#ebenezer x bess

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In modern day, Bess introduces Eb to sitcoms.

Like, he knows what they are, but he never watched them before, calling them "insipid, pointless drivel". After his redemption he decides he needs to try them out in order to try and integrate back into the world. So Bess takes up the challenge to help him.

He is most familiar with 'Friends' as Marley actually loved it and made him watch a few episodes, so they start there. Before long, Chandler is his favorite character and he's maybe a little too invested in the Ross and Rachel plotline.

Eb: WHY DON'T THEY JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER LIKE BLOODY ADULTS?!

Bess: Because then there wouldn't be any drama to keep people coming back to watch every week.

Eb: Is it always like this, then? Is this the "thing"?

Bess: Yep, pretty much. Lots of sitcoms have crap like this to keep interest going.

Eb: It's maddening! Infuriating! How can people stand it?!

Bess: I hear ya. Do you want to stop watching?

Eb: Hell no! I need to see how these im imbeciles end up!

Bess: 🥰Welcome to the land of sitcoms, Love.

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Just thinking a little about a DnD Scroogeverse (even though I don't know much about it--actually playing it isn't my jam, but listening to the stories is):

Ebenezer is definitely a rogue living a vagabond lifestyle.

You wouldn't think that would be him until you discover he's afflicted with lycanthropy and was thrown out of his town.

Actually, it was probably more like an angry mob came to kill him (he was definitely a tax collector beforehand, so there's extra rage against him pent up) and he had to flee or die.

He probably wanted to die, really, but his inner wolf said otherwise.

His inner wolf probably functions a bit more like the Hulk, but the full moon is still a thing and that's when he's most dangerous.

Bess is a roving ex-priestess of the Moon.

Moon priestesses are definitely warriors.

They're also supposed to remain pure, so circumstances in Bess' past have led her to being disgraced and exiled from her temple, hence the "ex" status.

Because the hierarchy of the Moon is notoriously bitchy and cruel.

Bess is also the vessel for the moon goddess herself, so you bet that came back to bite the temple in the ass at some point.

Bess does have some magical abilities because of her priestess background and also because of her status as a vessel, but she's truly only at her most powerful in that regard when the goddess is currently inhabiting her body.

This rarely happens however, as such a merging drains Bess' life-force and leaves her comatose for days, sometimes weeks on end.

Her presence can actually calm Ebenezer's Wolf, even on nights of the full moon.

Nobody knows if it is because of who or what she is, but if the Wolf is in a rampage, Bess is the calming draught.

She's soothed him out of his wolf state and back into human form many times.

Eb has also talked Bess down from a goddess infused rampage.

He stayed beside her the entire time she recovered.

The pair are definitely bonded and in love surprise-surprise.

It's also speculated, because of Bess' unique situation, the moon goddess herself might also be in love with Ebenezer.

Harry--who is a bard--definitely wrote a song about them.

It's his most requested song.

@rom-e-o We getting into this now, I guess.🤷‍♀️

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How the Wolves spoiled each other this Christmas: in the OG timeline:

Apart from gifts of a more 😏physical nature, and little collections of portraits they had commissioned for each other (😉including some very private ones, @rom-e-o), this is what our favorite pair of alpha wolves got each other for Christmas.

Okay! We got Ebenezer's goodies to showcase now too, folks! Bess was a bit heavier on getting him portraits of her (particularly the private ones😏) but she did treat him in other ways.

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So Ebenezer Scrooge.

We know what he was like pre-redemption: miserly, hoarding money, didn't even spend money on himself except for the basic necessities. Naturally, anything he didn't wear in public, he would keep until it was THREADBARE.

YES. I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT HIS ROBE.

It's a VERY nice robe, but you can definitely tell it's seen better days though it looks as though it could be worn a good deal longer. But where did Scrooge GET this fancy robe? Surely he wouldn't buy something so nice for himself if it was just going to be worn around the house. Even before he got all curmudgeonly, I don't think he would have.

SO. I PROPOSE THIS THEORY.

JEN BOUGHT IT FOR HIM. Maybe it was his LAST PRESENT FROM JEN EVER. This would mean Scrooge would NEVER get rid of that robe, even when it was no longer usable.

So now, I'm just seeing Bess making sure it's VERY well taken care of: gently hand washing it herself, coaxing any stains out of it as best she can, sewing up tears, patching holes, touching up the golden embroidery (Addie or Ida might be called upon to do that--they're better at that sort of thing), trying to make it as nice as possible and last for as long as it can, because Ebenezer is a sentimental, tenderhearted man and that old robe means so much to him. And he means so much to her.

Ebenezer: "You needn't go to so much trouble, Sweetness. It's just a robe--it truly doesn't matter."

Bess: "Yes it does. It's more than just a robe to you, so it's more than that to me too. I'll take all the trouble and care in the world for it. Besides, I like wearing it, too, when you're not around, you know."

And when it does finally wear out, for whatever reason, she makes a shadowbox for it, along with some other things in memoriam of Jen. And when she buys him a new one, she tries to make it as similar as she can and gets day lilies embroidered on it above the heart because they remind him of Jen. And maybe this new robe isn't from her, but he can still think of her and feel like she's hugging him tight whenever he wears it.🥺

Later on, some day when Bess is just a touch chilly and missing Hubby, she'll slip on his robe and discover he's had bluebells--her favorite flowers--embroidered in with the lilies. She'll feel more touched and more loved than if her husband had brought home an expensive piece of jewelry or frock. And she'll hug him so tight and kiss him so deeply when he comes home in appreciation.

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*Bess and Eb seated on lounge reading*

Bess: *habitually puts her feet in Eb's lap because she feels comfy and safe*

Eb: ...Why do you always put your feet in my lap?

Bess: Hmm? Oh! Sorry, Honey-bun. I didn't even realize I did. *starts to move feet away*

Eb: *gently grabbing her ankles and replacing her feet* I didn't tell you to stop.

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Cute aggression.

Bess definitely has it with Ebenezer. Especially when he's sleeping peacefully and looks so angelic? Girl is literally like, "He's so cute I could just take his face in my hands and crush it!"

And, I mean...

... I GET IT COMPLETELY.

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Ebenezer loves Bess' hair.

He loves how thick, soft, and long it is. He loves how it naturally waves and curls. And somehow, it always smells so lovely and clean

But I was just thinking: what if Bess cut her hair? Like, had to chop nearly all of it off for some reason? (I don't believe she'd ever agree to that--she had that happen to her once as a child and it was actually rather traumatic for her.) What would Eb do?

Honestly, he'd still love her hair and I see him stroking and brushing his fingers through it even more. Why? "It's so soft and fluffy!" He would be completely transfixed by her fluffy pixie cut or bob. And if she got it shaved off, like she did as a girl, I think Ebenezer would love watching the progress of its growth. "You're fuzzy, She-Wolf! It's positively adorable!" I think he'd also be a bit enchanted with feeling her naked scalp against his hand until she once again had coverage.

Bottom line: Ebenezer would absolutely love Bess' hair, long or short, and would think Bess was gorgeous, with or without her long hair. And he would do everything in his power to make her feel that she was too.

