her big blue eyes and pouty lip held so much innocence she reminded him of the little girl he once knew.

It has been a long night, for both of them. They could always talk in the morning when they're both refreshed and willing. Quite frankly Klaus wasn't too jazzed about discussing the matter further tonight either—as long as Lizzie knew it was something to discuss, soon.

Reluctantly, Klaus bit his tongue and conceded with an affirmative nod.

The young witch grinned, widely, jumping out her chair eagerly and picking up her plate.

"I'll dispose of it. Get some sleep." Klaus insisted with a weak smile.

She could see it on his face how badly this was eating at him, maybe more than her. But her mind and body were drained—from the devastating information of her fate to hitching a last minute solo trip to New Orleans. Last thing she wanted was more talking, even from Klaus—enough talking.

Placing the plate down, she muttered a low 'thank you' before walking towards the staircase and leaving Klaus alone with his conflicted thoughts.

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

9:10 AM

Breakfast in the Mikaelson manner was, awkward.

They all sat at the food-filled dining table together—Elijah and Hayley slowly sipped on coffee, Freya and Lizzie fawned over orange juice while Klaus nursed an alcoholic drink. Elijah discreetly tried to talk to talk to his brother about Lizzie's sudden arrival but Klaus didn't budge, nor did anyone outside of their immediate family need to know about this before they could tackle it themselves. Attempts at conversation were made in between fruit and pastry platters, but the trio were worried about stepping on anyone's toes which made everything more awkward. Klaus' irritability was written on his face, even for so early in the morning. The hybrid was running on two hours of sleep, barely capable of catching any slumber after Lizzie resides in her room for the night. He sat outside her door for about an hour before retreating downstairs to his study. He tried everything to keep his mind occupied: reading, sketching, brainstorming strategies for the next faction meeting but nothing worked.

Afraid if he closed his eyes he'd have another haunting nightmare; with Lizzie as the starring role.

Even reaching out to Caroline crossed his mind, once or twice. After finally turning his cellphone back on he played her voicemail over, and over again until it brought boredom—it never did. He missed her voice, the way she rambled when nervous and her smile that he could hear through the phone.

You give me comfort, and I could really use some of that right now.

So did he.

I miss you.

I'm sorry.

I need you.

He had to turn his phone off again just to fight the temptation. The tears already glossing his eyeballs as he contemplated throwing the bloody contraption in the lit fireplace. He hated feeling conflicted.

Despite how much he loved and missed her, nothing about the merge was simple nor fixable yet she kept it from him for years. Whatever her intentions Klaus was incapable of reasoning right now—not to mention the teenage runaway who sparked his blood just as much.

When his two siblings and Hayley finished their meals and left the mansion for an 'outing', he was left alone at the table with the stubborn teenager who appeared just as displeased.

"It's a bit early for bourbon, don't you think?" She sassed, flipping her blonde hair to the side while jamming her fork into a chocolate chip waffle.

Klaus knew those were her favorite.

"Let's just say, I've earned it." He raised a glass before downing the liquor in his throat then slamming it down on the table. "Are you enjoying breakfast?"

She nodded gleefully, pushing the empty fruit bowl away as the servant came around to dispose of dishes.

"You always have the best food, especially the waffles!" Lizzie praised before scarfing another piece into her mouth.

"I'm glad." He rewarded her with a soft grin, gesturing to the servant to scurry away until it was just him and his step-daughter. "Not to put a damper on a good morning but sweetheart, we really need to talk—"

"We should go into the Quarter today." Lizzie proposed.

His forehead creased and eyebrows pulled together at her blatant disregard for his request.

"What are you talking about?"

"Hayley...Auntie Hayley?" She raised a curious brow. "I'm still not really sure what I'm supposed to call her but, I overheard her talking about meetings you have coming up. I could totally audit some of them. I've been told I'm quite the stellar listener." She suggested, making Klaus more puzzled.

He sighed. "Lizzie—"

"Or," the smirking blonde witch rose from her chair, "we can ditch boring responsibilities and turn it into a fun day trip. Just me and you like old times. We can get some lunch at that Cajun restaurant you introduced me to on the last visit, before going to Jackson Square. I could really use a new painting for my room—"

"Lizzie stop." Klaus abruptly demanded, now standing at her level with an equally stern look.

The young girl's stretched smile deflated to a withdrawn frown. Her heart pounding cranky in her chest and her body went numb—unable to feel the over-pour of emotions hanging by a thread.

Cautiously, Klaus walked towards her and anxiously licking his reddened lips until he was across the room staring before her.

His loomed over her small figure intimidatingly, focusing his attention on her while hers was directed at their feet.

"I know you've been through quite a bit in the past 24 hours, more than anyone your age should endure." Klaus reasoned, reaching out to grab her shoulders comfortingly. "This is scary and surely you must have so many questions but we can't pretend this merge isn't real. We can't pretend it isn't happening because it is and we need to deal with how to move forward."

The girl laughed. "You mean like how my mom and dad 'dealt with it' by lying to me for the past 17 years? About how I'm destined to partake in a fatal duel of survival against my own twin sister?" She spat, looking up to expose her tearful eyes. "Or how you 'dealt with it' by running away from Mystic Falls the first chance you got instead of, I don't know, staying?!"

Klaus was perplexed as Lizzie wiggled out his grasp angrily and took a step back. Her cheeks a fiery red and small hands balled into even smaller fists. She was shaking but Klaus knew better than to approach her right now.

"Three days in your little blissful New Orleans bubble and just forgot about your family huh? You don't write, you don't call. What, you're allowed leave the problem like it doesn't exist but I can't?"

Her anger was manifesting, he could feel it.

He swallowed audibly. "That-that's more complicated—"

She screamed—more like a sharp screech like nails on a chalkboard—stunning Klaus. Her hands pulled at her hair unruly.

"Why, why is everything so damn complicated with this family! Complicated this or complicated that." She threw her hands up. "Why is that always the excuse used for none of us taking responsibility for the messed up things we do? No it's not complicated, it's actually simple. Just admit it, Klaus. Be the good man you want us to think you are...and admit it."

"You're upset, I understand—"

"Stop telling me what I am!" She groaned. "Or how I feel. I'm so tired of everyone doing that. You never did before. Just...just admit it..."

Klaus' own body began to tremble, but not out of anger.

"Admit what?" He asked warily.

"You left me, Klaus you left me!"

Her screams now accompanied with her thrashing the wooden cabinets of the dining room. The glass shield, along with the multiple place settings, now a scattered pile of pieces on the carpet. Telepathically knocking over every chair until the legs individually broke off, and shattering the lights above until they blacked out

Klaus' mouth opened and closed, completely astonished at her horrifically violent actions.

"Bloody hell!" He yelled, tugging at his hair. "Lizzie, what in the—"

"You said I could always depend on you except, when I actually needed you!" Throwing another plate into the wall.

He visibly swallowed. "Lizzie..."

"Don't come near me!" The witch sharply commanded when Klaus attempted to step forward, snatching a knife off the table in a haste.

His undead heart dropped into the pit of his stomach and face drained of color. The lump bobbed in his throat, wondering how they got here and how quickly could he deescalate the situation before venturing off to worse case scenarios. If he lunged at her there would be no chance.

Seeing no other option, he stayed in place holding his hands up to demonstrate his surrender but eyes never leaving the weapon in her small hand.

"Sweetheart, please..."

"You—you were the only person I wanted to talk to about this. Not Hope, not even Josie but you!" She exclaimed through clenched teeth, waving the sharp object aimlessly. "I just found out the most devastating news anyone could ever hear for their future. Do you know how that feels, to have your life taken from you like that, hm? I was the most terrified and angry I've ever been, and so confused. I needed you but—but you weren't there." Her sobs uncontrollable as she shook her head side to side frantically, the knife still in one hand—blade facing away—as she brought both up to cover her ears. Eyes pinched shut and face a deep cherry red.

Klaus stayed silent, not wanting to trigger her any more than she already was and cause more damage.

"You weren't there. I cried out for you, called your phone religiously all three days...but you never answered. You just left, without even saying goodbye. You left me alone. You didn't protect me..."

Correction: this was the most haunting image he's ever seen.

He stood there like a deer in headlights and an agonizing ache in his core.