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You wanna know something funny?

Ebenezer: introverted extrovert--loves going to social gatherings but is perfectly fine to stay in with people he loves

Bess: extroverted introvert--loves to stay in but is perfectly fine going to social gatherings with people she loves

No wonder they mesh so well!

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@rom-e-o

Connie having to explain to Bess that, yes, sweetie, you have, in fact been flirting with Ben. And Bess being completely mortified and embarrassed afterwards because she didn't realize it or try to do it at all. What if he thinks she's slutty and easy because of it? What if he gets turned off because of it? Maybe she's making him uncomfortable and he's just such a gentleman and trying to be as nice as he can, but maybe he'll get sick of it and tell her to get lost! After all, he couldn't possibly like her like that. He's so perfect, and she's so nothing. He's on top of the eligible totem pole in every aspect and she is the dirt below that totem pole.

"Honey... he flirts with you too."

🥺"REALLY???"

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So I did something I haven't done in literal years and went on Doll Divine. Found this little dress-up game there and thought it might be fun. Sooooooo...

Say "hello" to DND Ebenezer and Bess!

Sort of. Bess is definitely a lot more slender than she's supposed to be and Eb could be a bit thicker too. He could also use some more wolfish details, like claws and such, but details, details!

@rom-e-o @m0nsterwife

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🌹Domesticity🌹

~Just musing about:

Bess, in the early days of her and Eb's (finally!) consummated relationship, waking up nude in his bed, covered in love marks.

Ebenezer isn't beside her, but his spot is still warm when she stretches her hand out to it, so he's not long gone.

Bess sits up clutching the sheets around her and looks towards the closed bathroom door where she hears the sound of running water.

A second or three later, Eb, wearing just his robe, comes out.

He stops as he spots her and smiles lovingly.

Bess can't help but blush red hot under that gaze and pulls the blankets closer as she smiles shyly.

She croaks a timid, "Hi."

Ebenezer chuckles and comes back to the bed.

"Good morning," he purrs as he sits down beside her.

He leans in and presses kisses to her hairline, her brow, the bridge of her nose, her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose, before finally touching his lips to hers and molding their mouths together into a languid kiss.

He cups her jaw and wraps an arm around her waist to urge her closer.

His large hand warms the small of her back.

When they finally break apart they rest brow to brow and gaze devotedly into each other's eyes, completely, deeply in love.

"Did you sleep well?" Eb asks as he gently caresses his hand down her neck, tracing the marks he left on her in the night.

Bess shudders in a most wonderful way at the touch and nods with a dreamy smile.

"Hard to not konk-out after..." her blush deepens and she bites her lip, pulling the sheet tighter to her chest, "... well..." she shrugs with a little giggle.

Eb chuckles as he plays with a lock of her hair, "Valid point."

His face becomes a little concerned as he presses on to ask, "Does... anything hurt?"

They'd gotten just a bit rougher last night and Bess is still quite unused to such strains.

Ebenezer's worries are quickly soothed when Bess shakes her head.

"No," she assures him, "not really. Just some slight aches down... there. Around my hips. Nothing a hot bath won't fix. You?"

Ebenezer chuckles and lets a hand drift down to rub a lean thigh.

"My thighs will be protesting the walk to work this morning. I'll be very grateful to sit down once I get there."

Bess covers her smiling mouth as she giggles.

"Sorry."

Lips stroke against her brow again.

"Don't be. It will be a most pleasant discomfort."

He smirks a bit, the slightest glint of devilish lust passing through his adoring gaze.

"One I hope to experience much, much more of in future."

His voice rasps and growls in such a way, tingles shoot through Bess and straight down between her thighs, making her very core clench needily.

She opens her mouth to remark how she'd be okay with such a scenario when her lips are caught up into another kiss, this one more passionate than the last, but still just as sweet.

She moans and surrenders to it.

When he pulls away, words have quite fled from Bess, as has any other thought she might have had: The man is an incredible kisser.

Where did he learn such skills?

"I wish I could stay and help you work the kinks out, my lovely morning glory," Ebenezer whispers, "but I'm afraid I have to get to the office early to put things together for an important meeting later this morning."

There is such obvious regret in his voice that touches Bess heart and makes it ever more tender toward him.

She nuzzles him.

"It's okay. I understand. I'll be fine."

"I vow I'll make it up to you later."

Bess smiles a little cheekily at that.

"Of course you will."

She winks at him, causing the man to rumble a chuckle.

A thought occurs next to Bess that makes her suddenly feel just a touch sad.

"Um... since you won't be here... w-would you like me to leave your room?"

Ebenezer pulls back and looks a bit... befuddled.

"My room?" he asks.

"A-And go back to mine?" Bess continues, shrinking just a bit at his tone.

Eb looks even more confused.

"Your room?"

Shaking his head, he smirks and chuckles as he leans back in to hold Bess' lovely freckled face in his palms.

"Darling, there is no "yours" or "mine" anymore. Everything is "ours"."

Bess feels tears prick at her eyes as her lips begin to quiver into a smile.

"O-Ours?" she parrots hopefully.

An adamant nod.

"Ours. This room? Ours. This bed--ours. That wardrobe and dresser--ours. The house itself and everything in it--all ours. Yours and mine--together."

He gently takes one of her hands off the sheet and tugs it up to his chest to press it over his heart.

"This, however--this belongs to you and you alone."

He smiles devotedly at her as he touches his forehead to hers again.

"Forever."

A little, laughing sob escapes Bess, and she reaches with her free hand to grab his and pull it up to place on her heart too.

His palm feels delightfully warm against her now bare chest and the sweet heat quickly spreads throughout her body, making her feel ever more loved and wanted.

"And this is only yours," she tells him as she holds his hand against her sternum.

"Forever."

If at all possible, Ebenezer's smile softens and a slight sheen of tears comes to his eyes.

Bowing his head, he presses a kiss to her chest right beside his hand.

"I'll guard you with my life," he quietly, solemnly vows, whispering it into her chest as though for only her heart to hear, "unto my final breath."

Bess can't help the giggle that escapes her, butterflies welling up inside her so much they tickle.

Ebenezer raises his head and smirks as he cocks an eyebrow.

"And just what seems to be so funny, Mrs. Scrooge?" he playfully challenges.

"Mrs. Scrooge" only makes the butterflies tickle more.

"Nothing," Bess snickers.

"You're just very cute."

She smiles adoringly at the man.

He smiles adoringly back and pecks at her smiling lips.

"You're quite adorable yourself, Brightness," he rumbles.

He smoothes her mussed fringe back and kisses her head again.

"If you stay here or go down to be closer to your siblings, it's entirely up to you, Bess," Ebenezer simply states, tracing a tender, calloused finger along her jaw and then up over her soft lips, still rather puffy from their heated play last night.

"You don't stay in this room because I allow it or deem it so--you stay because this is where you belong and have every right to be. Anywhere you wish to go in this house you belong and have every right to. This is your home, Bess, and I'd love nothing more than for you to see and treat it as such."

"Truly?"

"Truly. Would I ever lie to you?"

"No. You never have. Not once."

Silence falls for a moment between them.

"If..." Eb rather bashfully begins, "... if I might be permitted to confess, however... I do hope that you will stay here, after I've left."

He blushes a rather lovely shade of pink--a color Bess falls more and more in love with every time she sees it--and his gaze falls away from hers.

"I... rather enjoy the thought of you occupying this room--this bed--while I'm away. It... it makes me feel... ah... hmm...."

"Domestic?" Bess mildly suggests.

Slate-blue comes back to meet midnight blue and slender lips curved into a most glorious little smile.

"Yes."

Bess smiles back and presses a kiss to his owlish nose and then his lips.

"It makes me feel domestic, too."

"And... domestic is good?"

"Ebenezer, domestic is perfect."

When Ebenezer is finally dressed and leaves with Prudence for the office, Bess stays.

Not in bed--she needs to be up and going then--but in the room.

She bathes in the master bath; she strips the bed and straightens whatever was sent askew by their nighttime shenanigans; she calls Ida, her maid, to run down to her old room to fetch her some clothes and shoes.

"Just something comfortable, Ida, we've got lots of walking to do this morning before Mr. Scrooge comes home."

"Oh? Might I ask why, m'Lady."

"Shopping, Dear. For the bedroom. It needs a little..." Bess smiles, "... domesticity."

And Ida smiles as it dawns on her what that means.

"Of course, m'Lady. Be back in a jiffy."

When Ebenezer comes home for lunch, Bess is smiling a mile wide and pulls him up to the bedroom to show him why.

His old bedspread, faded, frayed, and wearing through, is replaced with new: thick, warm, soft, in a gorgeous shade of deep blue and with subtle but intricate designs embroidered in silver throughout the expanse; the new bed curtains match.

The new sheets are a lovely cream color and soft as satin to touch, not dusty gray and stiff as starched collars.

In the corner of the room next to the windows is Bess' vanity, brought up from downstairs.

The wardrobe and dresser have been moved around, and placed neatly between them is a rather lovely full-length mirror, roses carved into the rich, dark wood of the frame and expertly painted, trimmed in gold.

Best of all, when Bess opens the wardrobe and drawers, he's greeted with the glorious sight of her clothes neatly hanging and folded up right beside his.

It's all enough to make the former miser's heart burst with utter joy.

He turns to her with shining eyes and just dares to ask, "Moonbeam... does all this mean what I think it means?"

Bess blushes and beams and takes his hands to wrap his arms about her waist as she moves into him.

"It does, Mr. Scrooge," she purrs as she reaches up to frame his beaming face with her soft hands.

"Prepare for a lifetime of domesticity."

And Ebenezer kisses her deep and full as tears trickle down his cheeks because he can dream of nothing more perfect than that.

Oh!

And they absolutely christen the new bed set before anything else can be done.

Lunch is a little cold by the time they come down, hand-in-hand and glowing with post-coital bliss.

But their hearts have never been warmer.

Taglist: @luvreadingfics @amazingassash @beascrooge @themostanonymousscribbler @b4bynikii @sparklesphobia @christmasgaybusinessmen @tenodai @girlbosseveyhammond @witchypandamonium @purgratoriat @neonshoe @orangewierdo @mirthadra @the-enchanted-rose @simp2537 @pandora-native-ayatei @youngsongnerd @skyvstheworldsince1996 @crimson-phantom-designs @cila-17 @ry-ichi1 @artist-anon08 @alittlebitbethany @crowwritesthings @hyerizz @crowbones13 @rom-e-o @softmullet @cheesethegodfather @the-house-of-auditore-frye @thephantomofzaun @littlethief78 @oldmanlusting

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I should be sleeping or at least in bed, but late-night creativity always seems to hit me hard. Probably because it's the time of day I can actually sit down and just write without being interrupted while everything and everyone else sleeps. I always regret it in the morning though. lmao--kill me!

Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be a ficlet. I was just going to do another little conversation thing like I normally do, but then my mind said, "Ya know, this would be a fun little thing to write." So... I did. I went all out and did. And it was fun! Except it kept me up until nearly 1 am. Again. Oy....

Anyway--on with the ficlet!

Slight NSFW--I'm gonna go ahead and say 18+ and "Minors get lost" just to be safe.

Summary: A quick comparison of two of my favorite ships from my Scroogeverse: Tom and Addie and Ebenezer and Bess. Which couple wins? You decide!

Warnings: Surprise, surprise--most of these are for Ebeness: brief mention of body-shaming, groping, mention of genitals, dirty talking, lusty idiots in love--I'm surprised there isn't more. As of now, not edited.

Toddie Vs. Ebeness

Addie Shaw, soon to be Jenkins, leaned heavily against the front counter of Jenkins' Toys and Games, watching as the owner of the establishment and her fiancé, Tom Jenkins, checked the inventory on the shelves. Every so often, after he'd counted up the amount of a certain item, he would call out to her a number and item name and she would dutifully record it in the ledger beside the proper entry. They'd been at it for a little over an hour now, Tom working down the shelves away from the counter. Away from Addie.

Addie drummed the fingers of her left hand against the pages of the ledger book as she heavily rested her face in her right hand. She knew it was stupid, what she was feeling, but she couldn't help it; the further Tom moved away from her, the lonelier she felt. And why on earth should that have been? He was literally right there in the room with her--he wasn't even out of sight behind shelves yet! Still, silly as it was, she did feel lonely and there was no denying it. She couldn't reach out and touch him from here, couldn't feel his warmth, couldn't smell his cinnamony cologne that she loved so much. Addie let her gaze fall down to hold on the pretty silver ring on her ring finger. Now she understood what her cousin Bess meant when she spoke of true love: You didn't need to be next to them all the time, but, ye gods, did you ever want to be!

A brilliant idea suddenly came to the young woman's mind that caused her rosy lips to curl. It was a little bit more of a Bess thing to do, but it seemed like it could be fun. And Addie knew Tom wouldn't mind taking a break.

Gently slapping her hand against the ledger, Addie leaned even more heavily on the counter and sighed extra, extra loudly, making sure to make it sound dramatically forlorn. She thought she did a decent job.

It definitely worked, for Tom immediately stopped in his counting of the checkerboards and turned to look at her. "Is everything all right, Sugarplum-bum?" he asked, looking a tad bit concerned.

Addie met his eyes, looking innocently at him. "Yes," she answered.

"Only, that sigh sounded rather sad," Tom gently pressed further, his gentle brown eyes looking her over.

Addie bit back a smile. Bess was a genius! "Well, as it happens, I am just a tad melancholy," she replied, doing her best to keep the corners of her mouth from curving up.

Tom hopped off his ladder and moved towards her, looking even more worried. "Oh, yes? Might I ask why?"

Addie put on her best pout and puppy-dog eyes, and she must have done a commendable job because she could see an entirely new level of softness well up in her beau's eyes. She internally cheered and made a mental note to discuss her triumph with Bess later. "Well, if you must know, Sugarpie, it's because it's been an hour and five minutes since you last told me you loved me."