The emotional thread finally snapped, and there was no saving from the rapture. When Lizzie wasn't scratching at her face and hair, she was throwing more furniture in sight and belted louder cries before helplessly falling to the ground—knees hitting first.

You didn't protect me...

Klaus experienced Lizzie's episodes before, recalling their intimate conversations where she confessed the amount of times she contemplated taking her own life. The dark thoughts she never went through with, but nonetheless scared herself to even let her mind go there in the first place. Klaus never told Caroline about the things Lizzie confided in him about, and he never would, but seeing her with that knife was cutting too close to home for his comfort.

He thought he was capable of handling her emotional mishaps, but this was a blend of pent up betrayal and fear that he had zero control over. So blinded by his own turmoil all he cared about was leaving the situation as quickly as possible, barely giving a thought to the people he was leaving behind. Not thinking, if he was going through he ringer like this imagine the twins. Knowing how Lizzie felt—how she's been feeling—and him being among the ones that hurt her made him physically sick.

What a coward, he thought, to abandon his family when they needed him the most? Caring for his then was all he cared about now, but already proving he was still capable of being a selfish prick with them. Failing at the only job that mattered—being a good father.

No more.

Rushing to her side, Klaus kicked the knife out her hand first then crouched down to cradle his incredibly strong but struggling daughter in his protective arms. Pulling her against him until she felt nothing but his warmth. Her hands stayed on her side, not embracing him fully, but Klaus was just relieved that she was allowing the hug at all.

Her tears staining his gray Henley as she buried her face into his calming embrace—the whimpers and screams muffled by his shield. Klaus caressed her hair and kissed the top of her head repeatedly, whispering reassuring words that she was safe as her cries continued to unfold. He wanted her to know she could be as vulnerable as needed, no holding back or saving face for anyone. For 1000 years Klaus suppressed his emotions to appear 'strong' and 'unbothered' but it only crippled him as the years went on—until Caroline—and even then took longer to understand what those feelings meant.

The huffing and puffing didn't let up the longer he held her—chest heavy and heaving.

Klaus gasped at the feel of her wrapping her arms around his waist, squeezing. Her death grip pierced into the fabric of his shirt as she healed onto him for dear life, never wanting to let him go. Each passing thought about the merge made her cry more.

Lizzie didn't plan on the outburst, not realizing how much she was hurting until the words began to spew. Her lungs felt shot , throat swollen and dry from the heavy cries and overflowing tears. Deep down this was the reason for her insistent denial. Discussing the matter meant it was real, and she wanted to hold onto the bliss a little while longer with the person who has made her feel the safest.

A few moments went by before Lizzie began to feel lighter and her breathing began to balance out. Her cries subtly ceased as she pulled her face from his chest. Lips plump and parted while observing the disaster she created—broken plates and glasses shattered on the floor and against the walls. Cabinet of silverware broken and chandelier barely hanging on. The shame began to overtake for not controlling her temper after working so hard towards not being an emotional wreck. As if all the progress she made was suddenly irrelevant. Hanging her head low until Klaus cradled her face in his hands, surprised to see his sunken reddened eyes matched hers.

In all the years of knowing Klaus she's never seen him cry, or any heavy emotion. He's been sad, sure, but nothing compared the bloodshot gaze directed towards her.

- Either he is the quietest crier to ever exist or I'm more self absorbed than I thought.

His thumbs swept across the skin underneath her eyes to rid them of the lingering tears, rewarding her with a sweet grin from his shaky lips. Even he was thrown off by his own wave of tears but...Klaus had a short list of people he actually cared about and seeing any of them in distress rubbed off on him.

Felt like 20 pounds had been lifted off both their chests, despite what brought them to this point.

"I'm sorry." Klaus said, his voice raspy.

Lizzie's sucked in her bottom lip, nodding her head.

"Klaus..."

He sniffled, giving her his full attention.

"I—Klaus—I don't want to die." She stammered, her throat beginning to tighten.

The hybrid nearly lost it, again. His eyes widened and mouth agape.

I don't want to die.

One of the first sentences Caroline ever said to him.

When he knew her strength before even knowing her—the baby vampire with the will to live. Who did not beg the powerful hybrid towering over her limp body for mercy, the way she didn't beg but decided to fight. How he could so easily see the same spark in their daughter's eyes...even if she didn't notice it herself.

Wiping away the remaining tears from her pretty face, Klaus nodded his head.

"I know."

Was all he could say, for now. Not even the miraculous Klaus Mikaelson wanted to give her false hope.

The exhaustion weighed down her eyes but she kept them open best she could, still holding onto Klaus but not as aggressively. Coming down from the emotional high took a greater toll than anticipated and felt if she tried to stand she'd fall over.

They were both mentally drained after confronting the realization of their mutual fear: losing each other.

Kissing her on the head again, Klaus lingered there a little longer and closed his eyes just to appreciate her—very much alive—presence. He didn't even have it in himself to be upset anymore, not even after the stunt she just pulled.

"Klaus, um, I said some bad things to my mom. Actually they were pretty horrific, and I don't think I can take any of that back." She sniffled staring up at him with regret. "How am I supposed to face her again? There's no way she'll forgive me."

He smiled. "There's no one with more forgiving bones in their body than your mother. The amount of chances she's given to people who don't deserve it, how many she's given me...you're her her daughter and she loves you more than life. There's nothing you can do that's unforgivable in her eyes."

"But—"

"You underestimate a mother's love, once upon a time so did I." The corner of his lips quirked up. "She understands you were angry and won't hold any of it against you, I assure you, though she might have some words about you running away which is valid."

They softly laughed. Lizzie bit down on her bottom lip.

"Do you still love her, my mom? Even after everything?" She timidly asked.

"Of course I do." He answered effortlessly, clearly making the girl happy.

"Good. Are you ready to forgive her?"

Klaus hummed, pressing his lips together with a sigh through his nose.

"You must be tired. Come on, I'll walk you up to your room." He said instead.

Lizzie decided not to pester further, mainly because she was in the same boat on how she felt towards Caroline or Alaric.

She allowed Klaus to help her onto her feet, making sure she was unharmed and stable enough to walk on her own. Granting him a sad but reassuring smile which was more than enough as he led her upstairs to lay down.

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

Mystic Falls, 9:30 PM

"Caroline, I never said I'm blaming you." Alaric tried convincing the pacing baby vampire.

"Our daughter ran away from home after talking with me, don't lie to me, because if the roles were reversed I would blame you." She claimed, still walking back and forth in their kitchen.

"It's not like we're running around like headless chickens anymore. We know exactly where Lizzie is and we know she's safe. Klaus would never let anything happen to her."

He was right, she knew he was but...that void remained open.

No word from Klaus or Lizzie all day, not even a simple text of when she planned to return. As badly as Caroline wanted to harass them, she rationalized—or rather Alaric talked her down—and agreed to give Lizzie time to cool off first. She was rightfully upset with both of them and needed space. The saving grace was knowing where she was and that she was safe, and also being aware of Klaus' well being. Why wasn't New Orleans her first guess?

"You need to calm down, here." Alaric calmly offered her a drink.

Caroline crossed her arms, turning her head to face him not realizing he was now beside her with two glasses of scotch in his hands. She reluctantly grabbed one before leaning against the countertop, biting her bottom lip and shaking her head.

"She hates me, they both do." Sipping on the bitter drink.

"They do not hate you—"

"You didn't see how they looked at me, or hear the things Lizzie said to me, and I deserved it."

"No." Alaric walked over to where she stood. 'This is on both of us. Mainly me because I knew even before you did. We both made an agreement about not telling the girls about the merge, we chose to handle it on our own."

"Then why I am I the only one feeling guilty?" She asked before downing the rest of her drink.

Alaric sighed. "I do feel guilty, Caroline, everyday I felt it too. You're a good person and exceptional mother and that comes with a heavy heart. You care about the people you love even if it means you get the short end of the stick. I really am sorry Klaus found out the way he did. It was never my plan to be the one to tell him."

"I know." She said.

"But it doesn't make up for anything." He realized. " I do hope Lizzie and Klaus return soon so we can finally talk as a family."

Caroline's eyebrows shot up amusedly. "Did I hear that incorrectly or did you just refer to Klaus as part of the family?"