Surprise, realization, knowing, and playfulness all flashed through Tom's eyes in a wink. It was incredibly impressive, and Addie quietly wondered if that's what Ebenezer looked like whenever Bess pulled this stunt with him. "Oh, my!" Tom gasped, one hand flying up to cover his mouth, the other his heart. "Oh, I am so sorry, Peachfuzz, so very sorry indeed! Allow me to fix my mistake!" He swept behind the counter and wrapped the plump woman up in his arms, squeezing her tight as he spun her around.

Squealing with delight, Addie wrapped her arms around the man's neck. Then she found herself being lifted up and deposited on the countertop. She blushed pink and giggled as Tom came to stand in front of her, moving between her legs. She probably parted them for him a little bit easier than a lady should have, but she didn't care. They were practically married after all.

Wrapping his arms around her again, Tom stared into his love's shining hazel-nut eyes and smiled ever so lovingly and fondly at her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you," he murmured. Another kiss to her temple. "I love you." Her other temple. "I love you." He smooched her cute button nose. "I love you." He peppered her cheeks. "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou!"

Addie laughed, trying to push him away and duck out of the onslaught. "Tom-Tom, please! That's a little too much!"

"Ah, there's never such a thing as too much love, my sweet!" He kept up the assault of butterfly kisses all over her soft, round face before finally planting his lips on hers. Immediately everything slowed, the rest of the world falling away until they were the only two people in the universe.

Addie slowly slipped her hands up to cup Tom's jaw to hold him closer, her fingers curling around his delightfully prominent ears. She delighted at how the closely cropped curls of his 'chops tickled her palms. His thin 'stache scratched against her top lip just so, sending tingles throughout her body. The woman felt as though she were in her own personal Heaven, one that was filled with nothing but Thomas Aaron Jenkins. Not that there ever had been, but there wasn't a trace of doubt in Addie's mind--this was love. True love. And it was hers. It was theirs.

When the couple finally broke apart, Tom touched his forehead to Addie's and gazed deeply into her hazy eyes. "I love you, Adelaide Kathryn Shaw" he repeated, softly, slowly, with meaning in every letter and syllable. "With every bit of my soul, I love you. You make me the happiest man on Earth, and I will dedicate the rest of my life trying to make you the happiest woman on Earth."

Addie smiled adoringly at the man, his words touching her very soul and bringing the slightest burn of tears to her shining eyes. Growing up she'd always been the silly fat girl--too plump, too loud, too attention-seeking. Boys and young men had never looked at her as something to take seriously, never mind something to love or desire. But now here she was, a grown woman in love with an absolutely wonderful grown man who loved her back with all his might, listened to everything she had to say no matter how goofy, and wanted her to be his wife and mother of his children. Addie had never felt so special. Or so happy. "You do that already, Tom," she replied to the man. "You make me so happy, I hardly know what to do with myself."

Tom smirked. "Well, apparently, you're so happy, you stoop to your delightful cousin's manipulations in order to get a little extra affection out of me."

Addie giggled. "It worked, did it not?"

The swarthy man grinned and shook his head. "You Shaw women," he muttered, booping her nose with a finger, "deviants the lot of you. I've never seen more mischievous females."

"You love us and you know it."

"Yes. Mischievous and irresistible--a dangerous combination. Good thing I'm a man that's always liked a little danger."

Addie laughed as he surged back in to kiss her again.

➽───────────────❥➽───────────────❥

Ebenezer was adding up the family balance book for the month when the door of his study practically flew open. He took a brief second to look up and catch a glimpse of his wife before turning back to his numbers. "Hello, Darling," he greeted her.

With a melodramatic sigh, Bess leaned heavily against the doorpost and pressed the back of her right hand to her head. "Have you no heart, Ebenezer Charles Scrooge?!" she exclaimed, a theatrical vibrato in her voice.

Still adding up the balance, the reformed miser smirked at the woman's dramatics. Bess always claimed she couldn't stand theater, but the woman took such delight in performing melodrama it was hard to believe her. "Well," he answered, "I have a pulse; so judging from that, I believe I have heart--but I haven't been to the doctor for a good while, so I suppose I can't say with certainty."

"No!" Bess wailed, going full Shakespearean. "No, you haven't a heart! How can you?" She pushed off the doorpost and swept into the room. "How can a man profess to have a heart when he hasn't told his adoring and devoted wife 'I love you' since..." she paused and took a deep, shuddering breath, "... since breakfast hours ago! Oh! Oh, the humanity!" The American pressed a hand to her forehead again and the other to her heart and twirled about before "swooning" and collapsing onto the deep rust, chaise lounge across from his desk. She sobbed, stretching a foot dramatically towards the ceiling: "The humanity!"

That caused Ebenezer to roll his eyes and turn away from the balance book to pivot around in his chair and face the actress that was his wife. He smirked amusedly at her. "You never fail to take it up a notch, do you?" he remarked with a snort.

Bess peeked out of the corner of her eye at the silver-haired man and winked with an impish grin, before resuming character. "Oh, the misery! The despair of being a vibrant, vivacious woman trapped in a loveless marriage!"

"Well, you are most certainly a vibrant, vivacious woman, I'll give you that."

"How can I go on? Knowing that the man I love doesn't love me in return--how can I possibly be expected to go on?! Oh, I am a piteous being! A most wretched and lowly soul cast among the broken and downtrodden of this cold, cruel, heartless world! Oh, woe! Woe is me! Woe is me!" Bess threw herself fully across the lounge, leaning far back over the curved headrest so that she was nearly hanging upside down, a hand still pressed to her brow.

The sound of chuckling reached her ears, followed by a book snapping shut. Then there were footsteps lazily crossed the hardwood floor before the door shut. The sound of the lock turning was what caused the woman to snap her eyes open and sit up to look at her husband. The distinguished gentleman stood there beside the door, watching her intently, his eyes dark. A shiver instantly ran up Bess' spine. She watched carefully as he undid his cuffs and deftly rolled up his sleeves, revealing expanses of slender-built forearms covered in attractive salt-and-pepper hair. Defined, wiry muscles flexed beautifully beneath rosy skin, reminding her of the surprising power and strength those otherwise slender arms possessed: The strength to carry her all the way home from the market when she twisted her ankle; the strength to hold her up and pin her to a wall as he rutted into her until she screamed with ecstasy. Bess gulped, looking from Ebenezer's arms up to his leering face. A thrill shot straight through her down to the special space between her thighs that only Ebenezer knew and could affect so markedly. Instinctively she parted her legs a bit.

"Well, now," Ebenezer rumbled as he slowly trod towards her, fiddling with the last few rolls of his left cuff, "it would appear as though I've been a bad husband--neglectful in my duties and leaving my poor, poor wife to suffer for it."

Bess pouted out her bottom lip. "You have been neglectful," she grumped.

"I know, Sweetness."

"Very, very neglectful."

"I know."

"How am I supposed to know that you still love me when you go hours without telling me, Ebenezer?"