He chuckled. "As much as I hate to admit it, and as much as I wish otherwise, you love him and so do our girls. Our clan keeps expanding and I would never be able to explain how twisted all of it is. But my personal feelings aside, he's your family which means to an extent he matters to me as well."

Not that Alaric's opinions on her relationship with Klaus ever made a difference, but this was a permanent arrangement. Caroline knew Alaric and Klaus were not friends and probably never would be, but at least being cordial and accepting of one another meant even more.

She weakly smiled, resting her hand over his on the kitchen counter. "Thank you."

Alaric returned the smile and the ringing of the doorbell immediately followed.

The two looked at each other confusingly, knowing neither were expecting any guests for the night and Josie and Hope were in their respective rooms.

Caroline waited as Alaric walked out the kitchen and towards the front door, too noses to stay in place she poked her head out to sneak a glance. The door was opened but Alaric's body was blocking who he was standing in front of him.

Moving closer, she noticed four pairs of feet and one were covered by black combat boots and the other was embraced by Alaric wearing sparkling white high top converse tennis shoes.

- They're here?!

Caroline was flashing forward before her mind could fully process her own speculations, which were proven to be true. Realizing her gasp louder than anticipated when it made all three of them turn to face her.

Instantly making eye contact with Lizzie—blue on blue—saddled and remorseful.

The young witch left Alaric's side and timidly approached her mother, twisting her lips with her hands anxiously grabbing at the straps of her backpack.

"Hi mom..."

Caroline exhaled a breath she unintentionally held before reaching out and pulling her daughter into her arms for the momma bear hug they both needed.

Lizzie felt overwhelmed with the affection, from both her mother and Klaus, but accepted wholeheartedly. Flaunting a close-lipped smile as she hugged her back just as intensely.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, do you understand me?" Caroline softly demanded into her blonde curls.

Lizzie frantically nodded and hugged tighter, underestimating how much she craved her mother's touch. With a final sniffle, Caroline finally released her with a lingering smile, kissing her on the forehead before stepping to the side so she could walk inside with Alaric—leaving her alone with the hybrid. Suddenly the nerves settled in with the blank look he flashed towards her.

Three and a half days since she last seen him and nothing changed besides her amplified feelings.

Klaus remained outside on the cold porch while she was inside standing between the threshold of the door. Caroline hated not knowing where she stood with people, and Klaus' unreadable face did nothing to subside that annoyance.

- Maybe he's still upset?

She wanted to run into his arms the moment they're alone but, what if things have changed for the worst? What if he brought Lizzie back but is planning on leaving Caroline? What if he didn't forgive her?

She nervously gulped when he finally stepped more into the light—as handsome and imperfect as ever—his straight lips curved into a full smirk.

"Hello love."

Caroline's lips struggled to form a smile in between her relieved blubbering. She covered her mouth, embarrassed by her reaction from a simple 'hello'.

"You came back..." She managed to say, tucking one of her curls behind her ear.

Klaus' smirk only widened, decreasing the gap between them until they were only inches apart with him still standing outside the door.

Having him so close but so far was the most cruel act he could do to her. Those three and a half days felt like an eternity. Where she realized her life was no longer complete without him. He had taken her—body and soul—all those years ago when he swooshed into her life and she swore a long time ago she was done denying it.

Distance was not an option anymore. She missed him, god did she miss him, and his dimpled smile and masculine presence. If he wanted to stop her he could but all she cared about was embracing the return of the man she loved.

In a blink of an eye Caroline's body was colliding with his, face buried into his shoulder and arms securely around his neck as the tears already began streaming down her cheeks.

Affection, comfort and nurture were new concepts for Klaus who unfortunately had no experience of his own growing up. Not think he would ever be granted the opportunity to extend those feelings to others, let alone have people in his life he cared about enough.

Initially taken aback, Klaus completed the hug by encircling her waist and pulling her against his firm chest subconsciously. Inhaling her warm scent, hair and presence as if for the first time. He could feel her tears staining his shirt but it didn't matter, nothing mattered besides the woman in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." She pleaded between broken sobs as she gripped onto him tighter.

"Shh, love...it's all right." He tried reassuring her, rubbing her back up and down soothingly but he felt her shaking her head.

"No, it's not." Her voice unwavering as she pulled away enough to look up at him.

Her eyes puffy and tired compared to their usual vibrant form—breaking Klaus' cold dead heart more than he thought was possible.

Klaus let out a low breath as her eyes bored deeply into his, demonstrating the severity of her plea, she continued to explain herself.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, "I'm sorry for not telling you from the beginning. It was never my intent to keep anything from you."

"I know—"

"Please, let me finish." Caroline interrupted and Klaus obliged. "First of all, the twins are your daughters as much as mine and I'm sorry I ever made you feel otherwise. For someone who is constantly being reminded they're biologically not mine and having to deal with judgmental gossipers, I should have known better. I wasn't thinking. Even if it wasn't my intent to hurt you I still said it, and I'm sorry."

Klaus understandably nodded. It was as if she knew that particular section of their fight cut the deepest.

"Secondly, I was scared. I've been scared about the merge since Alaric first explained it to me and when I get scared I tend to turn people away. It's what I did to you, and them. I'm so used to making all the decisions regarding all of this because it was the only bit of control I had. Then circumstances changed when you came back into my life the way you did. I never expected us to become what we are, or you loving the girls as much as you do but there's nothing I wanted more. Our relationship is means everything to me. I'm so grateful to have you in our lives. I love you so much and I'm so—"

His lips molded against hers before she could muster another apology, desperate and commanding as her mouth opened to him from the pressure—succumbing to the warmth of his wet tongue. Pulling at each other mercilessly.

There was obviously more they needed to discuss—starting with proper discipline for their delinquent child—and solutions to theorize but neither of them could find it in themselves to care right now. After being away from each other for what felt like a lifetime the longing for one another only increased.

Caroline raised her fingers into his hair, standing on her tippy toes while lightly tugging at the light curls on the back of his neck. Venturing up to trace his scalp as she pressed his face more against hers—if that was even possible. Needing him, inhaling all he had to give. His talented tongue drew out soft whimpers from her lips before aiming for another passionate kiss to explain without words how much he missed her too.

His determined hands traveled from her face to squeezing her sides and caressing her silk covered back, bringing her closer in the most demanding but loving way. Tasting the teardrops that fell down her rosy cheeks and combined with their interlocked lips. Klaus almost felt ridiculous fore leaving in the first place, no matter how angry he was, but the distance made his love for her grow stronger. Rationalizing his thoughts instead of lashing out—progress.

She was more than apologetic, he felt it with through every kiss and tug. His anger was warranted, but deep down he knew Caroline was coming from a good place because he knew her heart. Nothing about this was easy on anyone and that was the reality they had to face, as a family. Being with Caroline now, holding and kissing her on the porch where any Mystic Falls resident or student could see, was the insight he needed. All he wanted to do was take her inside and never leave their bed. To shower her with love and affection to make up for lost time—forget about the bad shit just for a night.

Following that train of thought, Klaus' hands now rested dangerously on her hips, suggestively, their lips still moving together in perfect rhythm as he blindly lead them backwards and closing the door behind them with his foot.

[derangedangel]

Imported - Klaus Mikaelson

Summary: Based on this song by Jessie Reyez & 6LACK. You and Klaus make an arrangement to get over your past relationships.

Word Count: 5,123

Author’s Note: I LOVE this song, and this took me forever to write for some reason. I knew where I wanted to go, but actually getting there is hell. Honestly, I don’t know if the timeline for Klaus in this lines up with the part I tried to match in TVD, but just deal with it for the story’s sake. 

*gif is not mine*

You, you're in love with somebody else Maybe I could offer some help Get over them by gettin' under me

It had been two weeks since Jason practically stomped on your heart. Two years of will he or won’t he finally led to won’t he. At first you chalked it up to him being away so much for work. Long distance relationships were a pain in the ass. But now he made it clear. How could your heart hurt so much from someone you never officially dated?

Your girls took you out for the night to get your mind off things. All you did was work and come home, so they though it would be good for you to get out. You pregamed a little at your apartment, so now you were buzzed, but you still weren’t feeling this little outing. 