"I know, I know, and I'm so sorry, Bess. So very, very sorry." He knelt on the floor before her, (which was quite gallant to do, as he did not have the youngest knees anymore) and gazed up into her face. He smirked and it held a dangerous edge that matched the blackness of his eyes. "As I have been made aware of this... greatest of transgressions," Ebenezer said, his voice soft but dark, "I would very much like to try and alleviate it." He wrapped his arms around the woman's waist and drew her forward to him. "If only you would be so gracious as to let me, Dearest Wife." He trailed a hand languidly down Bess' long leg until he came to the very hem of her skirt. Moving his hand to touch her stockinged ankle, he traced his hand just as slowly back up under her skirt. His long fingers gently pressed into her flesh.

A squeak caught in Bess's throat as a goofy grin spread across her face along with a strawberry blush. Lord, the effect this devilish man had on her--she'd never get over it. And she never wanted to. "I-" she stopped and cleared her throat, "-I believe I could find it within me to be as such." She shivered at the temperature change on her lower legs as her lover slowly pushed her skirt up higher and higher.

Ebenezer smiled wolfishly. "Thank you, my darling. I am undoubtedly married to a saint of a woman." With his free hand, he took up one of hers and kissed her fingers. "I love you." He kissed her knuckles. "I love you." He kissed the back of her hand. "I love you." All the while, his hand beneath her skirt kept on its trek.

Bess tried to steady her breathing and shifted around to allow him more access as he progressed.

Ebenezer was kissing up her arm now, trailing his lips along its length until he reached her shoulder and pressed a firmer kiss there. "I love you," he whispered into her blouse. He turned his face to hers with devilishly glittering eyes and asked, "Is this making things better, my love?"

Bess shuddered a breath and nodded her head, unable to find her voice.

"But not quite enough is it? No, you went hours without hearing an 'I love you' from my lips--a few kisses will not suffice." He moved his head to the center of her chest and pressed a kiss to her clothed sternum, then a trail of them up over her collarbone and the column of her throat.

Bess moaned as his lips gently sucked at her sensitive skin, tilting her head back just slightly. Little twinges of pleasure sparked deep in her belly; heat pooled in her pelvis. How was it possible for anyone to be so good with their mouth all the damn time? She hadn't the time to consider that question as suddenly her man's lips were upon hers, claiming them fully. She leaned into it, tilting her head for a better angle and molding her fully lips to dance with his soft, smooth, slender ones. Without thinking she brought both her hands up to skim his shoulder and clutch at the back of his neck, one hand moving higher to twine into his soft, steely hair. A large hand squeezed her left knee ticklishly, and Bess squealed, allowing Ebenezer the perfect opportunity to plunder her mouth with his tongue. She moaned at the taste of him--he'd sucked on a peppermint recently-- and allowed him to push her deeper into the lounge. Before she knew it, she was lying back with her man stretched atop her and nestled comfortably between her legs. She had no complaints.

Finally, the kiss ended as both parties desperately needed more air than they could find through their nostrils. Hearts racing, lungs heaving, they gazed into each other's lusty, half-lidded eyes. Each party thought the other a spectacular vision with their flushed cheeks and glistening lips. They could have stayed in such a way forever and been content.

"I love you, Elizabeth Felicity Scrooge," Ebenezer rasped, voice as full of adoration and devotion as desire. It warmed Bess' very soul. "I love you so much, I don't believe I could ever voice it effectively to you." The man's lips curled into a delightfully wicked sneer as his once-slate-blue-now-black eyes gleamed with devilry. "Therefore, I believe I shall have to write it out with my tongue and fingers both on and in that delectable little quim of yours."

Bess was sure she could have burned to ashes on the spot with the heat that flared throughout her body. "Ebenezer!" she squeaked incredulously.

A dark, rumbling burr of a chuckle rolled up from deep in the Englishman's chest. "Oh, I love it when you say my name, She-Wolf," he snarled, touching his nose to hers as he glowered seductively into her eyes. He trailed his hand further up her thigh to find it bare and gave it an appreciative squeeze. Its mistress squealed, and he felt his pants grow ever more constrictive. "And I can't wait to hear you scream it again."

Taglist: @rom-e-o @oldmanlusting @the-house-of-auditore-frye @crimson-phantom-designs @purgratoriat @ofvampiirisms

[quill-pen]

I'm just going to think about Ebenezer doing this to some drunken idiot who Bess rejects.

You all have a nice day now.

[quill-pen]

Wanna know something twisted?

In the modern Scroogeverse (@rom-e-o and also Sims-- always assume modern is also Sims unless otherwise stated) one of the classic punishments Bea would give Bess for anything and nothing was making Bess watch horror movies. Alone. In the dark. All the way through. When Bess accidentally tore a hole in her new shirt as a four-year-old, Bea sat Bess in front of 'Chucky' and made her watch. If Bess tried to run away from it, Bea hauled her back in and started the movie completely over. This would keep happening until Bess finally learned she had to sit there the entire time and watch before the punishment was over. Poor baby couldn't sleep for weeks and had nightmares for... well, she still has nightmares sometimes even in the present day.

The day Bess met George was the same thing: As punishment for running off and getting filthy, Bea made her watch 'Alien'. Bess was six years old, mind you.

Bess was also punished with movies such as 'The Exorcist', 'The Blair Witch Project', 'The Shining', 'Silence of the Lambs', 'Hannibal', 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre', 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'Dawn of the Dead', 'It', and many others--most when she was MUCH too young to have ever been allowed to see them and others when it didn't matter that she was old enough, as she was completely traumatized by horror movie now. Thankfully this punishment stopped being quite as frequent when Bea married George, as he put his foot down when he both discovered the punishment and Bess completely disproportionate fear to all horror related things. But it still continued, because George worked a lot and long hours, sometimes travelling and staying away for weeks.

All that is to say, modern!Bess hates horror movies. She also can't watch anything paranormal related. It's not just that she gets scared--she has a complete panic attack. The only horror movies she can handle and even doesn't mind watching are 'Jaws' because it's just a little more based in natural reality (although she clings to hubby and hides her face in his chest during the opening scene and Quint's speech) and the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' series because she finds that whole idea fascinatingly creative (she still has to watch it with someone else in the room though).

Surprisingly, though, Bess is not spoiled on Halloween and actually really looks forward to it. Maybe because George was always around then and made it super fun. Maybe because however good the scary stuff is done in a haunted attraction, it just doesn't quite have the same ambiance as a horror movie. Bess would still rather have the cuter Halloween vibe as opposed to the scarier one, though. And like hell she's going through a haunted house alone.

Oh, yeah. And there is absolutely a nightlight in Ebenezer and Bess' bedroom, since Bess has an almost crippling fear of the dark because of the horror movies too. It's on a timer though and motion activated so it's not on all night. Slowly Bess is weaning off of it. The weaning was her idea, not Eb's, as he's fine with doing whatever it takes to make Bess feel comfortable and safe. He was the one that bought the nightlight, actually, without Bess even having to ask. He was never patronizing or belittling or even teasing about it either. The light is moon themed, of course.💕🌕

[quill-pen]

"I'm sorry I'm so difficult to love."

~Bess anytime she's having a bad moment

"My heart and soul, the only thing difficult about you is making sure your hair is dried all the way through."

~Ebenezer anytime Bess says that

[quill-pen]

A Good Man

Just a little drabble I wrote, more so wanted to get out ideas about Ebenezer's past that have been circling around my head for a little while. Of course, it turned sappy. And then got just a touch spicy at the end.

Nothing graphic--rated 'T' I'd say. Minors, you're safe.

Synopsis: Ebenezer Scrooge is a good man. If only he could see and accept that.

Pairings: Ebenezer Scrooge X Bess (OC)

Warnings: Angst, mentions of past neglect and maybe child abuse, self-loathing, semi-self-harm, crying and emotional Ebenezer (my heart!), sappiness, declarations of love (probably all super cringy), groping and just a hint of implied spice at the end because Ebeness--DUH!

Theme:

It had been 25 years to the day. Nine thousand one hundred and thirty-one days since the death of his father. And, as he always felt irrationally compelled to do, Ebenezer Scrooge had pulled out the beaten-up old lockbox from the deep dark corner of the chest it remained buried in until this day every year and would be returned to when he'd finished. The box contained a handful of letters written to him decades ago, all by his father. They were all short, to the point, and lacking any sort of warmth or fondness.

October 13th, 1805 Son, I have received your complaints about your school and teachers, and acknowledge your desire to come home. Change is frightening as can being so far away from home and family. My advice to you is to toughen up and stay the course. The world is a harsh place, Ebenezer: Think of this as a lesson in that. Your Father, Abner J. Scrooge P.S. I suggest you not write asking to be brought home again as it will only prove to be a waste of good ink and paper and an embarrassment to us both.

January 7, 1806 Son, Your mother, sister and I went away for Christmas and have only just returned home. Needless to say, I'm afraid I've only just now received your letter and request to return home for the holidays. Your mother and sister missed you dearly and your grandparents wondered where you were, but I know it was better for you that you stayed at school. You'll be that much farther ahead in your studies, won't you? Christmas is always the same anyway--you didn't miss out. Seasons Greetings, Abner J. Scrooge

May 3, 1806 Ebenezer, I'm writing to let you know I have secured a summer job for you. Rather than return home for the summer holidays, you will be going to work for friends of the Headmaster's: a Mr. and Mrs. Dilby. They have a farm there in Cumbria. They've agreed to waive fees for your room and board so long as you pull your weight. And I know you will, won't you, Son? Write to your mother and sister--they are missing you. Tell them your summer plans but do not make mention of me. Tell them you've decided this. Regards, Abner J. Scrooge

Abner Josiah Scrooge had not been... an easy man to deal with. He hadn't really been a harsh man--at least, at first. The sixth child and fourth son of a lowly Baron, Abner could hardly have hoped to inherit his father's title, or much money or property, so he'd gone out and become a lawyer--a rather successful one, too. With that success had naturally come money, and with that money had, unfortunately, come the vices: drink, gambling, occasionally women. Sometimes the man would spend money on his family, but typically the majority of it fed his habits. And the more money Abner got, the harder he played; the coin flew out of his hands faster than he could get it in them.

That was how debtor's prison had come about. That was how Ebenezer and his weakly-constituted mother and sister had moved into a rundown, drafty, cramped, two-room apartment hardly fit for rats to live in that did nothing for any of their health. That was how Ebenezer had had to become the breadwinner of the family at nine years old, working at least two jobs, sometimes three, and little odd side jobs to meagerly feed his family. That was how Ebenezer's already tenuous childhood had been lost to him. And that was how the rapid decline of his relationship with his father had begun

That fall after Ebenezer's twelfth birthday and after Abner had gotten out of debtor's prison, his father had sent him far away to boarding school. He said it was to give Ebenezer a chance at a decent education; Ebenezer knew it was because of the row they'd had all that summer. He was angry with his father for everything that he'd put the family through, and Abner had no desire to deal with the drama: A school in the far hills of Cumbria was a good way to avoid it. Abner had done his best to keep his son away after that, hardly allowing him home for visits for any reason; Ebenezer could count once on each hand how many times he'd come home in those years. Holidays were spent at the school where he was often the only boy staying. Summers were almost entirely spent working up north, sometimes on farms, sometimes in shops, sometimes in banks or workshops or factories, really anything Ebenezer had been able to find--he'd tried his hand at it all.

It hadn't all been bad, admittedly. He'd made some solid mates back then, some of which he'd gotten back into regular contact with since he'd changed; and he'd made some good memories (a few of them rather lurid--like Mr. Corshack's spitfire of a niece). And he'd learned and experienced so much he wouldn't have otherwise--his work ethic to this day could testify to that. But it had never been Ebenezer's choice--always his father's. Ebenezer had just... simply stopped fighting it after a while; it seemed better than fighting to come home only to end up bellowing and brawling with the man and upsetting Jen and Ma.

November 18, 1809 Greetings, I've received your request to come home for Christmas this year. It baffles me why you should want to when it's proven so much more profitable for you to stay at school the past several years. Therefore, for your sake, my boy, I cannot possibly allow such a request. Stay in school, work hard, and get ahead. After all, we both know the misery that will befall this house should both of us reside in it for any period of time. Spending Christmas away from each other is much more pleasant--wouldn't you agree, Ebenezer? Sincerely, Abner J. Scrooge

February 1, 1811 Son, I am writing you this to wish you a happy birthday and hope it reaches you in time and finds you well. You're a man now, my son, and it's time for you to take your place in the world. This is what these last several years have been preparing you for and I hope you have the gumption to meet it head on. What you do after graduating, is, of course, up to you. Should you return to London, I expect you to seek and find your own accommodations as you will not be allowed to stay in our house. I will also expect you to find and acquire a job no later than two weeks after arriving, as I have no intention of helping you pay for your housing. It's time for you to be a man now. Welcome to the world, Abner J. Scrooge P.S. Ah, yes--I almost forgot: Happy birthday, Ebenezer.

Ebenezer went back and forth between the letters, reading them over and over again, studying them. The handwriting looked so much like his own--only a tad sloppier. Once again, a thick gloom settled over the former miser. Growing up, he'd wanted nothing more than to be the exact opposite of his father; to be wise with his finances and secure, to be loyal, to be kind and loving and content with what he had. While he had and was all of those things now, it had taken him far too long to get there. It had taken a miraculous, supernatural intervention to turn him around, and the fact that he did, in his mind at least, did not detract from the fact of what he'd become and done before. In his desire to be the opposite of his father, Ebenezer had become a worse man than Abner had ever been in most ways, and exactly like him in others. Hell, he'd even aged into him: The face he saw staring out at him when he looked in the mirror was almost the spitting image of his father's! How anyone could ever admire that face....

"Ah, here you are," a warm, melodic voice reached the banker's ears.