You sat at the bar watching your friends dance to the music. Your head leaned against your hand, your elbow sitting on the bar. Your eyes gazed around the bar examining everyone. The couple who couldn’t get enough of each other in the corner. The guy at the other end of the bar checking out all the girls on the dance floor. The bar tender trying to get a second to himself leaning against the back wall. Finally, your eyes landed on the dark blonde sitting two seats over from you. His eyes were set on his glass in front of him. He looked a little sad. Like his heart was broken too. Maybe that’s why you decided to speak to him.

“You look like someone just kicked your puppy.”

The man looked up, a slight glint in his eyes. 

“I could say the same about you,” he said, a smirk on his lips.

“Touché,” you said tilting your head to the side, pointing your drink in his direction. “But seriously. You look just as bad as me. Who broke your heart?”

“Who said anything about my heart being broken?”

You just looked at him, your eyes saying ‘don’t lie to me.’

“Caroline,” he said her name like it stung his lips. “She got married the other day.”

“Ouch,” you said scrunching up your face in pain. You scooted over onto the stool next to him.

“To an old friend,” he added.

“Oooo insult to injury.”

He took a long sip of his bourbon before he spoke again. “He’s a good man. I know he’ll treat her well.”

“Don’t feed me that bull. That’s what you’re telling yourself to make you feel better. How are you really feeling?”

He turned his head and looked at you, taking you in. He could tell you were buzzed, but you were being genuine.

“I hate it. I loath him for getting to be something I can’t to her. I resent him for marring her, but I don’t blame him for wanting to do so.”

“You must have really loved this girl,” you said sadly.

“She wasn’t ready to be with me when I wanted her to. I understood and told her I would wait.”

“Wow... you make my situation seem so minuscule. I mean, I think I loved him. I never told him.”

“What happened with...,” he trailed his question waiting for you to say his name.

“Jason. Just your typical mutual attraction but not wanting to commit. Biggest waste of my time. Honestly, I feel so stupid for sulking over him.”

“You had strong feelings for him. You shouldn’t feel stupid for that,” he said a little too softly for your liking. 

You stared at him for a moment taking him in. He was cute. His lips colored the perfect shade of pink. His blue eyes had just a hint of green in them to make you want to see them out in the sunshine instead of this dimly lit bar. 

“Umm... we’re sitting her discussing our sorta exes but we don’t even know each other’s names,” you pointed out.

“I’m Klaus,” he said stretching out his hand to shake yours. 

You giggled at the formality but shook his hand. “Y/N.”

________________________________________________________________

“Y/N,” you heard your name shouted then a loud giggled followed. 

“You okay Megan,” you asked your friend as she stumbled next you making you turn away from Klaus. 

“I’m great,” she shouted throwing her hands up in the air. “Are you okay? You’ve been sitting over here practically the whole night. Why don’t you dance with us?”

“I’m alright over here. I’ve been talking to my new friend,” you said and gestured over to Klaus and he gave a little wave.

“Ohhh...,” Megan said her eyes growing big taking in the man next to you. She leaned in closer to you to whisper, but she was still loud as ever. “He’s cute. You should take him home. You need to get laid.”

Your mouth dropped open. “Megan,” you whisper yelled. 

“What? You know I’m right,” she said in a lower tone catching on that you were mad. 

“Maybe, but you said that kind of loud,” you pointed out embarrassed. 

“I did,” she asked not completely sure loud she had actually been speaking even though she could have sworn she whispered. “Oh, well,” she said then practically skipped away back to your other girl friends on the dance floor.

You slowly turned back to Klaus, dropping your head into your hands shaking it. “I am so sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize,” he said but you could hear the smile in his voice. 

Dropping your hands, you looked up at Klaus. “She’s a sweet girl, but when she drinks she has no idea how loud she actually is. She thought she whispered that last bit to me.”

“I’m sure of it. But it’s always nice to hear a compliment.”

“Well you got to hear that you’re cute and I heard that I need to get laid.” You looked down at your empty glass then said, “I’m going to need another one of these.”

Klaus chuckled. “She meant well. Just looking out for a friend.”

“Yeah trying to get me to sleep with a hot stranger is definitely looking out for me.”

“So you think I’m hot,” Klaus said smirking at you. 

“Oh please, you know you look good,” you replied smiling back at him. 

“Like I said, it’s always nice to hear a compliment.”

You shook your head rolling your eyes at him. “Well I’m sure you don’t have a problem getting laid as my friend so eloquently put it.” 

Klaus’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “So we’ve gotten close enough in the span of an hour to discuss our sex lives?”

You shrugged, “Hey, Megan brought it up first. I’m just rolling with it.”

“Well since Megan brought it up, my sex life isn’t at the top of my priorities list right now.”

“See that’s your problem,” you said pointing to him.

“Excuse me,” Klaus asked confused but slightly intrigued. 

“Stay with me here, Klaus. I’ve always heard the best way to get over someone, is to get under someone else.”

Klaus just looked at you in silence.

At this point, it was definitely the alcohol talking but you couldn’t stop yourself. “We’re both stuck on our sort of, should’ve, could’ve, would’ve been exes. It seems as if neither of us are looking for a relationship. Why not help each other out? If you catch my drift.”

Klaus’ lips curved up into a smirk. “I’m following you.”

“Wanna get out of here,” you asked smiling.

“Go tell your friends you’re leaving,” Klaus replied then stood up. “Meet me at the door in 5. I’ll pay the tab.”

You quickly went over to your friends and told them you were heading out. They all whined talking about how this night was supposed to be for you, but you assured them the night went great and for them to let you know when they made it back home safe. 

About 15 minutes later, you were in a hotel lobby. Klaus said a hotel would be best since you probably didn’t want someone you just met in your home. Although you argued that you were about to sleep with said stranger you just met, you still agreed with him. The elevator ride felt agonizingly long. It was silent except for the soft elevator music playing in the background. As soon as Klaus opened the hotel door and you both were inside, your lips pressed against his in an urgent kiss. 

“Woah,” Klaus said stumbling back slightly. “Someone’s in a hurry.”

“It’s been a while,” you said as you pulled away to pull your shirt over your head. Klaus walked backwards to the bed as you followed him.

“I guess Megan was right,” Klaus said making fun of you.

“You talk to much,” you said before pushing Klaus back onto the bed then hopping on top of him reconnecting your lips. 

We can skip the wine and dine Go straight for the wind and grind She wanna cum, I can make it happen, fuck trying

After that first night, you and Klaus continued to meet up a few more times over the course of the next few months. The two of you promised to keep it casual. No feelings. Just sex. After it was over, usually one of you would leave right after. Sometimes you stuck around to shower before going back to your own place. 

Things were becoming routine for the both of you. One of you would send the other a text, and the two of you would meet up at the hotel. You learned the ends and out of each other. Since it was purely sex, neither one of you didn’t mind telling the other flat out what they liked and didn’t like. Klaus was a quick learner. 

One night there was a bad storm out and Klaus sent you a text late at night. You told him there was no way you were coming out in that weather. He asked for your address and 10 minutes later he was there. At first, you liked just going to the hotel. It made it more excited. But it was nice to have Klaus in your own bed.

You two began to get comfortable around one another. Naturally that was bound to happen when you constantly see someone naked. Klaus revealed that he was a vampire and had a daughter. Both being reasons why he preferred to go to the hotel. It kept you out of any unnecessary danger and he didn’t need his daughter asking questions. Apparently she was a very curious little girl. 

________________________________________________________________

“Oh my God,” you shot up, pushing yourself from off the top of Klaus’ body.

“What? What’s wrong,” Klaus asked genuinely confused as to what ruined your mood. 

“You just called me Caroline,” you said as you wrapped the bed sheet around your body.

“I did?”

“Yes,” you shouted sitting on the edge of the bed now. “Look, I know we’re not together so it shouldn’t matter if you say her name during sex, but it’s just too weird. Maybe we should put a brief pause on this.”

Klaus moved across the bed to get closer to you. “It was a mistake, love. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“No,” you said standing up. “The mood is ruined now. I’m just gonna head out.”

Klaus laid back in bed and watched you as you put your clothes back on. He tried to reach out to you a few days later hoping that was enough of a pause, but you told him you two needed space. The sex buddies thing was getting a little complicated and you thought time and space was the best way to make things not be weird. 

Two weeks later Klaus reached out again and you would have met up with him at the hotel, but aunt flow was making a visit. You texted him that you were just going to lay on the couch all day.