Ebenezer looked up from the letters in his hands to see his American bride standing in the doorway, smirking at him as she leaned against the doorpost. Despite his mood, the man couldn't help but smile, his heart instantly swelling with love for the beautiful, young woman that had, for some miraculous reason, chosen him to be her husband. "You know all you need do is whistle and I'll come running, Sweetness," he remarked with a playful wink.

Bess' freckled cheeks flushed ever so slightly as she came into the bedroom. "I know," she chuckled. "You're such a good wolf for that. But I'm a wolf, too, remember? We like the hunt."

Ebenezer snorted and rolled his eyes as he held a hand out to her.

Bess gladly took it and sat down beside him on the mattress, instantly snuggling into his side and wrapping her arms around his waist. She smiled into the kiss he pressed to her mouth, reveling in the familiar, warm, smoothness of his lips against hers. A contented sigh left her lungs. "I love how automatic that is," she whispered against the man's lips when he pulled back. "And I love you."

Ebenezer smiled softly and nuzzled his nose against her as he squeezed her close. "I love it and you too," he murmured, pressing another kiss into her coal-black hair.

Bess leaned into it. "I have a confession to make," she admitted, smiling guiltily up at her husband.

Ebenezer cocked a busy, silver-speckled eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, yes?"

"I didn't hunt--I knew exactly where you'd be." Her midnight-blue eyes became sad, empathetic in their concern for him. "I finally actually looked at the calendar and realized what day it is." She gently squeezed his waist as she rested her head on his shoulder, gazing up into his face as she watched his expressions. "Are you all right, Wolfy?" The question was soft, full of love and care for him: Ebenezer felt his heart throb with adoration for his wife yet again because of it.

The Englishman sighed deeply, pulling his gaze from hers. "Yes," he answered sincerely. "Mostly. I suppose. As all right as I can ever seem to be on this day, it seems." His eyes fell back to the papers in his hands and he absently shifted them around.

Bess' eyes went to them too, her face creasing with slight disgust. Those letters were a major cause of her beloved hubby's currently dower mood, and the Yank did not appreciate it. She hated to see the man she loved so much so low in spirits: A somber Ebenezer just wasn't really Ebenezer. "I know why you keep them," she mentioned of the letters, "but I still wish you wouldn't. They make you so sad." She looked back up at her husband and reached up to cup his far cheek in her hand and bring his face closer to hers. "I don't like it when you're sad, Love; it hurts my heart." The woman pressed a lingering kiss to her man's chin and nuzzled into his muttonchops ever so tenderly as she murmured: "I just only ever want to see you happy."

Ebenezer softly chuckled, bowing his head to touch his brow to hers. "I know, Sweetness," he whispered, slate-blue gazing into midnight-blue again. "And I'm sorry to upset you, but I just..." he trailed off into another sigh as he gestured to the letters in his hand.

"You can't get rid of them," Bess finished for him, knowingly. "Just like I'll never be able to forget about all the things Mama said to me growing up. They're reminders."

"Reminders... never to be like him," Ebenezer murmured nearly to himself as he looked through the letter again. A pang of bitterness stabbed through his heart and he snorted harshly, derisively. "All the good that did."

Bess pulled back from him a little bit, narrowing her gaze in suspicion. "What is that supposed to mean?" she snapped. Her voice sounded a little bit harsher than she intended it to, but only because she had an idea of where Ebenezer was going with this claim, and she knew she wouldn't like it.

The man looked at her, meeting and holding her hard gaze. "I grow up all but despising my father--loathing him--wanting nothing more than to be nothing like him." He held up the papers, clenching them in his fist. "I keep these to remind me of the kind of man he was; how cold and distant he could be--how unkind, unfeeling. For years I kept them in plain sight under my nose so that I might not forget." He laughed bitterly tossing the letters away so that they floated haphazardly about the room. "And yet, somehow, despite all that, despite how I continued to remind myself, I turned out to be just as harsh and mean and even worse-tempered than he ever was!" He balled up his fist and hit it hard against his knee--hard enough to probably bruise himself.

Bess flinched. "Ebenezer, please," she soothed, reaching over to place a hopefully calming hand on his arm.

It didn't work. Ebenezer was much too wrapped up in his gloom and dark thoughts at the moment to take notice of her. He hit his other fist against his opposite knee. The knuckles of both fists were deathly white, his grip was so strong. "I promised myself!" he fumed at himself, his face contorting into a nearly monstrous mask of fury. "Time and time again I promised myself and Jen that I would be different--that I wouldn't become my father! Well, not only did I fail in that promise by growing into his temperament, I became even worse than him in every possible aspect!"

"Ebenezer-"

He was pounding both fists against both thighs now, each strike harder and more savage than the last. His vision was starting to swim, his eyes burning with hot tears that threatened to spill over any moment. He didn't care. "I was cruel, selfish, greedy, cared for nothing but profit and no one but myself! I refused to help people when I should have and so easily could have; even my father was known to dump a boatload of money on someone who needed it when he'd been at the bottle! I was needlessly spiteful and hard on people--forced them to pay exorbitantly more than necessary, and I took pleasure in doing so!" The tears started to fall.

"Ebenezer-"

"I made people suffer, prolonged their suffering, and intentionally hurt and offended them! My father may have been a bad man, but he was nothing--nothing--compared to the monster I was--the monster I am!" The man's chest expanded sporadically as he fought for breath, his ribs feeling painfully tight, his heart racing so fast he felt it might explode. His vision started to black out at the edges. "However indirectly, there's blood on my hands: Blood of innocent men, women, and children--so much blood that I'll never know about all of it! I-I'm a bad man! A horrible, cruel, evil man! I deserve the chains and the endless wandering! I deserve a pauper's funeral and grave--I don't deserve to be mourned or remembered! I'm not a good man--I'll never be a good man! I deserve misery! I-I deserve-"

Small but strong hands suddenly closed tight around his wrists and forced his fists away from his thighs. "Ebenezer, stop! Stop, stop, STOP!" Bess' voice barked harshly, gaining his attention. The dark-haired woman knelt down between the man's legs to look up directly into his burning-red, tearful face. Her own eyes were shining with tears glittering on her lashes as she stared beseechingly up at him, holding his fists back to keep him from hurting himself further. Drawn into a thin line, her lips quivered along with her chin. "Ebenezer, please!" she breathed desperately. "Please, just... just stop. For me, just stop, please!"

Her husband stared unwaveringly at her; her gentle face--a face he loved with his whole being--immediately made a calm break over him like tidal waves against a craggy, rocky coast. His chest and ribs still ached, his temples and the muscles in his face felt tight, and he was badly shaking from head to foot, but the rage that had coursed through his veins seconds ago, the self-hatred, it had stopped full force in the warm love-light of those magnificent midnight-blue irises. Unheeded, Ebenezer's fists unfurled and he instinctively reached out for Bess, cupping her heart-shaped face between his palms. "Bess," he rasped, a whimper in his tone.

His wife reached up to hold his face in turn, ever so gently running adoring fingers over his soaked cheeks to try and wipe his tears away before holding his head in her hands. She stroked his chiseled, tear-stained cheekbones with her thumbs. "Please," she quivered, swallowing hard and trying her best to keep her tone even, "stop saying such cruel and hurtful things about the man I love." She offered him a small but determined smile. "Because very few words that have come out of your mouth have been true."