Thirty minutes later your doorbell rang. 

“Ughh, who comes to someone’s home without texting first? It’s the 21st century. Only lunatics or serial killers do that,” you mumbled to yourself mad you had to get off the couch. You looked through the peephole before opening the door only a few inches.

“Lunatic here,” Klaus said when you opened the door. You were about to ask what he was doing at your apartment when he lifted his hand showing what he brought with him. “And I brought ice cream.”

“What kind,” you asked trying to see the flavor, opening the door a little more.

“Cookie dough,” he replied grinning.

“I guess you can come in,” you said trying to act like you wouldn’t have let him in even if he didn’t have any ice cream. 

You walked to your kitchen, grabbed a spoon, and immediately dug into the ice cream. You moaned as soon as the creamy goodness toughed your tongue. 

“Not that I’m not loving this ice cream right now,” you said as you dug your spoon in for another bite. “But I know you didn’t come all the way over here just to bring me food.”

Klaus was standing across from you, leaning against the counter. “My siblings were irritating me for the millionth time this week,” he said the paused for a moment. You nodded at his response, used to him mentioning how annoying his brothers and sisters could be. “And I wanted to check to see how you were doing.”

Your gaze met his through your eyelashes as you took your focus off your ice cream. “I’m okay.”

“After last time-,” Klaus began but you interrupted him.

“Don’t even worry about it,” you said waving your hand like it was old news and you didn’t want to hear it. “It was weird, but it’s okay for you to think about her when we’re-” you said but now Klaus was interrupting you.

“It’s not okay,” he said standing up a little straighter. “We were doing this to get over them. Me thinking about her when I’m with you... it... complicates things.”

“Klaus, it doesn’t have to be that serious. You miss her,” you said shrugging. “That’s okay.”

“I still shouldn’t have called you her name,” he said edging closer to you. “You’re not Caroline,” he said in a low tone that made your stomach feel funny.

The two of you stood there for a moment just staring at each other until your phone started ringing. You quickly scurried to your living room to answer it. While you talked on the phone, you watched Klaus walk in and sit on your couch. 

After you got off the phone, you looked up at Klaus and pulled a lackluster smile on your lips. “You want to stay and watch TV with me? I was in the middle of a Law and Order: SVU marathon.”

Klaus smiled shyly and said he would stay and watch with you for a little while. It felt like things were shifting between the two of you. What started out as a sex buddy was turning into an actual friend. 

Nursing a broken heart But who'd've thought it'd take me ages? I ended up here 'cause my girl said, "Fake it 'til you make it"

Klaus had just put Hope back to bed after a bad dream when his phone started ringing. He was shocked to see your name light up his screen. The two of you always preferred to text.

“Y/N?”

“Klaus,” you shouted excitedly into the phone. “I didn’t think you would answer. It’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Are you drunk,” he asked, a smile on his face at the though of you drunk dialing him. 

“Sure am,” you said happily. 

Klaus heard the music and shouting coming from the background. “Where are you?”

“I’m at the Cat’s Meow! Megan’s here with me,” you replied.

“Hiiiiii,” Klaus heard Megan squeal from next to you. 

“You’re out drunk with Megan,” Klaus asked slightly worried about you now.

“Yeah. We were ready to go home but Megan couldn’t figure out the Lyft app,” you said then laughed. “So I called you.”

“Do you want me to come pick you up,” Klaus asked with a smile on his face.

“Yes, please,” you said. 

About twenty minutes later, Klaus walked into the Cat’s Meow. He looked around the crowded karaoke bar trying to find you in the dim light. Megan squealed from one of the stools against the wall and he spotted her. 

“Where’s Y/N,” he said once he caught her attention. 

“Oh, hi,” Megan said a huge smile on her face. “You came!”

“I did,” he nodded. “Where’s Y/N?”

Megan pointed to the stage. Klaus followed Megan’s finger and saw you on stage hula hooping. 

“You’re doing amazing, sweetie,” Megan yelled. You looked over at her giggling and spotted Klaus. 

“Klaus,” you yelled loosing your focus on what you were doing. The hula hoop dropped from around your waist and you practically bounced off the stage. You through your arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug. “You came!”

Klaus was shocked by your sudden outburst of affection. His hands were up in the air unsure of what to do in this situation. You pulled away, a smile lighting up your face. 

“Um, you ready to get out of here,” Klaus asked as he took a step back from you.

“Yeah,” you said nodding your head happily. “Come on Megan,” you said grabbing her hand then looping your other arm through Klaus’.

The three of you walked out of the karaoke bar and headed down Bourbon street.

Five minutes later you complained that you were starving and Klaus just had to go into one of the burger places nearby. He tried to convince you it could wait until you at least got to his car and he could get you something else to eat, but you refused.

You walked into the nearest diner and sat down at a booth. Megan sat across from you and Klaus sat next you. You and Megan ordered food and Klaus scrolled aimlessly on his phone. 

You were talking to Megan about the new Ryan Gosling movie then you stopped mid-sentence, you’re eyes growing big. “Oh my God,” you said ducking down into the booth.

“What,” Megan said turning around to see what you were looking at.

“It’s Jason,” you said in a low voice. His appearance sobered you up some. Klaus straightened up and put his phone away in his pocket.

“And he’s with someone,” Megan said turning back around to face you.

“Are you serious,” you asked annoyed and a little hurt. 

“And he’s coming this way,” Megan said a slight panic in her voice.

“Well you’re just full of good news aren’t you?”

“Y/N,” Jason asked surprised to see you even though you both lived in the same city. The girl he was with tightened her grip on his hand. 

You wiggled uncomfortably in your spot sliding up in the booth. “Hey.”

Jason looked across the table making eye contact with Megan. “Hey, Megan.”

“Whatever,” Megan said crossing her arms over her chest, turning and looking out the window.

“Who is this, love,” Klaus asked as he through his arm over your shoulder pulling you into his side. 

You turned at him confused but he winked at you so only you could see. Even though you were drunk, you caught on to what he was trying to do.

“This is Jason, sweetie,” you said placing your hand on Klaus’ thigh.

“Oh, yes. You’ve mentioned him once before.”

“I’m confused,” Megan mumbled then you kicked her under the table. “Ow.”

“Cousin, right,” Klaus asked pointed up at Jason.

“Uh, no,” Jason replied a little agitated. 

“He’s an old high school friend, remember,” you said to Klaus knowing it would annoy Jason. 

 “Oh, of course, that high school friend,”  Klaus said stretching his hand out to shake Jason’s.  

“And you are,” Jason asked even though he felt like more than just a high school friend to you. 

Klaus squeezed his hand just a little too tight. “Klaus, the boyfriend,” he answered smirking. He let go of Jason’s hand and pulled you in a little closer to him. “I have to say, I don’t know how you let her slip out of your grip,” Klaus said then turned to you, “but one man’s loss is another’s gain.”

You stared at Klaus in awe over what he was doing for you. Jason was at a loss for words, so Megan spoke up. “And on that note, I would say it was nice to see you, but it wasn’t,” Megan said cocking her head and pursing her lips.

Jason turned to Megan with a close lipped smile and said, “Well, it’s always a joy to see you Megan.” He turned back to face you, but you were still staring at Klaus. “It was good to see you, Y/N.”

“Un huh, bye,” you said hardly noticing Jason anymore. 

After Jason walked away with his date, Megan said. “Oh my God! That was hilarious. The look on his face... he was so jealous. And he’s keeps looking over here now.”

“How about we give him something to look at then,” Klaus said, a smirk slowly rising on his face.

“I love to put on a show,” you said smiling. Then Klaus leaned down and connected his lips to yours. His other hand that wasn’t already wrapped around your shoulder came up and pressed against the side of your face. The kiss was slow, nothing too crazy for public viewing. It was all an act, but there was still something intense about it. 

Megan was shocked. She knew about your situation with Klaus, but she understood it was a private thing. Something behind closed doors. “Oh, wow. So this is happening,” Megan said to herself.  

You smiled into the kiss before Klaus pulled away. For the rest of your time in the diner, you and Klaus stayed pressed up against one another. After you and Megan ate your food, Klaus stood up and grabbed your hand to walk you to his car. At that point, you weren’t sure if it was for show, to keep you steady in your drunken state, or because of something more. 

Klaus drove Megan home first. The two of you managed to drag her upstairs to her apartment and into her bed. You put a glass of water and Advil on her nightstand for when she woke up in the morning. On the way to your place, you dozed off in the passenger seat. Klaus tried to wake you up once you made it home, but you were too tired to get out of his car on your own. Klaus decided it would be best just to carry you instead. 

Klaus laid you down in your bed and handed you the over sized t-shirt that you were using as pajamas.

“You need to change,” Klaus insisted trying to hand you the t-shirt.

“Nooo,” you moaned. “I’m just gonna sleep like this.”

“Y/N, you’re fully dressed with makeup on your face.”

“Ughh can you do it,” you asked. You sat up as much as you could and tried to pull your shirt over your head but got tangled. Klaus chuckled to himself and helped you pull your shirt over your head. He pulled your shoes off, then helped you with your jeans. Luckily, your makeup wipes were on your nightstand next to you. Klaus pulled one out and helped you wipe your makeup off.

When he was done, you fell back into bed and sighed. Klaus was about to leave your room, but you mumbled into your pillow. 

“What was that, love?”

You adjusted your head so you weren’t talking directly into your pillow. “Stay.”

Klaus was a bit taken back, but he did as you asked. He slipped his shoes off and laid in bed with you. You cuddle up to him resting your head on his shoulder. 

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for laying in bed with you.”

“No, for earlier... with Jason. You didn’t have to pretend to be my boyfriend,” you said sleepily.

“Oh. Don’t even think about it.” Klaus carefully tried to readjust himself under you. He had laid in bed with you multiple times before, but this was the first time it wasn’t after sex.

“You’re so good to me, Klaus,” you mumbled barely audible but Klaus understood you anyway. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

Klaus just laid underneath you, unable to respond. You quickly feel asleep soon after and Klaus just wrapped his arms around you as he stared up at the ceiling.

When you woke up the next morning, Klaus was gone. The side of the bed that he occupied nothing but a cold indent of where his body laid. At first, you told yourself it was because he had a child to get back home to. Then you reminded yourself he was just a sex buddy. He didn’t need to stay the night. He had done more than enough picking you up and bringing you home. 

_______________________________________________________________

Three weeks after the run in with your almost ex, you had some news for Klaus. You texted him to meet you at the bar you first met at. You two became regulars there in the weeks after you met, and it seemed like a fitting place for your announcement. 

“I met someone,” you said excitedly. You watched Klaus’s eyes for a reaction.

Klaus knew you had news, but he didn’t expect it to be that. His eyebrows rose in shock, but he held his composure. “You did?”

“Yeah. We’ve been on two dates so far, and I didn’t want to say anything until I knew how I felt, but I really like him.”

“That’s great, Y/N,” Klaus lied. 

“That being said...,” you trailed off, hesitant about what you were about to say. “I think it’s time to break off our arrangement. After that whole thing with Jason at the diner, and me meeting this new guy, I’m in a good place now.”

The bartender sat a glass in front of Klaus and poured his usual bourbon. Klaus gulped down half the drink before he spoke. “That seems like the logical thing to do. As long as you’re happy.”

“I am,” you said smiling. “I just hope everything is okay between us.”

“Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”

“It’s just... this whole thing started out as just sex,” you said fidgeting in your seat. “And I’ve come to really enjoy our friendship outside of that. I don’t want to lose this.”

“I don’t plan on going anywhere, do you?”

“No,” you said shaking your head. 

“Good then,” Klaus said taking a sip of his drink. “You should know by now it takes a lot to get rid of Klaus Mikaelson.”

“Well, you are a thousand years old. Old men tend to be stubborn,” you said smirking.

“Watch it, love,” Klaus warned smirking back at you. 

The two of you sat at the bar a little longer just talking. Klaus was doing a good job of pretending like his feelings weren’t hurt. But what did he expect? The two of you were just sex buddies. You were intelligent, beautiful, and people were drawn to you. Of course some man would catch your attention and ask you out. Klaus was just playing himself thinking this could go on uninterrupted. 

Get over them by gettin' under me, uh But you might O.D. if you get too much of me

A knock sounded at your front door. You looked through the peep hole then opened the door surprised.

“Klaus? What are you doing here.”

“I need to talk to you,” he replied, rolling his shoulders back nervously. “Look, I know our relationship was strictly sexual, and that was fine for a while. You were ready to start back dating and I understand but-”

“Hey, Y/N, you ready to go,” a male voice said interrupting Klaus. Klaus looked over your shoulder and saw a man coming from out of your bathroom.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you had company,” Klaus said, hurt evident in his voice. 

“Klaus, it’s-,” you tried to explain but Klaus interrupted you.

“No, I’m sorry. I’ll let you be.” Klaus turned around and walked away.

You stood in your doorway shocked and confused. “What just happened,” you whispered to yourself. After you wrapped your brain around what Klaus was possibly trying to tell you, you took off down the hallway. 

“Klaus, stop,” you said as you caught up to him.

“What,” Klaus said somberly. He looked disappointed. 

“Finish what you were trying to tell me.”

“Why does it matter,” he asked wounded.

“Because I want to know,” you said sternly. 

Klaus sighed taking a moment before he spoke. He spent all afternoon trying to work up the nerve to tell you how he truly felt. Although it seemed like you already moved on from your arrangement with him, he might as well tell you the truth. 

“I fancy you alright. When you told me you were ready to start back dating and that you were seeing someone new, I was upset. I got comfortable with what we had, but it turns out it wasn’t suitable for me anymore. I want more with you. I want a relationship.”

Before Klaus could get another word out, you reached up, placing your hands on his face, and pulled him in for a kiss. It was short, but you tried to put all your feelings for him into it. Klaus blinked slowly gathering his thoughts after you pulled away. 

“What- why did you kiss me? What about the man in your apartment?” 

“I kissed you, because I feel the same way,” you said smiling. “And that guy in my apartment is just an old friend. He’s in town for a little while and we were only going to go to a movie.” 

“Well now I feel-“ 

“Stupid for jumping to conclusions,” you asked as your wrapped your hands around Klaus’ neck, pressing your body against his.

“I wasn’t going to say stupid exactly,” he said wrapping his arms around your waist. 

“Foolish. Ludicrous. Thick,” you listed off teasing him as you kissed him in between each word.

“Well now you’re just listing synonyms for stupid, which I don’t appreciate. But if you’re going to keep kissing me, then I’m sure I could learn to live with it.”

“Oh, you’re going to have to learn to live with a lot of things with me,” you said nodding up at him.

“I can’t wait,” Klaus replied before leaning down to kiss you again.

[softpine]

@etherealtrait​ fskdjsj if you ever remember what name it was, i would love to hear it lmaoo this is great (also the fact that you dreamed about my story in any way is sending me)

perhaps.png 👀👀

aww that’s really cute!! ;-; i can definitely see finn doing that unknowingly! although he sadly died traumatically too, so in my “lore” (lmao), a person’s manner of death doesn’t affect their ghost-type. we’ll see more of the reasons for it later (spoiler, but finn & aileen aren’t the only ghosts we’ll meet 👀) and we may even see some ghosts who can control their appearance hehe :’) i feel like this answer is all over the place fjkjds but even though i don’t believe in ghosts i still find them super fascinating!! and i love that you sent this 💗💗

omg thank you so so much!! i’m so happy you like it and that everything is easy to navigate for you! i hope you enjoy the rest of it :’) 💖

hey! i answered some similar questions here and here but it’s sorta tough to give advice about stuff like this tbh :( notes are a touchy subject and no matter what i say, i always get hate for it lmao. all i can really is PLEASE keep writing your story!! please follow your passion and don’t give up, because your story is worth sharing even if it’s not getting the exposure you want it to. write for yourself, and then anyone who starts reading it will feel like an extra bonus! 💖

omg no definitely not! i just wanted a place to share my dumb gameplay, and then it morphed into something a lot more than that. i think around the time caroline was born was when i realized i was in too deep and i’m here for the long hall fjskjd

TW for sexual assault:

regrettably... yes 🙄 this is the messiest, most ridiculous, harmful “drama” ever. like it’s not even “tea” its literally something that needs to be investigated by the police and i hope stank dawson has fun with austin j*nes in federal prison lol and i have never been more proud of the fact that i haven’t given tweedle dee and tweedle dum a single penny of mine...

and another thing - everyone needs to put up or shut up about this voice memo related to james charles. either everyone is lying and accusing him of being a predator without a reason, OR he really is a predator and everyone is letting him run around and live his life happily. it’s fucked up either way. i understand if the victim doesn’t want to come forward, but holding this voice memo over everyone’s heads and saying “i’ve heard it, it’s credible” is not okay. if the victim is real and they weren’t ready to come forward about their OWN story, then no one should be speculating about it. this is so serious and people are treating it like youtuber tea. it’s fuuuuucked upppp and i hate it lmao

[vampirrediaries]

Enemies Of The State : Dark!Klaroline {17}

summary:

This fiction follows the events of just how Klaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes lost everything that tied them to their humanity, leading them into something neither of them can come back from.