Ebenezer's heart clenched and he screwed his eyes shut, unable to keep looking at her. Those adoring words, that warm smile, her devotion and loyalty to him--he deserved none of it. He was not even remotely worthy of the smallest percentage of it! And yet she gave it to him--freely. The man shook his head within her grasp. "Bess," he groaned, "Sweetness, y-you... you can't say that--you don't... didn't know-"

"Precisely--I didn't know you back then, though I have heard just about everything about it from you, so it's not as though you've been denying or trying to hide what kind of man you used to be. And I didn't know your father, but I've heard a lot about him from you as well. So I'm the perfect person to pass judgment because I can look at you and see you without shadows; I can look at you and see you as you are now without any previous memories to taint my vision of you. Ebenezer, look at me." She gripped his face just a bit more tightly and pulled him down closer as she stretched up toward him; they were practically face-parallel-to-face. For a quiet moment, they simply stared into each other's shining eyes.

"From the moment I met you," Bess began, voice hardly above a whisper, "I've seen nothing even close to resembling either of these men you speak of. From the moment you walked through that office door with Millie on your shoulder and we shook hands, you have been nothing but sweet, kind, chivalrous, charitable, and compassionate to me, to my siblings--everyone."

Ebenezer was entranced; by her eyes, by her words, by her soft hands and skin--everything. She was all there was in the world--everything was Bess. He wanted nothing more than for it to stay that way. "Bess..."

"You're not your father, Ebenezer; and you're not the man you used to be either. You're right about them; they were bad men--cruel, nasty, evil men. But they're not you, my darling. Not anymore. If I'm not my past, Wolf, then neither are you: Whatever bitterness you feel towards yourself--whatever harshness you think you deserve, you're wrong. You deserve nothing but good things; love, happiness, peace--you deserve it all and more."

Ebenezer gently shook his head. "I've done so many bad things, Bess--so many things I can never be forgiven for and will have to answer for in the end."

"Maybe. But you're doing everything to make amends for what you can now. Let God worry about the rest." Bess gently stroked her right hand down her lover's face and brought it to rest on his chest above his heart. "If only you could see your heart as I do, my love," she sighed, rubbing her thumb against his chest, "then you could see exactly the kind of wonderful man you are." She pulled away from his grip on her face and leaned forward to press her lips against his chest between her splayed thumb and index finger. Her lipstick left a perfect print on his white, linen shirt over his heart. "You're a philanthropist," Bess stated, meeting his eyes again, "an honorable businessman, a beloved husband and father; a man with such a big, beautiful heart of gold that he shines so brightly and lights the way for everyone else who follows him." Bess slipped both of her arms around the man's waist and hugged him close again, still gazing up into his downturned face. "This world doesn't deserve you, Ebenezer Scrooge." She lowered her face from his and pressed it into his chest, closing her eyes. "I don't deserve you. You're too beautiful, too amazing, too perfect in every way to be anything other than an angel in disguise--no one is worthy of you." She peppered more kisses across his pectorals, leaving more lovely, dusky purple marks in her wake.

Ebenezer's heart clenched and throbbed with undeniable love and passion for the woman before him. He watched the top of his wife's dark head as she kissed all along his chest, gently smoothing his hands up and down her shoulders and arms. "My darling Bess," he sighed almost whimsically. "My beautiful She-Wolf. My beloved wife."

Bess looked up at him again, her chin pressed almost flat against his chest as he craned her neck back. Tears were shimmering in her eyes again. "I'm not worthy," she repeated, voice rasping, "but I love you, Ebenezer. God be praised--I love you! I've never loved anyone as much as I love you--I didn't even think it was possible to love someone this much. You're my everything; my sun, my moon, my stars, my breath, my life. The only thing I have to offer you in return are my heart, body, and soul, and I give them to you freely, unworthy of you as they are."

"They are not unworthy," Ebenezer croaked, wrapping his arms around the kneeling woman, "they are everything to me. You are everything to me."

Bess gave a gentle smile. "Then perhaps, might you listen to the words of the woman who is both your everything and gives you everything of her own free will and not the harsh words of the man who sired you or the demons in your head? Because they only seek to harm you; I only seek to help you become the best man you could possibly be--the man I know you are in your heart." She stretched out her graceful neck as the silver-haired man bowed his head to her and met him in a soft, lingering kiss so full of love it made both their insides melt into bubbling goo.

Bess slowly rose up off her knees, careful never to break the kiss. Gently pushing against Ebenezer's chest, she made him lay back on the bed, crawling up over him as he gracefully descended to the mattress. She laid down atop him, taking his face in her hands yet again as she angled her mouth over his to deepen the kiss. Instantly, tension began to build. Ebenezer's arms came around her, one locking tight around her waist, the other reaching lower for his hand to grab at her buttocks, both urging her closer to him as the desire grew. The American eagerly obliged. She traced her tongue against the seam of his lips and was quickly granted access: She dove in to meet his tongue with hers--no hesitation. She gently raked her nails down his cheek, neck, and chest; the man growled and held her more tightly.

The couple remained this way for several long, blissful moments, groaning, moaning, whimpering, nipping, licking, groping, expertly working each other up, and getting the blood boiling. When finally they parted for air, Bess gazed down into the hazy, half-lidded, slate-blue-ringed eyes of her husband. Her beautiful husband. Her marvelously wonderful husband whom she would stand between Heaven and Earth with, until the end of time.

"You are a good man, Ebenezer Charles Scrooge," she breathed, her head swimming a bit itself. "The very best man I've ever known and, undoubtedly, will ever know." She kissed his top lip ever so gently as she held his gaze before pushing herself to sit up so that she was straddling him. Then she grabbed his hands, which had come to rest on her waist, and brought them both up to her mouth. She showered them in kisses; all over the fingers, across the knuckles, the backs, each calloused fingertip. She made sure to leave obvious lip prints inside his palms and on the soft, sensitive skin of his inside wrists. The woman was brazen enough to gently stroke her tongue against him there and a thrill went through her when she felt her man shudder beneath her, his eyes widening and growing darker as he watched her and quietly whimpered.

"You're a good man, Wolf," she repeated, smiling down at the man as she gently massaged the outsides of his wrists. "A good man." The woman's smile suddenly turned saucy and a devious gleam came to her eyes. Without a second thought, she brought the Englishman's hands to her breasts and pressed them firmly to her plush and pliant mounds, squeezing his hands to encourage him to grope her. He didn't need much urging and she gasped with delight, a familiar, heady sensation fluttering low in her belly even with the barrier of clothing between their skin. She moaned as he continued his ministrations, letting her head slowly roll 'round. "Mmm. We should see just how good a man you can really be...."

Taglist: @rom-e-o @oldmanlusting @the-house-of-auditore-frye @crimson-phantom-designs @ofvampiirisms @purgratoriat if anybody else would like to be added, let me know!

Romey, why do I get the feeling this is when Gil caught them in the act?