—————

{10 years ago}

Klaus Mikaelson had no idea what he was supposed to do. For the first time in his one thousand years, he was void.

Caroline Forbes had the ascendent, and he had no idea what she was going to do with it. Other than releasing hell on earth, what other motive could there be? It was for this reason that Klaus went mad with rage once again.

“Look for yourself!” He screamed, breaking into old furniture that remained in the room. “It’s gone. It’s bloody gone!”

The group had gathered outside during the rampage caused by the Hybrid. Furniture flew through the brick walls as if they were made of nothing, sounds of pure rage and annoyance filling up the old room.

Kol knew how big of a deal this had been for his family throughout the years. That piece of metal was the key to freeing a sociopathic siphoner, and it was very noticeably gone.

“Let’s not be rash,” The younger Original calmy approached his brother. “Caroline couldn’t free Malachai if she tried. She needs a Bennett witch.”

“Amelia is a Bennett witch!” Klaus growled, packing back and forth. “The same incessant witch who betrayed us by not lifting the link on Katerina!”

“How on earth would Caroline know who Amelia is?” Kol furrowed his brows. “I mean, it’s ridiculous!”

“How did she know about the ascendent?” Bonnie intervened, an uneasy look on her face. “Chances are, she would know about my little relative living in New Orleans.”

Stefan stepped forward, obviously distressed.

“I don’t understand what Caroline would want with Kai,” He looked at Klaus with a pointed stare. “She’s an emotionless vampire, who’s only desire should be going on a killing spree, not caring about siphoners.”

“The only thing that comes to my mind is Katherine.” Elena crosses her arms, stepping beside Bonnie. “And she’s dead.”

——————

“Katherine is looking everywhere for you.”

Kai Parker sat in the lawn chair, not giving any signs of shock or happiness at the fact that he was seeing other living people since 1994. In fact, he ate his pork rinds as if it were another sunday afternoon, looking at Caroline with raised eyebrows.

“Oh yeah, Kitty Kat! Isn’t she like, evil?”

He doesn’t exactly look like a psycho, Caroline thought. He was a little shorter than her, and was probably her age. Who everyone was so afraid of, looked like a normal teenager. It was probably what made him so terrifying, coming out of nowhere and killing a supernatural with a simple touch, would be such a simple task for him.

“You can say that,” Caroline stood awkwardly, eyeing him. “Which is probably why we should get going.”

Kai stood up, that creepy smile still on his face. “Lead the way, Blondie.”

Caroline highly doubted that Kai Parker was the answer to all of Katherine’s problems, walking out of the store with a bottle in one hand, and an awfully chatty siphoner in the other ear.

“Man, i cant wait to watch baywatch again. You like life guards, like hot ones?”

“Not that i care or anything” Caroline rolls her eyes as she walks. “But apparently you have something that Katherine wants, and i’m sorta...not seeing it.”

Kai feigns hurt, placing his hand over his heart. “Ouch, blondie. Nobody’s ever downplayed me before. I like it! Something new!”

The pair reach the parking lot, and Caroline calls out Katherine’s name loudly, knowing her supernatural hearing would pick it up.

“I don’t know much about vampires. Is it true you guys are like, blood sucking rippers?” Kai asks, leaning against the pole casually.

God, he is insufferable.

“Only the best of us are,” Caroline smiles sarcastically. “Mind telling me what you have that is so valuable?”

“Klaus is afraid of him, which is why i’m interested.”

Katherine Pierce stood behind the pair as if she’d appeared out of nowhere. She eyes Kai with a pointed gaze, looking him up and down.

“You must be the doppelgänger!” Kai approaches the Petrova. “Man it’s good to be in the presence of the Katerina Petrova. Tell me, is Klaus as cool as he is in the books?”

“He’s great,” Caroline smirks. “Unless you like being chased to your death for five hundred years.”

“I think i do.”

“Hello?” Katherine impatiently calls out. “Are we gonna discuss the terms of our arrangements or what?”

“Wow, straight to business,” Kai crosses his arms, and all traces of joking seemingly leaves his face in an instant. “You set me free, i help you with your little Klaus problem. Deal?”

“Define help,” Katherine raises her eyebrows. “Because for five hundred years i haven’t got my freedom, even Klaus promised to give it to me, I still got stuck with a link. I had to manipulate another Original for it to be broken.”

“I’ll either kill the guy, or threaten to wreak havoc on vampire’s. All that good stuff.”

It all made sense now. Katherine just wanted her freedom.

He’s our ticket to freedom, cupcake.

Kai Parker was a siphoner, meaning he can only get his power from something that already has magic. Vampire’s have witch magic, meaning he could quite possibly erase the population of with a mere touch of an Original. He could kill them.

“So this was all because you wanted your freedom from Klaus?” Caroline wondered. “All this trouble-”

“My freedom is the only thing i want, Caroline” Katherine cut her off, looking at Kai. “This kid our only chance, because like it or not, we’re in this together. If you go down, I go down with you.”

She had a point. Caroline gave away the ‘you’re in this alone’ initiative as soon as she agreed to go with the doppelgänger, and as much as she wanted out of this situation, she knew that she’d get tracked down easily. Caroline needed Kai as well, no matter how much she hated to admit.

“All good?” The siphoner rubbed his palms together. Katherine nodded slightly, and with that being done, she called out Amelia Bennett’s name.

“Amelia! You can let us out now!”

Caroline looked at Kai Parker, who had excitement written all over his face

“Ready to go?” She asked, ready for the overwhelming force that would soon knock them out. He grinned.

“You have no idea, Blondie.”

——————

“Bon, tell me you can do another tracking spell.”

Stefan looked at the witch with hopeful eyes, but was immediately let down when he saw her defeated expression.

“She must’ve had something hex my spell. The only place the map would lead to is here.”

Klaus flashed out of the house, still red hot. He wouldn’t ever find Caroline, and after making the horrible mistake of underestimating just how precise she could be, he could only pray. Kai Parker wouldn’t serve her any use, so what on earth could she want with the ascendent? It infuriated him to an extent.

“You do understand what we need to do now,”

Kol Mikaelson followed his brother outside, leaning against the door as he waited patiently for him to calm down. He was still evidently angry.

“There is nothing to do,” Klaus spoke in a scarily calm. “Caroline and the ascendent are gone, and all there is left is for the world to spin into utter chaos.”

“Do you care for the girl, Nik?”

The Hybird stared at his younger brother with a pointed glare. He was never the one to expose his feelings, even to his own blood. The heavyweighted question hung still in the air, because he knew the answer all too well.

He didn’t just care for Caroline Forbes. He was ridiculously in love with her, and that terrified him.

“Why does that matter?” Klaus tried putting up a strong front, acting indifferent. “If I care for her or not, she’s never coming back.”

Kol walked towards him, and he knew all too well that the Original could see right through his tough exterior.

“You wouldn’t have come this far, gone through this much trouble if the girl didn’t mean something to you.”

Klaus didn’t say a word, trying again to act as if what Kol had been saying wasn’t the truth.

“So i’ll ask you again, dear brother. Do you know what we need to do now?”

Klaus took a deep breath, looking towards the vast emptiness of the field they stood at. He knew exactly what they needed to do, and he’d do just that. For Caroline Forbes, he’d do anything.

“Get in the car, Kol. I think we need to have a little chat with Amelia Bennett.”

masterlist

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Dawn in Your Eyes Part 8

Summary: Alfie has little to no idea why Caroline ever gave him the time of day. The blind woman seemed far too sensible to even speak to him. But soon he finds himself falling helplessly in love.

Part 8: Equals. 

            “Aw, see now that’s a picture.”

            Caroline smiled as she bent down to slip off her shoes. She placed them to the side and sunk her toes into the sand. Even though it was fall, the sand still absorbed what was left of the summer sun. She sighed happily and enjoyed the feeling that was so foreign to city-living.

            Alfie stood back watching his wife bask in the sun. The setting was beautiful. He was sure any painter would bend backward at the chance to use her as their muse. She wore a long skirt and blouse with a wool coat over top. Her hair was pinned up beneath her headscarf. It was a fairly new tradition for them now that Caroline was a married woman. Jewish law ruled that she had to cover her hair.            

            The morning after their wedding, She had sat on the bed trying her best to properly fix the scarf with pins in her hair. But the smooth material kept slipping and she couldn’t manage her way without being able to see the pins.

            Frustrated, she asked Alfie to help. Going off the memory of how other Jewish women in Camden wore their hair, he fixed the scarf for her.

            Caroline had laughed softly and promised she would get the hang of it soon enough. But as Alfie knelt in front of her, he realized he would gladly give up five minutes every day to fix his wife’s hair.

            Cyril and Apollo were chasing each other around, barking and kicking up sands as they plowed along back and forth across the shore. Pilot dutifully laid down beside Caroline. His ears perked up whenever one of the dogs barked but he didn’t move.

            “Will you walk to the water?” Caroline reached out an arm to her husband.

            “It’ll be cold.” He warned but took her arm.

            “It’s always cold.” She smiled and walked beside him. Pilot lifted himself up and trotted after them, nosing at Caroline’s skirt.

            She began to feel the sand dampen under her feet as they got closer to the water’s edge. Alfie stopped and waited for the low tide to roll in and tickle her toes. She jolted a bit in surprise then giggled. “That isn’t cold, it’s freezing!”

            “Well, I did warn ya, love.” He reminded her.

            Cyril and Apollo came zooming in front of them, sprinting through the water and splash Alfie, Caroline, and Pilot.

            Alfie swore and Caroline laughed. Her laugh was enough to make him smile. Pilot shook the water droplets off his heavy coat and pressed his nose to his owner’s hand.

            “Let’s go sit, me hip is starting to give me trouble.” Alfie led Caroline over to where the sand was dryer. “Starting to be that time of year again.” He helped her sit first before settling down on the sand beside her with a grunt.

            “A bath will do you some good.” She cuddled into his side.

            “You think? Yeah, well, s’a fucking big tub in there. You could join me.” He said casually, with just a hint of mischief in his voice.

            “Alfie Solomons.” She giggled sheepishly and smacked his arm.

            “Purely for conserving some water, love, that’s all.” He replied cheekily.

            “Got your head in the clouds.” She teased and found his cheek to kiss softly.

            “Hey, I’m on my fucking honeymoon with my beautiful wife. My head can be in the clouds s’long as I want.” He murmured and tipped her chin up so he could kiss her proper.

            Neither of them saw or heard Apollo run up behind them and crash between them. His tail wagging, the big pawed puppy scrambled up Alfie’s chest to lick his face.

            “Oi, oi! Go play with Cyril, I don’t want ya fucking kissing me.” He picked up the pup and placed him on his feet away from them. “Go play.” He pointed toward Cyril who was sniffing at a clump of seaweed.

            Apollo barked and took off toward the bullmastiff, his legs flailing out in a disarrayed gait.

            “Gonna take a team or professionals to train that dog,” Alfie muttered.

            “My aunt’s trainers will be perfect for him,” Caroline assured him. “He’s eager, that’s all,” Alfie grumbled in response. She held his hand, grazing her thumb over his knuckles. His skin was rough from working and old scars. She could feel every flaw in his skin, even the slight raise of his tattoo. The map of a man with a tough exterior. Callouses, scars, and abrasions. “I have to tell you, you surprised me last night.”

            “Last night? Why?” He asked. Suddenly he was afraid that he’d done something wrong to put her off.

            “Well I-I know you’re not as harsh as you come across to other people. But I thought that maybe, I dunno, maybe you’d be rougher with me.” She admitted shyly. Love and intimacy weren’t things openly talked about in their community. That was purely between a wife and husband. But Caroline knew that it would take some time before she was accustomed to talking about sex out loud. She had to remember that Alfie was probably the least judgmental person in her life and she could talk to him about anything. Especially about the moment they shared the night before. Still, her cheeks went red.

            Alfie’s brow furrowed. “Why would I want to be rough with you?” He asked. The thought never crossed his mind even for a second. Seeing his wife giving herself up to him, being extremely vulnerable, trusting him to take care of her, to show her something she’d never experienced before.

            “You just seem…” She laughed nervously.

            “Dominant.” He finished for her. He kept his tone gentle as to not shame her for speaking so openly to him. In fact, he was happy she trusted him so much to talk about something that was normally kept quiet.

            “Yes.” She chewed on her lip.

            “Maybe out in the business world. Sorta hafta be, don’t I? Can’t let other people walk all over me, can I?” He encased her hand in his. “But you don’t walk all over me. You and I, we’re equals, ain’t we?”

            “Equals?” She raised an eyebrow in disagreement. “I don’t think…”

            “Husband and wife. You need me and I need you. Mutual relationship, we’re equals.” Alfie boiled it down simply with a shrug. “I ain’t never gonna think I’m above you. Why would I? You’re intelligent, caring, selfless, beautiful, sweet-”

            Caroline laughed softly and interrupted him before he could take up the rest of the hour praising her. “Well, I’ll never see myself above you. You’re clever, smart, gentle, kind, handsome, perfect in every way.”

            He smiled. “Then we’re equals.”

            “I suppose so.” She murmured.

            Pulling her closer, he kissed her forehead. “I wouldn’t want to be rough with you.” He continued. “Just want you in me arms at the end of the day.”

            “I’d like that very much.”

            “Good. Then it’s settled.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

            Alfie spent the next morning on the phone with Ollie. He’d only meant to check in with his assistant to make sure things were running smoothly. Unfortunately, things were not running smoothly. There was an attack on a few of Alfie’s bookies, an attempt to scare them away from the track. It was most certainly the Italians. The Irish were too busy with Tommy Shelby to target Camden Town. Sabini, however, had more than enough time to harass Alfie’s bookies.

            After speaking with Ollie, Alfie hung up and started to make calls to remedy the situation. Setting up parlays and counterattacks. It was a bit harder when he wasn’t there in the middle of the action. He was so much more effective when he could yell and throw things. Over the phone, he wasn’t as intimidating.

            Caroline came into the room about an hour after Alfie sat down at his desk. She looked worried, concerned that something was wrong back home.

            He set his phone aside when his wife walked in. “Yeah, love, you alright?”

            “Yes, I was just wondering if you were. You’ve been in here for a while.” She reached out to touch the desk, finding her way around to Alfie’s leather desk chair.

            He turned and rested his hands on her hips. “I know, I’m sorry. Won’t be much longer, just taking care of a few things.”

            “Do you need to go back home?”

            He frowned. “’Course not. I ain’t cutting our honeymoon short.” He promised.

            “Alfie, if something’s wrong and you need to take care of it, I don’t mind. I understand if-”

            “Love, you don’t hafta worry.” He shook his head. “I’ve called in reinforcements. Granted, I’m taking a risk but I think it’ll pay off.”

            That didn’t sound too reassuring to her. “Who?”

            “Tommy Shelby. He’s always looking to have a little fun causing trouble. He can cause trouble for Sabini for me.”

            “Alfie…are you sure?” Caroline didn’t know much about the Peaky Blinders. Only what she heard in passing from Alfie and brief whispers. They were Brummies who were gaining a lot of power, according to some sources. Alfie didn’t seem too worried about them, there were closer threats. But he had mused at their usefulness. Mostly to Ollie, not to his wife. Best to keep men like Tommy Shelby away from her.      

            “If they want to raise a little hell for Sabini, then that only helps me.”

            Caroline sighed and rested her hands over his. “I trust you but I would exercise some caution.”

            “I always do, love.”   

  Permanent Tag: @sansajonsastark​

Tag list: @zazasblogxx​ @thinkingsofamadwoman​

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